How does she do it?
How does she stay sane, stay smiling, embrace chaos, share woes, get creatively crafty, and write in a style that’s as friendly as your best gal pal?
We’re not quite sure what gives them their super-powered edge, but man, are we grateful for all the totally amazing mom bloggers in Orange County! Whether you’re looking for some mama sympathy, practical parenting tips, beauty talk, or just a hilarious story or two, we’ve gathered up our fave local blogs that are worth bookmarking.
Orange County Mom Blog Run by mom Shelby, the OC Mom Blog is a multi-useful wonder. In addition to recipes, fashion and beauty talk, and giveaways, this blog is an awesome resource for local events and insider knowledge of the best of Orange County.
Mini Van Blues We totally dig mom Eva’s philosophy: “I wear my mom badge with pride, but it doesn’t mean I have to check my cool factor at the door.” With this entertaining and honest blog, you get Eva’s thoughts on general parenting stuff, plus her reviews of kids books, music, apps and more. (Did we mention that part of Eva’s cool factor is regular writing for the Huff Post?)
Caffeinated OC Mommy Want a little sass with your morning coffee? This blog is all about looking on the bright (and funny!) side of parenting life and discussing oh-me-too moments women everywhere can relate to.
Tiny Oranges Blogger Jen is passionate about making Tiny Oranges a welcoming place full of juicy ideas, sweet deals, local scoop and a trusted resource full of the best & brightest family-friendly companies Orange County has to offer.
Crosbie Crew Mom Summer is a WAHM (a.k.a. Work at Home Mom) with a great attitude towards parenting and life in general. With her camera and an eye for style, Summer captures fun family moments, her craft adventures (tutorials included!), and more.
Juggling in Heels An outlet to laugh about parenthood and marriage, Juggling in Heels also covers mom Sarah’s fashion obsessions. As Sarah writes, “I am a fashion addict and do not believe that I should have to give up fabulous clothes simply because someone calls me ‘Mommy'”. Read all about how she balances playing Corporate Woman with being a mom knee deep in play dough.
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice Whether you’re looking for a recipe that will wow (Inside Out German Chocolate Cake? Sweet Garlic Soup?), a vouched-for beauty product, or just want to browse adorable photos of beagles, Kathleen has you covered.
This Little Blog of Mine This Little Blog of Mine is a creative outlet for a totally rad work at home momma. She writes about vegan food, her sweet baby boy, life as a trans-racial family, the places they go, and anything else that strikes her fancy.
Fun Orange County Parks This is THE resource for local parks, playgrounds, beaches, family walks, and more. It’s also full of great info for dozens of nonprofits offering free and low-cost outdoor programs. The mastermind behind it all is Michele Whiteaker, who strives to inspire parents with simple play ideas, road trip destinations, and easy make ahead meals.
Glitterful Felt Stories Shelby is one of the brains behind OC Mom Blog, and at Glitterful Felt Stories, she gives readers more of the same awesome info. She writes about Disney, her favorite products, food allergies, cooking, recipes, fashion, travel, family life and local events.
Just Spotted Written as a family & kid-oriented approach to Orange County, Just Spotted is run by two real moms (Kelly & Coleen, living real lives, in the real OC). This site offers daily posts on things to do, where to go, and places to eat and shop for families in Orange County.
OC Mommies OC Mommies is a fantastic (and free!) social network for moms in Orange County. In addition to an active online community and daily blog updates, members enjoy a variety of kid-friendly activities like holiday potlucks, Educational Presentations, Fitness walks, Moms Nights Out and more.
Rage Against the Minivan Kristen is the mom of four children within four years via birth and adoption, and has been blogging as a coping skill since 2006. On her blog, she muses about the impact of skinny jean on self-esteem, her tendency to spill food on her laptop, and her crush on Jon Stewart. She also indulges in sleep-deprived rants about parenting, poop, adoption, politics, race, religion, social justice, and various other subjects.
The Vintage Mama Lydia Poblano is also known to some as Vintage Mama because of her tendency to sprinkle in a little vintage love in everything she does. Her pre-mom life as a licensed skin care therapist means that you can occasionally find posts about skin care, easy makeup and everyday glamorous style.
A Sweet Dose of Truth Jo Ashline is first and foremost mom to her two sons: Andrew, who is ten and has autism, epilepsy, and cystic fibrosis, and Ian, who’s nine and happens to be the greatest little “older brother” in the world. No topics are off limits on her blog, where she advocates for children with special needs, pokes fun of family members, candidly explores her past struggles with alcoholism and more.
Angry Julie Monday Julie writes about her life, her pet peeves, and, occasionally, what makes her angry. She earned the nickname “Angry Julie Monday” from a co-worker, because she works weekends and is rather grumpy by the time Monday (her Friday) rolls around. She prefers to keep the names of her husband and son anonymous, hence her candid and funny posts refer to them as Angry Toddler and Angry Husband.
This Mama Makes Stuff Before she was a mountain biking, minivan driving, church going, marathon training, square-foot gardening, mother of four living in the OC, this mama designed children’s clothes in NYC for a little company that rhymes with Cold Gravy. Her blog is a testament to her creativity, love of family, and sense of fun.
Whoorl Mom of two Sarah dishes up fun hair tutorials, shares her current obsessions (Downton Abbey and silky blouses, among others), and discusses the good, bad, and funny of parenting.
Raising my Rainbow Raising My Rainbow is the first “Mommy Blog” to chronicle the daily joys, struggles and, sometimes, embarrassments that go along with raising a gender nonconforming child. Written by C.J.’s Mom, this blog is a funny and thoughtful look at raising C.J. (age 5), whose passions include Barbie, Disney Princesses, Strawberry Shortcake and women’s hair and shoes. Paula Deen also holds a special place in his heart.
Three Before Thirty The mama behind Three Before Thirty had–you guessed it–three kiddos before she turned thirty. One of these kids happens to be on the Autism Spectrum, which she occasionally writes about along with health and fitness, crafting, and the crazy balance of full-time work and parenting, among other topics.
Momfluential Ciaran Blumenfeld is the often frazzled but always entertaining entrepreneur mom-of-four behind “Momfluential.” She offers up recipes and tutorials, family travel talk, and her thoughts on all things mom and parenting.
Nine More Months Angela originally started this blog as a way to chronicle her second pregnancy, but evolved into so much more than that. In addition to tackling life as a mom, she covers lifestyle topics like fitness, cooking, music, travel, and beauty tips.
Send Chocolate Blogging mama Tina Cruz has two children with autism; she doesn’t define herself solely by that, though she has written about her experiences and makes a point to share autism resources. Tina also has a brilliant teenager, is married to a great guy, and enjoys writing and exploring life.
Get Carried Away This blog is an awesome collection of mom Carrie’s life and thoughs–some days you’ll get a fab recipe, others it’s musings on running, or a “then-and-now” comparison of her daughter. She also delves into weight loss and, on the other end of things, chocolate.
Did we miss your fave OC mom blogger? Fill us in below!
-Abigail Matsumoto
