This week we were asked to introduce five blogs which we love and which do not have a massive following. I figured that listing my own blog would be unseemly and listing any of my competitors in this competition was not recommended. So, I had to go elsewhere. This assignment was not as easy for me as it would seem. You see, the day that I decided to start blogging, I just sat down and started blogging. I intentionally had not read many other blogs, partially because the process of blog surfing was overwhelming, partially because my time is so limited, and partially because it takes something really interesting to hold my attention while two kids are beating each other up in the background. I am very particular about what I read. If the first couple of sentences don't catch my interest, I'm on to the next article, post, or tweet. If those don't do it for me, I just sit and write my own or go fold laundry.
With that being said, in my relatively short time in the blogging world, I have come across a few blogs that spoke to me for any of a number of reasons, and I actually signed up to read them regularly. But, I needed more. So I conducted a little bit of research and discovered some fantastic blogs which I'd never seen before. Then I compiled my list of both "old-timers" and "newbies" that caught my attention, mostly because they are so clever, made me laugh, or simply made me think "OMG, this is brilliant." I found so many that I like, that I couldn't possibly list them all. Here are five of my favorite bloggers as of today:
2. Jill, author of "Scary Mommy" at http://www.scarymommy.com/: This woman is funny and a terrific writer. I've been following her for a while. I'll admit it, I've tried to emulate her (without copying, of course). Sometimes I wonder if we were separated at birth since many of our posts are similar (she and I both have a habit of coming up with Top 10 lists of mom/wife-isms and seem to despise all the same things). Her posts make me relate to her, admire her, and like her. She's had a lot of success and she inspires me to keep going. What more could a blogger ask for?
3. Margaret, author of "Short, Fat Dictator" at http://www.shortfatdictator.com/: this blog is new to me and I love it. This woman is the consummate professional, and boy can she write. She's extremely clever and wickedly funny. She writes about a variety of issues, including her husband and baby. I found her by accident (because I really wasn't interested in reading a blog by a man who refers to himself as a "short, fat dictator"). But once I got there and realized that the "short, fat dictator" is actually her baby, it all made sense.
4. Jenny, author of "The Bloggess" at http://www.thebloggess.com/: This chick is right up my alley. She tells it like it is and is as funny as they come without being vulgar. While she writes about many of the same topics that I do, she is much braver than I could ever be in my writing and deals with topics I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole. For instance, you must check out her series of posts under the section entitled "Sex is Funny (Except When it's Horrifying)."
5. Mary, author of "I Need A Playdate" at http://ineedaplaydate.blogspot.com/: Here's another lady who makes me laugh. She's funny and honest and has a lot of cool give-a-ways and information for ladies on the run. Now, I'm not only saying this because she messaged me saying that she has a "blogger crush" on me. No, I'm saying it because she is legitimately a hoot. I love her list of things she promised herself she'd never do as a mother, but does anyway. Join the club. She works hard and hates doing laundry (just like me). What's more, I feel a special bond between us since it turns out we live in the same city. I'm thinking maybe she and I can have a playdate next time we both need one!I would be remiss if I did not give honorable mentions to the following folks whose blogs I enjoy reading so much. The first is Brett, author of "It Was Dark, Stormy, and I Lost My Serial Comma" at http://darkstormyloopy.blogspot.com/. This dude is talented. He is a master of self-deprecating humor and womens' dialogue. He's got an edge. He's a little bit dark and a little bit bitter, and I love it.
Second is Heather, author of "My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream" at http://www.myhusbandateallmyicecream.com/. Hold on! Before you go calling me a kiss ass, let me say something. Yes, Heather is the founder and a judge of the Blogger Idol competition, but I only found out about this competition because I was reading Heather's blog, which I discovered when my husband forwarded it to me! The title alone spoke to me. She is funny as all hell, brutally honest, and seemingly fearless in her writings. Even if I get booted out of this competition, I'll still read her blog (although I may stick pins in my Heather voo doo doll every now and again).
I would be lying if I said that http://www.mommyinlaw.com/ is not my favorite blog, because it is! But, the folks I mentioned above help give me great ideas, much inspiration, and lots of laughs. For that, I am happy to "pay it forward."
Judges Comments:
"I was the same way when i started. I wasn't sure of the whole "reaching out" fad. These are great bloggers/blogs. Super fun! Thank you for sharing these!"
Erica, from Good Job Momma
"Out of all the blogs I've had to read about judging this round, yours actually sound like a list of blogs I'D be interested in. Good job.
Your kiss ass moment is duly noted by Heather, I'm sure :P"
Allison Duncan, from SVALLIE.NET: The Nerd Connection
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The Dude, from The Daddyyo Blog