Mairéad here, checking in with my blog traffic and progress report. I know! I know! It's supposed to be a monthly report and this update is about two months overdue.
I feel as if I'm handing in my homework late to Sr. Mary Aloysius, or another nun from my childhood with a very, very strange name.
What can I say?....
"The dog ate my homework!
Yes, sister!
She nearly choked on the computer parts
as she chewed, and chewed.
Somehow, I don't think Sr. Mary Immaculata or Sr. Attracta would have fallen for that one.
Does anyone else remember the funny names nuns had before Vatican II? When I was a school girl in Dublin, the nuns were in the process of changing to modern names, and leaving behind those strange, complicated, little known saint names they had chosen years and years before.
I fondly remember my second class or second grade teacher, Sr. Catherine. Her old books bore the name Sr. Appelonia. Other nuns had names like Sr. Majella, or Sr. Alphonsus, or Sr. Benedict. Male saint names were quite acceptable as nun's names back then.
I don't think any of these good sisters would have accepted my tardy blog report. And my very own great aunt, who bore the intimidating name of Sr. Regulata, would have been less than impressed with her grand niece's belated submission.
But I hope you are more forgiving when it comes to my blogging homework.
'Better late than never' is my motto for this little update.
And so without further ado, and hopefully with forgiveness from above, here's my progress report for the first quarter of 2016.
To Do List
In January I created a to do list of important tasks to complete. Here's my score card:
- My blog theme change went smoothly, and it's nice to be back to a green background.
- I've made progress with my recipe e-book. Ten recipes are uploaded, and soon I hope to be ready to share it.
- I've enrolled in a new e-mail distribution system called Active Campaign. I'm completing video tutorials to implement it correctly and we should be ready to roll very soon.
And so, I think Sr. Regulata might give me a C grade on this one. But it could border on a D+. I'm sure she would have been a stickler for rules and regulations, and "timely completion of tasks".
Long Term Goals
Overall I'll give myself a C grade on my long term goals.
Forget about your F grade, sister dear. I need some motivation.
Here's a quick recap from January's report where I shared my aspirations for 2016.
- Editing my novel continues. I've changed my approach from a third person narrative and am rewriting all the chapter's from my main character's point of view. Onwards and upwards with that one.
- I've submitted one picture book to a few agents. It's a quirky tale of a young leprechaun on a quest to bury his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
- I posted on my blog pretty regularly, except when I took a week off for spring break.
- I published my Irish oat flapjacks, traditional potato soup, buttermilk pancakes and Irish fruit parfait recipes. Sr. Regulata is tutting up there in heaven. "More good Irish food please."
- Now I think I must have gotten lost in a bog somewhere on our tour of Ireland county-by-county. We finally saw the beauty of County Kilkenny. But I'm afraid we got stuck there for a while. Laois is next on my list, and I've found some lovely photos which I'll share this month.
- Now traffic was wonderful. But that's all thanks to you, for stopping by and checking out my recipes and ramblings. And so, here's my traffic report.
Traffic Report
Let's take a look at January. Here's a snapshot from my January traffic report in Google Analytics. The month got off to a flying start as readers checked out Irish blessings and recipes to ring in the New Year.
February chugged along nicely with 69,623 page views.
And then along came March, the month of St. Patrick, and lots of new and old readers found my little corner of the world wide web.
Look at the blip in my Google Analytics traffic graph.
The mountain peak is none other than St. Patrick's Day. A big thanks to everyone who visited my blog to celebrate all things Irish on March 17th.
I really appreciate you stopping by.
The thing about St. Patrick's Day is that lots and lots of people love to cook cabbage and my recipe for how to cook cabbage Irish style was viewed thousands of times.
The screenshot above is from Google Analytics. It shows how many people are browsing your webpage at any given time. Well, when I saw 126 people were on my site, and all at the same time, I nearly had a heart attack. I know, big time bloggers wouldn't even blink at this number, but for me, it was a lovely surprise.
But those kind of numbers are all thanks to good old St. Patrick. Usually about 5 to 10 people might browse my website at any given time.
And so I'll have to get St. Patrick, up there in heaven, to reassure Sr. Regulata that her great niece is trying hard and that at least on his Feast Day, Irish American Mom's blog might meet her stringent standards.
April To Do List
And so here I go again with a few more goals to keep me on the straight and narrow.
- Complete Irish American Mom's recipe e-book and make it available for readers to print and save for free.
- Start using Active Campaign for e-mail distributions about blog updates.
- Create a comment policy page to explain the rules and regulations for joining our little chats. I delete some comments that are rude, and which I believe don't encourage discussion and friendly banter. Mom's a bit of a dictator, and kindness and courtesy are of utmost importance to me here on my blog.
Wrap Up
And there you have it! A little ramble around the ins and outs of my blogging goals and aspirations, together with a guided traffic tour for the first quarter of 2016.
My apologies to anyone who stopped by today for a little chat about Ireland, and I ended up boring you to tears with goals and traffic stats. But it's the best way I know, to keep me looking forward and plodding along to develop and improve our little Irish corner of the world wide web.
I love photos of Irish sheep, the Irish traffic jam kind. And so this month, I've chosen this wonderful shot from County Galway, to represent our Irish traffic report.
I'll try to find find a new sheep photo each time we talk about Irish American Mom's traffic.
Thanks so much for joining me on my blogging journey. Onwards and upwards, and don't forget to stop by whenever you get a spare moment.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
Here are some more ramblings you might find interesting....
Patricia
Well, I think you have done a lot of work Mairead! Still, you have confessed your "shortcomings," and therefore you have earned the grade of T. So go have a cup! 🙂
I had no idea you weeded out bad comments! And here I was thinking everyone that came here was so lovely! It never occured to me that you were shielding us. I must live in a fairy land. Oh, you are a good Irish-American mom, you are! ?
Irish American Mom
Hi Patricia - I celebrated my T-grading with a lovely cuppa just now, and I enjoyed a massive slice of strawberry pavlova along with it. Just a little treat for the weekend.
As for bad comments, I do need to weed some out. Not too many, thank God. 98% of comments on my blog posts are just lovely and a pleasure to read. But every now and then I cringe. And then I quickly hit the delete button. Some are laden with shocking bad language and verbally attack other readers and commenters. Now I don't mind a little bit of banter, and differences of opinions, but when comments are directed at others, in a rude and pointed way, I just say to myself "no thank you." I suppose I'm ruler of this little domain, and good manners are a must.
Hope you have a lovely weekend,
Mairéad
Barbara
Mairead, I had to laugh and smile with nostalgia when you mentioned Sr. Immaculata. I remember mine well- 11th grade in Montreal. I'm a lot older than you but she is still vivid in my memory- stern and expecting of good behavior. Love the sheep picture. Keep them coming. Can't wait for the recipe eBook. Love your blog. The recent trip thru Ireland was wonderful. As I said I older and not a very good traveler so my hopes of visiting Ireland in person have gone by. But pictures are great too! Thanks.
Irish American Mom
Hi Barbara - I'd say there are many of us who remember a Sr. Immaculata from our school days. Many nuns were strict, but I must confess, I had some lovely nuns as teachers. Sr. Catherine stands out in my memories. She was so warm and kind. If any girl felt sick she'd bring her up to her desk and let her sit beside her as she taught. She'd laugh with us at her old name, Sr. Appelonia. "Now that was a mouthful, girls," she would say.
It's lovely to know you enjoy my blog, and since you may not make it back to Ireland again, I'll do my best to bring a little bit of Ireland to you through my photos and stories.
All the best,
Mairéad
Janet Sonnenberg
Remember the sisters but not fondly. Back in 1950s Boston suburbs, they were not even thinking about name changes or new habits! We did have two Lay teachers at our school and they were a breath of fresh air. Anxious for the cook book too. Enjoy your writings.
Irish American Mom
Hi Janet - I'm so glad you enjoy my recipes and ramblings, with a few rants thrown in for good measure. Good to know you too enjoyed the input of lay teachers when you were at school. In my Dublin school, they brought a nice perspective and change too.
Best wishes, and enjoy your weekend.
Mairéad
Maureen O Hanlon
Thank you Mairead for your up date, I cant wait for the recipie book, just as I was reading your blog I spotted your recipie for chocolate biscuit cake and looked at it again, i have one daughter who loves this cake, i must make it some day soon, when i had looked at the recipie i went back to your blog again, thanks for everything i love your page.
Best regards Maureen.
Irish American Mom
Hi Maureen - One of my little boys loves chocolate biscuit cake too. Unfortunately I do too, and I could keep taking little slivers of it, and before you know it the whole thing is gone. When I making it for an adult group, I love to add a dash of Bailey's with the condensed milk - it takes it to a whole other level of deliciousness.
All the best,
Mairéad
Maury
I had to laugh about you comments about the names of the nuns...we had some pretty strange names among our nuns too! There was Sr. Pious, SR. Ludivica, among others! I am sure your nuns would be very proud of you! I had an aunt that was a nun, and Mom made us go to visit her every Easter and Christmas! (The convent was a boring place). I look forward to your recipes. I found your blog by looking for tips on how to make Irish Wheaten bread...still don't quite have the hang of it. Love your blog!!!
Irish American Mom
Hi Maury - Sr. Lucivica is a new one for me. I never heard that name before. I not only had a great aunt who was a nun, four of my father's twelve siblings joined the nuns. I believe Sr. Regulata was a very good recruiter. Now all of them became sisters in America. Sr. Regulata was based outside Philadelphia. I never met her. I just remember a black and white photo of her in my granny's parlor.
I'm so happy you found my blog, and thanks for following my recipes and ramblings.
Take care,
Mairéad
Deborah
Reading this it would appear Nuns were part of our "right of passage" as ICG! Sr. Pious!! Oh my goodness name flash from past, ha, ha, ha.I like to acknowledge the good too, Sr. Theresa inspired me to become a teacher (inner-city, public school system). Love the sheep, always a favorite (except the time they were coming in my direction on a narrow back road in Tulla!). Glad to know you edit negatives. I find it refreshing not to read negative, nasty, angry remarks. I love your page.
All the best,
Deborah
Irish American Mom
Hi Deborah - It seems like many of the nuns' names I remembered from my school days are very familiar to many readers. And thanks for letting us know that Sr. Theresa from your school days inspired you to dedicate your life to teaching. I so admire teachers - I believe it is a calling, and teachers do not get half enough credit for the amazing work they do.
Good to hear that you too give my sheep photo idea your two thumbs up. Sounds like you had a close encounter with a woolly mob in Tulla.
As for editing nasty comments - I just couldn't let some of the uncalled-for, preachy, know-it-all, and even hateful comments I receive appear on these pages. This is not the venue for anger. Thankfully I don't see too many, but an odd one appears every now and then. I'm really striving to keep this webpage a warm and welcoming place, where anyone who loves Ireland can stop by for a little chat.
And thank you, for joining in our discussions so often. I really appreciate you taking the time to comment, and add your two cents.
Take care,
Mairéad
brian@irelandfavorites
Mairead first off your daily non St Paddys day traffic makes me jealous. Secondly who doesn't like pictures of Irish sheep,
Cheers,
Brian.
Irish American Mom
Hi Brian - You can't beat pictures of Irish sheep, especially when they're marching down a country boreen.
All the best,
Mairéad
Melissa Martin-Ellis
Thank you, Mairead for sharing your thoughts, pictures and recipes with us. As a writer myself I know it isn't always easy to get motivated and get moving. You're so brave to share your stats but since your blog is so popular I can see why you do. You always get an A+ from me.
Irish American Mom
Hi Melissa - It's so easy to get distracted when writing. Somedays I let anything and everything capture my attention, rather than knuckling down and actually being productive. Platforms like Pinterest could burn an hour or two at a time for me, if I allow myself get engrossed in the beauty of that endlessly scrolling imagery. These little reports are my attempt to share my struggles with readers, and to try to keep me focused. I debated whether or not I should share my stats so publicly, but then I said to myself, "they are what they are," and why not share the trials and tribulations of blogging with readers and other fellow bloggers. Sharing numbers openly, and writing down my goals and 'to do' list will hopefully keep me on track.
Thanks so much for your generous A+ grade. The nuns of my childhood might not agree, but I'll keep working toward a perfect score.
Best wishes,
Mairéa
Martha Sweeney
Good Morning, Mairead. I stop by just to see what happy news you have for us - yours is such an uplifting blog - always something to smile about and terrific pics
too.
Your list of your nuns names was dead on with our Mercy nuns - my favourite nun
was always Sr. Mercy - if any nun lived up to her name it was she. Looking back
we may have had some nutters but our education was stellar so we have so much
to be thankful for - yesterday in Mass I looked at one old nun and wondered what
she must think of the world now and all the changes she has to live with - not easy when their world was so certain and never changing - until now that is.
I made your crispy chicken pieces for my grandchildren and they now ask for Mairead's chicken instead of Chic Fil A (sorry cannot remember how to spell
that restaurant's name since we have not been there in some time).
It is amazing that you have any time at all to blog - between your children, your
writing and now a picture book too you do so much - I would give you a First and
most likely Sr. Regulata (what a name!) would just give up trying to keep up with
you - stay well and many thanks for your uplifting Blog - it is a joy to read.
Irish American Mom
Hi Martha - It's lovely to hear Sr. Mercy lived up to her name. My four aunts who were sisters have all now passed. Life sure has changed since they joined the nuns in the 1940's. Change comes fast and furious these days.
I'm delighted to hear your grandchildren give "Mairéad's chicken" their seal of approval. Replacing Chick-Fil-A is high praise indeed. When my son was three he used to ask to go to "Chick-A-Play." They have a car suspended in the air in their play areas and he loved sitting up there looking out at the restaurant.
And thank you for your kind words about my blogging efforts. Lovely comments from readers like you make it all worth while.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Bill Cokas
You can always count on my traffic, Mairead! And I just realized we are both parents of multiples, although you got me beat by one (triplets vs. mere twins).
Irish American Mom
Thanks as always for stopping by, Bill. As a parent of twins you understand how chaotic life can be, but nothing compares to the first six months of parenting multiples. You don't know whether you're coming or going. Those days are just a blur for me now, since my trio are nine. Once they passed the terrible twos life got so much easier. 🙂
All the best,
Mairéad
Bernie
Your comment brought back sweet memories of my lovely aunts, both sisters of mercy in Navan and Tippereray. Sr. Immaculata and Sr Mary Eithne, lovely gentle nuns.
Sr Immaculata (Aunt Ellen) taught in the convent of Mercy in Tippereray, teaching English, Irish and mathematics, later also responsible for the convent accounts, a busy woman!
They were so kind and caring always interested in us and our lives, happy memories. They both chose to keep the names they had chosen when they entered the convent as they said they couldn't think of themselves as any other name after so many years. The funny thing is, at the same time they found it completely natural that we would call them Aunt Ellen and Aunt Cassie! Happy days. I love reading your posts Mairead, you may have lived in America a long time now, but I can tell from your writing style you're still Irish to the core!
God Bless you,.
Irish American Mom
Hi Bernie - I'm so happy my rambling report and little sisterly inspired interlude brought back happy memories of your two aunts. Thank you for introducing them to us here. One of my aunts was a Poor Clare nun. Since she belonged to a secluded order she did not get to see family much. She used to write to me when I was a little girl, and I would write back to her. I loved receiving her letters. They were always beautifully written, and full of hope and kindness.
I'm so glad to hear you enjoy reading my blog. I suppose no matter how many years I may spend in America or Ireland, I will always be very Irish. I used to have a tag line on my blog which read ... "Recording my American evolution from Irish girl to American Mom." I suppose we could change that to "the failure of my American evolution"..... 🙂 🙂 🙂
Anyway, thanks so much for following along.
All the best,
Mairéad
Bernie
My aunts used to write to me too, enclosing the occasional prayer card, holy picture or medal and sometimes rosary beads, they always both signed their letters your loving auntie in Jesus Christ with a little cross drawn below, did your aunt do that?
Irish American Mom
Oh yes, Bernie. My aunt's letters usually contained a holy picture or a medal. She was a wonderful artist and sometimes she would make the card herself. I really regret that I did not keep some of her cards as mementos. Unfortunately they were casualties of my cool teenage years.
All the best,
Mairéad
kathy McCasey Kopchinski
Hi Mairead,... I LOVE reading your blog...as I am an American of Irish decsent,...living in northern NY. Just moved this past Fall from PA. My heart has belonged to Ireland my whole life, tho I doubt that I will ever get there in person. I would love to make my garden for my first Spring and Summer here in NY, truly reflect and Irish Garden.... Can you give some suggestions? I am trying to do make my house truly reflect an Irish cottage, as well, but as the sun is finally shining frequently, and I have been able to hang laundry outside (which is my favorite thing to do), I feel I should focus on my garden. .
I prefer hearing ideas and descriptions from you, as you can tell me first-hand, rather than reading only from a book. Please ramble as much as you feel like, as your stories are always lovely. thanks you!
Irish American Mom
Hi Kathy - Thanks for your kind words about my blog. I'm so happy your found my little corner of the web, where we can chat about all things Irish and Irish American.
Springtime cottage gardens in Ireland are usually full of crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths, but these all grow from bulbs and have to be planted in fall to bloom in spring. They need a good frost over the winter while the bulbs are safe in the soil, and then they erupt in color come spring. I'm not sure if New York is too cold for these flowers but you may find some hardy varieties at your local garden center.
Other flowers that remind me of an Irish cottage garden are wild roses, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas, foxgloves and fuchsia. And then of course there are some lovely annuals like pansies and marigolds. I hope this helps, but I have no idea which of these plants are hardy enough to survive the cold of winter and the heat of summer in New York. Even though Ireland is further north of the equator than New York, our winters are far milder, and our summers far cooler.
Wishing your many days of happy gardening.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
American Directory
We truly enjoyed reading this article. Good read.
Wonder where to get those ceramic figurines.
Irish American Mom
Just a photo I found - love those little figurenes too.
Good luck with your new online business.
Mairéad