We are excited to welcome FM from Lunch It Punch It to the blog today.

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There are a lot of excuses not to pack your lunch, not enough time, nothing to pack, or even worse there are the days where you take the time to get your lunch packed…you even remember not to leave it on the kitchen counter at home and then a coworker comes by and says, “just eat your packed lunch tomorrow and let’s go pick something up.” After adding up the bills and the calories Lin, udandi, and I decided that we needed an excuse to pack our lunches. We needed an incentive to make the time, share the recipes and to support each other along the way. So we challenged each other to pack 10 lunches before eating out and Lunch It Punch It was born. In January 2011 we decided that if three lunch packing librarians in the Cincy/NKY needed packing support how many others were out there, trapped in a fast food cycle? We decided to share Lunch It Punch It with the world, launching a website aimed at helping people pack a lunch to punch a goal. Whether nutritional or financial, you pack ten lunches and then eat out. We encourage readers to recruit friends, print our loyalty cards and participate in conversations about packing great lunches. As librarians with access to cookbooks, who love to try new recipes we share a new one each Friday.

You can follow Lunch It Punch It on Twitter and Facebook, too. So join in the conversations FM is a Northern Kentucky librarian and wanna be gardener whose vegetables always look best this time of year…because her imagination is considerably better developed than her green thumb.

On an evening when the world turns its attention to Patrick Swayze, who lost his long battle with cancer, I thought it would be appropriate to choose a new blog dedicated to celebrating the struggle and survival of many cancer sufferers. This week’s blog of the week is Miracle Survivors, a blog by Tami Boehmer, a miracle survivor in her own right. Here’s her story, in her own words:

Hi, I’m Tami Boehmer, and I’m pictured here with the most important people in my life: My husband Mike and daughter Chrissy.

After years of working in public relations at hospitals and other healthcare institutions, I was suddenly thrust into life as a patient.

On February 4, 2008, I learned I had a recurrence of the breast cancer – just months after my five-year, cancer-free anniversary. This time I was told it was incurable and terminal. One doctor told me, “You could live two years or 20 years, but you’ll die from breast cancer.”

At first I was devastated, but soon got angry. How does she know how long I have to live? She doesn’t know me and how determined I am!

I needed to talk with other cancer survivors who didn’t accept doctors’ predictions … people who beat the odds. And I was determined to find out how they did it so I could do it myself.  So I started talking with people whom I call “miracle survivors.”  Their stories helped drown out my fears and negative thinking.  I knew if they could do it, I could too … and I wanted to share their inspirational stories with others.

So began my journey of interviewing outstanding survivors around the country for my book-in-progress, From Incurable to Incredible: Cancer Survivors Who Beat the Odds. This blog is my way of sharing these stories and the things I learned along the way that has contributed to my health and current state of remission.

As I learned from my interviews with these remarkable people, cancer doesn’t have to be a death sentence. In fact, cancer can be the start of a life sentence, and I mean this in the most positive way. Like me, for the individuals in this book, cancer was the beginning of a new way of life; one of appreciation, hope, and discovering one’s potential.

Go take a look at Miracle Survivors and support those who have thrived in the face of cancer, and who are spending their lives trying to inspire others.

Florida Girl Meets the Midwest

Meet Tina, owner of Florida Girl Meets the Midwest, our blog of the week! Tina is a recent transplant to the area, but as she learns about this new city she calls home, she’s sharing the information she’s picking up along the way with the rest of us. For instance, who knew there was a place making caviar just down the river in Louisville? Very cool.

So, go check out Florida Girl Meets the Midwest, and explore Cincinnati like you’re new to the area all over again.

“Nurture the creativity inside you.”

That’s the message behind this week’s blog of the week, Art Slam, written by Lucrecer Braxton. Her blog explores art — traditional, photography, digital.

And you’ll be sure find inspiration for your own artistic endeavors through the beautiful images and the compelling words.

Take a moment, check out Art Slam, and get reacquainted with the artist within.

Check out our blog of the week at http://grrleigh.blogspot.com/

The Fashionable. The Cultural. The Political. The Personal. The Irrelevant. The Irreverent. That’s how our blogger of the week, Leigh, from Bitch, Please describes herself.

Take one look at her fabulous space on the web and you’ll know why. You can’t help but take a look at the various fashion spreads and advertisements, read the associated commentary and have grin on your face when you’re done. This blog is both entertaining and insightful — there’s plenty of commentary on the political and current events to get you thinking about the issues that matter.

So, if you get a chance, stop by and check this blog out! You’ll be glad you did.

This is for all of you out there, who like me, have a brown thumb. There’s hope for us gardening wannabes yet! Check out Cincinnati Gardener by Stephanie Andrews. Stephanie is a newly wed (congrats Stephanie) and now a member of the Cincinnati.com Blog Network (double congrats). She tackles topics like composting and low-maintenance plants and even no-DEET bug sprays that actually work!

So, go get a few gardening tips from Stephanie, leave a comment, and spread the word about another great Cincinnati blog!

Oh, and follow Stephanie on Twitter too.