Sorta Awesome Meg

24/08/2023

Nineteen years ago, we didn’t have Facebook or Instagram or Twitter, but what we DID have were message boards! And in the spring of 2004, a group of us started to gather on the message boards of Babycenter as we all got positive pregnancy tests letting us know we were expecting January 2005 babies.

What was once a huge group dwindled over time to a much smaller group, and we shared daily tidbits, rants, delights, and struggles together, across the miles and through our computer screens.

Eventually social media was born, and our group of Jan05 mamas became a little dispersed, but we still had fun watching from afar as all those babies grew into kids, and eventually, they all turned eighteen and became adults.

Imagine my sheer delight when earlier this year, two of us discovered that our Jan05 babies would be going to college together! And THEN, out of all of the move-in dates at FSU, we unknowingly picked the ✨same day✨ to be in Tallahassee moving pieces of our hearts into university dorm rooms

Dacey and I got to meet Annette and James (and Annette’s husband Danny who kindly snapped some pics for us), and we all sat and talked and talked like we were old friends. And in a wonderful way that’s so hard to explain but so easy to experience, we really are. ❤️❤️❤️

06/07/2023

After a day of playing around on Threads, I will enthusiastically say I'm loving it. It's very early Twitter vibes before things got gross and toxic.

Here's me: https://www.threads.net/

Drop your @ so we can find each other on there!

16/06/2023

I’m so fortunate to have celebrated many birthdays on this planet, but I’ve never rolled over a new year sailing through the air in the middle of the night! I’m taking this as a good omen that 46 will have more fun and adventure! ✈️🚗🚂🌴🥳

15/05/2023

Our Snoopy sno-comes never looked this neat, but gosh, we tried! 😆

11/05/2023

My family has always complained that I am such a fast walker. I can’t help it! I like getting after it! Apparently the pace was pretty quick this morning even for our 10 month old puppy Izzie. 😜😜

I’d love to see pics of your walking partner if you have one! Or tell me what your listening to on your walks!

07/02/2023

On this, the occasion of the 10th birthday of the not-so-Little-Dudes, I want to tell you a secret about parenting:

They are going to be EXACTLY who they are meant to be.

If you know my daughters, you know they are night-and-day different, but that’s easy to chalk up to age difference and birth order and personality type and sun signs, etc.

But these twin men? They were born on the same day, parented the same way, never spent a day or night apart, HAVE IDENTICAL DNA, and they are also as different as can be.

Mack is wildly extroverted, always up for an outing or adventure. JK is tender and introverted and is happy to be cozy at home. JK can blow through his math work in record time while Mack is crying into his multiplication tables. Mack can put together LEGO kits by barely glancing at the directions while JK is happy (truly happy!) to watch.

There are so many examples of how they have grown into their own selves over the years, and that’s what still amazes me.

These humans come to us as fully formed souls tucked into miraculous bodies, and they are here to fully express and experience the infinite THEMNESS of their being.

We worry and read books and wring our hands and confide our concerns and grit our teeth and lay awake at night questioning every choice we’ve made, every possible misstep.

And all the while, we could actually relax and marvel at the wonder of it all.

Of course we feed and clothe them, of course we encourage and guide them. But they didn’t come to be OURS. They came to be THEIRS.

Isn’t it amazing? They will BE who they are meant to BE.

03/02/2023

Uh-oh. Anyone need to lock down those Netflix passwords?

(H/t to the Morphmom Daily newsletter for this info!)

Let’s talk about it.

13/12/2022

Wild night of storms = wild rising of sun ⚡️⚡️⚡️

12/12/2022

Small talk rescue tip!

The holidays are filled with situations where you need to do a little small talk. Chatting with co-workers and their partners at holiday parties, catching up with relatives you only see once a year ... all the holly and the jolly!

If you get past the usual standard questions and are trying to keep the conversation out of awkward territory, try this question:

What do you like to do for fun?

Most everyone likes to talk about themselves, and most of us love to talk about our hobbies, interests, and passions! This provides a great path for follow-up questions, too.

"Oh, I love reading, too! What are some books that stood out to you lately?"

"Wow, I've never met anyone who is into creating tiny kitchens! Tell me how you got started in that!"

Suddenly, there are so many directions you can take a conversation, and before you know it, you might be able to turn stilted small talk into an actual meaningful conversation!

Signed,
Your friendly neighborhood extrovert who also talks to people as her actual J-O-B xoxo

10/12/2022

Okay, if you - like me! - can guess exactly the dancer he’s talking about within seconds of him pushing play on this iconic movie scene - YOU ARE A REAL ONE! 🔥🔥

This is on TikTok and Instagram! He’s a fun follow!

10/12/2022

Am I weird that I kind of love wrapping gifts? I don't always do fancy or complicated things, but I find it so satisfying.

These are some fun hacks to try, especially for those of us who probably won't wrap until Christmas Eve! (Anyone else? Just me? LOL)

08/12/2022

If you're working on that holiday shopping list and want some pre-vetted GREAT gifts, I've got you covered!

For the past five years over on Sorta Awesome podcast, we've created gift guides with some VERY awesome gift ideas for everyone on your list! I compiled all of the links from those gift guides.

Also! If you like to LISTEN to gift discussions, I made a Spotify playlist so you can listen to those episodes to energize your holiday shopping! I'll link to that in the comments below.

https://www.sortaawesomeshow.com/giftguide

04/12/2022

Getting the zoomies and knocking the Christmas tree fully down and then eating Mom’s favorite owl ornament while she puts the tree back up is exhausting, tbh

01/12/2022

Update: after I shared my trepidation about roasting a turkey for Thanksgiving for the first time ever, my longtime blogging friend Aimée of Simple Bites shared her fool-proof turkey recipe with me.
YOU GUYS. This is the only turkey info you will ever need. Bookmark it now - you won't be sorry! Everyone at our table RAVED about the turkey, even the people who don't really like turkey! Aimée saved the day!

How to roast a turkey (the simple way).

24/11/2022

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, friends! Are you
A) cooking
B ) cleaning
C) traveling
D) chilling
or something else altogether? Let’s hear what you’re up to tonight!

22/11/2022

Audiobook recommendations needed for holiday travel!

I have a friend who will be traveling with her husband and two children - girl and boy, middle school and upper elementary age - for 12-15 hours by car over the next few days.

What are some audiobooks that their whole family could enjoy?

22/11/2022

Okay friends, I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year, and I’m making a turkey for the first time EVER. (I’m 45 😂) I’m thinking I’ll fix it the day before using my friend Rebekah’s recipe/instructions.

It got me wondering, when it comes to Thanksgiving, are you Team Cook Ahead or Team Cook on T-Day?

Also, any advice for a first-time Turkey-er?

Turkey is a great thanksgiving tradition, but it is often so dry. Here is how to cook an amazingly moist turkey and save yourself from stress and mess.

20/11/2022

Pretty sure Dorothy was a Virgo because this is the EXACT reaction my Virgo child has to pretty much everyone!

LOL...

19/11/2022

Izzie and I both H A T E cold weather. Thank goodness we are happy to keep each other warm and snuggly!

Got any pics of your snuggliest pets? I’d love to see them!

18/11/2022

For those who loved my snarky mug earlier this week, I'm happy to tell you that they are SUPER easy to find on Amazon:

https://amzn.to/3AnIkWX

(Sorta Awesome Show affiliate link)

18/11/2022

Jodi Benson posted this on TikTok featuring the recording of her ICONIC performance of Part Of Your World! It made me teary-eyed with nostalgia today.

(Thank you, friend Grace, for sending it my way!)

15/11/2022

The rest of the day …

Well, today really went off the rails as Niko got more and more sick. I’m nearly positive it’s RSV (again!).

But! A few other shots from today:
Got to record with one of my favorite people on the planet:

Homeschooled the twins when I could fit it in today. Ramen noodles in mugs for lunch (their favorite).

The Shepherd’s Pie from Costco is HUGE. This would feed so many people!

Highlight of the day: got my presale code for TSwift tickets presale tomorrow!!!

On Monday nights, Dacey has her second orchestra rehearsal of the day: Oklahoma Youth Orchestra. She loved the effect the brake lights of the car in front of us. “I look like a villain. A nice one.”

Most every OneDayHH in the past has been on days with glorious autumn weather. NOT TODAY! Cold, dreary, rainy.

I’m tucking in for a long night with my sick boy. Thank you for all of the fun today! I loved seeing everyone’s days!

14/11/2022

7:15 AM

1) the dogs have been fed, pottied, and played. (Gratuitous puppy pic!)

2) Dacey has loved taking REAL lunches in her grown-up sized bento lunch box this year. Today, it’s Trader Joe’s teriyaki chicken over rice, blackberries, and TJ’s caramel coffee almonds which are DIVINE.

3) This migraine protocol has me eating modified Keto again, so my breakfast is smoked salmon, avocado, salami, and mascarpone cheese with Everything But The Bagel sprinkled on (all TJ’s ofc 😁).

Not pictured: Kyle has been doing drop-off and pick-up with the girls this year. Today, it’s only Dacey; AJ seems to be coming down with what Niko has. 😩 It’s an early morning roll-out for Dace! Last of the before-school orchestra rehearsals before state contest tomorrow! 🔥

14/11/2022

5:10 AM on

Goof morning, One Day-ers!

I’ve been up since 3 AM with a very, very sick Niko Gus. (He’s still my favorite 3 year old!) Coffee mug choice reflects mood. 😝 Of course, gotta start the day with an obligatory ✨ I WOKE UP LIKE THIS✨ bathroom selfie! 😆😆

13/11/2022

Some of my very favorite photos from the past ten years were captured because of .tremaine ‘s 😍 Including this one of me deeeeeeep in the trenches of parenting twins back in November 2013!

So yes! Of course I’ll be participating tomorrow, here in the main feed and up in Stories.

I hope you’ll join in, tooooo!

10/08/2021

This summer, I declared freedom for my arms. And it has been PRETTY GREAT.⁣
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My senior year of high school, I wore a lovely floral print flowy cotton dress to a graduation dinner. It was so 🌸 mid-90s 🌸 and it was sleeveless.⁣
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When pictures of the evening came back from being developed (o, sweet anticipation about what you might found in those thick stacks of prints, fresh from being printed by Wal-Mart’s photo department! I do not miss those days!), I decided my arms looked fat.⁣
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And for the next several decades, I hardly ever wore anything sleeveless in public. Oh, the collection of cardigans and chambray shirts and shrugs I amassed over the years! All to protect the gentle viewing public from being exposed to my fleshy upper arms. ⁣
⁣
Through sunny springs in Oklahoma and sweaty south Texas summers and into the pleasant temps of fall, I hardly ever went really sleeveless. ⁣
⁣
In the past few years, however, I got Real Brave and started venturing out with my arms exposed to the whole world! And it was fine! I didn’t die and no one else keeled over from the shock of my upper arms! ⁣
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Freedom! ⁣
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So for this whole summer, I’ve been indulging in the sheer giddiness of going sleeveless - dresses, jumpers, tank tops (!!!). It’s been a whole new world, y’all! The breeziness of it all! ⁣
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Has anyone else declared freedom on a thing lately? Tell me everything! 😍😍

14/07/2021

I admit I’ve been putting off starting this one! I’ve loved Simon and Baz (especially Baz 😍🥰) so fiercely since our first glimpse of them in Fangirl. I’m not ready to say goodbye! But here we are. I’m hearing so many great reviews already, and today, I’m digging in. Cheers 🥂 Thank you for sharing these boys and their friends and adventures with the world! 💙💙

25/06/2021

What books have you read lately that are WORTH THE HYPE?!

As some of you (but not all of you!) know, I host a women's lifestyle podcast called Sorta Awesome. This week's episode is a conversation with my friend and author Katie Proctor, and we are taking up the question of which books from the past year are really worth all the buzz around them.

We're talking Malibu Rising, Project Hail Mary, Olympus, Texas and more!

I'd love to hear all about what you've read lately that was worth the hype (and even the books that you thought didn't live up to the buzz!).

And you can listen to Ep. 310 Recent Books That Are Worth The Hype on Spotify, in Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can even just say to your Echo, "Hey Alexa, play Sorta Awesome!"