Almost to 300 posts!

This is my first Thankful Thursday meme.

I defended my blog in a post last year (All Kinds Of Stuff) because twice it had been "bashed" to someone I knew personally. The strange thing was, the person doing the bashing didn't even know me. They came to my blog every day and told a non-reader that I was sharing too much (which caused an issue with the non-reader). My reaction to the person reading? If it makes you uncomfortable that I talk about my period, breastfeeding, childbirth, first time having sex afterward, or whatever else you thought was too much - then don't read. As far as I know, they did stop reading last year. (Believe me, there are A LOT more blogs that share MUCH MUCH MORE, LOL.)

When I first started blogging I only had two concerns: 1) That a psycho was going to stalk me and 2) I was going to receive a lot of negative, hateful comments. (I decided to go ahead because I have a greater chance of being stalked locally, which I have before, and if I ever do get a book published then I better be able to handle criticism!) Knock on wood, my blog has been public for almost two years and neither have happened, aside from one post was linked on a website because I was "precise" about when I am going to start trying for baby #2. That same post was e-mailed around locally to people I know. Seriously? It's my life and I can write what I want. Most people do not have a problem with my blog. In fact, with zero negative comments, I have hundreds of positive comments/e-mails.

Instead, what has ended up bothering me is when things I write are misunderstood by people who know me personally. I've realized that there is no way to avoid this. I try to be as clear as I possibly can and yet even my mom has picked out things to turn around to be the opposite. (Logan's only had one ear infection in his two years of life and two temperatures, but because I write here whenever he has a cold she thinks he's sick a lot.) People read things the way they want to read them. People think what they want to think.

Still, I want to at least say for the record: I don't share other people's personal/private information on my blog without their permission. I have always been a very loyal person. I have kept and continue to keep a lot of secrets. The tiny amount of info that I may mention about someone else on this site is common knowledge - i.e. announcing when someone I know has a baby or is pregnant. But for the most part, other people in my life don't get mentioned here unless I see them and then I say "I hung out with so-and-so." Or, it's something that they have asked me to write about or has been on their blog. In other cases, I've asked (my friend from yesterday's post, my mom, Joe, etc.) You may have noticed there have been very few pictures of Logan's friends on here - that is because I don't want to post pics of other people without their permission. And, if anyone was to say "don't mention me at all," I wouldn't. I respect that not everyone wants to have a blog, but I do, and my intent is for the positive. For anyone to claim that I can't be trusted because I might reveal other's innermost secrets here? Not me at all. But, sure, people can pick out one sentence in one of my 300 posts to try and make something out of it.

It's like, last week I was at my hair salon and picked up two celeb magazines released the same week. Each had an article about Kendra Wilkinson & her new baby. I actually laughed when I was done reading because they were completely opposite!!! One said she was finding it hard to have date night with her husband, the other said she and her husband have date nights every week. One said that she missed partying, the other said she was glad she got it out of her system because she has no desire for it anymore. Both articles went on and on about the same stuff - and nothing matched!

You just have to know that the people who matter are the ones who have taken the time to know you for who you really are and therefore know the truth. Find the positive in the others - for example, last year I was writing for a health website and so I tried to make my posts include health subjects as much as possible. I wrote about my husband's diverticulitis (which he hasn't had since) and saw it was passed around thru e-mail locally the same way my post was about baby #2. Thanks, because of that I got paid a lot from that post! :-)

I have every right to write about my experiences in life, including times I've been wronged. I think it's better than talking about someone behind their back but being fake to their face. So, I'm thankful that I have a lot of friends who get me. Who not only get me, but like my blog!!!