An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts

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I’m in my own existentialist, surreal mode thanks to the less-than-one-week-away arrival of our third baby. By nature, my husband and I lean analytical and a touch philosophical, so when it’s time to welcome a new human into the world, we feel about a hundred emotions at all times. Not a lot of room left for blogging.

Attempting to care for the other two kiddos, maintain a happy relationship with my husband (yay!), cook (relatively) healthy meals, and keep a (relatively) clean home? Not a lot of room for blogging.

Things are winding down, but I went through some major anxiety and depression in the past couple of months when dealing with some work transitions. Plus, prep and all the things floating in my head that I know I “should” do pre-baby. Again, not a lot of (mental) room for blogging.

Wasting my free time on social media to give myself the mental letdown I crave at the end of a tiring day. Leaves surprisingly little room, time, or inspiration for blogging.

Until…it did.

See, my guilty pleasures are Instagram and YouTube lately. They don’t drag me down like Twitter and Facebook. They let me know that there are other moms out there dealing with similar lives. They inspire me to continue dreaming and acting on certain passions. If it weren’t for the privacy thing, I’ve found myself even inspired to consider making a YouTube channel of my own.

But, what about my other creative outlets? What about the blog I’ve relied on and messed around with for 7+ years? What about the new blog I’m working on? What about my own side writing projects? What about my complete lack of talent and technological know-how?! šŸ˜‰

Back to the inspiration thing. I follow a sweet, super down-to-earth go-getter of a U.K. mom who vlogs AND blogs. Her family is adorable and her accent and relatability give me all the feels.

Well, she recently poured her heart out about having a hard time figuring out what her next move would be – focus on the kids and family more, focus on her career and less on vlogging/blogging, or putting all her energy into the vlogs/blog. I totally got it.

As I pondered her issues, I strangely found inspiration (is that weird?!). I started to realize that 1) a lot of people (and, particularly, moms) who share their lives with the world don’t do so in a vacuum and 2) we don’t have to do everything 100% (just good luck retraining your brain to believe it).

Those are kind of vague. Let me explain.

See, my idea for a new website and blog involved essentially letting go everything Iā€™ve already written here at Meg Acts Out and focusing my attention on solely one topic. Iā€™d seen a couple of other sites/blogs do a similar thing and really appreciated what they were putting out there.

But, the more that I worked on it and brainstormed posts and tried to pull together visual inspiration for the site, the more that I felt stifled. This is the stuff I shouldā€™ve felt a spark about, but for the most part I felt like I was trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. It didnā€™t seem sincere or ā€œmeā€ and I couldnā€™t figure out why.

Well, thatā€™s where the ā€œvacuumā€ idea comes in. In order to find your inspiration to live a more fulfilled life, overall, we tend not to rely on only one source to supply it. So, putting my attention into only one topic without the rest of life included (or only included under the umbrella I had put up) made it feel forced.

The second realization has to do with pretty much everything we do and how much we put into it. We find ourselves prioritizing #allthethings until we realize that the juggling is extremely stressful and sometimes harmful to our health. We just canā€™t do it all.

So, what about making smaller goals for ourselves? What about ā€œchunkingā€ life (much as we ā€œchunkā€ words together when trying to read) into more manageable bites? What about prioritizing more honestly and simply? What about paring back on the stuff you tell yourself needs to be done that maaaaaybe doesnā€™t really?

In practice, this may look like cutting yourself slack on letting your child eat in the cafeteria once or twice a week. Unless our kids are super gross and sweaty, we bathe them every other day (and I only wash my hair every other day, as well). Not every dinner has to be like ā€œSunday dinner.ā€ The list goes on, but there are ways to chill down the craziness. Try making ā€œto-doā€ lists at work and prioritizing them by due dates, or learning to tell people that their issue may need to wait if you have more pressing matters (thatā€™s a tough one!).

In addition to both of those realizations, though, I’ve faced several blogging issues lately. I’ve been burnt out elsewhere and haven’t been able to find the time to blog, my voice has fallen flat so my own self-criticism of “it sounds like my heart’s not in it” creeps in (and maybe my heart HASNā€™T been in it enough) and I abandon the post, and I’ve had a lack of inspiration as to WHAT to write.

HEREā€™S HOW Iā€™M ATTACKING THOSE ISSUES

Time & burnout. Because I still write for Thirsties weekly on the side (and generally hit my deadlines AND come up with post ideas on the regular), a lot of my thought and energy goes into that goal each week. But, what if I had TWO goals a week; one for Thirsties and one for my own blog? Or a simple editorial calendar or simple list of post ideas (I used to maintain this but have stopped and find my old topics downright suck) that I actually use to pull a weekly topic from (the way I do for Thirsties). Why canā€™t I do it FOR MYSELF if Iā€™m able to do it for a paid gig?

My voice is gone. Even in my side paid writing, I find that the writing is fine…but not what Iā€™d like to be putting out there. Of the dozens of half-written blog posts for myself, they sound more like manuals than the writer I know I am. Maybe thatā€™s why Iā€™m drawn more to podcasts, Insta Stories and YouTube videos; the visual and audio appeals to me more than reading lately. (Says the librarian.)

So, maybe I do need to try out a new format. Or maybe I simply need to get a schedule going in order to get my routine back. My husband and I have been chatting back and forth about the importance of consistency with writing, of carving out time to actually sit and focus on writing something. Self-imposed deadlines may help. Iā€™m going to try ā€˜em.

What do I write?? And, honestly, without something Iā€™m passionate about to write (or podcast about, or vlog, or whatever), why do it? I need to truly brainstorm some ideas that get me excited, pick just one for one single post, and go from there.

This is where I have a couple of questions for you all. Itā€™s as simple as this:

1) Do I keep up the Meg Acts Out platform or do I go forward with my new idea for a blog – a fresh, more organized space thatā€™s easier to navigate (possibly with some old MAO posts that continue the feel of the space, possibly not)? Iā€™ve asked this question before during times of identity crisis and obviously Iā€™m there again.

2) What kinds of posts are you interested in? Hereā€™s just a slew that Iā€™ve written about in the past and some of the topics Iā€™m drawn to mixed in:

A. Parenting
B. Decor/Design
C. Eco-Friendly Living
D. Decluttering/Organization
E. Simplifying
F. Recipes
G. Personal Stuff
H. Other

Please feel free to leave a comment on the blog to let me know what you need more of to help you live a happier life!

(And if you made it this far, thank you so much for reading!)

Totally Enough

Do you ever feel like you’re not doing enough? Like, no matter how much you’re, indeed, actually doing…it’s still not enough? I’m wondering, today, what makes us feel that way. Do we impose it on ourselves? Is it our way to push ourselves to actually get stuff done? Is there a guilt complex that comes along with living in the 21st century (and the social media that accompanies it)?

I’m not sure about the “why”, but I’ve got some thoughts on handling it…plus, as usual, an update.

My husband recently wrote a blog post about his affinity for to-do lists. They work for him, for the most part, until he gets down on himself for not getting every little thing accomplished in a day. (I get it. When we first met, he filled his days JAM PACKED with accomplishments. But these days, when the kids hit the hay freshly scrubbed and well-fed, we’re D-O-N-E. Life’s just more tiring the older you get. It’s legit.)

I used to be a list-maker. My mom had a series of lists strewn throughout the house and, man, she kept track of them meticulously. (An ongoing birthday list, ongoing chores, daily chores, shopping list, errands, etc. etc. etc.) But I realized that I was taking up more time making my lists (and ending up doing more priority-driven tasks that popped up rather than the less important to-do list tasks, anyway) than accomplishing anything.

But, something’s gotta give. I totally need to start holding myself a bit more accountable – house work, blog writing, meal planning, the works. I’ve been getting by doing “just enough” lately. While part of it is because I’ve been in my first trimester and dealing with two little ones, I need to up my game a bit.

That said, I don’t toss around the word “grace” much (mostly because it seems to have a religious tone to it and that’s not really “me”), but whether it’s making a simple to-do list or keeping better track of what NEEDS to be done in order to ACCOMPLISH more, I hope to do it while allowing myself a little grace in the process. We are not robots, but we do need to find balance. And don’t we know, truly, when we’re doing enough? I mean, totally enough?

I think we do.

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As you can tell, I have SUUUUUCKED at keeping up my posts here. It hasn’t even become an urgent “to do” or a guilt-riddled albatross hanging from my neck.

And I totally miss my space here. I miss writing for you guys. I miss writing for myself. I miss having the time to do it. I miss being totally excited and motivated to hammer out a post here and there.

I’ll admit here and now that it’s really, really hard to write for a myriad of reasons. A new job that takes tons of energy to make sure I start on the right footing (and I’m honestly still behind on projects and book shelving tasks, to be honest). Maintaining a daily routine tends to mean that my writing time goes to one of my multi-tasking duties or simple kid-raising activities. Y’know. Dinner making, bath giving, nursing, and so forth.

And then there’s our recent “big” announcement. It’s SO, SO hard to write when you have a huge secret bouncing around in your heart and mind. SERIOUSLY. I’ve still been writing weekly for the Thirsties blog and between pregnancy brain and a general tiredness (lack of motivation, ahem), THAT’S been a challenge to get out into the world. But on top of it, going through the act of a first trimester with two kids, general life stuff, and a huge secret left me completely tongue-tied.

But now (I hope) I’m back. I still have to put energy into the new house (and updates on the old one!) and hope to share how that’s going. I have plenty of thoughts about the idea of parenting THREE (?!) kiddos. I have some resolutions My voice isn’t gone just because I have a tiny human growing in my belly – I can simply be more honest and actually USE the voice now that it’s all out in the open. It’s pretty invigorating, actually.

Plus, I still have a “side idea” that I’m flushing out and hope to get going when I’m able.

So, since I’m writing this today – on my 35th birthday – and following my so horrifically-skipped-over 7th (and apparently 6th?) blogiversary – AND have this huge news about having a third baby – I’m hitting the reset button. BAM.

Going forward, I’ll do my best. And, as always, that’s totally enough.

Technical Glitch

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Hey, folks! Long time no chat, right? I’ve been raring to go lately, but when I hit my login to post this week…well, I had an error message and no website. Long story short, GoDaddy deleted my account. I’m taking about 25% of the blame (I should’ve backed up my site more often and taken care of it better), but GoDaddy says they contacted me about renewal – false. That mixed with the misogyny of the technician, and let’s just say that I’ve uploaded my old posts up until about a year ago. Better than nothing, and better than paying them $150 to fix something they should’ve helped me solve instead.

But, I’m determined to make lemonade from this fiasco – which is kind of my motto for 2017. Some posts have been lost, but I didn’t write a ton in 2016, so here’s what you’ll see in the coming weeks and months from Meg Acts Out:

– A new look. For real. A look that encompasses who I am and a space that you’ll actually enjoy escaping to.

– New/old posts. I hope to salvage some old posts from my Google Docs files, so hopefully I’ll at the very least have Hadley’s Dr. Seuss birthday party to remember! Otherwise, I’ve had some posts on the back burner that I didn’t have the chance to post. So, as my art teacher used to call them, we need to have some “Ketchup Days” (Catch-Up…get it?). Come along, won’t you?

– A new motivation for 2017. I’m motivated and excited to start posting weekly in 2017. There’s a lot going on in our lives and lots to share, from our new house and all our awesome plans for it, to our life with the kiddos, to tips and stories from a woman who’s coming up on 35 and STILL trying to figure it all out. I’ll get into this more in upcoming posts, but let’s just all admit that none of us 100% knows what we’re doing or has, well, ANY of the answers.

Says the woman who just lost her entire blog. *scratches head*

So, stick around, won’t you? And ask some friends to stop by. We can share our mess-ups together while I do my best to get back on track. šŸ˜‰ Maybe we’ll get some simplifying done. Maybe we’ll cut out some of our waste together. Maybe we’ll uncover ways to be more patient with our children. Maybe we’ll discover our best surroundings.

If nothing else, I hope we’ll be able to at least discover ourselves a little bit along the way, and each other in the process.

Moving…Virtually

Nope, not moving to a new house. (We wish…although, stability is a good thing. ;-))

MegActsOut is packing its bags to make a move from Blogger to WordPress.

I’ve used WordPress on and off for other projects and while I find the dashboard (or whatever the heck they call it) to be more…juvenile-looking, I guess…it should make blog maintenance and growth easier than it has been. Plus, there are a lot of built-in features that I’m itching to play with.

So, I’m hoping to make the migration this weekend sometime. If you follow me, be sure to check back here for an updated link to the new page. Heck, I may have even finalized a brand new blog name by then and everythin’. šŸ˜‰

As always, thanks SO much for reading. Hopefully, this is only the start of bigger and better things.

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Things ‘n Stuff

I’ve obviously been pretty sporadic (at best) with my blogging this summer. I don’t have any excuses for that, but I have spent my time well: hanging out with an awesome toddler, working on getting said toddler potty-trained, doing fun family stuff, letting my brain sit and stew, and writing for Green Child Magazine and Thirsties cloth diapers. While I’ve had ideas galore for blog posts, every time I sat down…nada. And that’s okay.

Over the past year or so, the blogosphere has taken an interesting turn. There’s definitely a sea change going on, isn’t there? Some of my favorite bloggers have called it quits, and that sucks (I still mourn Young House Love…daily), but I can’t blame them…or anyone. The pressure, especially when you’re getting tons of hits and tons of money, is incredible.

Luckily, I don’t have that problem. My hits took a hit (ha) this summer, and I’m fine with that. I make $0 here on the blog currently. Yet, I enjoy writing and sharing, and I’m not ready to give it up. So, even though things will be getting busier, I’ll be easing back into posting more.

That said, things will be different.

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I’m looking to streamline my posts. As you may know, I’m a pretty random writer. Seriously, I talked about pickles yesterday and have a post about cleaning your washing machine coming up. Personal posts about trips and others about nursery decor. It’s how I write and who I am. That aspect won’t change, necessarily.

The focus, however, will. Ultimately, we’re a pretty normal, down-to-earth (I like to think) family. What makes us a little different than most is the fact that we’re trying to live a simpler, more natural life.

So, that’s where I’m going here. I’m planning on doing a complete blog overhaul (which may take a month…or a year…no big hurry, we’re dealing with enough of that lately) with better organization, particularly regarding the topics that I love talking about that may help people in living a happier, simpler life.

What I’m asking for today is a little input of your own. No SurveyMonkey, no quiz – just leave your thoughts in the comments. Where do your interests lie? What visual style do you prefer for a blog? What do you already like here and what do you dislike? Go ahead and share!

Oh, and one of the most important changes I’ll be making? My name. I’ve loved “Meg Acts Out” (or “Meg, Acting Out” — I never figured out how the heck to use it), but considering that a) I haven’t had much time for community theater acting and b) I’m ready for a fresh start, I’m starting new.

I’m brainstorming everything from “Simply Meg” to titles not utilizing my name to jumping on Dave’s “The Dorky Daddy” bandwagon with a “The Dorky Family” (because, let’s face it…we are). That last one may not align well with the natural thing, though. So, I’m always up for suggestions. Heck, it’s how I got my original blog title. šŸ˜‰

A little rambly, but you guys are used to that, right? Please and thanks for any comments, and I welcome you along on the ride!

Blogiversary 5.0

Holy crap, guys. Happy Earth Day! You know what this means, right?

Earth Day just coincidentally happens to be our blogiversary! Perfect, right?

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I love that there’s a connection between our eco-friendly attempts and the ol’ blog. Wow. Now, it really IS old. Five years is forever in the world of the web.

Today, I thought I’d just chat a bit about this place that I call home. Meg, Acting Out. Meg Acts Out. Whatever.

I haven’t converted to WordPress. I haven’t linked the site up to a unique URL. I haven’t actively monetized.

I haven’t taken professional head shots. I haven’t glammed the place up. I’ve thought about getting a DSLR camera, but it’s just as much to get awesome pictures of my family as it would be to enhance the blog.

I’ve started posting a little less (I used to do MWF). I’ve even started to worry less about our number of hits (although I do find myself growing excited when I hit a certain modest number). I have no cares about whether we’re SEO-aligned or not.

It’s not that I don’t want to put the effort into all these things. As a matter of fact, it’s a dream of mine to focus on the blog and make it what it deserves to be.


But, instead, I’ve taken a small step back. I’m kind of taking after my husband, The Dorky Daddy, only posting about topics that I enjoy writing about, when I feel like doing so. We’re slowly but surely converting to WordPress (but, really, no hurry). I’m not accepting offers that simply sound like a commercial or don’t align to my values.

Ultimately, y’know what I’m doing? I’m enjoying it. I’m blogging when I feel like it. I’m not beating myself up when I decide to spend my night goofing around with my little boy or watching a great movie instead of getting that fluffy blog post set for the next morning. I’m valuing my outlet and using it just as that. And. It’s. Awesome.

Will I suddenly get a spark to organize the place into a more user-friendly, resource-based space? Will I start posting daily? Will I ever make a career out of sharing my ideas for living a simply fun life? I have no idea. If I don’t, it’s fine. If I do? Incredible!

But, in the meantime? It’s just fun.

So, on this fifth (!) blogiversary, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking around and stopping by. It means the world that you’re reading, whether you’ve followed for years, just check in from time to time, or you just found my small section of the world.

Now, who wants some birthday cake? šŸ˜‰Ā 

First World Issues

Today’s post is probably the most random of random posts I’ve ever shared…and I’ve shared some super random stuff. So, if you’re in a “train of consciousness” mood, follow along. Otherwise, see ya Wednesday! šŸ˜‰

(No, really. You can stay. Just keep the eye rolls to a minimum.)

I’m perplexed. On my slow-but-constant quest to better this here blog, I’ve stumbled over a technological conundrum.

See, my less-than-a-year-old HP laptop suhuuucks. I had a Dell before that for numerous years and I knew I didn’t want another. Well, now I know I definitely don’t want an HP. The issue here is that I’ve had it so long that it’s not returnable (I assume; I suck at calling customer service #nopleasedontmakeme). Plus, the issues I’m having with it seem to be everyone’s issues with the thing (the touch pad decides to stop working every so often, in addition to other system crashing annoyances), so I clearly don’t want a replacement. After numerous Google searches, it seems to simply be what it is.Ā 

I’m not sure how to dispose of (or possibly sell? Who’d want it?) this one in order to purchase a new one. Wop-wop.Ā 

And that’s where my question turns into a two-parter.

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I’ve also been saving my pennies here and there (namely from my work for Green Child Magazine which, honestly, isn’t like work at all) to buy a low-end DSLR camera. I’ve been pining about it for about 2-3 years, and I’m reaching the point where I’ll be able to make that investment shortly. Er. Maybe.Ā 

Since I’m an overthinkerus maximus, I’ve been weighing which option to get (Canon Rebel or Nikon 3100 refurbished or 3200…or something else). But, now that I’m close, I look at theĀ literallyĀ hours that I’ve added to working on my writing on my HP Crapfest 2000 and find myself thinking, “Uuuummmm, maybe I should get a replacement laptop instead.”

Damn.

So, here we are. My first world issues. We eat mostly organic food. We have warmth and comfort (not just in the form of cat heat). We don’t get snowed/rained/hailed on. We. Are. Majorly. Lucky. I’m a brat that I’m even concerned about this, in all honesty.

Yet, I need your help. If you’d like to enable my brattiness (j/k…kinda), please vote on what YOU would do in my situation. Plus, feel free to hit up the comments to weigh in about it, and be sure to add your two cents as to what brands you prefer (either camera- or laptop-wise).Ā Oh, and while I’d love to have an Apple product, it just ain’t in the cards so don’t bother suggesting it.Ā šŸ˜‰Ā 

Please and thanks!!

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Favorite Posts?

Happy Friday! Is it as gorgeous where you are as it is here? Seriously, it’s like late summer here. It’s messing with my mind a bit, actually. I’m jonesin’ for some crisp fall air — just isn’t the same picking apples in shorts, right?

Oh, and between getting over a virus that I caught at school and not having a lot to contribute, I’m not doing a “currently” post this week. Obviously. šŸ˜‰

So, anyhoo, I was filling out a form for the blog the other day when I found myself perplexed. It asked for a sample of my writing, and since it was with regards to the blog (I could’ve listed some of the Green Child Magazine articles I’ve written), I figured I’d share a few links of my favorite posts.

But. Um. You see. Huh. I’m stumped. I really don’t know what to share.

I’ve got some posts that are purely personal, highly emotional, and probably a tad heavy for just such a purpose. Those are, at times, my favorites.Ā 

Then, there are those stupid, “Wow, why did I write that?” posts. It’s nice to look back and see where my brain was on stuff, but still. Wow.

And, of course, the “that’s one of my favorite posts” posts…the ones that get very little views or feedback, LOL.

There are humorous, kidcentric stories and heavier, “topic”-based discussions. Talks about food and where it comes from, and just little glimpses into our life as a family.

Looking at the “popular” posts as dictated by Blogger’s counting system, I’m kind of surprised. The quality of the writing on them is fine, but between the amateurish photography (I’m currently saving my pennies for a DSLR camera, woohoo!) and random differences in topics, they’re a hodgepodge that don’t really tell a cohesive story. Like my rant about giving up Facebook (update: I’ve cut back, but admittedly could do better), the introduction of our horrible pre-makeover bathroom, my attempts at creating a small mantle shelf since we lack a real mantle to call our own, and a piece I wrote about a terrifying shooting we had locally awhile back. See? Super random!

What do you guys think? Do you have a favorite post or two that you’ve seen here? If you have an idea but can’t remember the title or when it was written or anything, click on the “Archive” link to search by date, or just “search” (there’s a box under all my social media rigamarole and at the top left of the page) and see what pops up.

Also, if you’d rather just take a survey with the “general” topics I cover, here ya go. (Notice there’s an “other” section…’cuz God knows I can’t fit everything I spout off about in a survey.)

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What are your favorite types of posts here at Meg, Acting Out?

Eco-friendly ideas/tips
Parenting/family stuff
Recipes & real food chats
DIY projects
Animal/pet sharing
Personal stories
Eco-friendly ideas/tipsAn Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image graph on https://megactsout.com0%
Parenting/family stuffAn Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image graph on https://megactsout.com0%
Recipes & real food chatsAn Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image graph on https://megactsout.com0%
DIY projectsAn Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image graph on https://megactsout.com0%
Animal/pet sharingAn Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image graph on https://megactsout.com0%
Personal storiesAn Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image graph on https://megactsout.com0%
Other: (Please specify)An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image graph on https://megactsout.com0%

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Ā 

I’d love to hear what you think the bright points have been on this here blog! And if you’re new around here, take this mini-assignment as a chance to get acquainted with the randomness that is MAO. šŸ™‚ And welcome to all!

Moderately Green

Am I the only 32-year-old who’s still trying to find her identity in a super awkward way? I hope that my son can see me as a fun, silly, intelligent, independent, take-no-guff sort of woman. He may be young enough still to naively see that, but I’m scared that he’s going to see me as the un-hot mess that I feel I truly portray on a daily basis…any day now.

Just puttin’ that out there. Am I alone? Maybe. And that’s okay.

To add to the un-hot messiness and my lack of real identity — I don’t identify as a librarian (although that’s technically what I am, in a school setting), I don’t identify as a 30-something most of the time (I’m still 12, right? Or am I 80?), I don’t identify with a million other things; I only truly identify as a wife and mother — I’m green. Er, well, I try to be green. I try as much as my oft-zapped energy will allow. And life sometimes gets in the way of that.
Thing is, seeing the levels of “green”-ness out there, it’s easy to deal with the dreaded green guilt. Actually, this happens in most areas of life these days — competition. It’s mostly a female thing, it gets greater and greater when you become a mom (WHY IS THAT?! As Arrested Development‘s Gob would say, “C’MON!!!”), and it can get overwhelming. Soccer moms. Urban moms. Christian moms. Heck, doggie moms.

“I did *such and such*.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, I did *a such and such deemed greater thing*.” {Thinks to self, “I’m the best.”}

It’s a thing, and it sucks.

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It’s not always stated openly this way, but just seeing blogs and Pinteresty ideas and such things, it’s hard not to get dragged down that you’re not doing enough.

Like…for instance…I’ve failed at some of the things that a green mama might use to generally identify herself as a green mama. Our diapering situation never took a turn for the cloth. It just didn’t. I used them a bit, but it never stuck. (We have used eco-friendly dipes all through, but still, I’d have preferred cloth.) Next time around, we’ll do them, I swear. But it just didn’t happen this time.

Baby wearing never stuck, either. Or baby led weaning. Or co-sleeping. Or probably 30 other things that the cool kids are doing. They just didn’t work for us.

I try not to feel badly about it, and I’m really learning how to not feel “Less” anymore. This really is a HUGE thing for me in every aspect of life. I’ve had self esteem issues f-o-r-e-v-e-r, and saying “I’m sorry!” for everything has become the norm. So, I’m working on apologizing less, taking responsibility only for myself, and not letting the judgments make me feel — you got it — Less than anyone else. That’s capitalized for good reason, by the way. Ā 

Which is why I love contributing to Green Child Magazine. It never feels like work. I’m able to learn about topics that are directly important to me, and can often write the pieces pretty quickly out of sheer excitement. Currently, it’s an unpaid gig, but that’s fine to me. I’m “meeting” (virtually…do we still use that term, virtual?) some incredibly genuine, dedicated, talented, kind women in the process, and what’s better than that? No, really. What’s better? Good people are hard to find.
I mean, what’s better than this article (written awhile back, but still one of my faves), which pretty much sums up the fact that NO ONE’S doing it perfectly. No one’s living the “greenest” life. Whatever we’re doing…it’s good enough, until we decide to do more. At least we’re doing SOMETHING.

So, I’m happy with the things I do. Which, come to think of it, are plenty.

I’ve chatted with y’all about green guilt before. A few times, actually. But, it’s always good to return, especially now that I’m a mama…and green mamas be some of the coolest (yet competitive) ladies on earth. I’m trying just to be “enough” in my own book, and the best I can be for my family and the future of the planet.

Now, off to research essential oils. šŸ˜‰

megactsout on instagram

Well, howdy there! Happy Friday to y’all! It’s supposed to be a super rainy one in our neck of the woods, but ’tis fine. We’ve had a gorgeous string of sunny, warm weather, so it’s all good. (Unless you’re one of the brave few who have to do a charity ride today; in which case, I am SO, SO SORRY!)

I’m excited because I have a half-work day followed by a half-meeting day, then hopefully a date night with the hubby. Mind you, a half-meeting day for me entails meeting up with some awesome librarians, getting a break from the craziness at my school library, and learning something new. Never a bad thing.

And that date night? Hopefully taking place at a local food-serving joint to celebrate Food Revolution Day.

See? What’s not to love about the day? (Don’t answer that. I totally just jinxed myself and SOMETHING horrific will happen. #karma)

I thought I’d put my feelers out there and see how many of you use Instagram. Random, I know.

I’m a fan, although during the school year I seem to use it far less. I started a year ago (June 2nd, to be exact, with a picture of us meeting former NY governor Patterson) when I got my iPhone and have enjoyed grabbing candids and using funky filters along the way. Nope, I’m no purist.

An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image 373b4-photo3 on https://megactsout.com

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An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image be023-photo3252822529 on https://megactsout.com

My favorite thing about Instagram is the protection. You can’t save or repost other people’s pictures…unlike naughty Facebook, where friends (or even Facebook) can use your likeness (or your son’s, grrrr) all they want. It’s also great to have all these awesome shots in one place.

An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image 1faa1-photo1252842529 on https://megactsout.com

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An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image 204b4-photo4252822529 on https://megactsout.com

I have realized recently that, although I’m a mama to an awesome almost 2-year-old (and have the pictures to prove it), I’m still a super proud kitty mom.

An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image 1adf8-photo2252852529 on https://megactsout.com

An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image a32a0-photo3252842529 on https://megactsout.com

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An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image 5e6eb-photo4 on https://megactsout.com

Yep.

And food. I’m totally a food-picture-taker, especially Hadley food.

An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image d7029-photo2252842529 on https://megactsout.com

An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image f741a-photo5252822529 on https://megactsout.com

An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image 732e8-photo5 on https://megactsout.com

With a few #TBTs thrown in for good measure.

An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image 4baeb-photo1252822529 on https://megactsout.com

An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image 3c9c1-photo1252852529 on https://megactsout.com

An Honest Post: Return from Blog Burnout & Your Thoughts - image dc02a-photo2252822529 on https://megactsout.com

Not a fan of the selfie. The fact that my mother, just this week, used the term “selfie” blew my mind. (At least she’s never taken one.) Regardless, still not a fan. None of my likeness was made to be photographed, particularly in an awkward self-induced angle. Just not built that way, I guess.

The funny thing is, I’ve overheard the exasperated conversation of “Who needs Facebook AND Instagram AND Twitter??” Well, um, me.

See, I don’t use Facebook religiously; we have a love/hate relationship, after all. When I do, I post a blog update (shout-out, FB checkers!) or see what’s up with friends. Once in awhile, I’ll re-post something…but it has to really hit me enough to do so. I’m not a huge fan.

So, when I feel like sharing a random thought or opinion or quote or something…I turn to Twitter. It feels like it’s less likely to be criticized or misconstrued when it goes off into the Twittersphere. Plus, the best part of tweeting? You can follow celebs. And, of course, by celebs I mean @iammrvandy (Dick Van Dyke!), @jamieoliver, or @PBSKids (yes, that’s one celebrity, in my book). There are a million more, but those are the ones that interest me. šŸ˜‰

And Instagram is my safe little photo stash. I only follow a minimum amount of people so it doesn’t turn into an overwhelming Facebook-like crazy place, and I enjoy seeing what people come up with. Not to mention, my brother-in-law’s images are INSANE. Just awesome.

So, how about the rest of y’all? Any Instagrammers in the bunch? Do you like to tweet? I’m still getting the hang of all of them (and I know I haven’t discovered the full power of the hashtag), but I can see the value. I can, and it’s pretty cool.