Eighty-Three Percent

"The home is eighty-three percent of your child's world, and you have only one opportunity to make it of maximum benefit."

-Dr. Howard Hendricks

That quote, offered during this year's Mother's Day sermon, is looming at the front of my mind as I type this post up. Gina asked me to share my thoughts on balancing blogging and mothering young children last month, and I thought I'd repost it here in case you missed it....But first I have a little confession.

I'm not a perfect blogger, and I'm certainly not a perfect mother. Most of the time, my floors look like this:

Clearly, I can't boast a home worthy of a feature on Apartment Therapy. And I don't have thousands of Followers clamoring daily to leave comments on my posts. But I have had some experience in juggling the daily demands of being a stay-at-home mom and struggling with the desire to express myself and grow my blog.

For me, my blog started as a chance to talk about something other than sippy cups, Disney princesses, and the potty. I finally had a place to share some of my creative endeavors, air my thoughts on fashion and TV, and even to vent some of the frustration that comes with staying home with two small children every day.

Blogging is slightly addicting. I have totally been the mom who put all the frozen groceries away and left the rest on the counters so I could check my email to see if anyone left a comment on a post that I spent a lot of time on. I let my girls watch a cartoon so I could finish up a certain guest post. Ahem.

You've probably realized that Blogland exists by the notion of Quid Pro Quo. You have to do some visiting, linking, and commenting to grow your blog...unless you're some sort of blogging star whose material is so good that it exists on its own. If you know of a blog like that, please let me know. The point is that getting your blog out there does take time and effort.

I suppose my best advice would be everything in moderation.

Try to set up a blogging schedule that works for your family.

• Early Bird: Can you wake up early enough to check a few emails and read a few of your favorite blogs before your kids are up? I've found this is also a great time for my Bible study.
• Quiet Time: Are you a believer in Quiet Time? This is a must for our family. My girls need the rest (even if my four year old just plays quietly in her room), and I have another chance to respond to comments, work on a new blog post, and catch up on any chores I can't get done while the kids are out and about.
• Night Owl: We have a set bedtime in our house, and it's just as much for my benefit as it is for my kids. Once the Kitchen sink is clear, I can sink into a sort of stupor for a bit. If my husband is not at work, I'd like to make a goal of spending more time with him, even if it means reading a book while he watches The Discovery Channel. If you're a Night Owl, this might be a good time for you to blog, leave comments, or check out some blog parties. 
• Pull the Plug: Know when enough is enough. I am learning to shut my laptop when my girls are awake. This way, I can't be tempted to refresh my email account every hour or be lured into the temptation of reading just. one. more. blog. We spend more time together reading, playing, and sometimes cleaning up. 

If you are beginning to feel overwhelmed with writing new posts, replying to comments, and linking to blog parties, that might be your signal to take your own Time Out. I am so appreciative of the wonderful faces I see in my "Followers" section, but I also know those readers understand that I won't have anything to blog about if I'm not out in the *Real World* experiencing life.

The pressure to "make it big" in blogging is so prevalent, especially with the influx of new blogs, Sponsors, the 4757563 blog parties out there, and the desire so many of us moms have to please everyone.

Your computer will still be there at the end of the day (unless your toddler spills milk on the keyboard). The comments left on your latest post aren't going anywhere. Your blog can wait around for you to finish up that post in your drafts file.

Our little ones won't always want us to play Barbies with them, or walk down the street to the park, or help water the flowers in the back yard. Let's make our "one opportunity" count and make sure the kids remember us as moms who invested time in them. 

In the light of eternity, it won't matter if I had 500 Followers or 5000, but what will matter is what I did with that "Eighty-Three Percent."

I'll take a little breather after a long morning at VBS, and then Natalie and I are going on a date to see Toy Story 3 this afternoon. Michaela Byrd gets to stay home and play with T. My four year old is really looking forward to having one-on-one time with me, and I'm excited to spend time with her.

{What are some special things you do with family members to let them know you care?}