MHB's . . .

There's a lot of hoopla running around loose since Emily Matchar published her recent, Why I Can't Stop Reading Mormon Housewife Blogs, post on Salon.com. Considering Emily describes herself as "your standard-issue late-20-something childless over-educated atheist feminist" and Mormon women are well, Mormon women, it's shiny happy faces vs. the grumpleupagus. But it's an interesting article and certainly has stirred up some controversy. And, yes, I read Mormon Housewife Blogs on a regular basis . . . both Courtney Kendrick's and her sister, Stephanie Nielson and a couple of more where the flag waving is less obvious but after following for months, I discover those blogs too, belong to Mormon women.

And often times, when I hop from link to link, I realize that the women who fascinate me are often Mormon. Now that really isn't all that surprising considering I've been a scrapper for some 12 years and it could be argued that Utah is home to both the Mormons and the heart of the scrapping industry. We were bound to bump into each other. But I also cross paths with a plethora of writers/creators and I rarely become so attached as I do to the MHB's. So what is it?

Emily Matchar, if I may quote, says, "But the basic messages expressed in these blogs -- family is wonderful, life is meant to be enjoyed, celebrate the small things -- are still lovely. And if they help women like me envision a life in which marriage and motherhood could potentially be something other than a miserable, soul-destroying trap, I say, "Right on." I won't be inviting the missionaries inside for hot cocoa now or ever, but I don't plan on stopping my blog habit any time soon."

While life with the 9TS is neither a soul sucking trap nor are we Mormon, it is the happiness that radiates from these blogs. Whether it's Stephanie's upbeat take on life after a near fatal plane crash or Courtney's charmingly outrageous self absorption and flagrant self promotion, they suck folks in and in they stay. Even my lesser known favorite blogs, where the sparsely typed word "ward" is the only indication of their heritage, the tone is that of a cockeyed optimist.

Do I believe these blogs are planned and promoted propaganda by their church or just a creative outlet for these women home raising their children? Doesn't matter. They are just fun to read.

So if you find some extra time on your hands, try reading a MHB. It just might be that little ray of sunshine you didn't know you needed.