I've been writing this blog for almost two and a half years - it is the longest informal writing project I've ever undertaken: 177 published posts since July of 2008. Not a lot compared to many bloggers, but certainly a good run for someone that was unsure in the beginning.
I still plan to blog, but I'm tired of this one.
I've been thinking about retiring Frog Spot for while now...there's a lot I'm proud of, and a lot that could be much better. Just like anything, I guess. Maybe it's the move to a new house and a new town, maybe it's my toddler fast becoming a school-age child, maybe it's just a different set of priorities. Maybe I'm simply bored with it. I'm not exactly sure, but since Summer, I've been thinking of a way to transition to a new format, a new and more focused subject matter, and maybe test a new outlook. Stay tuned for it.
I started this blog as part family updates, part editorializing, part confession and catharsis, and part story telling. I've had a lot of fun, but I am not sure I ever had a clear purpose. My posts have been allover the place. I'm not saying blogs need to have a clear and definite purpose - a blog should be what the author wants it to be. At this point, for me, blogging needs to feel more purposeful and related to something - a simple idea, a concept, a theme...you get my drift.
Blogger's Stats tool outlines some interesting items about this blog:
My top 5 viewed posts:
http://frogosphere.blogspot.com/2009/06/against-texting-polemic.html
http://frogosphere.blogspot.com/2009/07/backyard-bed-and-batman.html
http://frogosphere.blogspot.com/2010/07/mid-month-boring-post.html
http://frogosphere.blogspot.com/2008/09/bloggers-block.html
http://frogosphere.blogspot.com/2009/04/to-serve-and-protect.html
Besides the US, the most hits have come from:
Netherlands
United Kingdom
Canada
Germany
Ukraine
The top referring sites include:
http://www.fredalg.blogspot.com/ (Thank You!)
http://ryancolleenmcphee.blogspot.com/ (Thank You!)
http://brockandava.blogspot.com/ (Thank You!)
Google
Yahoo
So,
I won't take this site down, at least not for the time being.
For those of you that had followed South of My Ankles for a while, I'm afraid that blog is going down with the Frog - it was fun for a while, but not the right direction. Thank you for reading that, as well.
You might be wondering what/when/where about the new blog. I have a handful of possible ideas, but I haven't pinned any down yet. I can tell you that for a variety of reasons, I am moving away from the family and everyday life updates. If I include the occasional family reference or photo in a post, it will only be because it is related the blog's focus in some way.
I don't believe I've ever revealed the inspiration for the name Frog Spot. Or maybe I have and I can't find it. It's Sam, as you might have guessed. The first toy we bought when I was pregnant was a stuffed frog, and his nursery was a frog-theme, and he was, and still is, Our Little Froggy. Tim got a tattoo on his upper arm (shoulder) of a frog soon after Sam was born. In fact, the frog photo that decorated Frog Spot's heading until recently was the photo Tim's tattoo is designed from. It's almost identical.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading my posts. I had a small, but very dedicated group of followers. It was always gratifying to check the hits and know who's been reading, and I have loved the comments. I'm glad to have entertained you (I hope I have, anyway) for the past couple of years. When I resurface, you'll be one of the first people to know.
