Blogging... A few of my favorites.

So I'm an amateur (at best!) at this blogging thing but there are a ton of blogs out there that I enjoy reading on a daily basis so I thought I'd do a list of my favorites. My sister has turned me onto a lot of these blogs but some I've found all by myself.

Food Blogs: First of all there are a ton of food blogs out there. Healthy eating, diets, organic, fast food, etc, etc. I like a variety of them... Rarely do I get recipes that I actually try from these blogs but I enjoy reading what people are eating, cooking, baking, and tasting.

My all time favorite food blog is Kath Eats Real Food. I enjoy Kath's humor, writing style, and ability to make all of the interesting food she eats on a daily basis fun to read about. I am constantly checking this blog to see updates, pictures, and read about the life of someone who is making food blogging a passion and a business.

Mango and Ginger is written by someone that I know. It's pretty interesting to read Kit's take on different food trends. I can always count on her to link me to some interesting NY Times or Bon Appetit article that I never would have found if it weren't for her witty blog posts.

Living in Baltimore, I'm always intrigued to find people writing specifically about food in Baltimore. The Baltimore Snacker has a funny way of writing about the food in this great city. I have a few restaurants that I want to try thanks to his reviews and posts.

Bites and Bowls is a friend of Kath's. Her style is a bit different but the blog is still entertaining.

Who doesn't love fast food? I won't lie to you. There is nothing better than a McDonald's cheeseburger and french fries every once in awhile. This blog is entertaining! It's nothing that I would try at home but these creations are so over the top. Fancy Fast Food takes fast food items and makes them into gourmet like entrees. It's pretty amazing to see the transformation. The ingredients and recipe are included.

My Friends and Family have blogs too!!

My sister has a blog. Luckily for us, with her summer off she's been blogging a lot more frequently. There is no category to put this little gem in. It's simply Emily being Emily. She rants about tv (specifically Big Brother), sports, teaching, and anything else that pisses her off.

Please Happy is the blog of my Jackson Hole friend Lauren. Her blog is politics, everyday life encounters, love, books, and life. She'll be moving off to LA soon and I can only imagine what's in store for the daily readers of please happy. I imagine it will be a little different than what we're used to reading from the mountains of Jackson Hole.

My freshman year roommate Ellen has a wonderful blog. Currently she's blogging about the little baby girl that will be joining this world in November and their house that is currently being built. What a wonderful way to keep in touch with everyone and to let us see and read about the weekly happenings for the adorable Bruce Family.

And then there are those blogs that don't really fit into a particular categories. The bloggers that write them probably like it that way. Some are funny, some are sad, but they are all well written and good reads. They are on my daily blog list.

Live it, Love It- This chick is hysterical! She says a lot of the stuff that the rest of us are probably afraid to say.

Matt Logelin's Matt, Liz, and Madeline is the first blog that I really got into. If you haven't heard of this guy... he's been featured in People, on Oprah, Rachel Ray, etc, etc. His story is heart breaking but to see what he's been able to do is amazing. Take my word for it and add this to your google reader immediately.

My Charming Kids. I found this blog from Matt Logelin's blog. It's another sad story that so far has a happy outcome. The Mom (MckMama) has a little boy with some serious heart issues. Hes hanging in there and MckMama continues to ask for prayers and offers a daily dose of reality on what it's like to raise many young children. For this 28 year old single gal with no kids, it's a sneak peek into what is hopefully in my future someday.

So here are the blogs that I read on a daily basis for a variety of reasons. Now not all of these blogs are updated daily. But I still stop by each of them to see if there are updates. You're probably thinking... wow, you must have a lot of time on your hands? Well for now... yes I do! Come August 24th, these will probably be my weekly blog reads instead of daily. But for this teacher there is nothing better than rolling over in bed, grabbing my berry, and reading these blogs. I get ideas about writing styles, cooking recipes, and how to make homemade baby food. I think I'll keep the baby food ideas in the memory bank for someday....

Summer as a Teacher

So I realized today that I haven't posted in months. I hope nobody out there was waiting with baited breath... like I do for the blogs that I really enjoy reading on a daily basis. Since I'm pretty sure that my sister is the only person that reads this little blog of mine, I'm not too worried.

Summer is in full swing. Honestly, as an elementary school teacher I'm already thinking that we're on the downward slope. It's going to be August 24th before I know it and I'll be heading back to my real job as a 2nd grade teacher. There is always excitement that comes along with a new school year but at this point in the summer I'm filled with nothing but dread about August 24th. I'm just not ready yet. So for now I'll put that date out of my head and keep doing what I'm doing.

For now my summer jobs include babysitting, house sitting, reading, rearranging furniture, sitting by the pool, watching a lot of HGTV, and sleeping in. For me, summer is a glorious time to catch up on all of the things that I never have time to do during the hectic school year.

People are so funny when I tell them what I do for a living. "You're a teacher? Oh it must be nice to not have to work that much." Is it rude that I pretty much laugh in their face? Now I don't consider myself "one of those teachers" who gets on their soap box and preaches the importance of being a teacher, how hard we work, the long hours, etc, etc. I know that there are a lot of people out in this wonderful world of ours who work long hours and have important jobs. I am very realistic about the fact that I chose to be a teacher knowing that it meant work outside of school, not a lot of pay, and summers off. But it always amazes me how quick people are to criticize what I do for a living simply because I have the summer off. I'm also quick to point out that in all of my years of teaching (all 7 of them), I've never had a summer off. I have always babysat... some summers 20 hours a week... others 50 hours a week... this summer my schedule is super sporadic and I have a few weeks off and am doing something new- going on vacation with the family that I babysit for. It should be fun! I mean who wouldn't be excited about a trip to Nantucket with three adorable boys and a nice family? But hey, it's still work.... and we all make our choices in life. My choice just happened to be the job that had the perk of "summers off" no matter what that off time includes.