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In Case You Missed It, 8.20.2011

FireMom — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 15:43:26 +0000

This was a crazy week. BigBrother started Kindergarten and we have apparently all survived. Despite the craziness, I still managed to read some great pieces on the web.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Two great pieces on racism: Parenting Tip – Open Up by Soulseeds and Parenting Challenges: Race, Color, Identity and the Need to Belong by Christy at QuirkyFusion. Both amazing pieces to read about race and family and parenting, even if you think that you don’t need to be concerned with such topics — because you do.

Just Another Night by The Kitchen Witch. I dare you to not be moved by this poignant post about aging, love and the compassion we can have for others. I cried just now, reading it for the third time. It is an amazing and powerful piece of writing.

I Support My School.. My Way… With Music by Greeblemonkey. Now that’s a school fundraiser I’d go to. But awesome music aside, it is so encouraging to see so many people willing to come together for the good of our kids’ education. High fives to Aimee and all who were involved: You inspire the rest of us to do more, be better.

About as Real as It Gets by Mandy at She Breathes Deeply, a blog I discovered earlier this summer and have fallen in love with for many reasons. This post, however, could have been written by me after BigBrother was born. I still grapple with my perfectionism, as I think many of us do. This was just a beautiful, raw piece.

I Won’t Photograph Ugly People by Jen McKen Photography. Read it, especially if you have teens online. She refused to take the senior portraits of a group of girls when she came across their hateful speech and postings on Facebook. I applaud this photographer as a photographer myself, as a girl who was bullied in high school, as a woman and as a mother.

In case you missed me elsewhere this week:

I wrote about the Guatemala kidnapping-adoption cluster on BlogHer

On Chronicles:

I wrote about postpartum depression clinics and relinquishment issues and how it gives me hope for our future;

I freaked out about school and adoption issues from the birth parent side of things.

And, lastly, my favorite picture from the week (other than, you know, these or these):

Here’s hoping for another week of survival!

In Case You Missed It, 8.20.2011 is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

In Case You Missed It, August 14th

FireMom — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:39:45 +0000

I haven’t been able to do a weekly round-up post for months because of our crazy summer schedule. I thought I would give it a whirl again in a slightly different fashion. Just a few favorites (as before it was too many for me to keep up with!) and some links to stuff I wrote elsewhere this week.

An important post at Welcome to My Brain about both organ and bone marrow donation. Are you an organ donor? Are you on the marrow registry? Think about it; and think about how you’d want other people to be if it was someone in your family who needed bone marrow.

If you have fond memories of the 90′s, you need to read this post at House of Prince about Woodstock ’94. Complete with awesome 90′s pictures.

I really resonated with this post by zchamu about fear and BlogHer ’11. Not about BlogHer itself, but about writing and being and existing as I am. My favorite line:

“My entire life, I have been afraid of everything. Doing something wrong. Doing something right. Having it all be my fault. Having nothing to do with it being my fault whatsoever, but knowing if I had been involved then whatever went wrong would have by definition been my fault, so somehow magically shifting it in my brain to having me take the blame anyway. Saying the wrong thing. Being Too Dramatic. Being too goofy. Being too emotional. Being altogether too ME, which somewhere along the line became a Highly Objectionable thing, at least as far as I was concerned, and as far as those around me were concerned as well, or at least that’s what I believed.

And god, it’s tiring.”

A cute post on It’s not like a cat that involves police officers, firefighter helmets, overturned coffee tables and memories of a mother.

Rachel at A Southern Fairytale made me kind of weepy with her let me be enough post. I pray that everyday.

TW wrote a beautiful post about love and pie in honor of Jennifer Perillo’s husband Mikey. We’re making ours today. Don’t delay in making a pie — or whatever it is that you do — for your loved ones. You never know when it will be too late.

And if you’re considering starting your own blog, you need to read these tips for starting one by Musings of a Housewife.

As for me, here’s what I wrote elsewhere:

I shared what I learned about parenting at BlogHer ’11 at BlogHer.

I wrote four posts at The Chronicles of Munchkin Land this week:
- About the Hallmark card I sent to Munchkin from BlogHer ’11;
- About the card Robin Plemmons gave us at the Aiming Low party that made my day;
- About how I’m a bit overwhelmed at the speed of life as of late;
- And I shared a story of BigBrother sharing about his sister for the first time.
Also, I’m behind on telling you about book reviews due to my summer travels. So, here:

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen is a great YA novel. I related to the frequent changing-of-names that Mclean went through as she tried to figure out who she was. I think it’s a pretty safe novel for tweens and teens. And adults! WOO!

The Beach Trees by Karen White gave me a new perspective on running away from problems. It’s kind of a mystery, kind of a romance and very deeply about rebuilding life after Katrina — and other life tragedies. I really recommend this one.

The Kid by Sapphire was, as most people have said, a hard read. I enjoyed it in the way that you enjoy a thought-provoking, hard-look at life type of a book. It also made me delve too far into the “what if’s” of my life, and once I let go of those, I was able to read without issue. My recommendation: Read after you’ve sorted through your personal issues with your therapist. Whoops?

And, because I can, my favorite photo I snapped this week.

I hope you had a great week. I also hope to do this again next Sunday as we now seem to be home until, well, PodCamp Pittsburgh, which really is still kinda “home” for me. So it doesn’t count! We’re home until October!

In Case You Missed It, August 14th is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Weekly Favorites: March 27, 2011

FireMom — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 17:04:08 +0000

I have missed two weeks of Weekly Favorites posts. March has been one of those months in which the weeks have sped by, leaving me to suddenly find myself on Sunday evening ready to start over again. To be fair, two weeks ago it was the Internet’s fault I couldn’t post. (We now have a new ISP; more on that soon.) Last week, I simply ran out of time. A few of the posts in this week’s favorites might be a bit older than this week.

Recipes That Made My Mouth Water:

Spanish Rice with Carne Asada by Katie at Fire Wife Katie. I think my family would enjoy this particular recipe and it seems like a great weeknight meal.

Chicken Cordon Bleu at Nokademic. Again, I think my family would like this and it seems like another good “get dinner on the table now” weeknight meal.

Chicken Paprikash by Elise at Simply Recipes. I kinda have a love of paprika, so this looks like something I’d love to try. I actually think my family makes something similar…

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes by Joanne at Eats Well With Others. We’re making these this week. YUM!

Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:

Getting the Wives Together by Val at Fire Fighter Wife. I’m jealous, plain and simple, that fire wives get together at all. Ours don’t. And while I could, technically, spear-head that endeavor, I don’t really have time at this point in my life. So I like posts about other fire spouses getting together.

Craig Birkholz: Army Sgt., Police Officer, Husband, Hero by Trina at Too Hot to Handle. Our thoughts are with the Birkholz family during their time of grief and mourning.

Photo Blog Posts that Inspired Me:

Food Play by Rachel at A Southern Fairytale. I couldn’t decide whether to put this in the food or the photo category, so I flipped a coin and she landed her. It made me smile.

What Windows Are For at Mortal Muses. Just beautiful.

Among the Hummingbirds by Barbara at Among the Saguaros. I adore hummingbird photos (well, bird photos in general), so I just sat and smiled at these. I can’t wait until ours are back now that I have my 300mm lens!

Adoption Related Posts:

[New category.]

The Boxcar Children Are Back at The Book Case. I chose to place this here than in a book post because of what the prequel to the Boxcar Children series will deal with:

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny are kind to one another and embody the true sense of family. They are resourceful and positive. I find them both true children and true heroes at the same time. It occurs to me that perhaps their parents were the same. I’m looking forward to exploring that idea and more.

Yes, the prequel tells us how the children ended up as orphans. I’ll be reading it.

Book Review: Adopted: The Ultimate Teen Guide by Mandy at Four Against Two. She has important things to say about some of the faults of this book. (Note: It’s for the Adoption Reading Challenge!)

It Takes a Triad & Thank You Transracialeyes.com by Diane at An-Ya. I don’t just share this post with you because she quoted me (though that’s cool!), but because it’s an important post for the triad.

They say it takes a village to raise a child…and for an adoptive parent…

It takes a triad.

I’d just add that it really takes a triad for all members of said triad to find their place and their peace. The added link to her daughter’s post at transracialeyes.com is just a continuation of why it does take a triad. Please read both.

My Absolute Favorites of the Week:

The Writing on the Back Door by Liz at This Full House. I don’t have teens or tweens yet, but this post hit me in some way.

In the Family by Krys at Either Eat This Soup or Jump Out of This Window. Krys delves into what testing positive for BRCA does to her thoughts as she discusses the movie In the Family. I think this is an intensely important post on a topic that I don’t think we pay enough attention to.

Super Hero Cuff Craft by Allison at No Time for Flash Cards. We know I’m not big on crafts, but we go through enough toilet paper in this house that we might as well make use of the rolls, no? Plus, with spring weather being weird, wonky and often rainy, a fun craft for my super heroes seems to be in order.

The lighting of a fire* by Ivory at The Trivial Pursuit of Happiness. I’m kind of way jealous that she’s going the homeschooling route and we’re not, but this post is a beautiful tribute to the life I wish we could live. Kudos, friend.

Other than these two photos and a handful of Instagram snaps, I didn’t really take photos this week. I have yet to work on my Picture Inspiration assignment for the week. Here’s hoping I have a little more time to myself this week!

Weekly Favorites: March 27, 2011 is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Weekly Favorites: March 6, 2011

FireMom — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:23:22 +0000

There is snow on the ground today. I am not pleased. I do love snow; I really do. But by March, I’m done. Done! And so, in a futile attempt to ignore the weather, I bring you my Weekly Favorites. Sorting back through things today made me smile, which is more than the weather did.

Recipes That Made My Mouth Water:

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Garlic and Ginger by Sarah at Sarah’s Cucina Bella. Sarah keeps rocking my socks with awesome recipes. We love sweet potatoes as a side in different ways, and so I think we’re going to do this one soon.

Easy Peanut Butter Chicken Slow Cooker Recipe by Stephanie O’Dea at A Year of Slow Cooking. Uh, yum. Hat tip to Sasha at The Rambling Stroller.

Country Fried Steak by Heather at Home Ec 101 and Chicken Fried Steak by Ree at The Pioneer Woman. I don’t know which we’re going with, but it’s one of them. And stat.

Green Eggs and Ham and Potato and Spinach Fritattas Are TOTALLY the Same Thing at Burgh Baby. It may be a little late to pull this off for a tribute to Dr. Seuss’ birthday, but there’s no reason we can’t eat this … tomorrow.

Eggless Pineapple Cream Cake by Anushruti at Divinetaste. I’m not sure that this is within my cake skill level, but I totally want to make it for Easter.

Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:

Firefighter Thrilled Video: The Longer Version. LOL. Let’s just say that FireDad’s station probably won’t ever bust out with anything like this. I can vouch that FireDad has no rhythm. None.

Photo Blog Posts that Inspired Me:

We Had Snow by Barbara at Among the Saguaros. Okay, I started out this post whining about snow, but these photos just made my jaw drop. If you’ve never seen snow in the desert or on cactii, you have to read/look at this post. Awe inspiring.

My Camera, I Miss It by Yvonne at Joy, Unexpected. The pictures are lovely, but I share this with you to go tell Yvonne to take more pictures, computer woes be damned. Because she’s awesome and I want to see more lovely pictures.

My Absolute Favorites This Week:

The Best Part of Wakin’ Up by Calliope at Creating Motherhood. I laughed. But only because the piece is such a real part of motherhood. Good stuff.

It’s Your Blog, And You Can Post How You Want To by Crissy at Dear Crissy. True! I’m tired of the “you’re not a good blogger if you do this or don’t do this or blah blah blah.” Which totally plays into Carly’s post, Cowardly, Lazy or Just Getting Old? She is questioning how she censors herself and the reasons behind it and seeking courage to say what she really wants to. So read Crissy’s post, then go tell Carly she can blog how she wants to. This is a double post entry because they fit together so well.

Everything Happens for a Reason… sort of by Kim at Arizona Writer. I also hate that placating cliche. But I believe that Kim wrote this post for a reason. It resonated with me. And it will probably resonate with you. So read it.

She Would Have Missed This by Burgh Baby. Why yes, I have Burgh Baby twice on my list in one week. Read this post and you’ll completely understand why.

Stuck Between Hip and Hip Fracture by Christina at A Mommy Story. While shopping, Christina was told to go to a different section. No, really. Sigh.

Unabashed by Ivory at The Trivial Pursuit of Happiness. In a post that I think many people who have been labeled as a mommy blogger — willingly or otherwise — can understand on many different levels, Ivory lets us know that she is part of the Listen To Your Mother Spokane cast. I kind of want to fly out and see her. Like, badly. If you are not reading this amazing woman, you should be.

Just One Photo from This Week:

These brought joy this week.

Sorry this post is so late today. I was working on it this morning before the soccer game. LittleBrother didn’t get to play and stayed home because he was sick. After the game, he was having difficulty breathing and ended up in the ER. He is fine now after some steroids and is home sleeping. It will likely be a long night and a long couple of days. Keep us in your thoughts… especially my little Booey.

Weekly Favorites: March 6, 2011 is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Weekly Favorites: February 27, 2011

FireMom — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 16:58:32 +0000

The sun is shining and it will hit 55 degrees today. I feel like I should be wearing flip flops. Not really. But really. Instead, I might just wear my rainboots and hit the gym after soccer. Not because I am hardcore. I just really want to eat the first recipe below for dinner. I’m pretty sure it requires a pre-and-post workout.

Recipes That Made My Mouth Water:

Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole by Ree Drummond at The Pioneer Woman. Yes, we’re having this for dinner tonight. And yes, my mouth watered while sharing this recipe with you.

Easy Homemade Pierogies by Sarah at Sarah’s Cucina Bella. I initially balked at that title: Easy homemade pierogies? NO SUCH THING. I love this idea though and may give them a try. As an aside, Sarah rocked my socks with recipes this week. Also check out her grilled cheese with bacon sandwich and tomato bisque for 12. Mmm.

The McDonald’s Shamrock Shake Copycat Recipe by Kelsey at The Naptime Chef. I squealed when I saw this one. Burgh Baby probably won’t agree with my utter enthusiasm.

Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:

What Gives by Sarah at Scriberson 365. Just in case you wondered what it looks like when a fire spouse endures a 48 alone. My house definitely looked like this yesterday evening before I whipped it into shape before bed. Glad someone else in the fire family could be honest about it!

Black Helmet Giveaway by Hydrantgirl. Black Helmet Apparel is the only company FireDad really likes for fire service t-shirts. Because they’re not corny. I swear I entered, even though it seems as though comments haven’t been approved yet. You should go enter. For me? Sure! Thanks!

Several Videos of FDNY in Action This Past Week by Rhett at The Fire Critic. A post about the Newsworking channel on YouTube which features coverage of FDNY in action. I subscribed to the channel. You should too!

Photo Blog Posts that Inspired Me:

Camp Shuttersisters at Shutter Sisters. Man. The amazing women behind Shutter Sisters, one of my favorite sites, are sponsoring a photography camp/getaway/awesome event. It’s being held in October in California. Registration opens soon, but I’m pretty sure I can’t swing two trips to California in one year. I’m sad, but I had to share it with my readers. Someone needs to go for me!

Tamron Contest at MCP Actions. A Tamron lens giveaway. ‘Nuff said.

Wild Free by Michelle Black at Light Traces. Another inspirational post with a beautiful photo. I didn’t include it just because she used a picture she took in our favorite vacation spot — Emerald Isle, NC — but that didn’t hurt.

My Absolute Favorites This Week:

On the Women Who Don’t Survive Postpartum Depression by Katherine Stone at Postpartum Progress. Simply a must-read about PPD. I adore Katherine for all the work she does regarding the topic and fight, and this is one that needed to be written — and read.

Letters to Miss Britt: How Do You Find the Time to Write on Multiple Blogs by Britt Reints at Mom Blog Magazine. I love how Britt puts multi-blogging in context. Sure, you may have just gotten some Amazing Gig, but if you ignore your own blog — your original platform — you’re missing out. Good perspective for myself and my other blogger/writer friends.

Finding a Smile Underneath by Morningside Mom. I love her perspective in this post. There are lots of little things that are or go wrong during a day or week or any given period of time. But I like her point that things are basically good as well. Plus, Ani!

Words Are Power by Texasebeth at My life, such as it is. Mmm. I’m on the flip side of this, but I have been learning — so much. Words have power, and even kids know it.

Blast from the Past by Jamie at Grumbles and Grunts. I just found her blog and subscribed immediately. I swear it wasn’t just because on her “about” page she has a photo of herself with her nose pierced (like me). It was because of this post, about a Shel Silverstein book, her photography, she’s going to BlogHer ’11 and generally seems kinda awesome. Start here and explore her archives.

A Few of My Favorite Photos This Week:

LittleBrother needs a haircut. He wakes up with Green Day hair.

I still don’t know how this happens.

My friend’s son turned four. The Monster Cupcakes were a hit with my boys.

I also enjoyed both of the self-portraits (1, 2) that I took for Picture Inspiration this week. They’re both at my photoblog.

Hopefully this week is a good one. Last week was busy — and snowy — and I’m looking forward to warmer temperatures even if it does mean rain, rain and more rain. I’m telling you, spring isn’t far off. I mean, really, it’s about 22 days away. But sooner would be better. Right? Quite honestly, I’m ready to say goodbye to February. Funny how the shortest month of the year is quite honestly the worst.

Weekly Favorites: February 27, 2011 is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Weekly Favorites: February 20, 2011

FireMom — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 02:57:57 +0000

February 20th?! Apparently 2011 is going to be another one of those years that simply flies by. I’m behind on reading again. This was a heavy deadline week. But really? February 20? Wow!

Recipes That Made My Mouth Water:

Italian Sausage and Cabbage Stew by Elise at Simply Recipes. My family loves sausage. My family loves cabbage. Really seems like a win for our dinner table!

Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:

I Got a Job by Hydrantgirl. Go give her some congratulations for landing a full time paramedic position. Also, give her high fives for saying “holy snotsticks.” HIGH FIVE!

The Visit We Hope We Never Receive by Trina at Too Hot to Handle. A post about the LODD of Firefighter Glenn L. Allen and how news of such things sends a chill down the spine of fire wives all over the world.

I Am Recruiting by Just Me at Just My Blog. In short, the youngest child of The Happy Medic is in the ICU. If you’d like to get send something to the family, see the post referenced for ideas and how to’s. See also This post at Pink Warm and Dry for a definition of family if you don’t quite understand why we’re rallying around this family.

Photo Blog Posts That Inspired Me:

46/365 by Cynthia at Freezing memories, one day at a time. Not only are the photos of her son so darn cute, but the story… well, it made me all weepy. Read it.

List #15: 7 Things To Do When You Need to Add Good To Your Day by Karen Walrond at Chookooloonks. I think, with snow in the forecast again this week despite the fact that I have lily sprouts through the ground, I’m going to take Karen’s advice. Great post.

My Absolute Favorites of the Week:

Bird Count and Self Promotion (Plus Pretty Pictures!) by Kim at Arizona Writer. As a photographer who devotes a large amount of time to stalking birds, I have always admired Kim’s work. This post? I love. Lots. The Yellow-Headed Blackbirds photo? I want. Badly.

Photographic Darkness by Casey at Moosh in Indy. Just read it. There are also very few pictures of me during any time that I struggled with depression, postpartum, pregnancy or otherwise. Really, this post is a must read.

Making It Work: Traveling While Lactating by Jory Des Jardins at From Here to Autonomy. Any mother who has traveled and pumped (or pumped ever) will appreciate the humorous honesty in this post. Keep it up, Jory.

Ann Landers by Loralee Choate at Loarelee’s Looneytunes. I don’t know why we continue to submit ourself to the stupid that is Ann Landers’ column, but I love Loralee’s rant. In addition to that, the truth remains that I really wouldn’t be in the place where I am today if it wasn’t for my blog(s). I have been challenged, been helped and been encouraged by others willing to comment, share, push and love me through my darkest of times. Good rant. Lesson: Ignore Ann Landers.

Behaving Badly by Christina at A Mommy Story. Her post is a beautiful finger-pointing at some things that have been driving me crazy as of late as well. I like this paragraph:

Our society is teetering towards a loss of all civility. It’s like people are rebelling from the politically correct atmosphere of the last decade and swinging to the polar opposite. Maybe all of the power of anonymity on the internet is spilling over into our day-to-day behavior? (Note to offenders: when you act like an internet troll to the people in your community, we actually know who you are. And then don’t like you.)

A Few of My Favorite Photos This Week:

I took a lot of photos this week and it was a hard decision for me.

We took the boys bowling. Loved it!

Yes, those are lily sprouts. In February. Not a crazy great picture, but a crazy awesome thing.

I love the texture nature gave to this photo. I can almost feel it.

I am so excited for what this week holds. I’m dealing with some stuff as well, but I just have this level of Kool-Aid Man “OH YEAH!” for this week. I hope you can find some of that in your upcoming week as well.

Weekly Favorites: February 20, 2011 is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Weekly Favorites: February 13, 2011

FireMom — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 16:40:55 +0000

I’m desperately behind in my blog reading this week. It was one of those super busy, deadline filled, crazy weeks that flew by, and before I knew it Sunday morning was upon me. If I missed something amazing you wrote this week, please let me know. Now onto the favorites that I did get to read this week.

Recipes That Made My Mouth Water:

Spiced Chipotle Honey Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potatoes and Winter Squash by Joanne at Eats Well With Others. Oh my. It’s on our next menu plan. Oh my.

Angry Birds Cupcakes by Kristan at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. I’m never going to be able to create those, but they made me smile so hard.

Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:

At the sharp end and its follow-up, At the sharp end II by Kal at Trauma Queen. First off, these are both intense posts that made my stomach lurch for a fellow blogger and friend. Secondly, these two posts are evidence of crazy amazing writing — not just within the fire/EMS blog niche but in general. This? Is good writing. Read it. It’s the best fire/EMS post/series this week.

Photo Blog Posts That Inspired Me

A Taste of Spring by Sarah at One Starry Night. While Sarah isn’t solely a photo blogger, she is an amazing photographer. This post made me long for spring which, I’m hoping, is right around the corner.

Overcoming Fears | Foundation Workshop 9 by Mary at Birchtree Photography. Not only are the photos that she shared moving and amazing, but the words she shared about fears and photography are inspiring.

Books I’ve Read/Book Posts I Liked:

I finished reading The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels –A Love Story. I adored it for many reasons, but mainly because I loved the post-wedding stories the best as I related — so deeply — to the immediate pregnancy (though we had three months alone), postpartum depression, general woe but still full of love tone of it all. Read it!

I reviewed As Simple as It Seems by Sarah Weeks at Chronicles. It was my 4th Adoption Reading Challenge pick (3rd fiction) and 4th Young Adult Reading Challenge pick. Note: I didn’t like it.

I discovered this book blog written by an 11-year-old girl this week. If you’ve got some teens/tweens/YA readers in your house, you may want to read this blog!

My Ultimate Favorites of the Week:

Dear Author by Sassymonkey at Sassymonkey Reads. If you missed the drama created by author Sylvia Massara, you are out of luck. The author bashed “unprofessional reviewers,” which created a crazy amount of comments from bloggers all over the web — book or otherwise. But then the author deleted all of those comments. You’d think author’s would know to “own their words.” All the same, I enjoyed Sassymonkey’s letter.

Parenting. Try It Some Time by Lindsay at Suburban Turmoil. Considering I’m one of those pesky, interfering, opinionated parents, I wanted to give her a standing ovation at the end of her post.

How to Make Flubber, Glurch and Other Fun Art Supplies at Home at Ohdeeoh. A bunch of links to the recipes for all those fun things (including chalk! and watercolor paint!) all in one place. Definitely bookmark this one.

Alternately titled How Jenna doesn’t really want the Steelers to Win Super Bowl XLV by my mean friend Heather at Domestic Extraordinaire. (She’s not really mean. Promise.) It was funnier before the Steelers dropped the ball — literally and repeatedly. Then it was sad. It’s back to being funny now. But I promise you: We are not now nor will we ever be Browns fans. Ick!

Love Thursday Bonus: Simple Photo Valentine’s Day Card for Kids by Karen at Chookooloonks. Still trying to figure out what to do for your kid’s Valentine’s Day cards? Know your way around a camera and a printer? Get to work!

A Few of My Favorite Photos This Week:

Not technically great photos, but, OH! Spring is coming! Magnolia buds!

In love with this one. The detail in his eye made me swoon. Flickr sharpened it a bit on upload, but it still resides in my Project 365 Favorites set.

Snapped this from the passenger window as we whizzed by on our Date Day.

Hopefully I can keep up with my feed reader this week. I feel awful knowing that I likely missed some great stuff from some great people. As such, if you wrote something amazing or read something great from another blogger, please feel free to leave me a link. I promise to make time and read it!

Weekly Favorites: February 13, 2011 is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Weekly Favorites: February 6, 2011

FireMom — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 16:07:55 +0000

HAPPY SUPER BOWL SUNDAY! OMG! GO STEELERS! That said, I know that not everyone is a) a football fan, b) cares about either the Steelers or the Packers and c) might be looking for something to do/read today. I have chosen my favorites from this week as well and added a few other categories. Enjoy! GO STEELERS!

Recipes That Made My Mouth Water

Meatball Subs with Caramelized Onions by Deb at Smitten Kitchen. Looks stunning.

Tortilla de (sweet) Patatas by Joanne at Eats Well with Others. I’m not really sure I can make that, but it seems like something we’d love.

Sesame Soba Noodles by Annie at Annie’s Eats. Uh, yes please. That looks so good.

Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese by Sarah at One Starry Night. I’m not 100% certain BigBrother will eat it, but LittleBrother will. And so will I. It’s on the list!

Super Bowl Party Recipes by Amy at Living Locurto. If you’re looking for last minute things, this is a good, quick resource. You really might have quite a few of these things already in your house so you won’t have to go out!

Books I’ve Read/Book Posts I Liked

Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard. I reviewed it at Chronicles, and I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. It was my 7th book for 2011, my 3rd adoption pick (2nd fiction) and my 3rd Young Adult pick.

A Glee-ful Memoir. OMG! Jane Lynch is releasing a memoir! GLEE! It’s called Happy Accidents and comes out in September. JOY!

Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:

Hydrantgirl has been nominated for a Bloggie. She’s nominated in the Top 5 Canadian Blogs category. Go give her a vote!

Fire Truck Runs Over Protester in Egypt by Rhett Fleitz at The Fire Critic. I can’t imagine the unrest myself, though I’ve been following it as closely as I can. As Rhett says, this is an inexcusable action, but I also can’t imagine trying to do fire work in those conditions.

T-Shirt Giveaway Time by Val at Fire Fighter Wife. Val is celebrating her birthday with a giveaway from FirefighterWives.net. Easy entries!

Photo Blog Posts That Inspired Me:

Ice Storm by Heather at Kinder.Better.Braver. Heather posts more than just photos on her blog, but this post was so beautiful despite my hatred of ice.

My post about flickr’s accidental account deletion at BlogHer. No photos, but it should inspire you to backup your photos. Immediately. (I’m using QOOP.) Additionally, flickr did eventually restore his account and gave him a 25 year pro account ($625).

My Ultimate Favorites of the Week

A Frozen Moment by Burgh Baby. I was there, with her, in that moment — because her writing was amazing. The writing is phenomenal; it follows the directions of my old creative writing teacher, “Show, don’t tell.” It’s also just a beautiful note of childhood wonder and winter. (PS: She updated her layout. Looks lovely. Go see!)

Taking Time for Yourself by Sara at Family Organic. I was totally nodding along as I read. It’s so important to take care of yourself — as a person — so you can best take care of the people and stuff in your life.

On Being Round by Dawn at This Woman’s Work. I’d say something about this post, but she says it best herself:

I am often surprised when people argue with me about this like its controversial for all kinds of people to love and accept themselves. There are people who are so worried about their daughter’s bodies that they forget their daughter’s hearts and souls. They don’t seem to understand that shame and the demonstration of shame is harmful. Sure, it might keep your daughter skinny but at what cost? These are people who say, “But what about the obesity epidemic???” If you are one of those people I encourage you to read Real Kids Come in All Sizes.

Celebrate Winter by Renee at FIMBY (Fun In My Backyard). I love this post because her point, “enjoying winter is a choice,” is one I need to be reminding myself of as of late. I tweeted about Too Much Togetherness causing us to all to spontaneously combust earlier this week. I think I need to reevaluate a few things. (But Spring, please hurry.)

BlogHer CEO Lisa Stone teamed up with Cloris Leachman to make fun of GoDaddy commercials. I loved it. The truth is that the GoDaddy commercials are beyond ridiculous (and GoDaddy stinks). I love the fun they poke at the commercials. It makes me happy to be part of BlogHer. I’d embed it but Cloris uses language that will make my mother-in-law smack me. So just go view it at BlogHer, okay? (Except for you, Kathy.)

Two of My Favorite Photos this Week:

Frosty morning sunrise. Made it to my Project 365 Favorites set.

Look at the sky! Blown out, but I love the feel.

Also, I’ve fixed a javascript issue on the blog that should now make it much easier to view — with pictures and all — via Microsoft Internet Explorer. Of course, you’d do yourself some good switching to Firefox — or Rockmelt or anything for that matter — but everything should load relatively timely now.

Lastly: Please link me to your favorites this week as well. I’m always trying to expand what I read an am exposed to each week.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! GO STEELERS!

Weekly Favorites: February 6, 2011 is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Weekly Favorites: January 30, 2011

FireMom — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 16:05:22 +0000

Starting a new weekly series in which I link you to some of my favorite stuff from the week. Not every favorite will be included, but I’ll try and hit some great stuff. I’ll also include a few of my favorite photos from the week for a Two-Birds-with-One-Stone kind of efficiency post.

Recipes That Made My Mouth Water:

Spicy Bean Burritos at Annie’s Eats by Annie. I’m making these on an evening that FireDad is at work the coming week. My boys love beans, so they should be a hit. I’m toning down the spice a bit (for them, not me), but yes, my mouth watered.

Lemon Basil Marinara Sauce at In Good Taste by Maris. I’ve been making my own spaghetti/etc sauce for about a month now, noticing that LittleBrother was having a sensitivity to something in jarred sauces. This is on my To Make List now.

Weekend Menu Planning: Dip Into Something Hot for Super Bowl Sunday at BlogHer by Kalyn Denny. I haven’t yet made any decisions as to what I’m making for the Super Bowl party my friends are throwing. I bookmarked a few on this post.

Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:

It’s going to be a glorious day. at Trauma Queen by Kal. Please go read this post. Seriously. And then make a promise to yourself and the rest of humanity and vow to NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE.

Female Firefighter Call Out at Fire Fighter Wife by Val. She’s looking for female firefighters who blog. Go leave your link!

The Best of Motivational …or Demotivational Firefighting Posters at The Fire Critic by Rhett Fleitz. Some of these are inappropriate (don’t say I didn’t warn you) and one isn’t work friendly (read: FireDad don’t click this at work) but I may have laughed. Even at the inappropriate ones. These will be most funny to those within the fire service family, but they’re pretty much universally funny. As a note, voting is live for the best Fire and EMS blogs. Even though I think the finalist lists are bunk (read: my favorite EMS blogger didn’t make it; sadface), you should vote. No registration required.

Photo Blog Posts that Inspired Me:

An Idea at Blue Lily Blog by Wendy and Tyler. Those photos of Nie‘s family are just absolutely stunning. Technically and artistically both. As an aside, the post announces that they have finalized their US Tour. They will be in Pittsburgh on October 30th (which is a Sunday, so if your neighborhood messes with trick-or-treating, beware) and Columbus on November 2nd. If you want some crazy amazing family pics, sign up soon. Limited space.

Something I’m Learning at Light Traces by Michelle Black. This was from last week (I was behind on reading) and there aren’t actually any photos in this post, but it is, most definitely, inspiring.

My Ultimate Favorites of the Week:

Project: Create a Special Meal at Lisa Leonard Online by Lisa Leonard. I know we don’t “do” Valentine’s Day in our house, but I really think I’m going to make a special meal for my three guys. Maybe I’ll even make it look fancy-pants.

Life Lessons from Sand Sculptors at In Pursuit of Happiness by Miss Britt. She posted this on the same day that I blogged about leaving the paper and opening my Etsy store. If people can make money building sand castles, anything is possible. Right?

Daily Work-At-Home Rhythms: Things I Have Learned by Ali Edwards. Again, it’s quite interesting that in a week I needed some encouragement, it was right there waiting. An interesting post about working at home and raising children and time management for those interested.

What They’re Really Thinking: AFC Championship Edition at That’s Church by Virginia Montanez. Complete with NKOTB references, booger talk and Angry Hulk, among other amusing tidbits. Basically, if you’re a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and you need to laugh, hop on over there. If you’re not, get of my lawn blog. (Just kidding. Kind of. HA!)

“We Don’t Keep Secrets in Our Family“ at BlogHer by Nancy Campbell. I think this is an important read for parents about child abuse and the importance of words. As a note, it was originally posted on her blog earlier this month.

A note: This is not about favorites. If you aren’t on my weekly list, it doesn’t mean that I didn’t like what you wrote. I will try to keep diversity in this list as well. Sometimes certain things just move me more than others. Also, look for categories to change at will. Because I can.

And now for:

A Few of my Favorite Photos this Week:

I’ve been trying to capture an icicle in this manner for awhile. Finally! This made it into my 365 Favorites set.

This one also made it in my 365 Favorites set. Look for my review of Laurie Berkner’s show soon!

Flowers at Alexis’ birthday party at Burgh Baby‘s house. I went with black and white again because I was feeling it this week. Not in the favorites set, but I do like it.

Here’s hoping that this coming week sees an end to the Viral Ick that has been creeping our house, some more great reads and some great photos as well. As I have a new lens coming in, I’d bet on it!

Lastly: Please share a link to either a favorite post that you wrote or read this week and/or a link to the favorite photo you took this week. I want to read and see things outside of what I am currently experiencing via feed reader. Enlighten me and share with others!

Weekly Favorites: January 30, 2011 is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Read: Sexy Photos Changed My Life

FireMom — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:17:03 +0000

This is a special note for those who subscribe to my feed.

I wrote a revealing, literally, post at BlogHer today that I’d love for you to read. Especially if you’re a woman. Not because I think you want to see me in my skivvies but because I have a call to personal action at the end that I think many of us need to hear, repeatedly. In short, the post is about my experience with posing for boudoir photos (sexy, pin-up, lingerie style photos) and how it did, in fact, change my life.

No, I’m not full of it. It really did.

I share it with you for so many reasons. Plus, as I’m wearing firefighter turnout gear in the photos, it’s fire blog related, no? Go give it a read. And a peek.

(Comments closed here. Join in the discussion over at BlogHer!)

Read: Sexy Photos Changed My Life is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.