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		<title>Weekly Favorites: February 27, 2011</title>
		<link>http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/27/weekly-favorites-february-27-2011/</link>
		<comments>http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/27/weekly-favorites-february-27-2011/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Feb 2011 16:58:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>FireMom</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Links]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recipes]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Weekly Favorites]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[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&#8217;m <a href='http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/27/weekly-favorites-february-27-2011/' class='excerpt-more'>[...]</a><p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/27/weekly-favorites-february-27-2011/">Weekly Favorites: February 27, 2011</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>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&#8217;m pretty sure it requires a pre-and-post workout.</p>
<h3><strong>Recipes That Made My Mouth Water:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/02/creamy-chicken-spaghetti-casserole/">Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole</a></strong> by Ree Drummond at <em>The Pioneer Woman</em>. Yes, we&#8217;re having this for dinner tonight. And yes, my mouth watered while sharing this recipe with you.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://sarahscucinabella.com/2011/02/25/easy-homemade-pierogies/">Easy Homemade Pierogies</a></strong> by Sarah at <em>Sarah&#8217;s Cucina Bella</em>. 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 <a href="http://sarahscucinabella.com/2011/02/23/grilled-cheese-with-bacon-sandwich/">grilled cheese with bacon sandwich</a> and <a href="http://sarahscucinabella.com/2011/02/22/tomato-bisque-for-12/">tomato bisque for 12</a>. Mmm.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/02/21/the-mcdonalds-shamrock-shake-copycat-recipe/">The McDonald&#8217;s Shamrock Shake Copycat Recipe</a></strong> by Kelsey at <em><a href="http://www.thenaptimechef.com/">The Naptime Chef</a></em>. I squealed when I saw this one. <a href="http://www.burghbaby.com">Burgh Baby</a> probably won&#8217;t agree with my utter enthusiasm.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://scriberson.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-gives.html">What Gives</a></strong> by Sarah at <em>Scriberson 365</em>. 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!</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://hydrantgirl.blogspot.com/2011/02/black-helmet-give-away.html">Black Helmet Giveaway</a></strong> by <em>Hydrantgirl</em>. <a href="http://blackhelmetapparel.com">Black Helmet Apparel</a> is the only company FireDad really likes for fire service t-shirts. Because they&#8217;re not corny. I swear I entered, even though it seems as though comments haven&#8217;t been approved yet. You should go enter. For me? Sure! Thanks!</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://firecritic.com/2011/02/several-videos-of-fdny-in-action-this-past-week/">Several Videos of FDNY in Action This Past Week</a></strong> by Rhett at <em>The Fire Critic</em>. A post about the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/newsworking">Newsworking channel on YouTube</a> which features coverage of FDNY in action. I subscribed to the channel. You should too!</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Photo Blog Posts that Inspired Me:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://shuttersisters.com/home/2011/2/22/camp-shutter-sisters.html">Camp Shuttersisters</a></strong> at <em>Shutter Sisters</em>. Man. The amazing women behind <em>Shutter Sisters</em>, one of my favorite sites, are sponsoring a photography camp/getaway/awesome event. It&#8217;s being held in October in California. Registration opens soon, but I&#8217;m pretty sure I can&#8217;t swing two trips to California in one year. I&#8217;m sad, but I had to share it with my readers. Someone needs to go for me!</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://www.mcpactions.com/blog/2011/02/21/tamron-contest/">Tamron Contest</a> </strong> at <em>MCP Actions</em>. A Tamron lens giveaway. &#8216;Nuff said.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://light-traces.com/wild-free/">Wild Free</a></strong> by Michelle Black at <em>Light Traces</em>. Another inspirational post with a beautiful photo. I didn&#8217;t include it just because she used a picture she took in our favorite vacation spot &#8212; Emerald Isle, NC &#8212; but that didn&#8217;t hurt.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>My Absolute Favorites This Week:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.postpartumprogress.com/weblog/2011/02/on-the-women-who-dont-survive-postpartum-depression.html">On the Women Who Don&#8217;t Survive Postpartum Depression</a></strong> by Katherine Stone at <em>Postpartum Progress</em>. 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 &#8212; and read.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://www.momblogmagazine.com/index/2011/02/letters-to-miss-britt-how-do-you-find-the-time-to-write-on-multiple-blogs/">Letters to Miss Britt: How Do You Find the Time to Write on Multiple Blogs</a></strong> by <a href="http://miss-britt.com">Britt Reints</a> at <em>Mom Blog Magazine</em>. 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 &#8212; your original platform &#8212; you&#8217;re missing out. Good perspective for myself and my other blogger/writer friends.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://www.morningsidemom.com/2011/02/25/finding-a-smile-underneath/">Finding a Smile Underneath</a></strong> by <em>Morningside Mom</em>. 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!</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://texasebeth.blogspot.com/2011/02/words-are-power.html">Words Are Power</a></strong> by Texasebeth at <em>My life, such as it is</em>. Mmm. I&#8217;m on the flip side of this, but I have been learning &#8212; so much. Words have power, and even kids know it.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://www.grumblesandgrunts.com/2011/02/blast-from-past.html">Blast from the Past</a></strong> by Jamie at <em>Grumbles and Grunts</em>. I just found her blog and subscribed immediately. I swear it wasn&#8217;t just because on her &#8220;about&#8221; 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&#8217;s going to BlogHer &#8217;11 and generally seems kinda awesome. Start here and explore her archives.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>A Few of My Favorite Photos This Week:</strong></h3>
<p><img class="aligncenter" title="Bed Head" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5054/5480345323_1813ee696e_z.jpg" alt="Bed Head" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>LittleBrother needs a haircut. He wakes up with Green Day hair.</em></p>
<p><a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Medium" title="Natural Lace" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5468516594/"><img class="aligncenter" title="Natural Lace" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5016/5468516594_0b88b0dbd9_z.jpg" alt="Natural Lace" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>I still don&#8217;t know how this happens.</em></p>
<p><img class="aligncenter" title="Monster Cupcakes" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5214/5482586156_8551545ca5_z.jpg" alt="Monster Cupcakes" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>My friend&#8217;s son turned four. The Monster Cupcakes were a hit with my boys.</em></p>
<p>I also enjoyed both of the self-portraits (<a href="http://jennahatfield.com/2011/02/starting-picture-inspiration/">1</a>, <a href="http://jennahatfield.com/2011/02/picture-inspiration-week-1-this-is-all-about-you/">2</a>) that I took for <a href="http://bigpictureclasses.com/pictureinspiration">Picture Inspiration</a> this week. They&#8217;re both at my <a href="http://jennahatfield.com/blog/">photoblog</a>.</p>
<p>Hopefully this week is a good one. Last week was busy &#8212; and snowy &#8212; and I&#8217;m looking forward to warmer temperatures even if it does mean rain, rain and more rain. I&#8217;m telling you, spring isn&#8217;t far off. I mean, really, it&#8217;s about 22 days away. But sooner would be better. Right? Quite honestly, I&#8217;m ready to say goodbye to February. Funny how the shortest month of the year is quite honestly the worst.</p>
<p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/27/weekly-favorites-february-27-2011/">Weekly Favorites: February 27, 2011</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>Weekly Favorites: February 20, 2011</title>
		<link>http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/20/weekly-favorites-february-20-2011/</link>
		<comments>http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/20/weekly-favorites-february-20-2011/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Feb 2011 02:57:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>FireMom</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Links]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[project 365 favorites]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[February 20th?! Apparently 2011 is going to be another one of those years that simply flies by. I&#8217;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 <a href='http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/20/weekly-favorites-february-20-2011/' class='excerpt-more'>[...]</a><p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/20/weekly-favorites-february-20-2011/">Weekly Favorites: February 20, 2011</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>February 20th?! Apparently 2011 is going to be another one of those years that simply flies by. I&#8217;m behind on reading again. This was a heavy deadline week. But really? February 20? Wow!</p>
<h3><strong>Recipes That Made My Mouth Water:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/italian_sausage_and_cabbage_stew/">Italian Sausage and Cabbage Stew</a></strong> by Elise at <em>Simply Recipes</em>. My family loves sausage. My family loves cabbage. Really seems like a win for our dinner table!</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://hydrantgirl.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-got-job.html">I Got a Job</a></strong> by Hydrantgirl. Go give her some congratulations for landing a full time paramedic position. Also, give her high fives for saying &#8220;holy snotsticks.&#8221; HIGH FIVE!</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://mfdwife-toohottohandle.blogspot.com/2011/02/visit-we-hope-we-never-receive.html">The Visit We Hope We Never Receive</a></strong> by Trina at <em>Too Hot to Handle</em>. A post about the LODD of <a href="http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/firefighter-injured-in-ceiling-collapse-dies-20110218">Firefighter Glenn L. Allen</a> and how news of such things sends a chill down the spine of fire wives all over the world.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://justmejustmyblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-am-recruiting.html">I Am Recruiting</a></strong> by Just Me at <em>Just My Blog</em>. In short, the youngest child of <em><a href="http://happymedic.com/">The Happy Medic</a></em> is in the ICU. If you&#8217;d like to get send something to the family, see the post referenced for ideas and how to&#8217;s. See also <a href="http://pinkwarmdry.com/2011/02/17/rally-the-troops/">This post at <em>Pink Warm and Dry</em></a> for a definition of <strong>family</strong> if you don&#8217;t quite understand why we&#8217;re rallying around this family.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Photo Blog Posts That Inspired Me:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.twoducksinthelivingroom.com/365/?p=377">46/365</a></strong> by Cynthia at <em>Freezing memories, one day at a time</em>. Not only are the photos of her son so darn cute, but the story&#8230; well, it made me all weepy. Read it.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://www.chookooloonks.com/blog/2011/2/16/list-15-7-things-to-do-when-you-need-to-add-good-to-your-day.html">List #15: 7 Things To Do When You Need to Add Good To Your Day</a></strong> by Karen Walrond at <em>Chookooloonks</em>. I think, with snow in the forecast again this week despite the fact that I have lily sprouts through the ground, I&#8217;m going to take Karen&#8217;s advice. Great post.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>My Absolute Favorites of the Week:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.arizona-writer.com/2011/02/bird-count-and-self-promotion-plus.html">Bird Count and Self Promotion (Plus Pretty Pictures!)</a></strong> by Kim at <em>Arizona Writer</em>. As a photographer who devotes a large amount of time to stalking birds, I have always admired Kim&#8217;s work. This post? I love. Lots. The Yellow-Headed Blackbirds photo? I want. Badly.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://mooshinindy.com/2011/02/15/photographic-darkness/">Photographic Darkness</a></strong> by Casey at <em>Moosh in Indy</em>. 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.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://www.jorydesjardins.com/2011/02/making-it-work-traveling-while-lactating.html">Making It Work: Traveling While Lactating</a></strong> by  Jory Des Jardins at <em>From Here to Autonomy</em>. Any mother who has traveled and pumped (or pumped ever) will appreciate the humorous honesty in this post. Keep it up, Jory.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://loraleeslooneytunes.com/2011/02/16/ann-landers/">Ann Landers</a></strong> by Loralee Choate at <em>Loarelee&#8217;s Looneytunes</em>. I don&#8217;t know why we continue to submit ourself to the stupid that is Ann Landers&#8217; column, but I love Loralee&#8217;s rant. In addition to that, the truth remains that I really wouldn&#8217;t be in the place where I am today if it wasn&#8217;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.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://www.amommystory.com/2011/02/behaving-badly.html">Behaving Badly</a></strong> by Christina at <em>A Mommy Story</em>. 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:</p>
<blockquote><p>Our society is teetering towards a loss of all civility. It&#8217;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&#8217;t like you.)</p></blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>A Few of My Favorite Photos This Week:</strong></h3>
<p>I took a lot of photos this week and it was a hard decision for me.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Medium" title="Waiting, Watching" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5453828580/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5177/5453828580_7c9cbc9e2e_z.jpg" alt="Waiting, Watching" /></a><br />
<em>We took the boys bowling. Loved it!</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Medium" title="February Lily Sprouts" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5460149706/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5014/5460149706_56840cf618_z.jpg" alt="February Lily Sprouts" /></a><br />
<em>Yes, those are lily sprouts. In February. Not a crazy great picture, but a crazy awesome thing.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Medium" title="February Geocaching" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5461084143/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5217/5461084143_34aec6d921_z.jpg" alt="February Geocaching" /></a><br />
<em>I love the texture nature gave to this photo. I can almost </em>feel<em> it.</em></p>
<p>I am so excited for what this week holds. I&#8217;m dealing with some stuff as well, but I just have this level of Kool-Aid Man &#8220;<strong>OH YEAH!</strong>&#8221; for this week. I hope you can find some of that in your upcoming week as well.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><strong> </strong></strong><strong><strong><strong> </strong></strong></strong></p>
<p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/20/weekly-favorites-february-20-2011/">Weekly Favorites: February 20, 2011</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>Weekly Favorites: February 13, 2011</title>
		<link>http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/13/weekly-favorites-february-13-2011/</link>
		<comments>http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/13/weekly-favorites-february-13-2011/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Feb 2011 16:40:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>FireMom</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Links]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[project 365 favorites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weekly Favorites]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;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 <a href='http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/13/weekly-favorites-february-13-2011/' class='excerpt-more'>[...]</a><p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/13/weekly-favorites-february-13-2011/">Weekly Favorites: February 13, 2011</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;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.</p>
<h3>Recipes That Made My Mouth Water:</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2011/02/spiced-chipotle-honey-chicken-breasts.html">Spiced Chipotle Honey Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potatoes and Winter Squash</a></strong> by Joanne at <em>Eats Well With Others</em>. Oh my. It&#8217;s on our next menu plan. Oh my.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://www.confessionsofacookbookqueen.com/2011/02/angry-birds-cupcakes.html"><strong>Angry Birds Cupcakes</strong></a> by Kristan at <em>Confessions of a Cookbook Queen</em>. I&#8217;m never going to be able to create those, but they made me smile so hard.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://traumaqueen.net/?p=1473">At the sharp end</a></strong> and its follow-up, <strong><a href="http://traumaqueen.net/?p=1479">At the sharp end II</a></strong> by Kal at <em>Trauma Queen</em>. 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 &#8212; not just within the fire/EMS blog niche but in general. This? Is good writing. Read it. It&#8217;s the best fire/EMS post/series this week.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Photo Blog Posts That Inspired Me</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://onestarrynight.com/taste-spring/">A Taste of Spring</a></strong> by Sarah at <em>One Starry Night</em>. While Sarah isn&#8217;t solely a photo blogger, she is an amazing photographer. This post made me long for spring which, I&#8217;m hoping, is right around the corner.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://www.birchtreephotographyblog.com/2011/02/overcoming-fears-foundation-workshop-9/">Overcoming Fears | Foundation Workshop 9</a></strong> by Mary at <em>Birchtree Photography</em>. Not only are the photos that she shared moving and amazing, but the words she shared about fears and photography are inspiring.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Books I&#8217;ve Read/Book Posts I Liked:</h3>
<ul>
<li>I finished reading <strong><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061997161?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=thechrofmunla-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0061997161">The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels &#8211;A Love Story</a><img style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thechrofmunla-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0061997161" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></em></strong>. I adored it for many reasons, but mainly because I loved the post-wedding stories the best as I related &#8212; so deeply &#8212; 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!</li>
<p>	<Li>I reviewed <strong><a href="http://thechroniclesofmunchkinland.com/2011/02/12/book-review-as-simple-as-it-seems/"><em>As Simple as It Seems</em> by Sarah Weeks</a></strong><a href="http://thechroniclesofmunchkinland.com/2011/02/12/book-review-as-simple-as-it-seems/"> at Chronicles. It was my </a><a href="http://thechroniclesofmunchkinland.com/adoption-reading-challenge/">4th Adoption Reading Challenge</a> pick (3rd fiction) and <a href="http://jamielovesya.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-young-adult-reading-challenge.html">4th Young Adult Reading Challenge</a> pick. Note: I didn&#8217;t like it.</li>
<p>	<Li>I discovered <a href="http://readingvacation.blogspot.com/"><strong>this book blog</strong></a> written by an 11-year-old girl this week. If you&#8217;ve got some teens/tweens/YA readers in your house, you may want to read this blog!</li>
</ul>
<h3>My Ultimate Favorites of the Week:</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="http://www.sassymonkeyreads.ca/?p=3435">Dear Author</a></strong> by Sassymonkey at <em>Sassymonkey Reads</em>. If you missed the drama created by author Sylvia Massara, you are out of luck. The author bashed &#8220;unprofessional reviewers,&#8221; which created a crazy amount of comments from bloggers all over the web &#8212; book or otherwise. But then the author deleted all of those comments. You&#8217;d think author&#8217;s would know to &#8220;own their words.&#8221; All the same, I enjoyed Sassymonkey&#8217;s letter.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://suburbanturmoil.blogspot.com/2011/02/parenting-try-it-some-time.html">Parenting. Try It Some Time</a></strong> by Lindsay at <em>Suburban Turmoil</em>. Considering I&#8217;m one of those pesky, interfering, opinionated parents, I wanted to give her a standing ovation at the end of her post.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/how-to-make-flubber-glurch-and-other-fun-art-supplies-at-home-138619">How to Make Flubber, Glurch and Other Fun Art Supplies at Home</a></strong> at <em>Ohdeeoh</em>. 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.</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://www.domesticextraordinaire.com/2011/02/my-friend-firemom-alternately-titled.html">Alternately titled How Jenna doesn&#8217;t really want the Steelers to Win Super Bowl XLV</a></strong> by my mean friend Heather at <em>Domestic Extraordinaire</em>. (She&#8217;s not <em>really</em> mean. Promise.) It was funnier before the Steelers dropped the ball &#8212; literally and repeatedly. Then it was sad. It&#8217;s back to being funny now. But I promise you: We are not now nor will we ever be Browns fans. Ick!</li>
<p>	<Li><strong><a href="http://www.chookooloonks.com/blog/2011/2/10/love-thursday-bonus-simple-photo-valentines-day-card-for-kid.html">Love Thursday Bonus: Simple Photo Valentine&#8217;s Day Card for Kids</a></strong> by Karen at <em>Chookooloonks</em>. Still trying to figure out what to do for your kid&#8217;s Valentine&#8217;s Day cards? Know your way around a camera and a printer? Get to work!</li>
</ul>
<h3>A Few of My Favorite Photos This Week:</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" title="Magnolia Buds" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5442128626_70761f0411_z.jpg" alt="Magnolia Buds" /><br />
<em>Not technically great photos, but, OH! Spring is coming! Magnolia buds!</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Medium" title="Detailed Bird" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5440522866/"><img class="aligncenter" title="Detailed Bird" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/5440522866_e9a9339ab6_z.jpg" alt="Detailed Bird" /></a><br />
<em>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 <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/sets/72157625603055361/with/5440522866/">Project 365 Favorites set</a>.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a class="tt-flickr tt-flickr-Medium" title="Black and White Train Tracks" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5442144254/"><img class="aligncenter" title="Black and White Train Tracks" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5016/5442144254_910fba21a2_z.jpg" alt="Black and White Train Tracks" /></a><br />
<em>Snapped this from the passenger window as we whizzed by on our Date Day.</em></p>
<p>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, <strong>please feel free to leave me a link</strong>. I promise to make time and read it!</p>
<p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/13/weekly-favorites-february-13-2011/">Weekly Favorites: February 13, 2011</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>Weekly Favorites: February 6, 2011</title>
		<link>http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/06/weekly-favorites-february-6-2011/</link>
		<comments>http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/06/weekly-favorites-february-6-2011/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 Feb 2011 16:07:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>FireMom</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Links]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[project 365 favorites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weekly Favorites]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stopdropandblog.com/?p=3766</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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! <a href='http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/06/weekly-favorites-february-6-2011/' class='excerpt-more'>[...]</a><p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/06/weekly-favorites-february-6-2011/">Weekly Favorites: February 6, 2011</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><strong>HAPPY SUPER BOWL SUNDAY! OMG! GO STEELERS!</strong> 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!</em></p>
<h3>Recipes That Made My Mouth Water</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/02/meatball-sub-with-caramelized-onions/"><strong>Meatball Subs with Caramelized Onions</strong></a> by Deb at <em>Smitten Kitchen</em>. Looks stunning.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2011/02/tortilla-de-sweet-patatas.html"><strong>Tortilla de (sweet) Patatas</strong></a> by Joanne at <em>Eats Well with Others</em>. I&#8217;m not really sure I can make that, but it seems like something we&#8217;d love.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://annies-eats.net/2011/02/01/sesame-soba-noodles/"><strong>Sesame Soba Noodles</strong></a> by Annie at <em>Annie&#8217;s Eats</em>. Uh, yes please. That looks so good.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://onestarrynight.com/feeder/?FeederAction=clicked&amp;feed=Posts+%28RSS2%29&amp;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fonestarrynight.com%2Frecipe-cheese-macaroni-cheese%2F&amp;seed_title=Recipe%3A+Four+Cheese+Macaroni+and+Cheese"><strong>Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese</strong></a> by Sarah at <em>One Starry Night</em>. I&#8217;m not 100% certain BigBrother will eat it, but LittleBrother will. And so will I. It&#8217;s on the list!</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://www.livinglocurto.com/2011/02/super-bowl-party-recipes/"><strong>Super Bowl Party Recipes</strong></a> by Amy at <em>Living Locurto</em>. If you&#8217;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&#8217;t have to go out!</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Books I&#8217;ve Read/Book Posts I Liked</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0689862687?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=thechrofmunla-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0689862687"><em><strong>Hanging on to Max</strong></em></a> by Margaret Bechard. I <a href="http://thechroniclesofmunchkinland.com/2011/02/05/book-review-hanging-on-to-max/">reviewed it at Chronicles</a>, and I gave it <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/137164382">4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads</a>. It was my 7th book for 2011, my <a href="http://thechroniclesofmunchkinland.com/adoption-reading-challenge/">3rd adoption pick</a> (2nd fiction) and my <a href="http://jamielovesya.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-young-adult-reading-challenge.html">3rd Young Adult pick</a>.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://www.bookpage.com/the-book-case/2011/02/02/a-glee-ful-memoir/"><strong>A Glee-ful Memoir</strong></a>. OMG! Jane Lynch is releasing a memoir! GLEE! It&#8217;s called <em>Happy Accidents</em> and comes out in September. JOY!</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://hydrantgirl.blogspot.com/2011/02/would-you-look-at-that-and-i-need-your.html"><strong>Hydrantgirl has been nominated for a Bloggie</strong></a>. She&#8217;s nominated in the Top 5 Canadian Blogs category. <a href="http://2011.bloggi.es/">Go give her a vote</a>!</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://firecritic.com/2011/02/video-fire-truck-runs-over-protester-in-egypt/"><strong>Fire Truck Runs Over Protester in Egypt</strong></a> by Rhett Fleitz at <em>The Fire Critic</em>. I can&#8217;t imagine the unrest myself, though I&#8217;ve been following it as closely as I can. As Rhett says, this is an inexcusable action, but I also can&#8217;t imagine trying to do fire work in those conditions.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://firefighterwife.com/t-shirt-giveaway-time/"><strong>T-Shirt Giveaway Time</strong></a> by Val at <em>Fire Fighter Wife</em>. Val is celebrating her birthday with a giveaway from <a href="http://www.firefighterswives.net/">FirefighterWives.net</a>. Easy entries!</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Photo Blog Posts That Inspired Me:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://kinderbetterbraver.blogspot.com/2011/02/ice-storm.html"><strong>Ice Storm</strong></a> by Heather at <em>Kinder.Better.Braver</em>. Heather posts more than just photos on her blog, but this post was so beautiful despite my hatred of ice.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://www.blogher.com/4000-photos-accidentally-deleted-your-flickr-account-safe"><strong>My post about flickr&#8217;s accidental account deletion at BlogHer</strong></a>. No photos, but it should <strong><em>inspire</em> you to backup your photos</strong>. Immediately. (I&#8217;m using <a href="http://www.blogher.com/frame.php?url=http://www.qoop.com/photobooks/flickr_user/login.php?frob=72157625962715682-b5e3db00ab404f84-974404&amp;extra=|||||||||">QOOP</a>.) Additionally, flickr did eventually restore his account and gave him a 25 year pro account ($625).</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>My Ultimate Favorites of the Week</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.theburghbaby.com/burghbaby/a-frozen-moment.html"><strong>A Frozen Moment</strong></a> by <em>Burgh Baby</em>. I was there, with her, in that moment &#8212; because her writing was amazing. The writing is phenomenal; it follows the directions of my old creative writing teacher, &#8220;Show, don&#8217;t tell.&#8221; It&#8217;s also just a beautiful note of childhood wonder and winter. (PS: She updated her layout. Looks lovely. Go see!)</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://familyorganic.blogspot.com/2011/02/taking-time-for-yourself.html"><strong>Taking Time for Yourself</strong></a> by Sara at <em>Family Organic</em>. I was totally nodding along as I read. It&#8217;s so important to take care of yourself &#8212; as a person &#8212; so you can best take care of the people and stuff in your life.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://www.thiswomanswork.com/2011/02/01/on-being-round/"><strong>On Being Round</strong></a> by Dawn at <em>This Woman&#8217;s Work</em>. I&#8217;d say something about this post, but she says it best herself:</p>
<blockquote><p>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 <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9780767916080.html"><em>Real Kids Come in All Sizes</em></a>.</p></blockquote>
</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://fimby.tougas.net/celebrate-winter"><strong>Celebrate Winter</strong></a> by Renee at <em>FIMBY (Fun In My Backyard)</em>. I love this post because her point, &#8220;enjoying winter is a choice,&#8221; 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.)</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://www.blogher.com/go-granny-hottie-cloris-leachman-why-us-geeks-need-reliable-technology-more-tight-leather"><strong>BlogHer CEO Lisa Stone teamed up with Cloris Leachman to make fun of GoDaddy commercials</strong></a>. 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&#8217;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.)</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Two of My Favorite Photos this Week:</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a title="Frosty Morning by Mrs. FireMom, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5417501178/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5136/5417501178_a2f6cb0da1_z.jpg" alt="Frosty Morning" width="640" height="425" /></a><br />
<em>Frosty morning sunrise. Made it to my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/sets/72157625603055361/with/5417501178/">Project 365 Favorites set</a></em>.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a title="Look at the Sky by Mrs. FireMom, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5416886715/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5020/5416886715_424ee6c4be_z.jpg" alt="Look at the Sky" width="425" height="640" /></a><br />
<em>Look at the sky! Blown out, but I love the feel.</em></p>
<p>Also, I&#8217;ve fixed a javascript issue on the blog that should now make it much easier to view &#8212; with pictures and all &#8212; via Microsoft Internet Explorer. Of course, you&#8217;d do yourself some good switching to Firefox &#8212; or Rockmelt or anything for that matter &#8212; but everything should load relatively timely now.</p>
<p>Lastly: <strong>Please link me to your favorites this week as well.</strong> I&#8217;m always trying to expand what I read an am exposed to each week.</p>
<p><strong>Happy Super Bowl Sunday! GO STEELERS!</strong></p>
<p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/02/06/weekly-favorites-february-6-2011/">Weekly Favorites: February 6, 2011</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>Weekly Favorites: January 30, 2011</title>
		<link>http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/01/30/weekly-favorites-january-30-2011/</link>
		<comments>http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/01/30/weekly-favorites-january-30-2011/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 30 Jan 2011 16:05:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>FireMom</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stopdropandblog.com/?p=3719</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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&#8217;ll try and hit some great stuff. I&#8217;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 <a href='http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/01/30/weekly-favorites-january-30-2011/' class='excerpt-more'>[...]</a><p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/01/30/weekly-favorites-january-30-2011/">Weekly Favorites: January 30, 2011</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>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&#8217;ll try and hit some great stuff. I&#8217;ll also include a few of my favorite photos from the week for a Two-Birds-with-One-Stone kind of efficiency post.</em></p>
<h3><strong>Recipes That Made My Mouth Water:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://annies-eats.net/2011/01/25/spicy-bean-burritos/"><strong>Spicy Bean Burritos</strong></a> at <em><a href="http://annies-eats.net/">Annie&#8217;s Eats</a></em> by Annie. I&#8217;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&#8217;m toning down the spice a bit (for them, not me), but yes, my mouth watered.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://www.ingoodtasteblog.net/in_good_taste/2011/01/lemon-basil-marinara-sauce.html"><strong>Lemon Basil Marinara Sauce</strong></a> at <em><a href="http://www.ingoodtasteblog.net/in_good_taste/">In Good Taste</a></em> by Maris. I&#8217;ve been making my own spaghetti/etc sauce for about a month now, noticing that LittleBrother was having a sensitivity to <em>something</em> in jarred sauces. This is on my To Make List now.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://www.blogher.com/weekend-menu-planning-dip-something-hot-superbowl-sunday"><strong>Weekend Menu Planning: Dip Into Something Hot for Super Bowl Sunday</strong></a> at <em><a href="http://blogher.com">BlogHer</a></em> by <a href="http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com">Kalyn Denny</a>. I haven&#8217;t yet made any decisions as to what I&#8217;m making for the Super Bowl party my friends are throwing. I bookmarked a few on this post.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Fire/EMS Blog Posts That I Particularly Enjoyed or Think You Should Read:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://traumaqueen.net/?p=1469"><strong>It&#8217;s going to be a glorious day.</strong></a> at <em><a href="http://traumaqueen.net">Trauma Queen</a></em> by Kal. Please go read this post. Seriously. And then make a promise to yourself and the rest of humanity and vow to <strong>NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE</strong>.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://firefighterwife.com/female-firefighter-call-out/"><strong>Female Firefighter Call Out</strong></a> at <em><a href="http://firefighterwife.com">Fire Fighter Wife</a></em> by Val. She&#8217;s looking for female firefighters who blog. Go leave your link!</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://firecritic.com/2011/01/the-best-of-motivational-or-demotivational-firefighting-posters/#more-5633"><strong>The Best of Motivational &#8230;or Demotivational Firefighting Posters</strong></a> at <em><a href="http://firecritic.com/">The Fire Critic</a></em> by Rhett Fleitz. Some of these are inappropriate (don&#8217;t say I didn&#8217;t warn you) and one isn&#8217;t work friendly (read: FireDad don&#8217;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&#8217;re pretty much universally funny. As a note, <a href="http://firecritic.com/2011/01/voting-continues-and-listen-to-the-finalists-tonight-on-firefighter-netcast-live/">voting is live for the best Fire and EMS blogs</a>. Even though I think the finalist lists are bunk (read: my favorite EMS blogger didn&#8217;t make it; sadface), you should vote. No registration required.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Photo Blog Posts that Inspired Me:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://bluelily.squarespace.com/blue-lily-blog/2011/1/28/an-idea.html"><strong>An Idea</strong></a> at <em><a href="http://bluelily.squarespace.com/blue-lily-blog/">Blue Lily Blog</a></em> by Wendy and Tyler. Those photos of <a href="http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/">Nie</a>&#8216;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 <a href="http://bluelily.squarespace.com/pennsylvania/2011/1/23/pittsburg-pa-nature-sunday-oct-30th-2011.html">Pittsburgh on October 30th</a> (which is a Sunday, so if your neighborhood messes with trick-or-treating, beware) and <a href="http://bluelily.squarespace.com/ohio/2011/1/23/columbus-ohio-nature-november-2-2011.html">Columbus on November 2nd</a>. If you want some crazy amazing family pics, sign up soon. Limited space.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://light-traces.com/something-im-learning/"><strong>Something I&#8217;m Learning</strong></a> at <em><a href="http://light-traces.com/">Light Traces</a></em> by Michelle Black. This was from last week (I was behind on reading) and there aren&#8217;t actually any photos in this post, but it is, most definitely, inspiring.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>My Ultimate Favorites of the Week:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/blog/2011/01/27/project-create-a-special-meal/"><strong>Project: Create a Special Meal</strong></a> at <em><a href="http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/blog/">Lisa Leonard Online</a></em> by Lisa Leonard. I know we don&#8217;t &#8220;do&#8221; Valentine&#8217;s Day in our house, but I really think I&#8217;m going to make a special meal for my three guys. Maybe I&#8217;ll even make it look fancy-pants.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://miss-britt.com/2011/01/life-lessons-from-sand-sculptors/"><strong>Life Lessons from Sand Sculptors</strong></a> at <em><a href="http://miss-britt.com/">In Pursuit of Happiness</a></em> by Miss Britt. She posted this on the same day that I <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/01/28/and-i-snapped/">blogged about leaving the paper</a> and <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MrsFireMom">opening my Etsy store</a>. If people can make money building sand castles, anything is <strong>possible</strong>. Right?</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://aliedwards.com/2011/01/daily-work-at-home-rhythm-things-i-have-learned.html"><strong>Daily Work-At-Home Rhythms: Things I Have Learned</strong></a> by <a href="http://aliedwards.com/">Ali Edwards</a>. Again, it&#8217;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.</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://thatschurch.com/2011/01/24/what-theyre-really-thinking-afc-championship-edition/"><strong>What They&#8217;re Really Thinking: AFC Championship Edition</strong></a> at <em><a href="http://thatschurch.com/">That&#8217;s Church</a></em> by Virginia Montanez. Complete with NKOTB references, booger talk and Angry Hulk, among other amusing tidbits. Basically, if you&#8217;re a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and you  need to laugh, hop on over there. If you&#8217;re not, get of my <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">lawn</span> blog. (Just kidding. Kind of. HA!)</li>
<p>	<Li><a href="http://www.blogher.com/we-dont-keep-secrets-our-family">&#8220;<strong>We Don&#8217;t Keep Secrets in Our Family</strong>&#8220;</a> at <em><a href="http://blogher.com">BlogHer</a></em> by <a href="http://www.npoj.blogspot.com">Nancy Campbell</a>. I think this is an important read for parents about child abuse and the importance of words. As a note, it was <a href="http://npoj.blogspot.com/2011/01/we-dont-keep-secrets-in-our-family.html">originally posted on her blog</a> earlier this month.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>A note: This is not about favorites. If you aren&#8217;t on my weekly list, it doesn&#8217;t mean that I didn&#8217;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.</em></p>
<p>And now for:</p>
<h3><strong>A Few of my Favorite Photos this Week: </strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a title="Icicle by Mrs. FireMom, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5386659554/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5218/5386659554_4a1d0f7c94_z.jpg" alt="Icicle" width="425" height="640" /></a><br />
<em>I&#8217;ve been trying to capture an icicle in this manner for awhile. Finally! This made it into my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/sets/72157625603055361/with/5399888842/">365 Favorites</a> set. </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a title="LAURIE BERKNER, YAY! by Mrs. FireMom, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5399888842/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5293/5399888842_ec00f75fe8_z.jpg" alt="LAURIE BERKNER, YAY!" width="640" height="425" /></a><br />
<em>This one also made it in my 365 Favorites set. Look for my review of Laurie Berkner&#8217;s show soon!</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a title="Alexis' Birthday Party by Mrs. FireMom, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5399392469/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5300/5399392469_c644fd3e5d_z.jpg" alt="Alexis' Birthday Party" width="640" height="425" /></a><br />
<em>Flowers at Alexis&#8217; birthday party at <a href="http://www.theburghbaby.com">Burgh Baby</a>&#8216;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.</em></p>
<p>Here&#8217;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&#8217;d bet on it!</p>
<p>Lastly: <strong>Please share a link to either a favorite post that you wrote or read this week <em>and/or</em> a link to the favorite photo you took this week.</strong> I want to read and see things outside of what I am currently experiencing via feed reader. Enlighten me and share with others!</p>
<p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2011/01/30/weekly-favorites-january-30-2011/">Weekly Favorites: January 30, 2011</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>Wordless Wednesday: Hipstamatic Fall Colors</title>
		<link>http://stopdropandblog.com/2010/10/20/wordless-wednesday-hipstamatic-fall-colors/</link>
		<comments>http://stopdropandblog.com/2010/10/20/wordless-wednesday-hipstamatic-fall-colors/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:14:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>FireMom</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[autumn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hipstamatic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Links]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seasons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wordless Wednesday]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stopdropandblog.com/?p=3210</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[By the way, I'm loving the new Hipstamom blog/tumblr, created by Dear Crissy. The first photo on this post, entitled Blue and bare, is featured on Hipstamom today.] Wordless Wednesday: Hipstamatic Fall Colors is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you <a href='http://stopdropandblog.com/2010/10/20/wordless-wednesday-hipstamatic-fall-colors/' class='excerpt-more'>[...]</a><p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2010/10/20/wordless-wednesday-hipstamatic-fall-colors/">Wordless Wednesday: Hipstamatic Fall Colors</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a title="Blue and bare by Mrs. FireMom, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5086914474/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4144/5086914474_1b53b8598b_z.jpg" alt="Blue and bare" width="640" height="640" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a title="Yellow by Mrs. FireMom, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5089152635/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/5089152635_8f6a4a87bd_z.jpg" alt="Yellow" width="640" height="640" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a title="Untitled by Mrs. FireMom, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5090013200/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/5090013200_7420c2da0b_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="640" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a title="photo by Mrs. FireMom, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5090055636/"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4125/5090055636_ae4026810a_z.jpg" alt="photo" width="640" height="640" /></a></p>
<hr />
<em>[By the way, I'm loving the new <a href="http://hipstamom.com">Hipstamom</a> blog/tumblr, created by <a href="http://dearcrissy.com/">Dear Crissy</a>. The first photo on this post, entitled Blue and bare, is <a href="http://hipstamom.com/post/1353499362/blue-and-bare-john-s-inas-1969">featured on Hipstamom today</a>.]</em></p>
<p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2010/10/20/wordless-wednesday-hipstamatic-fall-colors/">Wordless Wednesday: Hipstamatic Fall Colors</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>NaBloPoMo Recap + December Desktop + Whoa? December?!</title>
		<link>http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/12/01/nablopomo-recap-december-desktop-whoa-december/</link>
		<comments>http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/12/01/nablopomo-recap-december-desktop-whoa-december/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:30:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>FireMom</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[digital scrapbooking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Holidays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desktop pictures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Links]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NaBloPoMo]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stopdropandblog.com/?p=1882</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s official. National Blog Posting Month (fondly known as NaBloPoMo) is over and I&#8217;m a winner. In fact, not only did I write 30 posts in 30 days, I actually wrote thirty-one posts in 30 days. I&#8217;ve always been an over-achiever. Or something. The real reason is because Blogging United Fight for Preemies fell on <a href='http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/12/01/nablopomo-recap-december-desktop-whoa-december/' class='excerpt-more'>[...]</a><p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/12/01/nablopomo-recap-december-desktop-whoa-december/">NaBloPoMo Recap + December Desktop + Whoa? December?!</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://stopdropandblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/ididit2.jpg" alt="I Did It 2" title="I Did It 2" width="121" height="209" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1886" />It&#8217;s official. National Blog Posting Month (fondly known as <a href="http://NaBloPoMo.com" target="_blank">NaBloPoMo</a>) is over and I&#8217;m a winner. In fact, not only did I write 30 posts in 30 days, I actually wrote thirty-<em>one</em> posts in 30 days. I&#8217;ve always been an over-achiever. Or something. The real reason is because Blogging United <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/17/bloggers-unite-fight-for-preemies-our-stories/" target="_blank">Fight for Preemies</a> fell on BigBrother&#8217;s birthday. Hence the extra post.</p>
<p>So yes, I churned out a post everyday for a month. I&#8217;m tired. I have nothing else to say. My brain is mush. That said, I did have a few posts that I enjoyed, like the boys <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/17/four-going-on-forty-going-on-four/">separate</a> <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/24/two-going-on-very-two/">birthday</a> posts. Politically, I reminded people that <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/03/we-dont-just-vote-every-four-years/">we don&#8217;t just vote once every four years</a> (and, good news, my husband gets to keep his job). We got the <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/02/breathing-is-overrated/">dreaded</a> <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/06/being-sick-on-the-fire-schedule/">swine</a> <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/12/you-capture-our-real-life-flu-style/">flu</a> and lived to tell about it&#8230; apparently. Photography wise, I enjoyed some <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/04/wordless-wednesday-mario-kart-moments/">great</a> Wordless <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/18/wordless-wednesday-he-had-a-good-birthday/">Wednesday</a> <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/25/wordless-wednesday-another-great-birthday/">captures</a>, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/11/wordless-wednesday-my-baby-is-sick/">flu ones</a> included, and participated in all but one You Capture challenge this month (<a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/05/you-capture-free-for-all-berries/">1</a>, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/12/you-capture-our-real-life-flu-style/">2</a>, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/26/you-capture-food-thanks/">3</a>). (You Capture is hosted by Beth of <a href="http://ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com" target="_blank">I Should Be Folding Laundry</a>.) </p>
<p>The biggest challenge for me during this year&#8217;s NaBloPoMo was blogging on the weekend. I started a series I called <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/tag/weekend-outtakes/">Weekend Outtakes</a> which was basically a picture (or two) and a brief description of our day. Much easier than the deep, thoughtful, introspective stuff I normally churn out. Right? <em>Ahem</em>. Amusingly, I only <em>almost</em> forgot to blog <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/14/weekend-outtakes-my-house-is-clean/">once</a>. I had just snuggled down under the covers at my fairly early self-imposed bedtime when I sat up and said, &#8220;<em>I forgot to blog</em>!&#8221; I got it up there well before midnight as I&#8217;m <strike>a big loser</strike> awesome and go to bed early. Win.</p>
<p>So, yes, I&#8217;m a winner this year. The little graphic on my sidebar says so. And the one on this post. I&#8217;m thorough.</p>
<p>As for December, I&#8217;ve created my December desktop. I went with <a href="http://evakipler.com/?p=1763" target="_blank">this desktop</a> from <a href="http://evakipler.com/" target="_blank">Eva Kipler Designs</a> this month for three reasons: 1) Christmas-y without annoying me or being pink <em>and</em> annoying me, 2) room for two pictures, 3) the one picture space fit our dorky family picture I took last month. Win, win, win. I needed room for two pictures because while I knew I wanted our dorky family picture, I also needed a photo of myself and that gorgeous husband of mine as our anniversary is also in December. Everybody now, &#8220;Awww.&#8221; See?</p>
<p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2502/4148140229_1612bcc1c8.jpg" title="December 2009 Desktop" alt="December 2009 Desktop"></p>
<p>December should be a busy month. (See also: <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/11/30/ten-days-of-solo-parenting-thanks-to-the-fire-life/">OMG! I&#8217;m alone for 10 days</a>!) While I have no intention of blogging everyday, I do have a lot to say so it&#8217;s all very well and good.  We&#8217;ve got normal holiday requirements (parties, get togethers, concerts to attend) along with <a href="http://thechroniclesofmunchkinland.com" target="_blank">Munchkin&#8217;s</a> birthday, my parents&#8217; anniversary, our anniversary, lots of writing, lots of work and a bunch of other stuff. Today I&#8217;m going to put on my Insanity Cap and take the boys to get their pictures taken with Santa. </p>
<p>Furthermore, I hope to keep in the true spirit of this season. Yes, it&#8217;s busy. Yes, I&#8217;m stressed out and mostly alone with the kids for a large chunk of the month. But it&#8217;s my favorite time of year. Why? Because of things like what <a href="http://www.theburghbaby.com/2009/11/best-3k-ive-ever-spent.html" target="_blank">Burgh Baby has done</a>. She gives me hope. I&#8217;m cried when I read that post. I have to believe that people are generally as good-hearted as my friend. Similarly, I do believe that FireDad and I are going to &#8220;<a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2008/12/16/spread-some-holiday-cheer-elf-someone/">Elf Someone</a>&#8221; when he is home this weekend. What about you? What are you doing this month?</p>
<p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/12/01/nablopomo-recap-december-desktop-whoa-december/">NaBloPoMo Recap + December Desktop + Whoa? December?!</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>Fire Prevention Week: Utilize the Internet</title>
		<link>http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/10/05/fire-prevention-week-utilize-the-internet/</link>
		<comments>http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/10/05/fire-prevention-week-utilize-the-internet/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:00:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>FireMom</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[FireFamily Gets Serious]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fire Prevention Week]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Links]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stopdropandblog.com/?p=1607</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This week is Fire Prevention Week. If you have children in some form of school, you might see them come home with papers on fire safety. You might hear that a fire truck has visited their school or that they took a walk to the local fire station. While the involvement of firefighters and fire <a href='http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/10/05/fire-prevention-week-utilize-the-internet/' class='excerpt-more'>[...]</a><p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/10/05/fire-prevention-week-utilize-the-internet/">Fire Prevention Week: Utilize the Internet</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft" title="Fire Prevention Week" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3530/3982225856_592d001182_m.jpg" alt="" width="160" height="240" />This week is <a href="http://firepreventionweek.org" target="_blank">Fire Prevention Week</a>. If you have children in some form of school, you might see them come home with papers on fire safety. You might hear that a fire truck has visited their school or that they took a walk to the local fire station. While the involvement of firefighters and fire departments in our kids&#8217; school is beyond beneficial, the truth is that you can start at home, well before your kids head to preschool. It&#8217;s never too early to start talking about fire safety. This week I&#8217;ll be bringing you tips, book reviews and other great things about fire safety.</p>
<p>Today I though I would bring you some links so that you can utilize the Internet as you teach your children about the importance of fire safety. Even very young children can utilize Internet sites, whether for games, for reading or for printing coloring pages. All they need is you to help them locate the sites, work on whatever the site offers and to explain the importance of each site and safety tip. Here are some of my favorites.</p>
<p>1. The <a href="http://firepreventionweek.org" target="_blank">National Fire Prevention Week</a> website actually has some great resources for parents and kids. Things like the <a href="http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files//FPW09/FPW09checklist.pdf" target="_blank">Fire Safety Inspection Checklist</a> (.pdf) and the <a href="http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files//FPW09/FPW09MySafetyInformation.pdf" target="_blank">Fire Safety Information card</a> are great activities to complete with older children. The <a href="http://sparky.org/arcade.html#" target="_blank">arcade</a> on site provides for a fun way to bring a discussion about fire safety into your learning process. For the youngest set, a <a href="http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files//FPW09/FPW09FiveSteps.pdf" target="_blank">coloring page with Sparky</a> is made available that highlights the important things to remember to prepare for and in the midst of a fire emergency.</p>
<p>2. Sprout, the PBS kids channel, has a great <a href="http://www.sproutonline.com/sprout/characters/?preset=fire-safety" target="_blank">Fire Safety Week program</a> going on right now, including on their website. This site provides more coloring pages, including a <a href="http://www.sproutonline.com/sprout/crafts/coloring-pages/detail.aspx?id=0266c11f-4ed6-42bc-8428-997a01817bec" target="_blank">counting one</a>, a <a href="http://www.sproutonline.com/sprout/crafts/coloring-pages/detail.aspx?id=47b5d2f1-6517-49eb-b117-9c6b00b2b4a1" target="_blank">Fireman Sam</a> one and some others. (A fun thing on the Sprout site allows for you to upload a picture of your kids&#8217; artwork once it has been completed for others&#8217; viewing pleasure on the website! Cool!) There are also some <a href="http://www.sproutonline.com/sprout/videos/detail.aspx?program=fire-safety&amp;subset=By_Show&amp;assetgroup=0cd443a2-5b20-48d3-89f7-9be000f5341f&amp;asset=BWhbd_GS9O2Oqfc_lSEAdmZu9Zf8kefj" target="_blank">videos</a> on their Fire Safety page.</p>
<p>3. <a href="http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/html/index.shtm" target="_blank">USFA Kids</a> (US Fire Administration) has a great site that combines pertinent information (<a href="http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/html/homefiresafety/" target="_blank">Home Fire Safety</a>, <a href="http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/html/smokealarm/" target="_blank">Smoke Alarms</a>, and <a href="http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/html/escape/" target="_blank">Escaping from a Fire</a>) with some games (<a href="http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/html/crossword/" target="_blank">Crossword Puzzles</a>, <a href="http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/html/coloring/" target="_blank">Coloring Pages</a>, a <a href="http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/html/marshal/" target="_blank">test to be a Jr. Fire Marshal</a> among other things). I found this site to be particularly easy to navigate for a computer-independent child who wants to learn on her own.</p>
<p>4. <a href="http://www.sparklesthefiresafetydog.com/" target="_blank">Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog</a> is one of my favorite programs regarding fire safety. Sparkles&#8217; owner, Firefighter Dayna, is passionate about fire safety (just like we are!). They&#8217;re actually part of the Fire Safety Week on Sprout this year! Their site offers more <a href="http://www.sparklesthefiresafetydog.com/activity_sheets.html" target="_blank">activity pages</a>, <a href="http://www.sparklesthefiresafetydog.com/fire_safety_videos.html" target="_blank">GREAT fire safety videos</a> and <a href="http://www.sparklesthefiresafetydog.com/fire_safety_crafts.html" target="_blank">crafts</a>.</p>
<p>These are just some great online resources for you, as a parent, to help your children understand the importance of fire safety. As a parent you need to know these things as well. First and foremost, know your house&#8217;s floor plan and make a fire escape plan should an emergency occur. Teach things as simple as &#8220;stop, drop and roll&#8221; and the importance of getting low should the hallway be filled with smoke. As you help your child navigate the online resources for learning about fire safety, make sure you&#8217;re up-to-date on all of your knowledge. Your family&#8217;s lives depend on it!</p>
<p>Tomorrow I will have a review of some younger child storybooks that also highlight some fire safety points. Be sure to tune in all week as I bring you various tips, fun pictures and other pertinent facts on fire safety. (Also, as this is October and Halloween is just around the corner, check out <a title="Best Firefighter Costume Review" href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/10/05/firefighter-costume-review-aeromax-costumes/" target="_self">our review of the best firefighter costume on the market right now</a>, pictured above.)</p>
<p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2009/10/05/fire-prevention-week-utilize-the-internet/">Fire Prevention Week: Utilize the Internet</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>I&#8217;m An Expert!</title>
		<link>http://stopdropandblog.com/2008/07/01/im-an-expert/</link>
		<comments>http://stopdropandblog.com/2008/07/01/im-an-expert/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:39:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>FireMom</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://stopdropandblog.com/?p=298</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[No, really. I&#8217;m a Baby Expert over at Wishpot! I&#8217;m the Cloth Diapering expert, of course. What&#8217;s Wishpot? Ever wanted to make a registry but liked too many things at too many different stores? Wishpot solves that problem. Create a registry from any combination of stores online and let your friends and family know what <a href='http://stopdropandblog.com/2008/07/01/im-an-expert/' class='excerpt-more'>[...]</a><p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2008/07/01/im-an-expert/">I&#8217;m An Expert!</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>No, really. I&#8217;m a <a title="Baby Experts @ Wishpot" href="http://www.wishpot.com/registry/baby/experts.aspx" target="_blank">Baby Expert </a>over at <a title="Wishpot" href="http://www.wishpot.com/" target="_blank">Wishpot</a>! I&#8217;m the <a title="@ Wishpot" href="http://www.wishpot.com/list.aspx?uid=12740&amp;list=54863&amp;rc=surl" target="_blank">Cloth Diapering expert</a>, of course. What&#8217;s Wishpot? Ever wanted to make a registry but liked too many things at too many different stores? Wishpot solves that problem. Create a registry from any combination of stores online and let your friends and family know what your baby really needs! Join up and create your list now. (Of note: you don&#8217;t have to create just a baby registry/list. Save things you like on your own wishlist!)</p>
<p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2008/07/01/im-an-expert/">I&#8217;m An Expert!</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>Rockin&#8217; Baby Ring Slings on SUPER Sale</title>
		<link>http://stopdropandblog.com/2008/07/01/rockin-baby-ring-slings-on-super-sale/</link>
		<comments>http://stopdropandblog.com/2008/07/01/rockin-baby-ring-slings-on-super-sale/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:02:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>FireMom</dc:creator>
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		<category><![CDATA[internet shopping]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[I just found a site that has Rockin Baby Ring Slings for $45.00. If you&#8217;re not familiar, these slings retail for over $100.00. That&#8217;s right. So, that&#8217;s a deal times two. I would buy one for myself (that first one, omgoodness, is beautiful) but I just purchased a water ring sling as we&#8217;ve been spending <a href='http://stopdropandblog.com/2008/07/01/rockin-baby-ring-slings-on-super-sale/' class='excerpt-more'>[...]</a><p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2008/07/01/rockin-baby-ring-slings-on-super-sale/">Rockin&#8217; Baby Ring Slings on SUPER Sale</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I just found <a title="Rockin' Baby Slings" href="http://www.mamabargains.com/" target="_blank">a site</a> that has <a title="@ Mama Bargains" href="http://www.mamabargains.com/" target="_blank">Rockin Baby Ring Slings for $45.00</a>. If you&#8217;re not familiar, these slings retail for over $100.00. That&#8217;s right. So, that&#8217;s a deal times two. I would buy one for myself (that first one, omgoodness, is beautiful) but I just purchased a water ring sling as we&#8217;ve been spending so much time at the lake and in pools and so on. I just thought I&#8217;d pass the deal info on to someone who need it! Hurry. They seem to be selling quickly.</p>
<p><br><br><hr><br><br><em><a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/2008/07/01/rockin-baby-ring-slings-on-super-sale/">Rockin&#8217; Baby Ring Slings on SUPER Sale</a> is a post from <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com">Stop, Drop and Blog</a>. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/StopDropBlog">Like our page on Facebook</a>! If you have questions, <a href="http://stopdropandblog.com/contact">contact me</a> or hit me up via <a href="twitter.com/firemom">twitter</a>.</em></p>
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