Thursday, September 16, 2010

A Dilemma

When I started this blog a little over 2 years ago, I did it with the intention of keeping our families up-to-date on what was going on with us. We had no children, were in graduate school, and actually had very little going on in our lives (and yet we were so busy with school!). However, now that we a) have a kiddo, and b) live in another country, it seems that there is always something to write about, whether it be that Lane is teething, that we walked all the way around Fenerbaçhe Stadium when we could have cut right through the parking lot and been on the other side, or that a bird pooped on our clean laundry the other day. There is always something to say.


Lane's newest teething "toy." Yes, she pulled the chair over all by herself.

However, I often find myself hesitating to write too much about Lane, because I know that not all of my readers (and friends) have children, and might not care and therefore lose interest in our little blog. But I also find myself hesitating to do things like take pictures of the cantaloupes with green flesh that are found here, because I think that you might all find that...boring. So many things here are strange and different that I could write a whole book about them, but there are a lot of familiar things as well (can you say "Krispy Kreme"?).


Looking at the European side of Istanbul from the Asian side.

So, I guess that this is poll time. Do you, my readers and friends, find that our blog is overcrowded with baby stuff? Under-represented in areas of normal life? Well-balanced? What would you like to see me post about more often? What's been t.m.i. for a public blog? Anything you're dying to know about, or could care less about? I just want to make sure that our friends and family love to come visit our blog, to hear from us and know about our lives. I want people to want to keep up with us and not think, "Ugh, another update from those boring Scarbroughs who think their lives are so interesting that they have to share about how expensive toothpaste and Parmesan are over there," or the like. So, this is your chance to let me know what you think of our blog, how it could be improved, and what to not change.

Thanks!

By the way, Lane is teething (I'm expecting tooth #2 to pop through any day now) and is therefore Little Miss CrankyPants. A bird really did poop right on my clean underwear that were hanging out to dry. Fenerbaçhe Stadium is huge and it took us like an hour to walk around it and when we got to the other side, I said, "Hey! That right there is where we came out under the bridge!" If we had cut through the parking lot it would have been a 3-minute walk instead of an hour. Cantaloupes are green on the inside, not orange. There are 13 Krispy Kremes in Istanbul. And toothpaste is $4 a tube here (sensitive toothpaste is $10!), and Parmesan cheese is about $13 for a 250-gram wedge. Just in case you were wondering.

12 comments:

  1. Personally, I think you Ned to write about what is important to you.....those that love you will find it is important to them too. I have taken several of the posts you had about baby things and sent them to friends of my children that are expecting.....so you never know who will find your blogs useful....I would like to see some pics and info about where you are and what life is like there for you and some interesting sights and things as you go about your daily life....keep the coming! You do a great job!!

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  2. I look forward to anything you write about. I would like to hear more about Istanbul but really whatever you feel you want to say is fine with me. I love to see pics of your fresh produce and the recipes you make as well.

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  3. I like your blog.

    I say it's YOUR blog and you should write about what is relevant to you...what's on your mind...etc.
    I don't have kids, but I love reading about Lane's latest adventures. I don't like to cook, but I love reading about your grocery shopping adventures. I think you're a great writer and make the topics you write about interesting. So...work it, girl! ;-)

    That being said, pictures are always nice! :-) So keep 'em coming.

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  4. Hey friend! I think you do a great job of diversifying and writing about things that keep me frequenting the blog! Although I don't have kids, I enjoy your remarks about Lane/mothering, since I hope to be in that position at some point. However, I'd also love to hear more about living abroad, things that are challenging or funny, etc. Right now, I'm living vicariously through you guys! :)

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  5. I'm totally with Kristel - you should write abt stuff that is important to you and interesting to you because it's your blog and your opinions, your adventures and your life you're writing abt.

    Thanks for sharing so much with us through the blog:))

    PS I personally like the "trivia" like how much the toothpaste is:)

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  6. I like to read it all......about Lane, your life, whatever you write. I find it all very interesting! And I'm so jealous of your 13 Krispy Kremes. I feel God calling me to Istanbul!!! ;-)

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  7. I agree with everyone else about you writing about what is interesting to you. I enjoy seeing posts about children and the crazy things they do. Some things can be similar to what I experienced with my children or totally different. Doesn't matter. Babies are so cute anyway.

    Of course living where you are now definitely makes for interesting tidbits. I have never been out of the U.S. so reading about your life there is totally fun! Love the pictures too!

    You are doing a great job!

    ~Linnea

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  8. Ditto what they said.
    It's all interesting to me. :)

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  9. I love your BLOG. You do a great job! I don't ever know what to expect the topic to be so that makes it interesting to me.

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  10. I like reading your blog too. I don't know a lot (actually anything) about Istanbul so it would be cool to hear stories about what it's like living there. But I also know how hard it can be to actually write about the things YOU want to write about let along the things other people want to write about. So no worries, I'm happy with your blog no matter what!

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  11. Shelly, I think you have a talent for making the "mundane" aspects of life interesting... I really mean that as a compliment. I love reading about how your life is, no matter where you are... it makes me feel closer to you. And I love reading about how Lane is doing and growing; it makes me feel like I get to be a part of her life even if it is from very far away. Besides, everyone will read your blog for different reasons, do what you do and they will read or skim! I love you!

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  12. I think you're doing fine with your blog - everyone has their interests so they will definitely find something interesting on your blog whether it's the kid, cooking, or Turkish culture. I like reading about Lane and you guys and it won't be such a shock or strange to see Lane next time because I will feel more familiar with her. Does that make sense? Keep doing what you're doing!

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Thanks for commenting!