The Mom Crowd

(Note: Normally I’m your trusty pop-culture writer, but occasionally I might veer away from that territory and into other things. In case you were wondering.)

When I am fortunate enough to have my two darlings nap simultaneously, I get to have “free time”! Oh, to remember life B.K. (“Before Kids”, as Myra awesomely puts it.) I’m not that housewifey with my free time, I’m just gonna make that clear right now. Each room is pretty much a mess, there’s always laundry to put away, and I don’t get dinner prepared.

Naw, instead, I jump on the computer and start blogging. I love blogging. I used to feel guilty for the amount of time I spend blogging – it’s all so virtual, you know? What do I really have to show for that time? I worried – but then I realized that there is nothing wrong with spending my time doing something I like. And here’s what I like about blogging: It’s my creative outlet. Some people like gardening, others paint. I find personal satisfaction in blogging about my kids, my faith, my taste in movies/music/tv, what our family is up to, etc. I post tons of pictures. I get to keep in touch with my many friends in other cities/states/countries in an easy and convenient way. And I meet new friends with common interests all the time! Blogging makes my “world” seem smaller, and I mean that in a good way. To me, the benefits far outweigh any insecurities that I am “wasting” my time. And you probably agree, or you wouldn’t be here reading my ramblings!

One of the biggest parts of my blogging addiction is photoblogging (posting original pictures on a blog). There are a ton of mommy-bloggers who do this! I began participating in Best Shot Monday last summer. Tracey Clark, an inspirational mommy-blogger and photographer, hosts BSM. The concept is simple: each week, choose what you think is your best shot from your week’s worth of picture-taking, and post it on your blog. Don’t worry over whether or not your picture is good enough – the participants range from highly skilled to the average picture-taker. The cool thing is that everyone is nice. I’ve seen no pretentious attitudes anywhere in BSM. On Monday mornings, go to Tracey’s blog and leave the link to your post in the comments. You’d be amazed at what this simple act will afford you: a slew of amazing photography to enjoy, a ton of input and encouragement from others about your own pictures, and a whole host of new friends to swap life stories with. It is a really cool way to feel connected to something, especially when you feel cut off from the rest of the world in the stay-at-home grind. It’s also a fun way to start another week. Here’s a link to some of my previous BSM’s.

Theme Thursdays are also fun. Stacy hosts this. Each week she gives a helpful tutorial on an aspect of taking or editing pictures, and assigns a theme for us wannabe-brilliant photographers. Then we post our photos and share them in the same manner I described above. This week’s theme was “Spring”. Check it out! Stacy usually posts the new theme at the beginning of each week. Here’s a link to some of my previous TT’s.

I don’t always have time to participate in these things, of course. There are many stretches of time when I’m just too busy with life to focus on pictures and blogging. But it’s nice to know that these communities are there whenever I do have the time.

Of course, there’s also Flickr, a really cool photoblogging community with millions of users. You can set up an account for free (with limited uploading amounts), or pay a fee for unlimited uploading. I like using Flickr because it is really fun to share my pictures with people who are equally crazy about taking pictures. My photostream can be viewed here.

Now that I’ve got an ipod, I’ll probably spend my precious free time playing with that. But that’s a whole ‘nuther post.

What about y’all? When you’re not doing chores, how do you spend your free time? How often do you get free time? And if you’re looking for something fun to do, be sure to check out one of these great online communities.