The Year of Fireworks

Another year has come and gone here at Suburban Turmoil, and I have to say that 2011 has brought with it the biggest changes yet. If you had told me at the beginning of the year where I’d be now, I would have had a hard time believing you!

But before we press onward to 2012, let’s take a look back at 2011!

January started off with a bang when my family was attacked on a nature trail by a braying wildebeest. YES, REALLY.

An open letter I wrote to check writers at the supermarket created a lot of controversy in the comments (which are still un-migrated until I figure out how to get my DISQUS comments over from my old blog, ARGH).

I reached one of many breaking points regarding my family’s mess-making abilities and came up with a few passive-aggressive notes to convey my emotions.

And I ended the month causing more online hysteria by writing a post cleverly titled I Hated Breastfeeding. Deal with It.

In February, I wrote a brutally honest post about my faith, and many of you responded with wonderful comments that made me glad I posted it.

I pledged to be ALL up in my kids’ grills when they’re teens, regardless of what they or other parents think about it.

I tried to send my son to the Funny Farm, but was prevented from doing so.

And after five years of writing my Suburban Turmoil column for the Nashville Scene, I retired it in order to “pursue other projects” — a decision that ended up totally paying off. Don’t you love it when that happens?

March began with a near-death experience. I was almost killed by a supermarket balloon. STOP LAUGHING.

I made a pledge to spend 2011 figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, and it’s nice to look back and see that I’ve made progress in that direction.

My beautiful boy turned four.

I witnessed the best bookstore graffiti EVER, and of course shared it with all of you.

I threw down with a five-year-old and wrote one of my funniest posts ever regarding THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT POTTY TRAINING. They don’t tell you this stuff in the parenting books, folks, because if they did the childbirth rate would plummet.

And I wrote about the embarrassment every mom knows all too well: enduring the comments of a four-year-old while using a public restroom.

In April, my darling daughter turned seven. SEVEN! I started this blog when she was a baby, y’all!

A few days later, I came this close to becoming New Orleans’ next great burlesque dancer.

Bruiser had the milestone experience of getting a foreign object stuck up his nose. GAH.

And a new friend met an untimely demise.

May brought with it more perpelexing troubles that most every mother of a little boy knows all too well.

We prepared for a cicada invasion (which was every bit as disgusting as I had feared),  Bruiser invented his own theme song, and my own inner Tiger Mom reared her ugly head.

School let out in June and we celebrated with Crane Day, 2011.

We took an amazing trip to Hilton Head in June, inspiring posts about motherhood, 35 things to do in Hilton Head with your family, advice on how to turn a family vacation into a fun educational experience, and plenty of photos with my brand new camera lens.

Back at home, I created the World’s Greatest Summer Reading List with your help (bookmark this one, y’all),  marveled at the bond between my son and daughter and expressed my flash mob rage which, as it turned out, many of you share!

I also redesigned my blog in June and added a recipe tab, where I shared recipes for Chocolate Crackle Cookies and Scallops in Lemon Chive Butter (which we’re having for our New Year’s dinner tonight- YUM).

In July, I took a phone call from Nick Jonas (NO LIE.), and bemoaned the existence of that most awkward of social interactions: the friendly hug.

I inadvertently started another online war with a post on whether childless men should be hanging out at playgrounds (Um. NO.),

Next, I started a war with my husband over our thermostat, and then admitted that I LIKE the ‘No Kids Allowed’ movement.

Finally, I shared with you recipes for the perfect vidalia onion, rainbow fudge, peach carrot bread, and shrimp, mango and avocado salad.

August came around and I took a much-needed Girl Trip with some of my friends from high school (and later immortalized it on video for iVillage).

I went to BlogHer, where I  hosted an AMAZING CheeseburgHer Party in San Diego for thousands of bloggers, interviewed Bridesmaids star Wendi McClendon-Covey, and (accidentally!)  screamed like a baby in front of McDonalds’ CEO. EMBARRASSING.

BlogHer also inspired me to write a post wondering whether my balancing act between career and family was working (little did I know that this would only get worse in the months to come!) and another post offering you my very best blogging advice.

I went to Holiday World with the fam and questioned whether it was better than Disney.

I called for a curse on cursive, was relieved to discover that my daughter wasn’t growing up quite as fast as I feared, and admitted I didn’t mind my son climbing in bed with us each morning,

And I shared fabulous recipes for strawberry basil salad, blackberry cobbler, and party meatballs (my kids’ absolute favorite dinner). Yeah, August was a busy month.

September found me taking aim at moms who go a little too far when it comes to the Tooth Fairy, sharing my 9/11 experience for the first time ever, and writing about the sad reality that no one thinks your kid is cute but you.

The online Beth Moore Bible study I was participating in put me in a contemplative mood and I was reminded whose approval matters most. It’s a lesson I need to remember.

I was also reminded of how lucky I am to have two small children who deeply love one another.

I mourned the loss of Sara, known in the comments of this blog as Gitzen Girl, a young woman who changed my life and how I live it.

I learned an important lesson in dealing with rejection, one that seemed to resonate with many of you.

I told you why you might see me around without a wedding ring on and was asked the WORST QUESTION EVER.

I also shared recipes for tortellini salad with heirloom tomatoes, the best molasses cookie recipe in existence, healthy and delicious applesauce nut bread, and shockingly delicious zucchini chips that I swear YOUR KIDS WILL EAT!

In October, I wrote a post containing what might be the best advice I ever give you and went public with my shameful addiction.

I dealt with my son being left out shared my irritation with the school photo racket going on at his preschool.

It must’ve been the Month of Bruiser, because next I told the improbable story of how the kid took on every boy on our street (and won!) in a major brawl.

And I shared recipes for blueberry streusel muffins and fish tacos.

November rolled around and my posts really dropped off– Unfortunately, I couldn’t really tell you what was going on at that point, since the details were still being worked out.

Still, I managed to call out LeAnn Rimes for calling herself a ‘bonus mom,’ call for the creation of a Car Rider Justice Squad for every elementary school, and ask for the same respect for Christians that we all try to give people of other faiths.

By the end of the month, I was able to reveal the reason for my blog silence- a couple of exciting new jobs!

And I’ll admit that in December, I was mostly MIA from this blog. What was I doing, you ask? Well, let me tell you:

Shooting eleven episodes of a new comedy series for CafeMom’s new YouTube channel, for one thing!

Then there was that pesky thing called Christmas, which was an obvious timesuck– Miraculously, I did manage to get posts up on our hilarious Nutcracker experience and my son’s insistence that the Devil was making him peek at presents.

Finally, I was preparing for this, which I’ll be writing more about soon– a forum with Newt Gingrich in front of 100 moms in Iowa, which I moderated on Friday with pollster Frank Luntz. I wanted it to go well and I’d say my wish was granted- Every major media outlet showed up, it was broadcast live on C-Span, and it ended up being a top story on all the major news networks, newspapers, and websites on Friday and Saturday! WOW. What an end to the year!

So yes, this year has been full of surprises, and I’m sure that 2012 will hold many more. My new web series debuts on YouTube (along with the launch of its first round of ‘new original channels’) next week and I cannot WAIT for you all to see it. Through CafeMom’s Moms Matter initiative, we’re also scheduling more conversations with the presidential candidates. But the best part of all of this is that it couldn’t come at a better time for me personally — Even after the heady experience of helping the CafeMom team pull off a successful forum on Friday and seeing it covered everywhere I looked, the best part was coming home to my family, hugging my husband and snuggling with my kids. They are what matters most– everything else is just icing on the cake.

2011 really taught me that.

Thank you, my fabulous, supportive readers for hanging in there through the highs and lows of this year, and offering your encouragement and commiseration along the way. You all mean so much to me and I’m very, very grateful to be part of this community. Despite the fact that I’ve never met most of you, I truly think of so many of you as friends and I hope that you feel the same way about me. I wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope that 2012 is your best year yet.