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A Political Equation
2007-10-02 00:31:00
Two women I admire a great deal -- Elizabeth Edwards and Connie Schultz -- have my brain working overtime.This weekend, Elizabeth Edwards said to the Silicon Valley Moms, the DC Metro Moms and the Chicago Moms:"We don't get the change we want unless we are willing to work for it."A few weeks ago, when Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Connie Schultz spoke to a group of Washington, D.C. news women, she said, (I'm paraphrasing):Women aren't likely to get involved in politics until more women start writing about politics.Do I feel a call to action coming on?But one little PunditMom can't do it all. Women writers are still vastly outnumbered when it comes to political coverage and opinion writing. As for working for change, I know most of the time I'm swamped with the daily minutiae of keeping our lives running smoothly (or not, depending on the day). The last thing I need is another item tacked on to the "To Do" list.But I do have a voice. And so do all of the women I know.Loud...
More About: Political , Politic , Quat

Chocolate is Always Perfect
2007-10-01 13:28:00
If you haven’t read Sandra’s “My Mom …” at Blog Choco late go there and do it today, because it truly deserves this:I often wonder how I’m going to choose something that seems perfect to me, because there are so many great posts by all my bloggy friends. But Sandra’s tribute to her mother this month really made me stop to think about the qualities we end up getting from our mothers – the ones we admire, as well as the ones we’re not so thrilled with. In recounting her mother’s life and the fight for her healthy that she’s waging now, I was mesmerized by her tale of courage and the wonderfully touching way Sandra gave us a glimpse of an imperfect woman who has lived, and is living, a life that was not the easiest, but has met the challenges thrown at her, and, in the process, became a mother who is loved by her daughter. And really, what else is there than to have our children love us, no matter how imperfect we are? For the rest of September Perfect Po...
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Just the Facts, Ma'am
2007-09-30 05:01:00
It was an amazing honor to get to ask a couple of questions on behalf of the DC Metro Moms on Saturday's conference with Elizabeth Edwards. The only thing that would have made it nicer was if I had been able to hop on a plane to California to be in the same room with her and all those great Silicon Valley moms!My head was spinning when I got off the phone after an hour of Q&A. Elizabeth Edwards can really talk the talk, and if her husband John is really going to do the things he says he wants to do, then I know it was a good use of space to put an Edwards '08 button on my blog.I had to run out right after the phone call (Saturday night is date night sometimes here at Chez PunditMom!), so I'm still processing and thinking and pundit-izing! But here are some highlights of her comments:1. The role of being the First Lady is "impossible to imagine." But if she lands in that spot, one of her goals will be to advocate for military families. As a child of a military family, s...
More About: Facts

Live With Elizabeth Edwards!
2007-09-29 21:25:00
I had to keep it on the QT until now, but in about half an hour, many of the Silicon Valley Moms will be meeting with Elizabeth Edwards to talk with her about the questions we have for her husband, Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards!Plus, some of us from DC Metro Moms and Chicago Moms Blogs will be in on the meeting by conference call, as well.I was excited to get the privilege of asking Mrs. Edwards the questions that the DC Moms came up with, so I'm looking forward to sharing all of that with you later tonight and tomorrow ('cause believe it or not, we've got a sitter coming right after the call for PunditGirl after that so we can have some grown-up time out!)BUT, the Silicon Valley moms will be live-blogging the conference over at their place, so if you can, head on over there for the first take on what Elizabeth Edwards has to say on issues that we want to hear about.I'll do the post-game show later!
More About: Live

Presidential Passion
2007-09-27 15:46:00
"All the women I know are supporting Hillary."Given the tone of voice that person used when speaking those words to me, they may as well have also been saying, "I thought you were smart. How can you not see the writing on the wall that Hillary will be the Democratic candidate for president?"I suppose that person could be right. It could be a foregone conclusion, but I hope not because I'm tired.Tired of the careful and the crafted and the scripted. Tired of candidates who measure every single word and phrase they utter. It just shouldn't be that hard for a candidate to talk openly and plainly about what they believe without being afraid of which way the poll numbers will move if they deviate from their carefully planned pitches.I know on some level all the candidates are focused on staying "on message," but I'm ready for a little presidential passion.As I was watching the MSNBC Democratic debate last night, it was easy for me to see who has the spark of their convictions and ...
More About: Presidential , Passion , Passi , Resident

If It's Supposed to Be Easy, Why Is It So Hard?
2007-09-26 15:48:00
I'm not a good networker. By nature, I'm not someone who engages easily in social chatter.I really have to work hard at it. I mean REALLY hard.When I'm in large groups of people my first reaction is to get a glass of wine and hang out on the edges until I see someone I know. I understand that defeats the purpose of networking or making new friends, so I try to push myself to come out of that zone. Except that I'm never really sure what to say, afraid that I'll ask something silly or say something stupid. How do I know what other people want to talk about?Given my druthers, I'll just hang out and listen to what everyone else has to say, only rarely chiming in with a comment. Or maybe I'll just come up with an excuse not to attend an event.To say I really had to push the edge of my comfort zone when I went to BlogHer would be an understatement. Even though I was terribly excited to attend, the thought of being at an event with 800 people where I knew virtually no one t...
More About: Hard , Easy , Pose

Who's Really Looking Out for Working Mothers?
2007-09-25 17:50:00
Working Mother magazine has just released this year's 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers .I've always had questions about how this list is put together and was planning on writing about it, but I think Devra at Parentopia sums it up quite nicely, so I'm just going to do this:"What she said!"Thanks, Devra!
More About: Working , Ally , Workin

Buttons and Boycotts and Breasts, Oh My!
2007-09-25 16:24:00
Does Facebook really think that the women who are upset that photos of breastfeeding mothers have been banned from their site are much ado about nothing?They might have to reconsider:Maybe they've forgotten about a little thing called the free market? We really don't need their place for social networking. They are plenty of other options, so why hang around where you're not wanted? Send them a message by picking up this button over at the League of Maternal Justice or mothergoosemouse.And if you're a breastfeeeding mom interested in taking a little more action, check out the plan they've hatched for October 10 at the League of Maternal Justice!Postcript: As the mother of a seven-year-old, I'm obviously not a breastfeeding mom, so there are no photos to join in the campaign on 10/10. But I have "deactivated" my Facebook account. Have you?
More About: Breasts , Brea , Buttons

Yoga Makes My Butt Hurt
2007-09-25 15:24:00
It's official -- I'm old.Not just because I have a birthday lurking around the corner that's getting me closer to a decade I'm going to deny. It's just that, well, what else can I think when doing a little yoga makes my butt hurt?I've never been a runner, though I am focused on breaking in my lovely new Ryka walking shoes, especially since regular exercise went out of the window over the summer. I promised myself that I would try to get back into some kind of shape once PunditGirl was back in school -- I was thinking something like a rhombus!Seriously, I decided that heading back to the local yoga studio would be a way to ease into it. The women there are warm and welcoming, so I signed up for a some yoga and pilates. I've done yoga before without any problems so I anticipated that a little toning and some inner reflection would be a good thing. Plus, there's the whole love of savasana that I share with Kimberly over at Petroville.But the morning after the first sess...
More About: Yoga , Hurt , Butt

Mr. PunditMom Blogs?!?!
2007-09-24 15:56:00
I know I posted the link for this last week, but for those who missed it, I wanted to share Mr. PunditMom's excellent first blogging attempt over at my space on DC Metro Moms Blog!I was sitting with PunditGirl the other day, and she says to me, "Papa, how long have there been men Presidents?" The question was a propos of nothing. I squirmed as I struggled to reconcile my desire to answer her truthfully -- such moments, when a father can help his child understand the world, are precious -- with the premonition that I knew just where this conversation was going, and I would just as soon play another game .I put on my best good Daddy straight face and said, "Oh, about 230 years."From the look on her face, I might just as well have said, "Since the dinosaurs roamed the earth, Sweetheart."Obviously having decided to go in for the kill, she said, "And, Daddy, how many women Presidentshave their been?"I thought to myself, is it possible that the answer could be zero? Not ten. Not fiv...
More About: Blogs

Pink May Not Be So Rosy
2007-09-21 17:41:00
I think about breast cancer a lot. Not because I have it, but because my best friend died from breast cancer a little more than a year ago.And because of WhyMommy. And mod*mom. And my grandmother. And my editor. And a former colleague. And more.We all have lists like that when it comes to people who have been touched by the cold finger of breast cancer.I'm afraid I will get it, too. I don't have any real reason to worry about it other than the fact that I happen to have breasts.But I do feel especially drawn to the many campaigns that supposedly raise money for breast cancer awareness and research. Bras. Races. Bracelets. Out of loyalty and memory and the hope that someday, some amazingly smart person (a woman, I hope) will find the cure or discover the cause so we can find the cure.So I give. I donate. And, yes, I've bought the pink pins and silicone bracelets and visors the color of candy cotton.But it looks like I may need to give more consideration to my purchases.Think B...
More About: Pink , Pink M

Need a Little Testosterone Today?
2007-09-20 19:07:00
We know there's a good amount of estrogen out here in the blogosphere, so my fellow writers at DC Metro Moms (and our sister sites) are turning over the blogging reigns to our spouses today to seek a little balance.Yes, that may sound a little dangerous, especially for those men who were, until today, blogging virgins, but I hope you'll take a trip over there to read what the guys have to say.Mr. PunditMom has a great story about PunditGirl and the intersection of parenting and political history.I think he's a natural. Maybe he'll start his own blog? Is a couples only blogging retreat in our future? Probably not, but at the least I hope this will help him understand my writing obsession!
More About: Today , Testosterone , Litt

PunditMom Loves Bossy !
2007-09-19 16:06:00
Pssst! Please don't tell Mr. PunditMom, but I am now officially in love with Bossy .Click here to find out why.When I'm done here, I'm calling the Academy.

Iraq War Solution by PunditGirl
2007-09-19 15:18:00
It probably goes without saying that trying to explain the why's and wherefore's of the Iraq War to a second-grader is like trying to rationalize why the nation is obsessed with Britney Spears -- no matter how simply or clearly the words come out of your mouth, you just can't find a way to have it make sense.But that's what I found myself doing on the drive to school recently -- about the war, not Britney!I usually don't turn on the local news radio station when PunditGirl is in the car, but I slipped and was listening to stories about the then-unreleased Petraeus Report."Where is there a war, Mama?" asked PunditGirl? "Why are they fighting?"I smiled ruefully to myself and thought, now THAT'S the $64,000 question.I tried as best as I could, in language that was not too colored by my own opinions, to explain to her that some people, including the President, thought it was a way to help the people in Iraq with their problems. I made sure to include that many people, like me,...
More About: Iraq War , Solution

Breast Practices??
2007-09-18 00:01:00
OK, let me make sure I've got this straight -- if I'm a breastfeeding mom, I can't share photos of breastfeeding my child on MySpace or Facebook, but if I want to starve myself until I look like this, no problemo.I knew that Bill Maher decided to publicly mock breastfeeding mothers, but, not being one myself, I wasn't aware of Facebook and MySpace deciding that such photos were obscene until I took a look at this post by David over at It's Not A Lecture.It seems like everybody's out for the breasts these days and not in a good way.The message that's being sent is clear and it's not a good one -- breasts in their natural state must not be seen in public, but breasts for entertainment, especially "enhanced" ones -- AWESOME!So the issue that's been unspoken for years is finally out there -- men's entertainment vs. the health of women and children. Boob jobs vs. natural mammaries.The occasional inadvertent "wardrobe malfunction" brings a half million dollar fine. On the f...
More About: Breast , Brea

Before and After
2007-09-16 19:18:00
My recent San Francisco trip with PunditGirl was the first step on a journey that I never knew I would need to take -- the one to try to discover who she was before we entered her life.I was a bit busy upon our arrival back in the U.S. with instant motherhood and night terrors (hers, not mine) and the unexpected end of a career that I had assumed would be there when we returned from China, but wasn't.I was preoccupied with all the things new mothers get bogged down with like nap and feeding schedules, assessments by the pedatrician's office of PunditGirl's general physical health after a year in an orphanage, and how to deal with being cut-off almost instantaneously from the professional and social support network I had created for myself.I didn't really have a moment to focus on her missing year. I only had energy to keep my head above water.Now that PundiGirl is seven, life is different. There are new issues, but the overwhelming demands on my time to be there for her each an...
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The Power of Words
2007-09-14 16:36:00
Why is it that women who blog get loads of attention if we're criticizing one another, but not if we want to engage in a real discussion on important issues?The number of blogs dedicated to women discussing and hashing out issues important to mothers seems to be growing everyday -- The Soccer Mom Vote, DC Metro Moms Blog, BlogHer, MomsRising and, yes, a little plug for myself over at PunditMom's Spin Cycle. We're trying so hard with the right words to express ourselves. But it seems that it's only when we use our 'mean girl' words that we get the attention.I don't know of a many news outlets pounding down our doors to learn why we want to express our political views or what those views are. I don't hear the presidential candidates getting many questions about whether they're listening to women even when they say we are the key to victory in 2008.So why is that? Is it my cat fight theory all over again? Or is it time to adopt the 'if we can't beat 'me, join 'em' phi...
More About: Power , Words

Sometimes a Girl's Gotta Do -- Errands!
2007-09-12 12:14:00
Not much doin' today at Chez PunditMom -- after all, I have to run errands and do some paying work SOMEtimes!But I am busy over at PunditMom Reviews talking about an interesting new book for girls -- and for parents of girls -- called Girlology! Come on over and sit for a spell! (Sorry, didn't mean to go all Beverly Hillbillies there)!
More About: Gotta , Some

Reliving the Coverage
2007-09-11 16:39:00
Every year on this day, MSNBC rebroadcasts in real time the events of 9/11 as they were shown on The Today Show.I'm sitting here watching it now as I write this (and apparently so is my BlogHer pal Bossy!)And I can't stop watching it.I watched it on 9/11. As someone who resides "in the shadow of the nation's capital," I lived a certain portion of the events of that day, as well. As the crow flies, the Pentagon is pretty damn close. Mr. PunditMom learned the hard way the virtual impossibility of evacuating this city -- his normal 15 minute commute on a main D.C. artery took close to four hours after his building was evacuated, the fighter jets buzzing continually overhead to protect D.C. air space.The possibility of things happening here again is one of those thoughts that lives in the dark recesses of my mind that I try to keep at bay.Yet, I can't stop watching.I know what happened all too well -- in New York, at the Pentagon and in the field outside of Pittsburgh. But I ...
More About: Coverage

A Plan of Denial?
2007-09-10 14:45:00
Living in the shadow of the nation's capital, I've learned to exist in a certain state of mental denial, especially after 9/11. I try not to think about the trains of hazardous waste that chug perilously close to downtown federal office buildings or wonder where the low-flying jets are headed as the streak over my neighborhood.Now, on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the attacks, government officials say they are finally going to get around to making an evacuation plan for area residents in case of another 9/11-type attack or other emergency.Now, I'm not foolish enough to think that if there is any sort of attack on the Washington area that anyone is really going to get out -- you can't even navigate the Beltway or Connecticut Avenue at speed limit during non-rush hours. But what have they been doing for the past six years? Wasn't this something that was already supposed to be done?As I was driving back from an impromptu trip to the beach this past weekend with my second-gra...
More About: Plan , Denial

Is My Period Supposed to Make Me Happy?
2007-09-07 18:22:00
If you believe what you see in TV commercials from the prescription drug companies, all their pills will make us happy.Happy couples waiting for "just the right moment," enthusiastic athletes, and even the tired average Joe who would be happy if only he could get some sleep.Now, Bayer (who claims their aspirin is the "8th World Wonder!"), brings you YAZ!Oooo! What could a jazzy sounding drug like YAZ be for?It's a birth control pill, but not just ANY birth control pill. Apparently, this one will make you REALLY happy to greet your monthly visitor. No more fatigue or moodiness or irritability ladies! It's the anti-PMS pill!It's a miracle!Just look at this commercial -- happy young women out at the bar, getting their hair done, shopping, yoga in the park! How fantastic is THAT?!(OK, I'm done with my sarcasm now -- sort of).Why do I suspect that this commercial isn't really aimed at women? As I watched it with my mouth agape, it seemed like it was speaking more to the menfol...
More About: Make , Pose , Period

Pink Can Beat Cancer and Dirt
2007-09-06 23:54:00
While I know this will decrease my odds at winning, stop by Mod*Mom's site soon. To help fund breast cancer research and raise awareness for the disease, she is giving away a Pink Dyson vaccum cleaner!These things are NOT cheap! And I need a new vacuum!But as a breast cancer survivor, Mod*Mom, as well as others in the blogosphere, can use your support, and a good comment can go a long way!
More About: Cancer , Dirt , Beat

Do GOP Wives Have Cat-Fights?
2007-09-05 16:55:00
"The Claws Come Out," was the Fox News headline that appeared the other week when Michelle Obama's comments about candidates on the campaign trail were taken out of context. But, hey, when does Fox News let a little thing like accuracy stand in the way of a good story?The uber-conservative "noise channel" (as it's routinely described by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann) took Michelle Obama's comment about "running the house" as the beginning of a Democratic cat-fight between her and Hillary Clinton.That coverage made me wonder why the media are often so happy to categorize comments by women about other women in that way? If the scenario was changed and the comment had been made by Mitt Romney about John Edwards, the remark most likely would never have seen the light of the broadcast day.The whole dust-up, from my perspective, is just another way the right-wingers are slyly trying to make the Democrats look like a bunch of pansies who can't control their uppity, liberal wimmins. Especial...
More About: Fights , Wives

Little Buddha
2007-09-04 13:25:00
When PunditGirl and I took our trip a couple of weeks ago to learn more about her first year, we had a little extra time to wander around one of the best Chinatowns in the country.I wasn't sure we would have an opportunity, but our visit ended in the late afternoon and it was a beautiful, sunny day. So off we wandered, visitor's map in hand to make our way to see the gate and stroll through the shops and past the restaurant windows.At age seven, PunditGirl is firmly at the stage of the small souvenir.Any trip we go on requires a stop somewhere to bring home a trinket that no doubt will soon be lost or broken. But she loves the hunt, as well as proudly handing her coins over to the cashier and strolling out of the shop with her prize.Her focus was much different in the Chinatown shops, though. Usually her attention is captured by small boxes or pencils, T-shirts or friendship bracelets.This time, though, a shelf of tiny little Buddha s just at her eye level stopped her in her tracks...
More About: Litt

Speedo Envy?
2007-09-03 17:44:00
It's Labor Day and I'm supposed to be in the kitchen getting the chicken ready for the grill later this afternoon.But, I have a few thoughts on Speedo -wearing dads over at D.C. Metro Moms!Come on by and share my trauma!
More About: Envy

Mommy Wars Suck
2007-09-01 23:48:00
Which war will we get out of sooner -- the Iraq War or the Mommy Wars ?I would have bet on the Mommy Wars until things got just a teensy little bit out of control over at the Silicon Valley Moms Blog this week.In a nutshell:SVMom blogger Rebecca picked up on the New York Times piece about children on the campaign trail and decided to engage in a smackdown worthy of the WWF with Elizabeth Edwards. To say she criticized Elizabeth Edwards about her choices to go on the campaign trail with her children while she has cancer would be an understatement.She called Edwards a "terrible" mother for that choice (though Rebecca later said she "changed her mind" on that one.) She also took on John Edwards and called for him to get out of the race since he's just a spoiler for Clinton and Obama. It was quite an attack and I'm not sure what Rebecca thought she was going to accomplish. Criticism about presidential candidates is fair game, but is it really OK to go after a mom with cancer because yo...
More About: Suck

The Liceman Cometh
2007-02-18 02:12:01
I REALLY know how to make a special birthday evening for D. You know how I've struggled in the past over what to get him for special gift-giving occasions. This week, I discovered that nothing says Happy Birthday, darling, more than the following phone call: PunditMom: Hi sweety, how are you? D: OK, how?s your day? PM: OK, except I need you to come home a little early. D: Why? PM: Remember how C.?s mom called and said C.?s friend from school found nits in her hair? And R. and C. and the friend all had a play date together a couple of days ago? D: (Slowly and with trepidation) Uh ?. huh. PM: Well, I was giving R. a nice afternoon bath, and I think she?s got the same ?problem.? I got the ?special? shampoo, so I think we?ll be OK. But we?ve got to wash everything in hot water and wash our hair just in case. Can you stop by the drug store on the way home? D: (Silence) PM: Oh, and Happy Birthday! ***************************************** ****************************** ...
More About: Come , Comet , Iceman

Riddle of the Day
2007-02-17 14:11:02
Why would a relatively sane woman (and I use the term "relatively" loosely!) engage in the following: Loooooong breakfast, My Little Pony coloring pages, WonderPets go to Venice, Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth , Beg babysitter to come for three hours, Cajole friend to bring her three kids over for an afternoon playdate? Solution? DAY THREE off from school for first-grader due to weather (and the weekend and President's Day looming!) :O
More About: Riddle , The D

He's Good Enough, He's Smart Enough ...
2007-02-16 02:10:01
... and doggone-it, I am hoping people will like him! Yup! Al Franken (aka Stuart Smalley ) has officially thrown his hat in the ring as a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota now held by Republican Norm Coleman. Sure, other Democrats are bound to toss their hats in the ring to try to ride the current Democratic wave to D.C., but wouldn't Franken be a real breath of fresh air? Not a traditional politician but a person passionate about issues and politics. And that's -- OK! We've had an actor in the White House and one in the governor's office of California. Why not a guy with a wicked sense of humor in the Senate? I bet Trent Lott and his pals would really watch what they say in front of "Senator Franken" -- after all, who knows what ties he still has to Saturday Night Live?
More About: Smart , Mart , Enough , Good

It's About Cancer, Not Sex
2007-02-15 02:09:04
Cross posted from The Soccer Mom Vote By the time I was a 28-year-old, third-year law student, I had been dutifully getting my yearly Pap tests and GYN exams like a good girl for well over a decade. And every year, the Pap results came back negative. I annually congratulated myself for getting to the doctor's office for the exam, even though I would rather have been doing my least favorite thing -- reviewing my Federal Income Tax outline -- than facing the stirrups. Sitting at my groovy, second-hand formica kitchen table in my tiny law student apartment, I was opening my mail when I came across the letter from the doctor's office. Assuming it was good news, as usual, I causally opened it and read its contents. I couldn't focus. I started to hyperventilate. I had to read it more than once to fathom the news -- Stage 2 irregularities. Come in right away for additional testing. Possible cervical cancer? At 28? When there had only been one person I had been ...
More About: Cancer , About