Trop50: Five Fabulous Bloggers

Thanks to Trop50 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 celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous!

I have to admit that I'm excited about writing this post. Trying to figure out what makes a fabulous blogger in my mind and who then fits that criteria is fun - in my mind, anyway. I knew one or two who I'd have to put up there in my definition of fabulous, regardless, but I also know my list is probably different from a lot of others. I don't tend to read a lot of the "big" blogs out there, and I'm fine with that.

For me, a fabulous blogger is a writer who connects with me in some way, someone who I sneak in to read even when I don't really have time. Some of them make me laugh, and one in particular tends to make me cry. They all make me feel, though, and to me, that's key. Ok, except for one that is pure snark. Somehow, that's also my cup of tea.

First up has to be Melisa Wells from Suburban Scrawl. I love that she lives relatively near me so I can hang out with her on occasion. It's far more than that, however. She is just all around awesome. Did you know she just wrote a book? It's just released, and I can't wait to see how it does. There are all sorts of travel books out there, but this focuses on things to do with tweens and teens in Chicago. Brilliant. Not that I'm at all biased. Her blog is awesome, too, from the still cracking me up twitter conversation post to a poignant discussion of the meaning of Purim. She has two great boys, and even though they're teenagers, she still gets to write about them sometimes. Needless to say, I absolutely love her, and she's Fabulous with a capital F in my book!

(Momo, Melisa, and me at BlogHer '10)

I also love sneaking over to read Stacey at Is There Any Mommy Out There? She has four children and has shared openly about her adoption struggles many times - making my cry each and every time, too. She makes me giggle as I empathize with her frustrations about her house and her kids. She is a beautiful writer and draws pictures and emotions constantly. It's a true gift where she can take any topic and immediately draw you in. She's someone I wish lived close by so I could go hang out with her.

We move a bit into snark with Jaci from Ravings of a Mad Housewife. I've been reading her blog since long before she deleted it in a fit of pique and had to recreate it. She always tells it like it is no matter how painful the subject. She's recently launched a cake making business, and how awesomely talented is she? She's struggled - like me - in deciding whether to work or stay at home (and voila - cake making business for her!), something that became even more relevant as she had her second baby, and ohhhh were those stories hilarious. Jaci is one of those bloggers who I know won't sugar coat anything and isn't going to make herself look better than she is. But she doesn't need to because she's just fabulous the way she is!

Karen from The Rocking Pony is another of the fabulous blogger club. Karen constantly has her hands full. Not only does she have four children - including Micah who has Downs Syndrome - but she owns a business making fabulous shirts and is also a dog breeder. She puts up awesome photos that I love to just stare at and is also philosophical and makes me think. I love how Karen keeps it real and keeps me coming back for more. Definitely part of the fabulous club.

The last blogger is a bit of a mystery. In fact she (I think it's a she?) isn't known by anyone. This is my guilty secret blog. It's actually the first blog I ever read wayyyyy back when before I knew what blogs were. Ahem. Even after I figured out what blogs were (thank you, Dawn), I didn't put two and two together to realize that this, too, was a blog. It is very different from other blogs. Can you tell I'm procrastinating here? Ahem. I adore Prevuze. It's utter snark and so perfect. It lampoons each day's episode of Days of Our Lives - a day in advance. And oh my word she stopped posting and closed up shop. I'm crushed (and obviously behind on my blog reading?). The six years of history is definitely worth reading through, however. That said, I don't suppose it really counts as a fabulous blogger anymore.

On the plus side, I get to sneak in another of my fabulous bloggers. Laura from Hey, What's For Dinner Mom? is my idol when it comes to food. She lives in Alaska, doesn't use a microwave and doesn't do processed foods. Let's just say we think a lot alike when it comes to food. She's also my inspiration for the Twix Bars that are now a staple whenever I go anywhere (though I tweaked her recipe). She has a great linkup for Meatless Mondays, which I find a great inspiration. She's also very into thrifting, and I love to see what she's found. It's not a hobby for me, as I'm working on getting things out of my house, but I can live vicariously through her at least!





That is so much fun! I love writing posts like this, as there are so many other bloggers I adore and think are fabulous. It's really hard to narrow it down to five. These definitely hit my top five - go check them out and tell them I say hi! Who are your Fab Five? Tell me so I can go visit.

Don't forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous. 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.