I'd Like to Thank the Academy...

My parents and two younger brothers have been visiting for a week, so I've been playing tour guide and hostess. We had a nice time and I took them to the airport this morning, so now it's laundry time and regrouping, and on with real life.

Which means that topics of conversation in our home right now are centered around the toilet (Henry's potty-training) and my breasts (Charlie's feeding habits) and I don't really want to think or write about either one at the moment.

So I decided that today is a good day to put on my blogospherical evening gown, pose on the red carpet, maybe get up from my seat in the audience with teary eyes, hug everyone sitting on the row around me, and make my way up to the stage to give acceptance speeches for the blog love I've gotten in the past few weeks...

OK, it's been over a month since No Cool Story gave me the Rockin' Girl Blogger Award, so I think it's high time that I acknowledge such a nice gesture, not to mention pass it on! This award made me feel young and hip, and since it came from such a fun blogger, I really take it to heart. So thank you, thank you very much.

And the bloggers who I think are Rockin' Girls are:

Jenna at Amazing Trips...She has a great sense of humor, especially when it comes to the rockin' level of toddlerhood that goes on at her house with preschooler triplets and now a newborn. She is one of the best moms I know at appreciating the moments with her little ones, laughing at the mishaps, and treasuring their childhood and her chance to be a mom. I admire her enthusiasm and go-getter way of living.

Ang at Nobody Called Today...She's been my friend for ages, and the first thing about her that I fell in love with is her sense of humor because it is off-beat, never malicious, and just hilarious. The next thing is that she is phenomenal at making and keeping friends. And now, as we've both become moms (and bloggers), I think she is positively rockin' at raising her (very adorable) children, appreciating the absurd in our world, and writing about the tender, humorous, and frustrating in an engaging and creative way. And what's more is that without being conceited in the least, she knows she's rockin'. That's a very cool quality in a girl.

S...OK, so S does not have a blog, but she should. And WHEN she does, she can put this in her sidebar first thing. For one, she considers reading people's blogs "blogging." And so do I. It's perhaps a derivative of just surfing the web, but it's spending time on blogs. Therefore, it's blogging. For another thing, I love the comments S leaves. They are thoughtful, often funny, and always encouraging and supportive. I know her in real life, but it's been great to bond a little more via our mutual blogging habit. S is also one of my heroes because she keeps her chin up through thick and thin, has recently achieved a nursing degree (while being pregnant and then having a newborn), and maintains a down-to-earth appreciation for others. Plus, you can't beat her wry sense of humor. So, yeah, S, get a blog - it would truly rock.

And now I'd like to officially thank Morning Glory for giving me the Blogger Reflection Award as well. This award is very similar to the thinking blogger that was going around and I've read the original post about it, but I think I want to take it in my own direction. I was so flattered to have received it from Morning Glory, because I really admire her, and it's wonderful to know that people you admire have good things to say about you, too.

These are three women who have educated, enlightened, entertained and inspired me recently.

Whymommy at Toddler Planet...Whymommy left a comment on my blog a couple weeks ago and mentioned that she lives near me and we have children close to the same ages, and our paths would likely cross at one time or another. I thought it was so cool, and I clicked over to her blog to see what it was all about and discovered that she has two adorable little boys (one just a baby), a very full life...and breast cancer. Needless to say, all of it hit very close to home. Her posts about her kids and now her most recent posts as she endures chemotherapy to fight this devastating disease have inspired and strengthened me and at the very least made me appreciate every day and all my blessings just a little bit more. She has caused me to reflect on all the things that truly matter, and to realize how we can all reach out to one another.

Real at Birthsongs..."Real" is a new friend of mine - a mother of seven, a doula, and multi-talented woman. She coached me through several birth questions before Charlie was born, read my little rants about frustrations with doctors and hospitals, and generally empathized and advised and offered her perspective. Beyond birth-related issues (about which she is one of the most informed and helpful people I've ever met), she shares stories about her kids, very candid things about herself, and a great insight into parenting and running a household. What I like best is that she stands by her opinions and perspectives, but never makes you feel wrong if you think differently or have a different experience. And I like it that she calls it like it is - she is, in fact, real.

Blog Antagonist at Blogs Are Stupid...She is witty, thoughtful, a superb writer, and a cool mom. I have cried and laughed multiple times at the things she comes up with, and even when I don't agree (or might even be initially shocked) with what she has to say, I come away from her blog really thinking over an issue or an idea. So many times, she has made me actually stop and form my own thoughts on something - a few time I've even mulled her posts over for days, and made my husband read them - which has made me a better person, a better conversationalist, a better mom, and a better thinker, which, to me, is an important thing to be. I mostly like her because she started out thinking blogs and everyone jumping on the blogwagon were, well, stupid, but she hasn't been afraid to climb aboard, re-evaluate her original premise, and contribute some really valuable, poignant and funny posts to the blogosphere.

And now I must go change out of this strapless sequined number (tricky to breastfeed while wearing it) and go do the dishes. Thanks again! (blowing kisses...teetering offstage in really beautiful designer heels...holding up the awards as she exits...)