Purpose

I’ve been thinking lately about the purpose of me blogging.  In the beginning, it started so my family who lived far away could see my kids.  Then I saw the advantage of a kind of journal, or family history documentation.  Then I found 2 more benefits that it was a good discipline to write everyday.  After college I wanted to use my degree to be a writer, but as kids came and life got busy, I didn’t have the time to devote to freelance writing as I hoped.  I was afraid that if I ever wanted to started writing for pay again, as a job when the kids were older, I would have lost the skill that I tried to develop in college.  Writing is like exercise, and the more you do the better you get.

Then there was the platform aspect.  You see, I’m a bit secluded out here on the farm.  Not that I don’t get out.  Even when I first became a stay at home mom in the city, I found it quite isolating.  I do love being a stay at home mom, and pray I’ll be able to be at home always and take care of my family.  Every job has its challenges, though.

The blog soon became an avenue to meet people with similar interests.  It became an avenue where I felt I had a voice and could talk about things that might be above preschool chatter like this post, or this one.  I couldn’t be a missionary in the rain forest, or even be able to volunteer at a local crisis pregnancy center anymore because my kids needed me.  However, I can talk about God and hopefully let him shine through my life on here.  I can proclaim him to the world through this avenue. 

As the blog grew, I added some safety features, so I could see who was coming around.  As I’m trying to develop this more as my craft and do it well, some people, my family most of all, mused out loud that it would be great if I could get paid for writing on here like I used to get paid to write articles.  Wouldn’t it be nice if I kept doing what I’m doing, but letting it benefit my family in even more ways.  However, I didn’t want money to sacrifice any of the other purposes.  I wanted it to be the low one on the totem pole.

I’ve debated back and forth.  A few times I put ads on, but it only lasted hours, as I hated the ads that showed up.  If there was only a way to control whose ads were shown, without devoting time to sell ad space.  I’m not against making money, although I know there are those who feel that making money is bad, at least when it involves kids.  I don’t think putting ads on here ranks me with reality t.v. moms or pageant moms, or something of that sort.  In my mind, I’m “selling” my writing, not my children.  I’d like to think I’m just writing about my world like James Harriot or Garrison Keillor.

So first I thought I’d put up a Nerdy Gerdy ad.  That’s relevant!  I put up a few google ads, and they’ve actually gotten better.  Then there’s the amazon search button.  If someone from here uses that to buy things off of amazon.com, I’ll get a commission on that.  I’ve added one, and hope to add one more ads for 2 different homeschool curriculums we use, which are also commission based ads.  One of them is Hooked on Phonics, since that is what we’ve used to teach both Silje and David how to read.  The other is a Sonlight ad, since that’s the main program we use and I can most definitely refer it to anyone.  I think I’ll talk about that more when I do a homeschool post in the future.  Springtime is the time where many homeschool families, including us, start making decisions about what adjustments should happen in the following year.  So I’ll probably talk about what changes we will be making as our family gets older and has different needs.

I just mean to say that I’ve been hesitant to add ads to this blog because I wanted them to be relevant, but not the purpose of the blog, and I’ve finally had the time to find some that would fit that criteria.  Giveaways I plan to stay just things from me, and at this point I plan on keeping it that way.  I don’t plan on going sponsored in that route.  This last giveaway I was in no way paid to promote either of those products, and I like it that way. It doesn’t feel like a gift if I’m being paid to give it, you know?

Which reminds me, that giveaway ends tonight, so get those captions in.  Knut and I have had some good laughs at the ones there so far.  It’s been fun.