Five Favorites: Blogs That Have Nothing To Do With Special Needs

I love finding a great blog.

One where I feel a "connection" with the writer because we have lots of things in common.  Where I get great information and news on things I love.

Basically, I love those blogs that make me feel like the writer and I could be friends "in real life".

Today, I thought I'd introduce you to some of my current favorite blogs.

Modern Mrs. Darcy - Anne is a compulsive reader who loves books.  And she's always recommending great ones.  When I'm looking for my next good read, I always head to MMD, knowing Anne won't let me down.

Of course, her blog is about more than books.  Anne puts a timely spin on timeless women's topics, with posts ranging anywhere from marriage tips, lessons on friendship, the wearing of make-up, what her homeschool schedule looks like, breastfeeding, better decision making, Myers-Briggs personality profiles, and more.

Cup of Jo - Joanna is former magazine writer who is now a full-time blogger living in New York City with her husband and two young sons.  Joanna writes about anything and everything, which means I often discover things I didn't even know I was interested in until I see it on her blog.  In my opinion, that's a sign of a great blog - stirring in me a desire to learn more about something I didn't know I wanted to learn more about.

For example, she's recently been doing a series titled "Surprising Things About Parenting in ____", featuring families raising children in places like in Abu Dhabi, India, Norway, Japan, and several other places.  It's been fascinating.  Joanna also always treats her readers to some great links every Friday, another favorite feature of mine.

* Keeley McGuire - Packing lunches for school is a challenge.  Add in packing lunch for a child who has allergies or is on a restricted diet and you have what can easily become pure drudgery.

Enter Keeley and her passion for making allergy-friendly food fun.  She has a refreshing and creative approach to packing lunches that are safe, healthy, fresh, and most of all, delicious.  I've gotten many a good idea for the Bird's school lunch from this blog.

* The Pleated Poppy - Lindsey sews, crafts, homeschools, and runs a home-based business.  In fact, I am the proud owner of two of her lovely infinity scarves.

While I like everything Lindsey writes, my favorite posts are her "What I Wore Wednesday" ones.  Each Wednesday, Lindsey posts pictures of outfits she wore the past week.  She started the series as a way to encourage herself (and her readers) to take a few minutes each day to ditch the yoga pants and just get dressed.

I like these posts because Lindsey shops most frequently at the three stores I myself shop at most frequently - Target, Forever 21, and Old Navy.  And because of this, it's not uncommon for me to own some of the same clothes as Lindsey.  I like to see how she puts them together because it often gives me another way of wearing what's already hanging in my closet.

* The Motherload - Growing from Amy Allen Clark's website MomAdvice, The Motherload is a blog full of tips on food, crafts, travel, saving money, organizing, and my personal favorite, reading.  Amy is a fellow book lover so this is another online resource I turn to when I've finished a book and can't decide what to read next.

What about you?  Got a favorite blog?  I mean, besides this one.  Obvi. 

For those of us who are Facebook friends, I know my status this morning promised you a couple of fun little surprises on the blog.  Well, they're not quite ready yet so we'll save it for another day. And the anticipation builds....