With gratitude...

For many of you this bloggy life of mine is a little strange.  You've all been extremely kind to read each post, comment and even share at times.  But ultimately, the Blogging World probably seems kind of bizarre.  My uncle was in town from New York a few months back.  The guy isn't much into technology and when my parents mentioned my blog, we had to explain it.  "So it's like a journal or diary on the Internet and people read it?" he asked. When I told him that's exactly what it was, his response was, "Why?" Um, I had no answer for him.  Why is a very good question.  It was pretty funny.

This year I committed to delving a little deeper into the Blogging World in order to meet more of "my kind"; but most importantly, to learn how the pros do it.  And let me tell you, in the few weeks that have passed in 2013, I have "met" some of the best people.  First of all, the Blogging World is huge.  But the Mommy Blogging World is infinite and filled with hysterical, authentic women who, like me, are just trying to get through the day without eating their young.

So when I learned over the last week that 3 of my new Bloggy BFFs awarded me with Leibster Award, not only was I excited that each of them felt I was worthy of being noticed, but I was honored that people I have come to respect felt the same.  So thank you to Carrie at Just Mildly Medicated, Kate at Seriously Kate and Melinda at The Sapling Stories for passing this sweet award to me.


So what is the Leibster Award. The Liebster Award is given to bloggers who are new or are up and comers in the blogosphere and have fewer than 200 followers. The award is then passed along to other bloggers of the same criterion. Funnily enough, when I learned of the first Bloggy Friend who warded me this week, I knew exactly who I wanted to pass it on to.  Imagine my surprise when I learned 2 of those people also awarded it to me this week.  I'm not supposed to re-gift the Liebster so I might have to break the rules a bit here.  Wherever you see the number 11, I will be replacing it with 8.  I'm such a rebel.

Now for The Liebster Award Rules:

1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves. 
2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to.
3. Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them about the award.
5. No tag backs.

I know life is crazy busy for all of us so if I had to make a personal request (which I can do because I am an important award winner) skip all the facts about me because, really, you read enough of my ridiculosity, and instead go visit the blogs I mention here.  They truly are examples of great writer!

So here we go...
8 Facts about me:

1. I once sat in a friend's living room while in high school going on and on about how weird it is that parents of twins dress said twins in matching outfits.  The friend was a twin.  I was in her house.  Sitting with her family.  Surrounded by pictures of her and her TWIN SISTER.  In matching outfits.
2. I once lied to my parents and told them I was sleeping at a friend's house when I was really sleeping at my boyfriend's house.  While he and I went to the movies my car rolled down a 50 foot embankment and crashed into the neighbor's fence.  Needless to say, I  got caught
3. I am a key piece in the puzzle of human adaptability.  People say your pinkie toe is necessary for balance. Not true! My pinkie to actually sits on top of my 4th toe (yes, it looks as weird as it sounds) and does not touch the ground at all.  
4. I'm 1/2 Italian, 1/4 German and 1/4 Syrian. Red hair does not always mean Irish, people.
5. I had braces twice.  Once in middle school.  Once when I was 34.  It was not awesome either time.
6. Hubs told me when we were engaged that he couldn't marry me if I didn't want kids.  I totally lied and said I wanted them, while plotting to make our life so fabulous he wouldn't notice we never got around to having them.  Yeah, I know, not the best foundation for marriage.
7. It was  my idea to have kids 9+ years ago.  Yes, the humor of that is not lost on me. 
8. My max deadlift was 202 pounds.  So if you weigh 202 pounds or less and collapse in front of me, have no fear, I can at least get you up off the ground.  I may not be able to do anything else other than get you up off the ground, but at least you'll be a bit more comfortable while unconscious, right? 

Questions to answer.  I took a few from each of my wonderful Bloggy Friends who nominated me.
From Seriously Kate
1. Chore I hate most: Anything related to clothes- washing, drying, folding, putting away, dry cleaning
2. Last movie, TV show or book that made me cry: Currently reading The Trial of Fallen Angels by James Kimmel, Jr.  Totally cried.  
3. Story my family always tells about me: The time my brother and I were at a park (I was 4 her was 8?) and a kid flew an airplane that landed near my brother.  He picked it up to return to the kid but the kid thought he was going to steal it so he came over and started yelling at my brother.  Supposedly I was not going to let someone speak to my bro like that so I walked my 4 year old self up to him and let him have it! No one speaks to my brother like that without having a can of whoop-ass opened up!
4.  Last experience that made me a stronger person: Becoming a Christian 13 years ago.  Learning that I really didn't have to navigate this life, alone and trying to figure it all empowered me and gave me strength I didn't know I had.

From Just Mildly Medicated
5. Why did you start your blog? I felt as if I was the only mom in the world who didn't stare at her kids all day and love each and every moment.  No one else seemed to think this job was hard and frustrating.  No one else seemed to struggle.  After sharing honestly about my challenges, I realized that plenty of moms felt those things but no one talked about it.  So I figured, let's talk about it and get it out open.
6.  How do I find time to blog? To be honest, I write most of them in my head first (which explains the madness) so when it's time to actually write it doesn't take too long.  And the fact that I'm a night owl certainly helps;)

From The Sapling Stories
7. Best advice received? My mom once told me that when my kids are bugging me, pretend they aren't mine.  No, she didn't mean leave them someplace as if there weren't mine.  What she meant was that if it were a friend's kid doing this particular behavior I would laugh and see it wasn't a big deal. That gave me wonderful perspective.
8. Dream job? I once dreamed of having the blog become a book.  Then I realized that was pretty much never going to happen for a variety of reasons.  So, the dream evolved.  I would love for my blog to grow into one of the biggies.  I don't really want to be paid for it, but I'd love for it to be a place where moms and women go to feel normal and realize that this life ain't easy, and that's OK.  If they can learn to laugh at it rather than drown in it, I think we'd all be a little happier.

And now I am honored to pass this award on to some bloggers I recently discovered. These are the people who are doing it right.  (I went with 9 here.) They are a combination of rich writing, comical experiences and authentic living.  Please take a moment to visit a few of them- you'll be glad you did.

And the winners are...
The Lemon Girdle
Dysfunction Junction
Green Moms and Kids
The Cubicle Views (1 of 2 guys I will be nominating)
Confessions of a Mediocre Mom
Structure in and Unstructured Life
A Little Bit Sassy
The Momplex
Chloe vs. Zoey (For all of us who had a dog before we had a kid!)

My questions for you:
1. Why did you start your blog?
2. Something really embarrassing that has happened to you?
3. Best advice you have given or received?
4. Something embarrassing one of your kids has done?
5. What are you hopes (secret dreams) for your blog?
6. Be honest, do you ever lay in bed on a Saturday morning wondering where in the world you could be if you hadn't had kids? (Or is that just me?)
7. One life changing event?
8. What is the first thing you're going to do when you become an empty-nester?

Whew! That's a lot of stuff today.  Again, thank you to all my wonderful new Bloggy BFFs for thinking of me when you were asked to pass the torch. I am truly honored.

Please take the a moment to visit a few of the 9 great blogs above.

The Bloggy World may be big, but it is endlessly encouraging and filled with new friends waiting to be discovered.
That's just my normal.