Okay so everyone is healthy in the family. W. got the mildest version of the cold on the weekend but pretty much just had a sore throat. She is over it now. She's too healthy for her own good with all that jogging and vitamin taking. Me, I follow all my exercise with several pints of beer and seem to be constantly falling prey to colds, flus and chest infections, particularly since the kid was born.

Anyway, no point in whining, the important thing is that we're all back to normal. E. had it the worst, her voice is still husky, she sounds like a miniature version of one of Marg Simpson's sisters. But at least she isn't shrieking everyone time I come near her: "Noooo! Go away! I waaaaaant Mommy!"

Speaking of mommy, here's my report on the whole W. commenting on the blog thing: apparently her sister (who is connected to me through Facebook) read the blog, particularly the post about raising the kid right. She then mentioned it to W. who decided it was about time to check this whole blog thing out. Which means that there's more than one family member lurking around. No evidence yet that my parents or brother are reading it. And, thank god, my mother-in-law hasn't gotten a hold of it yet. (Automatically posted comments...she would have a field day.)

So W. posts something snarky in response to my discussion of her parenting. But somehow the post doesn't go to the blog, it only comes to me. Why is that? I was planning to put it up the blog on her behalf, but I was sick and crazy busy and now, today, when I go to do that, I can't find the email anywhere. I've searched everywhere for it, but it is gone. Conspiracy theory time. Did W. have second thoughts and delete the email?

I guess I have mixed feelings about family reading the blog. It's part of the whole peep culture experiment to see who finds the blog when and what they think of it. At the same time, I'm already self conscious and self censoring enough. I'll put it another way: I'm not writing anything I wouldn't otherwise say to various family members, spouses, etc. It's more how I write about things. A lot of people who do blogs say that it opens up new terrains of conversation. Others say that they don't talk about their blog with their families or partners or even close friends, and believe that none of those people are reading it. I suppose I could ask W. if she could repost and how she felt having this discussion about child rearing put into the public realm. Yes, I will ask her. I can't ask her this evening, though, because her mother is coming over for dinner. I'd say more on that subject, but I better not. You never know who's reading.