On two occasions, I've received chain letters in the mail. The premise is that if I send a pack of stickers to the child at the top of the list, add my child's name to the bottom of the list, and mail the list to six of my friends with children, then my child will receive thirty-six packs of stickers in the mail within mere weeks.
Now, stickers are great. My children adhere them not only to paper, but also to toys, walls, floors, windows, sinks, cabinets, car interiors, and people who happen to be sedentary. They find copious ways to use stickers, so technically, getting thirty-six free packs sounds great.
Except that I can't muster the energy to do chain letters. I don't mind sending stickers, but I dislike the idea of introducing six friends to one more task that just might throw them over the brink. (What! I now need to send stickers? Stickers? I can hardly even remember to buy groceries, and now I need to get stickers? And mail them? What's she going to do next? Invite me to a party where I get guilted into buying makeup or scrapbooking kits or kitchen tools that I don't really need? That's it. I'm never sending Robin another Christmas card.)
I can't do it.
So, poor little Ethan who was at the top of the list that I received, I must confess that I broke the chain. You probably won't receive your thirty-six packs of stickers, and it's entirely my fault. I hope this life setback develops resilience in you.
Now, I've said all that just to say this:
Last week I was emailed not once, but twice, from fellow mom bloggers who told me that they had nominated me for an award. Now, these do not appear to be "real" awards, just pretty icons that circulate among bloggers in happy, congratulatory circles. Still, isn't it nice to know that someone thinks highly of you? That out of all the blogs in the world, that they picked yours to nominate?
Yes. It's very nice. I'll take it.
The one catch is that I must nominate other bloggers, who then must nominate other bloggers, who then must nominate other bloggers until all bloggers in the world have received these awards, making the blogging community even closer than the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Ultimately, this means that I must ask other bloggers to join in the chain, which is the online equivalent of asking them to mail stickers and then contact six of their friends to do the same.
There's the rub.
So, I'm breaking the rules. Admittedly, I will let the awards stop here. But not before I do two things, which I am happy to do.
One, I'd like to thank Lisa at The Golden Spoons for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award, which is designed to garner more blog traffic. Traffic is only good if it pertains to blogging. I prefer my streets with very little traffic, why thank you, but my blog? I'll accept superhighway traffic. I'll take Capital Beltway traffic during rush hour. Bring on the traffic! I have Things To Say and I love that readers read these things. More traffic, please!
Two, I'd like to thank Dawn at Whispers and Shouts for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award. This title alone makes me appear cooler than I am. Versatile? It's as if I were a trendy little blazer: "This versatile piece can be dressed up with a sleek button down for a polished look at the office, made casual by throwing it over a simple tee, or be ready for a night out on the town when layered over a shimmery tank." I love being versatile!
Truly, thank you, Lisa and Dawn. Now, even though I'm not formally nominating anyone, I ought to note that there are other blogs out there that I truly enjoy. In no particular order:
One great blog is It's Almost Naptime. Missy mixes humor, snark, poignancy, and faith masterfully, and I've come to enjoy her posts and style immensely. She's honest and real, which I appreciate. I could enter her blog archives and not surface for hours. She gets more blogging traffic in a day than I do in a week, I bet. Maybe a month. Add to her traffic; she's great.
The Mom Chef writes a food blog that gives me a glimpse into a life that I someday hope to emulate, but realistically never will. When I read her posts about trying Cauliflower Risotto with Brie and Almonds or her adventures with Soy and Ginger Shrimp en Papillotes, I think things like "I'm an outsider -- a cold, lonely outside -- looking into a window of culinary domesticity that I will never attain" and "I just noticed that I'm hungrier now than I was just a minute ago," and "What's a papillote?" If you like food, check her out.
I also like Bunkers Down. Ami is seriously funny. I'm a relatively new reader to her blog, but my enjoyment was solidified when I read this thought by her: "The longer you stare at a word the more it looks wrong. Just in writing this post I’ve stared at a word long enough that I had to get the dictionary out just to prove to myself that the word actually exists." I can relate to a person like this. In fact, I wish I would have written those sentences myself.
Jon Acuff's blog offers great insight on writing, speaking, and casting vision.
There are tons of other wonderful blogs out there, but these several are worth mentioning. Happy reading.
All this being said, if this post were an awards' acceptance speech, now is the point where I'd be grossly over my allotted time. I'd be whipping out tired cliches as the music was cued for a commercial break.
It's an honor just being nominated.
Go on, click it. Pull the trigger finger. You can do it.
5
Now, stickers are great. My children adhere them not only to paper, but also to toys, walls, floors, windows, sinks, cabinets, car interiors, and people who happen to be sedentary. They find copious ways to use stickers, so technically, getting thirty-six free packs sounds great.
Except that I can't muster the energy to do chain letters. I don't mind sending stickers, but I dislike the idea of introducing six friends to one more task that just might throw them over the brink. (What! I now need to send stickers? Stickers? I can hardly even remember to buy groceries, and now I need to get stickers? And mail them? What's she going to do next? Invite me to a party where I get guilted into buying makeup or scrapbooking kits or kitchen tools that I don't really need? That's it. I'm never sending Robin another Christmas card.)
I can't do it.
So, poor little Ethan who was at the top of the list that I received, I must confess that I broke the chain. You probably won't receive your thirty-six packs of stickers, and it's entirely my fault. I hope this life setback develops resilience in you.
Now, I've said all that just to say this:
Last week I was emailed not once, but twice, from fellow mom bloggers who told me that they had nominated me for an award. Now, these do not appear to be "real" awards, just pretty icons that circulate among bloggers in happy, congratulatory circles. Still, isn't it nice to know that someone thinks highly of you? That out of all the blogs in the world, that they picked yours to nominate?
Yes. It's very nice. I'll take it.
The one catch is that I must nominate other bloggers, who then must nominate other bloggers, who then must nominate other bloggers until all bloggers in the world have received these awards, making the blogging community even closer than the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Ultimately, this means that I must ask other bloggers to join in the chain, which is the online equivalent of asking them to mail stickers and then contact six of their friends to do the same.
There's the rub.
So, I'm breaking the rules. Admittedly, I will let the awards stop here. But not before I do two things, which I am happy to do.
One, I'd like to thank Lisa at The Golden Spoons for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award, which is designed to garner more blog traffic. Traffic is only good if it pertains to blogging. I prefer my streets with very little traffic, why thank you, but my blog? I'll accept superhighway traffic. I'll take Capital Beltway traffic during rush hour. Bring on the traffic! I have Things To Say and I love that readers read these things. More traffic, please!
Two, I'd like to thank Dawn at Whispers and Shouts for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award. This title alone makes me appear cooler than I am. Versatile? It's as if I were a trendy little blazer: "This versatile piece can be dressed up with a sleek button down for a polished look at the office, made casual by throwing it over a simple tee, or be ready for a night out on the town when layered over a shimmery tank." I love being versatile!
Truly, thank you, Lisa and Dawn. Now, even though I'm not formally nominating anyone, I ought to note that there are other blogs out there that I truly enjoy. In no particular order:
One great blog is It's Almost Naptime. Missy mixes humor, snark, poignancy, and faith masterfully, and I've come to enjoy her posts and style immensely. She's honest and real, which I appreciate. I could enter her blog archives and not surface for hours. She gets more blogging traffic in a day than I do in a week, I bet. Maybe a month. Add to her traffic; she's great.
The Mom Chef writes a food blog that gives me a glimpse into a life that I someday hope to emulate, but realistically never will. When I read her posts about trying Cauliflower Risotto with Brie and Almonds or her adventures with Soy and Ginger Shrimp en Papillotes, I think things like "I'm an outsider -- a cold, lonely outside -- looking into a window of culinary domesticity that I will never attain" and "I just noticed that I'm hungrier now than I was just a minute ago," and "What's a papillote?" If you like food, check her out.
I also like Bunkers Down. Ami is seriously funny. I'm a relatively new reader to her blog, but my enjoyment was solidified when I read this thought by her: "The longer you stare at a word the more it looks wrong. Just in writing this post I’ve stared at a word long enough that I had to get the dictionary out just to prove to myself that the word actually exists." I can relate to a person like this. In fact, I wish I would have written those sentences myself.
Jon Acuff's blog offers great insight on writing, speaking, and casting vision.
There are tons of other wonderful blogs out there, but these several are worth mentioning. Happy reading.
All this being said, if this post were an awards' acceptance speech, now is the point where I'd be grossly over my allotted time. I'd be whipping out tired cliches as the music was cued for a commercial break.
It's an honor just being nominated.
Go on, click it. Pull the trigger finger. You can do it.