And the award goes to...

You know how I said I practically piddle in my panties every time someone leaves a comment on my blog? Yep even as a full-fledged member of the Stepmom Blogging Posse, I still can't believe anyone finds anything I have to say interesting.

My piddles get darn near elevated when someone leaves a comment on the blog to let me know they've left me a blog award. Such was the case earlier this week when Peggy Nolan of The Stepmom's Toolbox (a blog I love love love by the way) listed The Erin Experiment as one of the blogs deserving of the "Your Blog is Fabulous" award.

Well thanks my fellow Stepmom Blogging Posse Sister! Smoochies to you!

The rules for the award are as follows: I'm to list my top 5 current obsessions and then bestow the honor on some of my favorite bloggers.

So, in absolutely no order of preference, my 5 current obsessions are:

• Writing. When I'm not working on my book, you can usually hear my fingers tapping away on my blog or one of the dozens of other projects I have in the mix.
• My Cats. Yes, it's a little old-lady oddish but I have extremely lovey-dovey cute cats and I spend most of my late evenings alone in the house without my husband or the kids to deliver hugs. If I need to pet a cat (or three) to hear a loving purr then so be it!
• Pole dancing and Karate. I may not run marathons or do tae-bo in my sleep, but I do have a varied set of interests when it comes to fitness. I test for my Karate yellow belt on Sept. 2 and I have a Pole Dance Recital on Aug. 29 so my mind is consumed with these things right now.
• Organizing things. I cannot stand clutter and piles make me crazy so I tend to gravitate toward organizing things even if they don't need it. It's almost a sick obsession but at least it gets work done around the house.
• Mosquito Bites. I wish I weren't obsessed with them right now but I sat out on my new deck furniture for a few nights in a row and now my legs are covered in little bites. GAH!!! They itch so much I want to scratch my legs off!

Now the good part: handing out the award to other blogesses:

Brandilouwhoville - First of all, her blog's name cracks me up so much I wish I would have thought of it. Ms. Brandilouwhoville is an Illinoisan just like me and I've come to the conclusion if she lived closer to me, we'd be BFF's. She writes about stepmom life as well as other topics including photography of which she's totally awesome.

The Chellebox recently celebrated a birthday and an anniversary but that's not why I'm giving her the award. Her heartfelt posts warm my heart and she doesn't sugar coat her struggles with missing her stepdaughter when she's away. She seems to be an awesome stepmom and for that, I think she's deserving of the award.

Mama J's Parenting Posts is written by Diane Fromme who is an author, mother and stepmother. She pens Mama J's Parenting posts with a tagline that supports conversations about raising girls. Her blog is informative in a not-quite-over-your-head way. She often uses examples from her own life to convey her points which always makes me feel like I'm not alone in this stepmother thing.

With Eyes Wide Open in addition to her incredibly intense green eye image, EWO has a great sense of humor which comes out in her writing. She's incredibly insightful and strikes me as the type of woman that's fun to be around in person.

To all of my stepmamas, blogging or not, smoochies to you for all you do!

Ciao bellas!