Exciting Day for the Blog

As I've been pondering what I'm thankful for, with Thanksgiving approaching, I happened to check the blog's stats page and realized we have surpassed 100,000 page views (and counting)! I know that's nowhere near close to viral, but for a little blog written by a random person who's not well known, I think that's pretty darn good.

I am grateful to have readers in various countries around the world who, for whatever reason, think what we have to say is interesting. I never imagined that possibility when I started MLWP back in June of 2011. I always wanted to be a writer, and even though that's not my profession, I love having this opportunity to be a blogger, even just for fun. I'm proud of this blog and I hope it continues to be something you enjoy reading.

Thank you to all of you for checking us out!

More of the 5 Best Decisions I've Ever Made

Yesterday I began to share with you what I feel are the 5 best decisions I ever made and why, which I'll continue today. Try to think of your own best decisions sometime - it will really make you feel good. And hopefully less inclined to focus on the not-so-great decisions.

3.  Going to Law School

Like beginning a relationship with Heidi brought me two daughters to love, going to law school brought Heidi into my life.  Which, if I'm being honest, is probably the main reason I'm glad I went.

This is truly an "everything happens for a reason" story.  I had been a paralegal, which I loved, but I had reached the limit of promotability and professional development.  There was nowhere else to go but lawyer if I was going to stay in this field.

Photo from www.associatesmind.com

I Heart My iPhone

Greetings. I am back from the "undead." Which is translation for, I have felt like a total zombie for months and am finally starting to reenter the land of the living. I hope!

I feel as though I have missed so much these last few months as I have adjusted to the routine of waking early, traveling all over the state for trials, coming home to take care of my baby and our house, and then settling down for a long winter's nap before I do it all again. Rinse, lather, repeat. But now I think I have gotten the hang of it, at least to the largest degree possible, so I am going to make a valiant effort to reclaim some time and space in my life for things I enjoy, this blog being near the top of that list.

To that end, today I am pausing to reflect on and enjoy a moment of gratitude for my iPhone.

Photo from www.forbes.com/sites/johngaudiosi

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes....

Whether we like it, change is all around us. The season is about to change, the colors of the leaves are about to change...and my life is about to change too.

Before Anna came along, I had a full-time, demanding litigation job. I continued that work until she was about a year and a half old, and then, when I realized we would be raising her for good, I knew I needed a change. I took a job that was "mommy-friendly" - Fridays off, flexible scheduling, etc. That way, whenever Anna was sick, I could be there. If her day care was closed, I could be there. It was the perfect thing for that time in our lives.

Anna loves her beach time....

It's Our Anniversary!

Happy Monday!

I just wanted to start off this new week by noting an important milestone. Yes, Heidi and I are very happy to have celebrated our 7th anniversary on Friday, June 1, and we're really proud of that. But I'm talking about the blog - we have an anniversary too!

June 1, 2011 was the first day I posted anything on My Life With Pie. I had a vision of what I thought the experience might be like, but I never could've imagined then that it would be as fun and as challenging as it's been to maintain this blog. I didn't know whether my words would resonate with people, how large (or small) an audience I'd have, what the response would be, how much material I was capable of generating - it was all a big question mark.

Shooting From the Hip

As some of you have noticed (I hope?), I'm putting a renewed effort into this blog because I love it, and it's a creative outlet that I enjoy and need. I began the blog with a sort of happy-go-lucky, middle of the road kind of approach, but over time, I've learned that the most interesting, and perhaps touching, things simply can't always be full of sunshine and roses.

Don't get me wrong, I do love sharing funny stories, pictures and videos of Anna, which I will always do because I never run out of material!  But I have decided to allow myself to shake things up a bit when I feel the need. I'm not only going to be all warm and fuzzy because, while I do sometimes enjoy that, it's not what drives me or makes for my most compelling writing. So, I'm also going to be more edgy and raw and honest.

Anna's view of me, which she captured on my phone (along with her finger)

Reality Check Moments

Every now and then something comes along and stops you in your tracks, offering a heavy dose of perspective.  That happened to me this morning when I first became acquainted with the blog, Avery's Bucket List. It's a must-read.

I learned about the blog when I learned that baby Avery had passed away due to Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Her parents had known her life was probably going to be a short one, but they savored every moment and shared those moments with the world via their blog. Not only is it a touching and beautiful collection of memories, but it's also proved to be a major tool for raising awareness of this catastrophic and incurable disease.

I had never heard of it until this morning. Maybe you hadn't either. But now we know. And, thanks to this wonderful little girl and her remarkable parents, hopefully, this increased awareness will make a difference for other children and families.

It also is a wake-up call for those of us (like me) who sometimes get bogged down in our everyday stresses and forget to take a moment to just be grateful that our kids are healthy, and that they are in our arms every night. I'm going to take that moment now. And I'm going to hug my Annapie extra tight tonight.

Photo of Avery from averycan.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday to Uncle Keith!

We at MLWP want to give a birthday shout-out to Uncle Keith, who celebrates his special day today. Uncle Keith is not only one of my very best friends, but he is also adored by Anna and without him this blog would not exist.

So thanks for being so awesome, Uncle Keith, and have a fabulous birthday! We love you lots!!!

A Love Letter to Your Child

Today I want to share with you a wonderful post from the blog Momastery, which is now one of my favorite blogs. It contains one of the most beautiful, heartfelt expressions of love for one's child that I have ever read. Another blogger pointed me to it after I wrote the heated post, "We're Not Just Your Punching Bag." It was something I really needed to read.

The message is simple: love one another. The Bible says it. Cher says it. Countless other people have said it. But unless you really walk the walk and actually love your neighbors as yourselves without judging them, the words are hollow. The message is nothing without the application of its meaning.

Photo from readingacts.wordpress.com

A Mom + A Keyboard + The Internet = Power??

No, I'm not talking about myself. I just find it interesting that there are so many great parenting blogs today and am also surprised at the ways in which they can be influential.

My favorite blog, Single Dad Laughing, seems to make its mark more in the domain of advice and encouragement than anything else. The blogger shares stories, mostly about his son and family, that are funny, or thought-provoking, or really meaningful. Readers can really relate to his posts and take something from them.

Of course, there are a lot of "mommy blogs" too. Many of them also generate advice or relate anecdotes that I enjoy reading. One of my new favorite blogs is The Woven Moments, which you should really check out.

I also find that a number of mom blogs provide really creative ideas for entertaining your kid with fun projects or activities (see, for example, the melted snowmen) - very useful for those of us with toddlers who, with time on their hands, will quickly detour into mischief. Which is pretty much everyone with a toddler.

A Dialogue

Here's the deal. I'm having a bit of writer's block this week. Frankly, I'm amazed it hasn't happened before, given that I've been posting something almost every day since the beginning of June. It's a feeling I hate.

So, if you'll indulge me, I'll open myself up for a minute. I want this blog to be a success. I want to write something that matters, something that entertains, something that educates, something that resonates with you. When I get that feeling that I don't know what to write about, almost every time, it comes to me. Somehow, magically, it just works. Most of the time.

Photo from infobarrel.com

Seeing Is Believing?

I came across something yesterday about imparting religious or spiritual beliefs to our kids that really resonated with me.  As many of you know, I follow the blog "Single Dad Laughing" (SDL).  Well, yesterday, he posted an excerpt from his book, The Real Dad Rules, about how to share our beliefs with our kids. His thesis is that you shouldn't teach your kids what to believe - you should teach them how to believe.

I discussed this issue when we were examining Robert Epstein's article about what makes a good parent, and his top 10 areas of parental competency, which included religion. I discussed why I disagreed with that in the post, "Losing My Religion," but I also shared a viewpoint similar to SDL's. If you haven't had a chance to check out that post, please do.

What Makes a Parent?

Okay, today I’m going to do something a little unusual – I’m going to use my own blog to write about another blog.

The first parenting blog I ever read, before I started My Life With Pie, was Single Dad Laughing. I found it to be an amazing mix of humor, advice, and warmth, with a little justified ranting thrown in.  The really awesome thing about this site created by a single dad is that it’s only been in existence a little over a year, yet it has already attracted a huge number of followers and spawned a few books.

Yes, I can admit it…..I’m a little jealous.

Trying to Matter

While I was distracted by storm preparation this weekend, a milestone passed and I didn’t even realize it until this morning, now that the fog is clearing.

Our blog has published over 100 posts!

This is something I feel proud of because I have often asked myself over the last few years whether the things I am doing matter. Do you ever ask yourself that question?

Introverts Unite!

This is sort of an ironic title, given that we introverts aren't exactly the most comfortable in large crowds - even if they are comprised of our fellow introverts!

I came across an article by Jonathan Rauch in The Atlantic called "Caring for Your Introvert" - check it out if you have a moment. It's a little tongue-in-cheek vindication for those of us who are labeled "loners" and cause people to worry simply because we're not as gregarious as other people.

Attitude of Gratitude

This is one of those posts I wish I'd written myself, but alas, I can't claim any credit whatsoever.  I read Jim Higley's post, "Living Life With a Sense of Awe," this morning and loved it, so I had to share it with you.

It's so true that anyone can teach kids how to say rote things, like "thank you," but imparting the meaning behind the words is another story. We do need to cultivate in our children - and ourselves - an attitude of gratitude that goes beyond mere good manners. This is worth a read.

Please check out the post and also Mr. Higley's blog, Bobblehead Dad.

Thank You!

I just wanted to take a moment to send a shout-out to all of my friends and family who’ve been so supportive of this blog, and especially to all our readers so far!  Subtracting the 3 posts that aren’t really posts (such as the privacy policy), this is substantive post #50. I feel really great about that. 

I have been doing this for less than 2 months and have been working hard to create material that is engaging, heartwarming, at times humorous, and also thought-provoking.  Anna is my major source of inspiration, but I also draw so much from the comments I get from readers, and I really appreciate everyone who has taken the time to contribute feedback and comments on the posts. I really do want this blog to be informative and interesting as well as entertaining.  Generating a dialogue and developing a community of parents who can support and advise each other is important to me. Thank you all for participating!