I love this little place on the internet. This blog is my corner where I can share whatever I’m going through. Part chronicle, part journal, part opportunity to vent, I love being able to write posts and share what’s going on with all of you. Even better is when some of you take the time to reply, to comment or tweet or leave a Facebook response to whatever I’m going through. While part of blogging is incredibly narcissistic – you know, that whole thing about assuming that my story/life will be interesting to other people – the other part is really outward facing. It’s the community of readers and lurkers who help make me feel less alone on this journey, and I adore every single person who pauses on my site to read my words. But one of my goals this year was to connect more with people, in my private life, and on my blog, and I think the best way to push that forward is with videos.

Before anyone worries, fear not! This doesn’t mean that I will stop writing words or sharing my thoughts here. I am committed to this blog, to writing. I just think that video will give me a chance to share things differently, to give more of a behind-the-scenes glimpse into my life, and open up another channel for you all to respond, engage and interact with me. I really want to connect, and I’m hoping this will help with that.

As an experiment, I did my first ever Facebook Live earlier this week. I had no idea if my video quality, live stream or microphone would be up to scratch. I think as a tester, it went okay, but you can watch it over here and let me know what you think. Alternatively, if you’re not a big fan of Facebook Live, you can watch a version that trims out some of my awkward pauses right here thanks to some quick editing and YouTube.

I know, I still have a lot to learn about making videos. I want to use a better microphone next time because some people complained about the sound quality. I also need to find out from all of you what time is most convenient to sit and watch me live. Sure, you can watch replay video, and I will always strive to share edited videos after the fact, but there’s something unique about being live and getting comments or questions as I’m chatting. So, if you’re keen to watch me live on Facebook, please let me know what day or time you’re usually free – I know some people are best after the kids go to sleep while others prefer to sneakily watch during their lunch break.

Coming up, I plan to talk about various geeky characters and if they’re good role models for raising strong girls. I’m going to talk about Aloy (Horizon Zero Dawn) vs Lara Croft (Tomb Raider), and many more, so please be on the lookout for that. Plus, I’d like to share some video and board games that I think are great for kids and talk a bit more about the #MothersDayConnect project I’m a part of. So, if you haven’t already liked my Facebook page, please do and turn on alerts so you can get a notification when I go live.

I really hope that you all like the new content and the chance to see more of me and Harley. It’s not something I’m totally familiar with, but I think it will be fun for all of us. It’s worth a try, right?

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