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Halloween Really IS Scary!!
2007-11-02 20:07:00
What the ....?????
More About: Scary , Halloween , Allo

The First Line
2007-11-02 15:32:00
I have been dragging my feet on a big project for some time now.I cleared most of the extraneous things from my calendar. I'm 'just saying no' to things I otherwise would have said yes to -- writing projects, school parent duties, cooking!I took the trip I said I needed to make to get started. And found some amazing things I never thought I would discover about my little PunditGirl.One of my best friends keeps saying, only half in jest, "Is it done yet?"But for some reason, I'm stuck. Part of it is this crazy thing called blogging, part of it is paying work and part of it is fear.What if no one wants to read it? What if I can't write it? What if PunditGirl doesn't want to know it?The "it" is a book. About me. And PunditGirl. (And Mr. PunditMom, of course). And our journey to each other.Chinese legend says that there is an invisible and unbreakable red thread that joins all people who are meant to be together. Sometimes it's tangled or extremely long. But if peopl...
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The Things We Thought We Knew -- Perfect Post
2007-11-01 03:47:00
Birthdays get me thinking. OK, after all my posts this month, you've probably figured that out by now. I'm not the only one, though.In some ways, birthdays really are just another day on the calendar, but they also remind us all too concretely of where we are on our journey, at least in chronological terms. Not just the journey through time and through life, but also a journey of reflection -- the one where we take the time to look back and analyze what we were at different stages, either with joy or sadness or melancholy or relief. The things that pop into our heads during the quiet, unexpected moments sometimes come more clearly when we're contemplating saying goodbye to one age and hello to the next. As a writer, Lawyer Mama captures moments like that exquisitely. Which is why for her post called Happily Ever After, I'm giving her this:Many of her posts are perfect, but as one birthday girl to another, she made me take my mental journey a step further as I reflected on ...
More About: Post , Thought , Things , Perfect

Is It Just Me or Did Hillary Really Not Answer Any Questions?
2007-10-31 15:45:00
So I'm sitting in front of the TV with my glass of wine last night.PunditGirl was all snuggled in bed, with dreams of scary pirates and chocolate candy dancing in her head.I was ready for the latest installment of the Democratic debates. I've watched some of the others, but often it was with one ear on the audio while folding laundry or multi-tasking in some other way. Last night, I was fully focused and ready for the brawl!Sure, I already have a preference as to who I'd like to see get the Democratic nomination for president, but I still want to hear what everyone has to say.Except that Hillary didn't really say anything. Dodd and Biden and Edwards and Kucinich and Richardson and Obama each had questions where they were clearly "on" with proposals and ideas -- concrete visions for their priorities. Not for each question, of course -- they are politicians, after all!As for Hillary, lots of words came out of her mouth and she was pretty animated. But I'm not sure she really...
More About: Questions , Answer

But I Didn't Get a Card From Hillary!
2007-10-30 15:37:00
I love birthdays, except when I start creeping my way toward the significant ones. Or at least the ones that people say should be significant. I try my best to remember the birthdays of my friends and family, and usually I do a pretty good job -- thank goodness for day-timers!But I was a little surprised when I got an "invitation" to send my birthday wishes to Hillary Clinton -- or should I say WI$HE$? This oh-so personal message popped up in my E-mail in-box urging me to commemorate the 60th birthday of Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton! Dear Joanne,In 36 years, Hillary and I have shared a lot of birthdays, and each year I'm amazed at everything she has accomplished. This is a very special year: we're celebrating Hillary's 60th, and I hope you'll join me in sending her a birthday message, sharing your wishes for her and your hopes for the coming year.I'll make sure to share your message with Hillary. And please encourage your friends and family to send their ...
More About: Card

How Much Are We Willing to Give?
2007-10-28 16:37:00
Whether we like it or not, with Halloween just around the corner, we will soon be into the official "holiday season."(Please don't throw anything at me -- I'm just looking at the calendar!)If they haven't already started, pleas for charitable contributions will soon be flooding our mailboxes, inboxes and voicemails, asking us to chip in our tax deductible giving before the end of the year.Many of us give our money and time for so many good causes.But how much are we willing to give to see a change in our country?Aside from the solicitations from places like Dana Farber and Memorial Sloan Kettering, my E-mail inbox is flooded these days with pleas from the candidates -- OK, just the Democratic candidates.If I somehow wind up on the GOP giving list, then I'm going to get worried.The DSCC and the DNC and other groups try to hit me up, too. I did like this one that arrived last week just in time for some Halloween spookiness!As women, we apparently tend to give less in political c...
More About: Give

Election Escalation
2007-10-25 19:42:00
State election officials across the country are acting like children and it's time for them to stop."I'm first!""NO! ME! I'm first!""Not if I cut in line and no one sees me do it! Then I'M first!!"Honestly, the boys in PunditGirl's second-grade classroom are better able to negotiate their differences than the politicians who want to be first to weigh in on who the respective nominees for the White House are going to be in 2008.I don't entirely disagree with the debate -- who said New Hampshire and Iowa get to be first anyway? But tell me this spat doesn't call for a little visit from PunditMom.According to The Politico, a relatively new entry into the world of political journalism here in the shadow of the nation's capital, Iowa has just moved up its caucuses to January 3 from January 14th so it can beat New Hampshire, which currently has its primary set for January 8.Earlier this week, Senator Carl Levin called for Michigan to move its January 15 primary forward to the ...
More About: Election

I'm Blushing!
2007-10-25 16:45:00
I'd be lying if I said I don't care about getting new buttons from fellow bloggers.It's nice to have new bling every once in a while. I also remind Mr. PunditMom about that from time to time, too!So I am honored that MauiGirl has bestowed upon me this pretty confection:Thanks so much, MauiGirl. Right back at ya'!

Something in Common -- Blog Day for The MOTHERS Act
2007-10-24 15:26:00
Being a mother by adoption, there are some things my motherhood experience has not included -- stretch marks, 36 hours of labor, epidurals. But there have been other challenges.PunditGirl was about 12 months old when she arrived home with us, so she was pretty much sleeping through the night. I smugly thought that I had escaped the infamous mommy sleep deprivation.You'll be pleased to know that my smugness caught up with me -- PunditGirl didn't sleep through the night from about the age of 2 1/2 until 5. I am now intimately familiar with this universal motherhood experience!I did not expect the depression, though. Since I was not pregnant for nine months and didn't have all those crazy hormones racing through my body in the lead-up to my name becoming "Mommy," I was not prepared for the hugeness of the feelings that would sweep over me.Yes, I was incredibly happy that I had finally been able to become a mother. And PunditGirl was an amazingly inquisitive and busy baby. Bu...
More About: Blog , Common , Mothers , Some

One Voice We Didn't Hear
2007-10-23 20:35:00
Thousands of bloggers united on Blog Action Day to write about the environment -- more specifically, about what we can all do, no matter how small, to make some impact on protecting and preserving what we have -- what we have left.I realized after the fact that there was one important voice we had not heard from. So I'd like to rectify that today:The trees have spoken.Photo by PunditMom, 10/07
More About: Voice , Hear

She Didn't Say Anything About Cake
2007-10-23 16:00:00
You may or may not have noticed the cute little button I recently got from Kim over at Petroville. Even with the bowls full of Halloween goodies already in the holiday staging area (aka the dining room), I've agreed to take her Halloween challenge:Given that the peri-menopausal weight creep is taking its toll on me, I figured this one would be a good one -- no need for those little tasty treats to take their toll on my already expanding tummy and thighs.But she didn't say anything about cake.Especially birthday cake.On our recent PunditMom birthday celebration weekend, we dined at a place known for a little something called "Death By Chocolate."We only got one. To Share. Really.But I am thinking of contacting the restaurant to see if they will rename the dessert. Because I think PunditGirl came up with a moniker that is far more appropriate for this goodie --PunditMom and The Cake of Death!MMMMmmmmmmm. Cake of Death.

I Don't Believe It
2007-10-22 15:50:00
"Are more men engaged in politics online than women, and if so, why?"That was the question that Katharine Seelye from the New York Times' posed in her political blog, The Caucus, a few weeks ago. To my surprise, the answer to her informal survey turned out to be, "Yes."Seelye points to the fact that men tend to be the ones writing "specifically about politics, reading about politics and putting their two cents in the comments sections."I say they're just the ones getting the coverage, as so often tends to happen in other areas of our lives, as well.Aside from my own foray into being a political woman with a political blog (OK, I admit it -- blogs, including this one), there are so many others out there trying to raise the profile of our voices. So I guess the better question is, why aren't we getting noticed?I believe the reason is that women try to engage in actual discourse. It's part of the whole being female thing -- we want to express our opinions and hear what others ha...

There's Plenty of Punditry to Go Around
2007-10-19 21:37:00
If you're looking for something besides art today, I'm here and here!For some other entertainment, this is good, too!
More About: Plenty , Lent

Can Art Do What Ginger Ale Can't?
2007-10-19 20:35:00
When someone asks for a tiny little favor to help them feel better from a horrible, pukey existence (and I mean that literally and not figuratively), how can you say no?Her Bad Mother says she wants to see art from blogger offspring to help ease the queasiness of her pregnancy AND the flu (talk about a one-two punch!).So, in an effort to do my little part to help Her Bad Mother, I present for everyone's pleasure:A Portrait of Mommy and Her Lips by PunditGirlMy brows could use a wax, too.
More About: Ginger

Halloween Can be So Stressful
2007-10-17 15:49:00
PunditGirl can't get enough of Halloween . So many choices, so few opportunities for a costume change.Every year since PunditGirl was two, Halloween has been something that she craves. She talks about it. She thinks about it. She worries about it. In her mind, you just cannot put enough thought into selecting just the right alternate personality. It's something she really does think about. All. Year. Long.And it's not about the candy -- it's about the costumes. What to be, what to be? The options can be overwhelming for the mind of a seven-year-old.In the past, she's been fuzzy animals or princesses. But this year, a tiny bit of her wants to embrace the scary part of Halloween that's always been difficult for her. So she decided she wanted to be a pirate. A scary pirate. She was very clear about that -- we needed the eye patch and the sword, because there's not going to be any friendly pirate stuff going on in our neighborhood this year.It was all settled. I had...
More About: Ween , Allo

What is the Health of a Child Worth?
2007-10-17 15:26:00
With the scheduled veto override vote of the S-CHIP bill tomorrow, health care is a big topic of conversation -- on the news, on the playgrounds, on the blogs.If you need one more reason to get in touch with your Congressman or Congresswoman to find out how they are going to vote to cover children who need health insurance, stop by and read Blog Antagonist's post today called So That Post About Heal th Care ... or watch the Keith Olbermann interview with the parents of Graeme Frost, the 12-year-old boy who is being attacked by the right-wingers over being too "rich" to have had live-saving medical care paid for through the S-CHIP program.Do we really need anymore reasons to change our health care system from one that's driven by profit motives to one that makes sure that children's lives can be saved?Oh, and if your lawmakers say the increased funding on S-CHIP is too expensive? Just point out that the being able to cover millions more children over the next few years will cost ...
More About: Child , Worth , Wort

Look What I Found!
2007-10-16 20:38:00
I haven't scrolled through my massive bookmark list in a while, so I was doing that before heading off to pick up PunditGirl and clicked on the Project Rungay site.After all, it is still about a month before Project Runway Season 4 starts, so I thought I'd get a little fix, see if there was any good pre-show info.Did any of you know there was a Project Runway Canada????And if so, why have you been holding out??That's really not very nice of you. Sure, Tim Gunn's show has been holding me over a little bit, but THIS! Now THIS is something to get excited about!OK, I do need to get out more often.

Poverty Redux
2007-10-16 04:21:00
I know there have been several posts already at MOMocrats about the fact that John Edwards is really the only presidential candidate who is focusing on poverty as a campaign issue. But I need to talk about it, too, as one of the main reasons I support his candidacy.As a girl who grew up on a small family farm, I never thought that we were poor. In my mind, our family was middle class -- whatever that meant several decades ago. In retrospect, though, I see that we were far from that vision. Our family of five was clearly on the lower end of the economic spectrum. And struggled to keep things going.My mom and dad scraped together every penny they could to buy the farm they live on. But they both knew that being small family farmers wouldn't be enough to pay the bills and feed their three kids. So my dad worked the third shift at the local carpet factory after he toiled all day in the fields and my mom took another factory job to help make ends meet. Which meant that I, as the...
More About: Poverty , Vert

A Second Grader Doesn't Need to Shower for 30 Minutes!
2007-10-15 17:36:00
PunditGirl's school is great at raising the awareness of little kids when it comes to protecting the environment. They pick up trash around the neighborhood, they have a Reduce, Reuse, Recycle program.But when a seven-year-old moves from baths to showers, how do you convince her that her little 50 pound frame doesn't need to spend 30 minutes under the shower? Or to turn off the faucet while brushing her teeth? Or turning off the lights when she leaves her bedroom?Is this too frivolous a topic for Blog Action Day? I don't think so. Because for me it's just one example of how we can connect our everyday lives to protecting the environment in a way our kids can understand. Protecting the environment is a pretty abstract concept for a seven-year-old. Greenhouse gases and An Inconvenient Truth -- I'd venture to say those are a little too complicated and scary for most kids.But if I can find a way to connect things in a second-grader's life that she views as important, those a...
More About: Minutes , Shower , Utes

Will You Click for My Birthday?
2007-10-15 16:58:00
Birthdays can sometimes be a bit depressing, depending on which one is on the horizon.Birthday presents, on the other hand, are always a good thing! Although after a while, I have to ask, 'Do I really need another thing that comes wrapped in a box?'Sure, I'm still hoping that someday I'll find an excuse to use a gift certificate for that pair of Manolos or that Mr. PunditMom will surprise me with a spur of the moment romantic trip to Paris. But when Mr. PunditMom asked if there was anything I especially wanted this year (anything that could be purchased, that is!), my answer was 'no.'But if you will indulge me, there is something I'd like that maybe you could help me with.My mind has been on Breast Cancer Awareness Month for a variety of reasons -- a recent writing assignment, people I know, a dear friend I've lost.So if you wouldn't mind, maybe you could take a moment to click here:to help provide free mammograms for women who can't afford them. It will really only take...
More About: Click , Birthday

Do You Lie?
2007-10-12 19:27:00
The scenario most working mothers fear happens when they least expect it.You've managed to transform your home into a well-oiled machine -- the nanny or sitter arrives in time for you to head out to the office, deal with rush hour traffic, grab a cappuccino and be at your desk milliseconds before your boss walks by your door.You made it! You beat him or her your desk in your continuing attempts to say:"I am in complete control of my work and family schedule, thank you very much!"Then "that" morning arrives.The nanny is late because of her own personal emergency. And you're faced with a dilemma -- do you 'fess up and tell your boss the real reason you're going to be late or do you lie? Is it better to come up with a story about getting stuck in the world's worst traffic jam or that you overslept rather than explain the real reason for your tardiness?One recent study says that many women would rather come up with a little white lie about why they're late or have to leave the ...

Should I Bother Voting?
2007-10-11 23:50:00
I never thought I would hear myself utter these words or let them cross my mind -- should I even bother voting? After what's happened this week with the scheduled Michigan primary, I don't think the Democratic presidential candidates care very much whether I do or not.You see, I don't live in Iowa or New Hampshire. Living in a reliably blue state, I have resigned myself to the fact that Democratic candidates don't really spend a lot of time campaigning here. I understand that they are going to have to spend more time in the bigger states with more electoral votes or in places that make a big first impression. What I don't expect is to be totally ignored.For the moment, that seems to be what's developing in Michigan.Democratic presidential candidates Richardson, Obama, Edwards and Biden have all pulled out of the Michigan primary that's currently scheduled to take place on January 15. News reports on whether Hillary is going to do the same have been mixed.Apparently some ...
More About: Voting

The Great Breast Fest is Today!
2007-10-10 17:10:00
The women behind the League of Maternal Justice already know I am a big fan --they are my superheroes!So even though I, as a mother by adoption, never had the opportunity to breastfeed PunditGirl when she was a PunditBaby, they know I support them totally in today's Great Brea st Fest .Whether it's Applebee's, Bill Maher, Facebook, or anyone else -- do you really think mothers are breastfeeding in public for the attention?PUH-LEASE! If it's attention we're after, we'll buy a new outfit or some great new shoes or spend a little more time with the Pilates video.For those who are critics of mothers who breastfeed in public, aside from the fact that it's their legal right to do so, remember this --- it's NOT about YOU!You don't have to look and breastfeeding mothers don't have to try to make you more comfortable because you've got a hang-up about breasts being used for the purpose for which they were intended. So just move on about your business, avert your stare and let the ...
More About: Today

Is "Going Pink" Enough?
2007-10-09 13:43:00
We've been conditioned to believe that pink is good.Pink is empowering.Pink is solidarity, at least when it comes to the pink of breast cancer awareness campaigns.I believed it too, especially thinking that pink consumerism would somehow benefit my best friend who fought breast cancer for close to eight years. She was glad to hear if I bought my bras during special October fitting events to benefit cancer research and was always happy to receive any pink gift I sent her way.It's easy to feel that we're supporting the fight against breast cancer, especially in October which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when products in every shade of pink imaginable abound.It wasn't until I was approached to write an article about these breast cancer awareness campaigns that I realized that an increasing number of voices are asking consumers to be more skeptical. Sure, it's great to support breast cancer research and awareness, but shouldn't we take the time to ask questions about exac...
More About: Going , Goin

How Did I Get Here?
2007-10-07 21:00:00
No, not Venice!How did I arrive here on the precipice of a birthday I don't want to admit? I guess I'm lucky -- I'm told I look significantly younger than the age I am about to turn, so fibbing about the number of years I've been around is a viable option.But as I was driving PunditGirl, the ice skating queen, home from her lesson today, I wondered, in the immortal words of David Byrne and The Talking Heads, 'How did I get here?'I was only slightly into my 40's when we arrived home with a little PunditBaby. I had worked pretty hard for a long time in journalism and the law, and had landed a pretty cool job with a pretty cool title, a nice office and the sense that all the work I had put in since graduating from high school was paying off.Then things changed. And I didn't have a job to go back to.A sign, I said to myself. A sign to stay home with my baby and spend some time with all those thoughts in my head about whether it was really the path I wanted to be on.That was ...

The Fifteen
2007-10-05 21:00:00
Jeffrey Toobin is talking about The Nine.I want to talk about The Fifteen.To override President Bush's veto of the SCHIP -- State Children's Health Insurance Program -- bill, only 15 Republicans need to move their support over to the Democrats.According to an article in Politico yesterday, here are a few names of the 15 GOP Congressman who say they're sticking with the president, even though it is acknowledged that they are vulnerable to being unseated in the next election:Rep. Tom Feeney (Florida)Rep. Steve Chabot (Ohio)Rep. Sam Graves (Missouri)Rep. John R. Kuhl (New York)Rep. John Boozman (Arkansas)Rep. Thaddeus G. McCotter (Michigan)Rep. Jim Saxton (New Jersey)Rep. Joe Knollenberg (Michigan)Rep. Thelma Drake (Virginia)Rep. Tim Walberg (Michigan).The Democrats are going to put as much pressure on them in the next two weeks to try to make it to the magic override number. But you know what?There are also the Democrats who need to be brought back into the fold, including one who...

OOPS! I Almost Forgot! More Bloggy Love!
2007-10-05 16:12:00
The DC Metro Moms!Check them out at the group blog, as well as their individual places!Andrea's RecipesConfessions of a Not So Well-Behaved WomanDiary of a PlayGroup DropoutElevated UmbrellaEvery Day I Write the BookGift of GreenI Got Two, BabeJodifurKitty TimeLawyer MamaMamaLawMamma Love s ...Mom Ma'am MeMommy ReadsParentopiaPetrovilleSarah and the Goon SquadSo A Blonde Walks Into a Blogso the fish said ...StimeylandSuburban EcomomThe Mummy ChroniclesThe View From HereToddler PlanetWhere's My Cape?Where's My Manual?Oh, and little ol' me, of course!I know there are some repeats, but hey -- a girl's got a right to blog in more than one place, right? ;)

I Don't Know Where to Start
2007-10-04 19:01:00
Today, the "moms" are blogging about health care. When I found out this was our common topic for the day, my response to Lawyer Mama, who had this idea, was "Hell, yeah!" But as I sit down to write this, believe it or not, I'm at a loss. Because I really don't understand how we can have a president who decides he'd rather spend hundreds of billions of dollars to continue a war that is now just a fool's errand rather than divert just a fraction of that money to make sure that all children in America have good health care. In his "let them eat cake" moment, President Bush recently announced that there is no health care crisis for children in this country because, after all, if kids don't have health insurance, they can just go to the emergency room, right? While Bush's veto of the increased funding for the SCHIP program, the health care safety net for children who are too "rich" for Medicare and to poor to afford private health insurance, was a fait accompli...
More About: Start

So Many Blogs, So Little Time
2007-10-03 16:50:00
I've been meaning to do this for a while, and I know it's been quite some time since I met so many of you at BlogHer, but I wanted to create a PunditMom blog and website list. It's a bit unwieldy to load on the sidebar, but between my blogroll and Google Reader, I try to stop by these sites as often as possible.They're great and worth every second of your time, so when you have chance, stop by and say hello to these great writers!24/7Anali's First Amendment...and the pursuit of happinessA Day in the LifeA Mommy With an Attitudeare things complicated yet?AssertagirlAverage Janebeen thereBethiclausBlogs Are StupidBlog ChocolateBlog Con QuesoBlogHerBlogRhetBrazen CareeristBroadsheetBub and PieBusy MomChicago Moms BlogChicky Chicky BabyChocolate & ZucchiniCityMamaCool Mom PicksCornered OfficeCPA MomDC Metro Moms BlogDeep Muck Big RakeDirt to DishDon't Take the Repeatsdribblingwitt????East of the Pecos RiverEscape From Cubicle NationExpecting ExecutiveFenicleFormula Fed and Fle...
More About: Time

I Hate It When Frank Rich Beats Me to the Punch!
2007-10-02 20:04:00
I think I was channeling New York Times columnist Frank Rich this weekend.I was really pondering the 2008 campaign, especially after getting off the conference call the Silicon Valley Moms, DC Metro Moms and Chicago Moms had with Elizabeth Edwards on Saturday.I was reflecting on the recent performance of the Democratic candidates at the MSNBC debate and had what I thought was a real pundit moment -- Hillary's run at the Presidency is reminding me of Al Gore, and not in a good way.Not because I think she'll be planting a big one on Tipper any time soon, but Hillary can be so wonky in her answers sometimes. So was Al.The "consensus" is (and SNL says!) that Hillary is a shoe-in, not only for the nomination, but the White House, as well. So was Al.I was scribbling notes furiously for what I thought would be a truly original post, my little political synapses firing away.Then, after my yoga class on Sunday morning, I settled down with my Sunday New York Times and my cup of decaf...
More About: Hate , Frank Rich , Beats