The Village

Last week I was going to "unplug".
So no t.v. for the kids, no blogging for me.
Here's how it actually went:

I decided (quickly! the very first morning!) that mornings were exempt from this practice, because I really need that first hour to charge the batteries, if you know what I mean. It takes about a cup and a half of coffee for me to get going. So Playhouse Disney and/or PBS Kids were permitted between the hours of 7-9. During that time, I check my email, have a cup of coffee, and read a little news (and sneak on to Google Reader!). I cheated. I totally lurked.

Addiction, hobby, habit, whatever it is...I cannot stop checking in on what people are writing. I read 20 or so blogs regularly, some write daily, most just a few times a week. It is part of my daily habit that I just can't seem to avoid. I don't want to. So I spent the week being a lurker, not commenting, not writing my own posts.

So time spent on internet was indeed limited, it has been any way this summer. But not eliminated. I guess that's the way it goes. I'm hooked.

There are a handful of people that I enjoy checking in with each week. To some (in real life), it is odd. For me, it has been natural. There is a certain isolation for me, in motherhood. Going out is hard. Seeing friends is hard. Friends that I meet for kids' play dates don't actually get to chat. We chase the kids and keep them safe, entertained, fed, watered. It has been difficult to get past the small talk phase with people.

It may only be in print, online, but we're way past small talk, which I enjoy.
So there you have it. Another realization for me that blogging is, to me, more than just a hobby.

Here are the happy folks that I like to look in on, read about, learn from:
4 Reluctant Entertainers
Alpha Dogma
Big Blueberry Eyes
Bub & Pie
Busy Kids
Frog And Toad Are Still Friends
Greenblogger
Her Bad Mother
I'm An Organizing Junkie
Midwest Beach Girl
Midwest Twin Girl
Mimi On The Breach
Nebraska Belle
Oh, The Joys
One Plus Two
Random Things
Suburban Turmoil
Sweet / Salty
Swistle
Under The Mad Hat
World of One Thousand Different Things

There is community there. I can see that now.