And then you blew me away…..
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When I wrote the post below about "what was your best and worst of the week" on Friday afternoon, I was trying to recalibrate what I want this website to be. Last week was a difficult but ultimately constructive week where there was an explosion of sorts, some reflection and then, I think, some mutual understanding.
But on Friday, I still had the shits…..
…..not with anyone in particular and not even with those who blew up at me over the Michael Jackson thing. I was fine with that and I think we resolved it all in the end.
Just because having a blog (as those of you who do will know) can sometimes just feel like an exhausting slog that never ends. Sometimes it feels like you can never post enough or well enough or about the right things.
I'm not saying this to fish for compliments or reassurance, just to tell it like it is. Or like it was by the end of last week. By Friday I was overwhelmed and Over It.
I've had in my mind for a couple of weeks now that I wanted to do a Best/Worst-if-the-week post. I didn't know if it would fly but I wanted to try. I deliberately didn't read any of the comments after I posted on Friday arvo because I needed to log off for the weekend and not allow myself to get sucked back into the vortex of my computer. You know how it is. Perspective or something.
But just now, at 11pm on Sunday night, I sat down to read all your comments about the best and worst moments of your week. And from the first one, I was captivated. I laughed. I welled up with tears. I nodded. I sympathised. A lot.
Mostly though, I was in awe of what an amazing community comes to this website and how truly lucky I am to have you all here, reading and sometimes sharing your thoughts.
So my new best for the week is the way – with your hilarious and often heart-breaking honesty – you have all reminded me EXACTLY what I want this website to be. And why I do it every day.
And my worst? The fact that so many people are going through such painful times. To everyone who read this post and especially those who contributed by leaving a comment, I wanted to say the most sincere thank you and to send out my love and support.
I'm going to make this a regular Friday afternoon post so please come back and share news of THIS week at the end of it……..
EARLIER…
Best & Worst of the week
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What were your best and worst bits of the week?
Thank you Hopee, Ellie and to everyone who has re-iterated what a wonderful community we have here. I feel blessed and humbled.
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Worst: My 2.5 year old daughter closing the back door on her left thumb and severing it off.
Best: My daughter being fine and her finger all sewn back on and kissing/hugging my son after two days of not seeing him – he spent time with his friend having an extended sleep-over while I was at hospital with my daugher.
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Dear Mia,
I have only been following your blog for the three months, but in that time it’s become something that I check daily. It’s replaced many other forms of media (I do still have the ABC news!). Not only is it social commentary, for me it’s also about reading other opinions and feeling a sense of connection. I frequently read, but seldom comment. I often find myself shaking my head – at the amounts of posts that you do (in a good way!)- and am also thankful as well. I don’t always agree with the posts. Nor am I always interested in the topics, but I do feel priviledged to have access to such an amazing site. I appreciate your work and the way you put yourself out there. Thanks Mia.
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This is a great blog. Have come to rely on it. You do a wonderful job of sifting through the news and posting things of interest to the majority of your readers. This must be quite different and in some ways harder than being a magazine editor, when you had a staff below and hierachy above you to in some ways cushion you from reader reaction and also to bounce ideas off.
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Nisynis, thank you, yes the garlic necklace should do the trick, love ooxx
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Looking forward to hearing your best and worst each week Mia
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It was probably the most enjoyable read for me too. Knowing that others were reveling in joys and crying through hardships in their week made me feel connected in a way opinions sometimes don’t.
Kinda like in a Buddhist, we-are-all-connected way!
Was soooooo amazing to hear of your blow-out Mia, I am not the only one!!! Yay!!!!
I think people forget that this is a blog and blogs are for their originator – a place for you to express, off-load, create and connect. I think because you are quite well known (famous even!) your blog is viewed as a kind of judicial moral Rosetta Stone of blogging…..
Anyway, loved the new Friday best and worst, happy to be part of more and others in similar vein.
x
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frequent reader, infrequent commenter.
Mia, you do a great job. And you have the guts to put your life out there, and cop the grief. Personally, I think you verbalize what many of us think, but you put it out there, it is an important contribution.
The best/worst idea is a great one. I think it will help a lot of people put trivial matters into perspective, and also help a lot of people who are having a bit of a tough time. Sometimes we cant talk about things that are getting us down to the ones we love, and for me, it was a great opportunity to get something that was hovering over me off my chest. There is a great community of wonderful people involved in this blog, and it is all because of you. For that, I thank you. The few minutes of reading your blog I give myself helps in what is a really rough time for me… And I think it helps many of your other readers as well. I love the fact that there is still a sense of community somewhere in this strange world of ours.
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I missed a lot of last week’s blogging (teething bub + migraine = no computer time) but having just read through the best and worst post I too was blown away by the mamamia community, what a gorgeous idea for a topic.
And while this is no reassurance, we all appreciate the work you put into this place for us Mia. Even when things suck, I hope you’re proud of creating a place where so many people feel comfortable expressing their opinion.
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I would totally say what redhossy did (but with more umms and ahs)
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Love the best and worst post each week idea!
Love your blog Mia!
Thank you so much for the book. After a somewhat overwhelming visit to my ob today, it was a fantastic suprise to find out I had won a copy.
Thanks again, really appreciate it.
xx
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Aww Mia, you gave me the teary shivers! We love you for being you!
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Mia
Love your website, think it’s amazing, think what you are doing is amazing and think you are also amazing. Left a Best and Worst and think your idea is priceless. Well done!
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wollywally you’re awesome!
great idea with the garlic necklace lol! I’m going to make THREE to ward off the ex bf who keeps wanting to meet up so he can gloat about all the asian girls he’s seeing ever since we broke up a week ago! and then calling me at random hours of the night telling me he still loves me. what. a. prick.
anyways…Mia! I adore you
everytime i get bored or depressed about marks at uni i go on your blog and it instantly brightens up my day 
Its wonderful to see such a great variety of people coming to express different ideas and opinions – i especially love the stories about body image and how society is over sexualising everything. Its nice to know that there are still some lovely people out there who are striving to maintain the moral standards and those who are brave enough to draw a line in the sand and say enough is enough. Thankyou so much for facilitating so much discussion and thought in our little community 
big thumbs up!
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Mia , you blow US away, every day of the week ! Take time to chill,and regroup, if you need to, but don’t EVER give up blogging ! I STILL don’t know how you do it, or any of the other bloggers ,for that matter. Big props to all of you ……
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Mia, I’m completely unsurprised you had the shits last week. I had them for you.
And while I can decide when to drop by here, you can’t. When the agro is directed squarely at you it must be hard to wear, especially when some days you just want to go back to bed and stay there.
I admire your graciousness at these times, especially when your head probably feels like it’s going to explode.
And I love the Best and Worst idea. It’s a nice way to round off the week with a bit of perspective.
Here’s to a positive, non-shouty week for all of us. x
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Thanks Little Miss Moi. Truth in what you say and obviously, Heather wrote the book on that one. I admire her for how she is prepared to open up her life and strip away almost everything. Don’t think I’m tough enough for that!
There are many many people doing it far far tougher than me and doing jobs they hate so I feel churlish for complaining…..
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I was incredibly touched and moved by so many of the comments on this post. It certainly made me have a good hard look at myself and realise I have very little to complain about.
I just love your blog Mia and like so many of us you are on my toolbar as well. I don’t get a lot of time to myself with a young family but I always find time to read mamamia.
Thanks again and love to everyone. xx
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I must admit I didn’t leave a comment on Best and Worst last week because I too was captivated by peoples responses that I forgot to write my own! I will definitely be contributing to this post in the future!
Well done Mia!
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Dear mia. Just about the point of a blog being a hard slog. I read about Heather Armstrong, and how for ages she just couldn’t cope with the fact that her life was an open book. She used to cry herself to sleep. It’s pretty interesting. I think blogging is hard slog because, unlike working in a writing profession (I was in PR), where I got paid and didn’t write anything remotely personal, blogging brings in that emotional equation that even the highest paycheque probably couldn’t make easier to write about. It’s a labour of love and yes, it’s hard slog at times.
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THIS is why I enjoy this blog! After a tough week I felt a little shy adding to the Best / Worst post, but after checking back in last night and reading the honest and funny comments I no longer felt overwhelmed and was happy to share. Thank you!
And NJ, agree, Im loving the wollywally love!
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NJ thank you,
as we can see, we have more in common, then differents, we all lose our patience (yes me included), we all struggle, we all have problems, good day bad days, health problems, hearing what others go trough does make this into differente prospective, and we can feel gratefull, for our life, and compasssion for others, MIa I think yuo are doing a great job, and even tough you had a difficult week, you managed to turn into something very very positive, hat to you, as 14 years old son say “rispect” from me, as for me I am going to make another garlic necklace, yes ,to go trough this week I will need at least two strand, love to all 00XX
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Thumbs up Mia, it’s a new week!
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Not much to add. I love coming here and reading Mia’s honest commentary about all sorts of things… I love reading other peoples comments, and realising we are not all alone… that we all have good and bad days, we all do things like rant and scream at out loved ones… it’s good to know life is not perfect, and that it really shouldn’t be, and that with love and laughter, we can get through the best and worst of times. Thanks Mia.
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Mia, your blog is amazing! i personally dont understand why people come here for arguments and personal attacks on you and others. i hope those few people do not block out the people like me who love all your posts, please continue to post what you like when you like, thats why i love this site.
xx
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Mia i think your amazing to deal with a job that is always at your fingertips. Id go crazy frequently if my job was always sitting in the lounge room staring at me with googly eyes making me feel guilty. Work is work, don’t let it pressure you and cut back if you need to.
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I still think wollywally should get the award for ‘spreading the most love on Mia’s blog’.
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The best/worst post provided such a great opportunity for everyone to share and showed what a great sense of community there is on this blog.
It was moving reading all those funny/sad stories. I couldn’t help thinking there must be a million movie scripts in that post! Thank you for providing such an entertaining and thought provoking forum for us, Mia. You are doing a brilliant job.
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oh mia your so lovely!
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I read the whole lot of comments to this post again yesterday, and I laughed and cried too.
It was just beautiful and variant and touching and sad and funny. We live in such a wide world.
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I was shitty that my husband came home from two weeks overseas “working” (attending a film festival) with a man-cold (has spent the weekend on couch) and no appreciation for me managing kids/job/house etc. while he was away.
But Mia reading about the lives of others on this blog certainly put my little whines into perspective. I’m bloody lucky! It was great to get a little more insight into the lives of others. x
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This was one where I really sat down and read through all the posts. And got so much from them. Thanks Mia for providing the forum and to all the posters for sharing a small but very touching part of themselves and their lives.
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I have only just found your blog in the last week and have already been suggesting it to friends and complete strangers… Your topics and peoples comments are FANTASTIC!
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I am with muffinluvin, I read your blog daily, sometimes a couple of times and have it saved onto the top toolbar. Trying not throwing fish at you.
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Mia, I used to only read your blog…then I got to know Bugmum, Numberchic, Cath, Kerrisackville, Gig et al and I read their blogs too…then you got me sucked into Twitter, and that’s where I spend my days now…trying to articulate thoughts, recipies and examples of crappy parenting into 140 characters! Thank the Lord a few of us have swapped email addresses so we can uphold the english language by keeping our beloved grammar intact, and not have to abbreviate everything to fit the 140 characters! It’s early, I’m tired, and probably not making much sense, but I think my point is, I’ve met some fantastic people through this site, (although when I say MET, I should clarify that none of us have seen a picure of Gig yet – the best we’ve got is a photo of him as a young, hip rocker in the ’70s – so we could’ve fallen over him in the street and not known!)and our little Mamam gang on twitter has certainly helped me through some tough days of late. Thank you thank you thank you for creating this little community (although it aint so little anymore!!) I get so much out of reading, commenting, feeling like I belong in this wonderful grown-up space.
And by the way – the twitter thing? I do love it for what it is…there is something oddly satisfying in being able to articulate one’s trials and tribulations, thoughts and adventures from the day in 140 characters: Kids feral. Husband asshat. Pouring giant glass of booze…
Grammer begone!! Have a great day everyone xxx
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Mia, I read your blog more often than I read the papers – no kidding! I read it so much that I’ve put the link on my tool bar, along side facebook, my blog, and my uni email.
Reading your blog is one of my daily routines and it has been so for the past year and a half (Although I only just started putting in comments)! THANKS MIA!
XOX
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Its prob a bit cliche but this is where that saying comes in ‘And there by the grace of god go I’
~ We should never take what we have or anything for granted as it could all be taken away at anytime. All we are, are our memories.~
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Best – reading Mia’s blog.
Worst – the idea that Mia might stop writing her blog.
Don’t even think about it Mia!
As for any nasty commenters you might have to deal with, well, a) I’d like to see THEM write and maintain a blog of this calibre, and b) you know what Uncle Chopper would say…
Keep up the ultra-excellent work.
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Thanks for the opportunity to share our lives with one another Mia. I agree I became quite sad reading what people are going through but then smiling upon realizing the way they are handling life and their ‘best’ moments.
Great community indeed!
I am stoked it will be a regular Friday thing. Top idea.
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