From the Blogosphere

I have always loved the idea of paying it forward. There is immense gratification to be found in lifting others up; I always say appreciation is the quickest route to happiness. (It doesn't hurt your page views, either!) I remember the challenge that got me started on "paying it forward" to other bloggers. I was a noob blogger (still am, I guess), and had been reading Jeff Silvey's Five Things At Once. In one of his posts, Jeff challenged his readers to find a few creative people and pay it forward by giving them some encouragement, then report back once we had. As a new blogger, I immediately recognized the opportunity. I decided I would find some new blogs, comment on them, then write a post about it. It was well received and, thanks to Heather Reese of My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream (and Blogger Idol, of course), a new blogger badge came out of it, and has begun to spread across the blogosphere.

Honestly, some of my favorite blogs belong to contestants and judges here on Blogger Idol, but you already know about those. So, without further ado, here are some of my other favorites...

My Favorite Blog to Read: The Monster in Your Closet

Deb is not only a loyal reader, but an articulate writer whose sharing of self consistently moves me and brings tears to my eyes. She writes about difficult times in her past; never from a self-pity point of view, but from a place of brave introspection. It's clear that her intent is to benefit others by sharing her own experiences. She also satisfies my nerd appetite.

One of my favorite posts:

Six hands for lifting: On my mom, mental illness, fear & hope

 

 

 

Blog that Inspires Me to Work Harder on My Own Blog: How to Be a Dad

 

Charlie and Andy are two very creative, very funny dads who run a very esthetically pleasing blog. I may not read their blog quite as often as I do Deborah's, but their site really gives me something to aspire to. Plus, Charlie's son and mine share the same name.

One of my favorite posts:

ANY of their Instructional Diagrams. Winning, winning, winning.

 

 

 

Other Great Blogs:

Pinwheels and Poppies

Karin is new to the blogging scene, but has a lot of talent as a writer. She's finding her path in life, as we all are, and she shares some of that with her readers. She's a self-explorer with a touch of "the add" (ADD), and her writing reflects that. She appreciates comments immensely and always replies. She's also my fiancée. I *heart* her bunches.

One of my favorite posts:

Where's My Inspiration?

 

Adventures of a Single Lesbian Mother

Kell claims that she writes for fun, but her topics are always poignant. She writes from her own perspective as a single mother who is also a lesbian. Everyone is welcome to join her community of readers and bloggers, as is evident in her comfortable approach to writing and reliable comment replies. She and I share the philosophy that establishing equal human rights is the responsibility of all human beings; not just the ones it affects directly. In one fell swoop, her blog both validates the struggle of the LGBTQ community and warmly informs the straight community. It's LGBTQS friendly!

One of my favorite posts:

My perspective on "Is being gay a choice?" and why I couldn't choose to be straight

 

Insane in the Mom-Brain

Patti, as the title of her blog might imply, is a little bit insane and ridiculously funny. I haven't quite gotten a pulse on her just yet, but she seems to have a penchant for finger monkeys, mustaches and poop talk. Her blog is childish and ADD-licious. I love it.

One of my favorite posts:

Somehow this Post Turned into Lots of Talk about Poop. I Wish I Could Say I Was Sorry.







There you have it: some of my favorite blogs. I hope you're able to find something you can appreciate from my list and pad your repertoire of reading material. I'm sure it tells you a little bit more about me by proxy.

Now get reading!


~ Chris, from the bungalow (http://fromthebungalow.wordpress.com/)


Judges Comments:

"I like how you gave us specific links to your favorite posts. Its a great list with some variety. These are great blogs/bloggers to add to anyones lists! thanks for sharing!!"
Erica, from Good Job Momma

"I enjoyed this post because you had a nice mix from different niches. That's definitely a great way to shotgun to your audience. Erica is completely on target that posting your favorite links is a good touch as well."
Allison Duncan, from SVALLIE.NET: The Nerd Connection

"Great list. It's diverse which to me shows that the blogging world is as diverse as the people who write it. And the links to your favorite posts is a great touch. Thanks for sharing these blogs and giving me more to look forward to reading. "
The Dude, from The Daddyyo Blog