Now it's almost the end of the year and I have 4 kids in school (including two middle schoolers!) and Unremarkable Files has grown by 15K Facebook followers and tripled in readers. Our basement is still a disaster.
Also in the last 12 months, I've written over 100 posts that I'm really proud of. Some will make you laugh and some will make you cry, but here are my 17 favorites of 2017.
#1:
January 11, 2017
Motherhood is many things, but it is NOT an exercise in moderation. I've done all of these things at least a million times, and I bet you have, too.
#2:
Awkward Things People Say to Big Families
September 11, 2017
This is my first video, and your response to it was great! Next time a stranger in the grocery store feels compelled to say something awkward about your family size, have one of these answers at the ready. They might not get it, but at least you'll be laughing.
This is my first video, and your response to it was great! Next time a stranger in the grocery store feels compelled to say something awkward about your family size, have one of these answers at the ready. They might not get it, but at least you'll be laughing.
August 23, 2017
Unfortunately, these are the 31 inconvenient truths that the baby books don't mention about becoming a parent. In fact, they're probably the reason you're hiding in the bathroom with a package of cookies right now.
#4:
My Kids Need a Class in What's Going On Around Here, So I'm Teaching One
October 25, 2017
Enjoy this draft of a course syllabus I drew up for my children one day when I decided we needed to get real about teaching them basic skills. Like flushing the toilet when they're done.
June 26, 2017
I get lots of email from women pregnant with Baby Number 4, 5, 6 or beyond who are dreading the negative reactions when they announce it. I get it, and I've been there. These tips will help.
I get lots of email from women pregnant with Baby Number 4, 5, 6 or beyond who are dreading the negative reactions when they announce it. I get it, and I've been there. These tips will help.
June 28, 2017
Every time I clean one of the things on this list, I'm definitely thinking homicidal thoughts with every sweep of my scrub brush.
October 2, 2017
Most of you know I'm a Mormon, but did you know why we're called that? Come on, somebody wrote a whole musical about the Book of Mormon. It's a pretty big deal.
#8:
It's My Birthday: The Presidential Edition
May 23, 2017
I'm 35 now, and that means I can be president! Here's a sneak peak of my platform, including 35 things I would definitely do right away if I was elected. Like outlaw the manufacture of baby sleepers with snaps instead of zippers.
August 14, 2017
Summer time, and the livin' is easy. Also, your school-age children have probably gone feral over the vacation. Sorry.
#10:
I Have a Big Family and I Did It on Purpose
March 29, 2017
I have a lot of children, not because I'm crazy or unfortunate or not planning ahead or trying to bug you. I just want them.
I have a lot of children, not because I'm crazy or unfortunate or not planning ahead or trying to bug you. I just want them.
February 27, 2017
We all know that moms do a lot of cooking, janitorial work, and taxi driving. But that's just the beginning.
#12:
Having a Lot of Kids is Hard, and It's Also Easy
October 23, 2017
I used to worry that I couldn't hack it as a mom of 5. Now I have 6 and I wish I'd known earlier: having a big family is harder in some ways, but easier in others.
May 30, 2017
Parents have hearing superpowers. And these are the sounds that strike terror into our hearts.
#14:
If Newborns Were Named What They Look Like, We'd All Be Called 'Alien'
January 9, 2017
Someone once told us to look carefully at our newborn and choose a name that fit her perfectly. I'm so glad we didn't listen, or we might have written one of these on her birth certificate...
#15:
We Have FOMO for Our Kids, and It Needs to Stop
May 1, 2017
I know we came to this place out of love, but somehow we forgot that there is no list of magical childhood experiences you must check off before your kids turn 18. As a parent, that's just not my job.
November 8, 2017
Toys R Us, move over. Your 'hot holiday toy list' is a lie. My kids want to play with the toilet plunger.
October 11, 2017
This video was by far the most popular post on Unremarkable Files to date. Millions of you loved these hilarious answers to why you have so many kids. Which reason will you use?
Thanks for reading and sharing with your friends because honestly you guys, you make Unremarkable Files possible. Without you I couldn't keep blogging, and if I wasn't blogging I'd probably have to go deal with all the crap in the basement.
And no one wants that.
8 comments:
So enjoyed all of these! You are one of my favorite bloggers.
I love remembering these posts as I look at this overview-such a fun year on your blog! I think my favorite out of all of these is the FOMO one, but it's really hard to say. I also love your humorous posts :) Oh my goodness, that photo of a toilet plunger makes me smile (somehow I missed the fact that you wrote a post and mentioned those). My toddler still enjoys playing with his toilet plunger! Actually, the other day when I was in the bathroom I turned around and he was standing in the doorway with a toilet plunger and I did a double take and was like, "Wait, is that ours or yours?" Thankfully, it was his :)
Haha I love your videos!! My 3 year old was throwing a huge tantrum at urgent care yesterday and a lady came up to me and told me I was doing a good job, and that meant the world to me! I wish we could all run into the sweet strangers like her, not the less tactful sort lol.
Thank you! I love your blog and reading about your sweet family as well!
I just can't say enough how much I love that you bought him a toilet plunger.
Isn't that the best? I keep a running list in my head of the nicest things strangers did and said to me in that situation, and I'm trying to remember them so I can do them all when I'm a little old lady.
YOur blog has grown so much this year! Your #17 video was shared by a few of my IRL friends on FB and even mentioned in person by someone once, and I was like, hey I know the blog you’re talking about! You’re basically famous.
My friend Katy at church said an out-of-state girlfriend of hers shared that video on her Facebook and Katy asked, "Hey, how do you know her?" Her friend was like "What are you talking about? It's just some funny thing on the Internet." Katy had to explain, "No, I KNOW her. Our kids went to preschool together!"
Lesson learned: people on the Internet are actual people. Imagine that.
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