Edgy Mama

Here are a few of my high and lowlights of 2008 and a few hopes and resolutions for 2009.

What are your resolutions for ‘09?

I put together a Flickr slideshow of my top photos of 2008. Note that I’ve been lazy about uploading to Flickr, and I have about 5,000 photos from the year clogging up my computer. One day I’ll organize them all (and throw most of them out). Here’s some of my favorite shots from this year. Enjoy!

Here’s my first, very low-tech, fairly unprofessional attempt at a video sneak preview of my column for Mountain Xpress.

I’d love feedback, but go easy on me, please.

I spent part of the night starting to write various Edgy Mama columns, then deciding that they weren’t right or they weren’t enough or they weren’t whatever.

I had a great idea for a holiday column, but it’s too late. So I’ve saved it for next year. I  hope I remember it next November.

Anyway, I’ve decided to ask y’all for ideas. What do you think I should write about in 2009?

I’ve been writing the EM column for Mountain Xpress weekly (without a break) since mid-August, 2007. During that time span, I’ve covered a variety of topics, from breastfeeding to beer, from yoga pants to talking with kids about sex, from eating local to buying local to voting for me for Vice President instead of you know who. Mostly, I tell funny stories about the absurdity of parenting. I write about my kids, your kids, and kids in general. I rant. I rave. Sometimes, I’m serious.I keep lists of ideas for this column and snippets of conversations in notebooks and in a Word file. I get ideas from other parents via e-mail, conversations, and chat sites. Sometimes I write this damn column in my sleep. It’s been some of the most difficult and most rewarding writing I’ve done in 30 years of putting pen to paper (although I guess half that time mostly has been putting fingertips to keyboard).

I’m going to toss out some of my ideas below. You tell me what you like and what you don’t like. Feel free to add your own ideas and stories. Now, I may or may not take you up on all your suggestions, although I will carefully consider each of them (unless they’re totally obnoxious).

Potential future EM columns could include:

1. Interviews with local Edgy Mamas.

2. More funny stories about kids.

3. More about beer and parenting.

4. Kid health and toxic toy information.

5. Off-beat parenting stories.

6. More silly quizzos.

What else? What do you, as parent or non-parents, want to read about? The only rules are that the column must touch on parenting in some form or fashion and it also must reference the local somehow (i.e., I mention Asheville landmarks, etc., to show that I am local, not syndicated. Although I’d like to be syndicated very much).

If you have any desire to re-read the past 50 or so columns (I’ve written more than 70 so far), they’re here.

Throw me some post-holiday eggnog-fueled ideas! Thanks for your help!

Yes, I’m sitting at home following Santa on Twitter and drinking spiked eggnog. Waiting for the reindeer hooves to hit our tin roof. Should be quite a clatter!

Here’s a fun small business profile I wrote for Sunday’s Citizen-Times about a guy who’s making chocolate direct from the cacoa bean.

And here’s why I hate reading this newspaper on-line. Check out the comments. The commenters get into a nasty name-calling fight about how to spell cacoa (which, for the record, is the correct spelling for the cacoa tree and cacoa beans from which you produce cocoa).

Who are these people who sit around and anonymously insult each other on a regular basis?

This week, my 10-year-old wrote a guest column for me, called The Elf News. Saved Mama lots of time!

Just back from three frenzied, but fun days in Hotlanta. Happy to be home!

Happy holidays!

Asheville rocks kids’ music, and my two fave family-friendly musicians will be performing this Sunday, Dec. 21, at 1 p.m. at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium: Billy Jonas and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo.

Here’s the article I wrote about the concert for Mountain Xpress.

Sadly, we’ll be in Atlanta for frenzied pre-Christmas family time.

Rock on, Asheville!

This week’s column is about the tradition of the holiday elf. I love that I can say “piss off” in the Mountain Xpress.

Let me know if you and yours have an elf tradition.

And look for next week’s debut column from Edgy Girl (my 10-year-old). It’s also about elves. And she’s funnier than I am!

This is the time of year where I typically trade in holiday spirit for holiday stress.

Even with cutting back on spending, there are presents to be purchased, meals to plan, events to attend and work to be done.

Plus my sucky computer is acting up again. If this post contains typos, I apologize. For some reason, I can’t actually see most of what I’m typing. The lack of virtual memory has locked up a number of my programs and only lets me see my work is some kind of funky “safe” mode. I tried to blame it on my kids, who played with my computer yesterday before its most recent crash, but I think it’s just the ancient chip feeling feisty.

Anyway, today I’m making my list and checking it twice, wrapping gifts, trying to write my next two columns, but mostly feeling like I’d like to crawl under the Christmas tree with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book. What are you up to in these frenzied pre-Christmas days?