Interesting. I started my blog only about a week ago, although I've been surfing blogs since about last October, usually when I am procrastinating. I haven't told anyone in real life, not even my spouse, that I have a blog. It's an anonymous one. Yet, I too wonder about the dilemma of balancing time spent on blogging with time spent with kids, spouse, writing, teaching, etc. I'm going to try it for a semester and see what happens. Right now it seems to be an important way for me to feel like I have some time to converse with adults when I'm living inside a house full of kids. It feels like time spent on me, which is a good thing.

Yes, time spent on you. See, that is partially what I have to argue AGAINST. That the blog is not simply a self-serving voyeuristic venture whereby I read about other people's private lives (and I offer candid shots of mine).

My (honest-to-goodness) view is that they are productive, progressive, community-building, rhetorically-aware opportunities for WORK. But try telling that to my sister. She thinks I'm ass-backward when it comes to what's important.

She doesn't teach writing, though, so I can cut her a little slack for not seeing the value of the medium.

Okay, I have an answer for you. I've been thinking about it a lot. I've been part of some online community since 1997 or so. I need that. First, I needed it to sort out how to do this parenting thing. I was in a new city and didn't know anyone. I needed some support and advice. (How do you potty train? What do you do when a 2yo throws a golf ball and hits you in the head? Why do I feel insane?) It was a virtual version of the neighborhood playground. I still use my online community for that. We no longer live in communities or extended families where there are people around to talk to about the mundane issues that you face and that bug you and that you need to talk to someone about. I need intellectual stimulation that feels like conversation. I want to talk about things I'm interested in. Those "conversations" might turn into papers or books. In the "real world," you might attend a class or go to the coffee shop for this, but sometimes that's not possible. When you're at work, sometimes you talk about your family; isn't discussing it on a blog a similar thing? I find writing a blog very useful for getting my thoughts somewhere semi-permanent, so I can refer back to them and use them for something.

What are pellets?

you are SOOO on target

I feel your pain. I blog mostly at night after my kids are in bed but the interruptions at times when I'm trying to write a simple post drive me insane.

I have been very vocal and vehement in my defense about blogging from the get-go. It's been largely unnecessary because my husband recognizes how therapeutic blogging is for me and my friends seem to recognize how much I garner from the sphere that is helpful with school.