There's No Value In This Post

That feeling when you send a blog post out into the world and there's a typo in the freaking TITLE.

This what I have not missed about blogging.

I have a bunch of automated crap for sharing my posts, because that was the accepted wisdom back  in the olden days. I have no idea if it still is, but I also have no idea anymore how to stop any of it. Which sucks, because this probably won't be the last time I have an embarrassing typo.

I'm so much better at proofreading and editing other people's stuff than I am with my own. Of course, it helps that someone ASKS me to look at their stuff, whereas I'm usually in such a hurry to get to the next task that I often hit the publish button prematurely.

Perhaps I do need to look at one of those "How to Create a Successful Blog in One Month" pins that keep showing up on my Pinterest feed. Hopefully they include a reminder to proofread before hitting publish. The last time I looked at one, the first suggestion was to make sure to "offer readers something of value in each post" and the second was to "give them the information they need".

Further investigation revealed that successful bloggers don't consider laughing something of value, nor do they consider learning which people are pissing me off to be information they need.

(Have you guessed who's pissing me off today yet? I promise that you won't have to click through 27 ads to find out!)

I'm not saying that I'll never give advice, or that I haven't given advice, but this idea that every post has to include valuable information. . .

that's what has gotten the blogging world to a place where people are sharing recipes for chocolate chip cookie dough HUMMUS. Which is obviously a crime against hummus, chocolate chips and humanity. No to mention an obviously desperate attempt to create something of value for readers.

I've also seen a blog post about how to organize your yogurts by date in your fridge. Anyone who needs this information is way too disorganized/uninterested to accomplish it and those of us who do stuff like this don't need a blog post to tell us how.

I blame The Pioneer Woman.

Plenty of niche blogging, including parent blogging, has been informational. Even if that information was just, "Oh my god, my 1 year old bangs his head.  And my pediatrician said not to worry about it! But I totally am!" It was relatable, not authoritative. Except for The Pioneer Women.

She did all her amazing recipes and homeschooling and whatnot fantastically, without swearing or admitting flaws or telling any funny stories. She did not have opinions on very many things - certainly not politics or even pop culture controversies.

And now it seems that so many parenting - excuse me, now they're lifestyle - bloggers have turned into aspiring Pioneer Women. And by aspiring, I mean that they copy her tone and style and habits so they too can write cookbooks and appear on The Food Network.

Or at least write sponsored posts for Ziploc.

Which would be fine, except that it feels like they believe this is the only way to blog, and the only reason to. At least, that's the impression I get from the advice they post for newbie bloggers.

And that advice? Well, I'm so glad it didn't exist when I started blogging. I never, ever would have blogged if I'd had those expectations laid out to me when I was a new, isolated, overwhelmed mom who liked writing. Their advice on not getting too personal, on not swearing and on how to "make your blog brand-friendly" is such a turn off for me. So are many of their blog posts, to be totally honest. 

But I read blogs for fun, not for directions on being the perfect homemaker, so what do I know?

Other than I've never enjoyed reading The Pioneer Woman. I did enjoy this woman, however. And this one. And this one.

Huh. It's almost like humor does have value. 

The Preschool Valentine's Day Performance: A Critique

While I am related to one of the performers in this piece, I promise you, my review is completely unbiased. This critic would never let her feelings for her child and his classmates color her perception in any way.

Prior to the performance, this critic talked to one of the artists. Here is what he had to say:

"This is going to be the best show ever, Mom! You are going to love it!"

Pretty heady words coming from someone who had never performed in front of an audience before.* Could the show live up to the hype? In the words of one sibling person who got to see the dress rehearsal, "They are really cute."

 After a brief introduction, the show got underway only a few minutes late. The venue was packed, with a number of latecomers needing to stand in the back. But despite its small size, the classroom theater was well-appointed, with plenty of festive decorations.

Excitement was in the air as the performers filed in to the tune of, "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Their voices were the perfect level for the small venue, though there was some faltering as they assembled themselves on the risers. Still, it was an enthusiastic and bold opening. One doesn't normally associate "Yankee Doodle Dandy" with Valentine's Day.

Our photographer would like to apologize for the blurriness. And the fact that this is the only performer who would sign a release. 

Next up was The Pledge of Allegiance. The performers nailed their lines in this segment. Too bad not all of them managed to use their right hands to cover their hearts. But this critic has seen plenty of adults at sporting events have the same problem during the national anthem, but with less grasp of the words. 

The song about Groundhog Day was followed by a delightful scene where one performer interviewed all the other performers about their feelings on six more weeks of winter. Answers varied, as did enthusiasm levels. But no one ran off the stage crying or refused to answer. In fact, all the performers were engaged throughout the entire show. Having seen many of them participate in soccer games last fall, I can assure you that this was an amazing feat. The producers and the directors of the show are to be commended. 

The part that touched this critic especially was during the song about love, during which each child brought a specially made Valentine to his or her mother. It was beautiful to see the mixture of pride and love on all the faces in the room, which I suspect is what the show creators were aiming for. 

Another highlight was the song, "Forever Friends". Not only was it the most upbeat, it featured the performers using inflatable guitars. Hand gestures can be cute choreography, but nothing beats a bunch of kids with guitars almost as big as they are. 

The Preschool Valentine's Day Performance was not the best show ever if you compare it to Wicked or a Bruce Springsteen concert. But compared to other preschool performances, it just might be. Unfortunately, it was in limited run so you can no longer get tickets. Hopefully they'll bring it back as a revival for their kindergarten concert. And the performer was completely right about one thing: I totally loved it. 

*The performed had participated in a couple of programs at his old preschool, but he just stood still during them, like a deer caught in headlights.