…somebody always manages to pull me out of it, even if I’ve never actually met the person.  Last week, as I laid on the couch worrying about money, my family, the moon, and the universe, I checked my email and got a great honor, The Lemonade Stand Blog Award.  It came from Shea’s Mom, author of Coaxing Words from Shea, who, in her words, is right now “Telling [Shea's] story because right now he can’t”.  I like the “right now” part.  Shea’s mom stays positive.

Now, the Award comes with some conditions, conditions I can absolutely live with.  

- Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.
- Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.
- Link the nominees within your post.
- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

I love this.  I just received a mandate to stay positive.  What a great way to start the week!

So, with great honor and humility, I would like to present this award to the following bloggers:

thefutureisred Leigh and I met one particularly snarky day on a different site.  I was just in the planning stages of JonsRoom, and asked her if she’d like to write content.  Thanks to a tight budget, nothing actually came of that.  Months later we met again on the same site, which is amazing when you think about it, because on that site all posters are anonymous.  Leigh has become a friend and mentor. Check her out – her blog, mainly travel but also her insights on life, are wonderful.

Spectrum Siblings  Cale, a college student, has Asperger Syndrome, a brother with autism, and helps care for a few young kids with autism.  He writes from experience and observation and thoroughly researches his topics.  His blog is informational and helps us explore what special needs kids might be feeling.

Health Care ASAP  Linda is a new blogger with a great focus.  Even though she’s new, I feel it’s important to get behind healthcare reform NOW.  Linda wants to know what YOU think about various issues, and she’s asking on JonsRoom also.  Let’s see if we can’t have some actual input in healthcare reform!  Oh, and if you want to be REALLY scared for Halloween, check out the replies to Linda’s latest post, The Kindness of Strangers.

Manic Mother  Just read it.  Her tagline:  “Mania, Motherhood, Marriage, and Everything In Between”.  Personal struggles, a two year-old who is “a really bad ass & fighting cancer” and great photography.  Powerful stuff.  Just read it.  And you might want to bring some tissues.

Following Faye  Faye is a single mother of three young children, medical student, autism mother, and she STILL finds time to blog.  Huh.  If all that’s not inspirational enough, she also attacks it all with a sense of humor.

Faemom  Fae has two small sons and a baby on the way.  Her older son is full of great insights and wisdom, that is, for a kid in the primary grades.  Funny and sweet.  Also check out her other blog, Faemom Crafts for some really good ideas for the kiddos.

Education on the Plate  The author of this blog is a special education teacher.  Educators are near and dear to my heart.  My father, my brother, and several other family members are teachers.  Without Kate’s loving and attentive preschool and Kindergarten teachers, she’d still be in her “my-brother-has-autism-so-I-don’t-know-how-to-act-around-typical-kids” shell.  And Jon’s teachers?  If you’ve read my blog, you’ve seen how I feel about special ed teachers and teachers who take in inclusion students.  ‘Nuff said.

Autism is not the Boss  PDD-NOS mom Mae is, among other things, a volunteer parent mentor and quiet advocate for people with disabilities.   She helps us remember that it’s not impossible to enjoy family life with autism in the mix.  My current favorite entries are A mom think tank for autism? and “Don’t Cry Mom.  I’m With You.”

Can I Sit With You?  Remember Jr. High?  Or was I the only kid with social awkwardness?  And thinking about my kids living through it, especially Jon, makes me cringe.  Can I Sit With You?  is a selection of entries that address childhood social anxiety.  It’s also a fundraising blog, so click on those ads and contribute to SEPTAR, a PTA for special needs children and their families.

Science-Based Parenting  I can’t help it, I like science.  Skeptic Dad is a calm voice in a conspiracy theory-based storm.  Whether you agree with him or not, it’s a good read.

And there you have it, some of my top reads for the moment.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!