Why I blog and those who inspire me

For those of you who know me well, scrapbooking is not my thing. You say cut and paste, and I think control-c, control-v. My sister scrapbooks extremely well and has book after book of memories to pass along to her children. I barely got the first year calendar filled in for Cooper ... and it was hanging on the wall in the kitchen, so I walked past it every day. Please don't ask me where his baby book is, or how much is filled in.

I do love sharing pictures and I started uploading them to a photo-sharing site since the family is all scattered around. But I missed being able to share the short stories that go along with the pictures. So, I began to search for a better option.

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A dear friend who moved back closer to family after the kiddos were born sent me a link to her blog, and I thought this is pretty neat. She thought it was hilarious that she taught me something involving technology. So here is a big thank you to her.

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Then my terrific college roommate, Jenn, who lives half-way across the country from her family sent the link to her blog, Mayhem Mania. I think the kids are adorable, and I don't know how she does it all. Her blog posts are wonderfully varied, from grandparent memories to hair designs for her three girls.

I love keeping track of both of my friends' families as they grow.

Now that I have a little one, I thought maybe I could join the blogging network ... which I had absolutely no idea it was this big. I started blogging in December of last year, so I am just shy of my one year anniversary. I love being able to send out a quick post with pictures of the big guy, and I hope my friends and family love seeing these snippets of Cooper's day to day.

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Along the way I have "met" some other terrific women who are also mothers. These women inspire me for a variety of reasons. I was "introduced" to Patrice by Jenn's blog. She posted Patrice's button for her son Jonah, and I was hooked. I followed Jonah's hospital stay as they struggled with his diagnosis of EB. Then, I continued to follow as Jonah went home and Patrice began to further document her life with her husband and sweet baby Jonut, as he is called. Her strength and candor is amazing, and interspersed with a sense of humor like no one else I know ... but I have a funny feeling, I would love to know her. She speaks from the heart and is not afraid to protect her family or herself.

Aren't they adorable?


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And then there is MckMama, another mom blogger who I "met" through Patrice's blog. Jennifer has four children, four and under, and is an amazing photographer. She has inspired me to work on my strictly amateur photography skills, and she gives wonderful tutorials. Her children are adorable, and Cooper has a slight crush on Small Fry, her only girl.

Stellan is her youngest who has captured the hearts of people all across the world. He was diagnosed with a heart condition in utero, and recently underwent a successful surgery after his 1st birthday to solve the problem. Her adventure has been followed by bloggers, tweeters, and facebook junkies from far and wide.

She has displayed grace under fire, and shares so much of her life through her words and her pictures. If you want to see more amazing pictures (like the cute little nose below), check out her website.


There are many other mom bloggers that I follow from time to time, but these four are my "must reads." I am so happy that there are so many wonderful sources of inspiration out there. Who or what inspires you?