2011 Top 20 Blogmas Awards: The Best of the Rest

Don’t know what Blogmas is? Check out my original call for posts and my summary of this whole crazy Blogmas roll out this week.

Today is the day when you might be saying, “Oh, these are the honorable mention posts. They weren’t good enough for the other days.” Not true, my friend. Not true.

There is no last place at Blogmas time. Every post is equally important because they were written by you and they were nominated by you because you thought they were worthy of being read again and again. I totally respect. I did the same thing on Monday when I pointed out 10 of my own favorite posts from this year.

The Best of the Rest is more of a clearinghouse of posts. These were the posts that made me smile or laugh but they weren’t a humor piece in my mind. These were the posts that made me think or feel but then made me cry. Ot they were posts that were just fun to read and didn’t fit in any particular category. And so, they ended up here. Still worthy of reading, just not worthy of neatly categorizing.

Hope you enjoy the best of the rest.

Make You Smile

1. Best Post Describing the Sad and Desperate Cycle of Repeatedly Trying and Failing to Stick to a Healthy Eating Lifestyle and Daily Exercise Routine While Making It Sound Light-Hearted and Funny by Sarah from Mamas Against Drama

I’m not sure how this one wasn’t in the Bring Out the Funny posts. Maybe because it sadly describes how I feel this time of year. Every year. Including this one. But this year will be different. No, it really will. I swear:

How to Maintain an Inconsistent Exercise Routine

2. Best Post That is Quite Likely to Make You Reconsider Taking Medication While Parenting by Nichole from butterscotch sundae

It might have something to do with the fact that I am on medications right now (for a cold-type thingy) but I think medication makes parenting just a little easier.

Common side effects include sleepiness, dry mouth and questionable parenting

3. Best Post that Proves Children Really DO Hate Their Parents by Leah from The Walmart Gourmet

Let’s say you’re not much of a reader. Let’s say you like visual aids. Leah’s post is pretty short and sweet but it’s all worth it for the photo at the end of the post. I’m pretty sure her kids don’t hate her but you can’t tell that from the photo.

I’m Bringing Summer Back

4. Best Instructional Post for Slacker and Procrastinator Moms by Sarah from Cole’s First Blog

Sarah wrote about planning her son’s birthday party. Or, rather, about NOT planning his birthday party. Maybe it’s because my son turns 5 in less than a month and I haven’t given one thought to his party yet. I guess I’m not alone.

How {Not} To Plan a Party

5. Best Example of How Dumb Someone Can Be About Sports While Offering a Picture of a Cute Baby in a Swing by Mrs. Wonder from Sunshine Wonderland

Sometimes you meet some mommies and have wonderful playdates. Other times, the mommies are nice enough but you probably don’t click with them. This might be one of those times:

Rear view mirror for a pitcher

6. Best Post from a Daddy by Dave from Sliding Doors

Oh look! Men can blog too! And when they’re writing about being a daddy, it sounds an awful lot like being a mommy. I guess parenting woes are universal. Who knew? Louanne did. Not sure if she has a blog but she certainly reads them. She nominated this post.

A Daddy’s guide to raising toddlers. What I’ve learned…so far

7. Best Post for Stalker Mommas to Bow Headed Toddlers, With a Screaming Baby That Wants Me to Finish This and Eat Post by Ash from freeze frame time

I don’t have a daughter. And if I did, I swore she wouldn’t wear bows and things. But let’s face it, little girls look cute in bows. And if I were to buy bows, it would probably be on the downlow, like Ash:

The hunt for Ms Rosita

8. Best Post to Make You Want to Make a Career Change by Bianca from Bits of Bee

Motherhood helps us develop a lot of skills that we could possibly use later in life: financial management, household planning, medical assistant, housekeeper, and maybe, just maybe, a kickass cop:

Why I Would Make A Kick Ass Cop

9. Best Sibling Anecdote Involving Babies and Trash Cans by Vi from Confessions of a Vi3tBabe

Sometimes we forget how literal kids can be. And sometimes we forget that they don’t always understand our sense of humor. This was the case when Vi’s little girl was wondering where her baby sister went:

No, You Can’t Put My Little Sister in the Trash!

10. Post Most Likely to Make You Swoon Over Someone Else’s Husband and Also Possibly Gag at the Same Time by Nichole from butterscotch sundae

Nichole may think she’s the only one who’s had to sift through days-old garbage for that one thing you accidentally threw away. (She’s not.) She make think she has the only husband who would also sift through days-old garbage for you. (She’s not.) But I’m quite sure it’s a rarity and a very, very endearing quality:

You wanna know what love is? Allow me to show you.

11. Best Post for Telling Those Designers That Just Because It’s Expensive Doesn’t Mean the Purchase is All That Great by Rose from Rose from Rosedale

I had to laugh at this one. I agree that $200 shoes should hurt your feet but one look at these photos and I have to think, “It doesn’t matter how much you pay – those shoes are going to hurt your feet!”:

$200 shoes should NOT hurt your feet

12.Best Post for Showing How Once a Mom, Always a Mom, and How Children of All Ages Can Turn Your Hair Gray by Helene from books is wonderful

Helene had a beautifully written post about… how her daughter got bit by a monkey. Yes, I know. That was a spoiler but how often do you get to read something like that?

Bananas

13. Best Really?! You’re so tiny, yet gave birth to a pretty big baby without any pain killers! Birth Story by Vi from Confessions of a Vi3tBabe

I have a confession. I actually love to read birth stories. I think because there are so many emotions during that time that it often produces the best writing. I was surprised to see Vi’s fat little baby at the end of this story, though:

2nd Time Around – A Birth Story

14. Best Post Reminding Us that the Internet isn’t Always the Best Place to Air Our Dirty Laundry by Jenn Marie from Blenifer uncorked

Have you ever seen someone’s personal drama unfolding on Facebook or Twitter? It’s so uncomfortable to watch and yet we can’t look away. I think people need to stop and remember that the world is a stage and some scenes might need to be edited out:

FaceBook Etiquette

15. Best okay-Canada-probably-is-cooler-than-where-I-live slash holy-pickles-Batman Post by sassymonkey from Sassymonkey

Jenna from Stop, Drop and Blog nominated this post. I’m guessing it’s because she lives in Ohio. It’s a land where great pickles are appreciated (I know, I used to live there). I have to confess though, Canada does seem kinda fun. You know, for a North American country that’s not the U.S.:

Upper Canada Village

16. Most Awesome Linkup in the Blogosphere that Not Near Enough People are Participating in by Jennifer from Momma Made It Look Easy

Jennifer’s doing a little self-promotion here and I quite like it. It’s a one stop shop to link up your best post of the week. You know how you picked your best post of the year for me? (Or two or three or twelve?) Just think of doing that every week and actually finding people to read it! I love the idea:

Share Your Awesome

17. Best ‘Only because I love my baby would I ever put on a pair of ugly ass Uggs’ Post by Vi from Confessions of a Vi3tBabe

As Vi was chronicling her second pregnancy, she lamented about the growing foot size that often occurs. I actually enjoyed having to buy new shoes. And I happen to like Uggs. Just not the price. I personally have a pair of fake Uggs that I love to wear on my super comfy days:

The Bump Tales: Week 33

18. Best Way to Capture Those Fleeting Moments of Babyhood for Future Reference by Vi from Confessions of a Vi3tBabe

After Vi’s second baby was born, she had to spend some time away. Imagine how much you miss in just a few short weeks of your baby’s life? Vi was overwhelmed with her baby girl when they were finally reunited.

Project BG2: Week 42 – Nothing Can Hold Me Back

19. Best Way to Use Modern Technology to Parent a Baby by Vi from Confessions of a Vi3tBabe

I’m a big advocate of modern technology. I use video chats to keep up with my babies when I’m gone. But I couldn’t imagine being away from my new baby girl. Here’s how Vi tried her best to parent from a distance.

Mom for an Hour

20. Best Use of an Ordinary Appliance to Help Fight a Pesky Baby Problem by Vi from Confessions of a Vi3tBabe

That headline can be a bit misleading. It’s sounds like babies are a problem like rats or roaches. I promise that’s not the case here. But when you have a chunky monkey like Vi, you need to treat your baby like a sumo wrestler:

Every Baby Needs a BlowDryer

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See why I needed a Best of the Rest category? These posts are all over the place. But that’s the beauty of blogging. There are no constraints or confines. And most importantly, we all have a space to feel proud of what we write.

Need more to read? If you missed it, yesterday I highlighted the 2011 Top 20 Posts to Make You Stop, Drop, and Think.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the top 80 posts of 2011 as much as I have. If you liked these “awards for the rest of us,” leave me a comment and let me know so I can be sure to do it again next year.

Now I’m off to make sure I’m Twitter buddies with all of these lovely bloggers!