I Won’t Write That

Won't Write that: Children Should Not Be Fodder for a blogI can’t write that.

I can’t write about my children as I once did. Let me amend that. I won’t write about my children like I once did.

My children are 10.5 and 8. They have strong opinions. They are online all the time. They know I have a blog. No, they don’t read the blog (unless I read it to them) but instead spend their time on video games and Youtube.

Share Every Detail

We all know of parenting blogs that were started five minutes after the stick indicated positive. You know the type of bloggers I’m talking about. They share the countdown till when the baby is born from morning sickness, to Lamaze classes, to packing the bag, and of course, their anxiety. Am I really ready for this? Will I be a good parent? Will the baby be healthy? What sex will the baby be? Of course, that is only the beginning. Once the baby, is born you dear reader hear about every step (literally) of the child’s development. It’s a combination of sweet and nauseating.

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Damn The Numbers!!

Damn Blog Numbers

Blog Numbers.

It’s 1974, and I’m sitting in the front seat of my mother’s 1965 Blue Green Plymouth Fury. She has me bundled up and ready for errands. Before we can leave, the car needs to warm up.  To pass the time, my mother leads me on count up to 30. This is my first experience with numbers.

I’m sitting at the dining room table. My back is to the door that leads to the basement where my oldest brother, HB, is hanging out. I call out my math homework questions, and HB calls up the answer.  This is another of my early experience with numbers.

Yes, I learned my numbers in an unconventional way.  If you look deeper at my history, this is not surprising. You see, I come from a numbers family. My father was an accountant. My mother can recall the birthday of people she has not seen or spoke to in years. HB majored in accounting. My 2nd oldest brother crunches number in some capacity in his job. My next older brother has held a number of jobs where numbers were required.

Numbers dance in my head.

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Have You Ever Heard of Facebook?

Social Media Logos

Social Media Logos courtesy of Flickr.com

 

I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of Facebook. Shoot unless you just washed up out of the sea like the Madison the Mermaid Darryl Hannah character from Splash, you heard of Facebook.

There’s only about 2 billion people who have Facebook accounts.  Remember how McDonalds says over a billion served. Well, that wouldn’t be enough to serve all the people with Facebook accounts.

I’m just trying to help you get your arms around those numbers.

Anyway, there is big news here on MMK. MMK now officially has a Facebook account. I know that doesn’t quite make it up there on the news with the moon landing, or Who Shot JR, or the latest Kanye video.

However, around these parts, it’s big news. I’ve debated doing this for a while. In fact to be honest, I have had a Facebook page for a few months. I just didn’t publicize the page.

It’s time to change all of that.

Let me come clean. I have issues with social media. I am not even sure how to articulate them.

“What’s on your mind?” is perpetually located on the Facebook site. But I rarely feel a need to share. The thought often goes through my mind – who cares? In reality, I’m kind of a private person. There are times when I would like my own island.

Let me guess what you’re thinking. “Uhh, MMK you’ve been blogging for nearly 2.5 years and have nearly 300 posts (holy crap!). You’ve shared some very personal stuff that now is floating around in cyberspace.” That’s all true.

Yet, when it comes to my blog, I take snapshots of my life, thoughts, etc. and choose very carefully before pushing publish. And even then, I consult Ms. MMK to see if I have gone too far. Sometimes, we disagree about what is okay to be made public. Anyway, the point is that the blog is highly controlled and limited. Know what I mean?

On top of my wacky inconsistent privacy rules, I am incredibly conscious of time.

I’m sure we all know people who are actively engaged in Twitter, Pinterest (know anyone like that Ms. Fox) Instagram, etc. Of course that doesn’t include Facebook and LinkedIn.  One question – how the hell do people find time to make the moments that they are always sharing?

Maybe, it’s me. Somehow the world is passing me by. Shit, I’m over 40. Am I dinosaur? I hope not.

Let me back up here. I do have a personal Facebook account and actually go on it occasionally (mostly for my dad bloggers group – thanks Oren Miller). I have a LinkedIn account. And oh yeah, there’s that blog thing that I have posted to twice daily for nearly two and a half years.

I don’t have a big point here. However, I am issuing a call to action. Click here to check out my new Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Writings.of.Larry.Bernstein.  Check out the new cover page – thanks R.L.

So, I am joining 2 billion people who also have Facebook pages. I may not change the world, but I will be active and have some fun. So, make sure to like me (like me, really like me), join the conversation and let me know what you’re thinking. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Who knows – maybe Twitter is next?

Blogging & Parenting: A Mother’s Confession

It’s a summer Friday and therefore I have another guest. Today I am hosting Ingrid from Now at Home Mom. I’ve gotten to know Ingrid through her blog. Her blog focuses on her DIY projects. While I appreciate her creativity, I enjoy the blog for its pictures and the stories that seep in about her family. Ingrid is one creative lady.

Ingrid along with her husband and two-year-old son, Nate, live in Quebec. She is a stay-at-home mother.  After completing her studies in computer science, she worked as a Business Analyst for several years. However, she is a home decorator at heart. If you follow Ingrid’s blog you will see that she loves DIY projects and baking desserts along with her son and hubby. You also might have noticed that her blog while very different from mine shares something in common, our posts are very much influenced by our kids and our daily activities.

So, make sure to check out Now at Home Mom.

Looking back at the pictures of my previous posts, you would assume that being a mother and a blogger fit together seamlessly. Well, let me tell you that pictures can be deceiving.

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