Now, I shouldn’t be encouraging myself, or anyone else, to increase internet usage time. But sometimes when you get back from a long day of work you really need to relax with your favorite TV show and some lazy internet surfing. So, even though I make a point of entertaining myself by other means (sewing, cooking, etc) most of the time – sometimes I have a desperate need to turn my brain off. And these are absolutely great for that:
1. Foodgawker – This is my favorite recipe sit of all time because it is a place for bloggers post their favorite recipes. This means that you get a beautiful assortment from the incredibly healthy to the divinely decadent, as well as a broad spectrum of cultures. Each one is represented by a photograph which makes catching the right one for you much easier. I really dislike cookbooks with little to no pictures because it makes it hard to imagine what you’re going to end up with. But on foodgawker the pictures are excellent and eye catching. Plus, if you sign up you can “heart” your favorite ones and make notes and/or tags on them so you can easily access them later when you’re ready to get cooking. If you have some extra time you can check out their sister sites craftgawker, weddinggawker and dwellinggawker for some extra fun.
2. Etsy – A beautiful collection of homemade crafts for purchase. Even if your wallet is feeling a little thin it can be great just to browse or even to get ideas for crafts you might like to make. My jewelry hanger was actually inspired by my many visits to Etsy. If you’re looking to purchase, some of their items are a little on the expensive side but that’s because you’re paying for their uniqueness and good quality. Definitely worth it!
3. Stumbleupon - Stumbleupon is the ultimate relaxation because it is essentially a search tool that continuously takes you to random sites that match your interests. You select what subjects you’re interested in (i.e. photography, nutrition, humor, etc) and then hit “stumble” and it will generate sites along those lines. And registering means you can save those sites that interest you so you can visit them again later.
4. 1000 Awesome Things - This website updates less frequently than the others because the author posts just 1 “awesome thing” each day. But it’s definitely a nice thing to check in on every night when you get home from a long day of work.
5. Post Secret – Unfortunately this website updates even less frequently – just every Sunday. But it definitely gives you something to look forward to throughout the week. People send in their secrets on the back of a postcard, the site creator picks a select few and they get put up on the website. If you find yourself liking it a lot you can even buy the books where even more secrets are collected.
I hope these keep you entertained when you need to unwind for a bit!
Tags: awesome, crafts, food, Humor, random, recipe, relax, unwind, websites
