“Another Piece of the Puzzle”

http://anotherpieceofthepuzzle.com

I started blogging as a way to explore who I am outside of just being “an autism mom.” I am finding that I really enjoy the writing process as well as connecting with other moms, both in and out of the world of special needs.

My first post was January 26, 2008.

I blog about my experiences as a mom and advocate for my son’s needs, as well as about books that I am reading and bloggy stuff that I am learning.

There are so many, I keep subscribing to more and more. The best way to see my favorites is to check out my blogroll.

I try to respond to every comment and will often stop by the other person’s blog as well. As a former member of several message boards, I really crave the back and forth conversation.

I found out that my aunt is a blogger and we have really grown our friendship through this, which has been wonderful. A couple of my non-blogging friends read what I write, and there is a whole group of moms from my church who are a sort-of community within the blogosphere, so we get to keep up on what is happening and encourage each other.

I recently joined Mom Bloggers Club, which just has a few hundred members right now. There are a variety of ways to connect with other bloggers on the site, and I have found it to be very fun (and user friendly).

I blog at home in our computer room (someday we will get a laptop, I hope!) Some days I can get a little bit of time in the afternoon, but usually it is in the evening after dinner.

Way too much! I don’t think I can answer this one – it is a lot!!

Although I use Google Reader to keep up on my reading, I like BlogCatalog and MyBlogLog for finding blogs too.

A friend had mentioned it to me a couple of years ago, but I didn’t pay much attention at the time because I was so overwhelmed with everything we were going through with my son. Then a bunch of the moms at church had started blogs and I started getting thinking about it.

Hands-Free Heart – one of the moms from church who is also a good friend of mine.

Chocolate! Seriously, other moms who are raising their kids to love God and be a good example; kids (and adults) who are succeeding in spite of their disabilities or other obstacles placed in their way.

The biggest way blogging has impacted my life is in challenging me to be real, i.e. open and honest about who I am and what I believe. Of course, first I have to figure out what that is, and blogging has become a big part of that process.