And Now For Something Completely Different

Okay, so I know I've bugged (and harrassed. and harangued.) y'all to tell me about your favorite blogs before, and guess what! I'm doing it again.

But this time, I want more than a URL and a name. I want to hear about the women writers who really inspire you. And why. And how. I want to hear about the stories that still give you chills or the entries you have bookmarked so you go back and re-read again and again because MY GOD, it's just that good and real.

(Yeah, I've been watching a little daytime television with the new babysitter. What of it?)

Want an example? Here's mine: Julia. You've probably read her blog -- it seems like everybody does, and for good reason. Entries like this one. And this one. Her grace and humor and strength -- strength with a double dose of raw, human honesty -- continues to floor me every time I read her writing. I think, "I wish I could write like that. I wish I knew her in real life. I wish I could make everything all better for her. But mostly I wish I could buy her a lot of drinks with umbrellas in them and make her want to be my friend."

Nominate your favorite web writer in the comments (or send me an email if you'd prefer to stay anonymous). Tell me why they inspire you or what entries hurt, they're so good. And then I'll go immerse myself in their blog and archives and once a week I'll feature one of the nominees in my round-up post.

Please play along? Take your time if you have to -- nominations will be accepted on a rolling basis, but I'd love to feature one of these blogs this week. (And yeah, I probably should have thought of a name for this...contest...thing...whatever before diving headfirst into it, but maybe I will think of a name and perhaps make some sort of button logo jobbie in the meantime, or maybe I won't, let's be honest about who we're talking about here.)

Let's spread the inspiration (and mucho blog traffic) around. Go!

Comments

[jodi]

Beth at so the fish said (she also blogs for club mom, diary of a playgroup dropout), writes about motherhood in such a truthful, honest, funny, and touching way. (like you!) Her entries make me laugh and cry, and nod as I have a son a few months older.
I don't know how to link but check out the one from
June 24, 2006.

[Kylei]

It's a little difficult to pick just one but if I had to it would be Zube-http://zubegirl.blogspot.com/
She's not a mom but she is an amazing women who puts her belifes, happy moments and pain out in the open. She is the type of person you would love to have a beer with and truly want to help out when needed. I am not sure how to link either - boy we suck but the entry on Thursday March 30th 2006

[Julie]

I have a bunch I like but I vote for Yvonne at http://www.joyunexpected.com/.

Her stories make me laugh, cry, etc and she takes great pictures of her family. She posts about insecurities with her weight and I admire her for that. She has 3 beautiful kids and it's nice to see what I have coming to me!

[Colleen]

I recently found Mrs. Flinger.

http://mrs.flinger.us/

She's smart, sassy and someone you'd love to have as your snarky best friend.

Her recent announcement about trying to conceive her next child cracked me up.

http://mrs.flinger.us/index.php/summer06/when_you_announce_your_sex

[Linda S.]

Kristin (http://www.tallnlucky.blogs.com/), because she writes honestly from the heart. Here's a recent entry of hers that particularly resonated with me: http://tallnlucky.blogs.com/debaucherous_and_dishevel/2006/06/stow.html

[amber]

So many! One of my all-time favorite bloggers is Jennifer Mattern at Breed 'Em and Weep, and my favorite post by her is here:

http://blogs.iberkshires.com/BreedEmAndWeep/archives/11

I read it when I was 8 months pregnant with my now 5-month-old daughter, filled with all this uncertainty and anticipation, wondering what kind of mother I would be. And after I read her post, I thought: "I need to be this kind." Here is an excerpt:

"I love them knowing they will leave, someday. This love depends on my being able to let go gracefully when the time comes. I know I will need as much practice as I can get. So I work hard now at loving them with the windows open, with the doors unlocked."

Chilly bumps!

[Contrary]

I hereby nominate Miss Doxie, from MissDoxie.com.

If I had to pick what is most important to me in a blog, it's humor; simply because it's such a big part of my life and who doesn't love to laugh? Nobody, that's who.

I could not possibly pick my favorite entry of hers, and in fact, I go back and read all of her stuff from time to time, like a well loved book, only the cover doesn't get tattered and I don't have to bend the pages to save my place(not that I do that!)

I'll point you to a fairly recent post, but it doesn't matter, because once you read just a little bit, you will stay up all night and neglect that preshus baby so that you can read them all.

Well, that's what I did, anyway.

Here's the link:

[JustLinda]

I have to agree that Julia is probably my favorite blog writer. Her writing style, how she can tactfully handle a delicate topic without losing her sense of humor or getting people riled. She possesses a skill that would earn my vote for president, I think.

I need to think on your question more. I'd love to find a blog that hasn't already gone supernova, more of a newcomer who has caught my attention.

I'll be back to this...

[lena]

Julia as well, Amy. Hands down. I've been reading her since our preconception.com days 100 years ago.

Oh, and I think we could totally win her over with a good book club and a great bottle of wine. And maybe a cornish game hen.

[Contrary]

Well. That link thing didn't work out at ALL. Hmph.

One more time (if it doesn't work this time, I'm flinging myself off the back porch. Which, ok, has an elevation of about an inch, but I could still potentially stub a toe or something).

http://www.missdoxie.com/2006/06/
story_time_1.html

[Contrary]

Ok! Back from flinging myself off the porch. No injuries to report, though I did have a scary encounter with a bug.

http://www.missdoxie.com/2006/06/story_time_1.html

[JustLinda]

To agree with Amber, I'd have to say that humor is my main criteria. I like to go to blogs that make me laugh. BUT-- following very closely are compassion and depth-of-subject. Laughing is great, but if it's all shallow, all the time, that wouldn't hold my interest over the long hall. And humor that runs roughshod over others isn't much of my bag either (although I'm sure I've been guilty of it myself but I can still not like it, HA!)

[Julie]

Probably one of my favorite blogs is Cecily's blog at "and I wasted all that birthcontrol..." http://zia.blogs.com/wastedbirthcontrol/
Her archives are filled with unbelievable heartache, but at the same time she is so smart, eloquent and touching. Her baby, Tori, was born in June and it's so wonderful to read about the new joys in her life.
Here's her beautiful post about Father's Day.
http://zia.blogs.com/wastedbirthcontrol/2006/06/fathers_day.html

[Nancy]

One of my absolute favorites is Mama Tulip (http://www.mamatulip.com/) Where Am I Going and Why Am I In This Handbasket? I wrote about her on Mother's Day, and here's what I said:

Katherine describes life with her kids Julia and Oliver in a way that makes me strive to be a better mom, every day. Her stories are touching (http://www.mamatulip.com/?p=172), funny (http://www.mamatulip.com/?p=160), and so... real (http://www.mamatulip.com/?p=146) that I just find myself nodding along, smiling and/or crying (http://www.mamatulip.com/?p=193). Katherine has also talked about her own complex relationship with her mother (http://www.mamatulip.com/?p=158), and how much she misses her mom. Her eloquent posts (http://www.mamatulip.com/?p=244) have been an excellent reminder to me that I am a daughter as well as a mother, and that I need to nurture that relationship with my own mother as well as caring for my children.

[jonniker]

I'm glad to see some lesser-known ones featured here, and I'd love to see more. I know we can't make that a criteria (it's not my contest, and look at me, all bossy!). I say that only because we all know and love Julia and Miss Doxie (and you, Amy! and the ClubMom bloggers!), but sometimes it's really nice to read someone that's really wonderful, but not as well-known, as there can be a greater sense of intimacy among its readers (yes, I just said 'intimacy' without smirking. Or not.)

My favorite new-to-me blog is Lawyerish (www.lawyerish.com). She's not a mom (am I allowed to mention her?), but she's a wonderful writer and person who just...well, she just writes about things that people my age remember and experienced in a totally graceful way.

I need to think more on a mom blog to nominate. Just, um, to keep it on topic I guess. :-)

[Amy]

I love Julia's blog, and totally understand your desire to friend-stalk her. Cecily (mentioned above) is another of my favorites.

Via the lovely Alice of Finslippy, I discovered Liz of Grannyvibe. And while not a mom blog (her kids are grown), this post of hers, reflecting on her grown sons, has resonated with me for months: http://grannyvibe.blogspot.com/2006/05/open-letter-to-my-seatmate.html#links

I also LOVE Karen of Chookoolonks because of her beautiful photos, but also how her view of the world is always so lovely.

[Michelle]

Anne Nahm at www.annenahm.com is funny. Take a look at these.

(http://annenahm.com/?p=64n)on Postpartum Sex
(http://annenahm.com/?p=78)- butt wiping poll
(http://annenahm.com/?p=123)Privacy
(http://annenahm.com/?p=106)- love

[Amy]

Also, and I know this by no means makes me original, but I really love Mimi Smartypants -- http://smartypants.diaryland.com/
She always makes me laugh, even when writing about something as bizarre as pee-blood: http://smartypants.diaryland.com/062106.html

[jennster]

i think your first stop should be at crazy hip blog mama's... and see the "mom of the week" section- some people you'll know already, some you won't. i think it's a good place to start! :)
http://crazyhipblogmamas.com/?page_id=11

[Kelly]

I'd like to nominate a lovely young lady named Danielle, who is in med school. From reading her blog (http://6yearmed.blogspot.com) Danielle does not appear to be like any future doctor I've ever met (and I've met a few) but she sees situations with real human emotion that often brings her to question whether or not she should become a doctor. Danielle is also very special in that she has a keen interest in helping children with special needs. Here are a couple of my favorite posts from her blog:

Angel in the Outfield:
http://6yearmed.blogspot.com/2005/08/angel-in-outfield.html

In Another's Eyes:
http://6yearmed.blogspot.com/2006/06/in-anothers-eyes_20.html

Right now she is studying for a huge exam on 7/21, but when she blogs, she always makes me laugh and smile.

[Melissa]

My current favorite is Amanda http://soulemama.typepad.com/ (I love crafty mommies) and, just cause nobody's mentioned her even though she's blogger extraordinaire, Heather at dooce.com

[Jennifer]

I love Melissa Wiley's blogs:
http://melissawiley.typepad.com/
and of course,
http://liltinghouse.clubmom.com
She is fanastic and lovely and inspiring as a homeschooling mom. She has a great sense of humor and gives tons of great advice.

[Amanda]

Genoa is 7 weeks old today, so I've been giving a lot of thought to the procedure, and whether or not it's time for it to reconvene.

http://www.dooce.com/archives/daily/09_22_2004.html

[Isabel]

I hate to admit that I've never heard of most of the bloggers listed here. So, this little idea of yours is a good one.

My current/new fave is Stacy over at HollowSquirrel.

http://hollowsquirrel.blogspot.com

She makes me laugh with every single post. I love how she writes about the crazy kids that live in her neighborhood. Especially YELLING BOY. Yes, he's my favorite cast member over there.

Plus, her baby is adorable. (You get points for having an adorable baby, right?)

[Mother]

I love http://www.thismom.com - Kyra's writing is amazing.

Kvetch Blog - single mom with teens from Philly living in "Mayberry" - http://www.orthoticcontessa.com LOVE IT.

And The Silent K (http://blog.thesilentk.com) - great mix of insightful posts, art, and creative thoughts.

I'll be back later...