Why Do You Blog?

I've always kept my little corner of the interwebs private from my family for the most part. It's not that I care if they read what I'm writing, it's just that I knew that wouldn't get it. They wouldn't understand the urge I get to put the words in my head out into the world. It would be a completely foreign concept to them.
My little blog was brought up in a conversation with a relative and she reacted the exact way I thought she would. "You blog? Why? What's the point of it?" And I found myself wondering what was the point of it.
I realized today that I've been blogging for over three years now. If you've followed along from the beginning, you know that I blogged for a long time, and then ended up deleting everything I'd written and took a bit of a break. Looking back, I regret deleting everything. Those posts had chronicled my pregnancy, and now I don't have them to look back on. But, the past is the past, and there isn't anything I can do about it. I started blogging again after M was born because I missed it so very much. But, over the last two years, I've forgotten the reason that I had started blogging in the first place. To empty thoughts out of my head, to be able to look back and have my life chronicled, and to make a connection with people. Then, when I came across this the other day:

it was like a kick in the teeth. I suddenly remembered why I had started blogging. It wasn't about the numbers, it wasn't about the free swag (although I do love it!), it was simply about writing just to write. When I redesigned my blog a few months ago, I wanted it to reflect who I was, so you can imagine my delight when I saw that in the manifesto. At least I was headed in the right direction! 

I want to get back to blogging just to blog. Just to empty my thoughts and to chronicle my life. Mind you, that doesn't mean a review of something won't show up here or there, and I'll definitely still do giveaways every now and then, I just don't want to do this sugar coated blogging anymore. I want to make a connection with y'all, and I want to do some good with my blog. 

So, I hope that y'all stick around for this. I'm going to try my best to stick to this manifesto. I definitely don't want to go back to "sugar coated blogging"! I can't promise I'll write everyday, simply because there are some days where M and I do nothing but lounge in our pajamas (or, as M calls them, "ya-yas") and watch Yo Gabba Gabba, but on the days where we actually do something, or I've got something of substance to blog about, I'll write. And obviously there will be some days where I just post adorable photos or videos of M, because, let's be honest, the girl is too fabulous not to have her mug posted all over this place!

Happy Tuesday, folks.