“Cooking with Anne”

http://www.cookingwithanne.blogspot.com

I started blogging to chronicle our food life. I felt like the recipes in my family were lacking so much history and I wanted my kids to be able to have something to look back on and have wonderful memories to go with the recipes that were passed on.

I have a culinary arts diploma, but after our family started expanding, I didn’t have time for a full-fledged Chef career. I taught in-home cooking lessons for a small amount of time and then decided to break from it. That’s when I began writing about food. I started with a pen and paper journal and switched over to digital shortly after that.

I started blogging in 2005 on July 4th. I’m not sure why it was that particular day, but it makes for a memorable ‘blogiversary’ date.

Food! I throw in family things, because life happens no matter what we’re eating, but I do try to keep in the same vein. I also have a personal “everything” blog, but it isn’t updated very often – I just don’t have time!

For example: I blogged about my 7th pregnancy and birth when that was happening; when my father became ill with pancreatic cancer and subsequently passed on, I wrote about that; and when my husband had a tragic accident in August ’07 (he fell 3 stories at work), I wrote about that as it happened and food was set aside for a bit.

I love my friends’ blogs because I get little glimpses into their lives and I find that it makes me feel so much more ‘normal’ to read that others have the same feelings and trials in life.

I also read lots of food blogs – I can’t seem to get enough! I have tons of links on my blog to all of my favorites.

Blog often and don’t forget who you are! There have been times that I blogged for others – wanting them to like me or to be popular, but I found that I really disliked that.

Blogging from the heart and being real is so much more readable – and people relate to the ‘real me’ far better.

I do try, but I fail miserably at it at times.

My father was my biggest fan! He didn’t leave comments on site, but we talked often about my blogging. My husband thinks I’m brilliant, my oldest brother reads and comments often, and even distant relatives read and let me know they’ve been there (aunts, uncles, cousins). Now, my step-mom has picked up where dad left off and lets me know she’s been reading.

Blog Catalog once in awhile, and I was a moderator at Lots of Kids for some time. My time has really been tight lately, so I haven’t been to any forums.

My best blogging time is after the kids are in bed and I can really focus. I take my laptop upstairs and sit next to our sleeping toddler and write away.

Too much. Food blogging is unlike other blogging because it’s so interactive. First the idea comes, then the shopping, the cooking, the photographing and the final writing and photo upload. It can be very taxing, but I think photos are so helpful on a food blog – I try to have one for each recipe now.

Reading is sporadic. I attempt to check on my friends daily.

I belong to Foodbuzz and have found so many food blogs and met new food bloggers there.

The first blogs I ever saw were all pregnancy related.
That was way back in 1999. When I decided to blog for myself, I did a search and found Blogger.

I don’t think it had a name! It was someone’s pregnancy journal. Once I started blogging, I found a friend’s blog (from a forum we were on together) so that may have been the first.

Life! I love life and this earth and everything around me. My kids blow me away with how cute they are and the things they say. I find inspiration just about anywhere.

For food, I find inspiration in stores, TV, magazines, other people – everywhere!
A recent recipe came from my daughter’s college – I had something there for dinner and it inspired me to create a recipe.

I have my own site, Cooking with Anne, which connects to my blog; my personal blog, The Rest of Me and my work blog, which is Short Order Mom at Disney’s Family.com.

I’ve learned that I am not alone. There are so many areas in our lives where a person can feel very isolated. It’s so relieving to read about others’ lives and how they do (or don’t) cope with things. It makes me feel so much more connected to the rest of the world. Mothering can make one feel very alone and cut off from everyone – blogging helps me to feel a part of, not apart from.