Bump | this woman's work

My last Bump.com post EVER*

Oct 232009

They changed the rules and now it’s about the most compelling comment (I don’t think the most comments, I think the most compelling comment) to decide who wins, which means maybe I have a chance to donate a thousand bucks to Ethica. Because I can’t compete with the votes (and honestly, there are some really great blogs there who I’d be more than happy to cheer about and perhaps was even voting for with my wee clicks back when there was voting). BUT if you wanted to share a comment about my blog, that would be nice. You have to register though, which sucks. I don’t like that. And you have to write, which uses up brain cells and I know all too well that brain cells are at a premium. But if you WANTED to, then feel free to tell them that I don’t suck.

You can do that by clicking here.

And if you already blogged a little bit about it? You could copy and paste your blog instead of reinventing the dang wheel.

Thanks for your consideration!!

*Unless I win, which is unlikely but if I did, I’d announce it here. Maybe I will announce the winner, too, whether or not it’s me, in which case this is the SECOND to last Bump.com post EVER.

I'd like to thank the academy...

Adoption, Blogging 20 Responses »

Oct 202009

Actually I’d like to thank all of you for winning this for me with your clicky fingers and blog links (from — in alphabetical order — Heather and Jay and Jenna and Jess and Lilian and Malinda and Margie and Resistance and Sang-Shil and Shannon and Singout and Thorn). (If I missed someone, please let me know!) Also for your facebook shares and twitter posts!

The voting has already started for the next level but I don’t have it in me. I am woozy and semi-feverish and really, this is so nice and plenty. Besides which Jenna and I are going to get that thousand bucks for Ethica in a way that won’t give all of our friends carpal tunnel!!! Also I have no problem telling you that Ethica is deserving of a whole lot of noise but I’m done trying to convince you that I am.

By the way the fact that the best Adoption Blog is a Mommy Blog category (even though some of the best, most thoughtful and most enlightening writings we have on adoption are from the adopted people themselves) and that there were no First Mom blogs in the running means that we need to start thinking about next year, right?

I like winning this contest, really. It means a lot. But I also kinda feel like I won a race where 2/3 of the best people weren’t even invited to run so it’s lovely but by no means definitive. I’m grateful but humbled, too. And now I’m going to go get some ibuprofen and have a quick lie down.

The blogs that taught me about adoption

Adoption 30 Responses »

Oct 172009

So far the niftiest thing about this contest is that my traffic just shot straight up — that’s always fun. So I wanted to share out some of that mad traffic love by doing a link fest for your favorite adoption-oriented blogs. I’m going to leave this post sticky for the duration of the contest and I ask you to leave links to your favorite adoption blogs in the comments (including a little shout out about why you love them). And for those of you wandering in thanks to The Bump, please feel free to leave your own recommendations and also check ours out.

For folks who haven’t been here before, my particular loves are adoption blogs that give me a new way to think about adoption, i.e., ones that go beyond the “adoption is awesome” trope and dig in to really think critically about adoption and what we can do to make it more ethical and better serve our kids. I’m not going to link here because there are way too many and I’d be afraid of leaving someone out but you can check out my google shares either on my sidebar or by clicking here. Most of my shares are about adoption, feminism or race (and some are just for fun).

Oh and please vote for me lots and lots.

No such thing as a best blog

Adoption, Blogging 4 Responses »

Oct 172009

I am actually very competitive. I’m so competitive that I refuse to compete. Really. The first time I was nominated for a blog contest (it was the first year of the BOB awards), I asked to be removed. For one thing, I was up against friends and I don’t LIKE competing against friends. And for another thing we all know that any blog contest with voting isn’t even a popularity contest — it’s something even less relevant than that; it’s a contest of whose friends are most into winning and the only thing worse than competing against friends is competing FOR friends to compete against friends.

I have no delusions. I write a nice blog here and all but there are many many fabulous adoption blogs and none of my favorites are on the nomination sheet. This isn’t any grand conspiracy either — it’s just that only four adoption blogs got nominated. The press release says, “TheBump.com will showcase up to 10 of the most noteworthy finalists for each of the 15 blog categories”, which means there were six empty spaces that by rights should have been filled in by some folks on my blogroll.

I shoulda paid attention when Jenna announced she’d nominated me because then I would have nominated HER because she’s one of my favorites (obviously) but also because we’ll know the times they are a-changing when a first parent wins an adoption category in a mommy blog contest.

(The thing about Jenna is that she’s like a Trojan horse of a blog when it comes to adoption reform. This is why she pisses so many people off on either side — she’s someone who resolutely walks the tightrope because she has a “good” open adoption but she doesn’t think that lets anyone off the hook. I mean, what she writes? It’s really transgressive because you can’t label her with a free and easy label. Think about it — she got birth motherhood into REDBOOK for crying out loud! And not happy-dappy birth motherhood either. That’s some powerful activism right there.)

This is also why I won’t keep the prize if I win. If I win the first round, the gift certificate will go to Pennie. If I win the second, it’ll go to Ethica. Because this isn’t a contest I’d feel like I EARNED and I’m a whole lot more comfortable going out and begging for votes if it’s not about ME. You know? I also like the counterpoint of specifically giving the prizes to the people who are missing from the contest (i.e., a first mom and an agency working for the rights of adoptees and first parents).

Anyway, vote for me zillions of times between now and 11:59pm EST Monday (I wrote to the folks running the contest and they said it’s kosher to hit refresh and vote a bunch of times if you want). And now I’m going to go lie face down in my bed because I am sick sick sick with a sore throat and fever.

So many things

Adoption, Blogging, Grad School 15 Responses »

Oct 162009

Here’s a list update!

Blogher invited me (and Madison) to review the new Sonicare toothbrush for kids. You can comment to be part of the giveaway AND check out Madison’s adorable review here. (Note: I didn’t coach her at all with that interview. The kid is a born shill!)
You can keep on (and on and on) voting for this blog over at The Bump. I promised Pennie I’d give her the Pottery Barn giftcard if I win because Roscoe deserves adorable baby furnishings! (Also don’t you think Pennie ought to get something if I win because, you know, I obviously couldn’t have done it without her?)
Jenna and I have a really great idea we’re going to try to pull off after being inspired by this contest. So good will come of it even if we don’t get the gift card and Roscoe is forced to make do with baby accessories from Target, (which, who are we kidding, are all kinds of cute). (No dis to Target, really.)
I take the GRE on Wednesday. I am bombing the math in my practice tests. Let us not speak of it too much. Brett said he’ll coach me this weekend. Although if they’re going to look at my COMBINED score and not separately, I may have a shot.
Speaking of grad school, I have to write a letter of intent. What are the application people looking for in that? Soul searching? Story of my life? Story of my professional life? Since it’s a counseling program, do they want more touchie-feelie? Anyone know?