I’ve been blogging here since November of 2007, which basically makes me an old lady in blog years. During the past 98 months (I did the math) I’ve written about topics ranging from marriage to eczema to homeschooling to parenting to healthy eating. And also butter. Obviously. It all goes hand in hand. (Not literally though.)
You know what I learned the hard way several years ago in my blogging career? Never write about something I don’t know much about.
See, what happens is that when I write about a topic – any topic – many people assume I know much and oodles and aplenty about that topic. I mention the word “run” and the people start asking questions as if I’m some sort of an expert on running. They ask my advice and trust my opinions and before I know it, everyone thinks I must be some running professional. I’m left screaming at my computer screen, “Wait! Stop asking me about running! I’m not a runner! When I said ‘run’ I meant run…to the grocery store for food. The real kind. That is what I know. Real food. I always run toward real food.”
That was a bad example because no one has ever actually accused me of being an expert on running or asked me questions about it. Here’s an actual example:
I posted early on (March, 2009) about how to make mozzarella cheese. I’d made it a few times in my life, it’s not terribly complicated, and I thought it would be a fun post. It was. But then all of a sudden everyone thought I was a cheese-making expert. The questions started pouring in. Can I also share how to make cheddar? How about Gouda? What makes Swiss so holey? What supplies are needed for making Parmesan? Why did someone follow my recipe exactly and end up with mush? What if someone did not have the exact enzymes I recommended for mozzarella making? What might be a good substitute?
I became Mrs. Cheese Lady and all of the cheese questions were asked and people expected me to know all of the cheeseness.
That’s me, skillfully stretching my cheese curd in 2009.
I’m only slightly exaggerating, but suffice it to say that I quickly learned that while there are many topics I’m interested in and love learning about, there are only a few I am qualified to write about and offer advice on. Anything that I’m interested in but have not researched thoroughly or experienced muchly needs to be left to other people who have thoroughly researched and muchly experienced.
(It is clear by now that I have spent a good deal of time making up words and am therefore undoubtedly qualified to write them frequently and…muchly.)
What I’m good at (besides making up words):
- Cooking real food
- Keeping real food simple
- Finding good deals on real food
- Creating simple recipes with real food
- Saving time in the kitchen
- Saving money while eating real food
- Sharing our home school experiences
- Sharing what I’m learning in the areas of parenting and wifing (why is wifing not a real word?)
- Sharing what I’m learning about scripture and serving others
What I love but don’t know enough to write about:
- Essential Oils – I love them. I use them daily. They are fantastic. But I don’t know enough about them to answer questions or offer advice.
- Natural Remedies – Like essential oils, I love and use natural remedies instead of conventional medicine if at all possible. But I’m a novice. I have to look everything up every time one of us gets sick. Please don’t ask me how to make a tincture.
- Homesteading – The idea of having chickens and growing herbs on my windowsill intrigues me. Unfortunately, our fish only lived one week, so we don’t plan to get a goat anytime soon.
- Parenting Teenagers – Except for the prayer part. Trusting God with our kids – this is what I know. Otherwise, I know nothing. Ask me again in ten years.
- A bunch of other stuff that is relevant to most of us but not within my realm of knowledge. I don’t even know where to start on this list.
So what I want to know from you during the next few days is:
- What do you love reading about here at Heavenly Homemakers?
- What do you want to learn from me? What kind of information do you want me to share?
- Want more recipes? More scripture encouragement? More tips on saving money? All or none of the above? Something else entirely?
All I can promise is that I’ll do my best, but I won’t write about making cheese or making a poultice for your toddlers scratched elbow. I would love to continue sharing relevant topics with you, as long as it is something I can share confidently. So talk to me! Tell me what you love reading about here the most!
