Remembering What is Important

I have been hit with a lot all of a sudden. After the wedding and reuniting and celebrating with family we were hit with very sad news. My husband’s Uncle Adrian passed after a long fight with many different illnesses. It came as a shock probably because of the timing. He was a fighter and seemed to be doing better. Uncle Adrian is the family historian. My husband’s family has a deep rooted history that can be traced back to the 1800’s. Every three years family members reunited at a family reunion where it all started New Iberia, Louisiana. He was the family story teller and we were all mesmerized by the rich knowledge that he told us each and every time he presented. When I was first introduced to the family, Uncle Adrian immediately gravitated to me. As an educator himself he had many questions about education, living in New England, and my perspectives on life in general. We shared laughs and tears each and every time we had the pleasure of meeting. Over the last ten years he has become a very important part of my life. I am still processing the loss and wish we had the means to travel down the Louisiana to be with the family. He will be in our thoughts during these difficult times.

Then I hear a story like this of a fellow blogger,Our Ordinary Life, whose son was critically injured when hit by a tractor-trailer hit them both when they were walking last week. I am sending the family positive thoughts and prayers for a quick and speedy recovery.

It is stories like this that I remind my readers to hug your love ones a little tighter. You never know what each day will bring you. There is nothing more that I want this holiday season than to spend quality times with my little family.

What do most Bloggers Need?

Recently, well actually for the last year, I have been struggling with creating good content for Mom on the Run. My struggles come from many different avenues, but what hinders my progress most of all is time. I simply run out of time daily. My schedule Monday thru Friday looks a little something like this.: Up by 6 (I have a nice little alarm clock named Baby A), change and feed baby, wake up 2 older daughters, baby play time while I get dressed, get everyone breakfast and out the door for school, 8-4 I am teacher extraordinaire, then back to mom duty until about 9. By that time I am exhausted. I am lucky if I can get to the bathroom or find time to cook. I love my life and by no means am complaining about my daily going ons. What does concern me is that I am not making time for things that help me let off steam and de-stress from life. I have a few things that allow for me to do this: blogging, exercise, spa pedicures, and the occasional girls night out. In looking back I have not included these activities into my life. This quite frankly makes me cranky. I need to get better with my time.

In my daily blog reading I came across many interesting articles on how to improve your personal blogs. I gravitated to one particular article: How To Write A Blog Post In 15 Minutes Or Less by Kat at SITS. Of course this post sparked my interest because I can honestly make 15 minute a day for blog writing. Here are a few of the tips that I am going to try in the next couple of weeks:

1. Keep Paper Handy

If you write ideas down as they come to you, the time you need to spend actually brainstorming at the computer will decrease dramatically. When I sit down to write a blog post, I spend at least 15 minutes looking at drafts, compiling notes, and thinking about what topics I can tackle. When I keep notes and have a specific goal in mind, I can write a blog post in no time.

2. Follow a Template

An insightful post is an insightful post regardless of who developed the structure. Fill in the blanks of this "Where I’m From" template and you’ll be surprised to find how quickly you can put together a unique perspective for your next blog post on a tried and true template.

3. Keep It Short

An insightful post is an insightful post regardless of the length. Try your hand at creating a Six Word Memoir. They can be funny, deep, moving, or just plain silly. Pair it with a great photo and BAM…you’ve got a blog post.

Kat shared several more tips that are very helpful for anyone who may be struggling with finding time to blog. I know that I am the type of person that must find a solution to a problem. Lamenting about the problem does not make any situation better.

How do you find time to blog? Do you have a set schedule?