The Best of 2013

It has been a bit of a whirlwind year for me. Things that I never saw coming, things I would have never even dared to dream about, began to happen in 2013.

It all started in April, when I had a story published in the National Post.

Then, the Toronto Sun/Sun Media newspaper chain offered me a guest column, which turned into a regular column, with a focus on parenting and education. The ability to write weekly and have such a wide platform to share my ideas and my writing is truly a dream come true and I am so grateful for it.

Then magazines started showing interest- with some of my favourites including a profile on a craft brewery, life lessons from 10 years of marriage, the story of a Canadian beauty queen, and surviving a road trip with young kids.

But then, in what was really a shock to me, radio and TV came calling. I was asked to be a frequent guest on radio, discussing topical issues (usually based on my newspaper column) and I began to make appearances on news-based television (this I was particularly proud of). I also began doing some lifestyle television appearances, discussing the best "new mom" Christmas gifts on Daytime (link to come shortly).

And then there was my blog.

I have always been so thankful for this space and the people that come by faithfully to read it. When I began this blog in 2009, I was an exhausted, frustrated new mother. I was unsure what I was doing but I knew I needed a place to vent.

I started with a total of 10 readers.

And then it expanded beyond anything I could imagine.

In 2010, I hit 1000 readers. I couldn't believe that 1000 people were interested in what I had to say.
But then, in 2011, 2012 and 2013, I expanded to numbers I could not have even wished for. Thank you, thank you for reading!

Some of the most popular posts in 2013 have included:

Facebook: Is it time to quit? - a post where I discuss the benefits but immense drawbacks of Facebook and suggest that maybe it's time I take a break (spoiler alert: I don't)

Letting Them Down- the second most popular post I have every written in this space. I love my kids but working from home and juggling life is sometimes a real struggle…and sometimes I feel like I'm letting everyone down.

Best new mom Christmas gifts- a non-sponsered post of all the best stuff to get new moms at Christmas (or anytime during the year!)

Eating Raw - a collection of posts chronicling my experiences eating raw vegan (includes some video recaps).

Debt Secrets- got debt? so do we…so do lots of people.

BUT the all-time most popular blog post I have ever written is still:

MEAN GIRLS - I sometimes regret I wrote this post…only because there was a small handful of people in my life who decided it was about them (it wasn't). They tried to call me out on it and in the end it likely ruined my relationship with them. It broke my heart for quite a while that these girls would assume I wrote it about them- but it also made me question how "mean girl" had they been to me (and how oblivious had I been)?  This post was more of an eye-opener for me than I planned for it to ever be- and it has been both a positive and negative experience.

And 2014?
Well, it will be exciting. I hope I'm still writing. I hope I am still invited to do TV and radio from time to time. I hope you will still be watching this space because I have a lot of fun, exciting, scary, real things to share with you!


Oh ya, and if I didn't get to say it in real life…

Merry Christmas! I hope your Christmas was as full of love and laughter as mine was!
xo