However...I always say that I'm not a computer person and the thought of switching to my own website is quite daunting.
I think part of the reason I'm staying put for now is that eventually I want to have my own photography website and I don't want to intermingle my blog with that site. Make sense?
Have any of the rest of you considered switching? Any tips for me if I ever decide to make the switch?
So....I found this little tidbit interesting. I was visiting the Army wives forum that I have a love/hate relationship with this morning and a girl posted asking if she could visit her husband who was deployed, over Christmas, in case he didn't get to come home for Christmas.
Hold up....you want to visit your husband in a war zone? I'm also not sure why she was thinking he would get time off for Christmas. This was not her asking about R&R, this was her asking about him getting to come home for a holiday. From a warzone. It's times like this that I very STRONGLY believe that the Army or any branch of the military should be having a more in-depth class for spouses to answer questions like this or even maybe a mentor. I'm just flabbergasted that this girl asked that in the first place.
Now for a tip from yours truly: A lot of you ask me about the stuff I get on Forever 21 and how you can't find it in the store. You aren't the only one. When I used to shop in the store I very rarely found what I had seen online in the store. My advice to you? Buy it online. It saves you a headache, I swear.
One last thing. I know this is sort of old news, but what do you guys think about this whole Jon and Kate debacle? I've watched the show off and on, but I've never been a faithful viewer. I honestly don't know what to think. From what the magazines say it seems Kate is kind of a fame-hungry tyrant, but who knows if that's even true. Your thoughts?
I just looked into Wordpress recently, but I am so familiar with blogger and blogger is SO easy to customize...I think I will just stay put.
ReplyDeleteIf you are talking about the same armywives forum I'm thinking of...I abandoned that site MONTHS ago because I got so sick of the stupidity on there...and the people who would post things just to get attention. Like..."hey guys will you all pray for my sister's husband's cousin's brother-in-law? He just got put in jail for something he didn't even do." blah blah.
I'm so not a computer person, that I think if I tried to switch, I would completely mess everything up. Blogger has been user friendly enough for me.
ReplyDeleteJust curious, what forum are you talking about. There seem to be so many of them out there. Really, I prefer the blogs to the forums. It seems that the people are much more sane:)
As for Jon and Kate, I've been an on again, off again viewer. I just feel sad for the situation because they have so many children, and had so much media attention. I just hope they can work something out that is in the best interest of their family.
I'm keeping my blogger, but I'm also in process of getting a professional web site up - it should be up and running within a month or so! I just recently changed my blog name and I'm pretty happy with it. Who knows how I'll feel in a year, but for now blogger works just fine for me!
ReplyDeleteJust poppin' in to say hi!
ReplyDeleteHI!!!
I have toyed with the notion of writing an Army Wives handbook, for those women who find themselves suddenly an Army Wife without a clue. I was once "there" and it's a scary, confusing place to be!!! But I discovered stamping and I've been busy ever since, lol!
As for Jon & Kate, I've never seen a single episode but I'm tired of hearing about it. I would NEVER be on a reality show myself, much less subject my family and children to one. That's just pimping out your kids, any way you slice it. Let kids be kids, not breadwinners. And what is up with these people having so many kids anyway????
From blogs to forums to shopping to Kate. Now THAT is a lot of thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI've thought about switching to a site, but I know when some people switch over they lose a lot of people. There are several blogs I used to read that switched and it's just too hard to follow them now. Let me know when you start the process. I would be interested to see how it goes.
I agree on all the above! First of all yes, they should have some kind of class for spouses, fiances etc to go to. However I feel the guy/girl who's serving should help teach as well. Sometimes when I don't know Matt is talking about he'll see it on my face and start explaining it to me.
ReplyDeleteNow forever 21. I can NEVER find anything in the store except jewelry. I find everything on the site. EVERYTHING!
Jon & Kate...I've only seen a few episodes here and there. I did watch the first episode this season and it was shocking. She talks down to him SO much! The interviews felt so uncomfortable!
I'm with Allison, I tried WordPress and it was very overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Jon and Kate thing, I ranted about it on my blog last week. I am to the point now that I think it's pathetic and they just want ratings. Poor kids.
I'm definitely fearful of the big bad world of stand-alone websites, but then again, I'm just web-retarded. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm with Gidget, I think it's all a ratings ploy. They had their season premiere last week amidst all the drama and had a record number of viewers. I think it's time for them to shut the cameras off and give their children and marriage some privacy. I think the novelty of having 8 kids has worn off and all this marriage drama is like grasping at straws for new viewers. Just my opinion though, I've never been a fan of the show either.
ReplyDeleteOh Lordy, too much to say to this post!
ReplyDeleteBlog: I am contemplating my own website. I just don't know what a huge undertaking it would entail or how to set it up. And since I know zilch about web design, I'm too scared!
J&K+8: I am so sad for those kids. I get that they wanted to provide for their kids and hell, they are making 9.8 MILLION this season! That should put 8 kids through college! But, at some point, it needs to be more about taking care of your family. They are setting an awful example for their children and it is really sad to see their marriage absolutely fall apart. But, it's good for ratings, right? just not so much for their kids...They just strike me as super selfish and immature.
For me, changing to my own site would be a waste because not that many people read my blog. But you on the other hand? Have tons of readers, and you could SO do it. I know you read PW, but did you read any of her "How to have a successful blog" stuff? The last one was about getting your own domain and was pretty informative, you could check that out.
ReplyDeleteI think I should refuse to ever step foot in F21 again and if I have a desire should just buy online like you. That place gives me the biggest headache ever.
Hi there. New reader/lurker. I just stumbled on your blog. Personally, I like blogger because it's easy to personalize/change and moderate. Plus, you're already established, so everyone already knows where to find you.
ReplyDeleteAs far as J&K who knows what's really going on. How much of what we see on TV is even "really" going on, right? It's all edited down to the high drama moments. Reality TV is like the death kiss for a marriage. What couple has done it and lasted? The only one I can think of is that "Little People, Big World" on TLC. So regardless of who did what, I think that was their first mistake, and at this point they should just focus on what's best for the kids.
There is no accounting for common sense, that's kind of where I think that particular wife question example you used should come from.
ReplyDeleteBut, From the perspective of someone who ended up in the blogging world because she was looking for info about military life (I will say the personal experiences I found here were more helpful that just about anything) and trying to get a handle on what was in her future... as I'm sure you know... it is a daunting task. My nature is to research the heck out of stuff I want to know about, I did all sorts of internet digging and questions up the wazzu to the boy. He was very helpful, so I think the person in the military has a responsibility to help as much as they can.
Last night I was reading info on PCSing to Europe, and my goodness my head is spinning.
There is a lot of info out there, but even figuring out all of the sites and places you need to go to find everything is exhausting.
Poor girl. I think the army should come up with a buddy system, I think it would be a great idea. As long as good boundaries were established so a particularly needy newbie wouldn't overwhelm an already overworked milspouse.
ReplyDeleteJon and Kate, that just makes me so sad. I know they bickered a lot, but it seemed to be just them, their style. Somehow it got out of hand, and I think the pressure from the show had a lot to do with it. I think they are both good people, they just got overwhelmed.
I am thinking about buying the domain name and linking my blog to it. I saw a tutorial somewhere on how the question is just can I figure it out even with a tutorial lol.
ReplyDeleteGOOD TIP! I always see stuff that I love from Forever 21 in magazines and stuff and I go to the store and it's nowhere to be found. I should just buy it online. It'd be soo much easier.
ReplyDeleteAbout J&K+8, I have been an avid fan of the show, I was drawn to it in the beginning cause the kids were so cute and i'm intrigued by multiples. But at this point I just pretty much feel bad for them. They started the show to do well for their kids and let people have a glimpse into their life. Now they are dealing with a media frenzy. I don't think they anticipated that, and look at show Little People, Big World, they've been doing their show for just about as long and you don't see their fam mixed up with all this drama.
I guess I've never understood why you would really need to switch from blogger to having your own website. What's the difference?
ReplyDeleteI've never really been a fan of Jon and Kate. I've watched two or three episodes, and the parents have driven me nuts each time. I guess I don't really care about all the hype they're getting right now, but I do think America needs to leave them alone and let them figure it out for themselves! lol
Wow, there really should be a handbook or something for new milwives. I sure could use one in the coming months...if only a group could get together of a spouse from each branch, that would be fantastic. Hmm...
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the classes for future spouses. My son will be military (ROTC-scholarship at Auburn right now) and I wonder how his future wife (whoever she may be) will cope with the drama and chaos that is the military. One of the reasons I love your site so much is that you talk so much about dealing the Army, and my experience is Air Force, and I know they are not the same. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have my own website but its currently under major construction. Ultimately i would like to do freelance design (my own business) so i'm revamping the site to suite those needs. Godaddy hosts my domain.
ReplyDeleteFor business, i would totally keep my blog separate.
And about the army wives forum. If its the one i'm thinking about i left it months ago b/c there were 2 girls giving me a hard time. Frankly, they were just b*tches. Is that girl serious or is she playing a joke? Haha that's kind of funny...
I like Blogger. I thought about doing type pad, but really, who cares, and I don't have time for all that work. I know blogger, it's simple, and I have no beefs. Everyone knows where to find me, I'm not playing catch-up. I've lost touch with people who have switched from blogger. I just don't follow them anymore. Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteSome mil-spouse forums are just moronic. I can't stand most of them. I stay away, and read the blogs and fab gals like yourself. <3
John and Kate = Wackos.
Well this goes to show how much I know! I thought I HAD my own website:p Lol, I'm happy with where I'm at for sure, like alot of the bloggers on here, I too know nothing about web design and would think it too scary right now...Shudders...However! I am looking into going to school for graphic design and they teach that as well with this degree so maybe one day!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid of computers, so I'd stay put! Actually having your own website would probably be pretty cool, but Blogger is so easy and you're already so familiar with it, ya know?
ReplyDeletePlus then I'd have to figure out how to still be able to have your blog pop up in my blog list and I am WAY too stupid to figure all that out! Haha!
The FRG did an excellent job about having several pre-deployment, mandatory briefings. The thing is, they are mandatory for the soldiers but sometimes the wives don't come or pay attention. Then, the honus is on the husband to prepare his wife. The info is DEFINITELY out there. Some choose to be ignorant.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I watched, Kate is bitch. She belittles him and talks down to him and barks as him all the time, and I'm not even a constant watcher. That being said, I don't think he's trying. From the interviews I've seen he seems to be giving up. I think that without the show, they wouldn't be able to support that many children. I think Jon has quite a bit more responsibility to that family than the normal husband. He has to answer to 7 different people at one point (kate plus kids)
I know i'd be too computer retarded to have my own site. I know minimal html, so I like being able to just type and post.
ReplyDeleteI kind of wish there was an Army wives/girlfriends class so that there were little things that I could learn. It's hard to know what the expectations are, and I don't like to ask P every time I wonder something. Especially since P is an officer, if I had to do any sort of event (like a tea or anything) I'd be so clueless.
I'm 5'4" so I just kind of assumed a maxi dress wouldn't work for me, just make me look shorter. I might have to try some on, although I'm on a spending diet for the next couple months. :) I'll look into some of the Forever 21 dresses though!
I agree on the classes for new Army wives. Even for those of us who are not as special as that girl, there is a lot we don't know/understand. Quite honestly I still call everyone above my husband Sgt because I don't know their first name and it's how they are introduced to me. They often yell at me...lol. There is a lot that they just assume you'll figure out on your own.
ReplyDeleteOn Jon and Kate, the woman has eight kids and the actually did a segment about her telling one of them they were "dead meat" if they splashed water on her and the child calling her mean. Seriously? I called my mom mean all the time. I think they deserve some slack in what has got to be a hard life and that while neither of them is always right, someone has to be in control to some extent our you'll have a zoo not a family.
Finally I'm not tech savvy enough to handle more than blogger...lol =D
I can't believe anyone would want to visit their husband in the middle of a war?!! Who are these people??
ReplyDelete