Thursday, April 30, 2009

Search If You Will, But You Won't Find These Things On My Blog



"Hi, My name is Mary, and I've been blogging for six months now." (Hi, Mary!)




During the small time in which I've belonged to the so called blogosphere I've had a chance to visit hundreds of blogs. I have been inspired, entertained, educated, grossed-out, and at times disgusted. But that is all part of the game. Some days I'm truly amazed at what one will write. On other days, I wished they had revealed a little more.



This little bit of wonderment got me thinking the other day. For the handful of you that may have purposely or mistakenly pushed my Follow Me button; you probably already know what to expect from me. However, to make it fair for those who may just be passing by via a blog directory or a misdirection from a friendly search engine; I thought it would only be right to give you a list of things that you will most likely never find on my blog. I use the words most likely to indicate that I am a woman and due to the changes which we experience during our lives we sometimes feel the need to change our minds. So for the purpose of this post, most likely will be legal and binding.



Rule #1- No Bows. Despite being described as "girly girly," you will find no bows, lace, or doilies on this blog. I am the proud mother of 2 growing boys. I get to see them clean once a day (after their baths). Let's face it, they weren't even clean when they came out of me, so why start now. My blog is a reflection of me and my family. A girly blog would just represent me. One day all the testosterone will leave for college, and I will accept a blogging job with AARP. Until then, no bows.





Rule#2- No Potty Mouth. Once upon a time I worked in a male dominated field, and boy could I keep up with the best of them. As I got older, I have realized that Potty Mouth is not always an accepted custom. It does get ones attention, and if attention is what you seek, then by all means curse until you're blue in the face. Just remember, every potty needs to be cleaned once in a while. For best results: swish sweet words daily and flush those Freudian Slips. There will be no WTF'S?, C words, P words, or S words. Now that I've eliminated 5 letters, I have just 21 letters left. I'm sure I can find something to say. If your blog contains any of these words, not to worry, I will still visit. I just won't be reading aloud.




Rule#3- No Pictures of the Kiddies. As I continue the relentless job of trying to convince my children that there are no monsters under the bed, I have yet to convince myself that they don't exist in other places. The world is a scary place sometimes, and while I enjoy sharing daily essays; pictures of my children will stay securely in my wallet and my heart. You will just have to take my word for it...they are adorable!




Rule#4- No Grabbing My Button. Boy have times changed. If I tried to grab anything as a child, my hand was slapped. Now people are advertising Grabbing! What's next? Poking? Maybe prodding? I suppose everything has it's place. It's just not my blog. It's a cute concept, but if you want to know the honest truth, I have no idea how it is done. As you can tell, my blog is very home made. It's crossed my mind a few times to pay for a new design, but I have this fear that once I'm handed back the reigns, I will no longer know what to do. I will need to sign up for Super Blogger classes, and take extensive notes on tags, buttons, headers, blinkies, etc. etc. I'll save that job for you professionals out there.



Rule #5- No Negativity. Like everyone else, I have woken up on the wrong side of the bed. And on those very days I do you all a favor. I keep my computer shut off. I'm for the old saying: "If you can't say something nice, don't type." Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but once a word is spoken out loud, you can't take it back. Be careful what you write, and who you write about. I feel honored to have followers, and for that reason, I will never use this platform to degrade or undermine anyone.




Rule#6- A Word About Awards. Ten years of my childhood were spent as a cheerleader. At the end of every year we were awarded our trophies. The year we went to the championship, I came home with a trophy half the size of my leg. If you were to ask me where all these awards are today, I would honestly answer in the landfill. It was before "going green" was a trend, so unfortunately they were not recycled. I feel the same today as I did back then. Awards take up a lot of space. You have to constantly make room for them, and eventually that room runs out. I share these thoughts with a wonderful friend blogger Kathy B at The World According to Me, who wrote a terrific post on this very subject titled Secret Blogger Code. Please make sure to stop by. I am always excited when someone acknowledges my work, whether they agree or not. I think it's important to make an effort to say thank you. If you enjoy reading my blog, a simple comment is fine. I won't be waiting for an award.


Rule #7- Rambling. I do not, have not, nor do I ever want to consider my blog rambling. The very definition of the word means aimless, and that is hardly what I am about. I like having a point to every post. I try to be organized, concise and honest when I write. The other 22 hours is another story.


One Last Word. Now that you know all the things you won't find on this blog, I hope you found what you came for. Hopefully you'll stick around for a while. Don't forget to leave a comment. I'll drop by soon to see what you're talking about.

22 comments:

Kathy B! said...

I think this is why I love your blog so much. I share many, if not most, of your views (we could go so far as all except for the pics -- and I'm re-considering those).

And fwiw, I'd take a shout out on your blog over any award... any day :)

Jennifer said...

Aaaah! What a classy broad! ;-)

When Pigs Fly said...

Great post. I try to adhere to most of the things on your list. Sometimes an off color word will make it in but I like to think it serves a defined purpose. I also think it's refreshing that you don't put pictures of you kids up. You never know who's looking at our sites.
Thanks for stopping by on my SITS day. www.whenpigsfly.squarespace.com

The Hapa Girl said...

Yep...shout outs are great too! Maybe I should be more discipline with the pictures, but I've already started, what do I do??? LOL

Your blog has always been fun to read even without all the "stuff" to it. I guess content is always more precious!

Ms.Emily said...

I wanted to return the favor of stopping by!

I enjoyed reading this entry.

I will have to come back again :)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!!

Emily

Unknown said...

A very smart ladie I have two boys grown up now 22 and 24 I still dont put their picture on my blog.
HAPPY VGNO

Leslie said...

Great rules. I like people that know how to set their own boundaries! You've got yourself a new follower...

Happy VGNO!

Lagean Ellis said...

I agree. I think sometimes you have to add the "and I won't tolerate it on mine, either" for the comments. I am surprised at how many "adults" will leave foul language on comments, twitter, Facebook....... like they can't control what they type!!!?

Happy VGNO! I enjoy your blog!

Mandala Michelle said...

Great post! You should keep that as a link somewhere so people can always find it easily. Happy VGNO

Anonymous said...

Oops, did I just see an award? If you got it, flaunt it. I like your rules. Happy VGNO

Unknown said...

Happy VGNO!

Kat said...

So I can't poke you huh? Bummer. LOL

Happy VGNO!!

Opus #6 said...

Mary, great post. Refreshing. I must admit to putting up pics of the kids. I keep thinking, what does it matter. They grow so fast, nobody will recognize them in 6 months, lol. Happy VGNO.

Ali said...

I am starting to agree with the award rule. I got 3 last weekend and not only is it hard to figure out who to give it to, but so many people already have them and some don't want them, etc....it takes a lot of time to re-post (unless you just display them and don't pass them on)! I REALLY appreciate them, but I hate leaving anyone out too. So...I may have to make a new rule about that. I have also worried a little about posting pics of my son, so I have been trying not to post AS many...we'll see how that goes! =) Thanks for stopping by and have a great VGNO and weekend!

Elizabeth D. said...

I'm totally on the same page as you, especially on the no photos of the kiddos. The Internet can be a scary place, so I think you're totally right to keep those to yourself. Happy VGNO!

Anonymous said...

: ) I hope you have a great weekend and a fun VGNO!!

MommaD said...

i am so with you on the bows, lace thing. i write my blog on my family, which include five of the male species and me. a bowy frilly blog would just be me...lot's of great stuff in the post. stopping by from vgno!

MediMonsters said...

I love your list!!! I share many of your views--especially the awards one. I appreciate it when I am awarded one, but I don't usually pass them on. I don't like to pick and choose, I just award everyone who reads it and encourage them to take it if they want.

I like you!! and I think I am gonna follow you now!

Happy VGNO!

Country Mouse, City Mouse said...

I have enjoyed my visit here tonight. I hope you are enjoying the party tonight!!

Anonymous said...

Stopping by for VGNO...love your blog and your 'rules'

Stacy Uncorked said...

I absolutely love your list - I share many of your views, particularly that of awards... :) Kathy B!'s post was right on the money, and you validated it here as well. Comments and shout outs go a lot farther than an award that creates work and has a bunch of rules attached... :)

Happy VGNO and Happy May Day - have a great weekend! :)

FranticMommy said...

Cool! I am in TOTAL agreement of the "no pictures of the kiddies". I just can't bring myself to do it.
It was bad enough for me to post a pic of part of my head. Thanks for stopping by my blog.