All Blog Posts

08/30/07

SHARE YOUR STORY HERE (and read others): Have you juggled breastfeeding and work? How did it go? Share your stories from the frontline of motherhood here! (And, while you're at it you can sign the Statement of Support for Breastfeeding Mothers now by clicking here.) *How to share your experiences: If you're on the homepage, then just click the blog title above, or click on the "Read full post" link below to get to the blog page for sharing.

MomsRising Together

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

08/27/07

Today on All Things Considered, NPR featured a moving piece about the two sides of Hurricane Katrina evacuees relocating in Houston. Some of the 90,000 people who have resettled in Houston are doing well; two years later, others have still not found security. Mothers in particular seem to be suffering. Lorenthia Richardson is a former nursing students and store manager who is sharing an apartment with three female relatives and their 14 children. NPR reporter Wade Goodwyn's summary of Richardson's situation caught my eye: "Richardson knows how to dress and act for the professional world. That's not her problem. Her problem is that she is a black, single mother from New Orleans. For two full years, Richardson has been unable to land a job, despite more than 50 separate attempts."

MomsRising Together

Mojo Mom -- Amy Tiemann

Environmental Health

08/24/07

MomsRising members are petitioning California leaders to pass AB 706 in order to ban toxic flame retardants in furniture. Sign the no toxic couches petition now by clicking here! With all the recent press about toxic lead paint on our children's toys, and the lack of press about toxic flame retardants in our furniture, I'm becoming convinced that our government has utterly lost the ability to protect us, and our children, from dangerous products. In fact, in California the government is responsible for requiring toxic flame retardants in my furniture! (Your furniture too, this is a national issue, CA is such a big market that most furniture makers produce products so they can sell in CA and don't do anything different for the rest of the states.)

MomsRising Together

Joan Blades

Breastfeeding

08/24/07

Doctors agree that breastmilk is best for infants, but their own licensing board isn't following doctor's orders. Sophie Currier recently learned that when it comes to supporting breastfeeding, many of our leaders--whether they are in the medical establishment (as in Sophie's case), business sector...

MomsRising Together

Anita Sarah Jackson

08/14/07

If you want straight answers to straight questions, then Elizabeth Edwards is your gal. After hearing her speak at last week's BlogHer conference , I know if she was the one running for president, she would be getting my vote -- hands down. Not only is she exquisitely tuned in to the issues many of us think are the most important ones, she knows something else that seems to elude most office seekers -- if you want support from women, you need to make connections .

MomsRising Together

Joanne Bamberger

Environmental Health

08/08/07

MomsRising has been on the forefront of the effort to remove lead from kids' toys. Read the MomsRising petition to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Following the latest Mattel/Fisher Price recall this issue is really heating up. How ironic is it that lead paint is banned, but the toys themselves can be made of lead? Today's episode of the Diane Rehm Show covered this issue in admirable depth. This show is an absolute must-listen and is available free online from WAMU radio's site, or as a free podcast from iTunes.

MomsRising Together

Mojo Mom -- Amy Tiemann

08/07/07

When we became parents, I discovered and adopted a few very helpful perspectives: 1. Change is constant. There's always something new to learn or adjust to. True, I'll never again be a novice at changing a poopy diaper in a public place or figuring out the top ten uses for My Brest Friend. But as this baby grows, she changes, and my parenting techniques have to change with her. What worked yesterday to soothe, entertain or distract her might not work today. Remembering this keeps me on my toes instead of feeling constantly inadequate!

MomsRising Together

Anita Sarah Jackson

07/09/07

Think you're getting shut out of prime work assignments because you have to do school pick-up? Have a feeling the "boys" are getting more parenting-credit at the office for going to a soccer game than you are for pediatrician's appointments? If so, you may be able to hold your bosses legally accountable. There's been increased attention in recent months to the so-called "opt-out" phenomenon -- professional working women supposedly abandoning the workforce in droves for full-time mommydom.

MomsRising Together

Joanne Bamberger

06/18/07

It's bad enough that we live in a country where working mothers have to worry about losing their jobs if they take time off to tend to a sick or injured child. Now, children are worrying about whether they should confide feeling ill with their parents because some have seen their mothers get fired for staying home to care for them. Author Ellen Bravo writes on The Nation's website about the impact this phenomenon is having on the children of working mothers.

MomsRising Together

Joanne Bamberger

06/14/07

I will fly from California to Tennessee this weekend to eat Father's Day dinner with my Dad. But I don't expect the meal to be very satisfying. For one thing, we will be eating whatever we eat in a hospital room. My father has emphysema and stage 3 lung cancer. He was responding well to chemo, but then he developed pneumonia. He has been hospitalized for more than a month, with his health worsening rather than improving. In the hospital, he developed a major blockage in his intestine; now he is battling this digestive tract malady, on top of everything else.

MomsRising Together