Hi all —

It’s that time of year when we look back to look forward. Use the data and the lessons and the knowledge we have acquired over our fleeting lifetimes to learn what works and doesn’t work for the life and year(s) ahead.

I don’t do a ton of self-promotion. I’m a big believer in the tried and true, simple notion that if you’re good at what you do, word will get around. The organic growth I have witnessed on my blog (almost 10,000 views!) since joining WordPress in May has been encouraging. I tell myself to not get too mixed up in numbers, that this is not a popularity contest (despite what Facebook and other envy- and 15-minutes-of-fame -breeding “services” obviously push) and quality is something that builds on itself.

Starting with the best of intentions means you must work just as hard.

Writing, blogging, sharing, posting… all of these “arts” are hit and miss. The thing that keeps me going in this 21st Century world of self-disclosure is that I’m not alone: there will be posts that simply hit every mark I strive for: humor, candor, mindfulness, reflection and self-awareness. There will be some that also totally miss their marks, but I will be honest: these are posts that aren’t ready to be written or are those to which I am so close to the content that it’s hard to separate myself from it in any meaningful and translatable way.

I’m not big on fiction writing (publicly), so all my posts are true.

Enough stalling.

The top 10 most popular posts since May 27, 2012:

For the Ladies – Living and Thriving with PMDD – this humorous, candid and lengthy post written to help those who are afflicted with very deep PMS or “premenstrual dysphoric disorder” (PMDD) symptoms. I give a pretty clear picture of how PMDD manifested in me, some advice on how I deal with it and active links to help those people affected by it. PMDD is real, it’s scary as hell, and it can be managed.
Hoping the Mayans are Right – this was my post written after the Newtown murders where I hope that 12.21.12 was the “death” of the age of myopia, blame, selfishness and isolation.
Parents, Protect Your Children and My Letter to the School. – true story: I ended up “shadowing” a little kid to school one day because she was all alone on the path one morning.
After the Storm – this was written the day after “superstorm” Sandy decimated the east coast. I was utterly disgusted by the lack of awareness, the rabid and continual self-promotion on Twitter and some Facebook pages. This post is image heavy and candid (shocker).
False F(r)iendship, Feeling Unseen, Unheard and Dressing Very Old Wounds – everyone goes through life feeling like a doormat or a piece of furniture. Sometimes it’s a recurring theme in a lifetime. Here’s a way to recognize it, know you’re not alone and hopefully move on.
real – this was my “coming out” post where I shed a couple layers of my protective armor to let the world (or both my readers) know I’m not always blithe and living some fabulous life; that I have a story too.
Who – this is one of my “pages” on the blog (I have several at the masthead: who, what, when, where, why, respect, thanks and about). It’s just more about me… blah blah blah…
Justice for the Little People – I felt like William Wallace (Braveheart) when our school finally got what I’d been working my butt off for the past few years to get for the roadway in front of it. It feels good, despite the fact that the school administration is still mum about it.
Angry Rain, OldMan Car, and Tiger Mascot Suits – this is a melange of my observations one day. It includes humorous comments about the weather, my husband’s Toyota Avalon and a poignant observation of a dad returning from Afghanistan to be our school mascot.  I believe it was the beginning of what I ended up calling “Tuesday Morning Press.”
Respect – another “page” about my blog.

Collaborative posts

No blogger can exist in an island. We are a tribe that empowers and encourages our fellow tribe members… here are some of the great posts of the year written by other bloggers and me, other bloggers as guests or me on other bloggers’ sites:

Guest Blog: DeBie Hive’s Photographic Eye Turns to Fall – A nice pictorial essay on what autumn means to one of my favorite people I’ve never met.

Yesvember: Gratitude Expressed in 100 Words or Less – six brave souls and mine endeavored to write what gratitude means to them in 100 words or less.

Dome Life – How to Paint “Prince Charming” – ever wanted to know how to paint a rooster? Here’s a blog post that shows you how the famous Lillian Connelly paints one anyway… and I got to keep the piece.

Guest Blog: Breast Cancer Awareness & “Sensitarian” – my friend Sharyn shares her letter she wrote a year ago, when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer.

Guest Blogger: Good Geek Ranting – I have mad respect for Shua Smith — the dude wrote a book, “The Rise of the Dragons,” and that’s not easy. He’s also a very clever and funny writer. His blog is one of my favorites.

Go here to find me there

Go to Good Geek Ranting to Find My Guest Post … this is probably one of my most funny posts; there’s something about being on someone else’s site that is liberating for me. I get to be a little crazier, I guess. But if you didn’t see this one – please go. Especially if you like Alice Cooper without makeup.

I’m Guest Blogging Today at DeBie Hive – lots of pics; this explains why I row and what I get from it. It’s about the meditative effects of the sport and how it feeds my soul.

Peevish Penman Post: How Forcing NaNoWriMo Can Break a Barbie – I’m thrilled and flattered to have been asked to be a regular contributor to a great writer’s blog called “Peevish Penman” and I will always link to it on my blog. This particular post is about my tarrying over NaNoWriMo this year. It involves putting Barbie’s head in a vise. Jealous?

My favorites

This is actually pretty hard. I’ve had a blog for almost two years and the posts are stacking up. My timing is random, my “themes” are random, but I’m seeing some patterns and that’s fine by me. I don’t know how to pick just a few. But I’ll give you some really old ones that remind me of why I started this in the first place.

taking my own advice. – my first post ever.

when you’re five years old – every 5 year old should feel like this is familiar territory; and the parent of five year olds need to remember what it’s like and not foist absurd expectations on to their kiddos.

shopping cart from hell – that’s right. read it.

raffle basket and beans – what happens when you look away.

perfect mother? no. not even close. – oy. I love my mom, but our relationship is not the easiest; we boast two totally different personalities. I am glad to have learned over the years that I’m not alone in that realm.

When the Bough Breaks: Forcing – this post earned me an award and was one of the last ones I wrote before I almost gave up on blogging due to some really insane and childish behavior by someone “in the field.”

Dear Things 1, 2 & 3: Don’t Tell the Neighbors, but Your Father Lives – I love my husband. He’s a great dad. Here’s why.

the toothpaste aisle from hell – yes. Don’t tell me you’ve got that aisle all figured out.

Marvelous Monday: Amazing Things – this is me: “If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.” – Eleanora Duse. I talk about it, my fascination and gratitude for “the everyday” in this post.

Go With Your Gut or What Happens When You Don’t – all i have to say: when your intuition says “don’t do that” — DON’T DO THAT.

she missed his final breath. – my neighbor died of metastatic lung cancer. this is about his surviving wife.

Two posts caught the eye of other bloggers the most this year. A Brie recipe, for obvious reasons, so here’s that… http://wp.me/p2tc3X-19k

And a quick post I wrote about some parent’s confusion between online sharing and jeopardizing their children’s safety. Just my opinion: http://wp.me/p2tc3X-ZU

There. This is all I’m gonna throw at you. Although I’m not big on self-promotion, once I write that book, I’ll have to be better about it. In the meantime, I’m going to try it stone by stone. What’s up for 2013? Some cool stuff actually: I’ll be posting fiction on Fridays and in January, I’m going to be part of a fiction writing prompt. I’ll be here, doing my random thing. I’m going to endeavor to keep all posts to less than 1,500 words. (I’m six shy now).

Thank you so much for joining me here.