My friends, I am going to take a short sabbatical from blogging here.
School starts next week and we have dear friends coming to visit this weekend, so I want to focus on my loved ones and my really-liked-a-lot ones.
And also, to be perfectly honest, I’ve felt a bit thin on humor and inspiration, so need to take some time to recharge.
I will be back on Tuesday, September 8. (That’s three weeks from tomorrow.)
Feel like you’ll still need your daily Jen? Here’s 21 days’ worth of blog posts from 2007 and 2008:
- My heart beats faster over black leather
- Ode to a chair
- Vogue
- The pumpkin story — part 1 and part 2
- The ransom note
- Lesson learned
- Normally I like guys with blonde hair and blue eyes
- Be prepared
- Thinking ahead
- Sea monkeys
- Nacho mama
- The secret life of American Girl dolls, part 2
- Literary yoga
- Status update: Jen is feeling spy-like
- Lowe’s is now dead to me
- Man vs. Beast, part 1, part 2, part 3
- Confession is good for the soul
- Life is short. Don’t make it shorter.
- Why I am not an astronaut
- The Big Ass Tree is a teacher
- This is all totally reasonable. More or less.
Read them all at once or ration them. It’s up to you. But this is what you get for the next 21 days.
In the meantime, I need some help from all of you.
What is it about Jen on the Edge that brings you here? Why do you read this blog? What’s working with this blog and what is not? What do you enjoy or not? If you could wave your magic wand and change this blog in any way, what would you change?
What I need is your honest feedback about what’s good and what’s bad about Jen on the Edge. (And feel free to comment anonymously or even email me directly.)
[BTW, someone recently communicated to me, among other things that "... you have your army of bored housewives that live for every piece of drivel that graces your website..." Gosh, don't you just love erudite literary critique? So very positive and helpful. I will definitely endeavor to keep the drivel to a minimum in the future.]
[Not.]
Please leave comments letting me know your thoughts. I will ask the odd troll out there to remember that I am human and I do have feelings, so please be polite when you are honest. (Rude personal attacks will be deleted.)
See you on September 8!
I read your blog because your are funny and honest.
Don’t change a thing.
What Smalltown Mom said. TTYL
An “army?” Really?
I’ve always thought you were pretty good at mixing the drivel with humor and stuff about your girls and chocolate. (And I’m really just kidding about the drivel.)
I, um, third Smalltown Mom. I love your sense of humour and how you combine snark and honesty. I like the fact that we have some things in common – chocolate, growing up in the 80s, kids, chocolate…
Your blog is very clean looking, which is awesome.
Don’t change a thing and enjoy your time away. See you when you get back!
Jen,
I enjoy your blog as a whole, but am especially fond of your posts about your girls, family, home, chocolate (duh), and the 80′s.
Also, I’m totally prepared to fight the person who made the “army of bored housewives” crack. Anyone with me?
Enjoy your sabbatical! We look forward to seeing you in September.
I’m here for the chocolate. Okay, and the humor. YOu hooked me back 2 Halloweens ago when your family dressed up like Star Wars characters. (Has it been that long?) Enjoy your break!
Rest up chica and enjoy the last weeks of summer vacay with the crew! Oh and get some time with Bubbles! Have fun and I will remind myself why I can’t buy expensive chocolate that looks like designer pieces.
I”m here for the occasional F[uck] bombs. eh. Insert smiley face here.
I found your blog, plus about 10 others that I read daily, from jennsylvania. Seriously, before that, I really didn’t read blogs at all. Knew they were out there somewhere in interwebz land, but didn’t have it right there, clickable, to check them/it out.
Once I found them {you} I was hooked–oh my was I ever!
I like that it doesn’t take me on an emotional roller coaster. I am a busy mom, albeit one of 2 teen age sons, but busy nonetheless. I don’t have to carve out great gobs of time to get my daily read fix on, and I appreciate that. Sometimes I put off reading that stack of books that never ends, because I know I’ll be up half the night if it’s a book I connect with.
With blogs, I get it in one screen, and at my age (46) that’s a relief!
If you weren’t interesting (ok here it comes) and didn’t grab my attention, I would have stopped reading you. It’s really that simple. Plus, I get occasional emails, and that makes me feel *special*. And you don’t get all yelly at me for posting a tome here on your comment section, and that makes me happy. I tend to go on and on and on . . .
I recently dropped reading a guy whose blog I also found through click throughs on another blog, and while I completely enjoyed his wicked sense of humor (it was beyond potty stuff) he posted something recently that crossed a personal line for me, and I simply made him *poof* vanish. It was liberating to be able to do that! No one knew, no one cared.
Blogs are the bomb.
And your’s is a daily treat for me! Enjoy the vacay. We’ll be here when you get back!
You have a dry humor that I love. Sedaris-like. And I’m looking forward to the book.
I’ve also learned that people who have time to spout that sort of vitriol have some sort of shortcoming in their life that makes them feel better making other people feel small.
Have a good rest — was great seeing you this weekend!
I read your blog because I’m scared you’ll break my knees if I don’t.
Happy vaycay! Come back whenever you’re ready!
I don’t remember exactly how I found you, although the tooth fairy letters are what hooked me. I love your combination of every day life with humor. And the 80s videos and chocolate reviews sure don’t hurt.
I’d say change what *you* want if you’re not content with something, but I don’t think anything is lacking or needing a change. We love you just the way you are… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ounJsqomcv8 (I guess that’s the late 70s, but close enough. I remember it being played at my school dances in the 80s.)
See you in September!
I am sooooo not a bored housewife. Enjoy your bloggy vacation!
As a long-time bored housewife (and proud of it) I like your blog because you bring the funny and you say what you feel. Rock on.
Bummer. I will miss you – 3 weeks is a long time! I was looking forward to reading your posts after I get out of surgery to help cheer me up. Whine whine whine whine. Enjoy your break.
Also, I may be a housewife, but I am not bored. And I love your blog. Even the chocolate posts, which make me gain 10 pounds just reading them. Dangit.
I’m not that bored, but I am sort of a housewife, and I grew up in the 70s, not the 80s, and I’m not as discriminating as you are about chocolate, and I live not too far away from you, and I have two daughters whose names begin with El and Gr, but they’re teenagers, and I like crocs (to the embarrassment of my daughters).
Why do I like reading your blog? You’re interesting, funny, and entertaining.
Enjoy your time off! I’ll be here when you return.
I will miss you!
I read your blog because I think in real life we would be friends, even though we are very different. And you make me laugh. I love that!
You already know how I feel and I would just like to say that I am giving you a standing ovation up here in Canada for calling out the asshat.
Well, being rather new here I really don’t have anything I would change. But maybe that is because I thoroughly enjoy your sense of humor and your refreshing outlook on everyday experiences.
I hope that your time getting ready and visiting is filled with joy and happiness! I will be reading your “list” as well. =)
I enjoy what you write about your home and your family. I LOVE the snark and your dry sense of humor…I dont like chocolate myself (does this make me a terrible reader???). I remember the 80′s fondly myself. I was born and raised up north but now I live in sunny FL so I smirk to myself when you discuss the inclement weather!!!
I come everyday for what’s been echoed by all the others – great humor and honesty. I can’t believe it’s been a year since we’ve “met”! Don’t change a thing!!!
Have fun with the friends and family and enjoy the end of summer break! You’ll feel refreshed and recharged and ready to blog again after your three week break.
And whoever the asshat is who sent you that “critique” should be ignored. That person is probably just a frustrated writer and jealous of the traffic and attention your blogs get. Lori nailed it when she called out unhappy people who try to make themselves feel better by tearing others down.
Keep blogging for yourself and your readers will continue to be there. Don’t worry about pleasing anyone other than yourself–this is for you, not anyone else. Anyone who doesn’t like it can not read it, or write their own blog. This one is yours and we like it as it is, or we wouldn’t be here.
Jen,
I think I told you that the first time you emailed me, I almost fainted!! I was *so* excited because I love your writing style and your snark and your perspective on the world. I wouldn’t change a thing!!
I don’t remember how I happened upon this blog of wonder, but I am just so happy that I did. You provide daily happiness to me.
Enjoy your break and I look forward to reading about it in September!!
I’ll miss you while you’re away! I love your blog. You’re just genuinely nice and you have a great variety of topics. Don’t really have anything I would like to change.
Definitely, I like the ‘edginess’ of your blog. You say things that I think but am afraid to say out loud for fear of alienating folks in my conservative community. Plus when it’s said by someone who’s anonymous, it’s more funny than judgmental. I like your insight & opinions too, even if my experience is different.
I read because I love hearing about family life in the States…and because I think you and I are quite simliar people, I feel like I am learning about parenting.
xx
I also like reading about your crafts, cooking, and the girls fashion choices.
Everybody gets a bit of writer’s block every now and then….have a good break and clear out the cobwebs…it’ll all come back when it’s ready.
Have a wonderful last week of holidays
I don’t have any particular reason for visiting here other than I kinda like you and enjoy getting to know you better. We have a lot in common, in several not too common ways, and…I dunno. It just makes me happy to come visit.
Enjoy your break!
Hope you have a beautiful and blissful blogging break.
Chat with ya soon
Enjoy being unplugged.
That commenter? Is a total beyotch.
I like to read people of all kinds–those that are struggling and those that are succeeding, those who have struggles with their children and those whose children lounge all over the furniture reading. In the end I guess I like the you that your blog presents (which, in my experience, is pretty close to the real you).
Even Mr. Hot likes you! (And he doesn’t like most people.)
mwah.
I come here because your blog always brings a smile to my face and it has posts that are relatable. I may not always leave a comment, but I read every day. I’ve never met you in person, but I feel like I know you and your family.
I hope you have a fantastic time with your friends and the girls are looking forward to going back to school (although I suspect they are not). Enjoy the three weeks, you’ve been busy this summer now it’s time to stop and smell the roses so to speak.
I read your blog because I appreciate your humor & your honesty. Catching a glimpse of your life makes me see my own with new eyes. I hope that you return refreshed.
I read your blog because it entertains me. You’re funny, honest, and tell a good story. You’re good with words…. it’s the way that people write that keeps me reading blogs – and you’ve got that writing style.
Keep writing like you always do!
-J
I love:
Your humour
The stories about the girls
Elegant Fashion
Chocolate reviews
The Boy
Pete Speaks (I still read the koala post just for a laugh; I also LOVE the Big Ass Tree is a Teacher post)
I normally skip the MTV posts or skim them, but that’s almost definitely just me. I do read them, I just prefer other stuff
Enjoy your break
I am not a bored housewife, being neither bored (not enough time) nor a housewife (I’d have to be married).
Take care, see you soon, I’ll miss your updates!
[BTW, someone recently communicated to me, among other things that "... you have your army of bored housewives that live for every piece of drivel that graces your website..." Gosh, don't you just love erudite literary critique? So very positive and helpful. I will definitely endeavor to keep the drivel to a minimum in the future.]….
….nobody is forcing him to read it!
I am presuming the impolite commenter is male?
Sorry I haven’t caught up for so long – summer holidays are not condusive to blogging…I’m wondering if I need to be a TWIT instead…..just not convinced I want to live in sound bites!
BTW…don’t change a thing….we love you just the way you are!
H
So I read the posts – the Nachos/SW Feasts and Fiery Shits had me in stitches. I can’t believe Pete said that! I loved the Secret Life of American Dolls – very Real Desperate Housewives of Atlanta (that’s my show). And your post on MI6 recruiting via Facebook reminds me to watch what I say.
Hilarious! I do want to add that I need to find your post on post pregnancy preparedness (survival guide 101).
Enjoy your friends and getting those girls into school.
I come here because I love your humor and have a fixation on E’s and G’s hair. And for the occasional Pete post.
See you in a few.
I’m usually too nervous to comment but I love the way you share stories about being a parent and talk about all the interesting things involved in being a part of your childrens lives (i.e. harry potter parties and soccer practice). I also enjoy your writing style. Plus I’m from Massachusetts so it’s pretty cool to hear about what’s happening in Virginia.
Jenny, Jenny who can I turn to? You give me something I can hold onto……
Bored HW in TX : )
I know how hurtful mean comments can feel–even if they are anonymous and the person doesn’t know you–so I’m sorry to hear about the “drivel” comment. I read your blog because I stumbled in it in Cville blogs, and now, every few days, I’m like, “I wonder what Jenontheedge is up to today” and I check in.
I wonder how the troll feels having seen all these people affirming how much they like you and your blog? I like you IRL too, even if you did snub my bagel offerings.
Well, *this* bored housewife #3 made her feelings on this known in person a week or two ago. All I can say is that I read your blog because you write like you speak, there’s no fake persona there, you are genuinely funny and warm and generous. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t have visited. Don’t change a thing.