Finding Ninee » Sharing our parenting and special needs stories with heart and humor.

Exciting Announcement about Finish the Sentence Friday Improvements and a New Host!

Hey friends. I know you’re confused about why I’m publishing on a Tuesday when I’ve been such a slacker reliable weekly writer of Finish the Sentence Friday. I have a super duper exciting announcement about Finish the Sentence Friday improvements and a new host!

I know! I’m bouncing too! But, like all super duper exciting announcements and moving speeches, this, too, must start with some background.

Oh! We were in Colorado last week. Check out Tux at the Balancing Rock at Garden of the Gods.

And now, for the background story that is the intro to the exciting announcement.

When Tucker was just over three years old and in Preschool Autism Class, I found myself with a few things.

  1. Time on my hands that I hadn’t had. Like, more time than maybe ever.
    I’d quit my job when he was four days old, and hadn’t expected that he’d be occupied for most of the day at such a young age. Until then, I’d always worked, and then stayed at home with him at home as an infant and toddler.
  2. Confusion and worry about where we “fit.” He didn’t have an autism diagnosis (his delays are similar but not fully on the spectrum), and he wasn’t hitting typical milestones.
    I really wanted to find a community of other parents who were in “The Middle World,” where autism was a part of our lives through ABA therapy, peers, school, and wondering, but autism wasn’t a perfect puzzle piece for us. (Get it? The puzzle piece?)
  3. A desire to share our story in hopes of finding others with similar ones. I started writing a memoir, got several thousands of words into it and then Googled how to find a publisher for a memoir. It didn’t go well.
    I wrote about the evolution of a blogger from a memoirist, and then wrote part two because it’s that complicated (it’s not complicated). I later shared how to start a blog, because I wish I knew back then.
  4. I started a blog. This blog.

Why am I strolling down memory lane and talking about Tucker when he was still small enough to be pick-upable?

I see this photo and wow. He was so young, and I’m so old. But somehow, it works.

Back in my early days of blogging, I realized other people blog, too. Like, a whole huge bunch of people. And I wanted in on the party! I joined some groups.

The Bloppy Blogger Facebook group and the group called Women Who Write and Blog became places where I met some of my dearest friends.

I joined a link-up party called TALU, which no longer exists, and met a bunch of really wonderful writers including Kenya Johnson of Sporadically Yours and The Christopher Chronicles.

A few weeks later, I found Finish the Sentence Friday. That week, the hosts were:

Janine’s Confessions of a Mommyaholic
Mommy, for Real
JenJen’s Soapbox of Parodies
Can I Get Another Bottle of Whine with My Morning Quiet Time

My first Finish the Sentence Friday post was about my most embarrassing moments.

I’m a little blurry on the details but at some point, Jen was replaced with Dawn, who I can’t find now. Or maybe, Jen was just a co-host that week? Stephanie from Mommy For Real wasn’t yet a full co-host, but became one later on, as did I.

Eventually, the other hosts dropped out, and it was just me.

Many people offered to co-host but I couldn’t choose so I decided to have different co-hosts each week. The sentence-thinker-upper got to co-host, and it’s been that way for um, well… huh. A while now, anyway.

Until today – which is why I’m posting an Exciting Announcement about Finish the Sentence Friday Improvements and a New Host!

Last night, Kenya and I were texting, and she gave me an idea. Today, she texted again, saying her idea was bigger.

In between, we were texting about shopping, life, and wine, because it’s important to text about life and wine.

 Anyway, she mentioned that if I liked her new idea, she’d be open to co-hosting each week.

I wasn’t sure I wanted an always co-host.

But then, she gave me her super awesome idea.

And I loved it.
Loved loved love love it.

So here’s the deal. Finish the Sentence Friday will go on as always BUT it won’t always be the finishing of a sentence (although you’ll get prompts).

Kenya and I will co-host each week and you can co-host as a sentence (or prompt) thinker-upper. Join our Facebook group to submit ideas.

The details:

Week one each month will be a standard Finish the Sentence Friday prompt, where we give you a prompt, and you write to the sentence as exactly or as loosely as you’d like to.

Week two each month will be a Listicle. Write a list based on the prompt we give you.

Week three each month will be a stream of consciousness. Write for five minutes, and share it. Kenya used to participate in this prompt and I’ve been in writing groups with Jena (THEY ARE AMAZING) that do it for 10 minutes. There’s much to be said about the free-write. You often find something you weren’t prepared to “talk about.” Free therapy, anybody?

Week four each month will be a photo share Friday, where you share a photo and the story behind it.

For the few months that have a fifth Friday in them, we’ll do a “Throwback Friday” post, where you can link an old post that needs some new love.

Brilliant, right? I mean, I didn’t think of this. Kenya did. She also made this helpful graphic.

Upcoming prompts (each prompt opens up on Thursday night at 10pm eastern. The link-up stays open through late Sunday evening each week):

Friday, Jan. 12 is Listicle Friday: 10 Favorite Things. Write a list about your favorite things.

Friday, Jan. 19 is Stream of Consciousness. A five minute free-write about Winter.

Friday, Jan. 26 is Photo Share. Share a photo and the story behind it.

Hope to see you there!

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  • Linda Atwell - This is awesome!
    I hope you are having a blast in Colorado.
    Maybe I’ll even be able to participate in these once in a while!January 9, 2018 – 11:27 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - I hope you will! We’re actually back from Colorado but it was fun. Tucker got to snow tube with his cousins for the third year in a row on NY day and that was magical. So was seeing family and friends.January 10, 2018 – 6:34 pmReplyCancel

  • Kelly L McKenzie - WOW! Gotta say I love this idea. I think it shakes things up in a refreshingly good way.

    I am sorry I’ve been neglectful lately with FTSF, guys. I’ve met some wonderful folks over here and I look forward to participating more and reading the posts.January 9, 2018 – 11:30 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - I love that you love this idea, Kelly! I think you’re right about it shaking things up and no need to apologize for missing FTSF lately. I know life gets in the way of blogging. It’s pretty much the only time I post any longer. I hope you’ll join us!January 10, 2018 – 6:35 pmReplyCancel

  • Lizzi - WELL! This does sound exciting! Hope all goes well. Love the new idea and new graphic…and your new co-host is most definitely awesome.

    Might even join in, occasionally 😉

    (P.S. Ya gotta open parentheses to close them, or it makes it a parenthesis and that’s just lonely!!! I’M FLOORED ya did that *bitch, whine*)January 10, 2018 – 4:31 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Join in join in join in join in join in!!! Um, what parenthesis. Did I mess up? I posted late and am SICK but edited some today… and now I don’t see them. Ugh. Did I really???? Nah. I don’t believe it.January 10, 2018 – 7:09 pmReplyCancel

      • Lizzi - I *think* you edited it out without realising 😉January 11, 2018 – 2:01 amReplyCancel

  • Kenya G. Johnson - I’m so thrilled! That’s a line a movie “Lady Sings the Blues”, so I said it in Diana Ross’s voice. Can’t remember if she was so thrilled for real or sarcastic, but I am so thrilled for real, ready to get this party started! Thanks for being on board, if you had approached me with this idea in a day, I would have had a heart attack.January 10, 2018 – 6:38 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - I’m so thrilled for real too and completely ready to get the party started! Whoot! HAHA to the heart attack. Honestly, when you said “and I’d be the co-host” I thought “Um, I don’t really want a co-host” until I heard the idea and then really wanted to do this with you. I’m so grateful for your idea. I love it and think it’s brilliant.January 10, 2018 – 7:11 pmReplyCancel

  • Dana - Yay – how exciting! You and Kenya are two of my oldest blogging friends (as in I’ve known you the longest – you’re not old!)…I miss those days of connecting.January 10, 2018 – 8:45 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - LOL to clarifying that we’re old because you’ve known us the longest instead of just being old. 😀 I miss those days, too. Maybe this will help.January 10, 2018 – 7:11 pmReplyCancel

  • Emily - Wow, this post was like a trip down memory lane for me — bloppy bloggers, blogging awards — fun times! And, I LOVE this new format — great idea and great new co-host too! Maybe this will give me motivation to participate more now. I’ve always loved FTSF because who doesn’t appreciate prompts?! Especially for bloggers with dwindling content like me! Looking forward to this!January 10, 2018 – 9:46 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - I know right? I remember the first blogging award and I was FLOORED. I miss those days a little bit. And yeah, I have dwindling content too. I hope you’ll join!!! It’s a fun idea!January 10, 2018 – 7:14 pmReplyCancel

  • Tamara - I. Love. It. And if that’s the same Jena Schwartz, not only do we have mutual blogging friends, but she lives two towns over. We were at the same Regina Spektor concert.January 10, 2018 – 5:01 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - It is Jena Schwartz. She’s amazing. You’re amazing. No wonder you live so close to one another. That’s really cool you were at the same concert!January 10, 2018 – 7:15 pmReplyCancel

  • Lisa @ The Meaning of Me - Love the pre-set schedule. Sounds like a fun concept!January 11, 2018 – 9:11 amReplyCancel

  • Kerry - You are right in that it isn’t such a bad idea to shake things up sometimes. I don’t always like writing lists, but maybe I can come up with ten things I love for this first one.

    I’ve been taking part in a stream of consciousness post each week (or nearly always each week) for a few years now: SoCS or Stream of Consciousness Saturday. I may combine both once a month.

    Not so sure about the photo one, but we’ll see. I can do the others. Sure.January 12, 2018 – 12:17 amReplyCancel

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