Strollerderby : Momsrising

Required Viewing for All Mothers

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:43:00 GMT

MomsRising has found a creative, funny way to put the spirit of activism back into Mother’s Day, which was originally about much more than Hallmark cards and jewelry. When Julia Ward Howe issued the Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870, her goal was to unite women in fighting for peace and social justice.

With its antiwar message, Howe's proclamation poignantly recognizes the political and societal implications of the mother-child bond:

Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.

Well, the good folks at MomsRising have created a viral video that will remind you of this original spirit of Mother's Day with a much lighter touch—I guarantee you will laugh out loud. Watch it once for the dialogue, and watch it again to read the news ticker tape at the bottom of the screen. Then personalize it and send it to everyone mother you know. Hell, send it to yourself.

Photo: Ecochild

Check Toy Safety While Shopping with SMS Texting Service

Karen Murphy — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 21:29:00 GMT

How many times has this happened to you this year? You're out shopping for toys for your kids, and you pick one up and look at it. You look at the packaging, the label. Has this one been recalled? There have been so many, they all look the same/sound the same. Damn. You wish you brought that list with you that you printed out of all the toys that were recalled, but nope, you don't have it. What to do?

What if you could text a message and receive up-to-date information on hundreds of toys to see if the one in your hand is safe to bring home or not?

I was in Target yesterday, marveling at the toy aisles, a veritable sea of noise-making plastic! And tons of things had that "Made in China" label. Urgh. I so would have used this new service from HealthyToys.org, had I known about it.

Fortunately, MomsRising emailed me and a bunch of other people about this earlier today. Here's what you do:

Text "healthytoys [high/med/low] [toy name]" to 41411 -- to limit your search results to only those toys with a high, med, or low toxins rating -- e.g. "healthytoys low slinky" will only return the Slinky that got a "low toxins" test rating by HealthyToys.org.

Text "healthytoys [retailer]" to 41411 -- to search for toys sold by a particular retailer -- e.g. "healthytoys low costco" will return the toys sold at Costco that got a "low toxins" test rating by HealthyToys.org.

Text "healthytoys [search term]" to 41411 -- to search for toys with that term in their name, description, brand, or retailer. In other words, you can search not only for a toy name but also for Costco, or Leap Frog, or bracelet, or fuzzy, or rattle, or Spider-man, or Disney -- and any toys with those words anywhere in their listing will be returned.

Too many results? Try typing the name of the toy just as it is printed on the packaging -- e.g. "healthytoys Disney Royal Shoes Set".

Don't want to text? You can check out HealthyToys.org online; lists are there for your perusal. And while you're there, check out the "worst toys" list. Oh, and happy shopping.

Photo: marshallfieldclinic.org

Strollerderby Playdate: More Than Soccer Moms...Mommies Who Vote

Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:02:00 GMT

I am so into this presidential election, I'm beginning to stare at myself as if I am the geeky kid with too much mentally stored information raising their hand at every question in US History class. Not only did I watch a debate, I watched the AARP debate. And I am nowhere near retirement, convertibles or a nice little two-bedroom trailer in Sarasota. Spooky. But in a good way. Ever since I was a seedling, I've dreamed of voting for a woman or a person of color for President. Now add to that some other dynamo candidates and candidate spouses and big issues like healthcare, the war and reproductive justice and this mama is in heaven. HEAVEN! Thankfully, I'm not up there shooting off activist emails to senators and talking Social Security benefits alone. There are lots and lots of parents out there just as geeked out as I am. Here are just a few (and if I missed your candidate of choice, cry me a river...then add a link to your own political rant in the comments since this isn't CNN, people):

MomsRising blog is a great place to stop for great political reporting and commentary, including contributions by...

PunditMom, with her smart-as-a-whip legal-eagle and reporter know-how and analysis, and...

MojoMom, feminist author and commenter on politics, pop culture and everything else that impact mamas and mamas impact.

MOMocrats is a newly-launched site for parents who support John Edwards. One of the clever contributors is one of SD's faves, CityMama.

The Personal Is Political is for all of you who want to dig in a big deeper on Hillary, Barack, the potential First Ladies (or Gent) and other topics of the day.

The Soccer Mom Vote is covering all kinds of election issues, all with a family bent.

Tired of Toy Recalls? Sign a Petition!

Karen Murphy — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 19:04:00 GMT

By now you know about the latest in a wave of toy recalls, one of which surely has affected you and your kids. There's a growing concern combined with a certain helplessness over the situation. What can we as consumers do?

Aside from making all of our own toys what can we do? One thing would be to sign this petition by MomsRising.org. MomsRising is an activist organization interested in establishing and protecting the rights of U.S. families. They've been involved in wage discrimination and breastfeeding issues, which may or may not push your buttons, but toys? I think that's something we can all relate to.

So sign this petition and pass the link along to friends and family, and hopefully you'll then be a little piece of some eventual great changes that will help protect our kids.

Breaking News: (Stressed-Out) Moms at Risk of Poor Mental Health

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 15:48:00 GMT

Mothers of young children everywhere appear to be taking some sort of medication. Let's see a show of hands for all the Zoloft, Prozac, and Celexa ladies in the house. MEEEE!! Ok, now, why do we need studies like this one, that shockingly state the stressed-out moms, especially those without sufficient supports are at high risk for mental health problems?

Perhaps because there is still a stigma associated with being a Mom and not being blissful? Hard to believe in a day and age with the tell-all momoir and culture confession that this is still the case, but I believe it is an intractable believe deeply held that if you are depressed, or unhappy, or restless, you are not a very good mama.

Not surprisingly, supports like high quality affordable childcare, sufficient time with one's kids, and emotional support play a crucial role on a parent's mental health. Thankfully, we have organizations like MomsRising trying to improve societal supports for moms and families.

WA State Considers Paid Family Leave

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 14:40:00 GMT

Washington State may be one of the first states to pass a paid family leave law, if a proposed bill passes the state house and secures the Governor's signature (highly likely given Governor Christine Gregoire's stance on related issues).

Senate Bill 5659, the Family Leave Insurance Bill, passed the Washington State Senate earlier this week. If it becomes law, businesses would be required to give eligible employees up to 5 weeks of paid family leave to care for a new baby, adoptive child, ill family member, spouse, or for personal sick leave.

The payout for sick leave would be capped at $250 per week and would adjust with inflation. To cover the cost of the program, and estimated $100 million per year, the bill proposes to hike payroll taxes by 2 cents per hour per employee. If the law passes, it will be the second most rich family leave policy in the nation behind California. If you or anyone you know has ever struggled to make up income during an unpaid maternity leave or to care for a sick parent, you'll appreciate the improvement this would bring to the lives of many families in Washington State.

MomsRising Takes New York

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:33:00 GMT

Yesterday's New York Times featured MomsRising, the grassroots organization founded by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner and Joan Blades (of MoveOn.org) that is making quite a splash arguing for better childcare, more flexible leave programs, and explaining the realities of workplace discrimination.

But MomsRising isn't an alt-group. It boasts 80,000 members (since May 2006) and is actively fostering alliances with groups ranging from the National Organization of Women (NOW) to the Christian Coalition. Nevermind that I attended college with Kristin's husband who broke my best pal's heart, I can see beyond all that, man, into the bigger universal picture of what is at stake here.

Equal pay, quality childcare, the difficulty of working and being a mom. These are struggles that we all share and care about. I'm so totally inspired by the good work of MomsRising. But what do you think? Are they going to accomplish all they've set out to?

Big Bird AND Cokie Roberts on the Chopping Block

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 16:11:00 GMT

MomsRising is urging voters to sign a petition to stop proposed funding cuts to PBS, home to fabulous kids' shows like Sesame Street and Electric Company. Also on the chopping block is National Public Radio (NPR). The Bush Administration's 2008 budget, released this week, cuts $110 million from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget, about 25% of the CPB's 2006 budget. Some argue that the continued proposal to cut CPB's funding (similar cuts were proposed in 2005) is retribution for past treatment of the Bush Administration's Ready to Learn program.

Whatever the case, one can certainly understand the pressures on budget writers these days, what with the federal deficit and the cost of the war (projected to be $378 billion by the end of next month). By comparison, a measly $110 million seems like chump change.

And while the quiet creativity of Sesame Street and Electric Company seem quaint in today's zoom-zoom-bang-bang world of kid's television, they are fun to watch, much like I enjoyed watching "My Three Sons" in the late 70s. And how will I properly brainwash my children without the aid of National Public Radio?

David Brooks Doesn't Blame Your Mama, After All

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 01:00:00 GMT

Lately David Brooks, New York Times columnist and sometime blogger whipping boy, has come under fire for blaming mothers (those selfish asses) for the increase in income volatility since the 1970s. Mothers (those selfish asses) have this way of leaving the workforce to give birth and then reenter at their own whim at some point (or not). And it just causes quite a kaffuffle and so much instability that economists are fully understanding the impact of all this breeding and rearing.

In point of fact, Mr. Brooks was merely reporting the findings of the Third Way, a group of Democratic economists and strategists who issued a report titled the "New Economy" in which they state that income volatility has been somewhat overstated and that it is primarily due to the "benign" reason that mothers leave and then enter the workforce in greater numbers than in prior decades. So it was not poor picked on David Brooks who blamed the mamas. It was a group of semi-centrist Democrats. And they didn't even really blame mothers, they were merely trying to explain possible increases in income volatility over time.

In our rush to blame and activate our wonder twin blogging powers, it's very seductive to take things at face value (lord knows I've done that one too many times) without looking further. To view the full report, go here.

Bring on the Daddy Wars!

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 13:35:00 GMT

Self-Made Mom is urging readers to head over to MomsRising and sign the petition to 'end the mommy wars.' The petition is directed at CBS, NBC, ABC and other media outlets, and urges them to shift coverage from headline-grabbing mythic mommy war struggles to the real problems facing families today.

This petition is part of a larger effort coordinated by M.O.T.H.E.R.S. (Mothers Ought to Have Equal Rights) to present this signed petition at a Mother's Day "Mommy Wars Ceasefire" to be held on Mother's Day 2007. Mothers Day was originally conceptualized as a day for families to work together to better their communities. MOTHERS and MomsRising want to return to the original intention of the 2nd Sunday in June by calling a ceasefire in the Mommy Wars.Self-Made Mom is urging readers to head over to MomsRising and sign the petition to 'end the mommy wars.' The petition is directed at CBS, NBC, ABC and other media outlets, and urges them to shift coverage from headline-grabbing mythic mommy war struggles to the real problems facing families today.

But I'm in favor of the mommy wars. The language of war may be divisive and encourage divisions and fake mommy factions, but it simultaneously brings the discussion to some dinner tables that might not otherwise talk of these things at all.

This country is hemorrhaging federal dollars to fund the War on Iraq. If it takes talk of mommy wars to keep issues such as daycare and health insurance coverage on the national agenda, then so be it. In fact, let's stop leaving daddies out of the equation (this petition is very momcentric, after all). Bring on the daddy wars!

Finding Childcare as Challenging in Canada as in U.S.

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 15:22:00 GMT

One you've experienced the challenge of finding affordable and high quality child care, you begin to understand why so many families opt to have one parent stay home and care for their children. And you also appreciate the popularity of grassroots movements such as MomsRising, that champion high quality child care as one of the cornerstones of their legislative agenda.

Since I favor universal health care and higher taxation in order to create a stronger social safety net for lower and middle class families, I have often assumed that Canada would be a better place to raise children than the U.S. Apparently, when it comes to childcare, this isn't the case.

...(read more)

Moms Ink: MomsRising Takes Back Feminism

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 12:06:00 GMT

MomsRising, started in 2006 by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner and Joan Blades (of MoveON.org) comes out of their collaboration The Motherhood Manifesto and is a grassroots movement for parents who want to be part of a movement to further family friendly laws and social policies, including those represented by the acronym M.O.T.H.E.R.:

Maternity/paternity leave

Open flexible work

TV we choose and other after-school options

Healthcare for all kids

Excellent childcare

Realistic and fair wages

MomsRising claims 50,000 members and its efforts have been hailed by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and others. The founders are both experienced activists and the hope is that the agenda put forth by MomsRising and further delineated in their documentary "The Motherhood Manifesto" will achieve broad bi-partisan support moving forward.

As with other feminist movements in the past, MomsRising will struggle to reach beyond the class divides that have hampered the National Organization of Women (NOW) and others. The computer-savvy seem to be the main audience for MomsRising (as with MoveON.org) with the action updates and informational emails coming via the Internet. As with other efforts to date, the faces and voices of MomsRising are predominately white.

Nevertheless, many people feel that a women's movement that finally takes on some of the central struggles of being a parent in today's society is long overdue and a welcome change. Perhaps, as with the suffragettes, this second wave of activists will finally achieve the goals of earlier generations.

I sure hope so.