Information Overload-Situation Critical

Since I have been introduced to the world of Blogging, my life has not been the same. I sit for hours, HOURS mind you, with my eyes on the computer screen-waiting and watching for a new blog post, a random tweet, something totally interesting that I want to read, a new recipe I want to try, an awesome giveaway I want to enter...
the list goes on and on.

My housework suffers, heck, right now I am doing my laundry and I hated getting up to push the darn button so the clothes could continue drying. What on earth is with me lately? Lucky for me, I am on layoff from my FT job until Mid-July. Spring cleaning was supposed to be started, but I keep putting it off. Hubby just shakes his head and laughs-my teen son could care less, and my daughter complains that mom is hogging the computer...so this Christmas I bought myself a laptop, and there she sits, playing on my laptop at one of the kid friendly sites she loves.

At times, I think I resemble the photo above. Just a little heavier, female, and pumping Diet soft drinks into my blood instead of coffee, lol. Once, not too long ago-I fell asleep at the computer. Don't even ask me how that happened, because I honestly don't know. I do know that once my head hit the keyboard, I woke up. I glanced over at hubby, who was watching a movie. He just shook his head and smiled.

Every day, I find a recipe that I SO have to try. Gosh, there are such good ones out there! And giveaways, well, those are tons of fun to enter too! And learning about new products, well that is great as well because I get so many gift ideas from Etsy and bloggers who review items on their websites... And then there is the fun part, reading a blog post about something funny that happened to them today, making new friends in the blogosphere, relating to things that happen in their lives, sending messages of friendship and posting a brief hello. I love to read posts, and I am sure others feel the same way I do.

So, how to cope with information overload? Wanting to do it all when you know you can't possibly visit EVERY blog out there, try every recipe ever posted, comment on every blog that you follow---plus search for new blogs to visit as well? I guess I will have to sit back, take a deep breath, and relax. And realize that while blogging is a big part of my life, it isn't my whole life. To enjoy it as a wonderful hobby and way to meet new friends-heck, maybe one day I will even get to BlogHer. Maybe I will go out and enjoy the sunshine today. Finish the laundry and get some housework done, even though I am still as sick as a dog. Or just rest in bed and occasionally pop an Advil Cold & Sinus. On days when I feel the TMI (too much information) sickness coming on, I am going to take a break. Maybe take a walk, do something healthy, play with my daughter---outside, not online.

Technology and the internet are such big parts of our lives now-but I remember a day when the internet didn't exist. And fun times were had by playing hide and seek, kickball, and a bunch of other fun games with the neighborhood friends. We'd be out from dusk to dawn, stopping in only to eat and get some fresh lemonade or money for the ice cream man. Nowadays, kids don't know what life was like then. I get funny looks from my teen son when he says, "What? You mean there were no cell phones?" yup, pay phones were on every corner back then. No iPods, just record and cassette players and later boomboxes. Remember the 8 track tape players? I sure do. So this summer, I want to get nostalgic, and do things the way I did as a kid. Even if it is for one day a week-turn the technology off and get together as a family. Play games, and do things the old fashioned way...my way.