Big Pimpin'

Today is a busy day of classes and a big sparkly event tonight.  So this post is less of a post and more of an unsolicited press release for some of my favorite places on the web.  Just don't like them better than you like me.  Remember we exchanged BFF necklaces and those are for keeps.

People I Want to Punch in The Throat:  That is seriously the title of this blog, written by a mom of 2 from Kansas who is absolutely hilarious.  She doesn't take the whole parenting thing too seriously, and she doesn't take her kids too seriously.  But you know she loves them, and she loves the unintentionally funny things they say and do.  She just doesn't love the over-achieving, judgey, show-offy people moms sometimesbecome/convince themselves they have to be, and she calls it likes she sees it.  Plus, she swears a lot.  And who doesn't like a swearer?  (Other than you, mum.)

STFU, Parents:  Again, that seriously is the title of this blog, written by a non-mom who is serving up parenting perspective on a daily basis.  She does so ingeniously: she receives submissions from readers who pass along amazing exchanges they see on Facebook, and she posts those exchanges and provides the commentary the rest of us would if we were that witty and that insightful.  For example, she coined the phrase "mommyjacking" by pointing out how Friend would post a status update trumpeting her job promotion, and Mommy would swoop in and leave a comment about her kid getting promoted from the plastic potty to the real deal.  Basically, this is the website that (a) calls some parents out for losing all social etiquette and consideration the moment Junior popped out; (b) serves as a pat-on-the-back for other parents who haven't so completely lost their minds; and (c) allows non-parents to let their voices be heard above the rattles and Dora theme song.

Grantland: Bill Simmons, a writer for ESPN (you might know him as the Sports Guy), recently launched this website as a warehouse for the type of posts he used to dedicate to Page 2 on espn.com. They're a mix of in-depth sports opinion/analysis and pop culture reviews. You can read an article about NFL free agency and an article about the most recent Mad Men episode within just two clicks. I love Simmons' quirky, intelligent writing, and he's largely brought on writers that share a similar style. I am not 100% in love with the site because some of the writers are a bit....much. Their sentences are too long and their references are too obscure. But you can find some real gems here, so it's worth the repeated visits.

Carrots 'N Cake: This is a very approachable, very girl-next-door health blog written by Tina from Boston.  She started the blog after she realized that her after-work beers and candy-centric diet were catching up with her.  She overhauled her life, added in more exercise, and tried to make each meal as nutritious as possible.  By "possible," I mean within the realm of reason and economy, not "possible" as in all goji berries and all hemp granola, all the time.  She gives relatable ideas on how to bring a healthier you into being, and she shares easy recipe ideas along the way.  Her writing is very conversational, and she just starts to seem like the girlfriend you kind of already have, just in one-dimensional form.

Iowa Girl Eats:  This is another health/food/fitness blog, but the recipes are a bit more involved than those on Carrots 'N Cake.  In fact Kristin, the bloggess, is quite a little chef and baker, and she presents recipes in easy-to-manage steps with beautiful pictures to boot.  Plus, she shares cute stories about her life in perky, funny prose.  Actually, she makes things seem so easy and so fun that you almost want to hate her, but you can't help loving her.



What about you?  What are your favorite sites to visit?