Those of you who are familiar with my regular blog know that I am an inveterate rah-rah group-hug community-builder type. I love the blogosphere – and in particular, the mom corner of the blogosphere – because it is a warm and spirited community, and I love doing what I can to promote that community and to promote the inclusivity of that community. So I was really excited when the opportunity to do some Canadian mom-blogger community-building presented itself in the form of this urbanmoms blog-column.
But I realized very quickly that my community-building efforts here are going to be somewhat limited if y’all don’t step up and give me hand.
Yes, I mean YOU. You, sitting there looking at me through your computer screen. I see you. I need your help.
I need your help because I need to fill out my blog-map more fully. At the moment, the little pins representing parent-blogs that I know are pretty much clustered in Ontario, with some smaller clusters in British Columbia (and these almost exclusively clustered in the southwest corner), Alberta, and a dot or two in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and only one lonely dot in Quebec. The Maritimes are empty of pins and this, I tell you, is simply not right.
So I need you to help me out as I venture forth to discover Canada’s Great Unknown Parent Blogs. Leave me a comment with a link or URL details for blogs that you know of (and if it’s your own blog, so much the better. Heck, why not start one up just to make sure that your little corner of Canada gets represented? And, to make me happy!) and I’ll go a-visitin’ and reportin’.
Kinda like a travelling Hinterland Who’s Who, but with blogs.
Like I said, I’m pretty up on my Ontario parent blogs, especially Toronto blogs, so what I’d really like to hear about are blogs from the more obscure corners of the Canadian map. Chicoutimi mommy blogs? A daddy blogger in Shediac, NB? Pregnant blogger near Primrose Lake? Find ’em and report back here and I will blow many, many bloggy kisses your way and you will feel all warm and fuzzy for having DONE YOUR PART to promote the virtual community of Canadian parents.
Win-win, no?
We’re looking for parent blogs here, people – but all that means is that they be blogs maintianed by parents. A "mommy blog" is not necessarily a blog that only talks about diapers and bottles and minivans and school lunches. Moms write about movies and books, about incomprehensible television commercials, about Lindsay Lohan and other millionairheads, and a zillion other things. And, sometimes, they just share random correspondence for our enlightenment and amusement. They write about anything, and everything, and more.
And I’m sure that some of them are writing from Northern Manitoba. I just need you to help me find them.
Happy Holidays!
Hi, I am Christine. Mom of a 11-month-old baby. I’ve been a long-time reader of Urban Moms.
I am writing to ask for your help to join private testing on my husband’s new social networking website called VOOEASY.com. The site just released its private beta version for limited testing on January 1. We need some early users to join and help make this site better, together.
VooEasy is an innovative social network site which is very different to Facebook and MySpace. It allows people to “speak up” as *TEAMS* rather than individuals. For instance, I am a part-time student in a community college and a full-time mom. I am also a member of a community social dancing club, as well as a singer in a local choir. I can choose to speak up as myself, or “on behalf of” a member of the dancing club, or a member of the choir. I can created teams for each of my life circles (and spent some time to design cool team “VooCards” for each team) and invite my people to join the respective teams!
VooEasy’s headline is “show all the colors in your life.” All of these are totally separate circles of friends. VooEasy will be the first place to integrate them all into ONE. Try it! You’ll be surprised how much fun it gets. For now, VooEasy will only provide a total of 3 (three) beta test accounts for readers of Urban Moms. Please follow the following link to enter VooEasy.com!
http://beta.vooeasy.com/beta/?i=UrbanMoms
If you are early to be one of the early users, don’t waste it. You can actually “spawn” out other invitation letter. There will be no limit on the number of invitations you can send. So, please be generous. You can send out invitation emails to friends and family, and everyone can start playing on VooEasy! Thanks for taking time to read this message. We really appreciate your help!
Hello! Over here!!!
Here is a site that I made for moms in Fredericton NB, ya know.. the maritimes!
http://www.fredmoms.com
I have a new blog to add to my list of blogs.
__You Can Get Pregnant in Your 40’s__
http://youcangetpregnant.blogspot.com/
Sharing articles I find, discussing options you might consider & suggesting what might help. Each person is different, what works for one might really mess up another. So what you do with this info is entirely up to you!
I’m in Ottawa… just started blogging.. hopefully I’ll be considered part of the “hip, cool, mommybloggers” one day….
Here are some of my blogs. I am in Oshawa, Ontario
Life Begins… blog on miscarriage
– This is a journal of my sorrow, loss and grief over recurrent miscarriage. Are you are strong enough to join me? Are you unafraid to feel deeply? Or to shed a few tears? Then I welcome you on this dark journey of self-expression…
http://born2luv.blogspot.com/
Frugal Baby Tips:
– Taking care of baby (and mom!) needs naturally, doesn’t have to cost a whole lot of money!
Money-saving tips on diapering, diaper washing, safety, slings and baby carriers, toys, clothing, nursing, menstrual needs, travelling with kids and more!
http://frugalbabytips.blogspot.com/
Stories of Pregnancy & Birth over 44y
– Daily blog of hope & inspiration for those trying to get pregnant over 44 years old!
http://pregnancyover44y.blogspot.com/
2,725 Stories of Pregnancy & Birth over 44 years old
– All the stories & divided by age
As of Sept 7/06, I have collected 2,725 stories. At least 90% of these stories pre-date the DE era of 1990, or were a complete surprise to the over 44y old mom-to-be. How can it be so rare, so impossible, such a miracle – when I can find so many??? My goal is to simply share the stories I find online, for inspiration – to those trying – and comfort to those who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant! Sort of a “chicken soup for the TTC over 44 soul”.
http://www.tonguewag.com/journals/catherine6067
Here are a few:
There is Laura in St. John’s: http://laura.typepad.com/mommapalooza/
Jodi in Regina: http://jodinesmith.blogspot.com/
Nancy in Montreal: http://www.blog-pourri.blogspot.com/
Northern Mom in Ontario: http://norontmom.blogspot.com/
Hope in Alberta: http://stumblingahead.blogspot.com/
i LOOOOOVE this! wonderful!
Here are some of the Canadian blogs I read, written by awesome moms:
Jess at Drowning In Kids: http://www.drowninginkids.com
Tree at Crazy-ass Family: http://www.crazyassfamily.blogspot.com
Shannon at billets-doux: http://www.shannoncoates.blogspot.com
And then of course there’s uh, me, and all of the other fabulous Toronto-area mama blogs that I know you covet. If I think of any others, I’ll check back in.
Rurally
Andrea is out in the Fraser Valley http://andreainjapan.blogspot.com/
Dont miss T, the redneck mommy, http://redneckmommy.blogspot.com/
Capitally
the inimitable Mary P. http://daycaredaze.blogspot.com/
Maybe some of you reading wanna start your OWN blog! 🙂 Great post, Catherine!
I have a red-headed librarian doppelganger in the maritimes:
http://madhattermommy.blogspot.com/
Karen – Awesome! Thanks for the links! I’ll check them all out (and OF COURSE I knew about you – London’s not so far off of the Toronto map, even if I hadn’t blown you kisses at BlogHer. And MUBAR is well fixed on my TO radar…)
Mad Hatter – thanks for outing yourself! I know well of this kind of bravery – my real identity was only very recently made public… But for the record, I don’t need hometowns named (although I’m so pleased that you shared yours) – provinces/territories/general area will do. I’m just trying to spread those pins out… 🙂
Well I know of a few (they are all personal friends who I introduced to blogging):
Sassy – Calgary – http://ohmygawdreally.blogspot.com/ – born and raised in NB
Mel – B.C. – http://saneisa4letterword.blogspot.com/
Penny – Calgary – http://thewanderingnewfie.blogspot.com/ – born and raised in Newfoundland
Angela – Calgary – http://angiejdurocher.blogspot.com/
and me of course – London, ON.
Oh and MUBAR – http://tomama.blogs.com/mubar/
Hope that helps! Sorry I don’t know any that are in the Maritimes currently!
Hokey dokey, I’ll bite. I am one of those elusive Maritime bloggers. Put a pin in Fredericton. Whew, it took a lot of guts for me to tell you just what town I live in. I think you might find that many of us bloggers from smaller centres are a tad anal about anonymity and therefore a bit more reluctant to sign up. It comes from the claustrophobia of small town living. If local people start reading my blog, I will for sure run into them in the grocery store on a regular basis. Having this spectre haunt me has left me with two choices: 1. protect my anonymity ruthlessly or 2. edit what I write so that I can defend it in the cheese aisle. So far I have prefered the former. Unfortunately, this has meant fewer readers than I would hope.
I am also quite concerned that b/c I live in a small place, my daughter will carry the legacy of this blog into her childhood if local people learn that I am writing it. Fredericton is not the kinda place where decent people write about the joys and challenges of parenting in a public forum. I don’t want my daughter to be stigmatized by this. I don’t want her being teased about her baby self when all she wants to do is hit puberty under the radar. And, yet, I feel compelled to write about her baby/toddler ways. Doing so is a life-line to me. Ugh, it is all so conflicting.
OK, sorry for the nervous, tittering rant. Put me on the map. Oh, and Toronto bloggers, keep up the good work.
Come on urbanmoms.ca members and rise to the occassion! We have lots of members near Halifax (yah, I see the stats) and plenty more around the country so share…please…give us a peak into your blogs or your local faves. We wanna get to know you!