Why I Choose to Blog.

This post has been a long time coming.

I've known I wanted to write it. I just wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to say... Sometimes I feel judged for blogging. Like I'm neglecting my family. Or that I'm too sucked up in the internet to be a contributing member of society. Like I can't tell the difference between reality and "virtual reality."

So I guess I'm just wanting to say, "Hey! I blog-- and guess what! I'm still a good mother and a good wife. I still get the house cleaned, the laundry done, dinner on the table, grocery shop, exercise daily, watch what I eat, read my scriptures, shower/do my hair/put on my make up/get dressed every day, fulfill and magnify my calling, keep in touch with all members of my family, have a weekly date night with my husband, make a crafty thing here and there, read books, teach my daughter how to sign and speak, do my visiting teaching every month, have friends, attend and host social functions, and stop to smell the roses every once in a while."

That's really what I want to put out there. That blogging isn't taking away from my life or anything that I'm supposed to be doing or who I'm supposed to become. If anything, it's adding to it.

But really-- more than that, I just really want to tell you why I blog. Why on earth I subject my self to learning how to Stumble and Pin in a way that generates traffic to my blog. Why I spend about an hour every morning linking up to link parties. Why I even know what link parties are. Why I keep an updated facebook fan page. Why I understand how to use twitter. Why it matters to me that I frequently post new desserts for the ninety seven thousand strangers who view my blog each week.

Some of it is definitely for attention-- there's no escaping that fact, and I'm not trying to. I enjoy compliments I get on my blog. And I love the satisfaction of seeing other people pin and stumble my posts. And I love getting emails from people I don't know who say that my blog inspires them. That is undeniably cool to me.

But really, my drive simply comes from a desire to create. President Uchtdorf calls it one of the "deepest yearnings of the human soul." I love this Mormon Message put together using clips of his talk, Happiness, Your Heritage. When I watch it, I think "YES! This is it! This is how I feel!"









I love Something Swanky as a creative outlet. And as a springboard for furthering my education. I'm learning so much about graphic design basics-- even about HTML coding. I would have never, in my wildest dreams, thought something so tech-savvy would ever be of so much interest to me. And yet, here I am! What I love best about this new interest is my rekindled passion for learning. I crave to know more about all things graphic design. I'm dying to learn how to do all sorts of new things-- and now I know that I can! I'm totally capable! I want to learn more, and I'm going to. And that is such an empowering feeling. I haven't felt excited to learn like this in long, long time, and it's a feeling I've missed.

And finally: it makes me a happier, well-rounded person. It makes me feel satisfied and content all the while pushing me to learn more and be better.

Also-- BYU just released a tidbit of information on research they recently did about Mothers Who Blog. Everything they found was super positive. It's brand new research, and I won't ramble on about their findings-- but I think it's pretty interesting reading. Check it out for yourself if you get a second here and here.

And start a blog! It doesn't have to be big or fancy. Just make it a journal. A scrapbook. Something that let's you create. Something that documents your life. Don't be afraid to leave a digital footprint. This is an exciting time in the world-- full of technology, progress, and social connection! Be a part of it!!