Updated 5/16/23
Mrs. Odie is not my real name. I write anonymously for one reason: I am a public high school teacher. Okay, four reasons: my job, my husband, and my two daughters. They deserve to remain anonymous.
“Viva” is the pseudonym of my firstborn, six (as in “viva la difference” which is what we nervously mutter when things get weird), and “Pringles” is my youngest, born in June 2011. When I was pregnant with her, I posted on my Facebook status: “I just ate my fetus’s body weight in Pringles,” and my clever friend Trixiebelle quipped “That’s what you should name her!” The nickname stuck and to this day Trixie has a hard time not calling her Pringles.
My husband Odie is also a teacher. He is gorgeous, tall, nerdy, and socially anxious. The whole package.
Why am I “Mrs. Odie” but he’s just “Odie” and not “Mr. Odie”? In Die Hard, the main character is called “McClane” yet his long-suffering wife is “Mrs. McClane.” Same exact thing. Especially the barefoot on glass scene.
I come from a family of girls who produce girls. I have four sisters, two daughters, and three nieces. The only way you can get into this family as a man is to marry in. (Editor’s note: since I originally published this, my stepsister gave birth to a healthy boy!)
I’m an Aries, a vegetarian (90% of the time, the other 10% I eat Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and hate myself), and the owner of two perfect cats (two different cats than the ones in 2015 when I last updated. RIP to those precious ones).
Writing is my dream job. It is my passion. Like most people, though, I don’t have my dream job. I have my real job, which is teaching high school English. I spend so much time grading papers, I don’t always post as frequently as I’d like, but I promise I won’t quit.
When I am not writing, I am planning my next piece. Writing and being read is me, living my dream. Welcome to my dream! If you read something here that makes you smile, think, cringe, relate, or spell-check an email, please consider sharing it with your friends and/or sworn enemies. Because fuck them.
We use the Oxford comma here.
This blog is about my life and my commentary on life. I also do think pieces and TV as literature. It is honest, irreverent, and hopefully funny. Thank you for reading. I am currently working on some pieces to self publish on the Kindle platform. When they are done, I will sell them for cheap. I am also available to edit and proofread your work. I do line edits and structural edits. I do it all.
If this isn’t enough, and let’s face it, it’s not, you can follow me on Twitter: @mrsodie2. Joel McHale direct messaged me once. And Joel Stein followed me. But my greatest accomplishments in the “following me world” are Andy Borowitz and Jenny Lawson (we name drop here. Family tradition). I didn’t make the world; it was given to me this way.
The Friendly Pedant by Mrs. Odie 
Oh MY! Just found you, and already lovin’ it! Will be reading more tonight as I feed my 25 week old on the left and cuddle my 4 1/2 year old on the right. Sick hubbie at a distance, since I dont’ want to catch his nasty cold.
Just found your blog and loving’ !!l
Really enjoying your blog. My two year old daughter sleeps with me in a pillow nest and also yells for me to “i hold you”! Was so funny to see that your LO says something similar. I am also a slave in the public school system.
You know I love your blog…. You may not be interested, but I did nominate you for an Inspiring Blogger award: http://lisasff.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/january-12-2013-really/
How could I not be interested in an award? In fact, I think I’ll write a blog about it. Thanks!
LOL! It’s like an electronic hug 😀
Gotcha. And I’m a’gonna read’ja. And I’m a’gonna foller ya.
Not creepy or anything. We’re cool.
From Ask Mrs. Odie: “My favorite coffee house in Davis, CA! Before Starbucks…”
Are you UCD alumni? What was the name of the coffee house, Caffe Roma? I can’t remember. But it was great!
I am indeed! My favorite place was Delta of Venus, or as my sister called it, Don’t Bring Your Penis.
Oh my gawd!! I think you are wonderful. I had a TBF. She left me. I have now stopped grieving, but it took awhile. It did not help that I had invited her and her family over for many a holiday dinner, telling myself they were better company than blood relatives. I was wrong. I introduced her to several of my friends. Before I knew it, she was telling them everything that was wrong with me. Granted, I am human. I am not without my sins and quirks, but I generally act out of an open heart and do my best to treat people right. Thank you, for the light hearted approach to the end of a friendship. I still think of her sometimes. Her photo comes up on facebook, it keeps trying to make us friends again. Nope! Not gonna do that…
So glad you spent your winnings on a plane ticket flew home. Keep up with the healthy eating, Mr. Odie deserves someone to grow old with.
Thank you. I have to admit, I started back up again recently and I’m feeling great.
I’m a been a reader of your blog Mrs Odie,for a while now I love it! I’ve never commented but when I googled you this evening, this page came up so I thought what a good a place as any to say hello!! Many a evening has been spent reading your posts with my glass (err..bottle would be more honest) of wine or my Baileys *hic* and I love that down time! I don’t follow lots of blogs, of those I do, you rank very highly! I’m now in the phase of reading some of your older posts again .. thats how much I enjoy this little space on the web! Soooo.. did someone mention shopping??? 😉
One of my colleagues directed me to your site saying you were not only brilliant, but funny, and mean spirited. I’ve been reading for a while and yes, you’re incredibly funny as well as brilliant and you do have a mean streak – I think we all have a mean streak and tend to have an inner bully from time to time.
My question to you ( a serious one ) – As an educator how do you deal with bullying in your school district? From reading your blog your children are still very young correct? If your children are bullied by anyone how do you think you as a mother will handle that?
Do you think bullying transcends to blogs? Do you think you bully others in your blog? Or really is it all in fun for you. I’m just trying to figure out as I smile when I read your words- They could’ve been my own 15 years ago.
Personally I think you’re brilliant enough to write a book. It would blow all of the other mommy bloggers out of the water.
Seriously.
Truly I’m not criticizing you I’m just trying to understand your blog. Yu ate an enigma and that’s a good thing:)
Puzzles are our friends.
Do you think I do? I’m inclined to think you do, or you wouldn’t ask the question. I’ll tell you what I think as an “Ask Mrs. Odie” post. I’ve written it as a draft, but it needs to sit overnight before I can edit. “Mrs. Are You Kidding-Me” does not create an ethos of trust on my end, frankly.
Loving that I found your blog but hating that you don’t have a LIKE button! Come on now! Give in! 😉
Let me also add that I just read your husband’s vasectomy post and it’s GREATNESS. It wouldn’t let me comment though! Please tell him I had something extremely witty and wonderful to say 😉
Hi Mrs. Odie! Sorry to read about the loss of your dog, please accept my condolences & sympathy. Glad I found your blog, I LOVE new reading material. I’ve always been a bookworm. I have a 16 yr. old Yorkie, he’s my Only child & he is blind now. Still, he is living a Quality life here in OC. Since We ‘just bonded’ over our mutual DISNEYNESS, I’m commenting here. Happy Friday to you!!
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog, Debra! Sounds like your Yorkie has a great mommy. Thanks also for your condolences. I miss our dog all the time. It gets easier, but I think I will always miss her.
PS I am totally eating a Filet-O-Fish sandwich today 😉! ! Talk about meant to be. . .
Hello! I will definitely see if I can find an actual study (or preferably multiple studies) to back up the statement that our working memory capacity has diminished. I was so inspired by the workshop I did with Sarah Ward that I’ve only now realized with your question that I retained this bit of information without checking out the research behind it, so thank you for that.
In the meantime, I did find some other articles that you might find interesting! Drop me a line! 🙂
Hey man, I’m just checking in with you. I check your blog from time to time thinking “maybe this week she’ll have posted something,” but am sorry to see you haven’t in over a year. Although I miss reading your posts—and not that I take it personally, but I feel officially abandoned by you—I hope the fact you haven’t posted means you’re busy, happy, and enjoying your loved ones. My wife doesn’t blog much lately either, but hey, I hear from her all day long. Hope you’re doing well.