lordy lord lordster, it has been a heap of time. You think I would have much blogging time now that the girl SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT IN HER OWN ROOM. Yes, that deserves caps, it's that important to our collective sanity, well-being and general happiness. Now she no longer just coasts by on that face that hopefully not only a mother can love. Where were we? Oh who knows, it's all a blur of Eat-Play-Nap anyway. So I may as well just move straight on to the theme of this entry and the next, too: recommendations.

Many eons ago, I was asked to reciprocate some blog-love and I have been remiss. Much of the reason is pure laziness - DLand makes you do your linking by hand (oh the injustice) and for some reason I find even basic html dull and annoying. As I've said many times, I am a miserable failure when it comes to Web 2.0. (Do you know I found out JUST THIS WEEK that people - yes you - have left comments on my babys flikr page? I didn't know!) But oh boy do I like to read on the interwebs. And am I the only who has starts many a conversation with my mate thusly "So you know that girl whose blog I read?(insert city/screenname etc.)" as if it was a real conversation I'd had that day? Maybe I am. But these bloggy readings have taken on an added importance now that I am home alone so very very often. So without further ado, here is my personal blogroll of 10 VIB's in alphabetical order:(the one's marked with an asterisk don't even know I exist - I've never commented on their site or met them or anything - the rest are you, my 5 readers. Hi!)

*****arrrgghhhghghgh - after seriously an hour of putting together this post with links, the site crashed. the baby is waking and I just can't do it all over again so I will just have to paste in the URL. My apologies.*****

All and Sundry* - as far as I'm concerned, in the world of parent blogs no one gets it better or funnier than LL. She routinely makes me feel like it is okay to be honest about how it is not always an overflowing cup of joy to be a Mom. And I found all this fascinating waaaay before considering joining her ranks.
www.sundrymourning.com

Anything Said - Librarians often have a kind of dry sarcastic humor that I very much appreciate and she has that in spades. Plus one adorable kid that she sometimes has ambivalent feelings about raising - now that I get.
http://anythingsaid.blogspot.com/

Better Now* - I guess she's some kind of former blog superstar and just like I root for the underdog team and the little movie that could, I don't often pay attention to the Big Blogs. They don't need me, except to up their hit count which is mildly repellent (to me). But this is her quiet return and so help me, I find it awfully compelling and very well written.
http://betternow.typepad.com/

Celidah - a Diaryland stalwart, I live vicariously through her life which I imagine is packed with art, busy streets, colored tights and canoodling with lovely boys in pubs.
http://ceildah.diaryland.com/index.html

Everybody Likes Sandwiches - this feels like cheating because in real life, she is my very dear friend. But I also love love love her food blog, the only bit of her writing I can read without guilt (many many moons ago, we made a pact not to read each others personal blogs so as to have real internet anonymous freedom) Just this weekend I used a few of her recipes which are always delicious, kind of healthy, inexpensive and beautifully photographed. She is the Queen of Breakfast and I just wish she would open her breakfast place already.
http://everybodylikessandwiches.blogspot.com/

La Vie Cerise - another vicarious life experience for me though I don't think I could ever meet her in real life because my rumpled self would feel even more so in the presence of this stylish lass.
http://laviecerise.blogspot.com/

Marigoldie - this page is protected and I feel lucky having a key to the words and thoughts of a dreamy, thoughtful, quiz-winning, song-singing, doc-loving, good-food-eating woman.

Maven Haven - if you cannot feel invigorated just by reading her words, you are already dead. Enthusiastic, open-hearted, thoughtful, she always has something brewing. Plus, does ANYONE look better in vintage clothes? She can rock any style, anywhere.
http://mavenhaven.blogspot.com/

Mimi Smartypants* - the admiring admiredness and deep envy I have for even her sign-offs is profound. And I love that she has not tried to "expand her readership" or actively solicit comments or put ads on her site or anything so modern bloggy. She writes. And you read. The end.
http://smartypants.diaryland.com/index.html

Myra Lee - though I have but met her once, many moons ago, I feel like I KNOW her you know? She has gone through so much through the years that I have had the privilege of witnessing in her funny little snippets. Charmed and charming. Plus, I trust her music taste implicitly and still play her mixed CD's on a regular basis.
http://myra-lee.diaryland.com/index.html

Soggy Librarian - funny, smart, excellent job, and Mr. Awesome (I finally saw The King of Kong and get the reference)who she is set to marry fits his description perfectly. I want to be her when I grow up. What, she's younger than me?
http://soggylibrarian.blogspot.com/

thanks for the good reads. and stay tuned for tomorrow when I throw another list of recommendations at you, the non-blog kind.