Strollerderby : D.C.

Parents Blame Obama for Field Trip Snafu

JeanneSager — Sat, 23 May 2009 18:01:00 GMT

When in doubt, blame the president. Hey, it works for folks on swine flu, the economy and apparently for parents from Stafford County, Va. The parents of kindergartners slated for a tour of the White House who were turned away after arriving more than an hour late for their visit are blasting President Barack Obama for not being a man of the people.

The parents of kids from Conway Elementary School told NBC that their kids arrived ten minutes late for a tour of the White House that cost parents $20 per child. But staff at the president's home say the buses pulled in a full hour late, and they'd held the gates for them that long - fifteen minutes longer than they usually allow for late guests.

With an impending visit by members of the Pittsburgh Steelers that day (a visit during which White House staff and the football players put together care packages for the Wounded Warriors program for injured service members, by the way), the White House couldn't accomodate the tour.

The White House staff were the folks who would have had to lead the tour. The same staff who had to prepare for another scheduled visit that day, and in a place that runs like a well-oiled machine (in part because of security issues not faced by many other places on this planet), that's their JOB. But apparently they were supposed to ignore that and just let the kids in.

Said parent chaperone Paty Stine: "Here we have President Obama and his administration saying, 'Here we are for the common, middle class people,' and here he is not letting 150 5- and 6-year-olds into the White House because he’s throwing a lunch for a bunch of grown millionaires."

Because this was the president himself out there telling kids "you can't come in, nanny, nanny, boo boo!" The president who conspired to have Beltway traffic keep the kids from arriving at their destination at the appointed hour. Not to mention the president who could think of nothing better to do that day then rearrange his leader of the free world schedule just because someone didn't plan a cushion into a trip in (infamously nightmarish) D.C. traffic.

Got that? It's the president's fault.

Oh, and that president, by the way? Released a statement saying he and wife Michelle would like to see the trip rescheduled because they feel badly that the children were disappointed. But the kids, er, parents have apparently taken their marbles and run home. They told NBC the end of the school year is fast approaching, and they can't see how they can reschedule.

If your kids' bus arrived at a museum an hour late, would you blame the museum director for not letting them in? What if they showed up at a water park an hour late? A theater? How about blaming the school here folks.

Image: NBC (that Steelers visit)

via Gawker

Inauguration Day's a School Day: How Will Your Family Celebrate?

JeanneSager — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:28:00 GMT

What will you be doing on January 20, 2009? With almost a quarter million tickets being handed out for President-Elect Barack Obama's swearing in as the forty-fourth commander in chief and a crowd of four million expected, chances are Sasha and Malia won't be the only kids on the national mall. As for the rest of us? The 20th is a school day this year; not to mention a work day.

In fact the noon-time ceremony will be hard for all by stay-at-home parents with non-school-aged (or homeschooled) kids to watch. I'm crossing my fingers for a snow day, so I won't have to make a mad drive across town from nursery school pick-up to settle in in front of the TV. I expect my three-year-old will only have the patience for a few minutes of President Barack Obama before she's ready for me to flip to Noggin or play the ladybug game, but parents with older kids have an incredible opportunity to share history with their kids on a frosty Tuesday that's fast approaching.

Every inauguration's a teaching moment, but this is a day more akin to Kennedy's swearing in than Bush 2's second time at the podium (which I skipped, by the way - although I did watch the first). It will be the one and only time we will watch the first black president of the United States sworn in. When our kids are old farts like us, will they be able to talk about the day they watched it?

Is it worth it to you to make the drive to D.C.? Will you keep them home from school just to watch it at home? Or will the day be business as usual?

Image: Official Inauguration Site of the U.S. Senate

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The Panda Might Be Knocked Up

Jen Chaney — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:02:00 GMT

How much would it suck if human pregnancies worked like panda ones?

Mei Xiang, the possible panda mama at Washington D.C.'s National Zoo, might be pregnant. Zoo officials detected a rise in her progestin levels, which is a sign that she could be carrying another baby panda -- she gave birth to Tai Shan back in 2005 -- but not necessarily.

See, pandas can apparently have pseudo-pregnancies, which, according to this Washington Post story, involve "physical, hormonal and behavioral changes that mimic the real thing" even though no fetus has developed. So she gets to suffer from morning sickness, mood swings and all sorts of other unpleasantries for nothing? And no one can even tell she's pregnant so everyone just thinks she's Bitchy Panda for no reason? That's just not right.

To make matters worse, if she actually is with-panda, it's very possible no one will know for certain until she gives birth in mid- to late-July; apparently, panda fetuses develop so quickly that pregnancies often are not confirmed until the little one is almost here. Translation: No shower for Mei Xiang!

Still, the payoff is worth it. Look how cute Tai Shan was when he was a baby.

Image: Cottontimer.com

Baby Born in Beltway Traffic

Jen Chaney — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:03:00 GMT

A woman gave birth to a baby girl yesterday morning on the Beltway just outside of Washington, D.C. For the rest of her life, that kid will answer the question, "Where you were born?" with "On the exit ramp to New Hampshire Ave."

It was a terribly rainy day here in the Washington area and traveling was a challenge on virtually every major roadway. Consequently, the poor mom and dad were stuck in traffic on 495 and couldn't get to Holy Cross Hospital, where they had planned to deliver their child. Instead they had to pull off the highway and call 911, leading to an often confusing conversation between the parents-to-be and the 911 operator. (The last thing you want to say if you're an expectant father, or hear if you're taking a 911 call: "The baby's head is out! The baby's head is out!") You can hear most of that call here.

After delivering with help from a fire and rescue team, mother and baby eventually managed to get to Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Md., where they are reportedly recovering. Just goes to show that you can take all the birthing classes imaginable and still not be fully prepared for the type of delivery fate tosses your way. This little story also proves, once and for all, that people in D.C. really need to learn how to drive in the rain.

Photo Credit: Interstate-guide.com

Meet 'The Breast Whisperer'

Jen Chaney — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 16:33:00 GMT

The Washington Post runs an article today about a D.C. lactaction consultant so effective, she is known as "The Breast Whisperer." Yes, the woman literally speaks to the breasts of new mothers: "Psst. Hey, boob. No, not you, the other one. I've got a secret to tell you: If you don't start making some milk, I'm going to get medieval on your ass."

Just you watch: The Breast Whisperer will wind up with her own show on the National Geographic Channel. And every week, she'll tell women they need to let their nipples be the pack leaders.

Okay, (most) jokes aside: What does Pat Shelly, Lactaction Consultant Extraordinaire, have that other nursing nurturers don't? In addition to possessing a flair for finding the root cause of breast-feeding issues, right down to problems with baby's tongue ligaments, she also refuses to be judgmental. If a mother needs to supplement with formula while working out the feeding situation, Shelly doesn't have a problem with that. Now, I went to a lactation consultant -- coincidentally, also in D.C. -- who also had the same approach, so I wonder if those "La Leche Nazis" we often hear so much about are becoming a thing of the past. Perhaps you can tell me in your comments.

The thing that intrigued me most about this story -- besides the fact that, at $150 per hour, Shelly is making some serious booby booty -- is her next idea. In the last line of the story, our Breast Whisperer says she'd like to open a hotel where nursing mothers could stay overnight while they focus on making sure baby latches on correctly. Naturally, it would be called a "breast and breakfast." And naturally, it would be another way for Shelly to make some cash. But if she's as good as everyone says she is -- and it would be a vacation from the house during those difficult first postpartum weeks -- I'd be booking a room.

Image: rcrh.org