Wowza!

Heavens to Murgatroyd! I've been honored and I'm just gobsmacked.

(I just finished a biography of Winston Churchill, so my language is a bit British at the moment.)

Elizabeth at Charlottesville Words has tagged me with a Thinking Blogger Award -- my first!!!

Thank you very much Elizabeth! Let me also add: gracias, merci, danke, domo origato (Mr. Roboto), and so on and so forth. This is an excellent pick-me-up in what has otherwise been a long and draining week.

Here's what Elizabeth wrote about my blog: "Honest, funny writing about family life ‘n’ stuff. She doesn’t hold back the painful parts."

Honest - check
Painful - check
Funny - I'm glad someone else gets me. Sometimes even I don't get myself.

So the deal is, that I have to tag five other bloggers whose work has caused me to think. Four of them have commented on my blog and therefore are familiar in some way with me. The fifth is someone who has a nationally-read blog and has nevah evah heard of me.

And the winners are:

STL Working Mom -- Marijean's blog is geared for working mothers and I am amazed by how much she herself seems to accomplish on a daily basis: work with a lot of travel, children, dedicated volunteerism. I get tired, but definitely inspired, by reading her blog.

Happy Working Mom - She works full-time, has two very small children, an extended family that seems to keep her busy, and she even finds time to scrapbook.

Lori Anderson -- Her blog is a combination of her thoughts, her daily life, and her amazing work as a jewelry designer and small business owner. Lori's creativity inspires and humbles me on a regular basis.

Oh My -- Disclosure: This is my sister-in-law's blog. I'm not tagging her because I'm trying to suck up and get more time with my amazing nephew. On the contrary, I find her blog to be thought-provoking on a wide array of subjects: first-time parents, religion, philosophy, etc.

Dad Gone Mad -- Why should mothers get all my admiration? DGM's blog is funny, irreverent, and thought provoking. He's willing to take on all topics, including those that are normally somewhat taboo. (And I'm not just talking about poop here.)

And to the winners: By accepting this award, you agree to the following: Acknowledge the origin of the award and link to it. Write a post with links to five blogs that make you think. Optional: Display the Thinking Blogger Award with a link to the post that you wrote using either the gold or silver versions of the award. I know, blah blah blah, you just want to go polish your new trophy.