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Brrrrr ....
2007-02-07 20:02:02
Well, we've gotten the timing right this year! Just as the winds have started to howl and the wind chill temps are plummeting and the snow is falling, it's time for the PunditMom family to take a little respite in the sun. But don't worry, you'll be able to find me over at a new place where I'll be blogging called The Soccer Mom Vote. We're a bunch of political moms with views across the spectrum, talking about issues that matter to us in the political world, especially with the 2008 campaign underway with a vengeance! My "soccer number" is 10 -- so every 10th of the month, you can find me over there, as well! (I've got this month's in the can already!). Be back soon!

Some Zen for the day
2007-02-07 02:01:02
First-grader home sick -- enjoy the pic! (Photo by PunditMom, Big Sur, 12/06).
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Still time to vote
2007-02-07 02:01:02
Also, today is the last day to vote in the Share the Love Blog Awards . Lots of wonderful bloggers have been nominated and, more than one kind person nominated me in a few categories! ( Thank you , again !) I've never been one who was good at campaigning -- even the run for Student Council Treasurer was a hard one for me, but if you have a minute and you feel like it ... ??? ;)
More About: Time , Vote , Stil , Still

President John Edwards
2007-02-06 14:00:06
I usually don't get to watch any of the Sunday morning news shows -- I'm lucky if I get twenty minutes with the newspapers before I am called back to Mommy duty.But R. had a first ever Sunday morning breakfast playdate (P.J.'s required!), so I did get to spend a few minutes with Tim Russert (not counting our chance encounters in the neighborhood).Russert spent the full hour interviewing former Senator John Edwards , and after watching and listening, I'm a new fan.Why?Because of three little words:"I was wrong."To paraphrase the immortal words of Edgar on the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons, "Now there's something you don't hear everyday, Chauncey."Someone is running for President who isn't parsing words about their vote on the Iraq war? Is this possible?For the moment, it seems like it.I am sure that Russert will pose the Iraq "gotcha" question to all presidential candidates who were Senators at the time they enabled President Bush to take us to war. And, in politician fashion, I ...
More About: War

Curse You, Linda Hirshman!
2007-02-05 13:59:01
I thought I had finally found a justification for my Real Simple addiction. (PLEASE, don't anyone tell Linda Hirshman . I think she lives somewhere near me and she'll hunt me down). This lovely Case Logic Front Seat Mobile Office 7000! OK, I made up the 7000 part, but with a name like that, I figured it needed a space-age number to go with it!) Why, you ask, would PunditMom want the Mobile Office? Well, ask anyone who's seen the PunditMom-mobile, and you'll know why -- water bottles, cell phone, pens and paper (just in case I have a moment of writing inspiration on the highway), newspapers, magazines (that's a more general addiction for another day). When I flipped through the January issue of Real Simple, there she was -- the key to my organization problem , at least for my home on wheels! I knew in that instant that it had to be mine! Ooooo --- isn't it pretty? Having a couple of minutes this afternoon, while D. is at the gym and R. is happily ensconced in front...
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Boots Too Big to Fill
2007-02-02 01:56:02
Many people are writing today, with much sadness, about the passing of Molly Ivins . Breast cancer has taken another one. Ivins was a real inspiration to me, both politically and as a writer. She was one of those amazing dames who wrote with an uncommonly earthy sense of humor. But for me, as PunditMom, the bigger reason I loved her work was because she shed light on the real George W. Bush in a way no one else was willing or able to do. Ivins approached her work, as a reporter and, later, as an opinion columnist, making no bones about calling things as she saw them, most notably referring to a ritual chicken slaughter she was sent to cover out West as a "gang-pluck." You've got to love the chutzpah of a writer who can come up with that one and not be afraid to try to get it printed! She got fired from the New York Times for that one -- and she didn't care, because she knew she was being honest and true to herself as a journalist. Ivins w...
More About: Boots , Fill , Boot

Share the Love!
2007-01-31 13:54:02
I t's time for the Second Annual Share the Love Awards , sponsored by Heather over at One Woman's World . We all try our best to spread the love through the year by reading and commenting on each other's blogs, but here's a nice way to send an "official" little shout-out to those bloggers we depend on to get through the day. As Lawyer Mama pointed out at her blog, it's so hard to choose, because there are so many of you out there I LOVE to read, but my nominations this year went to (This) Girls's Gone Child , Motherhood Uncensored (though I want to award her a special award for Blogger Who Didn't Let Labor and Childbirth Stop Her Blogging!) and MojoMom . (And thank you, thank you to Lawyer Mama and Shannon for considering me nomination-worthy!) But as you all know from my commenting and my BlogRoll, there are LOTS of you I love to read and am inspired by, encouraged by and heartened by every day. Nominations are open until January 31! So Spread th...

We're going where?
2007-01-30 13:54:01
Just a quick note. My posting may be a bit sporadic this week -- we're (finally) having the hardwood floors refinished here at the PunditMom household. Due to a lack of full bathroom in the basement, that we means we all have to vacate for a few days -- can't walk on the new stain for a day or two, you know! So, I'm hoping I will be able to manage from my laptop, but who knows where and for how long I'll be able to get internet access!
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Say what??
2007-01-30 13:54:01
If I asked Mr. PunditMom how I should vote in an election, he would either: (a) roll on the floor laughing at the hilarity of such a suggestion, (b) have me committed because he would know for sure that I had lost my mind, or (c) take away my voter registration card. But according to the recent missive from Linda Hirshman, she thinks that's what most women do. We don't pay attention. We don't read newspapers. We bat our little ol' eyelashes and say: "Oh, darlin', I've just been too busy with all the carpools, grocery shopping and cooking to pay any attention to one of the most important elections of our time -- should I vote for Bush or Kerry?" (Come on -- you know that's what I said!) Oh, and we'd rather read Real Simple than Newsweek (well, I'll admit that maybe I prefer that when I'm in the "reading room"). In an op-ed piece in the Washington Post on Sunday, Hirshman wrote at length about her newest slam against women which was based on an infor...
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Mother-Talk Literary Salon -- The Pumpkin Patch
2007-01-26 19:50:01
There were a couple of black turtlenecks, but no berets, Gauloise cigarettes or absinthe at the "literary salon" at Chez PunditMom last night! Just 20 or so women gathered for a an evening of wine, cheese and a talk by local author Margaret Schwartz, a single, adoptive mom who wrote about her experiences bringing her two sons home from Ukraine in her book called The Pumpkin Patch . The women over at Mother -Talk came up with the inspired idea to get women reading, talking and connecting by sponsoring these get-togethers. While Margaret did read some excerpts from her book, most of the evening was filled with questions to her about adoption -- questions from people who genuinely wanted to learn more about a process that is many times inscrutable. In my book, the more that non-adoptive families know about adoption, the better it is for adopted children. The most animated discussion of the evening was prompted by Margaret's description of how she came to be the mother of her ...
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The Mystery of the Chinese "Baby Shortage"
2007-01-26 07:49:01
Things are a little crazy here today at Chez PunditMom.Getting ready for a little soiree tonight that I'll tell you all about tomorrow!In the meantime, check out this op-ed piece from The New York Times called, "The Mystery of the Chine se Baby Short age."This is a story I've really been following closely since it first broke -- that the Chinese government has changed its rules and guidelines about who can adopt children from China because of the purported "shortage" of babies. Obviously, I have a lot of mixed feelings about the changes and the contention that there aren't enough children to "go around." The Chinese government clearly has the right to decide who should be able to adopt the children from their country who need homes. But until there are more Chinese families willing to step forward, I worry about all the children who linger.And, yes, that's my little PunditGirl when she was still a PunditBaby! :)I'll be interested in your thoughts about the article.

State of the Presidency
2007-01-24 19:47:01
Everybody's talking SOTU today. I admit I had not been able to watch the Stat e of the Union speech for the last couple of years. I just could not stomach watching President Bush preen in front of the home crowd about all his perceived GOP "successes." That was a hard one for a political junkie like me -- remember, I'm the girl who stayed indoors to watch the Watergate hearings rather than be outside in the '70s summer sun! But with the Congress back in the hands of the Dems, I thought I should watch to hear the tone Bush would take -- whether there would be a difference in approach. And while most people agree that his speech last night was his attempt toward purported compromise, my concern at this point isn't the state of the union. I'm worried about the state of the presidency. First, I'm a little troubled when the 60-year-old leader of the free world stands up in front of the nation and sounds more like my first-grader than a man of responsibility -- he wouldn't a...
More About: Residency , Presidency , Side

The Strength of our Strongness
2007-01-24 19:47:01
And not to forget the humor we can mine so we can keep our sanity ... ... check this one out from Jon Stewart .
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Keep your hands off my penumbra
2007-01-23 19:46:01
Today, with the 34th anniversary of the uber-controversial Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade , increasing numbers of ultra-conservatives are taking up the fight to have it's ruling -- that state laws prohibiting abortions violate a woman's constitutional right to privacy -- be overturned. My opinions about abortion have remained pretty much unchanged since the 1973 Roe decision. As a young adult in the late '70s and early '80s, trying to juggle two or three jobs, a full college classload and an unstable husband (now ex-husband), I hoped and prayed that I would not find myself pregnant or that I would ever have to make a decision about what to do about an unwanted pregnancy. But I felt safe knowing that, even with the precautions of birth control, that if one little sperm got through, the government would not be able to intrude in my personal decisions about my body, whatever I decided. As I think about the Roe anniversary today, though, I realize that the thing ...
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President Bush is too busy clearing brush and tending
2007-01-15 19:37:05
President Bush is too busy clearing brush and tending to the "ranch" to pay his respects by attending the service where former President Gerald Ford's casket was carried to the Capitol Rotunda? OK, George and Laura are making their way back to D.C. tomorrow to attend Ford's funeral later in the week. But in my mind, no matter what words Bush has to say about Ford, the fact that he decided to stay in Crawford rather than greet the funeral procession and Ford's widow speaks volumes about the man's fundamental lack of human compassion and civility. By failing to return to Washington to greet Betty Ford and acompany her to the Rotunda, Bush has sent a not-so-subtle message to the country that the late President Ford's passing isn't worthy of deviating from one's normal schedule -- 'I'll get there when I can' is more of the message that it conveys. How can someone live with so little human empathy?
More About: President Bush , Tend , Ring

Well, the Denver blizzard, which at first prevented my
2007-01-15 19:37:05
Well, the Denver blizzard, which at first prevented my family from making a Christmas trip to my in-laws in Texas, wasn?t more powerful than my wife?s will, and we ended up making the trip on Christmas Eve. And though the second storm was powerful enough to delay our return a few days, we battled back home late Saturday night. Thus, I?ve been sans computer for a week and battling illnesses?my own and my kids. So I?ve had no time or energy to write my ?Changes? essay. ??.pause to blow my nose for the 843rd time?? OK, enough of my whining. Instead of writing my own essay, I?m stealing from David Bowie and his luminous lyrics. In this time of forced, clichéd, New Year?s resolutions, I suggest delving into these words for a little guidance for 2007. That?s what I plan to due as soon as my NyQuil buzz wears off. Happy New Year to all! And now, courtesy of Mr. Bowie: CHANGES. I still don't know what I was waiting for And my time was running wild A million dead-end streets Ev...
More About: Event , Blizzard , First , Blizz

Leave it to President Bush to try to turn a state fune
2007-01-15 19:37:05
Leave it to President Bush to try to turn a state funeral into a political opportunity. According one of the accounts in the Washington Post of 43's eulogy to the late President Gerald Ford: "The current president praised Ford for making an unpopular decision -- the pardon of [Richard] Nixon -- and sticking to it. ... Some reporters saw it as Bush's thinly veiled attempt to compare his own unpopular pursuit of the Iraq war with Ford's action -- and a way of saying both men were courageously standing on principle." Hmmm, I'm not quite sure I'd put trying to heal the country by pardoning Nixon with turning away from all the recent advice to change course on the Iraq war, but, clearly, Bush and his crew couldn't pass up such a public opportunity to make more of case for his "new" Iraq plan, which is essentially to stick with the old plan. In light of the President's reluctance to deviate from the course he's set, I'm thinking that perhaps it's time to bring in t...
More About: Fun , President Bush

Today is a day for the history books as Nancy Pelosi be
2007-01-15 19:37:05
Today is a day for the history books as Nancy Pelosi becomes the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives in U.S. history. I hope that the mothers of suffrage are looking down on her with big smiles and happy hearts. But I wish that this could also be a day that will somehow impact seven-year-old Rachel. Nothwithstanding all the advances women have made to break through the glass and marble ceilings, in Rachel's world, most of the women she knows tend to occupy the sterotypically traditional roles of mother, teacher, nurse, caregiver, or assistant -- assistant to the principal of her school, assistant to her dad at his office. Sure, plenty of her friends' mothers work (outside the home for money) or, like me, work from home. But that's not part of her daily reality. In Rachel's world, the mommy works (mostly) when she's at school. With today's big event, I am realizing that Rachel is old enough now to start understanding in a way thay she couldn't ...
More About: Books , History , Story , Book

As of today, I'm no longer "just" a PunditMom, I've als
2007-01-15 19:37:05
As of today, I'm no longer "just" a PunditMom, I've also become a Parent Blogger ! Kristen at Motherhood Uncensored and Julie at mothergoosemouse , being the blog-savvy entrepreneurial spirits that they are, have started a new blog network called Parent Blogger to bring parents unvarnished thoughts on kid stuff, parent stuff, FUN stuff! I am flattered that they've asked me to join in this venture to help bring you reviews of all sorts of goodies -- books, gadgets, who knows what? Why me? Maybe they thought I didn't already have enough opinions and I needed to stop being such a shrinking violet! So get ready for more PunditMom opinions -- you know I'm up to the task! ;)
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"Don't stop with just the Clomid. You've GOT to keep g
2007-01-15 19:37:05
"Don't stop with just the Clomid. You've GOT to keep going and try the IVF!" It seemed more like a comment that would be made by a pusher on an inner city street corner, rather than by an acquaintance at the surburban bridal shower of a mutual friend. The comments of this woman, who was trying for child number three through fertility methods herself, were shocking to me at the time, especially as I was sitting there sweating it out through my own Clomid-induced hot flashes. But I've come to learn that attitudes like these are just part of a large 'Better-Bio-Than-Adopted' contingent that's out there. This incident came to mind after a session on CNN's Paula Zahn Now last week that represented a related group that feels it also has a right to weigh in on personal family-making decisions -- the 'How-Dare-You-Adopt-A-Child-From-Another- Country-When-There-Are-Children-In-Americ a-Who-Need-Homes?' club. CNN and Zahn are doing a great job of perpetuating the theory t...
More About: Just , With , Stop , Keep

Dear Madonna & Angelina,First, both of you take a deep breat
2007-01-15 19:37:05
Dear Madonna & Angel ina,First , both of you take a deep breath.OK, now, as one adoptive mother to two others, I want to have a little sit down with you. There is no need to create a contest for who is the better mother by adoption. (I've already got my eyes on that one!) ;) So I wanted to drop you a short note about how we can turn this nasty little news cycle into something positive.I know you're both PRETTY testy these days, what with the whole Malawi thing for you, Madge, and, Angelina, I can't even think about the pressure of being a mother to three kids AND being married to Brad Pitt. (Alright, I lied, maybe I can imagine being married to Brad Pitt-- it's the more than one child thing I know I'm not cut out for). Anyway, I digress.You don't know me, but I'm part of your club, too -- no, no, not the one where you're fabulously wealthy, famous and hounded by countless paparazzi --I'm talking about the one of becoming a mother by adoption. Since we all have that common exp...
More About: Take , Deep

I don't know about you, but I don't think I'm going to
2007-01-15 19:37:05
I don't know about you, but I don't think I'm going to be able to stomach watching the President on TV tonight, announcing why he's sending more troops to Iraq against the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group , most of Congress and the apparent wishes of the American people. I know he's going to do it because he thinks he's right and the rest of us are wrong, but I don't need to spend my few precious "free" Wednesday evening hours listening to him tell me that. So, if you're like me, and you're looking for an alternative, I'm suggesting PBS (always a good fallback when the networks are carrying politicians on their airwaves)! There's a show that looks great called China From the Inside. It's a four-part documentary, with the first two episodes on tonight. One of the episodes is called, Women of the Country , and it will focus on the plight of Chinese women, especially those who live outside the major cities, their extraordinarily high suicide ra...
More About: About , Think , Know , Going , Goin

Two of my favorite bloggers have been writing this week abou
2007-01-15 19:37:05
Two of my favorite bloggers have been writing this week about the ascendance of their daughters to 'girly-girl' status.I just want to reassure them that being a girly-girl and a strong girl are not mutually exclusive.Just coincidentally, I was with my current favorite girly-girl and her mom this morning. As I watched C.'s little blond curls bounce on her almost-three-year-old head, spinning around her living room, a vision in her candy cotton pink ballerina outfit, jumping and plie-ing to that perennial favorite Dancing Queen, I fondly remembered Rachel pretty much doing the same thing at that age and wondering then, "Where is she channeling this from?"I was never militantly against her becoming a girly-girl, but not having been one myself, I had to scratch my head about where all this 'sugar and spice and everything nice' was coming from? How had she acquired the gene that compelled her to twirl in tulle?I admit, that the insecure parent part of me did worry, just a little bit...
More About: Writing , Blogger , Blog , This , Bloggers

Also, I almost I forgot, it's apparently National "D
2007-01-15 19:37:05
Also, I almost I forgot, it's apparently Nation al "Delurking" Week on the blogosphere. So, if you're stopping by, please leave a comment of some sort! You can just say 'hi' or answer today's special question! In the immortal words of Linda Richman , "Here's a topic:" What's your favorite vacation spot of all time? Happy commenting!
More About: Most , Rent , Appa

At first blush, this whole brouhaha between The Don
2007-01-15 19:37:05
At first blush, this whole brouhaha between The Donald and Rosie O'Donnell seems like just another celebrity windbag-fest, carefully nurtured and cultivated by PR teams to keep their clients in the news and boost ratings for a couple of TV shows. But on further reflection, I think Trump's treatment of O'Donnell and Miss Universe speaks volumes about how many men with loads of power still treat women differently on the basis of looks. Just a few weeks ago, Trump swallowed hook, line and sinker, the mea culpa of Tara Conner, the current Miss Universe, for her alleged underage drinking and drug use, and told her (and I paraphrase here), 'There, there, you sweet young thing. Thanks for apologizing, now go get yourself a little rehab, and I'll let you keep your title, your tiara AND maybe even let you be in an upcoming Playboy shoot!' I'm sure the fact that she was young, pretty and blonde didn't hurt when it came time for Trump to make the call. I'd be willi...
More About: This , Between , Lush , First , Haha

For your holiday pleasure, I thought I'd share a real
2007-01-15 19:37:05
For your holiday pleasure, I thought I'd share a real Charlie Brown Christmas tree taken from the woods at my parents' house. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, a happy holiday, and a Happy New Year. And as my holiday gift for you, here's a link to an amazing new Christmas song from one of my favorites, Aimee Mann -- scroll down to the link for Calling on Mary. It's classic Aimee. See you in the New Year!
More About: Holiday , Your , Thought , Share , Real

As I read the headline on the front page of the Sunday
2007-01-15 19:37:05
As I read the headline on the front page of the Sunday Washington Post this morning, I started to ponder what seems to be our timely viewing of season six of The West Wing (as I've mentioned before, we are WAY behind on our popular TV shows)! "Clinton and Obama Clear the 2008 Playing Field." Seems that a variety of candidates, like Senators Evan Bayh and Mark Warner, have already decided to drop out of the Presidential race because of what they perceive to be the insurmountable odds of taking on Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the 2008 nomination. Interestingly, that was the theme of the end of the West Wing's season six -- could underdog Democratic candidate Matt Santos (played by Jimmy Smits) overcome the perceived upper hand of the former and current vice presidents who were running to replace Jed Bartlet? The episode we watched last night was the one where Santos/Smits was being excluded from the New Hampshire Democratic primary debate be...
More About: Page , Read , The Sun , Front

There are plenty of "experts" out there who advise -- if y
2007-01-15 19:37:05
There are plenty of "experts" out there who advise -- if you're thinking of why you don't like your life, think about what your obituary would say. Like it? If not, contemplate another path. Every now and then that sentiment pops into my head and I just as quickly tamp it back down. No time to think about the inch or so of column copy my demise will generate when I'm 127 (you can see the level of my denial regarding my mortality). But I came face to face with my obituary this week and I'm here to confess that I didn't like it. As someone who used to practice law, I write a lot of articles about issues that face women attorneys. A friend of mine, who still works at the firm I started out with oh-so-many years ago, invited me to speak to their newly-formed monthly women's lunch forum about what I've learned from the research I've done when writing those pieces. So the host of the event introduces me and sums up my life in about 30 seconds -- this law school, that honor, this...
More About: Out There , Experts , Here , Vise , Expert

Even though it is hard to admit, a lot of us still lo
2007-01-15 19:37:05
Even though it is hard to admit, a lot of us still love to see the overflowing stockings on Christmas morning, at least for our small kids. But aside from the holiday-season shopping, many of us also give a lot of thought to the charities and organizations we like to support with our year-end giving. I know you're all being inundated with requests, but the gals at Motherhood Uncensored , mothergoosemouse and Sunshine Scribe have put together a benefit auction/raffle in honor of Tanner , the nephew of Her Bad Mother , who has Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy (which is terminal). The auction will start on Wednesday, December 13, with the item winners being announced on the auction website on Sunday, December 18, so prizes can be shipped in time for the holidays. If you're interested in checking out the cool items they've collected to auction, just click on the "Her Bad Auction" link above. There's some cool stuff that would make nice holida...
More About: Hard , Stil , Still

Ho, Ho, Ho!Yes, in our house it's once again that time of ye
2007-01-15 19:37:05
Ho, Ho, Ho!Yes, in our house it's once again that time of year when we drag a dead tree into our house and deck it with twinkly lights and special ornaments!For us, it's also time to light the Chanukah candles, as well as the occasion to celebrate Rachel's birthday (no, it is NOT possible that she is turning seven) all within the span of one week.And, as always, I've been wracking my brain about what gifts would be appropriate for friends and family.D. & I don't usually do anything too big for each other or for adult members of the family, though Rachel clearly makes out like a bandit just by virtue of three gift-giving occasions crammed into the end of December. Actually, we like to designate charities each year to give the money that we would otherwise spend on gifts for us -- you can find one of our favorites here. But I think I've found the PERFECT present for our loved ones this year and it ain't going to cost us a red cent!THERE WILL BE NO HOLIDAY LETTER THIS YEAR!!...
More About: House , Time , Hat , Again , That