shout outs: the best bloggin buds of 2010

I've now been blogging for seven months and have learned so much from when I first began. One of the things I've realized is that the blogging world ebbs and flows... 

Sometimes ideas come fast and furious, other times the ideas are there but the time is not.

Sometimes you get lots of comments on a simple post that took you just minutes to put together, and other times you get very few comments on a post that you worked hard on and poured your heart into.

Sometimes you think you have a new dedicated follower, only to have them drop off the face of the earth a month later.

Sometimes you're able to spend lots of time networking and commenting, and other times you're lucky to sneak in just a quick glance over your RSS reader.

Sometimes you help a newbie get started, and then never hear from them again.

Sometimes you get a comment from one of your blog heros and it fuels you for your next week's worth of posts.

Sometimes you get lots and lots of hits in a week, and other times not so many.

Depending on your reasons for blogging, these types of things may or may not effect you. But I'd go so far as to say nearly all of us blogging ladies enjoy the genuine connections we form with other bloggers along the way.

In the last half-year I've "met" hundreds of women through the Memos. Some have become "followers" but beyond subscribing have not engaged much… some have become part of my blogging community (my tribe?) and regularly comment and interact… and some have become friends that I now relate with even beyond the blogging world.

I wanted to share with you some of my blogging buddies from 2010. I've chosen each of these women for different reasons: Some of them I can count on to comment on nearly every post I write. Some of them have kids the same age as Levi and we're enjoying learning and growing together. Some of them have given me encouragement when I most needed it. Some of them inspire me with their photos or their writing or just their take on life. 

And all of them make me smile.

Although there are too many to list (and no doubt I'll think of more I should have included after I hit "publish") here are some of my best blogging buds from 2010. Check these ladies (and their fabulous blogs) out!

Laura of Home is Where the Heart Is

Cameron of Ingenue Mom

Ana of Life's a Beach

Mandy of A Sorta Fairytale

Greta of Transparencies of Motherhood

Roz of A Little R & R

Becca of Bare Feet on the Dashboard

Melissa of Confessions of a Dr. Mom

Livy of Making Over Mum

Carol of Knee Deep in Mommahood

Morgan of The Little Hen House

Trish of The Planet Pink

Rachel of Get Real Mama

Amy of Amy Sullivan

Anna of Our Journey to Financial Freedom

Jhen of From Here to Eternity

Casey of One Day at a Time

Micheline of Flyrish, Foibles, and Other Alliterations

Kerry of Nesting with Niall

Rachel of Rachel's Wokabout

Mama Hen of Mama's Little Chick

Thank you ladies for being a part of the Memos and a part of our lives! And thank you for the great content, photography, and heart you contribute to the blogosphere. You inspire me!

Dear friends, do you worry about blog stats, numbers, and comments? Instead why don't you take some time this new year to think about some of your blogging buddies and let them know that you appreciate them! :)

bloggin into 2011,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

amazed

It’s been an amazing year. I started blogging on Mothers Day and am so glad that I did.

photo by tiffany lausen
(c) red owl photography

Beginning my “mama blog” has helped me to find my voice as a writer again. It’s helped me to process the changes that come with starting a family. It’s helped me to share and teach... as well as learn and grow. It’s helped me to record, remember, and reflect on the magic of motherhood and the miracle of life.

It’s helped me to connect… with so many women on so many levels. Some are mothers. Some are grandmothers. Some are wanna-be (future) mothers. Some are “just” supporters of mothers.

Many of these women are now my friends.

Thank you for sharing part of this journey with me these last seven months of blogging. I’ve deeply enjoyed finding friendships in unexpected places.

In celebration of the beginning of the Memos, here are some of my best from 2010 (in no particular order):

::   dear natural birth club | My most clicked post… a little snarky, a little fun, and hopefully a little spurring to make women think.

::   birth is holy, treat is as such | a letter to my pregnant self | This is one I’d love to share with all my pregnant friends. It's very personal and yet also largely universal.

::   introducing a little girl in a land far, far away {a photo story} | Just a little bit about me.

::   100 things {pregnancy, birth, and being a first-time mom} } Perhaps one of my favorites to write – another one I’d love to share with pregnant women or first-time-moms.

::   oh fair Nap Time, where art thou? | My love-hate relationship with nap time… no doubt most mamas can relate with this one. I think this one (and Dear Natural Birth Club) have been my most shared posts on facebook.

::   i gots me some mama badges | A fun take on some little motherhood accomplishments.

::   so this is what it feels like to have someone call you “mama”? | Documenting one of my best (most memorable, most tender, most sweet…) motherhood moments so far.

::   the line  | A poem about dealing with my unexpected c-section.

::   "you're a great mum." (please tell me again.) | Personal reflections about the need for encouragement and support in motherhood.

::   living in the midst of holy teachers | Beginning to learn the reality (not just in theory) of how children are our most profound teachers.

::   who’s growth spurt is it anyway? | Dealing with the growing pains of motherhood. 


::   wonder | Stopping. Breathing. Remembering to wonder.

Dear friends, thank you so much for encouraging me, supporting me, befriending me, following me, and cheering for me on the journey of motherhood through the Mommyhood Memos so far. I’m so grateful. As I’ve made the leap into motherhood, it’s been a delight to also stumble into this blogging world that I didn’t before know existed…. What a year.

amazed,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission