Menopausal Mother

Speaking of old things, Mac turned 69 a few weeks ago, and we celebrated in style. We're so fortunate to have our adult kids living nearby so that special holidays and birthdays can be celebrated with those we love most. Here's a photo dump of the old man's celebrations: 

Blogging was the launch pad for my writing career, and my, what a journey it has been---from biweekly humor posts (when I only had 10 readers---now we are up to 60,000 page views per month!), to guest spots, podcasts, my first book publication, television interviews, menopause commercials, inclusion in 13 anthologies, multiple writing awards, an essay that went viral at the Huffington Post, (THAT was interesting--my first experience with trolls!!), and writing for top-notch publications such as the NY Times, The Washington Post, Yahoo Lifestyle, Cosmo, Woman's Day, McSweeney's, Good Housekeeeping, and now, a full-time writing career with AARP. 

Sorry if I'm tooting my own horn, but dang it, I AM proud! And I want to make my family proud! I spent 15 years working as a professional home & office cleaner, plus I was an after-care babysitter for 5 kids and also catered dinners for several families---juggling all of these jobs simultaneously! Then I started up a baking business out of my home, which was fun but not very lucrative---and I gained 10 pounds doing it! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would one day become a successful writer, let alone make a decent income from it! Chances are, I will NEVER retire because I love what I do, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity God has given me to make my dreams a reality. Shout out to the people who got me started on this track by pushing me to write and gave me the confidence to do it, along with some much-needed advice---my folks, my sister, and of course, the funny man himself, Mac. 

Soooo....Happy Blogiversary to me. If you're interested, here are links to some of my absolute favorite essays from the past:

Life is grand, and I hope I live a long time so I can continue sharing stories with wonderful readers like you! Thank you for the past 14 years!! #BeHumbleBeGrateful

***WANT MORE MENO MAMA? It has been a VERY busy work month! I wrote a fun piece for The Ethel about how this non-athlete gained her self-confidence through sports----you can read HERE and 3 new ones for The Girlfriend--summer crockpot dishes HERE then tips for your next high school reunion HERE  and an informative piece on how to earn money selling off old childhood items HERE . I also have 2 new essays up on AARP---one of which required 23 INTERVIEWS!! But I did it! What would you tell your younger self? Read all about it HERE And lastly, for AARP, why I enjoy the company of younger people, which you can read HERE

Hop on over to Karen and Diane's house to see what the nosy fly has been up to over there!