Parenting Sites 411

It’s time for another YNTR installment! Like last week, I’ve got some great posts for you this week. People have had some great stories to tell, news to share (and some not so great), and the level of sharing is just wonderful. There are times that I love this parenting blog community. We stick together, we give each other support. We help each other through the sticky times. And lets face it, times aren’t often more sticky than they are when we have little ones at home.  It’s just wonderful.  Anyhow.  Enough schmoopyness, on with the reading!

• “What is it about Black Friday?” from Rancid Raves.   Cagey thinks that Christmas doesn’t have to be all about the present and the spending, but that it can be about the memories and togetherness.  I’m so glad she said it because I totally, 100% agree.  How much would we all enjoy Christmas if we were able to remove the stress of buying so many gifts at the holidays?
• “when i am queen” from house of h.  Honestly, who doesn’t have these thoughts??  And, can I just say, I think her suggestions are fabulous and if she’s queen someday I’ll totally back them up.
• “Goodbye 1st trimester, hello due date” from misszoot.  Can I just tell you how glad I was to see this post?  I’ve had fingers and toes crossed for Zoot with this pregnancy. She’s suffered so many losses and heartbreaks that I really feel this is owed to her.
• “It’s Much Harder To Be Good” from Oh, The Joys.   Another awesome discussion and afternoon with her kids and an ingenious way to get a child to nap.  Will have to remember this when my little one gets older and more stubborn about such things.
• “Day 53” from Lag Liv.  I absolutely cannot believe she and her family are still going through this nightmare.  And although the nightmare isn’t as scary as it once was and everything will probably turn out okay, I can’t imagine what torture this is for her.  Let’s hope she gets resolution (and a good resolution at that) and soon.
• “Something” from a little pregnant. Oh my God!  Julie’s pregnant!  This was off her first cycle with a donor egg and I have everything crossed for her that this pregnancy is a sticky one for her.  I know she’s going through a rough time with her grandfather here and that has a lot of her attention, so my prayers are with her as well.
• “Everything I’ve learned in Life, I’ve Learned From Watching The Nuge” from Rockstar Mommy.  I can totally sympathize with her predicament here and I would have been hard pressed to have behaved any differently.  This is exactly the sort of thing that gets my blood boiling.
• “A lonely isle of estrogen floating in a sea of testosterone” from Loralee’s Looney Tunes.  Boy, can I relate to her here.  I too have three boys at home (one of them being a husband) and often feel like the only female representation (as our dogs hardly count, I think).  It would be awesome to have a little girl to buy dresses for, no?  As wonderful as boys are (and they ARE), there are times when a woman wants a daughter.
• “Little Black Clouds: An Exercise in Self-Pity” from IzzyMom.   Yet another post I can relate to.  There have been times in recent years where it seems like everything is against us. Nothing goes our way.  We are faced with nothing but troubles, tribulations, stress and depression.  Luckily, these phases come and go.  But it doesn’t make them any harder to live through.
• “Unruffled by frump and solitude” from sweet | salty.  After her frustrations last week from feeling trapped and stifled, this week Kate reflects on what is good about just bundling yourself in with your children and enjoying the warm, quiet moments together.  Very poignant.
• “Wanna see some baby pictures?” from mother goose mouse.  As she stares down the barrel of her third child, MGM contemplates on what it’ll be like to have three more years of diapers, among other things.  On the other hand, she tells herself to not worry about what the future holds and instead enjoy the moment.  Hard to do, I know it!
• “No Matter What” from Her Bad Mother.  HBM got some potentially very bad news about her pregnancy earlier in the week.   It’s a situation no mother wants to find herself in, and as she says in this post, she knows it won’t be easy.  But that they’re ready to take things as they come and embrace their child, whether it has issues after birth or not.  I cannot imagine how difficult this must be, she could use all our support.
• “‘Her’” from Loralee’s Looney Tunes.  Another one from Loralee this week, but it’s because yet again she spoke to me with her post.  She talks about the woman who was buried next to her son who passed away at three months old.  She used to feel resentment for that woman, but now she has found peace with the situation.  She also talks how difficult it is to embrace the fact that her child’s body is underground and that I can definitely relate to.

I hope that gives you plenty of reading to enjoy this weekend, in between trips to the mall for Christmas shopping.  Enjoy, everyone!

Welcome to another installment of You Need to Read.  This week’s post is a little late because I foolishly ventured forth into the world of retail this morning, trying to procure myself a pair of boots from Kohl’s.  Unfortunately, they were out of my size by the time I got there (since I was unwilling to show up at 4am) so the whole trip was pretty moot.  Boo!  However, that’s as far as the bad news goes today because I have some great posts for you to read.  So put down your leftover turkey sandwiches and take a peek at these gems:

• “Is it December yet?” from Rancid Raves.   What I liked about this post (besides the customary plea for NaBloPoMo to be over already) is how she spoke about her marriage.  It made me think a lot about how I feel about my own marriage.
• “The results are in” from All & Sundry.  Linda had a hilarious follow-up post to her earlier question complete with a pie chart.   The whole post made me laugh.  Which, considering the growing holiday panic and stress, was very welcome!
• “The one about the overdose” from moosh in indy.  Casey deviates from her usual humor to post on a very serious subject.  I admire her courage in posting this and I think her story is an important one for us all to read.  Instead of judging her, I found myself marveling at her strength to come back from something like that.  She humanized depression in that post and that in itself is very worthy of being featured here.
• “Teenager commits suicide over MySpace” from Parent Dish.  You may have also seen this story highlighted on the Today show this week.  It’s a horribly tragic story that really made me repulsed at how some adults behave.  Not only did this mother destroy a family, but she taught her daughter and her friends some really horrible lessons.
• “What about MY rights?” from IzzyMom.  Yet another brave and important post!  What a banner week it was.  She talks about discovering she was adopted as an adult and how she was able to find (after much red tape and headache) her birth parents.  And she raises an important question: Don’t adopted children and adults have rights to learn about their heritage?
• “The wildlife version of Rocky” from dooce.  Oh my heavens.  When I first watched this little video clip, I thought Heather had it in for me and wanted my overly hormonal, pregnant self to be a mess of tears and snot.  But then?  It ended fantastically.  You’ve gotta watch this, trust me.  And it warmed my heart to think that parents, be they animal, human or water buffalo, are all essentially the same.
• “Unwanted exemption” from sweet| salty.  What’s with the brave, soul-bearing posts this week?  Kate shares how she doesn’t feel she can long for more from her life than raising children simply because one of her children has died.  Having been in similar circumstance myself, I understand where she’s coming from.  You feel that if you’ve lost a child, you should always be extra grateful and never complain.  And that’s not good for any mother to have to act that way.

Whew!  Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekends!

Again, I’m sorry for my absence this week.  When it rains, it pours.  First, my little one came down with croup (and isn’t THAT a fun one to have!).  Then, I became afflicted with The Sick and being pregnant, can’t take anything for it.  So I am miserable.  And tired.  And miserable.  It’s been a week.  And I’ve been lucky to keep my head above water with it all so unfortunately, posting falls by the wayside.  We’ll see how the next week goes, when this cold finally vacates my body and how it all is with the holiday.  Regardless, I have some great posts here for you and they will surely keep you entertained and interested for at least the weekend, if not the next week.  Hang in there, guys!

• “The Mommy War Meme” from Mommy Tracks.  This is a satirical, but eye-opening look at the way women fight each other as mothers.  And shows how no one can really “win” at these wars.
• “When pigs fly” from hola, isabel.  She always writes the most interesting posts.  This one was about a pig her brother raised for FFA years ago and how her brother got rather attached to his pig.  Naturally, he was devastated when the pig was sold and he learned the pig would be slaughtered without delay.  A very touching story.
• “Boundaries” from Oh, The Joys.  I’m sure a lot of us have had this happen to us; we’re minding our own business when someone we have never seen before corners us and starts to push their beliefs onto us when all we’d like to do is escape.  It’s insulting and inconsiderate.  And that was her experience too.  Definitely a thought provoker.
• “Boomerang” from a little pregnant.  There were several Veteran’s Day themed posts this year that honored soldiers of present or past, but Julie’s love letter to her ailing grandfather was the one that touched my heart the most.
• “Skipping the Baby Registry: Yay or Nay?” from Advice Smackdown.  Amy generally sticks to advice about beauty but every once in a while she breaks the mold.  This is stuff that’s good to know, as there are people out there who would rather not fill out a baby registry or have a shower.  Amy tells us, “It’s okay!”
• “Maybe should limit her MTV” from dooce.  Rarely is it that Heather does not make me laugh or think.  This entry is a great snippet about an uncommon event in an otherwise normal day.  And also yet another posts that rails against the evil, evil time change.
• “No” from Plain Jane Mom Blog.  This is a big hot-button topic to mothers of school aged children.  How much of yourself do you give to the school?  Erika says, “Not a bit” because right now she’s focusing on her family.  And I think that’s more than okay.
• “Miraculous” from All & Sundry.  Linda details the woes of a third trimester pregnancy in her usual funny way and in the midst of her griping, she can still take time to step back and bask in the miracle of it all too.
• “Her Bad Birthday: A Love Song” from Her Bad Mother.  HBM does a take-off on the standard (and sometimes over-used) birthday letter and is able to do so in a funny and touching way.  Happy Birthday, Wonderbaby!
• “My Best Friend, they name is Kim” from moosh in indy.  While away from home and her husband and dealing with a wild and wooly toddler, Casey finds solace in the company of her best friend.  And makes me wish I had someone like that in my life too.

I’m sorry for my absence from the site this week. It’s been a crazy week in parenting land over here and to top it off, I had a little baby with a bad fever for a couple days. Any of you who’ve also had this know that little babies with bad fevers don’t like to be put down. And it’s rather hard to post with a baby sweating on your chest. He seems to be on the mend now, antibiotics to the rescue! Now maybe I can get caught up…

There are a few great sites to visit this week. And since NaBloPoMo started yesterday, I figure next week we’ll have a virtual bounty of great posts to read. I hope you like what I’ve picked out for you!

• “CBACBAVB” from misszoot. This is a topic near and dear to my heart, which you’ve probably noticed since I’ve linked to similar posts like it before. But I like the perspective she gave it. If you can’t tell from the title, it’s about having a repeat c-section versus a VBAC (or vaginal birth after c-section). It’s controversial, but I do believe the decision is ultimately a personal one.
• “The pumpkin, the pumpkin, the pumpkin’s on fire” from All & Sundry. Linda always has a way to make me laugh. Though she spends a portion of the post bashing Internet Explorer (another topic near and dear to my heart), the majority of the post is spent on pumpkins and pumpkin carving. You should see what she and her husband put together. Wow!
• “Halloweenie” from Hollow Squirrel. Mrs. Squirrel came up with a brilliant meme that’s a take-off from the standard literary meme but involves horror movies instead. What I love is show she explained each movie and why she’s seen it, why she saw only part of it or why she hasn’t seen it at all. Definitely a post that helped me get in the mood for the spooky holiday but is enjoyable all year round.
• “Keep Your Sun Up In The Rain” from Oh, The Joys. She shares with us a story she read her children, a true children’s book about a man who walked a tightrope between the two towers. And by towers, I mean the World Trade Center in NYC. The somber ending to the story prompted a frank discussion about redemption, one of those truly awesome parenting moments that each of us cling to through the difficult days.
• “Frema and the Three Winter Coats” from What’re You Looking At? Frema goes through a distressing situation that nearly every woman who is pregnant during the winter months has to suffer through: Which coat to wear? We see a hilarious sequence of photos where she tries various coats on with varying degrees of success before finally going out and shelling out the dough for a maternity coat (which looks fabulous by the way).
• “Tube-Tied” from Purple is a Fruit. Another post from Linda (but from a different blog so it’s okay), and another topic that’s near and dear to my heart. Or maybe, just something that’s also weighing on my mind right now. Like Linda, my doctor wants me to consider getting my tubes tied during my c-section. It’s a rough decision, even if you know you’re done having children. Almost as good as the post is the discussion that takes place in the comments section.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and hopefully you’ll be seeing me sooner than a week from now!

This week, I’ve got some great reads for you, along with a promised follow-up to the heartbreaking story I posted on Monday. There is plenty for you to enjoy here, as well as some good posts to get you thinking.   Hopefully, my little list will help you discover a new blog or two.  Or reconnect you with an old favorite.  As always, if you have a blog you think I should be checking out, leave me a comment here!

• “No Kid, Huh?” by IzzyMom.   Izzy takes on the controversial topic of breeder vs. non-breeder.  There’s a book out that urges people everywhere to stop having children in order to preserve the planet.  More disturbing are the comments in response to an article about the book from people who wholeheartedly agree with the premise.
• “Brothers” by a little pregnancy.  Julie talks about a sensitive subject to anyone with infertility or secondary infertility.  Having a second child isn’t always so easy when you child seems to want a sibling, it makes it all that much worse.
• “Higher” by Daring Young Mom.  The Daring One shows us exactly why you want to make sure to always keep the scissors out of your children’s reach.  Especially if they aspire to be a hairdresser when they’re older.
• “Hola, Isabel” by hola, isabel.  Isabel (not her real name, as detailed in this fascinating entry) describe exactly where the idea for her blog title came from and invites her readers to do the same.  She has an amazing narrative voice and it is entries like these that I look forward to reading from her.
• “Discipline and the two year old” by Purple is a Fruit.   Linda is at the end of her rope and in need of suggestions on how best to discipline her two year old son when he gets out of line.  Even more interesting are the comments that follow filled with commiseration and suggestions.
• “The Promised Details” by LagLiv.  Here’s my follow-up on this awful story.  The family got their baby back.  It’s not the most ideal circumstances and there’s a lot more to come but in the meantime, they’re enjoying lots of snuggles and loves.  And that is FAR better than any group home or foster care out there.
• “Empty” by dooce.   This was an entry from her I was hoping I would never see.  I never want to see this entry from anyone, actually.  When she posted earlier in the week about some bad stuff going on, I was worried and turns out, rightly so.  I’d be surprised if any of you haven’t seen this entry yet, as just about everyone reads Heather’s blog, but in case you haven’t, go check it out and then send some much-needed good vibes her way.
• “Ten weeks till Christmas” by Running Stitch. I wish I had one iota the talent that Brit has for homemade crafts.  She talks about how sometimes she feels cheap giving her creations as gifts and how we all need to treasure those things made by hand.  She suggests we all indulge in a homemade Christmas, even if just buying from one of the many Etsy shops out there.  She gives us a great list of shops to check out for starters and I’m thinking this is a fabulous idea.

I hope everyone enjoys their weekends. I know I plan to!

I learned about this blog on Friday and all weekend long I was on the alert for updates on this poor mother’s situation.  This story stayed in my mind every day as I wondered, “What would I do in her shoes?”  The answer is; fall apart most likely.

The story is this: a wife, mother and law student had her three month old son taken away from her by the Department of Child and Family Services late last week because they suspect he has been the victim of abuse.  All because this mother was very concerned about a “popping noise” in her son’s chest (plus the fact that he seemed in agony all the time, and a diagnosis of acid reflux didn’t sit well with her) and insisted on a chest x-ray.  The x-ray revealed broken ribs.  Playing it safe, DCFS took the child and put him in a group home for the weekend where she and her husband have been allowed to visit him for one hour a day under supervised conditions.

I can’t give you the whole story as well as she can, so I highly suggest you visit her blog and read through the recent archives.   It’s simply heartbreaking to see a fellow parent go through this.  She is certain that there has been no abuse and her current theory is that the ribs were broken during what turned out to be a fairly traumatic delivery.  She has some good evidence to back this up, so I’ve got all fingers and toes crossed for her.  There’s a hearing tomorrow in which the judge will decide if the case needs to go to trial (it probably will) and where the child should be placed for the duration.  The family is hoping that her parents will be able to serve as foster parents.  This poor woman can’t bear the thought of her baby being in some strangers house for the next three months (an estimation) where she would have limited visitation rights (once a week).  So definitely, keep these people in your thoughts and prayers.  And drop by and leave them a word of encouragement if you’ve got a moment.

I expect I’ll be updating you all on this family’s progress as the days and weeks go by, so keep your eyes on the “You Need to Read” feature, where I’ll most likely be featuring recent posts.

The list is short this week, but the sites I’ve included are no less awesome. So if you’re thirsting for some good reading material this weekend, look no further than these posts. They’ll keep you busy, entertained and thoughtful. I can guarantee that.

• “Shout Out to Bossy’s Gays” by i am bossy. This is a beautiful post, done “poetry style” and complete with a soundtrack. I’d like to echo her sentiment. I’ve known some awesome people who just also happen to be gay.
• “IZ NAKIES” from I Can Has Cheeseburger? Okay, it’s not a parenting blog, but it’s hysterical nonetheless. If you haven’t become familiar with lolcats before now, this website is sure to keep you entertained and suck all sorts of time from you this weekend. And this particular lolcat made me literally laugh out loud.
• “…to a land where joy shall never end…” by Oh, The Joys. She is almost always just hysterically funny but this time, we see her sensitive and serious side. A literally gut-wrenching post that all too many of us can sympathize with.
• “Longing for a Pocket” by Purple is a Fruit. Some readers had suggested to Linda that if she was curious about observing her own c-section, to watch a video of one first. She found one on YouTube and has since revised her earlier stance on viewing a c-section. Yikes, I can only imagine. I just think there are some things I’d like to see and do in this world and there are some things I can be perfectly happy being in the dark about. This is one of those things.
• “The First Experiment: Chickpea Cookies” by Ordering Disorder. Melissa is trying out that new Jessica Seinfeld book “Deceptively Delicious” out on her notoriously picky children and this was her first go. I was interested to see the outcome, as I saw the segment on Oprah with Mrs. Seinfeld earlier this week and wanted to see how these recipes went over in “real life”. I’m not a big fan of chickpeas though, so I was a little horrified at the notion of putting them into chocolate chip cookies. I probably would have mashed them up before hand instead of putting them in whole. But it sounds like they went over pretty well. I’ll be keeping an eye for her future “experiements”.
• “Instant Karma” by IzzyMom. Just about everyone at some time or another has had an awful neighbor. Reading this story about Izzy’s awful neighbor, I felt invested in the outcome, wanting to see her vindicated. And she was. Richly so. Down with awful neighbors everywhere!

Welcome to another installment of YNTR!  As always, if you think I’m totally missing out on a fantastic read, drop me a line or leave a comment and point me in the right direction.  And now?  Onto the links!  I have some great ones for you this week (as usual), I hope you enjoy.  See you Monday, ya’ll!

• “To the guy with the wife with the baby” by sweet | salty.  Once again, Kate has hit the nail on the head.  This is formatted as an open letter to a new father, encouraging him to take part in his growing family and support his wife the way she needs him to.  Should be a must read for every father out there.
• “Now I just need to learn how to use it” by Kerflop. This began a little series by Jessica on deciding to spend some money on herself and making herself look better and how to do it.  Mostly I was just jealous she got to get all that great stuff from Sephora.
• “Under the Table” by Dad Gone Mad.  A great little essay about eating out with children, especially children who love to crawl under the table when they get bored.  And who hasn’t done that at some point in their life?
• “Bruce Willis scares the crap out of his daughters’ boyfriends” by Jonathon Morgan at ParentDish.  Ha!  It’s one of those things that you always suspected might be true but are just now finding out is entirely the case.  Who hasn’t pictured Bruce Willis as one of those dad’s sitting on the porch with a shotgun?
• “Parenting 101: The Art of Annoyance” by Mommy Tracks.  This is one of those “so true you HAVE to share it” type of posts.  All mom’s feel the pressure of needing to impart our wisdom or advice onto our children, whether they want it or not.  Me, I find their annoyance an added bonus.
• “The Smackdown Checklist” by the Advice Smackdown.  Amy’s advice has long been a staple of the blogosphere (and if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t even know foundation brushes existed).  This post is a must read compilation of what you need to have for your face, both makeup and facial care and just what you need to be doing with it.  This is something I’m going to print out and keep in my bathroom, I don’t know about you.
• “My Responsibility” by Daring Young Mom.  This is truly a landmark post.  She discusses how her loyalty to a used bookstore is challenged when she discovers they advertise a belief in families only have two children in order to lessen the “burden” on the planet.  I can’t say it enough, you gotta read this.

Happy October, ya’ll!  I hope you survived the weekend with your family intact.  There’s a lot of parenting and family buzz on the 451Press network this morning and I’m going to give you a peek at what’s going on.

Erinn over at “Parenting Our Children” talks about a “Ban on Birthday Fun in School“.  Apparently, some schools are outlawing the distribution of cupcakes or other fatty (but fun) goodies.  At my child’s school, as with most others, you are encouraged to bring cupcakes for the class to enjoy to celebrate your child’s birthday.  I can understand the reasoning, but it seems extreme to outlaw such an innocent joy for children.

Jean over at “Parenting and Religion” discusses the touchy topic “Domestic Violence Effects Kids; How to Have a Non-Violent Home“.   Not an easy subject to address, Jean covers this one well and with caring.  October is Domestic Violence Awareness month and she plans to keep the spotlight on the issue for the next several days.  Definitely tune in and check it out.

Brian at “Sympathy Pain” talks about  “Why I Do This…“, about why he blogs about pregnancy and becoming a father.  He reveals a little of his history with his ex-wife, where she suffered two devastating miscarriages and his desire to remember that, to move forward, to mark the events as they happen.  And you know, that’s very much the same reason I do what I do as well.  My personal blog has been my salvation through some very rough times, reproductively speaking.  My only regret is that I didn’t start blogging sooner.  If you haven’t been reading Brian’s site, you need to start.

That’s all I have time for today, definitely check out some of the other wonderful sites that have updated recently while you’re at it.  There’s an awful lot to talk about in the world of parenting.

Welcome to another edition of YNTR!  There’s been some great news in the blogosphere this last week and I’ve probably only captured a fraction of it.  Definitely check out these sites if you’re looking for a good read.  And, as always, if there’s a site that you think I’m missing out on, let me know!

• “I’m so bloated I could jog” by Oh, The Joys.  Have you read this chick?  Because she’s completely awesome.  Makes me laugh almost every dang time.  Anyhow, she discusses an issue that all of us women know well; PMS and the need for fat pants.
• “At odds in a spritely woodland” by sweet | salty.  What parent hasn’t experienced the hairy eyeball when taking their child out in a public place?  Reading this post, I felt my hackles rising on behalf of poor Kate and her family.  Especially in light of how special they viewed this particular place, the treatment they received was pretty horrifying.
• “THEIR Bad Mother” by Her Bad Mother.  Fantastic news for Catherine!  And can I just say, what a clever way to announce it?  I loved the title.  Congrats to HBM!
• “Lickity Genetics” by moosh in indy.  You may have noticed that Casey’s daughter has quite the tongue.  In this post, she compiles pictures of said tongue and it’s hilarious.  Apparently, Moosh comes by this tongue honestly.
• “Boy survives 2 hour plane flight hanging on the wing” by Jonathon Morgan at ParentDish.  Wow.  Just… wow.  This news story just boggles my mind.  Good thing the poor kid is okay.  I’ve never heard of anyone doing anything like that before.
• “I blame Al Gore. And global warming. And El Nino.  And all that acid I dropped in ‘95.” by Rockstar Mommy.  I mentioned this issue yesterday, about the photo stealing and flickr and Orkut, but this is RSM’s post about the subject and it sums it up so nicely I felt I had to point it out twice.
• “Oh how I wish I could have told the doctor I was “eating a try of fruit” and not “a platter of nachos” when it happened.” by Joy Unexpected.  Y had a big, BIG scare.  I’m so glad she shared it with us and I hope it helps motivate her to take better care of herself.  We want her blogging for a long time to come!
• “CafeMom Writing Challenge: A Letter to your Dumb Teenage Self” by Mom’s Daily Dose.  Not only was it fun reading what Amy has to say to herself as a teenager, for those of us who blog out there, this was a great idea for a post.  Thanks, Amy!
• “Here we go again” by Zoot.  I’m so excited for her, I can hardly contain myself.  I’m even more honored that she chose to out herself in my comments section at my personal blog.  I’ve got fingers and toes crossed for her.  She definitely deserves another baby.

Here’s this weeks list of awesome blog posts. By the way, if you think I’m missing a blog that I need to add to my feed reader, drop me a comment and I’ll go check it out. I’m always on the lookout for the next great read!

• “Sports Package: Officially Cancelled” by Rockstar Mommy. Luckily, I haven’t had problems with a husband who is obsessed with sports. However, he is obsessed with video games and a lot of times it creates the same problem. I feel her pain.
• “Dirty little secrets” by Sweetney. Oh my heavens, I could have written this. Word for word. I’m a horrible housekeeper. A lot of times, I feel guilty about it. Doesn’t make me want to clean anymore than I already do though.
• “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” by Dad Gone Mad. Danny writes about learning his son has a bit of an asshole streak. I know this is hugely rampant among the 7 year old crowd, so I hope he doesn’t feel too bad. I definitely felt his pain in this post.
• “This, too” by Purple is a Fruit. Linda talks about the challenges of raising a two year old and her dependence on that most of famous of parenting mantras: This too shall pass.
• “Toxins, eight-legged freaks, the burning question” by All & Sundry. Another great post from Linda! This time, the thing that cracked me up to no end was link to the AD&D monster discussion and another infamous spider story. She tops it off by mentioning her growing desire to know if she’s having a boy or a girl. You and me both, lady!
• “Does this mean I shouldn’t tattoo their faces?” by Rockstar Mommy. It’s an age-old parenting question. Do you impose a drastic style on your child before they are too old to argue? RSM says “HELL YA!” You go girl.
• “They were right” by Dad Gone Mad. Another great post from DGM. This time, an issue near and dear to my heart. It’s his realization that the little old lady in the supermarket was right, they DO grow up too fast.
• “Did Adam and Eve have bellybuttons?” by Rancid Raves. Cagey tackles more of the “2 under 2″ discussion that I find myself so interested in these days. She talks about the bad, along with the good. I have a feeling I’m going to be going to her for a lot of advice come April!
• “Getting there” by dooce. I know. Everyone reads “dooce”. But this post was awesome. Heather talks about her rough transition into motherhood and how it’s still ongoing, though it’s getting better.

Have a great weekend, ya’ll!

An interesting bunch of sites made the “blogroll” this week.  Some sad, thought provoking, some happy, some silly… It’s a good mix of great posts.  I hope you enjoy!

• “Miscarriage.” by moosh in indy.   This is a great post, asking for support for a friend who is suffering miscarriage and for everyone who has had one.  A wonderful tribute post and comments.  A must read for anyone who has been touched by this.
• “At a loss (for words)” from ParentDish by Jennifer Jordan.  In the same vein, this post is about someone who has suffered a pregnancy lost (specifically stillbirth) and how to best approach a friend or discuss the lost child with that person.  A very important post, a must read for everyone.
• “Declutter Mission Improbable” by Sweetney.  This is so like me it’s not even funny.  I seriously need to go through my house with a fine toothed comb and get rid of a LOT of clutter.  It would help so much.  Think of how much less crap I’d have to pick up on a daily basis?
• “Unscented” by Dad Gone Mad.  As someone who has wanted to be a writer (more specifically a novelist) most of her life, majored in English and took countless writing workshops, this post spoke to my heart.  The wanting to publish and waiting for rejection or for justification.
• “Fruit of the Loom” by Oh, the Joys.  An absolutely hysterical post involving underwear and a ceiling fan.
• “If women are from Venus, then Mars must not have phones” by Mrs. Flinger.  I could have written this post myself.  In fact, it did prompt me to write my own post on the same subject.  It’s a tender subject: husbands who come home from work late.
• “You hairy, I fix” by moosh in indy.  Another post from Casey, this time she’s her usual hysterical self while discussing an interesting hair removal process.
• “Excess baggage, I believe we’ve all got it” by hola, isabel.  In this awesome post, Isabel gets a dialog going about how we are all insecure about ourselves, as evidenced by this summer’s BlogHer conference.
• “Scopes” by a little pregnant.  Julie nails it again with a listing of horoscope predictions for infertility sufferers.
• “Britney and Me” by Her Bad Mother.  With everyone delighted to bash Brit after her woeful VMA’s performance, HBM finds the sad similarities between the fallen poptart and herself.

Welp, I’m out of her for the weekend.  I’ll be back on Tuesday but hopefully will still be able to bring you some good news on Monday.  Have a good weekend, ya’ll!

I can’t believe I haven’t brought up this site yet, because if you’re looking for some good parenting websites/blogs, this is a tremendous resource.  I’m talking about the ClubMom blogs, of course.   You can catch up with Amy’s Daily Dose blog, where she finds what’s awesome out there in the world of parenting blogs and let’s us know about it.  You can fill out a short questionnaire about your own family and what your particular interests are and be matched up with a list of ClubMom blogs that seem to be custom-written for you.  You can view short summaries of each blog and blogger and get to know them all (there are a bunch!).  Or, if you’re in a hurry, you can view each blog by topic and find the one that’s best for you.  I myself have found several great blogs over at ClubMom, ones that I read every day.  So no matter what you’re interested in, I know you can find a blog for you over there.  Go check it out, but be prepared to lose at least a couple of hours as you read all the awesome sites!

Welcome to another edition of “You need to read”. There’s some seriously awesome posts in this week’s post. But don’t take my word for it, you need to check every one of these out for yourself. You can thank me later.

• “Messages for mama” by sweet | salty. A thought provoking post as always, but I was interested in the discussion about “sisterhood” after a loss and how important it can be.
• “tiny came, tiny saw, tiny shopped” by moosh in indy.  I thought this was a really sweet post by Casey about her mother’s visit.  You could tell they were close, just by the way she talked about her.
• “I love you more than soup” by Dad Gone Mad.  This is a great example of why we need more daddy bloggers out there.
• “Cooking with Carrisa” by hola, isabel.  This is actually a guest post from Carrisa and in it she shared how to make her famous pizza burgers.  I read it and, even in spite of the Spam, was instantly craving one.
• “Sweetness Follows” by Rockstar Mommy.  This is a fantastic, thought-provoking and even touching post about her brother and her feelings on the war in Iraq.  Almost as good is the lively discussion that ensues in the comments section.
• “I quit my job after a cop busted me leaving my nanny charges unattended in the car” by Kerflop.  Wow.  Just… wow.  This is an awesome post from Jessica where she shares a very painful and shameful memory.  It’s worth it to read the whole thing (it’s a long post).
• “Unwelcome companions” by All & Sundry. A hilarious post (as usual) where she complains about sleeping with pets.  Seeing as how I’m pregnant now myself, I can understand a heightened desire to have my bed to myself so I definitely related with her here!
• “Lucy” from Plain Jane Mom Blog.  Words can’t express how I feel about this post.  My heart aches for Erika and her family.
• “Deliverance” from Her Bad Mother.  This was a truthful and entertaining post about a toddler’s addiction to the dreaded pacifier.  Is it a fight worth fighting?  Maybe and maybe not.

We’re closing out the month of August with some great posts from around the parenting blogosphere.  Some are funny, some are not.  Some will make you think, and some might make you mad.  But you’ll have to agree, these are all greats posts.

• “Of Buns in Ovens and Bloggers in Need” by Mom’s Daily Dose.   Amy profiled a great post from a great blogger about some of the disturbingly vivid dreams pregnant women tend to have.  She (and this poster) also touched on what makes blogging so great because without the community, blogging would be just words on a screen.
• “Statement; piglets” by Purple is a Fruit.  Linda discussed a subject that is near and dear to my heart:  c-sections.  More specifically, requesting that people not question her, berate her or try to change her mind about her own c-section.  Amen, girl.
• “Celebrity Deathmatch: Jerry Springer vs. Harper Lee” by Rockstar Mommy.  This is a great and hilarious post for anyone who is remotely familiar with the great American novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird”.  It’s also a frightening assessment of America’s collective “genius”.
• “Stuff” by Bethiclaus.   What I found interesting about this post was her impressions on her seminary-style class and the political leanings of her classmates and teacher.  Frankly, the ignorance startles and freaks me out.
• “How Old is Too Old” by Rockstar Mommy.  Yet again, RSM shows up on the list for starting a very interesting conversation about when a person is too old to wear miniskirts, long hair and other such fashions.  The discussion that follows in the comments is spirited and interesting to read.
• “Let sleeping babies lie, apparently” by Untangling Knots.  Karla shares a hilarious episode in which her baby shows he has a mind of his own.
• “What happens if every team in the NFL goes 8-8?” by Rancid Raves.  What caught my attention was not the football discussion but her views on gender and stereotypes.  She and I have very similar opinions on this and I get frustrated too when people expect my sons to be hell on wheels simply because they are boys.
• “Betrayed” by Izzymom.  Lastly, we have this gut-wrenching post from Izzy.  She’s going through a rough time and could use all the support she can get.