We are delighted to introduce you to our first BlogHer scholarship winner, Kathryn of Daring Young Mom. When we received her entry, with a subject line of Pick Me! Pick Me! we admired her forthright approach. Once we began reading, we found ourselves nodding in recognition:

"Blogging has suddenly made me a writer when 8 months ago I was content to think of myself as a mom who puttered with the idea of maybe writing something someday when the kids were all in school. It gives me power and it gives me a reason to reach daily into my Dr Seuss-ridden brain and try to reconcile my life experiences with the world around me.

Being a mother is overwhelming, isolating, invigorating, satisfying and exhausting. It leaves me questioning everything about myself, my abilities, my choices, and my wardrobe. Seriously, why do I dress like this just because I’ve hatched two small people? Reading the blogs of other women from all walks of life gives me a glimpse into the versions of me that could have been, teaches me what I still can become and confirms to me that I made the right choice to pursue the career path I’m on.

...I didn’t wait to start a blog until I had something sublime and life-shattering to share. My first post was about a little fat boy who had suddenly stopped taking a bottle, putting a serious cramp in my hot-date-at-least-once-a-year lifestyle.

...I am a woman by birth, a mother by choice and a blogger by need and sometimes sheer insanity."

We discovered Kathryn not long after she began writing Daring Young Mom, and we've been fans ever since. Kathryn has a warm writing style, and manages to inject humor into any subject. She draws admiring fans with her affectionate portrayals of life as a wife and mother, and despite her sharp wit and good-natured sarcasm, Daring Young Mom is refreshingly always safe for work.

Kathryn reminds us daily that there is an art to enjoying our families, even on rough days. We just adore her writing, and we're not alone. We asked a few of Kathryn's readers to share what they love about The Daring One:

Jeana loves Kathryn's ability to keep her focus on the positive:

The thing I adore about Kathryn is her inate ability to look at the little commonplace realities of life and see the humor in them. The thing that really sets her apart, though, is her ability to do this even in the midst of sorrow, grieving, trials or poopy diapers that leak all over everything. Lots of people have a sense of humor. Some of them even have a good sense of humor. But not many can hold onto it so firmly as Kathryn can, and that's what I love about her. That, and her floating head. But that goes without saying, doesn't it?

I didn't know how sassy and clever Kathryn was until I met her, and then after about 15 minutes with her I wanted to put her in my pocket and take her home with me. And not just because it was nice to have a fellow sober person to hang out with at BlogHer, but because she is just. that. cool.

You have to adore a woman of faith who is very much a member of the real world; she's not about what SHOULD or SHOULDN'T be. She's a part of what IS, in a smart, hilarious, and yes, quiet yet firmly spiritual way. I admire her tremendously.

Janet was delighted to share how Kathryn inspires her:

I think she is one of the funniest women I have ever 'read'. She's honest and thoughtful and puts it all out there. I think that's what makes a great 'journal writer'. I just found her recently and I can't stop checking in to see what she has to say next. I look forward to her newest posts. I have been quite inspired by some fantastic women bloggers and Kathryn is one of them...It makes me want to make my blog better.

Join us this afternoon as we share our interview with wonderful Kathryn of Daring Young Mom.