You might have heard their song Kandi on the radio (video here). It’s a catchy little tune that gets stuck in my head and that my kids seem to like to sing along with at the top of their little lungs. Me too, really. The rest of the album provides other great sounding songs. Here is the track listing:

Hometime
Astronauts
Kandi
Slip
Simple Day
Givin Up
Chocolate
All Balloons
Chosen One
UFO
Amazing

I really like the songs Astronaut and Givin Up. My oldest son, taking the occasional break from any one of his kids’ song listening sprees, really likes Astronaut and UFO. Then again, he’s infatuated with Buzz Lightyear so when I told him the names of those songs, he was all about it. That’s one thing I like though: the kids don’t make me turn off the album while we’re driving in the car. I like it when we can agree on music. (I know that won’t last forever.)

I was lucky enough to attend the One eskimO show in Columbus, Ohio this past Friday. I took OutnumberedMom along with me. We were both very impressed with the drummer in the band. He was simply phenomenal. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. While I won’t explain it properly, he basically sat on a box, drummed on it, the drums, stepped on a tambourine and generally was percussive god. Add in the solid vocals, the addition of a horn and some great guitar playing and it was a very enjoyable night of music.

They’re touring elsewhere. I suggest you catch them!

Jun 01 Toronto, ON The Guvernment
Jun 03 New York, NY The Beach at Governor’s Island
Jun 04 Boston, MA House of Blues
Jun 05 Essex Junction, VT Camplain Valley Expo
Jun 06 Hunter, NY Mountain Jam Festival
Jun 08 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Thtr
Jun 09 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room
Jun 12 Memphis, TN Minglewood Hall
Jun 13 Kansas City, MO Crossroads
Aug 14 Denver, CO Mile High Festival

If you want to catch a listen, we’re giving away the album and a t-shirt thanks to One2One Network. Go ahead and leave a comment on this post telling me whether or not you attend concerts in the summer and, if so, which ones you’re planning to catch this summer. The giveaway will be open through June 4th at 12:00 noon. I’ll need the winner’s info ASAP so be sure to keep an eye on your inbox!

My overall feel for the band is that I’ll likely purchase what they put out in the future. And if I’m purchasing music, you should know I like them. A lot. Check them out. You can download Astronaut for free and like them on Facebook. Get to commenting!

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[Disclosure: I received a free album and attended the show for free.]

The Body Scoop for Girls

1. I didn’t have enough information about my own body or cycle and thus felt ashamed for years. Years meaning well into my twenties, after I was married.
2. I didn’t see a gynecologist until I was 21. I won’t tell you when I was first sexually active but as the suggestion is that girls see a gynecologist between 13-15, I might have figured out earlier that my cycles weren’t normal years and years and years earlier.
3. I want to raise boys who understand and respect women. Knowing what I can know to help them understand things as well is very important to me.

For the most part, I really liked this book. As I read through the chapters and listened to Ashton’s advice, I kept wishing that this book had been around when I was going through puberty, adolescence and dealing with all those life changes. In so many ways, this book brought forth the things that I needed to know and hear but was not learning or hearing at school or at home. From the information about periods and mucus (I didn’t know to call it mucus until I was trying to conceive) to the positive body image talk (I had an eating disorder though high school and college) to the urge to postpone sex until after the age of eighteen, it’s everything I needed.

One section that made me roll my eyes, however, was the anti-piercing section. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want my teens (of any gender) running out and getting piercings (visible or not-so-visible) without my knowledge, permission and presence. If any gendered teen of mine asked for a genital piercing, I’d have to say no. However, I thought the book was rather one sided against piercings in general. The truth is that there are experienced piercers who run clean, sanitary studios and perform their piercings with pride and knowledge. More over, any fan of piercings knows that a VCH isn’t going to actually pierce the clitoris. For more information on piercings, visit The Piercing Bible. Never get anything pierced without researching both the styles of piercing and the actual piercers. More over, teens, my young friends, don’t ever get a piercing without your parents’ permission. It’s not cool. (Sorry for the side track but it’s a pet peeve of mine when people put down piercings or piercers without giving all of the information!)

Back to me being ashamed of my body back in the day: it was so bad that I wouldn’t even change my pad if another girl came into the bathroom. I was horribly embarrassed about anything body-wise. I don’t know if it’s because I knew nothing or because I got my period at the young age of 10 or if I would have been equally embarrassed if I had been a late bloomer. I do know that a book like this, using the friendly, understanding language that it does might have made a difference.

I’m passing this book on to my friends with girls who are just entering the world of puberty. Do I think it needs to be read at age 10? No. Do I think moms of girls should be reading this before their daughters hit puberty so that they know the proper terminology to use? Yes. Do I think moms of girls should be gauging their daughters’ maturity levels so that they know when they’re ready to read it on their own (or together)? Definitely.

The SV Moms Group is doing a blog tour for this book. Check out all of the other reviews by visiting this post!
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[Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my candid review. I received no other compensation.]

Very simply, you can raise or lower the top shelf with just a turn of the handle. I thought it would be a silly feature, one that I wouldn’t use all that often. I was wrong. Quite honestly, I use it much more than I thought I would. It does help that we don’t normally have anything very tall on the second shelf, thus allowing us some wiggle room on the up and down motion of the top shelf.

I have lowered the shelf to put a 2 liter bottle on the top shelf. (We don’t drink pop all that often. Mostly pizza night. And mostly FireDad!)

I have raised the shelf when I had a bunch of leftovers after a get together with my friends, thus leaving more tupperware in the fridge than usual.

I have lowered the shelf to stack a bunch of juice boxes that I was taking to t-ball.

I have raised the shelf the one time I had too many cupcakes in my house.

Up and down it goes. And smoothly, which is a happy surprise as well. What I thought at first would be a worthless addition has become a frequently used function! Those smart folks at Frigidaire must know what they’re doing!

Please tune in the last week of May for the video that I promised you last month. We’ve finally worked out our video kinks (I corrupted the file while messing with it, sadly) and reshot a few of the scenes so I think we’re ready to go!

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[Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Refrigerator to facilitate my review.]

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!)

That’s why I’m in love with these kids t-shirts.

It’s no surprise that TheBrothers love things that go. Fire trucks are just a part of our everyday life. Their love of all things wheeled is not limited to the big red truck, of course, and covers just about anything that moves. I, however, am tired of the wordy, gaudy, cheaply made shirts in retail stores. I wanted something simple but something fun. I found it with Shirts That Go. They look realistic. They’re well made and soft.

Both BigBrother and LittleBrother are pleased though I don’t know why BigBrother is making this face.

These kids t-shirts are quality made. In fact, I waited to review them until they had gone through two washings (and dryings). They held up just fine. No fading. No peeling, like you get with your extremely cheap t-shirts. They still look just as good as the day they came out of their fancy pants box. As a mom who spends money, quality is something I absolutely have to have and I’m pleased to find it.

Not only do they have fire truck t-shirts (both red and blue) but train t-shirts, airplane t-shirts and a growing catalog of, yes, shirts that go. I like how the designs aren’t overly cheesy or baby-ish. They’re big. They’re bold. They’re fun. I would definitely make another purchase. Sizes start at 2 and run all the way to kids’ 12 which means that I can dress the boys in things that go for quite some time.

That said, I’m so excited to be giving away one of these Shirts That Go to a very lucky winner. The winner can choose their choice and size of shirt!

Here’s how to enter:

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit Shirts That Go, look through their offerings and tell me what other things that go should they offer on their shirts! They’re looking to expand their vehicles and want some consumer opinion so this is your chance to be heard by a company! You may leave one comment of this type.

As always, there are some extra ways to win! Please leave a comment on this post for every individual extra entry you complete. Meaning that if you do three of the extra entries, you will have left me a total of four comments with the mandatory entry included!

1. Follow @FireMom on twitter and copy/paste this into your twitter stream: Like fire trucks? Airplanes? Win a t-shirt for your kid from @FireMom & @shirtsthatgo! Enter here: http://bit.ly/shirtsthatgo

2. Follow @shirtsthatgo. They’re new. Tell them to tweet!

3. Like Shirts That Go on Facebook.

4. Blog about this giveaway on your public blog. Be sure to include a link to this giveaway.

5. Share this giveaway on any other social networking site (Facebook, Stumble Upon, Digg, etc). Please leave one comment for each of those shares!

6. Take this survey for the company! Yes, it’s very similar to the first mandatory entry but is a simple two question, check box/entry box survey that gets you a free entry. Don’t complain!

Don’t forget to let me know which of the extra steps you completed so that you get extra credit!

This giveaway will be live through Wednesday, May 26 at 7:30pm. At that time I will visit random.org, pull a random winner and contact that winner via e-mail. The winner will have 24 hours from initial contact to claim the prize before I pull an alternate winner. Winner’s information will be forwarded to the company who will handle prize fulfillment.

Best of luck! And remember: girls can wear shirts that go, TOO!

It’s so super awesome. And my parents are jealous.

[Ignore the lack of stuff in general. It was a few days before grocery shopping day!]

It’s not as if it takes up no room. You can see that it does. But the smart people at Frigidaire were wise enough to put a shelf at the very top, just in front of the ice machine, so that we’re not losing two whole shelves. We call it the ice cream shelf… mainly so that the ice cream is out of reach from little fingers. More over, the reason that this freezer has so much more room than my parents are in the way the shelves are set up. The door shelves are roomy, more than you would think. The bottom bin can hold a lot more than frozen pierogies. And the pull out drawer with the shelf above it is probably my favorite freezer feature. We keep our frozen veggies in that drawer. Easy access!

Basically, I’m in love with our freezer. Of course, I’m not that hard to please. Our last freezer didn’t have a working light anymore. Or a working ice machine with auto dispenser. And, really, it was way smaller than what our new freezer offers. My husband? Has been converted.

Thanks, Frigidaire!

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[Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Refrigerator to facilitate my review.]

And now I’m offering you, my readers, a chance to win five books on Mother’s Day! FIVE!

That’s right. Five books. For you. They include: Just Let Me Lie Down by Kristin van Ogtrop (which was reviewed by the SV Moms Group recently), God Never Blinks by Regina Brett, Heart of My Heart by Kristin Armstrong, The Cradle by Patrick Somerville and Roses by Leila Meacham.

I agreed to run this giveaway, partnering up with Hachette Book Group USA, because I love books. I think books can change things for people. I know that certain books, like the one we’re currently reading for the Open Adoption Book Tour, have changed how I view myself and my situation(s). As I said above, Mother’s Day is hard for me. I don’t know if that will ever change for me, though I assume some years might be easier than others. What I do know, however, is that I can make some other mom’s day by letting her know that she won five books! I’m a giver. When other people are happy, I’m happy. I could probably use some happiness on Sunday! So, here we go!

Mandatory Entry:

Comment on this post with a thought about mothering. It doesn’t have to be about Mother’s Day, just about mothering in general. The ups, the downs, the omgz!, the challenges, the triumphs. Hit me. Make me cry. Make me laugh. You may leave one comment of this nature.

After you complete the above mandatory entry, you can complete any of these additional entries. Please remember to leave a comment for each additional entry so that I may count them properly. Example: if you tweet, leave a comment elsewhere and write a blog post about it, you would leave me three separate comments (in addition to your one above) telling me about each step. Questions? Email me.

1. Follow me on twitter, @FireMom, and tweet: RT @FireMom Win 5 books for yourself this Mother’s Day! http://bit.ly/cdgq1x . If you’re already following me on twitter, keep on doing so and tweet the above message! It still counts!

2. Follow @HachetteBooks on twitter.

3. Blog about this giveaway on your public blog. Link to this blog post in your post.

4. Visit this BlogHer post and comment about which book was your favorite, thus donating a book to a child in need.

5. Share a link to this giveaway on any social networking site. Just let me know which ones in an individual comment for each separate site!

This giveaway is live through 7:30pm on Mother’s Day, May 9, 2010. At that point, I will hit random.org, pull a winner and contact that winner via email. The winner has 24 hours to reply with their shipping information or I will pull an alternate winner. Books will be shipped directly from Hachette Book Group USA (though it would help me greatly if you let me know when you receive your books!). If the winner is a blogger (she doesn’t have to be), I’ll make sure to link to her blog on the announcement post on Monday, May 10, 2010. Free books. Free links. Free awesomesauce.

Now get to commenting. And, really, please try to have a decent Mother’s Day. I’ll try if you do, okay?

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[Disclosure: I received a copy of the books in exchange for this giveaway. I received no other compensation, other than the joy of reading your mothering comments and knowing that someone else got to be happy on Mother's Day. That's all the compensation I needed!]

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Electrolux.

All the snow that has fallen this winter has made me crave something a bit more colorful. I know the white snow is beautiful but I need some bright, bold colors. So I decided to bake a cake. Not just any cake… a rainbow cake.

One of my friend’s teased me the first time I made my rainbow cake. She asked, “Why did you make one?” No reason. In fact, I find that no reason at all is the best reason to make a rainbow cake. It brings its own reasons packaged in its colorful layers. It brings smiles. It brings laughter. It brings togetherness while baking it. And it brings some color. Quite honestly, our family could use a little laughter and color during this bleak winter. The boys were excited to help yet again.

First we mixed up the two boxes of cake batter as per their instructions, licking the beaters as an additional “must do.”

Then we separated the batter into six different bowls. We colored each with icing color (not food coloring, read why here) and poured them into six different round cake pans. I have to buy foil cake pans because my family hasn’t caught on that I am on this baking spree and no one has bought me six different round cake pans. You’d think they’d catch on!

Then it bakes. While it bakes, we sing and dance in the kitchen our fancy new floor. After it bakes, it has to cool. In fact, I let it cool overnight. When I don’t, it falls apart and I cry. There should be no crying in baking, so I waited this time around. Then I slathered icing between the layers, pre-made, thankyouverymuch, and stuck them together.

Then I frosted the top, convinced my children to eat their vegetables and we had a Color Makes Me Happy Party.

I tell you all of this because BlogHer wants me to tell you about how Kelly Ripa has paired up with Electrolux to support the fight against ovarian cancer. Entitled “Cakery for a Cause,” they’re holding a virtual cake-bake off to help support the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF). All you do is visit the site, decorate a cake and e-mail it to a friend. For every cake sent, Electrolux will donate $1 to OCRF. And, it gets better: to help spread the word, everyone who sends a virtual cake will be automatically entered for a chance to win every baker’s dream: a stylish new Induction Range from Electrolux. (It’s swanky.) (Speaking of swanky, in case you want to use your tax refund to get swanky, Electrolux is also donating $100 to OCRF for every induction range sold this month. So, you know, you can buy me one, okay?)

In short, even if you aren’t scouring the market for a fancy new way to bake your cakes, you can simply visit Kelly Confidential, whip up a virtual cake (or twelve) and send them to your friends and family. It’s that simple to help the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Then, if each of the people you send a cake to takes the time to send it to one or two people, think of how your few minutes will continue to benefit others. It’s that easy. And I like things to be easy… like how easy it was to eat this cake. Mmm.

Please visit BlogHer.com special offers page for more information on the Cakery for a Cause.

First and foremost, we always buy the annual ornament from Robert’s Fire Catalog. We have 2004 onwards. (Of note, you can buy some of the older ones on their site if you missed a year or two!) In fact, if you’re not familiar with Robert’s Fire Catalog, you should be. It’s a great one-stop-shop for all of your firefighter gifting needs and will be featured a few times throughout this week! (Another note: I am not showing you the picture of the 2008 Ornament so that FireDad doesn’t see it before Christmas morning!)

This ornament can be found on quite a few sites this year. The blown glass fire truck ornament is absolutely gorgeous. And, being glass, breakable. Keep that in mind when purchasing. We do have a few glass ornaments on our tree (such as a few of these blown ornaments and the above annual ornaments) but they are safely wire wrapped to the tree. Or so we hope! (All pictures can be found below.)

For the kid in you or living in your home go with a fire truck ride-on ornament. We have a ride-on in our house that is quite smilar to this ornament! This one is actually made by Hallmark and, as such, I should stop and say a few things about Hallmark. They have a fire truck ornament every year. We only have one as they are always sold out by the time I get to our local Hallmark to make my purchase. As Hallmark doesn’t have a main site that lets you order their offerings, I’m frequently just out of luck. They are, however, gorgeous ornaments. Get thee to a Hallmark, yesterday, and see if you can grab this year’s ornament. (It’s awesome looking!) (Of note: You can also google to find past Hallmark fire truck ornaments, like this ride-on from individual Hallmark stores. And always check ebay!) (One more note! They’re not glass! WOO!)

There are a billion and one firefighter snowmen ornaments on the market. We have three on our tree. This is a cute on that I just found. They can be found in all kinds of dress as well. As an example, one of ours is dressed in a yellow coat, one is dressed in a black coat and one is dressed in all red. You can, no doubt, find a snowman firefighter ornament that matches your firefighter’s turnout gear!

And, of course, there are an outrageous number of ornaments featuring Santa as a firefighter. I would like to point out, however, that Santa Claus, with his big belly, wouldn’t likely pass the physical agility test. Just saying. All the same, we have a blown glass Santa on our tree that looks similar to either of these except that he is dressed in red. You can find him with a hose, with a dog or climbing a ladder. In the non-glass variety, there are even more options like the Santa in this collection. All the same, these are actually some of my favorite firefighter ornaments. Something about the magic of Santa and the magic of firefighting really pulls it together for me!

Whether you’re purchasing a firefighter ornament for an adult firefighter or a child who just loves the noise and bright-shininess of a fire truck, there are many more options available to you this year. I suggest you browse the internet or actually get out and look at the stores around you. Don’t skip over those kiosks in the mall as I’ve found quite a few great firefighter related ornaments there and, to boot, they often have the option for personalization!

All this week Stop, Drop & Blog will be bringing you gift ideas for the firefighters or fire truck loving children in your lives! Tomorrow I’ll be hitting on fire truck ride-ons for your wanna-be firefighters! Be sure to tune in!

First of all, ask yourself a few questions: Does the Fire Department come to your child’s school? Are there other opportunities for your child to see, touch and hear these fire trucks? Girl and Boy Scout troops often take trips to visit the Fire Department. Before you set up your own private tour, figure out if they’re going there next Tuesday. Too much Big Red Fire Truck can overwhelm a child.

Now, onto the process.

1. PICK UP YOUR PHONE. I know. I hate the phone, too. I don’t even like to call for pizza and, man, I love pizza. But even if your local department has a website, you’re going to get the most information and schedule the best time for all involved by employing the use of the archaic telephone. I have, in the past, schedule a visit entirely by email (for FireDad to visit a New York Fire House as an anniversary present, see picture to the left) but, trust me, it works better for all involved if you just pick up the phone.

1a. Ask if they give small family tours. While most will, it will behoove you to realize that some do not. If yours doesn’t, consider calling one town over or even to the nearest “big city.” Realize that Volunteer Fire Departments don’t always have a fire fighter on site and, at the same time, professional departments have a long list of other tasks that must be accomplished during the day.

1b. If they do, ask what time is good for them. Yes. You’re busy. You are! Look at all that laundry you have sitting, just waiting for you to actually get up from the computer and toss it in the washer. (Oh wait, that’s just me.) But so are the fire fighters. As an example, tours are often offered after 5:00 in the evening at our department. After you ask what time is good, find a date that works for you both and set it up.

2. Prepare your children. Tell them that they will need to listen to the fire fighter, ask appropriate questions and to ask the fire fighter before they touch anything. Also, tell yourself that ahead of times as well. Because, oh, the big shiny buttons.

3. Realize that fires are unpredictable. If they were predictable, FireDad probably wouldn’t have had to fight a fire the night before our wedding or on every major holiday since joining the department or birthday or days off or… the list goes on. If you arrive at the fire department and find that no trucks are present, you’re going to have to reschedule your tour. And you’re going to have some pretty upset children. (No doubt, you’re going to be pretty bummed as well.) Trust me on this one: treat them to something that they don’t normally get. Whether that’s ice cream, a late night movie or an impromptu trip to Grandma’s, just do it. Explain that the fire fighters are helping other people by fighting a fire and promise to reschedule. Oh, and then you’ll have to pick up the phone again later in the evening or tomorrow. Sigh. I know. Phones.

4. Take something to the fire fighters. Brownies are always a big hit! Any snack will do. Realize that these guys work up quite an appetite at times and would surely love something to munch on in between blazes. That said, recruit your children to help make the brownies (or whatever you decide upon). They’ll feel proud when they hand over the plate.

5. And don’t forget the Thank You note afterwards. The fire fighters won’t care if they don’t receive one. But it’s an important lesson for little ones to learn. Let them draw on a blank card and translate whatever they want to write if they’re not yet of writing age. Include a translation of your own if they are of writing age and it’s not quite coherent.

6. Last but not least: Don’t forget your camera when you go! You’ll want these memories. Trust me.

Have you visited your local Fire Department lately? What was your experience like? Were you as excited as your children? You know, despite taking the boys there almost once a week for just about four years now, I still get excited when I see the Shiny Red Trucks. There’s just something about them that’s awe inspiring and fun.

Oh, and ten bucks says if you ask one of the fire fighters, whom you just handed some brownies, to take a picture of you with your kiddos, they most certainly will… but don’t blame me if they get brownie fingerprints on your camera!