sheila
December 2nd, 2005, 10:15 AM
To celebrate our 2nd birthday, here's a little song. It might take a little while to sing it all the way through, but I think you know the tune.
On the twelfth day of OUAL, my community gave to me:
Twelve days 'til Christmas,
Eleven types of journals,
Ten Gymboree threads,
Nine months of pregnancy,
Eight cycle buddies,
Seven(or so) real fruitcakes,
Six month span playgroups,
Five new post searches,
Four (hundred) moved threads, (thanks, Dennis!)
Three charity auctions,
Two token males,
and the freedom to speak more freely!
That's right, folks. Only 12 more days until Christmas. What are you doing here? Don't you have some shopping to do? Cards to send out? Cookies to bake? Friends to visit?
Oh wait, friends to visit is a big part of why you are here, isn't it? Well, in that case, enjoy the holidays with your friends and family here at OUAL. And thanks for being around for the past 2 years to be a part of my family.
And Happy 2nd Birthday Coley! :cake:
Eleven types of journals
It seems like there must be a journal type for everyone who would like to have one, since we have so many. But I suppose that helps keep things a little organized. Eleven. Wow, it seems like so many. And they certainly do get used!
Ten Gymboree threads
Between the 9 addicts & fans threads and the pictures of kids wearing their Gymbo, there are 10 threads devoted to the clothes. Amazing. That means that there are almost 10,000 posts about Gymboree on the site. And I'm not even counting all the ISO lists, for sale and other miscellaneous threads about it! The Gymboree threads have been one of the most productive ways for us to find new members, too.
Nine months of pregnancy
Pretty straightforward this morning-- 9 months of pregnancy is what got most of us here. Whether wanting the 9 months, experiencing it or having experienced it all. I think its great that while we have some members without kids, the majority of us are moms who who have been there.
Eight cycle buddies
The number at any moment does tend to change, but there were 8 when I checked for this thread. Its a good number, I think-- not too many too many to keep up with, not too few to make it feel like people are on their own. And the really great thing is that the 8 people tend to change pretty regurlarly because they are a pretty successful group. :aok:
Seven(or so) real fruitcakes
To quote Jimmy Buffet:
Half baked cookies in the oven, Half baked people on the bus, There's a little bit of fruitcake left in everyone of us
Yup, we've got some fruitcakes here. :crazy: And even if you can think of a few that you would award the fruitcake status, be sure that you are making someone else's list. It's all relative, and I am sure we all make the list somewhere. Being able to consider some of our friends fruitckaes is part of what keeps this place interesting and fun.
To quote Jimmy again:
Stay in touch with [your] insanity, Really is the only way, It's a jungle out there kiddies, Have a very fruitful day
Six month span playgroups
We started combining playgroups because we didn't have enough people to make 2 month span groups work as well as we would have liked them to. And I think it has worked out very well for us. In addition to having more moms and babies to call a part of our group, it makes it a little more fun. Switching to 3 month span pregnancy groups has helped as well. 3 is a magic number with pregnancy, so it seems logical that a pregnancy group should span 3 months.
I think that having a larger span in the groups has also made it easier to see life beyond the playgroup. It is a wonderful home base, but it seems much easier for people to use that base as a way to be more active on the main parts of the board. And because they are not so insular, it makes it easier for other people to offer their advice, congratulations or condolences as the situation warrants.
Five new post searches,New Posts, New Posts (non journal), Today's New Posts, Today's New Posts (non journal) and Not many replies. So many ways to find new posts, so little time! :lol:
We are the only site who offers the non-journal post search, and I'm a little proud that we have it. Its a handy feature, and I think it helps keep the main part of the board more active.
Four (hundred) moved threads, (thanks, Dennis!)
So many threads to move, to close, to edit.... Thanks to Dennis and all the mods who help make this place run a little more smoothly. Dennis gets the shout out because he took on moving things from The Junk Drawer to the more appropriate forums, but really all the mods deserve a round of applause.
For the most part, we are pretty relaxed about things here. Individual members can close their own journals and B/S/T threads when they are done with them, and we don't really close other threads (even if the OP requests it) because I think its better to let things run their course. But that still leaves a good bit of administration and general cleanup for the mods. The spam alone at certain times keeps everyone hopping.
Thanks again to the mods who help this place run as smoothly as it does. :rahrah:
Three charity auctions
Last Christmas, we had two Charity Auctions to raise money to buy gifts for kids in the Georgia Foster care program, and this spring we had another auction to raise money for our March of Dimes Walk America team. All in all, we raised over $2,500 for Charity. Not to shabby at all. It really is wonderful to see a community like ours come together and do something so great for people who need it. And it was fun, too.
This year, we aren't having an auction. Instead, we've chosen Toys for Tots (http://www.toysfortots.org/home/) as our charity of the season and will be keeping track (http://www.onceuponalife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23491) of how many toys we can donate as a group. Go OUAL!! :santa:
Two token males
Dennis and Roger. We love them. They add something special to our community of women. But no matter how much we love them, they are still and will always be our token males. What would we bewithout them?
The freedom to speak more freely!
Kind of an odd place to start, but it goes back the beginning of OUAL, when most of us came from a place where what we could say was a little more restricted. We wanted to provide a more relaxed atmosphere around here, so we decided that some swearing would be ok, and it would be ok to have more heated arguments. It hasn't always been smooth sailing, but on the whole, I think we are working it out pretty well. Sometimes people cross a line, but usually all it takes is a gentle reminder that there are things that are better kept to yourself, or that some comments need to be kept in their appropriate places. Overall, I think that free speech is a good thing.
On the twelfth day of OUAL, my community gave to me:
Twelve days 'til Christmas,
Eleven types of journals,
Ten Gymboree threads,
Nine months of pregnancy,
Eight cycle buddies,
Seven(or so) real fruitcakes,
Six month span playgroups,
Five new post searches,
Four (hundred) moved threads, (thanks, Dennis!)
Three charity auctions,
Two token males,
and the freedom to speak more freely!
That's right, folks. Only 12 more days until Christmas. What are you doing here? Don't you have some shopping to do? Cards to send out? Cookies to bake? Friends to visit?
Oh wait, friends to visit is a big part of why you are here, isn't it? Well, in that case, enjoy the holidays with your friends and family here at OUAL. And thanks for being around for the past 2 years to be a part of my family.
And Happy 2nd Birthday Coley! :cake:
Eleven types of journals
It seems like there must be a journal type for everyone who would like to have one, since we have so many. But I suppose that helps keep things a little organized. Eleven. Wow, it seems like so many. And they certainly do get used!
Ten Gymboree threads
Between the 9 addicts & fans threads and the pictures of kids wearing their Gymbo, there are 10 threads devoted to the clothes. Amazing. That means that there are almost 10,000 posts about Gymboree on the site. And I'm not even counting all the ISO lists, for sale and other miscellaneous threads about it! The Gymboree threads have been one of the most productive ways for us to find new members, too.
Nine months of pregnancy
Pretty straightforward this morning-- 9 months of pregnancy is what got most of us here. Whether wanting the 9 months, experiencing it or having experienced it all. I think its great that while we have some members without kids, the majority of us are moms who who have been there.
Eight cycle buddies
The number at any moment does tend to change, but there were 8 when I checked for this thread. Its a good number, I think-- not too many too many to keep up with, not too few to make it feel like people are on their own. And the really great thing is that the 8 people tend to change pretty regurlarly because they are a pretty successful group. :aok:
Seven(or so) real fruitcakes
To quote Jimmy Buffet:
Half baked cookies in the oven, Half baked people on the bus, There's a little bit of fruitcake left in everyone of us
Yup, we've got some fruitcakes here. :crazy: And even if you can think of a few that you would award the fruitcake status, be sure that you are making someone else's list. It's all relative, and I am sure we all make the list somewhere. Being able to consider some of our friends fruitckaes is part of what keeps this place interesting and fun.
To quote Jimmy again:
Stay in touch with [your] insanity, Really is the only way, It's a jungle out there kiddies, Have a very fruitful day
Six month span playgroups
We started combining playgroups because we didn't have enough people to make 2 month span groups work as well as we would have liked them to. And I think it has worked out very well for us. In addition to having more moms and babies to call a part of our group, it makes it a little more fun. Switching to 3 month span pregnancy groups has helped as well. 3 is a magic number with pregnancy, so it seems logical that a pregnancy group should span 3 months.
I think that having a larger span in the groups has also made it easier to see life beyond the playgroup. It is a wonderful home base, but it seems much easier for people to use that base as a way to be more active on the main parts of the board. And because they are not so insular, it makes it easier for other people to offer their advice, congratulations or condolences as the situation warrants.
Five new post searches,New Posts, New Posts (non journal), Today's New Posts, Today's New Posts (non journal) and Not many replies. So many ways to find new posts, so little time! :lol:
We are the only site who offers the non-journal post search, and I'm a little proud that we have it. Its a handy feature, and I think it helps keep the main part of the board more active.
Four (hundred) moved threads, (thanks, Dennis!)
So many threads to move, to close, to edit.... Thanks to Dennis and all the mods who help make this place run a little more smoothly. Dennis gets the shout out because he took on moving things from The Junk Drawer to the more appropriate forums, but really all the mods deserve a round of applause.
For the most part, we are pretty relaxed about things here. Individual members can close their own journals and B/S/T threads when they are done with them, and we don't really close other threads (even if the OP requests it) because I think its better to let things run their course. But that still leaves a good bit of administration and general cleanup for the mods. The spam alone at certain times keeps everyone hopping.
Thanks again to the mods who help this place run as smoothly as it does. :rahrah:
Three charity auctions
Last Christmas, we had two Charity Auctions to raise money to buy gifts for kids in the Georgia Foster care program, and this spring we had another auction to raise money for our March of Dimes Walk America team. All in all, we raised over $2,500 for Charity. Not to shabby at all. It really is wonderful to see a community like ours come together and do something so great for people who need it. And it was fun, too.
This year, we aren't having an auction. Instead, we've chosen Toys for Tots (http://www.toysfortots.org/home/) as our charity of the season and will be keeping track (http://www.onceuponalife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23491) of how many toys we can donate as a group. Go OUAL!! :santa:
Two token males
Dennis and Roger. We love them. They add something special to our community of women. But no matter how much we love them, they are still and will always be our token males. What would we bewithout them?
The freedom to speak more freely!
Kind of an odd place to start, but it goes back the beginning of OUAL, when most of us came from a place where what we could say was a little more restricted. We wanted to provide a more relaxed atmosphere around here, so we decided that some swearing would be ok, and it would be ok to have more heated arguments. It hasn't always been smooth sailing, but on the whole, I think we are working it out pretty well. Sometimes people cross a line, but usually all it takes is a gentle reminder that there are things that are better kept to yourself, or that some comments need to be kept in their appropriate places. Overall, I think that free speech is a good thing.