My Favorite Blog Posts (and Bloggers)

  So, I know this is kind of  a lame idea for a blog post, but it's been a rough week(s), with my back pain, day-to-day Army life, and preparing for the holidays. Well, preparing for the holidays is actually pretty fun, especially with little kids, so I suppose I can take that off my "things that are stressing me out right now" list. In any case, I wanted to share some of my all-time favorite blog posts, by my all-time favorite bloggers. There's really no rhyme or reason to any of these posts; some of these bloggers were huge inspirations to me when I was really discovering the beauty of our Catholic faith, some I found purely by accident and I was drawn in by their writing, and some I just read whenever I need to laugh hysterically (in the privacy of my own home, of course. I wouldn't suggest reading some of these blogs at, say, a cocktail lounge at an airport). Some are serious, and some are light-hearted. I'm sure all of these bloggers appreciate the extra clicks, so if you're as impressed as I am by their writing, by all means, spread the word.

1. Jennifer Fulwiler, at Conversion Diary

  For those of you who have been reading my blog for at least a year, you know that I've referenced Jennifer and her posts many, many times. She's an atheist to Catholic convert, and so many times I've read her blog posts thinking, "She said exactly what I want to say...only she said it much more eloquently than I ever could have." Jennifer has a wonderful way of finding humor in everyday things, while maintaining her faith-and sanity-while raising and homeschooling six children in Austin, TX. The following are my favorite posts of hers; a mix of hilarious and thought-provoking.

a. Buying a Cookie at Whole Foods-An Epic Voyage
b. How I Became Pro-Life (which is pretty much my experience, word-for-word. I found myself nodding my head when I read this blog post for the first time, knowing that I would never be able to write about my own pro-life conversion as well as she did).
c. My Answer to "Do you want more children?" (Yep. Again, word-for-word).
d. Notes from beneath the veil A wonderful post on the beauty of veiling. Complete with laughs!

2.  Dwija Borobia at House Unseen, Life Unscripted

  I love Dwija (which sounds weird, considering I've never met her, and even though we follow each other on Instagram, I'm 99.999% sure she couldn't pick me up out of a lineup). But I digress. Dwija has a very interesting story; she was raised as a Hare Krishna, and spent her childhood moving from place to place. She converted to Catholicism when she was in college, got married, and she and her husband purchased a house sight unseen (yes, the title...get it?) off the internet in Michigan, and moved their family out there. She's written many wonderful blog posts, but this one is my favorite.

Why I Stopped Not Caring and Started Wearing Concealer

  This is a wonderful reminder for someone like me, who, umm, on occasion *cough cough* bums around the house, makeup-less, clad in yoga pants and a tank top, because who do I have to impress?

  Oh yeah..just my family.

3. Libby Anne at Love, Joy, Feminism

  I found Libby Anne's blog a few years ago, after reading one of her posts about the Duggar family. She was raised in a fundamentalist Evangelical home (of the "Quiverful" variety), and she turned away from her parents' teachings and her religion once she went to college. She is now an atheist, and she is married with two children. I was fascinated by her story; growing up in a fairly ordinary Protestant home, I never knew that sects like this even existed. The Duggar family was unheard of when I was in high school, and the only people I knew who had large families were either Catholic or Mormon. I'm only linking the intro to her story, but I would encourage everyone to read all ten parts. It's truly eye-opening, and I give Libby Anne (not her real name, by the way-she writes under a pseudonym, lest her parents discover her blog and forbid contact with her younger siblings) lots of credit for her bravery in sharing her story.

The Beautiful Girlhood Doll

4. Anne at We Make This Look Good

  Like Jennifer, Anne is one of my all-time favorite bloggers. I discovered her blog when I was slowly making the transition from "food blogger" to "Catholic crunchy military still foodie mama blogger," and I was so inspired by her deep devotion to Catholicism and her family. She's an excellent writer, and I really consider her a role model of sorts (in a completely non-creepy, internet stranger way). Her daughter Gianna was born with a profound hearing loss, and after learning ASL and transitioning her to a school for the deaf, Gianna had cochlear implant surgery. Their second daughter, Pia, was born deaf as well (their son Dominic was not), and shortly after Pia's surgery, a doctor called them with troublesome news about their daughters' conditions. I'll let you read more here.

a. The Swing of Things
b. Operation Contain and Placate: Addendum (because you will need a funny post after the heaviness of the first).

5. Jen at People I Want to Punch in the Throat

  Warning: do not read Jen's blog if you are easily offended. Or you can't handle swearing. There, I warned you. I'm sure many of you have read her Elf on the Shelf post (yes, I'll add the link, because it's my all-time favorite) that appeared on a bunch of Facebook news feeds a few years back. Since then, she's written posts about annoying and entitled celebrities, parents who let their kids run the house, over-the-top kids birthday parties, you name it. I recommend her blog whenever you need a good laugh. Or to remind yourself that there are some seriously insane people in this world, and thank you sweet baby Jesus I'm not one of them.

Over Achieving Elf on the Shelf Mommies

  I will be back tomorrow to participate in the 7 Quick Takes, which I've neglected for a few weeks now. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these blog posts. If you have any more blog suggestions (and yes, feel free to add your own. No shame in self-promotion!), leave a comment.

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