Birds? Meet Stone! Days 18 & 19

I'm loving participating in the SITS Blogfrog 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge! BUT, being a community lead for the project and trying to spread the linky love AND trying to visit with the many out of town guests we had this week AND cleaning my house for the playdate I had here this morning AND keeping up with the laundry AND making sure my 2 kids are fed and played with and changed and happy? Whew, it's kind of a lot of work!

Today is Day 19 of the challenge, and the task is to write an opinion post for our blogs. I have written opinion posts in the past, and I always have a lot of fun with it. It's really awesome to have an outlet where I can share those things I just NEED to say. Most of my opinion posts have centered around women's issues and equal rights, because those are two things I'm very interested in. Opinion posts are a great way to get discussion started on your blog. They're also a great way to draw in readers if you've got an opinion on a current news or political topic, currently showing movie, popular book or hot new product.

Now, let me step back a day - here's where killing two birds with one stone comes in. The task for Day 18 of the challenge was to create a sneeze page. If you're not familiar with the concept, you can read this article at Problogger all about what a sneeze page is, and how to create one.

When I was thinking about a topic to write an opinion post on, I started going through my archives and came across a few opinion posts I am still quite fond of. So, today I'm going to sort of do both tasks at once. Here are links to my favorite opinion posts of the past couple of years. At the bottom is a link to my new sneeze page, "What I Think", which is now linked in my sidebar as well! Hope you enjoy!

How We See Birth: Changing Our Perceptions - March 2010 - My thoughts on the way we view and treat birth in our culture and why it's not quite right.

Torture Porn: That's My Line and I'm Stickin' To It - February 2010 - Do you watch movies like Saw and Tourista? Here's why I won't.

Have a Little Faith - December 2009 - My opinion on the nasty backlash that happened online after the tragic drowning death of a 2 year old boy.

Birthing is Business? - May 2009 - Thoughts on birth and the medical system in America after watching Ricki Lake's documentary "The Business of Being Born."

Did Jenny McCarthy Cure Autism? - March 2009 - My take on her claims and the idea that autism is curable at all.

Octuplets? Not an Option! - February 2009 - Where do we draw the line? When does the search for a child become medically irresponsible?

Haiku Friday: Gay Marriage Makes Me Cry - July 2008 - My reaction to gay marriage being legalized in California.

Movie Monday: The Women (suck) - September 2008 - My review of the movie "The Women," one of the worst movies I have seen in the past 5 years. Here, I explain why.