The Comment Challenge. I'm up for it!

I just joined the 31 day comment challenge. It is just the kind of challenge I enjoy, and I appreciate Kim, Sue, Silvia and Michele for setting it up in order to help new bloggers break into the conversation.
The goal is to comment often and well, to showcase new blogs, to stir up the pot of learning that is happening on blogs all over the web. And I, new blogger that I am, want in.

When I started my blog, back in January, my goals were simple. I just had the feeling that it was something I needed to do. I have to say that I am amazed at the way that blogging has propelled me forward as a 21st century teacher/learner. I actually think I have learned to process information more quickly as I jump around the web --reading, thinking, learning, commenting, subscribing, twittering.
I remember when I first put a visitor map on my blog. For a long time, it had only two red dots. One represented me, and the other one represented my friend who lives in Charleston. I was intrigued and excited when a new dot appeared. Who found my blog? Was it an accident? Did they read it?
I was so thrilled when I got that first comment from someone I didn't know in "real life." I still get excited every time someone comments on my blog.
I've learned a lot, but I still have so much to learn.

So, I am up for the challenge of going deeper into this blogging experience. I know it will affect me in ways I can't conceive of at this point. I don't care about the prize, unless the prize is that more people will read my blog and comment on my posts.
See, I do want to be a better blog citizen, but I have to admit, I also want to be a better blogger. As in, I want my own blog to be better.

I've noticed that since my name was put up on the wiki, I've had more hits than usual on my blog, hits that came from the wiki. It feels like a lot of pressure to me. I want to make the most of having people visit my blog. It's a good kind of pressure, because hopefully, this challenge will help me get into a routine, one that includes writing good, short! posts, reading, commenting and moving on to do some of the many, many other things I have waiting for me to do. I've long wondered how these bloggers/teachers/parents,etc. seem to do it all. Maybe this will help me figure it out.

Or maybe I'll just go completely nuts!

This is what my kitchen looks like on the evenings I blog. Truthfully, it usually looks even worse than that. I can't seem to do it all. That's my confession.
But I'm in it for the long haul.

I see great value in being a part of the edublogger community.