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Here we are at the end of the year again! It’s been another fun year of writing for this community that I adore. Did you know Carrots readers are the best readers? Well, you are. No contest.
It’s a tradition for me to compile a list of the 1o most popular posts written in the past calendar year. It helps me understand what you liked best. Sometimes it aligns almost perfectly with what my favorite posts were and sometimes it’s a complete surprise to me!
So here’s 2016! Drumroll please……..
“I first read the Harry Potter series before converting to Catholicism and the Weasleys were my favorite family in the books (obviously). Imagine my delight when I discovered that they’re a big Catholic family! Well….OK, the books don’t come right out and say they’re Catholic but I think there’s some solid reasons to assume they are….”
2. Sorting Jane Austen Characters into Hogwarts Houses: The Definitive Guide
“You love Jane Austen. You love Harry Potter. So why not sort your favorite Austen characters into Hogwarts houses? I could not come up with a good reason not to. …”
3. Things You DON’T Have to Do to Be a Holy Catholic Woman
“Thank goodness we have the saints to show us the myriad of ways to live a holy life for Jesus. There is no one way to be a holy Catholic woman. The saints show us that you might be a military leader, a queen, an illiterate peasant, a mother of many or of few, a wife, a nun, among other things and live out your Catholic faith heroically….”
4. The Wear Your Wedding Dress 10th Anniversary Party of My Dreams
“We threw a party. A big party for our 10th wedding anniversary. And it was one of the sweetest days of my life….”
5. Is Your Favorite Saint a Gryffindor? The Definitive Guide to Sorting the Saints
“Ever wonder whether your patron saint is a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff?…..”
6. I Took a Month Off from Being a SAHM. Here’s What I Learned.
“This summer I was feeling “sort of stretched–like butter spread across too much bread” in the words of Bilbo Baggins. And I was trying to figure out where my discontentment and general worn-out-ness was coming from. Because Daniel had a month off of work between his internship and his new job, we had the rare opportunity to switch around our family responsibilities….”
7. Dreaming of That Political Candidate Unicorn
“I know if you wait for the perfect candidate who you agree with on every single issue you’ll be waiting forever. I get it. I’m not asking for a saint. I’m not expecting a candidate I can agree on with every economic, environmental, educational, social, and foreign policy. All I’m asking for is to have the option to vote for a candidate that has a sense of the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person…“
8. Friday Fashion Frivolity: The Problem with My Stitch Fix Stylist
“I have a problem: I want to buy EVERYTHING this woman picks out for me with her brilliant mind-reading wizardy. And so to stick to my budget, deciding which of the five things to keep is torture.”
9. Unrealistic Expectations, Anxiety Attacks, and Rediscovering the Joy of Motherhood
“While I believe that the family is where many of us are called to practice God’s generous love and is where we learn to give of ourselves til it hurts, I think something twisted is happening to many modern moms. The expectations have changed and the support has evaporated. The longer I’m a mom and the more women I know who are struggling through this journey, the more convinced I am that something is seriously broken. No one claims motherhood is ever easy, but should so many moms be suffering from anxiety attacks and depression?”
10. We’re All Screwing Up Our Kids
“The other day I was telling a friend about some parenting challenges I was facing and how overwhelmed and inadequate I felt about mothering one of my kids. He said, ‘You know, I realized the other day that there is absolutely no way I won’t screw up my kids to some degree. It’s just going to happen. My parents are fantastic and I still have issues because of their parenting choices. My kids will have issues because of me no matter how hard I try or how well I parent.'”
And there you have it! Three were bookish posts. Three were about motherhood. One was a fashion post. One was political (not one of my usual topics so that was a little surprising). One was about being a Catholic woman and one was a lifestyle post–a peek into our 10th anniversary party. So all-in-all it was a pretty even sampling of what I usually write about (ok, maybe a little heavy on the Harry Potter. #sorrynotsorry #whatshouldIsortnext?).
I want to offer a big thank you to each and every one of my amazing readers. There are many kindred spirits out there and I’m so grateful for this little community. Thank you for reading, commenting, sharing, encouraging, challenging, and contributing to the conversations we have in this little corner of the internet. You are THE BEST!
What was your favorite this year? Any favorites that didn’t make the list?
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