Well, Happy New Year, blog-reading friends!

Written on Tuesday, it’s a Wednesday—technical difficulties and all that stuff, but I still hope this New Year started off just beautifully. Monday morning, I made my New Year’s Resolutions. A week or so before that I wrote down my writing priorities. So, I am all prioritized and resolved.

Already, we’ve had a couple of tiny disputes and disappointments this morning, some four year-old grumpy, waking-up tears and we’ve pressed right on. The papa, two middle boys and girl have settled around a game of Settlers of Catan (left mid-play yesterday). The biggest lesson I’ve learned in our family, the ragtag half-dozen here is this: things do not go according to plan and you continue on and you still love one another right through. It’s pretty awesome when you get down to it.

As readers here know well, I feel incredibly fortunate. I am incredibly fortunate.

A little rest at the Carle Museum last week.

So, of my three good things right this minute, my ragtag crew is most certainly one. Another is my real-life peeps, the friends, the family near, dear and dear far. And third most certainly is the friends I’ve made via my work—the writing, the reading, via Internet circles and real-life friends—people who magically enrich my life with interesting ideas and cheer and connections that create quite simply more. More love is more love, people.

Here are three blogs to share in that spirit, a little New Year’s offering to you reader friends:

Lisa Bonchek Adams is writing about her life and her stage four cancer with graciousness that inspires me daily. My adoration for her came first in the tiny, daily Twittersphere moments, though, where I came to know we share in the tiny, daily things like an affection for stationery—and thank you notes.

I am a big fan of Momfilter. I was very honored to be interviewed for the site. That led to my contributing to the site a bit. I like the way it’s a place to learn about cool “stuff” without hype. There’s one product I read about there I am planning to find for myself this day, a New Year’s gift of sorts.

And Antonia Cromwell has recommenced blogging. If you are not yet a fan of Whoopee, here’s a post that will likely win you over. You are most welcome. She’s my biggest blog crush.