I usually save the contests for that other little blog o’ mine, but today I’m going to do one here. Just because. It’s at the end of this post. OH, THE SUSPENSE! Don’t hurt yourself!
It has long been our dinner tradition to go around the table and have each family member share the best and worst parts of his or her day. It’s not only a nice way to reconnect after the hubbub of daily life, but it provides a much-needed break from telling the kids to stop bickering or exhorting them to actually eat some of their food. Of course, some days it’s easier than others to come up with something to share. Occasionally a child will say “THE BEST PART OF MY DAY WAS” and then list off ten different things. This doesn’t quite conform to the rules and the standard definition of “best,” but I like it. Other times a child will say “THE WORST PART OF MY DAY WAS” and then list off ten different things, and then everyone cries. It’s an adventure, is my point.
Recently we’ve started a new game. We go around the table and pay each other compliments.
This is harder than it sounds. We designate a person and then the other three people are each to say something complimentary and SPECIFIC about them. It’s sort of a work-in-progress, as the children learn what’s acceptable and also what it means to really tune in rather than going for the easy line.
Too General: “You are awesome!”
(It’s a nice sentiment, but doesn’t really require much thought.)
Too General And Too Suck-Up-Ish: “You’re the greatest stepdad I’ve ever had!”
(Also a nice sentiment, but he’s the ONLY stepdad you’ve ever had. Also, your nose is brown.)
Less General But Sort of Backhandedly Teasing: “I really like the way you have NOT eaten ANY ANIMALS today!”
(Please do not taunt the vegetarian.)
Specific, Yet Disgusting: “You did a great job keeping all of your boogers inside your nose today!”
(I’m trying to eat, here. Seriously.)
Specific, Complimentary, Resulting In Happy Children: “I’m really proud of how conscientious you’ve been this week about practicing piano,” or “I love how polite you’ve been on the way to school, recently.”
(A little praise goes a long way, sometimes.)
Specific, But Goofy: “You made me laugh when you poked at the chicken in the pan and said you were trying to make it cluck.”
(Humor goes even further some days.)
Specific, But Mean: “It was awesome when you STOPPED TALKING and I didn’t have to listen to you anymore!”
(Clearly we still have some work to do….)
Anyway, we’re all enjoying it (with a few exceptions). Yesterday my compliment to Otto was that I loved that he asked me on a date in my blog comments. And then my daughter may have called us geeks. And she may have been right. See? Fun!
So! Let’s have a contest! I have a great big girl-crush on a writer named Kelly Corrigan, and you’ve probably run across this little video of her on YouTube and if you have a soul, you have a girl-crush on her, too. She’s the author of the New York Times Bestselling book The Middle Place, and if you haven’t read it yet, you should do so IMMEDIATELY.
Oh, hey—I have a signed copy to give away to one lucky reader! All you have to do for a chance to win is leave me a compliment in the comments by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, February 4th, 2009, and I will select the one I like the best as the book winner.
Extra special bonus: Starting at noon (Eastern), Kelly will be participating live in a chat about The Middle Place over at The Daily Grommet, so don’t miss your chance to “meet” her over there, too!
Okay, I hope you were paying attention to the little lesson about compliments, above. Heh.
Mir,
You are very pretty.
Also, I open each day with reading your posts and your writing makes me happy. Thank you!!
I believe you to be more sarcastically funny than I am. I consider that the highest compliment of them all. :)
I have 5 blogs programmed into my phone. 2 are yours. You are very pretty!
Mir,
The way you approach difficut situations and subjects with your children give me the confidence that I will be able to do the same with my children. Thank you for putting it out there. Oh, and you are very pretty and have great hair today!
I admire your bravery in packing up your life and moving to an entirely different area of the country because you believe in love.
Oh Mir, our holiday celebration was a testament to just how skilled you are at that other little blog o’ yours. I have been meaning to tell you how very much it meant to our family to know about so many bargains during this very difficult economic time. (I may have loved you just a little tiny bit too much, but hey, someone has to help out this economy.)
You make me want to be a better woman/mother/writer.
Mir, I love your down-to-earth parenting style and hope that when my kids get older you will come and give them ‘the talk’. I seriously dread that!
Your blog puts a smile on my face alot. Thanks for that!
You’re so pretty! Also, I appreciate that you make me laugh at the absurdity of life when otherwise I’d be crying.
Dear Mir,
My family thinks I have a friend named Mir that they’ve just never met because I refer to you so often! Thank you for writing so poignantly, so amusingly and so why-didn’t-I-say that-ly that I feel that I know you. Also, you are very clever. You have inspired me to spend the rest of my morning coming up with a way to get my friends and family to tell me how wonderful I am. Because occasionally they forget to mention it.
Mir,
I come to your blog every morning as soon as I can. I really look forward to it. There is something about your writing style and your geekiness that pulls me in emotionally. I am a bit geeky myself. I have a son Monkey’s age and enjoy hearing your reactions (usually better than mine) to the same things I am faced with every day. Your blog helps me to appreciate my family, feel their love and give it back to them. Thank you!
I love the way you parent your children. You inspire me to be a better parent!
Let’s see. I love how you are so adept at handling all the difficult things that life has thrown at you, doing it with a sense of humor, and then writing about it in a way that makes all of us want to take you home in our pocket, so that we could learn how to do it, too.
I like your writing style. I also like that your blog is uncluttered with buttons, etc. I think you are realistic about your children and their strengths and weaknesses. You write honestly about everything, but I like the way you keep certain things under wraps — your ex-husband, the lawyer negotiation you attended where you owed alot of money. You mentioned sensitive incidents, but don’t give details. I respect your choices.
I would love to know how you became a successful, well-travelled blog. Still working on this one myself.
I love the way you find humor is the disasters of life. it often makes me stop and think about how I’m responding to them.
Mir, you singlehandedly saved us a bundle at Christmas, while my daughter STILL ended up getting more stuff. Your writing is both poignant and funny–and while my husband is in Iraq, anything that makes me laugh has to be twice as funny as it was, say, this time last year. You are rearing children that give me hope for my daughter when she is of that fun, pre-teen age.
Also, as the world knows, you are pretty. :)
Mir, I am astounded by your ability to manage working at home, taking care of your family and still find the time to entertain us one this here blog almost daily!
Your work encourages me to believe I have something worthwhile to share, too.
What an incredibly important skill – helping others to believe in themselves. You do it everyday here at wouldacoulda. And everyday with your children.
You’re welcome!
Yesterday’s post about shopping was probably the funniest blog post I have ever read. :)
You are not only pretty, you make me laugh. And sometimes cry. Those are all good things, I promise.
Mir – I start my day reading both your blogs. You find me the best deals and make me laugh about the mundane things of life
As a mom with two kids a few years behind yours in ages, I love reading your kids stories and life lessons. Not just for the helpful tips and anecdotes, but to know that I am probably not ruining my kids either being a big ol strict meanie!
You are a very pretty and fact- and fun-filled mentor when the time comes for me to have a mammogram, which will be soon. Not that I’ve actually SEEN your boobs, but I’m sure they’re pretty too. I’ll let Otto comment on the prettiness of your boobs.
I LOVE that you LOVE the Sox…………almost as much as I do
Your blogs are always the first ones I read. Reading about your happy family AND getting the best deals online makes my day!
I look forward to seeing your blog in my reader every morning, because you always have a well-written, entertaining post. Thank you!
I like the relationship that you have with your dad. One of the best things about reading your blog is seeing your dad’s commnets. You can tell that you have a great realtionship that was cultivated over years. It is something that not everyone is lucky to have.
I wanna win a book!
Also, my husband has never once left a comment on my blog, much less asked me for a date on it (actually I don’t remember the last time he asked me for a date period). Otto gets big geek points from me!
I like how you make me feel like I have a potential friend in Atlanta, because you put into words all my own insecurities, failures, triumphs and crazy-making times but you do it through a very, very funny and compassionate lens. Plus, you love your family to pieces even when they drive you nuts, but you can admit how damn hard it is to get through certain situations. It’s a great gift you give me every time you blog, so thanks!
Mir, your writing and stories of your life have touched mine. I start my workday by reading your blog, and your strength and struggles inspire me to keep on swimming through my own.
Thank you!
I love how, at the Decatur Book Festival, you told me you read my blog. That made me feel good. (Compliments beget compliments!) :)
Mir- I have a copy of the book on hold at the library- so take me out of the running for the book :)
However :)
Your wit and wisdom in dealing with your custody issues have helped me get through the last 8 months dealing with my own with my sanity and sense of humor intact and have helped me focus on the positive and important things. I could not have done it without you. Thank you.
You’re pretty and you have helped me score some great deals on that other website of yours. Both of your sites are a must read for me daily.
You have awesome kids!
Mir,
I’ve loved reading your blog (while at work, shhhh!). Hope everything is peachy (haha) in Georgia, and keep up the awesome work.
You have very pretty teeth! (No, that’s sincere! Don’t brand me with the goofy label!) And also? I really like that your desk is as messy as mine. It’s honest (therefore I trust you), plus it makes me feel better about the state of my own messy freelancer desk.
Am I just digging myself in a hole here?
You are very gracious and patient with stalker fangirls such as myself. ;)
Your hair is shiny! And nice!
Mir,
No one makes me spew my morning coffee like you.
Specific, with admiration: Mir, you are shameless.
I love books! And your compliment idea is wonderful.
Mir – I love the way you can be open and honest about not only your feelings, but your flaws (and your family’s flaws) as well. It would be too easy to post only the good things about your kids (guilty, but my mom reads my blog), and make us jealous of your perfect children. Instead, you show us your family, warts and all, and remind us that we’re not the only ones who want to sell our children to the gypsies from time to time. And I love that.
Oh – and you’re very pretty.
You have a pretty yet mischievous smile.
LOL @ Susan!
Also, no one makes me think of bacon like you do? I think this one fits the “specific but bizarre” category…
Mir, thank you so much for sharing Kelly Corrigan with us all! I’m going to forward that link on to my mom and her “pigeons” immediately. Mir, book contest aside, I am full of compliments for you. I’m aware of how suck-up-y that sounds, but it’s true. I’ve referred tons of friends to your blog. We all love to read you, because you make us feel real, and alive. You have a gift for storytelling! Thank you for sharing your life with us all.
Mir,
I love that you write so well, that your blog attracts intelligent readers who have already complimented you on the things that I would have had I been commenter 1-40. Things like:your high intelligence quotient, your wit and wisdom, your artfulness in parenting, your good sense in choosing a mate, your style, and your parentage. To sum up, I like you. You’re neat-o!
..ppssstt…I haven’t read any other compliments for fear of tainting my originality..but then again I’m sure everyone is going to say what an amazing, insightful, funny, role model you are. Your writings evoke all sort of memories in me from my years raising children as well as experiences I had at your age. When I compare what you do or say to what I did, I come up lacking BUT my sons and their families are alive and well and most enjoyable to me – If *I* have made it and blessed with happiness, I can predict with certainty a marvelous life ahead for you! ..and you have pretty shoes too.
You have a wonderful way of talking through your writing and most of all, you’re a genuine mom, wife, and woman trying to be the best she can be.
Mir,
There are only 26 letters in the alphabet, yet you are able masterfully arrange them each day so that they cause a veritable smorgasbord of emotions in us, your readers. When I click, I never know if I will leave here laughing or weeping, but I always feel something. Oh, yeah.. and you’re pretty too.
Mir..My pretty one…Your blog is my favorite blog because you are so REAL. Is the house next door to you still for sale? If so, I would love to have you as my neighbor. You are just too cool for words!
Oh the pressure! Which means I’m not actually reading the other comments (which I normally do) and will therefore repeat what has been said ad nauseaum.
You live and write with humanity and with integrity and you are teaching your children to live the same way. I can’t think of a higher compliment than that!
Your description of the compliments reminded me of one of my favorite movie scenes. Movie is “Roxanne”.. and Steve Martin and his Big Nose is trying to come up with 20 “Something betters” than the “Hey, Big Nose” from some oafish extra. Made me laugh out loud. If you have never seen it, its on YouTube… worth your time.
That said, the thing I enjoy most about you and your blog is your unique way of putting things. Not sure if it is your writing style, or story-telling (or if they are even different things), or the fact that I get most of your nerdy and pop-culture references (being of similar age, and a serious geek). Best compliment I can give is this: If you write it, I will read it.
You are a remarkable writer. Please pick me!
reading your blog makes me want to be a better writer. i really admire the knack you have of making any story–sad, poignant, hilarious, or heartwarming–leap off of the page and live. it’s a true gift.
Mir,
Through your writing, you let me know that it’s OK to be less than perfect and you show me the strength to keep trying to be the best I can.
I have the book on reserve at the library, so take e out of the running. I just wanted to let you know what you mean to me.
Your writing is inspirational music to my soul.
I like that you can admit when you’re wrong.
I sooo am in need of a good book to read. :) Thanks Mir.
I start my morning at work reading your blog thank you for making me laugh, even snorting my morning diet dp from the unexpected funnies.
I really like your style of writing. It makes me feel like I am right there with you and in the moment!
I read you every day, and many days you inspire my own blog fodder. No matter what, you always make me think.
I’m impressed by the way you support your vegetarian child, even though you are an omnivore. I’m not sure I’d be able to do that.
I think your sense of family values grab me the most. It was the first thing I noticed when I stopped by. The second thing I found was that I liked your humor. You add just enough sarcastic wit, irony or whatever to any situation at just the right time. And your writing is just wonderfully done. I stop by everyday because I enjoy all that.
Thanks for the inspiration. I’m thinking of wonderful things to say to my family tonight.
Mir,
Your blog makes me laugh more than any other. Your stories about your family give me hope that I’ll live through this child-raising experiment too.
You are very generous!
Thank you for making me laugh almost every morning. I start my day with you, and sometimes, I check back and see if there are new things that I missed. Thanks for sharing the bargins, I got some GREAT deals this Christmas. And thanks for making me feel not so alone.
I love your writing and your story-telling — both bring me to laughter and tears weekly and give me the strength and inspiration to get through some hard days. And I’m absolutely serious here — not just buttering you up to get that book which I really really really want.
I love that more often than not I can completely relate with your stories and can find new ideas with dealing with such fun things right here! For Free!
I love the fact that you are such a consistent blogger who posts almost every single day! Your writing gives me quite an entertaining little break from my mundane workday. Thanks! (Oh, and pick me!)
I love that you do the happy/sad thing. We do it before bed as part of our wind down ritual every night. It helps us all reconnect with each other before we head off to sleep.
My compliment to you is: I admire the way you find the humor in everything and can tell a story that seems so real to me that it is almost like I was there. A lot of times that is because the same thing happened in our house just with different people, but there is no way I could tell the story quite as well as you do every single day. I also love your hair but that doesn’t feel like a compliment that means anything so I’ll stick with the first one even though I mean both.
Mir,
I love how your mind works – it is a perfect blend of sarcasm, humor, and compassion for life’s greatest reality: it ain’t always fair. We too do the best/worst thing and now I am going to implement your compliments idea – good show!
Karma kicks ass…and so do you. You tickle my funny bone on a daily basis.
You are an awesome writer and one of the first blogs i ever started reading daily. I’ve been reading you for about 5 years now, and am entertained every time.
Mir,
I read your blog every day. You inspire me with the way you parent. My daughter could be Chickadee’s twin, which as you know makes parenting an adventure every day. I love your patience, humor, and loving way you deal with both the good times and the not so good.
Shoot, you took my booger one. Mir, I like the way you have made me appreciate shoes. You have made my day bright and my feet pretty.
You make me want to be a better writer. (Or “you complete me?”)
Dear Mir – I appreciate how you moved from the frozen north to the fabulous south and have learned to love and embrace it in all it’s suthen’ weirdness. You even eat grits. All I can say is, wow
I love your sense of humor in every situation that arises, you never fail to bring a smile to my face.
and of course, you’re pretty! ;0)
Mir,
I am new to your blog via Chris (Notes from the Trenches). I love you blog as much as hers. I love how you like to share and want to give a book away. I love books. Thank you.
Wheew, ok so how did I do?
I have yet to come here and not smile, your writing is one of the highlights of my day.
you make me laugh. you are an excellent writer and too frickin’ funny.
I really like reading about how you parent your children. It makes me want to parent better and wish that you would write a parenting book. I was dealing with an issue the other day and thought to myself…I know Mir would know exactly what to say in this situation. Thanks for sharing your life.
Well of course you are pretty and I love your shoes. But I also love the way you make me laugh and smile every day. Your writing is funny and heartwarming and makes me want to be a better mother.
We used to do this in my family when I was a kid. You had to say something nice about the people sitting next to you. Poor mom…every. single. time. one of my brothers would compliment her saying ” Mom is a good cook” Self preservation is good – she kept cooking for us – but the creativity was just never there.
I just want to say “THANK YOU” for being so candid in your daily blogs. You have no idea how much it helps me personally and makes me realize our little family is totally normal (whatever that is!) I should have said this long ago and I’m sorry that it took this contest to do it.
Mir,
You made me realize that the fact that I was spanked as a child does not mean that I have to spank my children. Thank you. And my children thank you too.
I love how you show the work that it takes to make a family, warts and all.
My compliment is simple yet heartfelt … you are a lot of fun.
I love that I can not only get great advice here but always find laughs along the way!
Thanks Mir!
I love the way you write. It speaks to me more often than not. Makes me feel like I am not the only one in this sometimes very difficult parenting boat!
My favorite two compliments are the first compliments I received from each of my own kids (when they were somewhere between the ages of 18 months and 2 years): “Mommy have pretty eyes” and “I like Mommy shirt.” Mir, you have pretty eyes and I like your shirt.
Also, this is the only blog (other than my own) whose entire archive I’ve read. (I think only one person I don’t know IRL has done that for mine and it really made my day when she told me she had.)
I appreciate that you are transparent in sharing both the ups and downs of life, but still protect the privacy of your kids as much as you can – it is a difficult balancing act, and you do it exceptionally well!
I know that we’ve only met in real life a couple of times, but there’s something that I’ve wanted to tell you for years, and I haven’t had the courage … but now …
… I love how you have absolutely no foot odor. If only I could get my feet to smell as good. Really.
Mir,
It’s hard to what I like best, because you have so many quirky…er, lovable?…traits to choose from!
Seriously, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your lesson in viewing life’s less likable moments as Blog Fodder. I couldn’t have gotten through some scrapes without that particular vantage point!
Alternate answer… I love that you’re a Pats fan. It *almost* makes up for the fact that you LIKE living outside of New England!
I really like the way I can come read your blog and laugh, or cry, or learn something about parenting. Or about what NOT to do in parenting!
how was that?
I look forward to reading your blog everyday! It’s in my top 3. Thank you for being such a funny yet serious writer.
I enjoy reading your blog each day because I love how you can express your life in such a real way. As a SAHM to young & exuberant children, it’s nice to have a different perspective on motherhood and it has helped to make me feel a little less isolated. Even though I am just a blog stalker and you don’t even know me, your writing has made a difference in my life. Thank you.
**P.S. I’m not expecting to win the book, I just wanted to thank you for sharing your talents. ;o)**
Mir,
I love the way you give me better ways to parent my children every day.
Thank yoU!
Hi Mir–
You’re my favorite blogger on the internets, and are at the top of my “Favorites” links (yes, I know, I could use RSS or some such, but I just like my Favorites). I check your blogs several times a day, whether it’s because I’m looking for a bargain or looking for a laugh–or, often, both.
But–my biggest compliment to you is that I think you’re a super-great mom. (And that’s a big compliment, because I think I have the world’s greatest mom.) I’ve told more than one person how much I admire various aspects of your parenting style. In particular, I love that you let Monkey keep his hair long even though those around you respond strangely. Those stories are some of my favorites because it always starts with you saying, “I knew where this was going when X person saw Monkey…” and it always ends with Monkey shrugging and dealing with the weirdo person in a not only gracious, but amusing way.
Thanks for all the great writing you’ve done. Look how many people luuurrrve you!
Hi Mir,
I get to work each day and get excited to check my favorite things online, with this site leading the list. Your humor, your parenting stories… they make my day better.
Thank you,
Kelly
Not to win, but just to say it:
Mir, over the past three years that I have been reading your blog, you have impressed me with your commitment to personal growth. Through your struggles as a single mom, unemployment, near-poverty, and the normal challenges that living brings, you’ve constantly strived (strove? striven?) to learn from your experiences, express and understand your feelings, handle it better the next time, and continue to grow even when it is painful to do so. You have used life’s lessons not just to learn, but to teach the rest of us by writing honestly about it. I am constantly inspired by your honesty, compassion, humor, integrity and love.
And you’re pretty, too!
I’m not lusting after your “chick book” prize but couldn’t pass the opportunity to heap some “daddy praise” on you.
I admire the way you handle your many gifts and your few shortcomings. I admire that you’ve learned to count your lucky stars more often then you whine. I admire that you can make the damnest things hilarious. I love your complexity. There just isn’t anyone I could be prouder to have as a daughter.
You are a great story teller. Thank you for sharing your life with us!
I just stumbled upon your blog less than a week ago and I absolutely love it. Thank you for sharing with us, the interwebs.
You are so pretty and you write well :-) I’d love the book!
I appreciate how you remind me that life is sometimes not easily explained. No matter how I feel that day or how alienated in my mothering skills I may feel you remind me I am part of a tribe of women who are alike in so many ways. I belong and I’m ok. You remind me that.
Many time I have been moved to tears while reading this blog (usually at work) and you have a gift for capturing the of the beauty of parenting, even through the difficult, want to kill them and eat them, times.
I love your honesty.
You’re pretty, stylish, and have a lovely singing voice.
Mir – I have a whole folder in my Favorites dedicated to you and your fantastic mothering. I know that I will use the “Mir reference library” when I encounter those tricky situations that you have been so kind to share with all of us. My children are 6, 5 & 3 and I look forward to using this guide in the future to help me get through.
Also, I just finished my book and am looking for something new to start. Pick me, pick me.
From what I can tell here, this little place that you write, you are one of those women I’d love to transcend with.
Don’t need the book, but I admire that you can work through the issues of womanhood, parenthood, and spousehood in such an approachable and inspiring writing style.
Hello Mir,
You are not only a wonderfully funny writer, you are also a much better person in general. You are a very good teacher to your kids and also a good motivator. Your posts always inspire me to find and look for the good like the ‘break thru love’ post and the funny man nose and glasses post. love them.
Also thank you for taking time out and replying to my corn-syrup email to you. It shows that you truly are considerate.
thank you for being such an inspiration. and it doesnt hurt to have cute curls and be pretty too! :)
Your writing makes me smile every time I read it, and it often makes me laugh out loud as well…no mean feat.
You make me feel like that whole blended family thing will come out OK in the end, if I ever get remarried.
AND I’m glad you submitted some entries in _Sleep Is for the Weak_, because it led me to this blog. (I don’t know if that counts as a compliment or not, but I do know that’s the only book I’ve made time to read cover-to-cover since my toddler was born…so thanks!)
Dear Mir,
Your blog is the first one I read every day because I can relate to you in your struggle to be a great mom. You come up with the words I wish I could come up with. But now – NOW I find out that you are also a Kelly Corrigan fan??!!?? I KNEW we had a lot in common, but this is fabulous news. I’ve been a KC fan for a long time. To find out that 2 of my favorite writers have joined forces — all is right with the world.
Thank you for a wonderful way to begin my day, every day.
I admire how you take care in all the things you do – writing well, parenting well, and paying attention to your marriage. Keep up the good work and good example!
Well, aren’t you just the purtiest! (I suppose you’d file that in the brown nose category…)
You make me laugh, and cry, and think. Thank you for sharing your family stories.
What I think is so great about the internets (and you) is that we (women) can rally virtually: we can laugh and cry and worry and exalt together right through this here computer. There’s always someone right at your fingertips who can point you toward a good book, a great recipe for turkey meatballs, or a funny video. Of course, yours is the blog I turn to first every day. Here, I find writing with heart and humor along with scores of readers who have funny and insightful comments of their own. Anyone who thinks online connections aren’t real just hasn’t read your blog and seen your legions of fans, all who benefit from your writing and find joy, laughter and wisdom here regularly. I am a better mom for having found your blog. Thank you for continuing to make us laugh and think every day.
Mir,
You are friendly to strangers who you may never meet, and you pull us together so that we feel we are not alone.
Thank you.
You are a great mom. No, you’re not perfect, but none of us are. You are human. I love that you put forth such a sweet effort such as the compliments/how was your day at dinner-time. Your kids will always remember those traditions.
Mir – your hilarious blog inspired me to start my own. And…you’re really pretty… and look! Something shiney!….
..and I wish I were as hilarious as you!
I admire how you find humor in nearly all situations, and how you translate that to your writing (being specific – the posts about your kids’ schools are funny and poignant, and I can feel your frustration when they fail and your delight when they succeed).
the timing of this is so awesome — i just returned it to my library. i borrowed it via inter-library loan and had to return it before i had the chance to get all the way thru it (i only had 2 weeks and no renewals). it’s on wait list and i just about bought a copy two nights ago when i saw it was out in paperback now. please please please, let it be me!!
Mir,
I wanna be you when I grow up, and being that I’m pretty awesome already, that’s a HUGE compliment to you. (See how I complimented us both there? See?) ;-)
ack and i totally forgot to add my compliment at the end of my diatribe. i hope this doesn’t disqualify me!
you are a gorgeous blogger who saved me so much money this Christmas season (and all year long) — you (and your writing) rock(s)!!
The best compliment I can give is that I read both blogs everyday and always take away something useful – a laugh, a bargain, etc. Also, I just watched the Corrigan video and would love to have the book.
Your blogs all make me smile, but I think I like this one the best because it makes me feel like I’m not the only perfect/rotten/favorite/evil/helpless/confident/stylish/frumpy mother out there doing my best and hoping it’s good enough :)
Pretty, pretty Mir. My question is when are YOU going to write a parenting book? That would rock and I’d totally beg you to give away signed copies on your blog. Seriously, I’d actually buy it–in hardcover–with no discount.
Too much? Yeah, I thought so. But I do think you’d write a great parenting advice with humor book.
I love your shoes!!!
I have told lots of people your story about getting pregnant by the dad peeing in the mommy’s butt. Love that story!!!
I am particularly impressed with how much you worked out your smooth muscles today.
No pain no gain right?
Mir-
You are an awesome parent. No really. You make dinner and everyone sits at the table and you do more than reprimand the kids for their lack of table manners. I am in awe. I am contemplating serving cereal or pasta (for the third time this week) for dinner.
Meredith (also in GA)
Mir,
You are pretty and funny, and pretty funny, too!
Thanks for writing – you provide a GREAT read…. and I agree with Robyn. When are you going to write a funny parenting book?
Mir-
I’ve been reading your blog for about a year now and I LOVE it! I also read Want Not and I always try to win over there. Not so much with the winning though :( Buttt, I do love to read! And would love if I got a book! :)
Thanks for the funny!
Your writing makes me strive to be the best mother I can be. I pray that I will embrace my children’s impending pre-adolescence with the thoughtfulness, humor, grace and humility you share with your readers. Thanks for the stories.
I WOULDA told you you are pretty, but everyone else said it first.
I COULDA told you you’re a fantastic writer, but that’s pretty obvious.
I SHOULDA come up with something original, but I lack creativity, so I’ll just tell you how much I have always looked forward to your posts.
I check your blog everyday because I love the way you write. It makes me smile & feel normal. Thanks
Mir, you are one of the prettiest bloggers I do not know! :O)
Mir,
You’ve taught me a few tricks about how to be a better mother. I’ve saved bundles on gifts for the family last Christmas. Most of all, you’re pretty.
I read daily, because your blog reminds me that we all have problems, and that, if we look at them a certain way, we can laugh. And thus get through them.
Also, your shoes are pretty.
I am in awe about how well you can handle your business.
And you have the most gorgeous husband ever.
Too brown-noseish?
I read daily as well. You are funny, and my kind of parent!
I need some new reading material!
I hope that I have the capacity to parent with the level-head, sense of humor, and open mind that you seem to have with your children.
Roses are red
Violets aren’t yellow
You sure were smart
to marry that Otto fellow
Tulips are pink
buying shoes is fun
Your skill as a writer
is second to none
Daisies are white
Bacon is yummy
The things your kids do
are both poignant and funny
Roses are red
your hair is not gray
reading your blog
always makes my day.
Mir,
I found your blog this summer when my marriage began to rapidly fall apart; I went back and read it all from the start. You made me laugh, you made me cry, but most of all you made me believe I could get through it and find something better on the other side (still waiting!). I admire your humor, your faith, your fierce love for your children, and your (self-effacing) strength.
Best of all, your blog has inspired me to give serious thought to how I might turn a life-long love of writing into something more than a fantasy. Thank you.
I admire the way you mother and hope to impart some of your lessons in my own home. And you’re pretty, too!!! Thanks, Mir!
You are a skilled writer who knows how to make us laugh, cry, or sympathize appropriately. You do not pretend to be someone you are not, but you know what to share, and what not to share.
I’m so thankful I found your blog some 2 years ago…
Your blog makes me laugh. I think you are a gifted writer, and I like how you are down to earth. You aren’t perfect and don’t pretend to be.
I like your curly hair and you are a great writer.
Mir,
I love the way you can write about mundane daily life and make it sound so funny. You also make dealing with my daughter a little bit easier to stomach because I feel like I’m not the only one with a child like that.
Mir, I like how your blog makes me feel like part of a group of mothers who are trying to love and raise their children. It is inspiring.
I appreciate how you make me laugh and cry and realize that I’m not crazy. (Or at least if I’m crazy I’m not alone in my craziness).
Mir – I love that your family does best part/worst part. My mom made us do that on every family vacation (even going so far as best/worst moments) and although we rolled our eyes at her, we loved it. It was a great way to end our vacations. Now we do “best part” every night with our five-year-old when we tuck her into bed at night (we avoid having a worst part in her mind as she goes to sleep).
I also love that you very unabashedly had an open and honest sex talk with your kids, and have such good explanations of life for them.
And I love that my husband – who doesn’t read blogs, including mine – read and laughed his way through yesterday’s shopping post. That made my day. :-)
I really like the title of your blog and the banner graphics.
Yours is the very first blog I ever read, and with your wonderful writing you introduced me to a delightful world to lurk in. You, however, set the bar so high, that I often wonder why I scroll through some other sites!
i really enjoy reading about how much chickadee is growing up and how you both are handling the transition. oh, and your stories about how much you love otto warm the cackles of my cold heart. (those and hearing how much someone else loves food ;))
Your blog is the one that reminds me to check all my bookmarked blogs every day, because I look forward to your humor. It’s the kind a lot of non-teenage mothers are missing. (And I love the stories about your kids. They’re so adorable!)
You are bright and shiny AND update this blog better than everyone else I read. You also apparently have great skin now that you motorize/brush it clean?
But, the poem lady above has to win. Too cute! And she referenced bacon.
Mir,
You are the mom I want to be and the writer I want to be. Thank you for the inspiration.
Not only are you smart and oh-so-pretty, but you’ve really helped me and my husband be better shoppers and more savvy consumers. You always elicit a response in me to your blogs, be it a good, hearty laugh or an understanding nod or a tearful sob. You are my favorite “regular” blogger and my favorite “deals, deals, deals” blogger, and you are always the first two blogs I look for in my Reader every day.
This is the perfect opportunity for me to thank you for being such an open blogger and for caring not only for those in your immediate surroundings but also, in many ways, for those of us who are only pixels on a screen to you.
This is funny, I was just speaking to a friend of mine, mutual reader, about you. I will share my compliment here. I love how creative you are with the nicknames you give your children and their friends! Your writing is fantastic and entertaining but I think your creative nicknames are the best.
You make me laugh and sometimes cry and I learn all of the stuff I get to “look forward to” as my little one grows up. I love being a *little* part of your family on the web. AND I can sympathize with curly hair and palate expanders!
Thanks for sharing your world!
Mir – I found your blog in a Redbook article during a particularly hard point in my life. I started reading your blog and found that I could relate, as if you were living my life a couple years earlier. I spent the month of August reading your archives and fell in “girl love” with a person who inspired me to keep on keeping on. If you could make it through everything, then so could I. I firmly believe things happen for a reason, and I believe I was “directed” to you. Thanks for allowing me to vicariously live your life and take heart that, this too shall pass. I don’t know if this is a compliment, but something that I have wanted to say for a while!
Have a spectacular day!!
Mir,
You’re raising kind, generous, compassionate, and wildly funny children who seem to handle things with a fair share of salt grains.
I can only hope the same for my twins (and me)!
You are my something shiny!
Mir, you are so beautiful & have the best blog in the world!! I read it every day!!
You know how you sometimes write about doing anything and everything but your work — well YOU are that TO ME…YOU keep me from PULLING MY HAIR OUT AND CRYING LIKE A BABY sometimes. Nice to know I – -“we” — are not alone and there are other people out there JUST LIKE US… dorky, moody, but cute, confident, not so confident, blah blah blah.. you get it.
Dear Mir,
you write the best
your kids are grand
and now you have Otto
to give you a hand
my first stop is your blog
to begin my day
and if you haven’t posted
I’l read old posts anyway
I’d bake you cookies
and make you tea
if when you came north
you would visit with me
but since you can’t come
for me to cook
the least you can do
is give me a book!
Mir, you are one of the funniest, most articulate bloggers I have come across, and you’re always at the top of my “must-read” list on Bloglines. I love to hear about how you are raising your gifted, but challenging kids, and it gives me inspiration as I raise mine, who are a year or two behind yours.
Mir, I love the way you can take life and bring out the best in everyone. You are very good at that.
I love my mama like I love my next breath, but if I had to go back and pick another one to have raised me, I think I’d pick you. Your humor, grace, and compassion in raising your own amazing kids makes me think that you probably could have handled me as a prepubescent little wretch, and that was no small feat.
Basically, I think you’re amazing and want to be just like you, ESPECIALLY when I have crumbmunchers of my own.
Mir,
I like how real you are with your writing. You convey humor, love, frustration, and sadness with your words, and make us feel them, too. You open up and share stories that everyone who reads can relate to.
Also you are pretty and have very pretty shoes.
I thought I was doing good to have family dinner at the table! I guess the next step is to say nice things too… Just kidding on that but I have to say I love reading your blog!!
We do “high and low” at the dinner table too! The complimenting thing, yeah, not as easy at it sounds, I agree.
Here’s my high and low for today:
High~ We are leaving for Las Vegas, Baby in a few short hours.
Low~ The 2 ER visits, 1 emergency dental visit, 3 runs to the doctors office, and 8 visits to the pharmacy in less than 24 hours and let’s not forget the ensuing spreadsheet needed to tract medications over the next 10 days.
The compliment:
Mir, you are so very very pretty. And smart. And pretty. Too general AND suck up ish you say? Mir, I appreciate the fact that you bare your soul for us Internets, admitting out loud that no one is perfect, but in fact less than perfect parenting IS exactly how it is supposed to be. Thank you.
Your blog is one of my favourites. I save any new entries you write until my significant non-other (no, he’s NOT my boyfriend, dad) gets home, so I can read it out loud to him. Your words are nearly always the highlight of my day, either by giving me something to laugh about (I have some intense health problems at the moment, and levity is very welcomed), or by giving me an outlet for tears.
I don’t know you personally, and this is my first note. I’m not really looking for a prize (I live in Canada, and shipping are teh suxxors). I’m just glad for the excuse to leave a compliment. :-D
Flowers… @};-
Jasmin
There is no way I’m going to come up with as wonderful of compliment as some people have left. Not that you don’t deserve it, more that I am not feeling sufficiently loquacious to bestow upon you an accurate but poignant compliment. So I’ll just say things in my own stupid way instead heh.
I like you. I respect the way you deal with all the challenges in your life, and hope that someday I’m as good of a mom as you are. I think you and Otto are adorable together, and it makes me so happy for you that you’ve found him again, especially since I’ve been reading your blog for a verrry long time now, since before the FleeGarmony days.
You’re a wonderful writer and often make me laugh or cry or both. You also introduced me to Joshilyn’s books, so I might have to always love you for that ;-)
So, in short I’ll go back to the beginning of this comment and say it again: I like you.
The end :P
Mir,
Want Not is the first site I check in the morning (even sometimes before my coffee!), and WCS is the one I check compulsively in the afternoon/evening until I see a new post. I truly admire the way you raise your children, and am trying to mentally catalogue how you have handled different situations.
Thank you for sharing your life with us.
While there are many, many things that I admire about you, I am going to heed the rules and say something both complimentary and specific. Also, I am going to quote Sir Walter Scott (because I’m geeky like that)…
I really enjoy your writing style, you take everyday matters and make them something that people look forward to reading (just look at how many people have said how much they look forward to reading your blog). You have that Austen-esque talent “…which renders ordinary commonplace things and characters interesting from the truth of the description and the sentiment…” (that’s my Scott quote)
Also, I love your wicked-fierce bargain-finding skillz… Because of you, I can’t remember the last time I paid retail ;)
You are witty…and you appear to be doing a great job raising wonderful kids!
Nice shoes!
Mir-
I like the way you are able to touch so many people, in different ways, with the way you write and the stories you share. Your honesty is capturing and connecting to so many.
I love that you’re up front about your geekyness. It’s great inspiration for all of us aspiring bloggers to be nothing less than ourselves. Thank you!
I don’t have kids, but when I do, I hope they’re a lot like yours. And when they’re a LOT like yours, I hope I can handle it with the kind of patience, understanding and humor that you do. (And then, uh, write a fabulously popular blog about it, too.)
Mir,
If I only get to choose to read one blog a day, it is yours. I admire your wit, your parenting and writing style, and your honesty.
Big, shynee wurdz:u showz us dem, so we can haz a happie.
http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/view.aspx?ciid=3320947
kthxbai
I’m too late for the contest. But it’s never too late to give compliments.
I admire your work ethic, your self discipline, (You answer all your freaking emails, wow…) and the way you have been able to persevere and come out ahead when life wasn’t/hasn’t always been kind to you.
And what Tina said about the writing. I often find myself thinking, this would be a good blog post if I could manage to make it as interesting to read as Mir does.
When I finally become a grown up ;) I hope that I’m one sort of like you.
You have made me stop, think, and reconsider the motivations behind the things my mother has done and continues to do as she helps me navigate this world. You give a voice to the worry and concern and joy and irritation that she must experience being a mother and you make me not so scared to think about doing it myself one day. In short, you help make my mom’s life easier on her. :-) Thank you.
The book looks inspirational, but it’s not for me, so I’ll just say: you are awesome!
Hee hee! :-D
My mom is an occupational therapist and she’s not computer saavvy. She’s always been a worrier and to her, anything on the internet is potentially worrisome – whether it’s full of lies, or trying to hack into your personal information, etc. I have a hard time sharing a lot of what I read online with her because I’m met with heaps of skepticism. A while back, you wrote a lot about having Monkey evaluated and addressing his issues. I sent her the link to the entry thinking I had a 50-50 shot as far as getting her to read it. But apparently, she not only read it, she left a comment – which is just unheard of. She really appreciated the way you could describe what was going on, and on several occasions has wished out loud that some of the parents she works with were as interested and eloquent as you.
It not only means a lot to me that she has a tremendous amount of respect for you after reading one entry (Not typically easily won), but she pushed herself through a little uncomfortable technology use because of the quality of your writing and your thoughts.
And then, the cherry on top is that you wrote back to her.
You’re a class act, and a great writer. Thanks for doing this every day.
Dear Mir,
This past year I met you at the Decatur Book Festival on my birthday. Prior to that, it had been possibly the worst birthday ever (with lots of arguments and tears). After your presentation when you were signing books, you stopped and spoke with me, and even told me I was pretty. As I consider you a “famous person”, I hadn’t thought that I would get the level of interaction that I actually received. Meeting you actually turned my birthday around and the weekend actually wound up beautifully. Just a little bit of time in your busy day and some kind words made my birthday one that I won’t forget (instead of one that I would try to forget). Thank you.
Ditto.
Hi Mir – I really enjoy reading your site every day. You’ve made me laugh, cry and realize that I have a lot to learn before my 1 year old and 4 year old are Monkey and Chickadee’s ages. Thanks for the preview of what’s to come and for the primer on how to handle it with grace and love.
You have a way of expressing a mother’s feelings better than anyone else I know. Your honest style of relating stories and the emotions you felt always leave me feeling like I have gotten to know another mother better, whether I am smiling, laughing, or crying, because I can relate so deeply.
Mir, your blog is at the top of my Favorites list. And, I really liked how you put the contest at the end of the post. Reminded me of the story “The Monster At The End Of This Book”.
I love how you give your children the room to spread their wings and discover who they are and who they’re going to be, even through the pain of feeling them leaving behind the babies they were. I hope someday I can be as good at that as you.
Mir, I love your faith in the power of tomorrow. No matter what is going on in your life, or what kind of day you had with your kids, Otto, the general Gerogia populace, etc you keep striving forward and working to grow and get better in your interactions. That takes courage and a sweetness of spirit that not everyone possesses. And in doing so, you challenge those around you to do the same…which creates a very nice little world to live in (and read about!)
Thanks!
Mir…I love that I can come to your blog and smile. Even on the days that I am having a rough time, the kids are driving me crazy, I’m missing my husband, I forgot to pay a bill…your posts can always get me chuckling!! And I thank you for that!!
you’re very pretty …
aww, that was too easy.
how ’bout: you were the inspiration for me to start my own blog after i read your archives from start to finish.
(and yes, my nose IS brown, but it’s still the god’s honest truth!)
I really enjoy your writing and am constantly impressed that you always take the high road when referring to your ex and matters un-bloggable. You are gracious and classy and were obviously raised right. It seems like you’re doing the same for your kids!
We do something similar with the favorite parts of our day. We’re getting sick of my 4 year old saying it was playing on the climber at school. Maybe we’ll try the compliments. I’m a little scared though of two little boys and their compliments.
Anyway, to compliment you, smart, pretty, funny and you save me a lot of money. Or make me want to shop more. But that’s a compliment too.
Mir, you look 12, far too young to have kids as old as yours are!
I think I’ll always remember you for the blog about the huge, horrible cat spider. That story still cracks me up and I keep it for days I need a good laugh. The very fact that you found an old love and made it new and into a marriage astounds me. Even if your wedding dress ended up making its debut on America Idol. I love your hair, your endless stories of jeans that don’t fit right, shoes you must shop for, gut sucking-in apparatus that make an evening gown fit perfectly. You have given me hope that two families can truly become one family.
I came because you make me laugh.
I stayed because sometimes you make me cry, too.
(Oh, and I have a crush on your Dad. Shh.)
I just love you to pieces, Mir (in that internet-non-stalkery-way) ~ you make me laugh, you make me cry, and make me think. You also manage to make me crave bacon from time to time. ;)
While I’d love to have a new book to read, I’d much rather just be on record as saying thank you to you ~ your blog is one I check in on virtually every day, and it is always such a pleasure to see what is up with you, your children, and your beloved.
So, thank you pretty Mir!
I have always enjoyed your writing but did not realize know you had another blog! Now that I have discovered it, you are my big girl-crush because it’s all about saving money. You are the greatest!
Everyday you raise the bar in how to teach our children. Everyday I realize just how far I have to go to even reach that bar. Your fabulous and I love your site.
You are extraordinarily talented at many things. None more so than extortin compliments from your vast readership.
Well done.
You are such a good writer. I love every post you write on every blog you write for.
(Too gushy? But it’s true.)
I love Kelly Corrigan too! Since I read her book months back, I have told everyone who would listen to read it.
Now about you. Mir, your blog makes me smile. Also I’m not a Mom but I believe your insight on motherhood helps me be a better Auntie.
I spew coffee all over my monitor when I read your blog.
…I like the way you canceled a whole stinkin’ vacation last summer to teach your gal a lesson.
(Seriously. I admire that a LOT. And she and Monkey will never forget that their parents don’t make empty threats. Brilliant.)
…and also, I like the way you give away stuff. Even though the Random Number Generator at Wantnot hates me.
I love that you are honest and real. And honeslty, real funny too.
I have often said that I would not want to live in the south. But you? You make me want to move to Georgia so we can hang out in person. Not in a stalkerish way. In a friendly way!
Mir, your hair looks REALLY good today!
Karen ^^
Mir, I love the way that you not only give me a glimpse into my future (oh, how I was hoping the food wars were going to end soon), but you make me laugh. In nearly every post.
I’m going to stop now so my nose doesn’t get brown, too.
But I would dearly love a new book. I just started the last one in my to-read list and, well, that just won’t do.
I like the way you share your life with us – the good, the bad, the whinny, the snotty, the funny and most of all the love.
You are pretty and witty and bright!!
Mir – I always enjoy reading your blog because you are so real. Sometimes what I am struggling with or what I want to say is exactly what I read on your blog that day. You have the amazing ability to make me laugh one minute and cry the next. I am blessed to have found your blog. BTW – You are an awesome momma, too!
Oh Pretty One:
I like the way you remind me of my favorite movie, one I can return to again and again seeing something new each time and liking it more and more.
Mir, you are the easiest person to compliment because you have so many wonderful things about you! Your blog makes me smile every day – you’ve made me change the way I think about my kids, parenting, parenting with a step-parent and just life in general. You are a great writer with an awesome sense of humor and outlook on life.