Life of Ryrie

Ever since I came back to the UK I have lost my blogging mojo.

I started this blog as a way of making sense of this crazy life.  It developed into a way of sharing experiences as an expat and laughing at my parenting mistakes, of which there are always plenty to entertain us with.  This blog has been my weekly therapy session, the cocooning black leather couch replaced by the hub of the kitchen and you, my lovely readers, standing in for the sympathetic ear of the therapist.  I have loved writing this blog.

I have learnt that blogging is like another child, the less attention it gets the more guilt you feel.  This is where I am at the moment, real life has interrupted my blogging relationship and the guilt is starting to weigh heavily on my shoulders, my subconscious nagging me to open another screen on my browser and start a new post every time I log on.  Yet, I can’t seem to manage it.  I quickly flick on to twitter, or instagram, or pinterest to avoid the reproachful glare of the WordPress icon.

However, I have started 2016 with a Clean Sheet and so it is time to front the issue.  I have been wondering where to go next with my Life of Ryrie story and after a great deal of procrastination have reached a conclusion.  Hooray.  I have been caught up by my marketing teachings that tell me I need a USP, something that makes my Life more interesting, more appealing, more accessible and more marketable.  My short-lived expat life gave me exactly that and so it stands to reason that when that disappeared so too did my raison d’être for the blog.  “Okay,” I hear you saying “but you still have a family, be a family blog, you don’t need anything else to provide your blogging hook.”  I fear that I do.

My children are getting older, they are becoming more aware of their own privacy, and certainly their understanding of this digital life is starting to surpass my own.  They don’t want, or need, Mummy sharing every aspect of their ups and downs online.  No matter how lovely you people are, I am not willing to lay them bare to all and sundry, they will have time in their own lives to decide how much they wish to reveal themselves and I do not wish to take that decision away from them.  I have already revealed enough of them through Life of Ryrie posts, from J’s penchant for bottom smacking to T’s love of Swarovski.

That’s not to say I won’t still share experiences that we have, but perhaps it is time for me to get a bit more interesting.  I do have more to offer than just parenting stories (worthy in their own right, but surely not enough for a woman in the 21st century).  I love looking back, a healthy dose of nostalgia often prompts the more interesting stories and the the posts of which I am most proud.  I love my kitchen table pschyo-analysis, looking for meaning and the ability to learn from my actions.  I know I can’t prevent my children from making the same mistakes in life that I have, but in understanding my own hiccups I can give support and understanding to help them through theirs.  I love sewing, knitting, reading, cooking (in moderation), my new home and, of course, being a mother.  I can write about all these things, why limit myself to just one aspect of this multi faceted gem that we call life?  Going forward expect to find family adventures, homemade projects, recipes, photographs, maybe even a book review or two.

So, I guess what I am trying to say is that my Life of Ryrie mojo is back.  Welcome to my life.  The Life of Ryrie.  I am thrilled to have you along for the ride…