My First Meme

I'm just learning about memes (sounds like "dreams"), myself, so I thought I'd give one a try. I found this one over on The Queen B's blog, and since it's about how blogging has affected me, I thought it was a good one to start with. By the way, you can read what The Queen B had to say by going here.

Here are the rules:

1. Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.
2. link back to the person who tagged you
3. link back to this parent post
4. tag a few friends or five, or none at all
5. post these rules— or just have fun breaking them

Here goes:
1) Communication - Blogging has given me a way to share news with our family and friends that don't live nearby.
2) Mommy guilt - Blogging has freed me from some of the guilt I feel that my kids' scrapbooks aren't up-to-date - I can turn some of these posts into scrapbook pages, and the journaling is already done!
3) Time Management - I am spending more time online now that I used to, both posting and reading others' blogs. However, I think it's definitely worth the time (see communication - and know that I'm a big fan of writing notes and letters, which I definitely did not have time for).
4) Learning new ideas - Some of my online time is now spent "blog-surfing" - linking to other folks' blogs from friends' blogs, then linking on to the next one and the next one. That's how I found some really informative ones, though - like Parent Hacks and Lunch Nugget - and other ones that I read more for entertainment value.
5) Creative/Emotional Outlet - OK, so my posts aren't always creative, and maybe not even funny, but this blog is an outlet for me - a way to share what I'm thinking, how I'm feeling, and to "talk" with someone who's older than me. It's a way to share my accomplishments, my kids' milestones, and other things happy and sad.

I'm not tagging anyone - so I'm breaking rule number 5. Why? Well, I only have a few readers, and of those few with blogs, they are busy moms, so I'm not going to add to their Mommy guilt (but I'd be delighted if they gave this meme a try!).