Well, 2012 has certainly been a roller coaster for our family. It was a good blogging year but I honestly have had a rough 2012 and am looking forward to 2013, hoping some of that bad karma from 2012 is gone for good! Wishing you a very happy 2013 as well, and thanks for following along.

This year’s review of Get Clued In is not as diverse or uplifting as the 2011 Top 10 and Year in Review and honestly, is a more mixed bag. Just like the personal roller coaster year our family had, so are the posts.

Here goes:

10. Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – a gem of a movie (now on DVD) – as far as movies and movie reviews for the year, this one has special place in my heart. I loved, loved (did I mention LOVED) this movie. It’s a must see for 2012 or any year and remember as Sonny said in the movie, “everything will be all right in the end… if it’s not all right then it’s not yet the end.”

9. They really CAN see you- dangers of Group MMS messaging texts– Wow! Did I learn a lot this year about the dangers of group MMS messaging. I learned how to change the settings which can prevent a lot of heart ache later. Also, this one post did get a lot of traffic this year so I am glad the word is getting out. Get smarter than your “smart” phone. Note: Ironically, as I wrote this Year in Review, someone decided to send me a Group MMS and now I am getting texts from people I do not know. I guess keep passing the message on please.

8. Disneyworld on a Dime? Ahhh, Forget about it!– How could I not share a fabulous trip to Disneyworld we had and the opportunities to share tips. Sure, you can’t do Disney on a Dime but you can do it with some tips. It was a fun trip to Florida for my brother’s wedding and Disneyworld BUT we did manage to bring home the plague– not even kidding. So perhaps you can read the plague post after you read about all the fun we had at Disneyworld.

7. Our School-Moon Trip: get Clued In Heads West to California– Before our daughter started Kindergarten, we took a family trip to California- we had a blast! We saw the Bay Area, San Francisco, and San Jose, and got to hang out on the Beach at Monterey Bay/Carmel. We saw family and friends, and really enjoyed San Francisco.

6. New York, New York! We took a trip for Thanksgiving week to New York. The excuse was a wedding for a relative, but we capitalized and saw New York City, and enjoyed some amazing pizza, pretzels, and felafel. I think I gained 5 lbs on this trip from the wedding food, and all the other libations. Wow! Great trip with the kids and we saw a lot of both sides of our families. Great reunion, and a great time!

5. In an Instant– As I said earlier, this year marked the first time for us, on my side of the family that there were some health issues for both my mom and dad. Postings 4 and 2 below relate to all of this too. It was truly eye opening for all of us on many fronts. First, on the health care front in America – truly scary how bad it could have been without good health insurance but second, and more importantly, it made my brother and I realize that life is fragile. We all realized that the time we have on this earth is limited with friends, family, and loved ones so make it all count.

4. With Mom on Mother’s Day– This year, because of the health issues of my dad and then even my mom, was a bit unusual and instead of spending mother’s day with my kiddos, I got to spend it with my mom. I was there to help after my dad’s heart attack but getting that opportunity to spend time with her was just unique and there is nothing like being with mom.

3. Milestones & Memories- First Day of Kindergarten– This one is near and dear to my heart because all milestones are. Our eldest started Kindergarten. What a journey she has ahead and I guess us too!

2. Because of the Sacrifices they made – As you know this was a rocky year for our family, specifically my parents both had health issues and I thought this post was heartfelt and even reading it now, gives me goose pimples as the tears roll down my cheeks. My favorite quote from the movie The Odd Life of Timothy Green holds true as I think about the time we all have with each other on this planet especially our kids and parents: “there are two people in the world who want you more than anything. They will do their best, they’ll make mistakes, and you only get them for a short time, but they will love you more than you can ever imagine.”

AND FINALLY…. (drumroll please)

1. Decision 2012: Why Social Issues Matter – What would 2012 be without a political post or two. So, of course, I’d be remiss to not talk about how President Obama won this election despite all that is going on with the economy. It was a rough campaign and very ugly, and some of the posts I wrote before define it all but in the end, social issues do matter. Here are some other posts on the heated and historical election year: Why do you Vote? and my post after seeing President Obama for the first time ever: Politics 101