Success!

Thirty days ago I started out on a challenge. I signed up for NaBloPoMo - National Blog Posting Month. The goal was to post a blog entry every day for the month of November. Well, I am happy to say, I accomplished this crazy challenge. And, I am sure, those who know me, will not be surprised to see that I actually ended up posting 31 posts in 30 days!!!!

What did I accomplish by doing this blogging stunt?

First of all, I did better than last year and posted more than 24 posts!

Over the last month I have clogged the blogging world with all kinds of ideas, descriptions, pleas, and stories from The Fringe.

I started the month off hoping to win a Halloween costume contest. I did not win, but I still think my home made costumes rocked this year!

This past month two new weekly features started: Menu Planning Monday and Fitness Friday. I am going to keep these features going - check out the cool button-thingys I made on my right hand tab. I plan on making these intricate topics here on The Fringe, especially as I continue on my journey to a new me!

I was able to post a few entries about my weight loss journey. This is a key focus of my life right now and I appreciated the opportunity to continue to write about this challenge. Along with proudly showing off my physical transformation that has started, I was also able to explain more about my OPTIFAST Program and reflect on some of the lessons I have learned thus far. A few of my wonderful readers asked questions, and I hope I was able to answer them all. I posted about some of my struggles and some of my successes. I even wrote about Bending it like Beckham! and about loosing a preschooler!

As usual, I wrote lots about my three great kids and reflected on some great times and some challenges we faced over the last month as WW3 was adverted! OH! I so love to brag about my kids! I wrote about DJ making his Daddy proud and then followed up with the actual plans and invites to the boys' upcoming birthdays. There was even a post saluting a screaming baby! And my readers got an idea of our hectic play schedule!

I introduced my awesome readers to a group of Canadian bloggers who, I think deserve to win an award at the Canadian Blogging Awards, and then I happily campaigned for votes when I got nominated for BEST BLOG and BEST FAMILY BLOG.

During the past month we also cheered on other crazy bloggers (Ya! We did it!) and celebrated a special 80th birthday!

One of my favorite posts of the month was my tribute to my Papa, who I miss terribly.

Most of the posts over the last 30 days have been fairly upbeat and positive, though I did take a jab at a Canadian morning show over their coverage of the tragedy in India.

And believe it or not, but I did not get writer's block until day 29!

It has been a whirl-wind month of posts.

What have I learned from this crazy challenge?

1. We have a fun, crazy, active, great life here on The Fringe.


2. I still love to blog, but I appreciate the freedom to post and read when I want to and however often I want to - I did not like churning out posts, just to pot something for the day.


3. I do have opinions, stories and ideas worth sharing - and I plan on continuing to do so for a long time!


4. And best of all, I learned I have the best reader-base...to stick to reading my blog as I polluted our precious and wonderful blog-world. You guys ROCK! I so appreciate all the bloggy-love, support, and friendship I have made because of my blogging addiction.

Thanks for sticking in with me over the last 30 days!

Fingers now crossed I win a cool prize for completing this challenge!

November 2009 is just around the corner, are you up to the next NaBloPoMo challenge?!?!?!?

I am.