Returning from hiatus, again.

It's been so long since I've seen you, dear blog. But I've been reading the blogs of other mommas and I am inspired to return. Blame it on the new year or whatever you like, but I want to get back to this and keep it up. I love reading and I love writing. I don't do nearly enough of either. So, let's try again.

I started this to have an outlet, some cheap therapy, a way to get me through my husband's many business trips. I cared not about readership when this began. This blog was for me and I wasn't interested in working to "recruit." But I've been reading other mom blogs and I like the community that develops. I love the give and take in the comment sections, the sharing of support, the knowledge that you are not alone. In that spirit, I want to start to extend myself a bit; get out of my comfort zone and share my writing for a change. (Throughout my history as a writer, "sharing" has been the part of the writing process I usually skip.) And, of course, if I get enough readers and someone wants to start advertising, I am not going to turn down an opportunity to pad the kids' college funds.

This brings me to my latest thoughts on blogging in general. My husband travels so frequently that I have been searching for mom blogs that would offer me wisdom and advice on how to deal with the frequent absence of a parenting partner. There are lots written by military spouses or wives of pilots, but I haven't found any that focus on my particular problem of dealing with the perpetual departure, then reappearance of hubby. The ones written by wives of pilots help, but my husband is in sales. When he's on the road, he's gone completely, but when he's home, he's at work all day (and sometimes on his laptop all night). It's a slightly different beast, I think.

I began to wonder if I should reach out to this audience specifically. Here's what I was pondering:

A. I could keep this blog as a general, all-purpose mommy blog and start a separate blog that deals with the challenges of holding down the fort while hubby's on the road. Downside: I can hardly keep up one blog, let alone two.

B. I could turn my blog into one that specifically addresses the challenges of single-parenting-while married and sprinkle in the general mommy stuff. This might attract others who are in a similar situation and hone in on a specific audience in a huge sea of mommy-blog readers. Downside: This would probably end up sounding much like a typical mommy blog, anyway. Would I attract more readers if I just left it as such?

C. I could leave things as they are, keep this as a standard-type mommy blog that just happens to focus quite a bit of energy on doing it alone while hubby's away. Downside: Would I get lost in a sea of mommy blogs, never to be read because my audience isn't specific enough?

I think it's time to reveal myself to my facebook friends, to come out as mommy blogger. I want people to read my stuff. Please?