I decided that during this lull in my posting frequency I’d take this opportunity to suggest some other great blogs for you to read and enjoy!
This is just the list of blogs I follow closely (like, go out of my way to read everything that’s posted as soon as possible after it’s posted). And I’ve listed them alphabetically because that seemed the most egalitarian. Actually, that’s probably not egalitarian at all. But then, picking five blogs from the millions of blogs out there isn’t really egalitarian anyway. If you promise to read the list to the end, that’s probably the best way to wring as much equality out of this whole endeavor as possible.
Enjoy!
Tucker and Victoria and their two kids sold practically everything they owned, quit their jobs, and otherwise bucked convention in order to live a long-time dream of living aboard their sailing vessel, s/v Convivia. This blog chronicles both the journey from land life to boat living and the journey that’s now underway as they travel about, living their dreams and having a blast while they’re at it.
Leigh and her wife, Helena, sold everything, bucked convention (notice a trend?), and moved to Brazil two years ago to open a raw foods retreat center. I’ve been following this blog for as long as it’s been up, I think. I highly recommend going back to the first posts to learn about the decisions that led up to the Big Decision to move south. Those posts in particular I found very inspiring. Now Leigh and Helena are embarking upon a journey of another type entirely (which you can read about on Helena’s blog, Helena’s Healing Circle). This is the only blog I follow that is written by someone I’ve never met in real life. I think this says something for the quality of the writing and the compelling nature of the story Leigh tells.
Stacy is a mom of four who teaches violin and homeschools and just in general lives it up in the mountains above Salt Lake City. Her writing is hilarious and insightful, and I firmly believe I would read her blog even if she hadn’t been the doula at my son’s birth (although I might not have found it).
I’ve envied Jenny’s writing style since we were in seventh grade together. She always wrote the funnest, quirkiest notes (and she won second place in the writing contest in which I only won fifth. But no one remembers that now). She teaches archaeology in Tucson now. I remember the day in eighth grade when we were swimming at her neighborhood pool and she declared that she was going to be an archaeologist. Or was it just that she thought Indiana Jones (or maybe just River Phoenix) was hot? I can’t remember now. Either way, it involved reenacting a scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and it seems prescient in retrospect. The only complaint I have with her blog is that she’s not been blogging so often lately. Maybe praising her publicly will inspire her to write more frequently (or will, perhaps, embarrass her and make her less likely to post in the future. In which case, check out her archives. Actually, check out her archives anyway. And if you can find the link to her dormant dog blog, “dog in progress,” definitely click it (it’s the bottom link in the right-hand column…I won’t give you the direct link because I want you to visit Something Made first). Start at the earliest posts. You will laugh until you cry, I promise).
Zoie wasn’t planning on becoming a mama, but when that’s the path she saw in front of her, she took off on it wholeheartedly. The journey has been a rocky one sometimes, and Zoie bares her soul in every post, confronting issues of depression and compassion and grief and choosing the path that’s chosen you. She’s also a warm and devoted supporter of other people’s writing. I seriously don’t know how she keeps up with all of the blogs she reads, but I’m glad she does because it means I don’t have to…I just check out what she’s reading and tweeting and pick and choose when I have time to read.
So, there’s my blog reading list. There are a few others I check all of the time, but they’re friends’ family blogs, and I’m not sure they have universal appeal. There are others that I check every now and then and love, but they aren’t in this reading list because I don’t check them ALL the time.
Regardless, they’re all listed in my blog roll, so peruse over there if you’re looking for even more to read.
Imperfect Happiness 
Oh my goodness! I’m so flattered! I’m trying to get back on the blog-horse. I am. This helps. Or terrifies me. As you predicted. I don’t remember the great Indiana Jones-River Phoenix-swimming pool reenactment, but I’m sure it happened, and I’m so glad SOMEONE remembers it!
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Thank you for posting this! I have a hard time finding bloggers like myself, who homeschool and like to share their troubles and joys. I will be reading some of these blogs going forward, especially Stacy’s!
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You’re quite welcome! I hope you enjoy them! It hadn’t occurred to me, but 3 of the 5 blogs I listed here are written by homeschoolers. If you’re looking for cool homeschool-oriented blogs, another one I like is Homeschool Happymess. They have had spotty internet access, so she’s not posted in a while, but I really like her posts when she does. I’m actually going to use her idea of using illuminated texts when my daughter begins to learn cursive in the next few months. We can roll history, art, and handwriting into one lesson! (Plus, I love learning about religion and this gave me an excuse to buy an illuminated Book of Esther because I couldn’t find any illuminated texts in our library.)
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Thanks for the love! I’ve found that I’m blogging less and less lately, not because I don’t want to, or don’t have things to say, but because I have a life that seems to swirl around me, constantly needing attention, and by the time I find a quiet second with my laptop, I’m too tired to think of anything intelligent to say. I always feel like posting a disclaimer at the top that says “I used to be intelligent and funny, I promise!” Anyway, thanks for letting me know you’re still reading.
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Tell you what…with four kids, homeschooling, teaching, and a traveling husband, I’m amazed you have time to blog as often as you do. Oh, and I thought of you the other day…the organist at church (Not sure I have to specify that. One doesn’t encounter organ music many other places) had just had a baby and was sitting up there playing and I wondered if you’d been tagged to play the organ lately.
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i’m happy to have a reading list to consider, since most of the people in my own blog roll rarely blog, and if they do, it’s not consistently. If I were more organized, I’d have a separate blog for my crafty stuff, because that might have more general appeal, I did start one for “simple living” which I haven’t really pursued much, if I were writing on it more, I’d probably be a little more aware of my simple living goals (I started it two years ago). . . PS, thanks for the call, I’ll try to get back with you this week. Our house has horrible reception, so I usually return calls when I’m out and about (which means they are generally cut short by arriving at my destination or a child crying the backseat for another pretzel) 🙂
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I think you know that your blog is one that I keep up with closely. Gotta keep informed about my son’s former buddy/nemesis. 😉
I can’t manage writing more than one blog, which is why this one has a tendency to be rather catch-all. I have one for the family that’s password-protected, but since the little man was born, I’ve hardly done anything but haphazardly post pictures. Our families have to make do with oblique references to the grandkids here and on Facebook.
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Oh Charity, what a huge compliment, thank you! We have been having so much fun with the blog lately! Vick and I were talking about how much fun it is to collaborate on it and think it (the collaborating, not the blog per se) may be the catalyst for our next unconventional venture.
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I must say, Forgeover has been particularly excellent lately! I loved Vick’s latest post. And I really love that your blog describes the sailing life in a way that’s accessible to a decided non-sailor like myself.
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Thank you for including me in this list. I’m looking forward to checking out some new blogs that you recommend. I have reaped great rewards in the past by following your recommendations.
And I don’t manage to keep up with all the blogs I want to. I have folders in my google reader that I prioritize, and when it ticks into digits that stress me out, I click “mark all as read.” Of course, your blog is in the never miss folder 😉
If I were to create a 5 list (off the top of my head):
Imperfect Happiness
Jazzy Mama
FlyingYogini
Hobo Mama
Parenting Passageway
I never miss a post on these blogs.
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I’ll have to give another look to the other 4 blogs on your 5. I must admit, I’m better at keeping up with WordPress blogs. I can read them from WP rather than trying to wrestle with Google Reader. Not that Google Reader is difficult to use, it’s just yet another click not in my routine.
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