Beyond Mommy turns one

Yesterday was my blog's first birthday. I can't believe no one sent a card. {snif}

While some months passed pitifully by with little to no contribution on my part to the blogosphere, I maintained a respectable average of 10 posts per month over the past year. This statistic is aided significantly by the fact that I conquered NaBloPoMo last November, posting 30 times in 30 days. To celebrate my "paper" anniversary, won't you join me in reminiscing over some highlights of the past year here at Beyond Mommy?

I believe I have successfully abided by my original predictive description: "a collection of my random musings, minimally restrained opinions, and at least somewhat funny tidbits of my life." For the first few months blogging was fun and novel, but I was also learning what to write and how to make it interesting. I had a lot of fun describing the various circumstances surrounding acquiring my eight peircings. Since the topic was suggested by a reader, I felt like interest was pre-existing, and I started getting a feel for turning historical details into entertainment. That kind of creative writing is still my favorite aspect of blogging, which is why I loved Flashback Fridays. It's hard to choose favorite flashbacks because I always enjoy them so much, but if you missed Scantily Clad Teens in Distress or What Happens in Vegas... you should definitely check them out. Plus there was the time my mom tried to bring a steak knife on a plane and that night we watched a movie with a stranger in our rocking chair. Hopefully with more time available this fall, Flashback Friday can make a grand re-appearance.

Sometimes I don't even have to reach into the past to tell great stories, since some of my favorites were freshly recounted right after they occurred. I wrote quite a bit about running this past year, since I started back at it right about the same time I started blogging. But the best stories actually came from my experience walking the Champoeg Half Marathon last fall. Also in the first month I lamented the price of the zoo and my book idea being written by somebody else. But my over-scheduled life soon reclaimed the time I spent blogging, and last October I only posted once, which prompted the foray into November's great daily blogging attempt, which I sincerely enjoyed.

Some of my NaBloPoMo posts outshine others in the creativity and usefulness departments, but there were 30 of them any way you look at it. I did wax a bit political (a bit late), introduced several parenting themes, including an ongoing potty training discussion, and made some very embarrassing confessions. I am pleased with this tribute to my parents as well as this one to my own budding parenting skills. I loved the experience of NaBloPoMo, and since my bubble was burst upon learning that there is no official National Blog Posting Month, I've decided to take on the challenge in 11-month intervals. So this year I'll be typing into the wee hours of the night in October. I'm counting on a new month providing new topics. Stay tuned!

I kept up a good momentum in December, trying a little controversy (not the best idea it turns out), and a rant or two. I also painfully learned the cruel reality that people can be horribly mean.

Not even ten days into the new year I admitted to sneaking a free movie and explained how I was fired from a job for being too nice. At least the potty training experience was a success.

February brought another favorite Flashback about flirting on the slopes, as well as my induction to the world of facebook. There's so much more I want to write about facebook and my subsequent experiences since jumping on that bandwagon. Maybe someday. We learned 25 random things about me, which was a lot of fun to write actually, as well as why I stopped reading and then why I started again, and why I'm not a real runner. It was a lot to learn in one month.

In March and April I got bogged down a bit in trying to keep up with weekly recaps of American Idol. A fun gig if I were being paid, but a little too much pressure since I wasn't. I did really appreciate the comments from readers who said they liked my articles better than actually watching the show, or that my writing made them want to watch the show so they would have an educated opinion too. That was nice. Maybe it could be attributed to The Funk (later temporarily cured by some purple hair), but I got a little belligerent about some English-language usage and hideous baby naming trends.

I haven't been able to post much in the last three months, but at least we got such gems as a giant turd and the disappearing dinner.

Thanks for reading my blog. In my second year I hope to maintain a more consistent schedule of bringing you the entertainment and inspiration you crave. Or something like that.