it’s fall. the parks at family housing are empty of the big kids. it’s long mornings with just me and henry and the creaking sound of swings.
all this newness and feeling like i should be wearing cardigans is making me sort of introspective. (as introspective as someone can get who spends most of her day wiping spit-up prunes off her pants.)
squeezetheuniverse has been up for quite a few years now. (remember this parrot?) i originally started to write as a way of motivating myself to get a few words in every day. to make sure i had some of writing portfolio. to make sure i was still thinking about different ways of writing the world.
but, lately, i’m not sure anymore why i’m blogging. sometimes i take a ride on the great big internet wave and it’s disturbing and mind-boggling to realize the number of blogs out there these days. i realize that i’m not an entertaining mommy blogger. i don’t believe in advertising on blogs. i’m not into posting pictures or giving out volumes of family information. i have no style tips. (except for one: if your baby poops on you more than once, you should change your pants.) i’m not about to start giving away stuff. (unless you want whatever is in the goodwill bag downstairs.) i don’t craft. i don’t knit. i do cook, but i’m not about to take high-res photos of my kitchen. (yeah, you should see the dishes and baby food and little pieces of cilantro covering everything right now.)
so where does this leave me?
i’m not exactly sure. so, i wanted to ask you. why do you read this blog? what should i write about so that you keep reading it? what do you like? what do you really like? (i’m only into positive reinforcement, not criticism.) let me know who you are and what you want to know. i’m here for you, kids.
i think we all get caught up in the “why am i blogging?” query. at least i do, about every other day.
and i think it only matters that you do it, because you want to. i love your blog. i love the way you write. i love how human your words feel. i feel like they reach all the way across the nation to my little computer. i aspire to write like you.i like that your blog isn’t the same as everyone elses. i think you should write more, personally. it’s not the same ol’ same ol’. if you know what i mean.
but hey, i’m 9 1/2 months pregnant. so take all this with a grain of salt. but i do enjoy your blog. don’t stop. it doesn’t matter that you don’t have pictures or recipes or giveways or countdowns. i feel like i’m a little leming in those areas. you are original, be thankful for that.
ok- i really am writing too much here. miss you guys- enjoy the empty playgrounds. i know we are.
Hello there. I read your blog because I love the way you write: honest, funny, original. Also because I know you and your family and I like to know what’s going in your life (so does Jared, but he doesn’t have time to read, so I report the important stuff).
You should keep writing neat little descriptions and vignettes. I like those a lot. Also about how messy your kitchen is because that makes me feel better about mine.
I LOVE your blog, Jes. I hope everyday that there is a new post because I love your writing and I love to hear about your world. I read your blog because it is the way it is–full of delicious writing.
Well, first of all, you aren’t in Ohio anymore… I read your blog because I love you.
I read your blog because your Jessie and because I love hearing things about you in your words. I like to know what’s on your mind. We all blog for different reasons. I blog as a way of keeping track for myself of the way my kids and family are learning and growing. And my guess is you blog to keep your skills sharp and entertain all of us out in cyberspace! Please don’t stop. If you go private please invite me along!
The description of a moment is a precious thing. It’s lovely to be sitting in my living room, and then suddenly to know what it would be like to be sitting on the stoop in Cleveland(or wherever else you write about).
Also, where else can I go to escape capital letters?
I read your blog because you don’t do any of the typical things blogging mommies (espcially Mormon ones) do. You write intereting things…even if I don’t always understand what you’re saying. You write about real life in a way I don’t normally think about and I like that!
I keep blogging because it’s the only feasible way I know of to keep friends and family up to date. It fills in the gap between visits, which is especially nice when you rarely get a chance to visit or catch up. It keeps the friendship alive so that you can just pick up where you left of when you see each other again. I don’t have any artistic aspirations for my blog like you do, so I don’t find it hard to post unsophisticated, witless entries.
I go in phases with blogging. Every once in a while I’ll stop posting all together for a month or so, then I’ll pick it back up. I know it’s worth more to me as the writer than it is to any of my readers (all both of them), so I don’t feel too bad if I need to take a break.
I wouldn’t consider your blog a mommy-blog. With the book trail and Juicebox, it feels very much like a creative writing blog. Your entries feel like mini personal essays, and I keep reading because I love your writing.
You might as well ask why I like you. I just do. You make sense to me and yet surprise and entertain me, as well.
Blogging is an outlet. Let it be whatever it needs to be at the time. You’re not here for us. You’re here for you.
I read your blog mostly because I love you and every time I read it I have a flood of wonderful memories. For some reason no matter what you write about I always end up thinking about our past. I remember bunches of girls crowding in a dorm room on a Sunday afternoon and spending the entire day talking about futures, dreams, and aspirations. I think about homemade pizza and “who’s going to be the first to…” voting and trips to the cafeteria. I think about the TOM chart and cooking meals together. I long for those Sunday afternoons we spent together; it was you who taught me just what Sunday can do for the soul and I desperately miss Sundays with you because the ones I have created for myself just don’t seem as holy and aren’t nearly as rejuvenating. I think of the day that I called you before I got married and even though we hadn’t seen each other in years, we just picked up where we left off. When I read your blog I remember you and what you are like. It makes me miss you, but mostly it just makes me happy because it gives me confidence that when I do see you again we will still be old friends.
Keep writing! I love seeing new entries in my RSS feed, especially when it keeps me in touch with friends and family. Though we don’t know each other well from in-person visits I enjoy reading what’s going on with you and your growing family. If it’s important for you to document/vent/ponder an event then that’s why you should keep doing it.
reading your posts are kind of like being transported back to murray hill, when i could go upstairs and enjoy good food {made by you} and fun stories {told by you} and friendship {shared by us}. I can’t walk upstairs and find a bit of escape from the runny noses, dirty dishes, and diapers anymore {and I miss that so much}, but I can click on Squeeze the Universe and have a little taste of the good old days. please don’t go.
ps- have you looked at babynamewizard lately? you trendsetter you!
thank you for all the love. i feel encouraged. get ready for some big changes around here. but don’t worry, i was never going to quit, i just needed to redefine for myself what i was doing here in my little universe. (ps - i find the words “blog” and “private” inherent contradictions.)
Me? Because I like to see who you have become since we were 6 and you were my very best friend and favorite cousin in the universe.
So much growing up has happened, and yes, some growing apart too. I’m jealous a little of your friends who are so insightful and who know and love you so well, (I always have been) but mostly I’m happy that you have so many people to know you and love you well.
I read what you write because it makes me want to write, even if I don’t act on those desires, my thoughts become more ordered and eloquent and someday soon, maybe tomorrow, I’ll tack them down somewhere.
I read your blog (when I have time) to find out about you. Since you aren’t in Cleveland anymore, it is a great way to stay in touch. Plus, you are a wonderful, witty writer. I read your blog because i care about you.