I'm Having A Party!

I've mentioned the SITS girls before and all the cool things they do. They aren't the only cool chicks out there though. AllMediocre is another community site that I like a lot. They feature bloggers there in a number of different ways, some of which are pretty creative like the Lonely Blogosphere Guidepost Series.

They recently posted about a suggestion that one of the members Auds at Barking Mad had around celebrating the community and friendships that the blogosphere has created. She created the idea of having an online dinner party.

Sooooo, I'm going to host a dinner party here, and I get to invite ten bloggers. So come on over, and let me know what you're bringing so I can be sure to fill out the dinner with whatever's missing. Somehow, I think we'll be fine on alcohol and chocolate, but maybe I'm wrong!

So first of all, Anymommy from Is There Any Mommy Out There? needs to come. She's so involved in AllMediocre (she hosts the traveling series mentioned above), and she's a great writer on top of that. She has three small children, and I admire her for that. That and for her fortitude, particularly with regards to potty training. She also writes some of the most honest and raw posts I read, many of which make me cry -- in a good way, of course!

And Steph from Manic Mommy needs to come. She's the one who first got me thinking that I could actually do a blog myself. Plus, she has a great kitchen and three great kids who are older than my wee ones, which means I have a lot to learn from her. Besides, she'll eat chocolate off the floor. How can you not love that?

I can't forget to invite Dawn from Because I Said So! This was the first blog I really ever read, and for a long time, it was the only one (not so anymore!). Dawn is absolutely hilarious to the point that a publisher approached her and now she has a book coming out next August. Besides, anyone with six kids needs a night out, right?

Angela from Hello, Dahrlin' definitely needs to come. She's my inspiration to do the 100 pushup challenge -- and I'm halfway through! Plus, her cooking rocks. I want to make sure my guests are eating well. And oh yeah, she cracks me up.

Angie from Angie's Spot of course needs to come, too, and not just because she's Angela's best friend since forever. She's always such a good commenter on my site (even on posts I don't mean to post!), and she's got such a good attitude. I can so see her kids playing with my wee ones. And may I just say that Big A and Little A have rockin' hair? But no kids are invited to this dinner party!

I'd love it if Kellan from On The Upside were to join us, as well. Kellan is another entertaining writer, and actually she's an overachiever with two blogs, as she writes On the Flipside, as well, which is a great thought-provoking site that I don't frequent enough. She has sixteen year old twin girls, and she's the one teaching them to drive. And she has more kids, too (cute ones at that)! The best part is that no matter what the situation, she always finds the silver lining.

Karen from The Rocking Pony is another must-have. If you don't already know, Karen makes some of the coolest kids' shirts I've ever seen. Plus, she breeds puppies, so if you're lucky you'll see cute puppy pictures (awww!). She also has some pretty entertaining kid stories that will make you laugh and cry. All her kids will be in school for the first time this year (just like Manic!), so I have a feeling that she needs some support -- or a party, I'm not sure which yet.

Debbie from This is the Life AND Blog Around the World has to come, too, along with her alter ego Betty. Not only does she keep up two blogs (another overachiever), but they're hilarious. I'm still chuckling about the Webkinz that needed chocolate milk from ummm, well, Debbie. And if you haven't signed up for her Blog Around the World (especially if you're from Illinois -- we only have six signed up, and I want more than California's 14 last I checked), head on over there. This is another fun place to find new bloggers to check out.

Kathy from Mama's Losin' It, please join us, too! She runs a daycare out of her home, which alone provides plenty of stories. Seriously, a mom wanted her to use a washcloth throughout the day for diaper changes. The same washcloth all day long. Rinsed out throughout the day. And there's all sorts of other chaos she can share with us that will keep us rolling. And maybe feeling a little better about the chaos that's in our lives. Plus, I love her apron, and I hope she'll bring it.

Oh, and I can't believe that I almost missed Jaci from Ravings of a Mad Housewife. Her face alone shows her need for a nice glass of wine to share with us. And she's so level-headed. She was blogging too much so pulled the plug on her blog before realizing that was a mistake (and I'm so glad she did!). Instead, she put together a blogging constitution that I think we can all agree with. Yep, another woman who cracks me up. I think we're going to be doing a lot of laughing at our party.

I'm getting hungry just thinking about the dinner and all the fun we'll have. And trust me, limiting this to ten bloggers was hard for me, so please don't feel left out if I didn't include you in this list. By no means does this mean I don't love your blog. Trust me, I read wayyyy more than 10 on a daily basis. Oh, heck, it's an open invitation. Just show up and let me know what you're bringing!

Why Do We Blog?

I suppose everyone has a different reason or set of reasons, but I know what my reasons are. The more I think about it, the more I realize I have quite a few reasons.

I sometimes have a poor memory, and these times with the wee ones are ones that I want to capture – and not just the good but the bad and the ugly, too, so that I can empathize when they have children of their own. I had started writing them letters that recapped the previous year each year for their birthdays, but I know there was so much that I was forgetting and so much of it was the little fun cute things that I want to remember.

I also find that my blog is a great outlet for me when I am frustrated or irritated or confused by something. I can pick and choose the gory, unrefined and sometimes pitiful bits that may provide a colored view of my world, but they allow me to vent here. Once it’s out of my system, I then regain the zen (ha!) that I normally do and don’t take it out on anyone around me. Or less so, anyway.

I also generally like to write. Anyone who’s ever received an email from me knows that I’m pretty good and spinning something out of nothing. I’m not claiming by any stretch to be a great writer, but it’s something I enjoy. Disciplining myself to keep my blog updated ensures that I write just a little bit more frequently than I would otherwise, and I think that’s good for me.

For a long time I put it off, thinking that I wasn’t good enough or didn’t know how to do it or it would be too hard or too humbling. Now I wish I’d started far earlier as there are stories that I’d thought I would remember but only the vaguest of details remain with me today. If you don’t have a blog or aren’t keeping yours up to date, go for it! It is yours to make of it what you will, and that’s part of what makes it so great.

Plus, there’s a great community of bloggers and blogger readers out there. While I have no ambition to ever make money off my blog (and kudos to those who do!), it is nice to know that what I write doesn’t just go into a black hole but that someone else gets it – or doesn’t – or enjoys or appreciates something that I wrote. It’s something of a selfish ego boost, granted, but I won’t deny that it’s nice to see my reader counter slowly rising and see comments pop in on most posts.

Towards that end, I have added a couple of buttons to the left of my screen. Both are new blogger communities that have pretty lofty aims that I applaud. They aren’t soliciting the best of the best – whoever determines that – but recognizing the everyday blogger and helping them find an audience and a voice.

AllMediocre is a play off AllTop, which shockingly I hadn’t heard of. Apparently AllTop features the crème de la crème of the blogosphere, while AllMediocre takes that and runs with it. As members sign up, they are encouraged to go visit new blogs that are part of the community. It’s a great idea, and I have to say that there are some entertaining blogs part of the community. Go check them out!

The other new community button is SITS – The Secret Is In The Sauce. Every day, they feature a new blogger, again not the high profile blogs but average blogs by average people who submit theirs to be featured. Obviously submitting isn’t a guarantee that a blog will be featured, but what a great way to find new blogs that you like while at the same time increasing readership for the featured blogs. I love the idea – and of course, I’ll give them a plug on their contest. In their effort to get this cool idea off the ground, if you comment on SITS by Friday, you’re entered to win a bloggers survival kit. And to keep the momentum and give incentive for readers to go visit the featured blogs, there will be a small weekly contest for those who go visit the featured blogs and comment.

I love the idea behind both these communities. And it’s given me a nice opportunity to reflect on why I blog. Or some of why I blog, as I’m sure there are more reasons that I have yet to identify. So why do you blog? Or if you don’t blog, why not?