Hard to Choose Five Fabulous Bloggers

Thanks to Trop 50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 fabulous wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to help grant a friend's wish!

Five fabulous bloggers...only 5, when there are approximately 50 bazillion blogs at last count.  Eh, who can read that many, anyway?  My quick pick-me-up blogs run more toward Cake Wrecks and the kludges on "There, I Fixed It" but to make it to my fabulous 5 list, which in no way would be comprehensive, I need a few more words.


This is not Jenny, although she was at BlogHer


#1 is Jenny the Bloggess, wow!  When I first stumbled across her blog I laughed hysterically, then told my husband about this woman who writes like she is on some major party drugs, although I don't think she really is.  She just goes all over the place, and beyond, a process one of the Monty Python founders described once at a talk, only they sometimes take a step back.  At a recent humor panel at Blogher one of the humor bloggers highly recommended not to work in serious posts if you really want to be a successfull humor blogger, because funny is what your audience is expecting.  I appreciate and understand that (spoken as a blogger with no focus :).  Jenny, though, manages to use her blog for the power of good with mostly silly, funny, totally self-deprecating posts with a few serious totally inspiring posts, or sometimes missions, sprinkled in.  Today was an example, when she shared a video, and then a heart-wrenching story of a fellow blogger who's going through a terrible time.  She makes me laugh, then cry, really cry.  Her advice column is also one of the few I will read. 

#2 I've mentioned her before, but I still need to include the lovely, fabulous Darryle Pollack in this list.  This woman seems to have done it all, and is here to show us how it's done.  I can't imagine this lovely woman is much older than me, but she seems awfully wiser without ever getting into the advice realm.  From discovering her artistic side after cancer, to having two grown kids whom she still fawns over, the only thing that would make her better is if she lived closer.  She's not too far, but just enough that I can't scoot on over to take her out for drinks.  She's really an inspiration to appreciate what you have.  The name of her blog says it all, I never signed up for this, but she's making the best of "this."  Boobalas :)

#3 Joy the Baker just embodies her name.  I think she's several decades younger than me, has a fabulous life and is an amazing cook.  She's on my food blog list, but her posts seem to have gone from mouth-watering, delicious recipes to random, amusing, silly posts about her life, followed by mouth-watering recipes.  I'm not talking about stories of parties every night, although these happen on occasion, today's, for example, included this gem " I step over super gross, drunken Saturday night vomit, club promo cards, discarded hair extensions, gum wrappers and street hot dog remnants."  She just seems adorable, and I trust every recipe she posts.

#4 I just discovered the reincarnation of anti-racist parent, Love Isn't Enough.  This blog, subtitle "on raising a family in a colorstruck world" is edited by three women, so I'm not sure if they fall into the fabulous "blogger" category, although given the rich and important nature of this blog, I'm putting them here.  As a white parent in a white family, I do know that love, or exposure to a diverse group of poeple, or trying to teach about racism are good steps, but are not enough.  I don't know what is, though, so am thrilled that I have re-discovered this font of excellent articles and blog posts. 

#5 Susan Niebur, Whymommy, is simply inspiring.  She is fighting cancer, again, yet still reaches out to help others.  She's an amazing mom blogging on Toddler Planet, consultant to NASA, supporter of women in science and, even in her toughest times still helps other women with cancer.  I can't do her justice here, all I can say is send strong, fighing, postiive vibes her way.  She has grace and style and does not deserve what is happening.

Don't forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to support a friend's wish. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.

Swag and More Swag

I've got two more Blogher08 posts to write. One has been sitting draft mode ferrever, waiting for me to finish all the links for the awesome people I met, cards I collected and cool new businesses. Before I publish that, I wanted to give a shout out to some of the most swagalicious goodies I got there. Part of my "real" job is buying swag and customer gifts, but it's a little different than what you find in the consumer world. Nobody is going to buy one of our multi-million dollar tools because of the light-up ball or green laser pointer we gave them, but it's nice to do and they are fun to buy, but not nearly as fun as the type of swag you can get at a consumer conference. We has a serious number of sponsors.

There was lots and lots of little ittle cute baby stuff, which I immediately passed on to Lia to donate to a worthy cause. Oh, but I so wanted to keep the mod mum sling, it was so sweet. I just hope if I ever do have another baby (highly doubtful) I hope someone will pass on one of those slings. I gave my Wati dresses and cute hair clips to Carmen of Mom to the Screaming Masses, who has like a boatload of girls while I have, roughly, none. I'm teaching my boys to braid my hair.

This was my absolute favorite thing, the Lands End canvas beach bag. I bring it to the pool, to the park, camping, and unfortunately to a conference so now I must retrieve it as I had to leave it full of goodies. It is awesome, stands up with not problem, holds towels and has pockets for change and goggles and cell phones.

I also really liked the soft cosmetic bag from Saks. It was full of goodies which I've hardly touched. We did get a laugh out of the fact that my roommie, 10 years younger, got the cooling cream (Deep Cooling Body Lotion). But turns out I got it too, and I've used it. No hot flashes yet, but the heat wave in Northern CA is killing me.

I really plan to use the password organizer and busy body book, but seems I'm too busy to get myself organized so that I'm less busy. I've used the BBB before, but hoping the new password organizer will prevent the calls from husband - can you take care of this? I don't know the password.

Really, a big thank you to all the sponsors, and all the folks behind the scenes who helped us get all this wonderful stuff.