2012 brought many blog milestones for me. Albeit mini milestones, they were personal accomplishments. It was a year that I look back on knowing I believed in myself-even if just a little.

First and most importantly, The Mommy Mess was born in the spring of 2012. I changed my domain name, moved to WordPress, and never looked back. Well, except for when I lost all of my followers from GFC. I looked back a little then. 

2012 was the year I faced some fears and admitted to myself (and others) that I want to be a writer. I submitted my writing to places I’ve been too intimidated to approach before. Sometimes I got rejected and sometimes I didn’t. Either way, it felt great!

Our family continued to fight against OCD and I got to watch my son’s amazing progress. He has made me so proud!

In May, my post By Grace Alone was featured at Daily Buzz Moms, and I squealed like a little girl when I found out that someone else (unrelated to me in any way) liked something I wrote.

My favorite time of year brought lots of sun, sand, and new opportunities. In the summer, I began working with The SITS Girls as a Community Lead and have loved every single minute of it! It’s given me a chance to learn so much, and be a unique part of an awesome community of women. Plus, they put my picture on their website and stuff and that makes me feel super special!

I saved an innocent life in June, and in July I wrote a post about Max and Ruby that people still read a lot.

August brought #BTSBash, a back-to-school giveaway event here at the blog. I had no idea what I was doing, but I learned a lot! My experience in creating #BTSBash inspired my post series, How to Find a Blog Sponsor. I’m not an expert, but people seem to like those.

September proved to be the month I realized I can in fact cook, get my family to the table, and make dinner conversation. Even if I say all the wrong stuff.

The last quarter of the year went so fast!

In October, BlogHer syndicated my post about other homeschool moms and I was so stinkin’ shocked I got paid to write something. I was even more surprised to see that the post has been viewed 1,457 times and that I’m not the only imperfect homeschool mama out there!

Then in November, I shared my heart about being a better mom and BlogHer picked me up again!

Finally, December came and went. The last month of a long year brought some chaos as I tried to keep up with my own Christmas expectations. I was relieved when Christmas was over, and couldn’t wait to move on!

This past week I’ve spent some time really looking back on my blog year. I’m thankful for these mini milestones, and love my baby blogger journey, and I am excited to see what God has planned for next year!

But…

The thing that stands out the most about my year here is you.

Your support, encouragement, and friendship have meant the world to me. Your comments have warmed my heart and brought me so much joy. Some of you have complimented my writing and told me how much you love my words. Sometimes tell me you appreciate my honesty, and then I’m not scared I hit publish anymore. I don’t always tell you this, but these are the comments that make me cry. These are the comments that help me believe in myself a little more every time.

You are the reason I love blogging so much.

Thank you.

Happy New Year, My Friends!

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Adrienne

Somewhere along the way I picked up homeschooling two boys and blogging. When I'm not scrubbing toilets or answering endless questions, I'm usually here, over sharing it all! My writing is always honest, sometimes sarcastic, and never perfect. I hope to keep my kids from seeking adult therapy. I know. Pipe dreams...You can find me as @TheMommyMess on Twitter and on Facebook.

Latest posts by Adrienne (see all)

• The Ugliest Smoothie - May 16, 2013
• Mother’s Day Round Up: Link Your Posts! - May 13, 2013
• Mommy Worries: Then and Now - May 6, 2013
• My Son Weighs in on Max and Ruby - May 3, 2013
• Laughter Really is the Best Medicine - May 2, 2013