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Why Write a Blog

Why blog

Tarana of Sand In My Toes recently tagged me for a “Why Do You Write” blog hop. Tarana is an excellent writer who writes on her blog about parenting, life in Dubai (where she lives), and “everything in between”. She has also been a guest blogger here for my World Culture for Kids series twice – once to write a post about Dubai and once to write about her own experience growing up in a multicultural environment. Both posts are well worth checking out! Tarana left me four questions to answer:

What am I working on?

Write now I write this blog and a journal that I have written in daily since September 27, 2003. The journal is written mainly to capture memories, as well as to share them with family members who live far away. This blog is my space to explore what makes being a parent a joyful experience for me. It centers on three of my greatest interests: creativity, learning, and play. My readers have grown to play an important role in this experience for me, over the years – your comments get me thinking and inspire me. Thank you!

How does my work differ from others of its genre?


My blog is possibly less deliberate than most blogs that focus on kids activities and parenting. The majority of my posts aren’t planned in a notebook, but happen because something happens in my life that I want to record. I take pictures of our daily life, and then use those photos as inspiration for blog posts. What I care about and how I write is strongly influenced by the large family I grew up in – with a mother who believed in using home as a learning laboratory – as well as the different countries and cultures I was raised in spread across Europe and the Americas, and inspiration gained from readers, other bloggers, and real life friends.

Why do I write what I do?


Raising young children can be draining. So much laundry, so many dishes, meals you cook that they don’t want to eat, whiny days. Blogging is my way of focusing on what I love about raising children. When I started blogging I quit watching the clock. Now if I watch the clock it’s because my days go by too quickly.

I truly enjoy being a mother, and I hope that some of what I write can help other parents find satisfaction and joy in everyday parenting. Writing my blog also encourages me to think about how I am spending my time, as well as to work on my writing and photography – both skills I value.

How does my writing process work?


I collect pictures that I take in folders, and then assign the pictures to blog posts ideas, which are then assigned to days. I don’t have a lot of computer time, so posts are mostly written in my head while folding laundry (which, somehow, still never quite gets folded). This fortunately makes it quite easy to type them up quickly when I do find the time!

Tarana passed this blog hop on to three more bloggers, and I’ll do the same –  if they choose to accept! I tag Ticia of Adventures in Mommydom, Natalie of Planet Smarty Pants, and Erica of What Do We Do All Day? I have read all three of these blogs for over five years now. Erica, Natalie, and Ticia are three very engaging – and three very different – women whose blogs make me think and inspire me to be a better mother.

Why do you write?

MaryAnne at Mama Smiles

MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.

25 thoughts on “Why Write a Blog”

  1. So interesting to know how posts come about on your site. It does have a very organic and real feeling to it. Glad to know I’m not the only one who writes posts in her head!

  2. I loved reading about why you blog. I loved that your blog is a way to remember the amazing things about being a mom. I looked back over my blog recently and it really motivated me to get back to it. The posts were a visual reminder of all the fun we had even though I know I struggled during those times too!

    1. Thank you, Michelle! I have found blogging to be a very constructive way for me to focus on the positives of raising young children.

  3. Elisa | blissfulE

    I’m very similar to you about how I go about the blogging process, with pictures first, oftentimes. And I love how blogging gave me the impetus to document and truly take time to value the little moments that make up each parenting day.

  4. What a great post!! I’ve been cutting back on my blog because there just aren’t enough hours in the day but when I find the time, I love it – particularly for the supportive community I have found through it. Yours is one of the first blogs I started reading – I am so glad you write!

  5. I enjoyed reading about your process. I like that you write your posts in your head while folding and that your photos inspire your post ideas.

  6. I love reading your blog! I’m glad your brother introduced me to it. It’s even more fun to read now that we’ve hung out.

    I write because there weren’t many resources for teaching simple science concepts to natural scientist (kids as they learn about their world). I love blogging about how simple experiments and discussions can be worked into every day life. Like you, I enjoy writing about the happier parts of mommyhood (teaching and watching your child’s light bulb go on is definitely one of joys). I could have become frustrated with my little scientist making a mess, but instead it was better for all of us that we channel his curiosity for good.

  7. Natalie PlanetSmartyPants

    Thank you for a tag, MaryAnne :) I will accept and write a post about that within a couple of weeks. I enjoy reading your blog exactly for the reasons you wrote about – it’s direct, fun, and down to earth.

  8. Now I’ve got some thinking to do… It’ll be fun to read everyone’s answers. Amusingly enough I’d actually been writing a post like this in my head somewhat.

    I enjoy reading your blog so much, and it’s always encouraging and fun to see how your kids are doing. You do so good at sitting back and enjoying the little moments, which I have to admit I’m not always the best at. I’m not so good at sitting back and enjoying.

    1. Ah, perfect timing for me to tag you then!

      My laundry definitely suffers from the sitting back and enjoying – but kids truly do grow up quickly!

  9. An interesting read, MaryAnne! Isn’t it so true that a lot of blog ideas happen in our head?

    Well you know why I write. But to delve into it further, I think there’s a sense of order and sanity when we string words together especially after challenging or confusing parenting moments. And of course, the ability to connect and help others—nothing like it.

    Keep up the amazing work!

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