HSBA Nominations

It's that time again!

The Homeschool Blog Awards are accepting nominations starting today. This is your chance to nominate your favorite blogs for up to 25 different honors. The winner of each category will receive a great prize. The HSBA also gives your favorite blogs the opportunity to be introduced to new readers. I found a few of my favs while visiting the nominated blogs last year, and a few of you found me that way, too. If you have never participated before, don't be shy. Hop on over to The Post (click the icon above) and nominate your favs right away. It doesn't have to be Olive Plants, either. ;)

There are 25 different categories, and I have nominated 10 differen blogs. I am still considering who to nominate in a few categories.

Each blog needs three nominations per category to make the voting list. So my single nomination does not guarantee these blogs will be official nominees when the voting begins in two weeks. Here are the blogs I have chosen:

Best Live What You Believe: Kingdom Arrows
The author of this blog, Heather, knows what she believes and she lives it. Her dedication to serve Christ selflessly shows in her posts, particularly those she has written about her experiences teaching her dear daughter with auditory processing problems. Her level of commitment to her children's needs demonstrates her love for God.

Best Eclectic: Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers
Who doesn't love Kris's blog just for the name alone? She does a great job with hands-on, nature studies, unit studies, and keeping school interesting for her unsocialized crew. She describes herself as "classically eclectic", a label that fits us Olive Plants, too. Visiting her blog actually makes me feel a little less weird and a little more socialized.

Best Homemaking/Recipes: Mercy Every Morning
I get hungry every time I visit Christy's great blog. Since starting Weight Watchers I have had to avoid posts like Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole, Best Bean Soup, and especially Pumpkin Cookies. She is a great cook and is budget-conscious, too. I would nominate her for Best Thrifty, too, but the rules won't allow it.

Funniest: Rocks in My Drier
This blog makes me laugh. Every time.

Best Cyber-buddy: Blue House Academy
I have one of those inexplicable online friendships with Kellie. She and I have never met in person, yet I would go to bat for her. She is my most loyal reader and commenter, and I really like her blog, too. I think if we lived near each other, we would be best buds.

Best Curriculum Business: My Audio School
My friend, Molly, launched this new blog a few months ago. If you haven't visited yet, please, don't wait any longer! Go now! She has tons of free downloadable audio content. You can access about 20% without a membership. The subscription fee is $14.99 per year and allows you access to the entire site. It's a great deal and deserves this nod.

Best Variety: Heather's Blog
Heather writes on a variety of topics. Sometimes she shares the precious but hysterical conversations that take place between her preschool-aged twins. Other times she shares recipes, words of encouragement, home making ideas or teaching ideas. She's not new to teaching but is new to the world of homeschooling, so let's give her a warm welcome.

Best Nitty-Gritty: Raising Olives
Kimberly is a homeschooling mother of 9 who gives great, fluff-free advice. She has given me ideas for laundry management, multi-age (or in my case multi-level) homeschooling, organization, and many other aspects of home management. Her Not-Me-Monday posts are a riot and show just how down-to-earth she is too.

Best Homeschool Methods: Counter-cultural School (Classical)
Molly was last year's Best SUPERHomeschooler winner, and her counter-cultural school blog is a great resource for classical homeschoolers. Need I say more?

Best New Blog: SouthForte Farms
Kathleen launched her blog last month. Her posts offer great advice on homemaking, teaching, and child-training topics and are infused with witty humor. She can teach you just about anything about home management and make you laugh in the process! I was a Best New Blog nominee last year so I feel like I'm passing the baton to her and am happy to pass it to the blog that I think should win hands down. Last year, I was in 1st for a while but landed in 3rd. Here's hoping you do better than I did, Kathleen. Bon chance!

If you like these blogs as much as I do, head on over to the Post and fill out their new and improved, super-easy-to-use nomination form. Remember that a blog needs three nominations in each category to be in the running. Thanks!