Thank You to the Academy (Psst, You’re the Academy)

Ok, so I know I wasn’t up for an Emmy this year. (Though if they had Watch While You Work or Most Likely to Watch This Year’s Winners categories, I’d have totally won! Modern Family, FNL, The Good Wife, Mad Men…my peeps rocked it.)

But apparently it’s also blog awards season. Being that I’m just a little over a year into this, I had no idea there was such a thing. But, thanks to you, I’ve been getting some extra special attention recently. Your once-a-day votes put me on top of the Circle of Moms Best Bay Area Blogs. Tied for #1! Then I found out a reader, neighbor and friend nominated me for Parents magazine’s funniest mom blog. Parents magazine?! I mean, that’s a parenting writer’s dream come true. And again, you’ve been voting. You’ve powered through technical difficulties to get me to the top 10.

Then last week, I got an email that I’d been nominated for another award—Red Tricycle’s Totally Awesome Awards. Again I was ecstatic, but this time I found myself in a quandary. How can I beg ask you all to vote again? Well, I’ve decided I can’t. (Though those little buttons on the right hand side of the page are totally clickable…should you really, really want to. And since you asked, the Parents contest is one vote per registered user, Red Tri is one vote per email address. You know, since you asked.)

Sooo, since I’m not likely to win ’em all, I thought I’d take a page out of Amy Poehler’s book and walk up on stage before they even announce the winners. (Because, remember, you can still vote in both of these contests. If you want to. Or not.) I really am honored to be nominated and I want to thank everyone who got me here. So…imagine me with a little piece of paper in a gorgeous gown, made up, tanned and skinny—but not too skinny, I don’t want to ask too much of your imagination…

Wow, really. Wow. Ok, I wasn’t expecting this, so bear with me.

First of all, I’d like to thank the Academy. And in this case, the Academy is an elite group of friends, friends of friends, readers I’ve never even met who feel like friends and loving family who I like enough to call my friends. Your belief in me means everything. Because you’ve recognized my body of work, I know I’m not just a crazy lady writing about the ups and downs of parenting. I’m a crazy lady writing about the ups and downs of parenting, and people are actually reading it! (Any book agents or magazine editors in the audience who happened to hear that? Maybe?)

And, kidding aside, it’s pretty amazing to think that—even when I’m feeling alone—the stuff I go through each and every day is happening in households everywhere. So together we can laugh, cry and toast appreciate all that life hands us.

I’d like to thank the amazingly talented cast: Lenny, Big, Little and Pink. Thanks to them, I wake up (almost) every day, excited about coming to work. Their energy, sense of humor and adorableness make the grueling hours and daily challenges so worthwhile.

Oh no, this is already getting too long isn’t it?

Ok, ok… Thanks to my friends who have asked people to blindly Like me, just because they do. Thanks to my parents who continue to think I can do no wrong, even when they see me yell at their precious grandchildren. Thanks to my neighbors for pretending not to notice that I’m completely losing it, even when they see me (in my pjs) yelling at my parents’ precious grandchildren.

Thank you. All of you. For the public comments you share on my blog. For the private emails, calls and conversations telling me that you totally related to something I wrote. For the notes sharing an idea for a post or food for thought. For your sense of humor. For your compassion. For your friendship. For reading. For nominating. For voting. For really and truly bringing me to tears with gratitude. Because of you I find time to do something I truly love a few times a week. Not just the writing, but the connecting. And that makes me—and my blog—everything I hoped it could be.

(Though some shiny new badges couldn’t hurt, right?)