Signs I may be getting old. . .

May 1, 2012

I’m more than a little shocked that I will be turning 45 in a few short months (July, in case you want to start planning a cake). But there are definitely signs that I’m not a spry young thing anymore.

* The hands I see at the bottom of my wrists look suspiciously like they belong to an older woman.

* I see the scale creep up and, instead of starving myself down to the weight of my 30’s, I buy the next size up in pants. Without apology.

* The story of Green Day is being made into a musical. A musical!

* I don’t chew ice, nuts, or hard candy with as much abandon because I know I’m one bite away from my second crown.

* My daughter tells me that the hair color I just picked out at the store would look awesome! On a fifteen year old. (I put the box back on the shelf.)

*Starbucks’ Vanilla Latte suddenly tastes too sweet.

* I finally meet Sarah Shannon, the cool former lead of Velocity Girl and current lead of kindie band The Not-Its!, and we talk about how our overused uteruses will never let us enjoy a bounce house again.

* I worry about morality (and literacy) in America when 50 Shades of Grey is on The New York Times Bestseller list.

* I don’t even pretend to wear contacts anymore because my glasses are so much more convenient.

* My first born finishes Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret? and has no questions.

* I take the kids out for ice cream and don’t really feel like getting any. So I don’t.

* I buy shoes from Zappos’ “Comfort” section. And love them.

Make me feel better. . .What signs make you feel like you are getting old? 

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Filed Under: Fairly Odd Me, Uncategorized 24 Comments

Testing, testing (is this thing on?)

April 28, 2012

So. . . how do you like the new site???

We will call the next few months, The Bumpy Months, as it will take me a while to get used to WordPress and all the magic it holds for a little blogger like me. Holy cow: there are spaces on my posting page for Meta Keywords and Custom Canonical URL’s—-I don’t even know what these things are!

And I’ve got some work to do to get all the new content and widgets I’ve been dreaming up in my spare time. That may take me a little while to finish up.

But I’m so pleased with the shiny new site that Cynthia at NW Designs has created, and really really hope you like it too.

Now, I’m going to hit publish, hold my breath and hope it all does with it is supposed to do.

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Filed Under: Blog Love, Fairly Odd Me, Uncategorized 7 Comments

A Fairly Odd Review of 2011

January 2, 2012

I just read a meme from Nan called The Year That Was and since I’d rather write about 2011 than talk about how Jilly was throwing up last night, I’m going with her meme. 


First though. . .some perspective: In 2011, I blogged only 63 times which is about half the number of posts I wrote in ’08 and ’09, and about 40% of the total in ’10. My focus was instead on my job and in trying to save our homeschooling life. I think this was the right thing to do, but I miss this space and am going to try to work a little harder at it in 2012.


But before looking forward to 2012? A review.


In 2011, what was the. . .


. . .most beautiful post (on your blog)?
When the Storm Passes
A very hard post to write, but one of those imperfect moments in parenting that will stick with me forever.


. . .most popular post (on your blog)?
Waiting Is The Hardest Part
This post about waiting for the results of my ten-year-old’s milk allergy test was by far the most popular post in 2011. And though she still hates milk, she gives two thumbs up to any baked good she’s met so far. (that’s my girl!)


. . .most controversial post (on your blog)?
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
I should have known that a post about why we may quit homeschooling would generate strong feelings. And while this wasn’t “controversial” in the sense that I was fighting with commenters (I don’t really “do” that kind of controversy), it was filled with strong emotion which I so very appreciated hearing at that very difficult crossroads.


. . .most helpful post (on your blog)?
Wordless Wednesday: Through the Looking Glass

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Though not instructional per se, I love looking at the photos of Jilly’s Alice in Wonderland party. The included links will hopefully help others create a similar party themselves. Way more affordable than renting out that smelly gymnastics studio!


. . .post whose success surprised you?
Facebook Ate My Blog
With only one measly comment, this post about why I haven’t been blogging generated way more traffic than I expected (#2 in traffic this year!). 

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If I’m not basing “success” on traffic numbers alone, I’d say this photo of my son with his broken LEGO contraption got a lot more attention than I expected.


. . .post that you feel didn’t get the attention it deserved?
Oh Meme, Oh My
Last year’s meme took forever to write, but just wasn’t all that popular. One would think I’d learn from this. . .


. . .post that made you most proud?
Do You Untag Ugly Photos?

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I couldn’t have written this post twenty years ago—I would’ve untagged the ugly photo and pretended it never happened. I suppose being able to accept who I am in my skin, right now, is growth. And that does feel good.


Here’s to more growth in 2012! Happy New Year!

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