For the past couple of years, I’ve been promising myself to do a year-in-review in January for this blog. January has rolled around twice and I’ve found reasons not to do it – mainly “I’ll do it next week”, and then ”well, it’s already March”. But not this year! I’m stopping myself from coming up with excuses and doing as I planned. Here goes:

The beginning of 2011 I actually started off really well, and had a really good schedule going. I posted about my trips outside of Caracas, and debuted my personal superhero. At one point, it seemed like the world was going berserk (has that changed), and then I tried to make sense of it from the Venezuelan perspective. During the summer, I made a journey – experienced a reawakening of sorts – and my homesickness was cured. Then, stuff went from bad to worse in the Horn of Africa, and the US wasn’t doing so hot, either. In the meantime, I managed to enjoy some of the beautiful outdoor spaces that Caracas has to offer and then some. The end of year was a bit slower on the blog front, but lots of other stuff picked up on the homefront (I completely handed myself over to the domesticity gods over the past month, only to find out again – it ain’t for me).

There you have it good people. This year I have many goals, one of which is to write more (wouldn’t be a blogger if that wasn’t one of them), but my strategy to make this happen is to write down a lot more of what happens to me. I swear the funniest thing will occur and I’ll say to myself, I should write a post about this. But then I start thinking about candy or something and that thought gets put in file 13. I’m also going to include more of my own pictures. Again, I’m such a perfectionist that I want to post only the absolute best and those are few and far between. No more of that. I’m going to share ALL that I feel is worth sharing. If you have any criticisms, feel free to leave them in the comments section

What are your plans for 2012?

Well this has been quite a hiatus…possibly the longest in the history of this blog. Instead of jumping right back in with my ramblings, I thought I’d give a brief summary of what I’ve been doing while I wasn’t writing.

Spanish: Yes, I’m still hanging in there with the course. Technically, I have another 4 modules to go before completing the entire program, but I’ve decided that I’ll stop when I feel that the only thing left to do is get out there and speak. Fortunately, I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel and very well may one day be fluent

Sick family member: It’s bound to happen to all of us – you find out someone in your family is sick and the prognosis isn’t good. As frustrating, shocking, and depressing as these situations are I try to take some perspective. Life is uncertain, so don’t put anything you’ll regret not doing off for later. Also, people are irreplaceable. Remember to take care of ourselves and each other.

Vacation: The kids had two weeks vacation and even though we didn’t travel this time around, they had a blast (I almost lost my mind ). Caracas was very tranquil the first week and it was nice to move about the cabin freely. I love discovering new places, but sometimes it’s nice to simply enjoy the old. 

So those are the big events that have been keeping me away. Oh yeah, the news also continues to amaze me – from Royal wedding mania to Bin Laden death mania – remember the earthquake in Japan? Crazy, isn’t it?!

This post is brought to you courtesy of Morgan from The Little Hen House. I think any blogger can relate…

Ever wonder why your blog hasn’t hit The Big Time? Me too! Lucky for you, I have figured out the secret to having a successful blog. You’re welcome in advance.

5 Reasons why your blog hasn’t hit the big time

1. You aren’t annoying enough.

For some of you badass bloggers, this is going to be tough. Everyone has their own annoyances, but here are some surefire ways to start annoying your readers and keep them coming back for more.

• Dress up in complicated outfits, post numerous photos of yourself in said outfits, and then declare how easy it is to dress like that every day.
• Gush endlessly about how perfect  and amazing your marriage/husband/children/life is.
• Complain about your post-baby body and then post pictures of yourself in size 0 white jeans. Then complain some more.

2. You aren’t controversial enough.

Luckily, this is a fairly easy problem to solve. Here are some suggestions on how you can start pissing off a whole lot of people asap.

• Start breastfeeding your ten year old.
• Declare cesarean sections to be the work of the devil.
• Take any firm stance on vaccinating and/or medicating your child. Any side will do.
• Dedicate your entire blog to all the proud parents who let their baby cry it out.
• Start a blog that bashes American women (this one has already been taken, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it too).
• Copy someone else’s work without giving credit. Feel free to just cut and paste.

3. You don’t use enough four letter words.

Again, this one has a simple fix. Just insert the f-word wherever you see fit. Then add at least 15 of your favorite four letter words randomly within each blog post. Make sure to add at least one good ‘ol “Motherfucker” somewhere in there too. This seems to be the most winning combination.

4. You aren’t crafty enough and/or you don’t wear enough vintage clothing.

I know this step seems daunting. Have no fear; being crafty and vintage-y is easier than you might think. First, you must go to your nearest thrift store and buy the ugliest dress available. Put a belt on it. Ta da! Vintage wardrobe- check. Next, grab the closest home accessory or pillow you can find. Put a bird on it. Ta da! Craftiness- check.

5. You aren’t a robot and you don’t have a clone.

I can’t help you with this one. Sorry. Blogging is a lot like trying to be an octopus juggling twenty four tennis balls. You need eight arms to get the job done. Unfortunately, we only have two to work with. We all drop the ball from time to time, and that’s totally ok. Because sometimes a baby needs to be held, a spouse needs affection, and you just need some freaking sleep. Remember: the blogosphere isn’t going anywhere, but life is. And it’s going fast, so don’t get left behind.

Why do you think your blog hasn’t hit The Big Time yet?

P.S. Pursuant to rule #2, don’t tell her I mentioned her

Remember last week’s poll asking with how many cultures YOU, Balanced Melting Pot readers, identify? If you recall, there were four answers (if you don’t, just go check out the original post). Readers chose the following:

4 or more – I’m a global citizen.  38%

1 – I’m a simple person.  23%

3 – It’s a long story.  23%

2 – I had two parents didn’t I?  15%

So, I guess it’s no surprise that the majority of readers identify with four or more cultures. What am I saying – that’s crazy!!! I thought I had a hard time managing 3…I can’t imagine what it would be like to add a fourth to the mix. For those of you who chose this, I would LOVE to hear more about your experiences and any advice you have on staying sane

I did have a better response with this poll, so it’s definitely something I’ll be doing more of in the future.

Happy weekend!!!

I think every blogger and/or writer at some time or another goes through a period of not knowing what to write about next. As with most things in life, this is a journey where the point is not to reach the destination, but to enjoy the ride. This type of enjoyment definitely goes against my nature (typical Type A personality) and it’s helped me learn to stop and smell the roses more often.

This blog initially started out as a platform for anyone who was growing up in a culture other than that of their parents. As a first-generation immigrant raising second-generation immigrants, I was constantly facing choices where there were no right or wrong answers; just a question of how much of my culture of origin I wanted to infuse in my children’s lives. Once we decided to move to Venezuela, I knew that the initial idea still applied, but I would have a lot more to talk about while transitioning into expat life.

Being an expat blogger is somewhat complex. You often find that you’re a cross between several genres: travel, parenting, politics, cultural assimilation, etc. I knew when I started putting my thoughts out there in cyberspace that I was most likely not going to (nor really wanted to) fall into only one niche. For the most part, we are all complicated people with various interests. I couldn’t in good conscience force myself to write about the same topic every day. That means that sometimes I’m criticized by more successful bloggers who feel that my posts are “all over the place”. My answer to them is that’s because I’M all over the place . Today I may be having issues with my children adapting and tomorrow I may be in awe of how clean and efficient the subway system works. Whatever it is, I want to share it.

Now, two years and over 200 posts later, I’m wondering if I’m still headed in the right direction. Am I still writing about topics that interest me: yes. Does the blog still genuinely reflect my thoughts and who I am: yes. Most importantly, do I still enjoy it: YES. So the last question is to you my wonderful readers – without whom I would essentially be having a conversation with myself – what can I do differently in order for you to better enjoy visiting the Balanced Melting Pot?