Like curling up with a good book on a cold, rainy day, I look forward to settling in with my favorite bloggers on a regular basis.

While life in the blogosphere grants us opportunities to connect with everyday authors on countless topics, pledging allegiance to a small group of bloggers is my way of creating a virtual village. Much like waving hello or having a front yard chat with my neighbors, a few minutes of quality online reading time is a rewarding part of my daily routine. What’s for dinner, how are the kids, and what is the latest, greatest app I can no longer live without? Somehow blogs take away some of the social isolation that is a consequence of our bright and shiny technology-rich world.

In no particular order, my current favorites:

• Tales of Me & the Husband: I’ve been following Bridget’s blog for a few years because 1) I love her fashion and style sense; 2) my son is all grown-up so I can live vicariously through Bridget’s life as a mom to 2 toddler sons and 2 teenagers; 3) she’s up North and I’m down South – my dear, I love a study in contrasts.
• Pioneer Woman: because I can’t stay home and watch back-to-back episodes of the Pioneer Woman and Ree Drummond’s blog is, well, part food porn, part Little House on the Prairie. If Frank and I consumed half the amounts of butter, sugar, eggs and pork (think ham, bacon, sausage, oh my!) that Ree’s recipes call for we would be so fat and sassy we would never leave the house. So instead I read and salivate over her blog. Her photos are pretty spectacular too. She has some awesome giveaways each week via Rafflecopter.
• Awakening to Awareness: I found Eric Tonningsen’s blog around the time I decided to change my own game, so to speak. The combination of an empty nest, a retiring husband, the fun meter on my formerly rewarding career had pegged, and a new “encore career” in sight resulted in the creation of my own WordPress blog. There I over-shared the details of my new journey and, thankfully, discovered Eric’s beautifully crafted posts. He encourages us all to “realign with what really matters”. Although Eric is on a blogging sabbatical now his site and past posts resonate with me.
• the pleated poppy: because for me it is all about the #OOTD (outfit of the day) every day. Reading/viewing Lindsay’s blog is a treat. I’m always eager to check out what she’s wearing and where she purchased each item.
• Dementia by Day: Chances are that you or someone you know is living with the overwhelming challenges of Alzheimer’s or another dementia. If so, Rachael offers practical and successful strategies for coping with the everyday issues caregivers and their care partners face. Rachael’s blog is on my Must Read list because 1) I am a geriatric care manager and 2) as a novice blogger I respect her writing skill set.  She writes so clearly, succinctly, and always on point.

“Successful blogging is not about one time hits. It’s about building a loyal following over time.” – David Aston