Sometime Monday evening, after a rousing hour of Prison Break and a lame dinner of canned soup and Ethnic Gourmet Pad Thai with Tofu (Foodmomiac, please don’t hate me), I snuck away from my husband to check up on my most prized possession: my son my blog. Thinking I was being covert in my mission, I quickly monitored my page views for the day (not any higher than the day before), went to my admin site to see if anyone had commented on my latest post (nope) and rushed into the bathroom pretending like I had done what I told my husband I would do: turn off the computer. I was then confronted with the stark reality of my actions while brushing my teeth.
Husband: “What were you doing?”
Me: “Just turning off the computer.”
Husband: “No you weren’t, you were ABUSIVE BLOGGING.”
Me: (spits into sink)
Abusive blogging? Who me?  Truth be told, my husband and I did set some blogging ground rules not too long ago when I spent 20+ hours over a weekend working on my site redesign (it may look nice, but it basically ruined my marriage for a 48-hour period.) So after my teeth were clean and my pajamas were on, I went over our rules to see if I was abusing the terms of our agreement.
Blogging Rule #1: No blogging if my son is tugging at my pant legs to be picked up. Or needs to eat. Or needs a diaper change. Basically, no blogging during my son’s awake time.
Blogging Rule #2: Nighttime is hubby time. No computer past 8:30 p.m. unless I have a good reason.  Like somebody famous e-mailed me and offered me lots of money for my writing.Â
Blogging Rule #3: I’m only allowed to tell a maximum of 2 stories (for a total of 25 minutes) related to my blog per day. And no storytelling or bouncing ideas off DH during any type of sporting event on TV.Â
Blogging Rule #4: No asking DH if he reads the site. If he reads it, he’ll let me know how brilliant and creative I am. Trust him, he will.
Blogging Rule #5: Remember that I have a real job that pays me. Right. Back to work now.
The verdict? I may have been a blog abuser this week, but I’m taking my son to the Big Apple this weekend, so you won’t hear from me for a little while. And, I’d love to hear if you have set blog ground rules with your family as well. But don’t tell my DH; I don’t want him adding to the list.
 Tags: blogging, blog, blogging rules, rules for blogging
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, that’s a better dinner than I had last night. We had spaghetti with cottage cheese. Fancy.
And I think your husband has been talking to mine. He hates all the time I spend on the blog.
We have no such rules. I’m a blogaholic and my husband is totally an enabler. He lets me blog to my heart’s content. I wait until Cassie is asleep before I work on it, though. But sometimes, my husband tugs at my pant leg and wants my attention. So then I give in.
I love the blog rules. We have a computer at the desk in our kitchen and it is soooo hard to keep from just “loggin on for a second” to see if someone has commented on a post or to see how many people have been on my blog. I feel your pain.
Great post by the way!
NKYGAL (ShannanB)
PS.. You know what I hate? When I post something that I think is great, and then no one comments??? Are they crazy?? I only post good stuff…lol
Sara-
I completely relate to this one. My husband is completely frustrated with my sneaking away to go on the computer…he now officially shuts the laptop down at 8:30pm and so I’m left with my BlackBerry…checking emails when he’s fallen asleep on the couch.
And I hate when no one posts on my blogg too but it seems like most of my friends don’t even know what a blog is so I guess that’s the reason why they never respond…
Oddly enough, my husband has shown no interest in my blog – other than extreme paranoia and confusion that I would even put myself out there in cyberspace. Do men have other social networks that they don’t feel the need to discuss issues and challenges with others through technological means like blogs? Or is it the old cliche that they don’t like to share their feelings?
I totally need some blogging rules of my own…I just started blogging from work and really- that’s got to stop!
I have even found myself lying when my husband asks what I am doing on the laptop…ummm…checking the nightly back-up for the servers at work…
Yes…that’s what I’m doing right now in fact…
Seems like we’re all in good company. Now if only we can get our husbands to understand!
I like your rules, selfmademom. I’m not a blogger myself (only a faithful blog reader!) but I’m going to suggest these to my husband as he gears up for Fantasy Baseball season. You wouldn’t believe the amount of computer time it takes for him to “check his scores” and move around his imaginary player roster! Almost as much time as it takes me to obsessively check my work email and keep current on my favorite gossip blogs….
Want to start your private office arms race right now?
I just got my own USB rocket launcher
Awsome thing.
Plug into your computer and you got a remote controlled office missile launcher with 360 degrees horizontal and 45 degree vertival rotation with a range of more than 6 meters – which gives you a coverage of 113 square meters round your workplace.
You can get the gadget here: http://tinyurl.com/2qul3c
Check out the video they have on the page.
Cheers
Marko Fando
I believe when such rules appear blogging becomes really o the detriment of health. Take care of your families!abusive – and it’s terrible! One shouldn’t devote much time to computers having a family. I know such families whose marriage was ruined by the baneful habit of a husband or a wife. I guess only single people may do it. But not to the detriment of health. Take care of your families!
I believe when such rules appear, blogging becomes really abusive – and it’s terrible! One shouldn’t devote much time to computers having a family. I know such families whose marriage was ruined by the baneful habit of a husband or a wife. I guess only single people may do it. But not to the detriment of health. Take care of your families!