Since I missed last week’s Follow Friday I figured I would give you two for the price of one, both run by the very talented Jessica McFadden. It also seems fitting that I go with Jessica’s sites today since I didn’t do it last week because I wanted to leave an Egret poem I dedicated to Susan Neibur up front. See I think it is fitting because not only was Jessica friends with Susan, but Susan’s blog is the only reason Jessica doesn’t have the top two spots on my blog roll. I am sure there are plugins to allow you to arrange your blog roll however you want but I leave mine in Alphabetical order.  Jessica’s two sites I am featuring are A Parent in America and A parent in Silver Spring. They would have top billing if it weren’t for Susan’s site http://toddlerplanet.wordpress.com/ but her twitter name was @whymommy. The @ sign gave her top billing which I felt was important as her story needed to be told.  She won’t be updating anymore since she recently lost her battle to cancer. I strongly encourage you to read through her site, she was an amazing woman; so I guess this is a 3 for Friday. But something tells me Jessica won’t mind sharing the spotlight with Susan.

But on to Jessica McFadden who for the record was my first friend on twitter and is directly or indirectly responsible for me getting to know hundreds of people. So on to Jessica’s Bio

“My name is Jessica. I’m a blogging mother of three who is happily surprised that her website is read by thousands of parents daily!

Since founding A Parent in Silver Spring in January 2008, it has grown to become both a top “mom blog must-read” and the go-to resource for Washington, DC area parents.

(Pssst – If you’re a company or organization interested in my stats and coolness quotient in the momblogosphere, e-mail me for my media kit and a quick reply with my social media figures, readership info and the like.) 

This blog was founded to help parents answer the question “What’s a parent to do?”

Literally. What is there to do with our children? What’s out there that is fun, awesome, FREE, essential?

Whether you are home all day every day every minute with the little rascals, working part time or full time, a mother or father, married or single, these are questions you are bound to ask.

In speaking with other parents since I became a mom, I have heard this question thousands of times. Especially from new mothers that have just left their jobs for a maternity leave of anywhere from two months to twenty years. If I had a nickel for every time I have heard “How I do I meet other moms with kids the same age?” or “How can I find a playgroup?” I would probably live in Bethesda.

Just kidding.

I think there are oodles of resources for parents nationwide, and events and opportunities to meet other families in the Washington, DC area.

My goal for is to provide a fun, free and accessible resource for families. I’d love to assist that new mom in her yoga pants who does not know a soul with a child and is jonesing for company other than her newborn. Or that stay at home dad who feels lost in a sea of nursing bras. The family who just moved to the Washington, D.C. area from another state. The parent who works outside the home and is looking for events to share with his/her kid when they have time together.

And who am I?

My full name is Jessica McFadden. I used to be Jessica Slovak, until I surprised myself and embraced tradition. Now I’m a minivan driving, bass-booming Washington, D.C. area housewife and mom to three energetic children: Charlie (age 8), Eve (age 5) and Alice (10 months). My husband Chris is hot and kind and an IT genius and an incredible dad.  No, you can’t have him.

In addition to momming it up and writing this website, I work as a writer of informative and humorous parenting articles. I follow parenting news and trends like it’s my job (um, it is). I’m also in the trenches with my kids and loving it.

I’d love to write a feature for your publication or help you promote your business or cause in this weird online world. I also make special guest star appearances in Washington DC and throughout the blogosphere.

I’m a California native who moved to DC to work on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Senator, and then for corporate and public affairs clients at a PR firm. I lived in Dupont Circle, worked until late each night and then shook the pins out of my bleached hair and hit the town. Then I moved to Silver Spring and had babies and my priorities changed. Now working from home as a writer on this blog, and on a freelance basis for publications such as TLC’s Parentables,  Nickelodeon’s ParentsConnect and The Washington Post means every day is take my kids to work day. It rocks.

I love libraries, live music, early American lit, period dramas, loud dinner parties, Alfred Hitchcock, Smithsonian Institutions, wooded trails, beach and Italian vacations, antique shops, overpriced jeans and handbags, flea markets, Real Simple, ELLE Decor, board games and boxed wine green tea.

I’m extroverted to a fault, so if I run into to you at the store and start jabbering away to you or your kids, just tell me to shut up. I won’t be offended. E-mail me with your suggestions for the site any old time. Don’t worry, I have no idea how to spam you.

I hope you enjoy this humble website. Cruise around and explore all that Washington, DC area has to offer, and e-mail me with anything that you’d like to see covered. I’d love to hear from you.”

If you are not reading  A Parent in America and A parent in Silver Spring, I highly recommend it. Jessica is a talented writer who has been published in the Washington Post as well as other respected news outlets. Her Silver Spring blog is an excellent resource for DC area parents and her America blog is an excellent resources for parents in general.

© 2012 – 2013, Corey Feldman. All rights reserved.

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