Need To Get This Off My Chest

I’ve been sitting on this post for quite a while, waiting to see if I just wrote it in irritation that would dissipate later, but it hasn’t really gone away so I’m going to go through with it.

As you know, I don’t like to use this blog as a platform to complain and vent about things, but I think I may make this one exception to only kind of complain.  OK, I’m totally whining like a baby and before I get into it, I will make up for what I am about to say with a picture of my handsome man standing.  (Seth has been able to stand for a while now, so that’s not really news worthy, but now Knox can too – sort of).

Recently I have been seeing a gazillion posts from the various bloggers that I follow in South Africa.  All of them seem to be targeted by the same people to sell the same thing – all talking about this lunch or that product which is so new and fantastic.  I don’t know why it’s getting to me.  But it is.  I read this post the other day over at I’ve Become My Parents and I had to literally laugh out loud at this statement, “a mommy blogger gave away something she was SO EXCITED to be giving away.”  How true is that?!  I think it’s an obligatory statement that has to be included in every giveaway post.

I don’t even bother reading those posts anymore because they just seem so fake.  Obviously you’re going to just LOOOOOVE this product, you’re just DYING for someone else to try it to and so excited to be giving it away.  I don’t know, it rubs me up the wrong way a bit.  I finish reading the post and I feel kinda dirty.  Like I’ve been talking to a sleazy tele-marketing person trying to sell me insurance.  I don’t like that.

OK, OK before you start hating on me.  It’s not always like that, it has happened that I’ve come across some posts that really seem genuine and they really do like the product that they are punting.  Also I have grown to like the other offenders because they are really nice people and so that kind of makes up for it.  Oh, and they also post enough “real” posts about “real” life to make up for the few sponsored posts in between.  And sometimes the giveaway is just so cool that it makes up for it.   I know that I have been guilty of this a few times with a few giveaways I’ve had (literally like 2), but they were unique in that no one else was doing the same thing. Or that’s how I justify it anyway.  Lame I know.

Let me also take this chance to say that the “The Love, The Wish And The Wardrobe” posts that I have done or are doing are not in anyway sponsored, and should I ever get free clothes or anything like that, I will let you know.  But I doubt that will happen anyway.

All that being said, I have been toying with the idea of advertising on the blog…  I know!  I know. Total contradiction right?!  But hear me out, I spend quite a whack of my spare time on this little bloggy and if I can get a little bit of extra moola why the heck wouldn’t I do that right?  Right.  But I don’t want to be punting the same thing as everyone else.  I don’t like being part of the “norm” or a group forcing me to do something – I struggle with that.  It’s irritating.  Maybe I’m so irritated because I feel excluded (no one has ever approached me to be involved in something like that).

OK, it’s probably that.  But still.

So I was thinking that instead of trying to sell you something in all my posts and therefore no longer using it for what I originally intended (which was giving the kids a way to look back at their young life and see all the fun we had together and for them to know that I love them so very much) – that instead I would just advertise on the side (if anyone is even interested).  I have no intention of becoming a writer, no intention of quitting my job and blogging full time or even increasing how many posts I do a week.  All I want to do is be real about what it’s like being a Mommy to my monkeys and if that increases my cash flow and enables me to make the blog even better – then so be it.

And if I blog for nothing else than for my kids to read it later and for me to work through the thoughts in my head then that’s totally OK too.  I already feel better having just written this out (man, I totes love that part of blogging).

And now over to you.

Would you get irritated with me if I start posting about giveaways?  Would you be annoyed if I put a few little adverts on the side of the posts (This would also be specific to Mommy type stuff and not random Google adds about dating services etc)?  Do you get just as annoyed with this kind of thing as I do?  Am I being annoying and irrational?  

(Feel free to be real with me – I can take it… I think)