Hearing his voice on the phone later that morning made me feel like a twitterpated-teenager again. I was in love with his voice, his breath. As he drove down the lane toward me later that day, I could hardly control my joy, my relief, my love. I listened to his stories over a celebratory drink that evening. I held him close as we went to sleep. I woke up this morning and stared at his face (after I kicked the boys back out of our bedroom with promises of breakfast “in a few minutes”). I kissed him gently, overcome with thankfulness that I could do so. Again.

I bought this necklace a few weeks ago. I liked how it looked, but I didn’t know when I would wear it. Or with what. Yesterday I wore it with a brown shirt and a green cardigan. Today I’m wearing it with an ivory shirt and a tan cardigan. But it wouldn’t matter if I didn’t own a thing to wear it with; I’ll wear it on days like yesterday. I’ll wear it when I’m proud, when I’m afraid, when I’m missing my firefighter. I’ll wear it because it keeps him just that much closer to me, to my heart. His number, a fire truck, an axe, a hydrant, a helmet and the fact that he is my hero.

If you see me wearing this necklace, know that I have just sat on my couch in the pitch-black of night listening to the scanner. Maybe there was a mayday. Maybe there wasn’t. But know that my heart was in my throat and my brain was working on overdrive the entire time. We may know how to make our schedules work together, but I don’t imagine I’ll ever really get used to listening to my husband in imminent danger.

But let’s lay off on the mayday calls. I could really do without them.

Mayday 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.

He’s innocent until proven guilty (you know, despite the presence of eye-witnesses, ahem), of course, so I won’t be commenting on the case. What I do want to ask is this: what is his son’s career? Really, I need to know what his son does for a living.

Because we obviously had to know that the man-beating father with poor parenting skills was a firefighter. So, I want to know what the son does. Is he a CPA at his wits end at the end of tax season? A glee club teacher gone crazy after too many rehearsals for sectionals? A freelance writer who had been holed up working on a piece for too long? Was he a train conductor, a construction worker, a member of a band? Did he teach small children right from wrong in our school system? Did he fix my computer after hackers wrecked all of my data? Would he have come to fix my pipes after my kids threw something in the toilet that clogged everything up? Those occupations might be mentioned in the article at some point but would make an unlikely headline.

I get it. Firefighters, like police officers and soldiers, are held to a higher standard. They are here to serve and protect. When they go rogue and beat someone to death or start fires or any other number of heinous crimes, it’s kind of scary. These are the people we expect to save us. These are the people we count on when something bad is happening in our own lives. And so, when I hear a story about some firefighter who has gone off the deep end and started his own unintentional or, if the crime is premeditated, intentional smear campaign of firefighters everywhere, I want to create my own headline that reads: Freelance Writer, Full-Time Blogger and Part-Time Newspaper Photographer Goes Bat Poop Crazy and Hits Really Stupid (Alleged) Crime-Committing Soon-to-be-EX-Firefighter Over the Head with Her Really Heavy Purse-slash-Camera Bag. Except I’m able to keep my anger in check.

But that makes my other point, doesn’t it? If I beat someone up alongside the road, they’d most likely use my title of mom to make titillating headlines. Unless I was at, say, the BlogHer conference. Then I might get some reference to my work, though it would be something like, “CRAZY BLOGGING WOMAN KILLS EQUALLY STRANGE PEERS.” If my husband delivers the beatdown, well, screw his role of husband and father, it’s a firefighter! There are so many job titles that would never have made that headline, let alone the small article itself. I really want to see more occupational titles in headlines though. So I’m sure to avoid every person in any profession. Because the bad seeds should be able to speak for us all.

All of this is to say that my heart goes out to Mark Wallace’s family, the man who was beaten to his death by this unfortunate so-called firefighter and his apparently jobless son. I am so very sorry for your loss and that it came at the hands of someone who was supposed to protect.

Firefighter News Headlines or, Where Are the Murderous Plumbers? 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.

I was given two bags of Firehouse Nuts from a friend of mine who loves to gift us fire related things. I ate the first bag a few months ago and have just decided to brave the second bag. While these were originally intended for TheBrothers, I can assure you that I would likely be a neglectful mother if I let them even touch these peanuts.

The ingredients don’t seem too terrible. Mention of paprika, spices and vinegar. Not too hot, right? What they don’t say is what is written on the front: smoked Habanero flavored peanuts. That’s an important thing to know. These aren’t just kind of spicy like a warm winter chili. These aren’t spicy like the salsa at your favorite restaurant. These are hot. Hot like that green hot sauce that your friend (or my dad) dares you to eat and then laughs when you gasp for air. Hot like fire in your mouth that can’t extinguished with coffee, milk, bread or any combination thereof.

But I keep eating them.

They have a good flavor. It’s just intense. I could see giving these as a gift to my Dad (another crazy spicy food lover) or as a firehouse gift, gag or otherwise. (The tin is decorated with fire trucks and could actually make a great fire gift.) I could see serving these with regular peanuts mixed in or on a table with a bunch of other peanuts… and a warning. Whatever the case, I wouldn’t give these to my kids. Or my grandmother. Or FireDad. He sweats when he eats spicy food and he might cause a flash flood with the temperature of these things.

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[Disclosure: I received these for free as a gift from a friend without promise of review. I reviewed these because they fit the niche of our blog.]

Hot Review, Literally: Firehouse Nuts 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.

He hasn’t changed much. I mean, look at him.

He’s still a baby face as he was in this picture five years ago. I don’t think he’s been asked if he’s old enough to drive the fire truck recently but he still regularly gets carded. He may look the same but he’s changed a lot as well. In good ways… mostly.

The adjustment period of being on the fire department wasn’t always easy. Of course, we further complicated things by immediately conceiving and adding BigBrother to our family. And then we bought this house. And then we had LittleBrother. So from picture frame one to picture frame two in the above photo, a lot happened. Yet he never backed down from the challenge. I suppose that’s the firefighter in him.

I won’t say that I worry less when he runs off to a fire. We all know that I worry. I will say that I’ve gotten used to the worry which is entirely different than not worrying. Adjusting to the schedule was also a challenge, one that I think we both struggle with at times as well. I think, as I said above, we’ve struggled most while also undergoing other personal life changes and challenges. The sleep deprivation of the newborn phase doesn’t always work well with the sleep deprivation of firefighting or the sleep deprivation of solo parenting brought on by firefighting. But we made it through that… twice over.

For five years, I’ve sent him off to work every third day, knowing that he’ll be home twenty-four hours later. For five years, he’s come home twenty-four hours later and made the coffee, helping me get the day started for forty-eight hours together. For five years, we’ve learned more about the fire life and about each other. While this particular anniversary isn’t our anniversary (ours is in December), it’s still a milestone I think we both celebrate.

I mean, five years means three weeks of vacation instead of two. Celebration indeed.

I can’t wait to see what the next five, ten, fifteen and twenty years bring us with regard to fire stories, memories and family life. No more pregnant shots like this:

Or this:

But, most definitely more of this:

Happy Five Year Fire Anniversary, FireDad! We’re proud of you!

(But really… three weeks of vacation! WOOHOO!)

Five Year Fire Anniversary 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.

Firefighter’s Night Before Christmas is a true gem. Written by Kimbra Cutlip and illustrated by James Rice, the book follows the rhyme scheme of the original Night Before Christmas. I had hesitated borrowing this book from the library in years past because I know how long the original story is and I feared that the boys wouldn’t be able to handle it until now (ages 4 and 2). I was right. They not only handle it well but they really, really, really like this book.

In this particular Night Before Christmas series book, we see how the firefighters have gotten ready for Christmas by playing Santa (warning if you haven’t had the “he’s a helper of Santa because Santa is very busy” conversation), made a meal and so on. They were the “unlucky stiffs” who had to work the “Christmas Eve shift.” This makes us laugh this year as FireDad will be working Christmas Eve (but has Christmas Day off, thankfully). When, much to their surprise, Santa shows up! On an aerial rig with “lights on display,” because what else would Santa drive?

Then, as Santa is sampling their five-alarm chili, what else should happen but the alarm going off? I got all teary eyed when I got to the part that really hits home with any fire family:

We jumped in our boots as we’d all done before,
But a Christmas Eve call was different for sure.
Visions of families flashed in our heads,
While all of us hoped ours were safe in their beds.

Sniffle.

The firefighters race off to fight the fire into the dawning hours of Christmas morning. Tired, they return to their house to find a Christmas miracle: snow, a snowman and a “shiny new pumper.” And a laptop! And a toy chest! And new socks! And a new grill! And a bed! And a TV! And lounge chairs! And finished paperwork!

BigBrother loves reading through what everyone received. He also likes the part at the end of the book where Santa Claus signs the paperwork as “Ol’ Sergeant Nick.” The rhyme scheme of the book, familiar to them from the original story, keeps their attention as do the fun, festive illustrations. One review accused this book of having “halting” rhymes but I’m assuming that reader wasn’t familiar with some of the fire terminology. I do believe that this book will also be purchased for our library of Christmas books. I mean, it’s the perfect addition, is it not?

I think Firefighter’s Night Before Christmas would be a welcome and loved library addition for any fire family raising children. Or even for grandparents who are/were firefighters who like to read with/to their grandchildren. Furthermore, even if you aren’t a firefighter but have children who love fire trucks, this would be a great book to have for Christmas Eve or the surrounding season. This book is actually part of a series, Night Before Christmas Series which has everything from Nurse’s Night Before Christmas to Teachers’ to An Irish Night Before Christmas! I think we may start checking some other ones of these out over the next few years.

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[Disclosure: Book is from the library. Links are Amazon Associate links.]

Book Review: The Firefighter’s Night Before Christmas 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.

FireDad and I sat down one Friday night to give it a go. It had been awhile so we familiarized ourselves with the rules. The customizations for the firefighter game were amusing to the both of us. Houses and hotels were fire stations and headquarters. We also had Flashover and Backdraft cards instead of Chance and Community Chest. A 9-1-1 tax, membership and union dues stood out as well. Places to be purchased were also fun fire related names like Probie Place and Fire Chief Avenue. Furthermore, the pieces to play with were fire specific: a boot, a fire engine, a flashlight, a helmet, a fire hydrant and a dalmatian. FireDad chose the truck while I went with the fire hydrant.

We had a great time playing our first time through this edition of Monopoly. We laughed at some of the Backdraft and Flashover cards. In fact, one of my favorites was one that FireDad pulled. He still hasn’t earned his Stork Pin yet so he wasn’t equally as moved.

We had some good laughs over the course of our game, both fire related and simply at ourselves. In the end, FireDad ended up winning because he bought up some land that I kept landing on every single time. I’d challenge him to another match but I don’t think it was luck. He’s just good.

The question remains: would I recommend this as a gift for a firefighter? Maybe for Christmas, a birthday or a fire service anniversary? I would. Most definitely. It’s running right around $40, plus or minus shipping depending on which online retailer you use for your purchase. FireAwards.com has it listed for $39.95 right now (12/7). That might seem steep for some but it’s one of those gifts that will get more use than, say, a firefighter figurine on a shelf. This is something that can be enjoyed by the firefighter and the entire fire family. Forty bucks for a lifetime of family togetherness and laughter seems like an alright price to me!

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[Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this game from Gary at FireAwards.com in exchange for a published review of the game and a link.]

Great Gift for Firefighters: Firefighter Monopoly 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.

Over the years, we have collected a number of firefighter specific ornaments. When I say “a number,” I do mean “lots and lots,” of course. I started thinking about their coloring as I hopped from shop to shop after the Christmas decorations were put out in stores (which was before Halloween this year and while some may find that deplorable, it helped in my hunt). I fell in love with a mix of red, apple green and white ornaments at The Store That Has Everything from Ornaments to Soy Based Yogurt. It turns out that the mix was a popular one this year because I found accenting smaller ornaments at just about every store I went to over the few weeks it took me to make my decision. I purchased a huge bundle of them from the initial store (50 larger ornaments) and a bunch of teeny ornaments from various stores. The colors are gorgeous.

In fact, when I started to pull out our specialty ornaments, I realized that the new ones were perfectly complementary to the ornament that is always displayed front and center on our Christmas tree: Santa as a firefighter.

We have a few variations of snowmen as firefighters as well. The reds of their hats or whole bodies were also perfect for the new coloring of our Christmas tree.

Yes, that last one is actually a bell. And it does jingle. But don’t tell the boys. Please.

We have another Santa but I always put him off to the side now. He was a gift from the owners of Teach, Bank, Blog back in 2005, just a month after BigBrother was born. I love the ornament but I feel bad that it doesn’t have LittleBrother’s name on it. So he hangs off on the side that faces my computer now. I smile at him and he watches me to make sure I’m being nice, not naughty.

One ornament doesn’t really match the color theme but definitely fits the fire theme. A firefighter dalmatian, complete with axe. He may be in yellow and blue but he’s a welcome addition to our fire tree.

The funniest fire themed ornament on our tree is a firefighter… Pez dispenser ornament. It makes me laugh every time I see it.

We also have a special series of ornaments on our tree. Robert’s Fire Catalog releases an ornament every year with the date and a different fire truck. I have purchased one for FireDad every year since we have been married. While we were engaged on Christmas Eve 2003 and I’d like to have an ornament from that year as well, I can’t seem to get my hands on one from that year. Such is life. 2004 is my favorite. 2005 is kind of… pink. 2009 may or may not be opened on Christmas morning. Guess FireDad will just have to find out.

One of the gems of the tree is a Hallmark ornament that is a 1938 fire truck. Our batteries are dead so it doesn’t currently do anything except match our colors and look generally awesome. It sits close to FireDad’s recliner so that he can pretend he’s like Jay Leno and has an antique fire truck. Someday.

I hope to add another ornament or two, other than the one from Fire Catalog, this year. As such, if you’re ever stuck for a gift idea for our family or any firefighter, consider an ornament. They’re usually easy to find. Santa as a firefighter is a recurring theme year after year, likewise with the snowmen as a firefighter. Hallmark almost always has a fire truck ornament but I’m not always quick enough to get them before they’re sold out of our local Hallmark. (20 firefighters on our local department plus the surrounding volunteer departments mean that fire truck ornaments go pretty quickly around here. Ebay is always an option.)

In the end, I’m in love with our “new” Christmas tree. I even bought a new tree skirt. And, yes, that is a firefighter snowman sitting next to the tree. I am pleased that our new Christmas tree not only matches itself but reflects our family. Fire trucks, firefighters and the color green. I mean, it’s a win-win-win for us all!

Especially with a star on top.

Weekend Outtakes: Fire Tree 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.

Enter: Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog by Firefighter Dayna Hilton.

I “met” Firefighter Dayna and Sparkles online shortly after Stop, Drop and Blog was launched. Hailing from Arkansas, they teach their local children about fire safety through their fire department. They don’t stop there! If you have Sprout, the PBS channel for kids, you might have seen a mention or two (or more) about Sparkles this week. They’re serious (and fun) about spreading the message of fire safety.

That’s why they sent us their book to read. I’ll be honest; I love the book. What says firefighter more than a dalmatian on a fire truck? The pictures are bright, vivid and go with the descriptive information on the page. The book teaches children (and parents) to know the sound of their smoke alarm, how to get out of the house (go low under smoke), to have a plan and a preset meeting place outside and, which is a very important thing, not to be afraid of firefighters. One of our adult friends admits that he was afraid of firefighters when he was a kid. Not good! We need to teach our children that firefighters are our friends and that if they show up, they’re only there to help!

If your kid are like mine, they might also like the audio book which includes Sparkles’ theme song! Fun!

I just can’t stress the importance of teaching fire safety at home with your own children. Yes,  your schools likely did a lesson or more on fire safety this week. Next week they’ll be on to something else. Your children need to know how to get out of your house in various ways. Your children need to know the sound of your own smoke detector. Your children need to know that you know all of this as well.

And that’s why we’re giving away two copies of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog, the audio book, some cards with Sparkles picture and a First Alert smoke detector pack. What all is included?

Two winners will receive a copy of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog book and audio books by Firehouse Dog Publishing. This fun and educationally sound book is autographed by Firefighter Dayna and “pawed” by Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog. To date, the book has been credited with saving the lives of two children and their families. Inspired by her work as a firefighter and by the love of her four-legged friend, Firefighter Dayna set out to create a heart-warming story about Sparkles.

Through the book, children learn the adventures of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog while at the same time learn valuable fire safety tips, which empower them to stay fire safe in case of fire. These tips include, (a) recognizing the firefighter as a helper and a friend, (b) knowing the sound and purpose of a smoke alarm, (c) learning how to crawl low under smoke, and (d) understanding the importance of practicing a home fire drill using an escape map. Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog is based on the latest fire safety research for young children by Oklahoma State University’s Fire Protection Publications.

The winner will also receive life saving products from First Alert, including a smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm, Tundra™ Fire Extinguishing Spray and two-story escape ladder. Prize package value $135.00.

That’s a big prize pack! How do you enter?

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me your kids’ ages and what they know about fire safety as of yet. You may do this once.

Bonus entries:

2. Copy/paste the following in your twitter stream: Win a fire safety prize pack worth over $135 with @FireMom and @sparklestfsd: bit.ly/sU2XO …Be sure to leave a comment here in case I miss your tweet! You may do this as many times as you think your followers will tolerate!

3. Blog about this giveaway on your public blog, linking back to this post. Leave a comment here with your URL so I can be sure to find it.

Restrictions: Limited to US residents.

The giveaway will be open until October 23, 2009 at noon. The winner will be pulled via random.org and contacted via email. You will have 24 hours to respond or I will pull a new winner.

If you’ve learned anything this week on Stop, Drop & Blog I hope that it is that fire safety is both important and easy for you to teach at home. If you ever have any questions about fire safety and kids, please don’t hesitate to ask. In the meantime, best of luck in this giveaway!

(Our winners were Jennifer and Mandy. We had two Mandy-entrants. I linked to avoid confusion. They have been emailed!)

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Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book and the CD. We would have posted this giveaway without such a thing as we have been fans of Sparkles for years!

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog + a Giveaway 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.

It’s an Aeromax Toys costume! Once I knew that, I contacted them to ask if we could review the new yellow one in BigBrother’s size (4-6) so that we could have two firefighters running around the house. They happily obliged and, as such, two firefighters have been busy putting out fires in the backyard and visiting their daddy on the scene of big downtown fires. We’re pleased.

Let me tell you my favorite things about these Aeromax costumes.

1. They look real. FireDad’s biggest “reality” complaint is that the yellow costume should technically also have a black helmet. Otherwise, the yellow firefighter costume is just like the real thing at our local professional department where FireDad works, right down to the red suspenders.

2. Little details like the knee patches, brass clasps and reflective tape add that little extra “oomph.”

3. Let me reiterate one point: reflective tape. This is probably the safest costume on the market, in black or white. Shine a light at this costume or take a picture with flash and you’ll see what I mean. I really wouldn’t suggest sending your small child out by himself in the dark while dressed in a costume but the reflective tape makes for some extra-safe trick-or-treating if you’re not home by dusk.

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4. It comes with a helmet that isn’t flimsy or easily breakable. I know you have received a flimsy, red fire helmet from a fire safety day at school or at a birthday party. If you step on one of those, they’re done. Not so with these! In fact, if you step on one of these, your foot will pay, not the helmet.

5. Which brings me to my favorite point: this costume is not made of your typical, cheap costume material. This is heavy. This material withstands stopping, dropping and rolling down the hill as your child fights an imaginary fire. It isn’t going to rip just because one child runs away from another and they yank on the back of the other’s costume. It’s going to withstand one child’s use and well into the next kid’s abuse. We wear costumes frequently in this house and our older black one still looks as good as new.

There are two things I don’t like about the costumes.

1. The brass buckles are still too hard for even BigBrother to do on his own. Sometimes I convince him that he simply wants to zip his jacket instead of doing the buckles as well but, most of the time, he needs to be in full gear which includes his buckles being buckled. But, as a kid, when he decides, not quite ten minutes later, that he needs to take off his fire jacket, I have to help him undo the buckles as his fingers are not quite strong enough. I will say that the difference in two years from the black to the yellow costume have seen some improvement but they’re still too difficult.

2. The picture that comes on the costume shows the little firefighter with an axe. BigBrother was mighty ticked for a few days that there was no axe. (Also, no boots. We have fire boots on hand at all times so that’s not an issue for our family. Heads up for you.) While I don’t really want him to have an axe and am therefore okay with all of this, I just thought I would warn you. No axe. Be prepared for, “Where’s my axe?” Over and over. And over again.

If those are my only two negative points, I’m fine and you should be as well.

The firefighter costume comes in black, yellow and tan. Aeromax Toys also happens to make a wide array of other imaginative costumes for your future Astronaut, Doctor or Armed Forces Pilot. Among many other things! You should give it a look.

You can purchase the firefighter costume straight from Aeromax Toys’ website for $59.95. It’s also available on Amazon right now for $49.33 (October 5, 2009; price subject to change).

And, yes, TheBrothers are being firefighters for Halloween this year. In fact, the whole FireFamily will be going as a group of firefighters to a friend’s party. Look for pictures after Halloween! But here are two more of my favorites, taken in the aftermath of a recent downtown fire.

We’re fans of Aeromax Toys costume. You will be as well!

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[I contacted Aeromax Toys to request a costume for review. I posted my honest opinion on both the pros and cons of this particular costume. I received no further compensation from the company.]

Firefighter Costume Review: Aeromax Costumes 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.