~SoMe2~ #47

It's Tuesday, and that means it's ~SoMe2~ time again!

Let's party and grow our blogs!



We love seeing our "regulars" link up each week - you guys are awesome!
We also love seeing new bloggers - and we need new bloggers each week so
that we all can keep growing our following. Everyone try to tell at
least one new person about the party, and let's see how much we can
grow!!
Let's party and grow our blogs!



PLEASE NOTE: It has come to our
attention that there are more than just a few people who are linking up
and not bothering to follow the hostesses or anyone else. We love bringing this party to you each week, and we
take the time to follow (and leave a comment for) each person who links
up with us. Following back is just the right thing to do. So please -
each week, make sure you're following your hostesses and also follow
the two people linked up before you. If you're already following them,
then please find two others to follow. The party is only successful if everyone participates. It doesn't matter if 100 people link up if only 10-20 are following the link-up rules.





We love
seeing our "regulars" link up each week - you guys are awesome! We also
love seeing new bloggers - and we need new bloggers each week so that we
all can keep growing our following. Everyone try to tell at least one
new person about the party, and let's see how much we can grow!! 

Welcome to ~SoMe2~ #47!!

Weekday Mixer 11

The 10th Weekday Mixer was a great success! We had 115 blogs linked up and numerous social media link-ups! We hope that you all had the opportunity to mix and mingle and make some awesome new buddies!

Sunday Social: Let's get to know each other

Welcome to another week of Social Sunday! The post of the week where we answer random questions and try to get to know each other a little better!

This Weeks Questions:

modernworkers.com

1. How much time do you spend on Social Media a day?…be honest: Between blogging....keeping up with friends and family back home...and my day to day...umm...a lot lol! No, seriously, between wifi access and everything I am pretty much on from 7am straight off and on throughout the day. I actually get frustrated because by noon....I feel bored! ;-)

Saturday Funny: Instagram Style

Since I finally joined the world of Instagram I thought I'd share some funniness with you all!

XOXxx

Shana Danae..

Social Sunday....a Little Random!

1. What is currently on your wish list? 

Umm...it’s actually really random! But we got a new (well new to us) lounge suite last month and I’m super happy about it. But now I need new curtains for it! And MIL finished making the boys new bedding. It is so cute and adorable that I’m in love with it...but now they need new curtains too.

Oh and I’m totally over my bedroom....needs a complete redo :-/ haha

Immmmm baaa-ahck!

Believe it or not….I’m still alive!

Who would have thought that I could survive 21 days without blogging?!? Since entering the blogosphere I realize it has become an outlet for me. In a lot of ways this is great. In other ways this is a problem.

I have enjoyed the last 21 days beyond belief. While I still took a little time each day to check my mail, see if my dad had messaged me and join some hops, I limited myself to 30 minutes and stayed in check.

Google reader was going to back slap me if I didn’t clear that out soon. So I’m sorry that I’m not commenting so much on older posts but jeeze there was over 400 in there to go through!

You guys really like to write ;-)

The biggest thing that I realized during this whole fast is that I am was addicted in a lot of ways to social media. The first 3 days were like a detox.

I actually got angry and short tempered because all I could think about was what I was missing!

That passed and I figured out all that I was missing right in front of me! I was in awe at how different Lil Mister was by me just actually being checked in instead of just being there.

Don’t think that I’m a bad mom who ignores my children. I always took time to put down my phone and specifically be with him. But now it was like that ALL the time.

Also, house work got easier and less because I was staying on top of it…who woulda thunk it?!? ;-)

All jokes aside, this was a great cleansing time for me and my spirit. I’m glad to be back and be able to share with all of you all the happenings, however, a change has become permamnent.

No longer will I be posting while my children are awake and present. This is going to take more planning on my part, but I have my time and they need theirs.

Same with Hubby Dearest. No more phones during meals and after work. Now when he gets home we both put our phones away (in ear shot in case the parents phone!) and go outside with the kids. We kick a ball or fly the remote helicopter or just watch Lil Mister race his bike up and down. We’re happier and communicating better.

We were both letting too much of our lives happen with only half in attitudes.

There is a strict rule now about not being on social media when with the kids. I don’t EVER want them to think that they come second to our phones.

I love my blog and Facebook and Twitter but they are a part of my life. They are not my life.

It is seriously scary to think how hard these 21 days were, but I’m grateful and praise God for putting this upon my spirit!

So…stay tuned. I’m not gone yet. ;-) Just a little more……involved!

Shana..

A Social Media Fast {REPOST}

{This is a repost from previous Wednesday. It will be posted each week during the duration of my fast!}

A lot has been going on in our house lately.
I mean a LOT!
Since I began my maternity leave on December 1 it feels as if our lives have been in constant motion. Okay don't misunderstand me. I know that life continually moves and develops and progresses but it is as if someone has pressed the fast foward button and I can't keep up! I'm not sure if it was even possible this last month and a half!
Now that 2013 has begun it has caused me (like almost everyone else!) to take a moment and reevaluate our lives at the moment.
Originally this was to be the year I ran my first marathon! BUT...two pregnancies have pushed that date back a little into the unknown future! It will happen however!
There is more to it than just that though. There are many areas of my life besides fitness that have taken a back burner in the daily struggle to just keep up. Areas of my life that should have been in the front at all times.
"For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also" Luke 12:34

Our pastor has asked that as a congregation we take part in a 21 day fast. You can fast anything or everything. There are different degrees of fasting but the most important is not the type of fast you partake in but your state of heart in doing so.
Originally I had decided to skip this fast. I figured since I was breastfeeding I had already cut out so much of my diet and needed to maintain a healthy diet for LJ.
Yet, I could feel God working on my heart. I knew there were areas of my life that needed some serious attention. Mainly my marriage and my home life.
I thought by now my children would be in a nice routine. Hubby Dearest and I would be settled and I would be preparing to return to work. All the while having thrown myself full force into my training.
How naive I have been! There is NO routine in my house right now! I'm talking zip, zadda big fat NADDA! Heck, I don't even think I have a shower routine further than get clean right now! And it shows in the kids. LJ doesn't have a sleep pattern. It's either he sleeps good or not at all! Lil Mister is all over the place (especially with tantrums!) and goes to bed whenever he falls asleep and takes a nap if he is willing. There was a 3 day period in which our brother Q visited and Lil Mister ate NOTHING except ice cream, candy and chips! God help us!
And most of all my poor Hubby is getting so little of my attention. Because the kids aren't in a routine, I can never predict when I can spend time with him. Then by the time I get anything accomplished in the house another kid needs my attention and Hubby is left to his own. He deserves better from me!
1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV / 18 helpful votes

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

The more I looked at the state of my home life and my marriage (or what seems a lack thereof) the more I realized I needed more of God in my life. See...that too is suffering! I'm so exhausted because I'm chasing my own tail most days that I have been slipping on going to church (please let us not discuss my daily devotions :-[ ). I'm embarrassed as to how far I've slipped backwards.
So there I sat....feeding LJ (of course...I spend 50% of my time doing that!) and allowing the Spirit to work in me. Then what do I do....I take out my phone and log into my Google Reader because there are a pile of blogs that need read! I gasped...I couldn't believe what I was doing.
I'd cut off the most important person in my life (GOD!) for social media. I started thinking about it. How much time do I spend on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs a day? I realized that if you added up all the times I just "quickly" check everything I was easily on these sites 5 plus hours a day! Everytime I feed LJ I log on. Heaven forbid I miss what nonsense the Kardashians are spewing across Twitter or fail to upload a photo to Facebook. Oh and don't forget all you lovely ladies out there pounding out amazing posts day in and day out! I must be loyal to you as well!
But what is happening during this time? Nothing....Lil Mister is watching TV. LJ is feining my attention and love. Hubby Dearest is wanting a conversation. And God...well God is knocking at the door of my heart!!
I was....I am ashamed of myself.
So I put aside my phone and listened to God speak to my heart. How important is a healthy relationship with my husband to me? How much do I want to set an example for my children? How well can I be a mother and a wife without God's guidance?? Oh....Lord....I am so sorry. Why have I let myself get so deep?
I remember as a young teenager if I would start to become to 'obsessed' with something normally my parents would ration me off. Like when I hit 1000 sms in one month...my phone was taken. When at the age of 12 I covered EVERY square inch of my walls with Aaron Carter posters...my parents took them down and took his cd's. When I started drinking at 16... my parents grounded me.
So I thought harder about how to be more involved and structured in my home.
Then God asked again....how important is all of this to you?
The answer is easy....more than anything else in the world my family is number one. They're needs and priorties and even wants come before all else.
Then God hit the nail on the head and drove it straight into my heart. How important is social media to you? Because you spend more time and energy there than with your family. Even when you aren't online you're thinking about it. Drafting blogs in your head. Wondering about Tweets and pondering status'.
So there it was. I was going to fast. Nope not food. But social media!
I need more of God in my life and my children and husband need more of my undivided attention in theirs!
Social media isn't bad (nor is chocolate or wine!) but it does need to be rationed.
So for 21 days I am fasting. I will take 30 minutes each day to do my hops and only if both kids are asleep and Hubby Dearest is either working or asleep too!!
During this time I will not be posting or reading on Twitter or Facebook. Neither will I be on my Google Reader (I'm scared what a mess that will look like after 3 weeks!). Although I will check email because of work and it is how I communicate with my parents, I will not be reading my subscriptions!
Please if you are reading this as a follower or through a hop, I vow on all that is bloggy responding to all of your lovely comments will be my first order of buisness when I return!!
I have a few posts scheduled over the next 3 weeks so I'll still be showing up for you!!
I will be replacing my internet time with reading my Bible, praying, reading stories to Lil Mister, spending quality time with Hubby Dearest, or just enjoying a moment with LJ. This is time to recenter my focus and my family and get my priorities in line. I pray that not only will this improve my structure and quality time at home with my family but when I return it will also improve the quality of my blog!

Continue praying for us and I'll see you in 1 week!

(verse 6) “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
(7) Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"
Benefits of fasting
(verse 8) "Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9) Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
(Isaiah 58:6–9)

Shana..

A Social Media Fast {REPOST}

{This is a repost from previous Wednesday. It will be posted each week during the duration of my fast!}
A lot has been going on in our house lately.

I mean a LOT!
Since I began my maternity leave on December 1 it feels as if our lives have been in constant motion. Okay don't misunderstand me. I know that life continually moves and develops and progresses but it is as if someone has pressed the fast foward button and I can't keep up! I'm not sure if it was even possible this last month and a half!
Now that 2013 has begun it has caused me (like almost everyone else!) to take a moment and reevaluate our lives at the moment.
Originally this was to be the year I ran my first marathon! BUT...two pregnancies have pushed that date back a little into the unknown future! It will happen however!
There is more to it than just that though. There are many areas of my life besides fitness that have taken a back burner in the daily struggle to just keep up. Areas of my life that should have been in the front at all times.
 "For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also" Luke 12:34
Our pastor has asked that as a congregation we take part in a 21 day fast. You can fast anything or everything. There are different degrees of fasting but the most important is not the type of fast you partake in but your state of heart in doing so.
Originally I had decided to skip this fast. I figured since I was breastfeeding I had already cut out so much of my diet and needed to maintain a healthy diet for LJ.
Yet, I could feel God working on my heart. I knew there were areas of my life that needed some serious attention. Mainly my marriage and my home life.
I thought by now my children would be in a nice routine. Hubby Dearest and I would be settled and I would be preparing to return to work. All the while having thrown myself full force into my training.
How naive I have been! There is NO routine in my house right now! I'm talking zip, zadda big fat NADDA! Heck, I don't even think I have a shower routine further than get clean right now! And it shows in the kids. LJ doesn't have a sleep pattern. It's either he sleeps good or not at all! Lil Mister is all over the place (especially with tantrums!) and goes to bed whenever he falls asleep and takes a nap if he is willing. There was a 3 day period in which our brother Q visited and Lil Mister ate NOTHING except ice cream, candy and chips! God help us!
And most of all my poor Hubby is getting so little of my attention. Because the kids aren't in a routine, I can never predict when I can spend time with him. Then by the time I get anything accomplished in the house another kid needs my attention and Hubby is left to his own. He deserves better from me!

1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV / 18 helpful votes
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

The more I looked at the state of my home life and my marriage (or what seems a lack thereof) the more I realized I needed more of God in my life. See...that too is suffering! I'm so exhausted because I'm chasing my own tail most days that I have been slipping on going to church (please let us not discuss my daily devotions :-[ ). I'm embarrassed as to how far I've slipped backwards.
So there I sat....feeding LJ (of course...I spend 50% of my time doing that!) and allowing the Spirit to work in me. Then what do I do....I take out my phone and log into my Google Reader because there are a pile of blogs that need read! I gasped...I couldn't believe what I was doing.
I'd cut off the most important person in my life (GOD!) for social media. I started thinking about it. How much time do I spend on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs a day? I realized that if you added up all the times I just "quickly" check everything I was easily on these sites 5 plus hours a day! Everytime I feed LJ I log on. Heaven forbid I miss what nonsense the Kardashians are spewing across Twitter or fail to upload a photo to Facebook. Oh and don't forget all you lovely ladies out there pounding out amazing posts day in and day out! I must be loyal to you as well!
But what is happening during this time? Nothing....Lil Mister is watching TV. LJ is feining my attention and love. Hubby Dearest is wanting a conversation. And God...well God is knocking at the door of my heart!!
I was....I am ashamed of myself.
So I put aside my phone and listened to God speak to my heart. How important is a healthy relationship with my husband to me? How much do I want to set an example for my children? How well can I be a mother and a wife without God's guidance?? Oh....Lord....I am so sorry. Why have I let myself get so deep?
 I remember as a young teenager if I would start to become to 'obsessed' with something normally my parents would ration me off. Like when I hit 1000 sms in one month...my phone was taken. When at the age of 12 I covered EVERY square inch of my walls with Aaron Carter posters...my parents took them down and took his cd's. When I started drinking at 16... my parents grounded me.
So I thought harder about how to be more involved and structured in my home.
Then God asked again....how important is all of this to you?
The answer is easy....more than anything else in the world my family is number one. They're needs and priorties and even wants come before all else.
Then God hit the nail on the head and drove it straight into my heart. How important is social media to you? Because you spend more time and energy there than with your family. Even when you aren't online you're thinking about it. Drafting blogs in your head. Wondering about Tweets and pondering status'.
So there it was. I was going to fast. Nope not food. But social media!
I need more of God in my life and my children and husband need more of my undivided attention in theirs!
Social media isn't bad (nor is chocolate or wine!) but it does need to be rationed.
 So for 21 days I am fasting. I will take 30 minutes each day to do my hops and only if both kids are asleep and Hubby Dearest is either working or asleep too!!
During this time I will not be posting or reading on Twitter or Facebook. Neither will I be on my Google Reader (I'm scared what a mess that will look like after 3 weeks!). Although I will check email because of work and it is how I communicate with my parents, I will not be reading my subscriptions!
Please if you are reading this as a follower or through a hop, I vow on all that is bloggy responding to all of your lovely comments will be my first order of buisness when I return!!
I have a few posts scheduled over the next 3 weeks so I'll still be showing up for you!!
I will be replacing my internet time with reading my Bible, praying, reading stories to Lil Mister, spending quality time with Hubby Dearest, or just enjoying a moment with LJ. This is time to recenter my focus and my family and get my priorities in line. I pray that not only will this improve my structure and quality time at home with my family but when I return it will also improve the quality of my blog!

Continue praying for us and I'll see you in 2 weeks!

(verse 6) “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
(7) Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"

Benefits of fasting
(verse 8) "Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9) Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
(Isaiah 58:6–9)

Shana..

A Social Media Fast

A lot has been going on in our house lately.

I mean a LOT!

Since I began my maternity leave on December 1 it feels as if our lives have been in constant motion. Okay don't misunderstand me. I know that life continually moves and develops and progresses but it is as if someone has pressed the fast foward button and I can't keep up! I'm not sure if it was even possible this last month and a half!

Now that 2013 has begun it has caused me (like almost everyone else!) to take a moment and reevaluate our lives at the moment.

Originally this was to be the year I ran my first marathon! BUT...two pregnancies have pushed that date back a little into the unknown future! It will happen however!

There is more to it than just that though. There are many areas of my life besides fitness that have taken a back burner in the daily struggle to just keep up. Areas of my life that should have been in the front at all times.

"For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also" Luke 12:34

Our pastor has asked that as a congregation we take part in a 21 day fast. You can fast anything or everything. There are different degrees of fasting but the most important is not the type of fast you partake in but your state of heart in doing so.

Originally I had decided to skip this fast. I figured since I was breastfeeding I had already cut out so much of my diet and needed to maintain a healthy diet for LJ.

Yet, I could feel God working on my heart. I knew there were areas of my life that needed some serious attention. Mainly my marriage and my home life.

I thought by now my children would be in a nice routine. Hubby Dearest and I would be settled and I would be preparing to return to work. All the while having thrown myself full force into my training.

How naive I have been! There is NO routine in my house right now! I'm talking zip, zadda big fat NADDA! Heck, I don't even think I have a shower routine further than get clean right now! And it shows in the kids. LJ doesn't have a sleep pattern. It's either he sleeps good or not at all! Lil Mister is all over the place (especially with tantrums!) and goes to bed whenever he falls asleep and takes a nap if he is willing. There was a 3 day period in which our brother Q visited and Lil Mister ate NOTHING except ice cream, candy and chips! God help us!

And most of all my poor Hubby is getting so little of my attention. Because the kids aren't in a routine, I can never predict when I can spend time with him. Then by the time I get anything accomplished in the house another kid needs my attention and Hubby is left to his own. He deserves better from me!

1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV / 18 helpful votes

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

The more I looked at the state of my home life and my marriage (or what seems a lack thereof) the more I realized I needed more of God in my life. See...that too is suffering! I'm so exhausted because I'm chasing my own tail most days that I have been slipping on going to church (please let us not discuss my daily devotions :-[ ). I'm embarrassed as to how far I've slipped backwards.
So there I sat....feeding LJ (of course...I spend 50% of my time doing that!) and allowing the Spirit to work in me. Then what do I do....I take out my phone and log into my Google Reader because there are a pile of blogs that need read! I gasped...I couldn't believe what I was doing.
I'd cut off the most important person in my life (GOD!) for social media. I started thinking about it. How much time do I spend on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs a day? I realized that if you added up all the times I just "quickly" check everything I was easily on these sites 5 plus hours a day! Everytime I feed LJ I log on. Heaven forbid I miss what nonsense the Kardashians are spewing across Twitter or fail to upload a photo to Facebook. Oh and don't forget all you lovely ladies out there pounding out amazing posts day in and day out! I must be loyal to you as well!
But what is happening during this time? Nothing....Lil Mister is watching TV. LJ is feining my attention and love. Hubby Dearest is wanting a conversation. And God...well God is knocking at the door of my heart!!
I was....I am ashamed of myself.
So I put aside my phone and listened to God speak to my heart. How important is a healthy relationship with my husband to me? How much do I want to set an example for my children? How well can I be a mother and a wife without God's guidance?? Oh....Lord....I am so sorry. Why have I let myself get so deep?
I remember as a young teenager if I would start to become to 'obsessed' with something normally my parents would ration me off. Like when I hit 1000 sms in one month...my phone was taken. When at the age of 12 I covered EVERY square inch of my walls with Aaron Carter posters...my parents took them down and took his cd's. When I started drinking at 16... my parents grounded me.
So I thought harder about how to be more involved and structured in my home.
Then God asked again....how important is all of this to you?
The answer is easy....more than anything else in the world my family is number one. They're needs and priorties and even wants come before all else.
Then God hit the nail on the head and drove it straight into my heart. How important is social media to you? Because you spend more time and energy there than with your family. Even when you aren't online you're thinking about it. Drafting blogs in your head. Wondering about Tweets and pondering status'.
So there it was. I was going to fast. Nope not food. But social media!
I need more of God in my life and my children and husband need more of my undivided attention in theirs!
Social media isn't bad (nor is chocolate or wine!) but it does need to be rationed.
So for 21 days I am fasting. I will take 30 minutes each day to do my hops and only if both kids are asleep and Hubby Dearest is either working or asleep too!!
During this time I will not be posting or reading on Twitter or Facebook. Neither will I be on my Google Reader (I'm scared what a mess that will look like after 3 weeks!). Although I will check email because of work and it is how I communicate with my parents, I will not be reading my subscriptions!
Please if you are reading this as a follower or through a hop, I vow on all that is bloggy responding to all of your lovely comments will be my first order of buisness when I return!!
I have a few posts scheduled over the next 3 weeks so I'll still be showing up for you!!
I will be replacing my internet time with reading my Bible, praying, reading stories to Lil Mister, spending quality time with Hubby Dearest, or just enjoying a moment with LJ. This is time to recenter my focus and my family and get my priorities in line. I pray that not only will this improve my structure and quality time at home with my family but when I return it will also improve the quality of my blog!
Continue praying for us and I'll see you in 3 weeks!

(verse 6) “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
(7) Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"

Benefits of fasting
(verse 8) "Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9) Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I."
(Isaiah 58:6–9)

Shana..

Reality TV leads to social media breakthrough

Every week Jen over at SomethingClever2.0 gives us a new topic to write about. It’s posted on the Theme Thursday page. Now I’ve missed a couple of weeks because I’ve been a little preoccupied. If you’re just joining me you can learn all about it here!
 

But I’m back and we’re all feeling great!

We got posed a question about reality TV this week. I have to admit the first thing I thought of was the Kardashians! Haha pathetic if you really think about it, but they have made themselves a household name across the world.

What I don’t understand the most about reality TV is how do people get famous off of airing their dirty laundry? What is our obsession with watching the every move of complete strangers?

That is what they are too. No matter how many episodes we see. No matter how many family brawls we witness. No matter how much of their personal and private information is leaked across the volumes of social networking; they are still strangers to us.

We can watch hours upon hours of their life stories (and most of the time I do believe it is made up stories we are watching) but we still don’t know what it is that makes these people tick. We don’t know the ins and outs of their personalities. We only know the surface of it all.

It takes me back to the beginnings of reality TV! Oh yes I was a mere child at this point but I remember it fondly.

With young parents, I was always exposed to what was hip and in! So when MTV birthed ‘The Real World’ you can believe my mom was home and watching every episode the moment it was aired!

Then came Road Rules and subsequently the Real World verses Road Rules. Oh, the days of the Gauntlet! We even had an encyclopedia of the seasons of The Real World and I was a thriving 10 year old that could eloquently recite each cast member as well as where they came from for each season! What a gem!

The pathetic depth of my The Real World knowledge was proven when the MIZ first arrived on WWE. Not a show I particularly ever liked but fell into my husbands routine of watching it in South Africa. When the MIZ first came on the scene, there were many household debates about ‘who’ exactly he was.

Google won me the battle after weeks of arguing that he had appeared on The Real World and was one of the most controversial cast members they ever had. I remember his antics followed him onto RRvsRW and swore he’d portray the same arrogance on WWE. (I really should have betted money on that one!) Finally, I googled the answer (like I always do!) and secured my place in the house as the Queen of Shinfo. (Please that word is copywrited!)

Oh, the joys of useless knowledge that are poured into our brains via the TV and especially reality TV! Why on earth did I know Kim Kardashian had begun dating Kanye after her split from Chris or the fact that Alexa from Jerseylicious was pregnant? It is beyond my comprehension how I can sit for mindless minutes as Etv gracefully updates me on all the behind doors action that is so openly public!

What has happened? How will this reality TV situation affect my children?

Then I turn to my blog. Yes, I choose and filter the information that is put out there. But I cannot filter who reads it nor how they interpret or use it.

We live in a society today that media has taken over. Are our Facebook accounts much less of a reality TV show at all?

Yes some of us possess that ability to control what we post or write about. However, countless times I scroll through my news feed and read personal details about other peoples lives. Reality TV has made it socially acceptable to put all our business out there.

As we watch other families tear each other apart, make complete asses (excuse the French) of themselves, and create a multimillion dollar network of it, we’ve created a world in which our mishaps no longer seem so bad.

So we publically air how we’re fighting and then making up with our spouses. We discuss the personal lives of our friends for the world to read. We use social media to put ourselves out there in hopes to be seen. However, we aren’t always being real.

Personas are created via social media (Tila Tequila for example) in which we then must live up to in real life. Jobs are checking our online accounts before hiring. Schools are banning teachers and children from being friends on these networks even.

Reality TV was just the beginning of a new era. One we are experiencing at it’s height now.

I love my blog and the fact that I have a place to turn to and that I can at least control what I put out there. Discretion is a virtue if patience ever was. But do I think that we are on a good track for our children?

Okay, I know this is about Reality TV. I just feel that Reality TV is what is making it socially acceptable to air our entire lives for the world to see. This in return has opened many doors to which everything has been taken to a new level.

I’m guilty of tuning into the latest Kardashian scandal and I love (literally) to see the girls on Jerseylicious duke it out once more. Oh heck, I even tend to get a little overwhelmed at the shallowness of Big Rich Texas families. However, I question how to protect my boys from the controversy of it all.

How do I keep them in line? When do I allow them to begin to venture out into this social media and “reality” world? How do I explain to them that what we live each day is reality and what they see on TV isn’t? How do I educate them to understand that when we watch the “reality TV” the consequences of the actions we see lies with those people in the TV but when they venture onto the internet and social media the consequences lies with ourselves and the people we interact with?

It is all a little overwhelming. So, would I ever want to be on a “reality TV” show?

It’s simple really, no. I don’t want myself or my family exposed in such a manner. I do not want personalities created for us based on what “the people” want to see. Because actually all that “the people” want to see is that other people and families are just as messed up as their own and that they don’t need to feel so bad.

I know we all have our “closets” somewhere and for some reason and I don’t need my aired for others  to feel better.

How many of us can actually relate in any way to these “reality TV” stars in any case?

Shana..