Mommy Blogger's Irreverent Observations

And that's one of the kinder samples.

More than 1 million readers flock to Heather Armstrong's blog for its particular brand of off-beat humor.

(dooce.com)

"I've been called everything from a bad mother [to] a medicated fool," Armstrong said. "I've been accused of exploiting my family for money, when I don't think people realize that the info I share is only 5 percent of what goes on in my life. The other 95 percent is sacred."

When it comes to her daughter, Armstrong is especially cautious.

"When I sit down to write a post I think, 'How is she going to look at this when she's 20, 21 etc.' Or earlier than that, 'How is this going to affect her?' But mostly, I'm thinking what an amazing gift I'm giving her in that when she's in her late teens she gets to sit down and read all those wonderful stories about growing up with two dogs and a geeky father."

In this line of work, Armstrong has had to develop a thick skin. After all, her career as a blogger started after she was fired from her job as a Web designer for making fun of her boss online.

"She would return from her Botox appointments unable to move her lips, and it just begged to be written about," Heather said. "Some people still know me as the girl that got fired for her Web site. But they know me."

After making a name for herself, and getting fired, Armstrong took down her site for six months to re-evaluate who she was and who she wanted to be.

"I had a discussion with myself about boundaries," Armstrong explained.

Within six months, she eloped and started her life as a young mother living in Utah. That's when the fun, and her future career, began.

Blogging Through Depression

Armstrong's easy ability to see the humor in everyday life is tempered by her very serious battle with depression.

"I'll be dealing with it the rest of my life," Armstrong said. "It's an ongoing battle, and I have to be ever-vigilant about it.

She blogged about her brief stay in a mental hospital for postpartum depression, appealing to readers who helped her get through the difficult and painful experience.

"Blogging about it saved my life," Armstrong said. "I really think that the support I got from all those amazing readers was part of the reason I decided to check into the hospital, and that hospital stay saved my life."