Why YOU should blog!!!

To blog or not to blog?  That is the big question.

I will begin with the reasons I LOVE blogging!

1. It is a cheap alternative to "scrapbooking."   I started scrapbooking when we first married because I didn't want to miss any special moments.  I quickly found after only 2 books that it was very time consuming, EXPENSIVE, and it wasn't something you could just start, leave, to pick up again later on.  When I ended up scrapbooking, I had to dedicate hours on end to accomplish anything.  I started blogging and I got the same results, it was FREE, wasn't messy, and I had internet record of it in case my house caught on fire or something.
2. I have easy access to all of my fun memories at the touch of a button.
3. I enjoy it!  It is what I do for fun.  Some people read or watch movies for fun but in my down time I love to get out my computer and blog.  It's my outlet to relieve stress or to just relax.  
4. I HATE to write but LOVE to type.  Computer is the only real way to keep my memories.
5. You can keep in touch with family and friends.  I have family all over the country that love to keep updated with the kids growing up and this is an easy way for them to keep up and for me to keep up with them as well (if they blog).
6. You get some great ideas from friends online who also blog!
7. You meet some neat people you wouldn't meet otherwise.
8. You can make books out of your blogs as a memory for your kids!  I get mine here.

When I talk to people about blogging, these are some of the reasons why they DON'T blog:

1. "I don't have the time! How do you find time?"  The truth is you make time for what you want to make time for.  It's fun for me so I make it a priority.  I usually don't blog during the week unless my kids are napping or asleep at night so it doesn't take away from kid time.  Also it really doesn't take me long.  As you know, I upload LOTS of pics.  I can put them on my desktop to upload, select all of them with one click (as many as I want...sometimes even 40-50 pics) and start the upload.  I can leave my computer and do something else while they upload and then just add words when they are all finished.  Not including wait time (because I DON'T wait) , I can seriously do a post in 10 minutes or so depending on how long it is.  It is really NOT that time consuming.
2. "I don't want my information all over the internet."  You don't have to!  You can use aliases or exclude specific information to keep your identity safe.  It's up to you how much you put on there.  Or you can make your blog private.
3. "I don't have anything to blog about!" Why YES you do!  Have you seen the stupid posts I do sometimes about random things?!  You can always blog about something (recipes, trips, your beliefs, share pics etc.)!  Everybody loves pictures!  To me that is what makes blogging exciting!  So get out your camera and start shooting. And then blog about it!
4. "I don't know how!"  Well I didn't either when I first started!  I basically taught myself everything I know about blogging with the help of the internet.  I went through some really cool help blogs and pick and chose what I wanted to learn.  You can find cool tutorials here, here and you can even make your own header here.

If it were not for blogging, I wouldn't have access to all of these memories with a click of a button...

You will always be able to remember firsts such as Karis' first report card,  Karis reads her first book, Karis rides her bike without training wheels,  Karis' first day of Kindergarten, Karis' first real hair cut,  Brayden's first soccer game, Brayden is born into our family, Brayden gets his first cast for clubbed feet, Brayden goes from crib to toddler bed, Brayden and Karis' first time in big kid beds, Karis and Brayden's first day to Mother's Day Out/Day School,  Brayden's allergy testing, our announcement that we were pregnant with Lucy, Lucy's birth day, Lucy's first Halloween, Lucy's first swim, Lucy's 1st birthday, and Lucy's begins to walk.

Some other fun memories over the years are our posts from the last Israel trip. You can find those posts here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and pics from the trip here.  I am very sad that I wasn't blogging consistently when we went to Africa.  :(

Other special memories include when Matt got engaged, we surprised my mom with a kitchen makeover, our family pictures on a Destin Vacation, Matt and Tiff's wedding day, A year anniversary of my best friend Amber killed in a car wreck here and here, the worst teaching (subbing) day of my life, Allen's 21st bday, an incredible reunion between Jay's dad and granddad in over 18 years, my brother Jonathan gets engaged, God's call for me to quit my job to work from home, our story of how Jay and I met, engaged, and married, my testimony, Jay's buck!.

So please give it a shot!  If you need help, I can help get you started. And when you do start a blog, make sure you let me know what your site is so I can follow you too!  :)