The Gourmet Pregnancy

On Wednesday, May 19, John and I had planned to prepare a meal for all of us, including an appetizer and dessert, from a book I was asked to review by Mom Central Canada called The Gourmet Pregnancy. They graciously sent me a gift card to purchase the groceries I would need to prepare the recipes I chose from this beautiful book.

And then at 3:30 am on May 19, I jumped out of bed seconds before my water broke all over the bedroom floor (Henry's full birth story is still forthcoming... that's just a taster of how it all went down).

Needless to say, I had to send an email telling the nice people at Mom Central Canada that my review would definitely not be in on time. They said "no problem." They're good like that.

About 2 weeks after Henry's birth, we finally got to cooking that meal. And it was awesome! The only hard part was choosing what to make. The book is full of beautiful photos and truly gourmet recipes for those of us who like to label ourselves "foodies". The book is careful to stay away from the foods that most western pregnant women avoid: unpasteurized cheeses, sushi, alcohol, while ensuring that these recipes will truly make a pregnant woman feel pampered and healthy at the same time (okay, except for the chocolate mousse cake which just makes you feel happy).

As an appetizer we chose to make the prunes (referred to as dried plums... I had to laugh) stuffed with maple roasted pecans and wrapped in bacon.

I chose these for some, ahem, obvious reasons that a pregnant or post-labour woman might choose them. But also, they tasted awesome. Needless to say, the girls peeled the bacon off and just ate that.

As a main course we made a warm steak salad. The grilled steak was marinated and then sliced over spring greens, tomatoes, avacado and walnuts and drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil (I pulled out the good stuff, not the stuff from Costco).


For dessert I made the decadent chocolate mousse cake. It was killer and really, really easy. You could easily whip that dessert together an hour before your company arrives. I didn't take a photo of it however because, although it tasted divine, it was really hard to get out of the pan. When I finally post the recipe for it (after I locate the book amidst the boxes and general chaos that is our house right now) I will add that you must not bake the crust for as long as it says because it is almost impossible to cut through and therefore impossible to get out of the pan looking like anything but mess. No matter how it looks though, it tasted great.

And now for the giveaway! I have a copy of this book to give away to my gentle readers. Leave a comment below and I'll do a random draw on Random.org exactly one week from today. To make it fun, tell me what you knew you shouldn't be eating but did while you were pregnant... or if you've never been pregnant, tell me what you would miss and probably sneak once in a while.

As an aside, I avoided all those foods your doctors tell you to avoid during my first pregnancy, was a little more lax during the second and by the third assumed that women in France and Japan were eating cheese and sushi and having perfectly healthy babies so I just went with it. I'm a rebel!

Pull-Ups Potty Dance blog tour

If you've been here a while, you'll know that I had a bear of a time toilet training Emily. During that harrowing experience, I came up with a little song that I sang while she was sitting on the toilet waiting for something to happen. I named it "The pee pee song" and yes it had a counterpart. I'm sure you can guess the name without me telling you.

It went a little like this (I spared you all an audio version):

(to the tune of Three Blind Mice)
Pee pee come out
Pee pee come out
Where are you?
Where are you?
We're sitting here waiting for you
We're sitting here waiting for you
Pee pee come out
Pee pee come out.

Grammy worthy, eh? But you know what? I still get requests for it. Unfortunately it's usually in a public bathroom. And yes, I always oblige.

It did however get us through some tough moments and make toilet training slightly more fun (let's face it, it will never really be fun).

Because of this experience and my foray into songwriting, I was interested when Mom Central Canada asked me to participate in a blog tour for the Pull-Ups Potty Dance. It's a way for moms and kids to put a bit of fun into what can be a trying experience for everyone, the same way my song did for my kids and me. Here is the Pull-Ups Potty Dance in action performed by Jessica Holmes and Traci Melchor.

Are you potty training one of your kids right now? Do you have a fun ritual of your own? I'd love to hear about it. And if you want to adopt the Pull-Ups Potty Dance (I mean, why reinvent the wheel?) you can find out more at pull-ups.com.

I don't know any mother or father who loved directing their kids through potty training. Maybe the ideas you find there, or the fun rituals you share with others, will make it slightly less stressful for everyone.

The nasty reality of a baby with a cold

Mom Central Canada has a campaign on right now for hydraSense. I'm participating in the campaign and received a few of the hydraSense products. If you haven't seen the commercials, hydraSense is a nasal care system for babies. I don't have a baby right now but I will in a short 8 weeks or so. And I've already had two babies, one of which was diagnosed by my doctor as having tiny nasal passages. Not words you really want to hear when you are desperately seeking sleep.

Emily had snot issues from almost the day she was born. It wasn't even just when she had a cold.... it seemed to be constant for the first few months. We were always using an aspirator on her. We even tried a few different types until settling on what we thought was the most effective. I remember the worst part being the different nasal hydrating sprays. The one the pharamacist recommended seemed to have the power to do a lobotomy. Needless to say, Emily did not like it. It only took me four months to realize that the clothes she was constantly wearing were lent to us by friends who had cats. I removed those clothes and sheets and the nose problems cleared up substantially.

She still caught colds though and we still suffered through tiny nasal passages.

It was Emily that remarked the other day when seeing the packages of Hydrasense I received that they contain "the science of the ocean." We don't even have a t.v. and somehow the power of advertising has reached her.

After going through the package, I do wish I had these products when Emily was a baby. I really like the Easy Dose Vials of Hydrating Nasal Care. They are little tiny tubes filled with a solution that you gently put into the baby's nose to keep it hydrated. That would have helped us quite a bit I think. There is also an aspirator and filters for it. It is much more involved that the squeeze type I used and I'll be trying it out on this new baby when the first cold (or tiny nasal passages) come along. You can see a demonstration of it here.

Being pregnant I am suffering from serious nasal congestion so I decided to try out the Ultra Gentle Mist Hydrating Nasal Care for myself. Essentially, it's a nasal spray. I figured that if it was safe for babies, it was safe for a pregnant woman. It wasn't the mind-blowing stuff I unleashed on Emily as a baby... thank goodness. It truly is gentle and it did clear my nose sufficiently over night. I have since turned to the adult stuff however since it didn't quite have the power I needed but I'm sure it will be great for a baby.

If you're interested in trying this for your own baby (and if you're suffering through a baby with a cold, I know you're desperately looking for a few hours of sleep right now), you can sign up for the Dolphins Club and download their coupon at www.hydrasense.ca/en/babynasal/aspx. Once logged back into your account, enter the code MC2010 under the online coupons tab and get an $8 coupon toward the purchase of the nasal aspirator.

Here's to clear noses all around!

The rush to the finish (and a review of Princesses on Ice)

This is going to be a quick and dirty (read: not well-written) post because it's December 23 and a rush to the finish. I realized last night that I've forgotten to sew the Christmas stockings. Oops! Guess what I'm doing this morning? And I still have a few things to bake and then tomorrow I'm going to be cooking to get ready for tomorrow night and Friday. And of course, there's still a bit of wrapping left.

But I couldn't go another day without talking about our weekend, most specifically about our afternoon/evening in Toronto. Both John and I were a bit leery about how it would all go with Emily and Hope walking around the city and then up late watching Princesses on Ice.

When we arrived in Toronto, we went straight to the Rogers Centre (aka the Skydome) and I picked up the tickets (courtesy of Mom Central). No hitches there but the wind was whipping and I was already preparing myself for the whining. I suggested we walk over to the nearby CBC building so the girls could see the museum (assuming Mr Dressup would play a prominent role) and some of the recording equipment in the lobby.

As I expected, they loved it. And I love the Toronto CBC building so we all won. It has to be one of my favourite buildings in Canada - you just can't help but feel a part of it all. Oh, I just realized that I should explain, for you non-Canadians, that CBC is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, our public broadcaster. They broadcast radio (which I have on most of the day) and of course TV such as the famous Hockey Night in Canada, The National and Coronation St (I miss it so much this year!) among other great shows. Most Canadians my age grew up on favourites such as Mr. Dressup and The Friendly Giant. I've been lucky enough to get my kids hooked on Mr. Dressup through a DVD series that CBC released. For the Friendly Giant, the CBC has missed the boat and released nothing of that series (I would definitely buy it if the CBC is reading this... get on it!) but you can view snippets on Youtube. My girls ask for it often.

We headed to the museum and guess what? It was pretty much ALL Mr. Dressup and Friendly Giant. The girls were in HEAVEN.


After that we headed down the street to the Lone Star for supper. It gave us a taste of Texas and Ottawa all at once (since this chain was started in Ottawa by an Ottawa Roughrider football player who was Texan).

After that it was a stop for a coffee/tea and off to the show.

We made our way to our (awesome) seats and waited. My blog winner was sitting right beside us. I just wish I could have sat beside Jenny to talk a bit more but instead I was between the girls to keep any arguing to a mininum. I didn't really have to worry though. Once the show started, that was all they cared about.

The show tells each story of each princess (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Mulan, Ariel, and Belle) before the break and then after that it is ALL CINDERELLA. Which we wondered about since the show seemed to be ending and we hadn't heard mention of the most famous princess of all. The entire second half, almost equal in length to the first, was Cinderella.


I have to admit, I was looking forward to the show for the girls only but not for me. I'm not much of a figure-skating fan. But I found that I really enjoyed it. First, there are no bad seats set up for this show. You can easily get the cheapest tickets and still see everything perfectly. Second, it wasn't too loud but you could hear fine. Third, the show is a spectacle - entertaining for everyone. I was wowed by the costumes, lights and how they did things like change Sleeping Beauty's dress, have Ursula the witch grow huge, have the Fairy Godmother fly etc.

All this to say that if you have a bit of money to spend on entertainment over the holidays and some kids who even remotely like the Disney Princesses and you live near Toronto, you should think about this show. It runs until December 27 and I have a discount code for you to save some money. Here are the discount code instructions from my previous post about this:

The tickets are really reasonably priced for the Monday to Friday (excluding Friday evening) shows if you use the Mom Central coupon code: a family of four can go for $44! (If you want to go outside of those days, tickets are $4 off each using the code.) In order to purchase tickets at that price, you need enter the coupon code MCC. You can buy tickets through Ticketmaster and enter the code in the "MC promotion" box when buying tickets.

And now, it is on with the day and Christmas stocking assembly. Thank the Lord for my amazing sewing machine. I should give it a Christmas present this year!

And the winner is....

The winner of the 4 tickets to Disney on Ice Princess Classics is....

Iloveknitting!

Iloveknitting please email me your details - name of person picking up the tickets, address, phone number so I can forward it to Mom Central.

Your tickets will be at the Rogers Centre ticket window. The person whose name is on the tickets will have to bring picture ID to the Rogers Centre in order to receive the tickets.

Congratulations from one knitter to another!

Last day to enter

Please don't forget that tomorrow I'll be randomly drawing a name to win 4 tickets to the opening night show in Toronto of Disney on Ice Princess Classics at the Rogers Centre.

Here is the original post with the rules for entry. Please enter.... you have a very good chance of winning!

"Moms fight the flu" blog tour

It seems with my former colleagues from Foreign Affairs dominating the airwaves recently that H1N1 has taken a back seat. That's not really such a bad thing since I think we were all probably tired of hearing about it and worrying. People are still contracting it though and wondering what to do if their child gets sick or if they get sick or if they should get the vaccination.

Emily actually had H1N1 a couple of weeks ago. Of course, she wasn't actually tested since doctors aren't doing that anymore but she had all the symptoms. She recovered just fine but I worried through the whole thing and she felt miserable.

I worried about Hope, I worried about myself. About a week before Emily got sick I booked our appointment with my family doctor to be vaccinated. I decided that I didn't want to lose any more sleep over it and I didn't want to put baby #3 at risk. The risk of losing this baby or the girls getting seriously ill outweighed any perceived risk of a vaccine for me. The girls were vaccinated the day before Emily got sick. I waited for the unadjuvanted version and got it about a week ago.

Even so, our family is still making sure that we're being diligent about hand-washing and other preventive measures: we're using more hand sanitizer when we're out and about (at the library, grocery store and school), John and I are gargling religiously with Listerine at night and we're all taking Vitamin D supplements.

Most families are being diligent this year but there does seem to be competing information out there about what to do to stay healthy, whether or not to get vaccinated, and how to recognize the flu. In order to make sure we're all getting accurate information on flu symptoms, prevention and how to take care of a child with the flu, the Government of Ontario has three websites that will help to make sure we have the information we need to get through this flu season as best as we can.

For Ontarians still considering a vaccination, you can find updated flu clinic information here.

The Ontario Ministry of Health has an assessment tool that can help you determine if your child needs medical care. You can find it here. I just used it to determine whether Emily did in fact have H1N1 and it looks as though she definitely did. It's really easy to use and takes away the guessing factor.

And finally, other useful flu information can be found here. I particularly liked the FAQ videos by Dr. Michael Gardam, Director of Infection, Disease Prevention and Control for the Ontario Ministry of Health.

Hopefully by informing ourselves using these tools we will all sleep a little easier at night. And stay healthy!

Disclosure: This blog tour is being organized by Mom Central Canada. Mom Central Canada is sending me a "fight the flu" kit as a thank you for participating.

A great giveaway!

Hold onto your seats there friend, I have a great giveaway for those of you who either live in driving distance to downtown Toronto or have friends or family who live near Toronto or are willing to make the drive for a great family night out. Great if your family is into Disney Princesses, that is.

I'm a Mom Central Feld Family Activator, which essentially means that Mom Central asked me to spread the word about an upcoming event in Toronto and in doing so Mom Central also gave me 4 tickets to the event to give away. Intrigued yet?

Disney On Ice presents Princess Classics will be coming to the Rogers Centre in Toronto from December 18 to 27, perfect timing for a school break outing. And Mom Central has a coupon code for some big savings on tickets.

The tickets are really reasonably priced for the Monday to Friday (excluding Friday evening) shows if you use the Mom Central coupon code: a family of four can go for $44! (If you want to go outside of those days, tickets are $4 off each using the code.) In order to purchase tickets at that price, you need enter the coupon code MCC. You can buy tickets through Ticketmaster and enter the code in the "MC promotion" box when buying tickets.

Of course, there are a couple of strings: you have to buy a minimum of 4 tickets. If you need more than four, you can buy additional tickets for $11 each or $4 off for the weekend performances. Of course, it being Ticketmaster there will be some service fees on top of it. Still, entertainment for a family of four for a little more than $44 is pretty good these days.

This could be a great surprise for your princess-obsessed children or a gift for the princess-obsessed in your life!

And now, onto the giveaway! Because I'm a Feld Family Activator, my job is to let as many people know about this as I can. So, there is one catch to get entered to win four tickets for opening night, Friday, December 18: you need to tell someone else about the contest on my blog - please refer them to this post. You can do that through your blog, email, telling a friend in person... it's your choice.

To enter, just leave a comment here and tell me either who you told and how or leave a link to a mention on your blog. That's all you have to do. I'll be choosing a winner at random on Tuesday, December 8.

Mom Central Canada has also graciously given me four tickets for my family to see the show on December 18. I'll be writing a review of it the following day so you'll have some firsthand information on whether this will be a good show for your family or friends. (Hey, it's Disney princesses, I think we all know that it would make some little girls - and boys - pretty happy. Unfortunately John isn't one of those boys. Anybody else want to go with Hope, Emily and I?)

And the winner is....

Ecomama! Ecomama won herself a copy of Character is Key. Way to go Ecomama. Hope you enjoy it!

More on Character is the Key

I've finished going through the book Character is the Key: How to Unlock the Best in Our Children and Ourselves by Sara Dimerman. Mom Central sent the book to me for my review. As I said in my previous post, this book not only gives parents a lot to think about but also a firm plan for building strong character in our children.

The first half of the book lays the foundation for being examples for our children (modelling character) and gives real life examples on how this has changed families. The second half of the book lays out the plan on implementing this in your own family through four weekly family meetings and then regular monthly family meetings following that. During the first four meetings, you use Dimerman's worksheets so that each meeting has a specific focus for discussion. The meetings that follow from there are completely up to each family. You might be discussing where to go on vacation, where to go for dinner, or more substantial things such as finding ways to spend more time together in the midst of busy schedules. And every month each member can discuss how they've been feeling as part of the family, problems they see, things that are working or not working. The key to these meetings is honesty and respect for one another.

Being a person who likes systems, this really appeals to me and I plan to try it in our family but I still have some reservations on how this will work with a really young family. The reality is that there are many questions on the worksheets that only John and I will be able to answer because our children just won't understand the questions. Emily will be able to answer some, but not many. I do wonder if we should try part of this but not use the worksheets until the kids are older. I need to do some deeper reading and thinking.

I do think this book is worth reading for any parent, single or married, one child or many. And as such, as I said below, the publisher will send one lucky reader a copy of the book. So just leave a comment in the post below for your chance to receive it! I'll do a random draw on October 29.

Disclosure: Mom Central sent me a copy of this book as well as a $20 Amazon gift certificate in return for my review.

A book review (to come) and a giveaway!

Periodically I review products, books and the like for Mom Central. A few weeks ago I was chosen to review a (Canadian! in fact, Ontarian!) book called Character is the Key: How to Unlock the Best in Our Children and Ourselves. I'm almost half-way through the book and I am very excited about applying Sara Dimerman's program to our family. It didn't hurt that when I opened it to the forward it was written by John Havercroft, former superintendent of the York Region District School Board (north of Toronto) and father to an old friend from camp, Bill. It caused me to like the book immediately. Anywho.

Let me give you a taste (a full review will come in a couple of days) from the back of the book (there are so many gems I want to share):

Would you like to see your children:

• taking greater initiative at home and at school?
• taking more responsibility for their actions?
• valuing togetherness as a family and wanting to spend more time with you?
• consistently treating peers, adults and themselves with respect?
• persisting through challenges and not giving up prematurely?
• being honest even when the truth is difficult to share?
• motivated to help with chores around the house?
• less influenced by negative peer pressure and more able to stand up for what they believe?
• Looking forward to a bright and successful future?

Okay, so obviously we all answered yet to all of those questions. And I opened the book hoping that the author would show me how to do this. So far, I am getting a taste of that. The second half of the book is where the real meat of "the plan" comes into place - family meetings, worksheets, exercises. The first half is a deep reflection on modelling behaviour intentionally; that is, being a living example for our children. If we want our children to persist through challenges and not give up prematurely, then we need to do the same when presented with something difficult; we need to tell the truth even when it is difficult and make sure they see it happen; we need to stand up for what we believe in and talk to them about it when we do.

It is very inspiring and is reinvigorating me in regards to intentional parenting and character building. There is a lot her to chew on. I'll have more to report in a few days.

In the meantime, the publisher has graciously agreed to send one of you lovely people a copy of this book. So, all you need to do is make a comment here. Tell me what you do to parent intentionally or areas that you could work on. I'll leave this open for a week and then I'll randomly pull one of your names. Good luck!

Mom Central is now in Canada!

I've been a participating blogger with Mom Central for a while now. I've loved the opportunities to review new products and be compensated with some great gift certificates. The staff there is very professional and great to work with. I've been given ample opportunities to review products. However I'm able to respond to probably 50% of them at best. I've ruminated before that too many of the campaigns aren't relevant to Canadians, the products aren't available here, or the contests are open to us.

That has all changed!

Mom Central has come to Canada. This means that the campaigns sent to those of us who have signed up with Mom Central are now purely focussed on Canadians and Canadian bloggers. Here is some more information about Mom Central:

• Mom Central is a one-stop online resource dedicated to providing busy moms with smart household and parenting solutions.

• As our founder Stacy DeBroff puts it, "I wanted to create a resource for busy Moms - a place where Moms can trust they'll find helpful information they need to make their lives easier."

• At Mom Central, you'll find information on everything from toddler toys and baby-proofing to household finances and green living.

But here is the very best part for Canadian bloggers: The Mom Central Testing Panel! This is where Moms get to test out the latest and greatest products and services and have their voices heard by companies who care about their opinion. Moms can get involved today by clicking here to register for the Canadian Mom Central Testing Panel. AND If you sign-up during the month of June, you'll be entered into the draw to win 1 of 5 Canon PowerShot cameras.

As a Mom Central Blogger, I've been given a $20 Amazon gift certificate for telling you all about it.

A daring summer?

I am so excited! Today I received a copy of the new Double Daring Book for Girls from Harper Collins and I can't wait to start digging in.  I've browsed through the entire thing and it looks great.  I'm going to be part of a "book shower" for this book in the coming weeks but I also plan to do a lot of the activities and adventures with the girls this summer.  I'll make sure to blog about every one and give you a review of the book (which so far looks great).

A review of Suzy Welch's 10-10-10

Mom Central chose me to review the newest book by Suzie Welch, 10-10-10 A Life Transforming Idea.  While not normally one for self-help books (I honestly don't remember the last time I picked one up.... maybe 1997?  Maybe never?), I'm really enjoying this.  And in fact, I don't think I'd describe it as self-help.  Here is the description from Amazon to give you a plot-line, so to speak:

Any choice you make -any decision -

will benefit from 

10-10-10.

We all want to lead a life of our own making. But in today's accelerated world, with its competing priorities, information overload, and confounding options, we can easily find ourselves steered by impulse, stress, or expedience. Are our decisions the right ones? Or are we being governed, time and time again, and against our best intentions, by the demands of the moment?

 A transformative new approach to decision making, 10-10-10 is a tool for reclaiming your life at home, in love, and at work. The process is clear, straightforward, and transparent. In fact, when you're facing a dilemma, all it takes to begin are three questions: What are the consequences of my decision in 10 minutes?

 In 10 months? And in 10 years?

 Sound simple? Not quite. Recounting poignant stories from her own life and the lives of many other dedicated 10-10-10 users, Suzy Welch reveals how exploring the impact of our decisions in multiple time frames invariably surfaces our unconscious agendas, fears, needs, and desires -- and ultimately helps us identify and live according to our deepest goals and values.

 10-10-10's applicability is uniquely broad. Whether it is used by college students or busy mothers or senior business executives, artists, government administrators, or entrepreneurs, 10-10-10 has shown its effectiveness in decisions large and small, routine and radical, consistently changing lives for the better.

 

When I first started to read the book, I had to wonder how she would draw this fairly simple idea out for the length of an entire book.  She does so by applying her 10-10-10 system to relationships, career choices and work issues, parenting and friendships.  She also flushes out the basic concept of 10-10-10 decision-making by discussing how using this method to make small to big decisions will ultimately lead to a clear definition of our values, right down to very specific values such as "I want to learn how to plumb my own house."  You know, in case that is a value for you.

She pulls in example after example from people who have been using her method to illustrate every point.  I find her examples are probably the best "teaching" tool in how to use her method.  It quickly makes the process clear and shows how it really does help define values in your life. 

 

After reading a couple of chapters I found myself applying 10-10-10 to past decisions I've made and found at least one big decision that likely would have resulted in a different result had I thought harder of the consequences at the 10-year mark.  Or at least, I would have had more to think about to make a more fully-informed decision. 

 

This week I was stewing about whether to make yet another appointment to see my GP about this health mystery I'm experiencing.  I've been feeling like I'm annoying her office.  I decided to try out the 10-10-10 method.  The first thing you do is put your decision in the form of a question: "Should I go to the doctor again this week?"  And then I considered the consequences of my decision in 10 minutes, 10 months, 10 years.  In 10 minutes, if I decided to go, I would feel that I was taking action myself and not waiting to hear from others.  I needed to find out what I would be able to do when we move to Kitchener if I don't have a family doctor to access and asking my current GP seemed like the best way to proceed.  If I didn't make an appointment, I would still be sitting worrying about the way forward and what to do in Kitchener.  In 10 months, seeing my GP this week may have no effect.  It's possible I'll still have these health issues but at least I'd know that I took things into my own hands when I needed to and didn't just let the system stall.  In 10 years, I hope that my GP will know that I control my own health care and remember this in the next health issues I encounter.  Of course, if things continue as they have been, I plan to have a new GP by then.  So, my decision was pretty simple.  I made the appointment.

 

It seems like a pretty simple decision and it was.  It took me all of 3 minutes.  The book takes you through examples of much larger ones where the person actually took pen and paper and worked out consequences, realized they needed to collect more "data" (think about things more, ask more questions, look into what the results of certain decisions would be by talking to other people), focus on what their values really were in relation to the decision.  I wanted to try it as an exercise and I liked how it helped me focus on me and the consequences of decisions.  I'm definitely going to be applying 10-10-10 as a decision-making tool.  I can see it as a great way to make decisions with your partner and children as well.  It also serves as a clear way to explain decisions to others that they may not initially understand or accept.

 

If you're interested in the book and live in Ottawa, I'd be happy to lend it to you.  Otherwise, you can find it at Chapters or Amazon. 

 

Hey, even if you're just interested in Suzy Welch and her take on the scandal she created when she hooked up with Jack Welch resulting in her ultimate firing from Harvard Business Review, you'll probably find something interesting here from a whole voyeurism perspective.