Saturday Round-Up, Blogathon Version

Well, we're half way through the 2013 Blogathon and I've gained some new followers and readers. I'm pleased with the number of people who have been looking at my posts. Some conversations have been started, which is always good. People don't have to agree with each other - opposing points of view are always appreciated as long as they are respectful of others'.

So, what's been happening in the Blogathon realm this week?

Because my children are not children anymore, I don't tend to read blogs about parenting issues. I will read the odd post every now and then if it catches my eye or if someone recommends it, but it's not something that is on my radar at this point. So, this week I made an effort to check out some parenting bloggers who are participating in this year's blogathon.

I tend to lean towards bloggers who admit they're not perfect parents, that life gets in the way sometimes, and that stuff happens, rather than ones that tell you how to be a perfect parent. In fact, I'm glad that blogs didn't exist when I was parenting young children because I'd be even  more paranoid of screwing up than I already was. Anyway - here are some of the parenting blogs I read and liked this week. If you go over for a visit, please consider leaving a comment and tell the bloggers how you ended up there.

Mean Moms Rule. I *love* Denise Schipani's take on motherhood and I like to think that if we had been at the same stage at the same time, we'd have been soulmates. I've read her blog before simply because I've seen Facebook posts about them from friends we have in common. If you only read one parenting blog for real life stuff, this is it.

The Dancing Egg by Caren Chesler is another must-read but for different reasons. I find her posts make me think about issues I hadn't considered before - like all the stuff we accumulate, visiting a theme park, and yelling. Sometimes I feel sad after I've read a post, because I'm reminded of the things that have passed and that I maybe could have done differently. But, it's not a bad sad, if that makes sense.

Mamahh: Navigating the Labyrinth of Motherhood One Breath at a Time is written by Jennifer Derryberry Mann. I haven't read too many of her posts because I just discovered her blog this week, but it looks interesting. I wish I did have something like this when I was struggling through the early childhood parenting years. Jennifer wrote in  her "about" page: "Jenni is the creator of Mamahhh.com, a meditation on self-care for the wondrous, winding journey through the labyrinth of motherhood. The blog has a simple yet profound purpose: It’s a daily reminder to {breathe, mama}. Through the amazing moments and the awkward ones, and in times both sublime and stressful, there’s nothing quite like a sweet deep breath to bring you into the marrow of the present moment."

Running for Autism is exactly what it sounds like it's about. Kirsten Doyle writes about her life and parenting a child who has been diagnosed with autism, as well as her love of running.

And what about this blog? Did you miss anything? Here is a list of this week's posts:

11 Months and Counting - Fitness Report
Quebec Revisits Right To Die
Your Medications: Keeping Yourself Safe  - a guest post
4 Questions to Ask if Your Child's Doctor Recommends a CT Scan
11 Tips to Keep Outdoor Spaces Safer for Seniors
Fireworks Beautiful, But Handle With Care