Who I read and what that says 'bout me.

I was introduced to blogs for the most part through a board I mentioned. Someone posted: what sites do you browse when you're bored at work? Someone else mentioned Dooce. Well, I read me some Dooce. And read, and read and read. My whole way through the archives. And I loved it. To me, it was like reading a book. And I still love it, cuz now my book gets updates- I don't have to wonder "Hey, what happened?" (I KNOW it's not a book, it's real people writing real journals. But still.) And I thought, hey, I'd like to write a blog. Then I thought, nah, I'm not good enough. Then I decided, who the hell cares, cuz who's gonna read it besides me??
Once I finished Dooce, I started in on Mandajuice. I really love her site, mostly cuz it's real. Those are two of the only maybe three or four sites whose archives I've read. The other one site whose archives I've read all the way through is From 0 to 5. I love her site cuz it's a great account of real live foster parenting, and I'm soon going to be one of the social workers working with families like hers. I love her accounts. From her I connected to one of her daughter's sites- Kaia's Soapbox. Good stuff there too.
Most of my other sites I linked to from either Dooce or Mandajuice. When Dooce when to blogher, she mentioned a bunch of other bloggers, and I wanted to read them. That's where I found Mandajuice and others, like Fussy, and Finslippy. Amanda of Mandajuice has a great blogroll, including Amalah (who is so cute herself and just had the cutest baby going, and I've read alot but not all of her archives), Suburban Bliss, and SJ the Sarcastic Journalist of SheNuts. Also VeryMom (who also just had a baby and also introduced me to wondering about cloth diapers and such) and Wondermom, who I'm still getting to know. :)
I also read, and some of these are from previously mentioned lists and some I have NO CLUE how I found, but I did:
A Little Pregnant- her son was a preemie, and I used to work with parents and preemies as a social worker. SO that got me started. Plus she had her baby in CT, so while I read her archives the whole time I was like, was that at the hospital I worked at (it was at the same time?) but then I decided No, because I would have remembered.
American Family
The Mommy Blog
The Naked Ovary
Uncommon Misconception

I read two daddy blogs:
Shotgun Daddy and Daddy Daze

I read a couple of girls I know from boards
A Yank Gone South, KCB in Progress, and 8 Hours, which used to be The Fourth Trimester ;).

Lastly, I read Dana's Dirt. She works in Hartford, my state capitol, as a DJ. I don't listen to her cuz I'm sleeping when she's on, but I love me some celeb dish. So there that is.

What do all these people say 'bout me??

Some things represent who I am. I have a few adoption and foster care blogs- I really tend to feel like I'm snooping on those cuz they talk about social workers and I am one. But I love the perspective it gives me, that clients are scared to give me. In all honesty, their honest writing makes me a better social worker. Thanks, ladies.

I have lots of moms who blog (I think they don't like the term mommy bloggers?). I love love love reading about motherhood. That's cuz I hope to be a mommy one day, and hopefully oneday sooner rather than later. Again, I love the honesty about motherhood I get there. I also love the different perspective of the daddy blogs.

There are a few infertility blogs- see above about adoption and foster care.

One of my favorite parts about the blogs I read is that even though I say "infertility blog" or "adoption blog" or "mommy or daddy" blog- they're always about so much more. Something has stricken me about the way these people write, and I love hearing their stories. And I love feeling like I'm a part of watching them unfold, somehow. They push me to write more, and also to say more than just blah blah I feel fat.

Of note- there are no "weight loss" blogs. I can't find them. A few blogs of course mention "yeah I'd like to lose weight" but none like mine. The thing is, in the few I've found, it's all "this is what I ate today" and that gets old fast. Kick me if that's all I ever talk about. I want this to be more about my emotional journey than physical. And one day I want it to be more about my journey through pregnancy, and then mommyhood, and so on.

Thanks for hearing who I like to read. If you don't read these wonderful people, I strongly encourage you to start. If there are people you read I didn't mention, I'd love to hear about them.

Also, this is partly because I'm technologically delayed and haven't the slightest clue how to put a blogroll on my blog. If anyone can tell me in simple, step by step instructions, I'd love that.