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Update 5: On Good Times and Bad Times

This week I published the post “Un procedimiento impresionante“(An Impressive Procedure), which tells our experience with TAC (Trans-Abdominal Cerclage), where the uterus, with a baby inside, is taken out and the upper part of the cervix stitched to prevent the baby coming early.

I debated whether we should publish that or not, was it TMI or was it just reality.  Looking at FamMijangos.com you would think that our family is always happy, no trial, just fun times.  I don’t want that, I also don’t want to be a pity party, but I want to maintain that balance.

I saw this week a post on 71toes.com, and the author also struggled with that reality.  She even has a page (keeping it real) with a list of post of examples of not so happy times.  So I do see that others are struggling with these types of decisions.

I do think that there are things that you shouldn’t share to the public, but I do want to have a balanced output of our family dynamics.  What do you think it’s the right balance?

And here are the pictures of the week:

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Update 4: On Kaizen and The Collect App

Back on the saddle again, posted 2 posts this weeks on FamMijangos.com.  It feels good to stay on course, I also noticed that I was faster at editing images and writing, I was surprised that I wrote almost 500 words in an hour.

So going back to my original post on Kaizen, this is exactly what I wanted. I wanted to improve, and the only way is by practicing.  I want to share our family adventures, and I want to do it well, and I guess I want to write it faster too.

Another thing that I found this week was The Collect App, several websites said that the App was a great help when doing the 365 Photo Challenges.  It has been a great motivator to see my images, one by one start filling up my calendar (I’ll share the calendar at the end).

Another thing that happended yesterday, with regards to this Challenge was that it was around 9pm.  I had forgoten to take a picture and just didn’t feel like it.  But I didn’t want to break the stretch, so I just put my phone and took a picture infront of the mirror.  It was so simple, yet it boosted my confidence that I can do this challenge, even if I only take dumb pictures like that.  So today I’m happy, and see th images bellow.

365 Photo Challenge

Calendar using Collect
Calendar using Collect
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Update 3: Creating vs Recording

I’ve been in training all week, plus my wife underwent a surgical procedure over the week end. So in short, I didn’t meet my goal for this week for publishing material on Monday or Wednesday on FamMijangos.com. I don’t know if it’s sad that I broke my stride so early in the year, I don’t really feel sad.

I do wish I had more time to work on this project; but I realize that the primary goal of FamMijangos.com is to document our family adventures. Focusing on documenting, missed the point of having adventures. Having to choose between spending time with the family, and documenting our time together; spending time will always win. I rather have my family remember my participation, rather than a memory of me editing last year’s pictures.

Have other bloggers experienced this paradigm? How have you dealt with it?

365 Photo Challenge

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Weekly update #2

So this is the second week of doing both the 356 Photo Challenge and sticking to a posting routine on FamMijangos.com.  It feels like I’m constanly having to think that I need to write more, edit pictures, playing catchup.  At the same time, when I look at what I’m able to accomplish, I’m amazed that I’m able to do all this.

This process has also allowed me to see where I need to grow: better pictures, better stories, writing faster, editing faster.  Every week is a sprint, I’m only able to stay ahead maybe a day or two.

I’m only posting on Mondays and Wednesday, sometimes I will post on Fridays, but only if I can (which is going to be hard).  I am also doing a #TBT where I’ll post something on Facebook from a few years back.

Here are my images from the last week (there are 5 this week, because I haven’t taken one today.

365 Photo Challenge

Jan 04 – Jan 08

 

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Year 2015 :: Blogging Kaizen

I keep struggling with what to make of this blog, I know I want it to be my personal space.  Where I come to think about what I do and where I improve. Over the break I feel that I want to improve in several aspects of blogging.  I have seen an steady increase in views to my primary site: fammijangos.com

The year 2014, was the biggest year since I launched the site in 2012 with 2,261 views, and December the best month of all time with 600+ views.  And it’s not like I want to become a blogger, but I do want to improve what I do, and how I do it.

The primary purpose of FamMijangos.com is to document our family’s history, a documentary of our familiy’s everyday life.  Views do not mean higher meaning, but rather it says that I have become better at telling our story.  I want to be a better writer, a story teller.  If I ever have any chance of future generations of reading this story, then I have to tell a compelling story, both with words and images.

For this reason I’m calling 2015 the year of Blogging Kaizen, kaizen meaning continous improvement.  I want to refine both my writen skills as well as my photography.  So here is how intend to improve:

Writing

  • Post 2 times per week on FamMijangos.com (Monday and Wednesday)
  • Post on this blog every week (Friday), this blog is my meta blog about blogging 🙂
  • Goodreads challenge: 24 books.  My goal is always to read more, I want to finally meet my goal of 24 books in the year.

Photography

  • #365PhotoChallenge I will take 1 picture everyday and post them on my weekly update
  • The Art of Photography vlog, I’ve been watching the AOP Video Blog, it is such a different thing for me, and I’m learning a lot.
  • Continue reading Click it up a Notch Blog, I find it also a cool place for tips.
  • I hope to buy a DSLR for Christmas 2015, wow big step.

So this is my week 1 update (Jan 01 – Jan 03) and here are my images: