Something About Me, and Some Things About Others

I know it is really cheating to use this day's blog post simply to let everyone know that I have a piece running today on another blog, so I will get this sordid, self-aggrandizing business out of the way and then write something new too, because, after all that is the point of NaBloPoMo, and I want to play by all the rules.  I'm just that way.  My piece on using my food stamps card is on Brain Mother, the daily blog of Brain, Child Magazine.  This is the cute picture of the girls sitting in the tree out in front of our building that accompanies the post. (Photo credit: Aunt Sharon & Uncle Tim)

Since I am doing this post-a-day thing, I am reaching for topics to fill the space that don't just seem like filler.  I thought it would be appropriate, and in keeping with the spirit of a blog-centric moment, to point you in the direction of some of the blogs I read, and now you already know about Brain Mother because of the self-congratulatory squib above (and maybe also the Facebook post, the Pinterest pin, and the random e-mails I have been sending out...) 

I use Bloglovin' to corral most of the blogs in one place, because, otherwise my email inbox would always be full, and I would never want to look at anything.  Am I easy daunted?  Perhaps, when confronted with two hundred new emails on a weekday morning. Anyway, the Bloglovin' thing is cool, not just because it has "lovin'" in the title, but because you can get the new posts from the blogs you follow (and there are lots and lots to choose from) and you can go back and look at older ones, so you don't have to go Pinterest crazy while you're reading.  Here is a sampling of what comes in on my feed:

Shutterbean:  Tracy, the blogger here, is a photographer, cook and food stylist and seems like a cool chick you'd just want to hang out with.  Her recipes are always family friendly (she features her cute little son regularly), tasty (the ones I've tried are new favorites) and well-photographed (you can get a good idea of how the cooking will actually go down.) She also does fashion and weekly round-ups of fun stuff from the web.

Joy the Baker:  Joy is a friend of Tracy's (from Shutterbean).  She has delicious recipes, also easy to replicate at home.  Her cream cheese pound cake (from this book) is one of my favorite things to eat. Ever. She also has a cool, but sparkling, wit and doesn't take herself too seriously.  

smittenkitchen:  Yep, another fun foodie.  This website started as a documentation of what Deb could cook in her tiny kitchen in her NYC walk-up apartment.  She bakes, broils, roasts and toasts.  She tells about how things didn't go right, and what it took to fix them.  She's fun writer who happens to write really good recipes.

In case you think I only read about food (and there are about six more food blogs I look at, so don't be surprised to get "Even More Blogs I Follow" as the NaBlo thing winds down), I am also interested in all kinds of design and style stuff.  These are the equivalent of flipping through a virtual magazine-- perfect during a lunch break, or winding down to fall asleep.  Of course, that means you have to blithely ignore any DIY element, and think about how you would fix up your space if you had unlimited money, time, and trained and licensed help.

Design*Sponge: This has more than just home design.  There are fonts, foods, and fun little travel guides, all impeccably curated and beautifully presented.  I always find cool things to make, buy and do.

sfgirlbybay: Victoria, the "girl" of the title is a design maven, with an interior design/art buyer/stylist background.  She looks at houses, furniture, clothes and all kinds of products and places.  The blog makes me wish I lived in her town, because she often showcases local retailers and the shops always look like great places to hang out and browse while finding just the right gift for a special someone (or yourself).

Apartment Therapy:  I love this site, and the people there post a lot because, apparently, they are idea machines with limitless creativity and energy.  This has a lot of practical advice for redoing every home space and includes lots of product round-ups and ideas for DIY on a shoestring budget. They have a special section just about family and kids rooms which is really lovely.  

Finally, a site I really love to look at, because it has all kinds of internal links that lead you from article to article.  I always find it is all fascinating and thought-provoking, and somehow, I look up and 92 minutes have gone by.  The only thing I don't love about the site is the name, Brain Pickings, but could I have done better?  Not sure.  Maria, the woman who puts this together has got to be a genius, so who am I to quibble?  

Hope some of these appeal to you.  Let me know what you think.