Michele over at New England Through Yummy Mommy's Eyes crowned me Queen of All Things Awesome! She should know. She is pretty damned spectacular herself. I don't know how she manages to wrangle her girls and conquer the rest of the world all at the same time. She also bills me as "hilarious, and sometimes inappropriate", which means she must be reading because that pretty much sums up most of what's going on over here. I try to be good, but it's hard. You should see what doesn't make the final cut before I hit publish. You should really see what doesn't make it out of my brain. And there's a lot that doesn't.
Michele just started her own Urbanity blog. You should definitely check it out, and maybe think about starting your own. Just let me know and I'll link you up to the main site.

And now the fun part. I get to list seven things that I think are awesome about myself. I love that this is in line with Mara's new project where she encourages us to start complimenting ourselves and our friends instead of tearing ourselves apart like women have done for generations.

1. I'm okay with listing seven things that I think are awesome about myself. I may sound like I'm bragging, but I don't really care. The ability to compliment yourself doesn't come easy, and I've worked long and hard to get to a place in my life where I can.

2. I'm cool with myself enough to only be friends with people I really like, but I'm friendly to just about everyone else. Just about. I'm done compromising myself and my time by building friendships that I don't treasure. I'm not friends with someone because we live on the same street, work at the same work, own children the same age, or hold the same beliefs. That said, I will most always take the time to be a friend to someone in need, even if I know we will not continue the relationship after the need has passed. I've never been hurt by doing this, but I know people who would have been hurt if I didn't.

3. I'm doing a good job with my child, even if he does act like a brat sometimes. I'm a good mom, and if I don't know the answers I will dig in books and talk to therapists and specialists and doctors until I do. I base my parenting decisions on knowledge, not just what worked for someone who was a mother before me. There were a lot of things that our moms did with us and their moms did with them that could have hurt/maimed/killed us, even if they didn't. There is a reason less babies and children are suffering/dying now than did 30 years ago.

4. I enjoy my own writing. I think it's better than 99% of everything I've ever read. I stalk my own blog and LOL at the funny stuff and shed real tears at some of the things I write about. I have poems I wrote in high school that are meaningful to me today, in a totally different way. My work reports always make sense to other people. I practically never get follow up phone calls re: emails or reports I send out. I'm good.

5. And I'm pretty. Prettier than a lot of people I see every day. Just ask me.

6. More importantly, I'm funnier than just about anyone.
Pretty fades. Humor and writing gets me through just about anything and lets me express myself and dig myself out of holes and get my foot in the door and win over the general public.

7. I'm loved. Truly and deeply loved. By a lot of people. And I love back. Truly and deeply love. A lot of people.