My Blogging Story

Chilihead is hosting a carnival in which many bloggers are sharing their blogging story. Here's my story.

How did you start blogging?
I began reading blogs shortly after we adopted Jack, because I had zero life with two newborns and a two year-old. The highlight of my day was when all boys were napping, so I could sit on the couch with my laptop and catch up on the lives of bloggers. Who am I kidding? It's still the highlight of my day!

I secretly wanted to begin my own blog for several months. I was nervous to mention it to Rick, because I was afraid it would be yet another hobby that wouldn't hold my interest. This past December, I was excitedly telling Rick about something I had read on a blog that day, and he said, "Why don't you start your own blog?" I couldn't muster up enough nerve to use my full voice, so I whispered, "I want my own blog. And Blogger is free." That was that. I had Cup Runneth Over up and running within a few days.

Did you intend to be a blog w/a big following? If so, how did you go about it?
I hoped for a following of some kind, but I've never expected to be as big as Shannon or BigMama. My heart flutters when I see new visitors on my site meter!

What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals?
My main goal is to chronicle our life in a light, fun manner. I feel that I'm able to accomplish that most days.

What? A plan? No, thanks, this is all for fun. If I need a plan, then this becomes another task.

Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
I'm not big on change, so my blog's focus has remained pretty steady.

What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
That this gosh darn blog would be so addicting!

Do you make money with your blog?
Nope. On the one hand, some cash that is mine, mine, all mine would be nice. But then this blog would become a job. No thanks.

Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why?
When I began this blog, I thought that our out-of-state friends and family would be frequent flyers in order to keep in touch, but I've been surprised to see that my devoted readers are mostly strangers. In addition, my mom and sister-in-law are devoted readers. (Hi, Mom. Hi, Bec.) My hubby reads occasionally. My mom mentioned one day that my grandparents read it occasionally. I hope not! I hope they have better things to do with their retirement.

What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger?
1. Don't think that one hour every day will be enough time to read your favorite blogs and post on your own.
2. Return comments as often as possible. It's great fun to have a running dialogue with your commenters.

There you have it. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.