Blogging for Real

I recently read this article about blogging.  It really got me thinking about blogs.

I miss the good ole blogging days.

Do you remember those days?  Those days when blogs were filled with our stories?

(Included in this post are my previous blog headers; you can see how JandA&Co. has evolved.)

The days that we used to blog about what we were up to; the simple things in life.

There was no pressure to make money, or advertise for everyone on the planet.

When we used to write about our days and share simple photos.

When we read our friends blogs and left them kind comments, and used it as a way to stay in touch.

Blogging has been a great way for me to make new friends, and stay in touch with old ones.

However, it has become harder to do.

It is harder because I have less time then I did five years ago when I first started my little corner of the world.

(Remember my very first header?)

(My blog used to by called The Swenson Family 5)

It is also harder because I feel like there is more an more content to wade through.

I am proud to say that I have always tried to stay true to myself when it comes to my blog.

I blog for myself, and I often ask myself the question:

What is my purpose?

I don’t make money with my blog.

For those of you who do; I think that is wonderful.

For myself, I wanted my blog to be a reflection of me with no pressure from outside sources so I decided against advertisements and money making.

I hope you feel that I try to be very real here.

That is very important to me.

I hope you also see that I grow, change, and learn lessons.

This article was a good reminder for me of why I blog.  Why I read other’s blogs.  What blogs I choose to spend my time reading, and that it is important to leave friendly comments.

With that in mind, this blog will always be a reflection of the things I love.

So yes, I will be sharing recipes, crafts, and things I learn as a mother.

This blog will be a reflection of a very real life.

More importantly it is a place for me to record memories; so there will always be pictures and records of the daily goings on.

Sorry if this part bores you; but this is the most important part of life to me.

The simple moments with my family.

On that note, here is a quick roundup of what our May looked like:

(Photos are a mixture of iphone photography and pictures with my big girl camera; my iphone seems to be the way I roll lately)

(Some of these are a repeat from Instagram; sorry Instagram followers)

 

14 year married on May 20th

Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Eli Young Band, and Kasey Musgraves with my hubby.

Spent the day at the park with the kiddos on Memorial Day weekend.

I did some swinging; and so did the kids.

Both of the younger kids learned how to pump on the swings.  They are big kids now.

Practice. Practice. Practice. 

They can both play the same song; Ode to Joy.  It is fun to hear them play together.

I had a lot of fun taking pictures of spring scenery here in PA.

Jex entered the yearbook cover contest.  I am so impressed.  He did this all free hand.

He is color blind and realized later he had colored Scooby Doo green.  Which gave us all a good laugh; including Jex.

We went to a lot of soccer games.  Jex and Stella played on the same team.

We pulled the kids out of school and took a trip to Hershey Park.

We crossed that off our bucket list.

Jex had a school carnival on a Saturday afternoon.  I loved seeing them with their face paint and hair colored.

Of course there is always plenty of snuggles.

I was asked to photograph the Memorial Day flowers at an old historic cemetery over the holiday weekend.

It felt very sacred to be amongst the graves of fallen soldiers.  Which gave me lots of time to reflect on how thankful I am for freedom; and also knowing it isn’t FREE.

100’s of pitches thrown by this cute boy.  He is the starting pitcher for his team.  I am so proud of him.

I hope you enjoyed seeing what May looked like at our house.

I also hope it got you thinking about what you enjoy about reading blogs or writing in a blog.

What kind of blogs do you love?

Thanks for reading mine.