Earth Muffin sent me a virtual award. I Measure Up! Since she’s from Illinois, I’ll presume I measure up in the Standard measuring system, not metric. My Canadian friends would measure otherwise. But I digress. Accepting the award requires three steps: here they are.

2. List six ways to measure success in life.

a. In this economy, keeping the bills paid and food on the table. I feel very fortunate that we’re not struggling when so many others are.

b. Keeping the family intact. We argue, we rant, and then we all hug. We make time for each other and spend time together. That’s no easy feat when one kid is in college and the other in high school. It’s worth the effort.

c. Maintaining a driveway free of snow. Oh, wait, Husband does that. See number one.

d. Slowing down. I’ve been working on dropping responsibilities and commitments instead of taking on more (see note b).

e. Caring for the earth, acting locally in order to make a difference globally. It really is easy being green, taking environmentalism seriously and integrating it into daily living.

f. Seeking that elusive life balance, and maybe someday finding it.

3. Assign this award to five other bloggers.

Passing on awards is always a challenge – not because I don’t know enough deserving bloggers, but because many of them have already been recognized. I’ll give the list a whirl and hope I’m not doubling anyone. Then again, being awarded twice is a good thing!

Margalit at What was I thinking? She faces more challenges than I can imagine with twins the age of my Amigo, she did a great job designing the template for Compost Happens, and she is even more liberal than I am, if that’s possible. I read her every day.

Susan at Farmgirl. Her blogs show the beauty of a life that many of us only dream of, and most of us wouldn’t have the energy and enthusiasm to maintain. She has a wonderful guard dog named — Daisy! How can I not love her?

Kelly at Mocha Momma. We connect over our mutual loves for coffee and for teaching and our respect for Barack Obama. She reminds me that I do make a difference. I hope my students find a mentor like her when they reach high school.

Michelle at Scribbit! Awarding an A-list blogger is a risky business because she’s so busy and so popular, but she’s also very deserving. I enjoy her sense of humor and her unique Sunday recipes. Her tundra is really frozen, not just a metaphor like my Lambeau Field, and she shares great stories of living in the truly frozen north.

Janet, who writes at The Planet of Janet. We chat through Plurk, we contribute to Mid-Century Modern Moms, and we commiserate about the challenges of raising kids who got out of diapers long ago but find other ways to make us clean up their messes.