March 21, 2012
March 20, 2012
Truthful Tuesday: Surprised
As I write this, there are 22 votes on the poll from Monday, yet there are 117 hits on the blog.
So, either, no one cares what I write about…they’ll read it anyway,
OR
I get a lot of random hits during the day.
However, I was pretty surprised with the results of the poll, such as they were.
It appears as though the favorite regular feature, by a mile, is Five Question Friday.
And yet…
My numbers are always the lowest on Fridays.
So, although it seems to be the favorite regular feature, it is also the feature that gets the least amount of readers.
Not sure how to interpret that.
I do know that I get the most hits on Mondays and Thursdays, when I don’t run feature posts, so that could be telling me something, outside of the poll.
The least favorite feature is, apparently, Wordless Wednesday, and I gotta tell ya…that kills me.
Wordless Wednesday is like a day off without actually taking the day off.
I guess I should be flattered that people don’t love Wordless Wednesday, because maybe it means that they like to read what I write, and if there is no writing, they’d rather not bother.
Hmmm…
My plan was to knock out the feature with the lowest numbers, but I’ll be honest..I need to think about that.
I kindaneed Wordless Wednesday.
And that’s the truth.
March 19, 2012
Your Turn
So, I’m beginning to notice some trends in my readership numbers, and I thought that it was time to find out if, perhaps, my readership is down some days because you just aren’t interested in certain posts, and then cut the fat.
So, today, if you wouldn’t mind…please take a second to vote.
Let me know which regular feature is your favorite and I’ll see what changes might need to be made!
March 18, 2012
Weekending
A 70 degree Saturday means 3 mile family walks, driveway hockey for hours, and just being together in freshest air.
All of which means I’m not behind the computer.
So, on this lovely Sunday, I’m weekending.
Hope you all are enjoying your own weekend.
March 17, 2012
Don’t Worry…I Sanitized
Tiny came to a birthday party with the rest of us, to Chuck E. Cheese on Monday.
(Don’t worry…I didn’t forget anyone.)
For the first time, he’s old enough to do something besides have me carry him around.
It’s not much, but he felt like he was 7 and was so proud of himself sitting in those rides.
Big boy.
March 16, 2012
Five Question Friday
1. Will you run to the store or to pick up a kid looking a mess?
Absolutely.
I have no shame.
2. Do you finish a book if it’s boring or you don’t like it?
It depends on how long it is and how much hope I have for the ending redeeming the rest of the book.
I muddled my way through Blonde because I kept hoping beyond all hope it would get better.
It didn’t.
I pushed through the first hundred pages of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo which seemed to be all about the Swedish financial system, praying for redemption.
It came and the rest of the book totally rocked my socks.
Others, I’ve just decided it’s not worth wasting the small amount of time I have to read and so I give ’em the ole’ heave ho.
3. Beach or mountain vacations?
Never been on a mountain vacation but it sounds amazing.
I love the mountains, I love to hike, I love to camp (although it’s been years since I’ve been), and I’d love to do that with my family.
4. What thing/event says “winter will end and spring is right around the corner” to you?
In August, when it hits 65, everyone is in sweats and bundling up under blankets.
In March, when it hits 65, my babies can’t get those shorts and tank tops on fast enough.
And THAT is what tells me that spring is right around the corner.
The bare skin of my monkeys.
5. Would you prefer couples or family vacation?
I think both have their place.
I think both are important.
So, both. 🙂
March 15, 2012
Car Girl
I am not a car girl.
I’ve never been one for knowing about all different kinds of cars.
For me, generally, if it runs and gets me from point A to point B, I’ve been good to go.
My first car was a used 1985 Nissan Pulsar.
Totaled it one snowy afternoon at college in Ohio, after having just driven back from New Jersey.
Everyone was fine, but the thing crumpled like a tin can.
My next car was a used 1992 Oldsmobile Achieva.
Her name was Isabella and I loved her.
Sold Isabella and bought a new 1997 (? Real Man might have to help on the date for this one) four-door Honda Civic.
Loved that car.
Then we got married and had Monkey Girl and man-oh-man did my back ache from bending over and putting the car seat in and taking the car seat out.
So, we bought a minivan, and then I inherited Real Man’s Ford Expedition.
My life has not been a string of luxury cars.
Practicality has led the charge.
However, yesterday, this car passed me on the road.
And I was smitten.
I can tell how smitten I was by the mere fact that I bothered to look at the make and model of the car and look it up when I get home. (It’s an Audi R8)
It took my breath away as it drove by me, and for the first time in my life, I decided I must have a car.
I could imagine myself zooming down the road, felt the smooth ride, and dreamed about hugging the curves of the road.
I. Love. This. Car.
Then, it turned up in a book I was reading, and reading about the characters driving it solidified my love.
So, considering the almost $200,000 price tag, I’m forever amending my answer to the question, “What would you do if you won the lottery?”
My first answer was always “Make sure we have enough money put away for the kids to get through college.”
However, now I’m thinking the kids can fend for themselves.
I’ll be buying this car.
March 14, 2012
March 13, 2012
Truthful Tuesday
Well, I’m not answering any questions today, but I am still sharing with you something that I might not normally have shared.
I was looking through my iPhone photos, the other day, because I’m now over 1,000 photos, thanks to some help from Baby Monkey who thinks he is the next Annie Leibovitz.
I came across a photo that I desperately wanted to delete, but then decided not to delete because it might be cool for Tiny to see someday.
When I was pregnant with Monkey Girl, I took a picture of myself every month to show the growth of my belly.
I did the same with Monkey in the Middle and Baby, but, as you can imagine, they were lost with the great computer crash of 2009.
With Tiny, I’ll be honest, it never crossed my mind.
And then I came across this picture and realized a few things:
1. Thank God that kid was 3 weeks early. I don’t think there was any more space in there for him.
2. The last month of pregnancy is exhausting.
3. Boy babies suck the beauty out of you just as much as their girl counterparts do.
4. Perhaps people weren’t as out of line as I thought they were when they asked things like, “Haven’t you had that baby yet?”
5. It doesn’t matter how many monkeys I have (and I will only have 4 for the rest of my life) I will always want more.
6. I loved being pregnant. (This isn’t news…I just remember how much I loved it when I look at this picture, even though this is, apparently, what I look like when I am pregnant.)
7. Pregnancy is a freaking miracle and although I know the science behind it and how it all works, I’m completely amazed (and endlessly grateful), all the time, when it goes right.
8. I’m a very, very lucky woman.
So, here it is.
I’m normally not a sharer of things like belly pics, as I think they are quite personal.
And this could be one of the worst pictures ever taken of me, which is why it made it to Truthful Tuesday, which is about the good, the bad, and the water retention.
However, I’m all covered up here, so I’m going with it.
And that’s the truth.
March 12, 2012
Liebster Award
There’s a community out there.
It’s a virtual community, but it doesn’t make it any less real or cohesive than one in the “real world.”
It’s the community of bloggers.
Those of us in the blogging community visit each others blogs and comment and become connected to each other through the sharing of our lives.
And sometimes…sometimes…
We send each other awards.
One such award is the Leibster Award.
As Mad Hen at Fluff and Feathers (who was gracious enough to bestow this award upon me!) puts it:
Liebster is a German word, meaning dearest or beloved, but it can also mean favorite. Â The idea behind the Liebster Blog Award is that it is given to talented and/or loved bloggers who have less than 200 followers in order to create new connections and to bring attention to these wonderful blogs!
There are some conditions to accepting the award. Â One is to acknowledge and thank, through a link, the blogger who was kind enough to nominate you and to cut and paste the award onto your own page. Â Another is to pass the award on to other deserving bloggers.
And so, I’d like to pass the award on to the following bloggers and ask that my readers check out their blogs. These are blogs that I read every day and that inspire me in one way or another. I hope you enjoy!
thismummaslife which is written by Krista and is just a great blog about mothering and living and being real that brings a smile to my face every day.
beauty that moves which is written by Heather. I just want to crawl through my computer screen and go live in her house. The photos she takes of her home and surrounding area are simply gorgeous. (Out of the guidelines, as she has way more than 200 followers, but I want you to go see why…she’s earned every one of those followers!)
Dear Mr. Vernon which is an entertainment blog written by Shane, an old friend from high school. It is extremely creative and SO well-written. It’s a new favorite.
You’ll have to excuse my nepotism with this last one…it’s my sister-in-law, Alicia’s, blog, Why we yell It’s a bit of this and that and is a glimpse into the mind of a mother of 7.
So, please visit these blogs, even if it’s just for today. Good stuff, all of them. 🙂
