Writing Again

A few years ago, a dear friend challenged herself to blog every day. She did it, beautifully, and inspired me to do the same the following year. I don't think I did it as well as she did, and while some of my posts probably shouldn't be counted as an entry (I used the ol' "I can't think of anything to write but this totally still counts for today!" line more times than I should admit), I finished out 2014 with 365 new posts.

And then I blogged all of four times in 2015.

I didn't just hit the blogging wall; I crashed into it and laid there, quietly (quiet in the blogosphere, anyway!) for most of the year. I don't even think I was burned out, but I certainly wasn't disciplined enough to keep up a steady writing pace. While I needed some time to reflect on my writing, I regret not blogging more than those four times. Three of those four were pretty decent; two were stories about Alex, and one was a snarky piece about booking a Disney vacation (and from that, I learned that you should never bad mouth that mouse, or anything relating to him, without falling under fast criticism of all his adoring fans...yeesh!).

Last week, I was moved to sit down and open up my blog. With the last day of school quickly approaching, I was inspired to write about my oldest son's final days of elementary school. I pounded out a letter to my Alex; it didn't take me long, but it was heartfelt and I meant every single word. At the suggestion of friends, I submitted it to a couple different online publications...and then I sat in fear that one of them would actually post it. I am a pretty sensitive person, for better or for worse, and I feared that it wouldn't be well received if it was published outside of my little duck pond.

I was wrong to worry.

My piece was picked up, it's been read and shared far and wide, and so far I've only heard positive feedback from it. If there are any naysayers, I'd rather not know. It was way outside of my comfort zone to share my writing, and hopefully I will be brave enough to do it again. I am more than grateful for the enthusiastic response, and for the way that piece has resonated with so many parents. At the very least, I hope this experience will inspire me to sit down and write more when the urge strikes, like I did last week. If nothing else, I hope to have more than four posts for 2016.

To those who encourage me, thank you. Keep doing it, please. I need all the help I can get.

Reruns

I've been sitting here for over an hour, trying to figure out what to write about tonight. I really have nothing interesting to share, and I keep getting sucked in to the episodes of Full House that my kids are watching (school bedtimes start next week!).

Writer's block is the best remedy for an overflowing email inbox. To avoid writing this blog, I've caught up on most of my emails and Facebook messages. When that was finished, I posted on Instagram, tweeted about Full House (it makes me feel really old to hear the kids giggling over the show that I used to love as a kid!), and took a BuzzFeed quiz. Pathetic.

So now, I think I'm going to post this sad little entry and just head to bed. Maybe inspiration will strike tomorrow.

Crickets...

It's after 10pm.  It was a busy day, as always, and all three kids (plus the dog!) are refusing to go to sleep. As I sit here, bleary eyed, trying to catch up on emails and tasks and life in general, I can not think of one worthwhile thing to write on this blog. Nothing that will take me less than five minutes, anyway, which is about all I have left before I go fall over somewhere.

That said, good night.

A Whole Lotta Nothin'

I've been sitting here, for the last hour, trying to determine what to write tonight.

I listened to High School Musical 2, playing on my son's iPad (gotta love Netflix).  I watched an episode of Land of the Lost as Mark introduced our five year old to an episode (who knew you could stream YouTube through a blu-ray player?!?).  I comforted the dog, in hopes that she won't pee on the floor during yet another thunder storm.  I did a bit of online window shopping, looking for shoes that might not chew up my feet as the pair I selected for today did. But have I come up with anything interesting to write?  Nope.

As I was sitting here, staring blankly at my computer screen with my chin propped up on my hands, I noticed something crawling on one of my fingers.  I jumped about three feet in the air, flinging the bug (or whatever it was...could have been a baby sleestak for all I know), and pulling something in my back.

I think I'm done.  Monday is officially over.

My Favorite Things

What is a blogger to do when she can't think of anything to write?  (This especially applies to the crazy bloggers who challenge themselves to post every day for a year.)  She posts another list, that's what.

And so, I give to you:

My Favorite Things
Favorite food: pizza (I mean, c'mon.  It's absolutely the most perfect food.)

Favorite book: To Kill a Mockingbird

Favorite song: This is a tough one.  I love music, and have an appreciation for all types.  Just today, I was listening to this, this, and this; all similar, I suppose, thanks to my undying devotion to a local radio station (my kids rock out to the Ramones, Jake Bugg, and Alt-J because they have grown up with this station...way cool). There are really too many songs to consider, so I guess I will skip this one.

Favorite color: This is also a tough one.  My favorite color to wear is black, and that's just because I think I look nice in it.  I really can't choose just one color, so I'll steal Addie's answer to this question: rainbow.

Favorite tv show: Right now, we're back to watching Mad Men (hellooo, Don Draper!), and I also enjoy watching Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.  (All I need now is for Brian Williams to get a Sunday night program and I could watch all my television boyfriends on the same night!)  I have no problem admitting that I have a sick obsession with watching reruns of favorite sitcoms (Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Big Bang Theory).

Favorite ice cream: Hands down, a trio of Jeni's Salty Caramel, The Buckeye State, and Dark Chocolate. Perfection in a bowl.

Ok, I'm done with this.  The more I write, the cheesier I feel, and I'm also realizing that I don't really have strong favorites of anything (well, except for maybe ice cream).  Do you have any favorites that you feel compelled to share?

If nothing else, I posted something for today, therefore keeping my streak intact.  Go me.