What Are My Words Worth?

Before I get down to the nitty gritty, I have a review up at Law(yer Mama) Review. Did you read the book, The Three Martini Playdate? I read it; my husband read it; we both loved it. So when PBN gave me the opportunity to review Christie Mellor's latest book, Were You Raised By Wolves? I had to do it. So head over to Lawyer Mama Review and see what I thought.

Because you know the world revolves around my opinion....

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A few weeks ago, the bloggers on D.C. Metro Moms blog had some interesting news. We're being syndicated. The founders of Silicon Valley Moms Blog, and all its various regional offshoots, negotiated an agreement with the McClatchy Group to syndicate three to five posts a week from the SV Moms Blogs. The McClatchy Group selected the first three posts about three weeks ago. My post about Sexism in Advertising was one of them.

Here's the kicker: none of us, not even the founders of Silicon Valley Moms, are being paid.

Until now I've pretty much stayed out of the controversy over paid versus unpaid blogging. I can certainly sympathize with freelance writers who pay their rent with their words. This is what they do for a living. They are highly trained journalists and wonderful writers. If I accept an unpaid blogging "job" am I simply lowering the market price for the words of the professionals?

I know that a few bloggers, some who are freelance writers, have opted out of the syndication on the SV Moms blogs. I can completely understand that. The syndication has no value to them aside from gaining name recognition or resume building. If you already have that as a freelance writer, why give your words away for free to print publications that normally pay you?

So what do I get out of an unpaid syndication of my words? Name recognition? Maybe. Although I doubt that I'll be syndicated so regularly that people will start demanding my posts! An ego massage? Maybe. It is nice to see your words, your byline in actual cellulose and newsprint. Resume building? Definitely.

For those of us who write (as opposed to Write) for fun, therapy, or recognition, the idea of being a freelance writer or (gasp!) writing a book is heavenly. I've been saying since law school that I want to be a Writer when I grow up. Granted, my job already involves a lot of writing but it isn't writing that feeds my soul. Of course, there's no guarantee that free lance writing or even writing a book would do that either. Publishers will only pay for what sells. And who wants to pay to read my narcissistic rambles?

I don't pretend to know the answer to the paid versus unpaid blogging and writing debate. I do know that business models for mainstream media are changing because of the blogosphere. People are fleeing traditional media for the web and many of the providers of news and information on the web are doing it for free. With print publication budgets plummeting, is it any wonder that MSM wants to get in on the free stuff?

I got my first hits on my syndicated article a few weeks ago, via my automatic "Lawyer Mama" Google Alert, from the Centre Daily Times in Centre, Pennsylvania and the Modesto Bee in Modesto, California. I've gotten more since then, but I'm too lazy to link them all. So clearly there is a market for my sort of writing, just apparently not enough to pay me.

Whether this increases my blog traffic (So far, no, but it might help if I posted something here on occasion!), or enables me to add "professional writer" to my resume remains to be seen. Maybe I can even start calling myself a Writer with a capital W. All I know is that I think it's pretty cool. So if you happen to see me in print somewhere, for God's sake, cut it out and send it to me!

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Speaking of unpaid blogging, don't forget to read my review of Were You Raised by Wolves? over at Law(yer Mama) Review!

Three for the Price of One

New post up on Lawyer Mama Dabbles. It's all about where I live, in case Jenny wants to stalk me.

New post up on DC Metro Moms. The sexist commercials just finally went too far!

New post up on MOMocrats. Want to read about the Evolution of a MOMocrat?

Missing Her

I have a post about my grandmother with some very personal photos up on Lawyer Mama Dabbles. No, it's not that kind of "personal." Get your mind out of the gutter. (I'm talking to you, Jenny!) I don't post porn on the internet. (Although I bet my ad revenue would dramatically increase if I did. Hmmm....)

Missing Her

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Also, the D.C. Metro Moms are discussing education today, all day. I have a rant about public schools that should be up as the introductory post by Wednesday morning. Go check it out!

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Joanne, aka Pundit Mom, will be on Blog Talk Radio for Kristin's Motherhood Uncensored podcast to talk about how moms are getting involved in the elections. A few other MOMocrats may be calling in too and I know you won't want to miss it. (I may even call in myself. Ahem.)

Iraq: Five Years Later

I'm over at MOMocrats today spouting off about the Iraq war today. Actually, all of the MOMocrats are. Check it out.

I was also spouting off about Mommy guilt yesterday at D.C. Metro Moms Blog. Something I know nothing about. {/sarcasm} Actually, all of the D.C. Metro Moms were. Check it out.

I'm also spouting off at Lawyer Mama Dabbles about my discovery and love of color and such. Check it out. I like that photo essay so much, I may post it over here.

And you thought I'd just been slacking lately!

Yes, my readers, comments, and Technorati rating are starting to approach zero, but that's just because I don't have time to comment on all of your lovely blogs. I've been doing the "drive by" a lot lately and I apologize. I'm not doing a very good job of holding up my end of the conversation. But I'm trying.

Our Newest Family Member

Her name is Patches. Hollis picked her out, so he named her Patches, despite the fact that she really doesn't have any patches. But the name seems to suit her anyway.

Yes, she does look an awful lot like Pandy, with white whiskers, white socks, and a white belly. But her cutest feature is totally unique - a little white diamond between her eyes. I thought of all sorts of clever names for her, but I guess the days of actually getting to name our pets are over!

Patches is a rescue kitten and comes with a host of health problems. Our vet tells us she has roundworm, lungworm, and a respiratory virus. We have to keep her isolated from Hilly until she's better. But Patches has made a little boy very happy.


If you're interested, I'm pissing off people left and right on D.C. Metro Moms Blog. I seem to have started a small mommy war. Oops.

Early Childhood Education From A Military Perspective

A lovely piece ran in our local Virginian Pilot today about early childhood education. It was written by a retired Vice Admiral and applied his own brand of "military logic" to the arguments against state funding of early childhood education. It was so refreshing, I had to share it:

A Military Perspective On Preschool

As a retired military officer, I am concerned with the debate about whether to fund the proposed expansion of the Virginia Preschool Initiative. I am concerned because opponents are often vigorous, employing one of two tactics, neither of which seems defensible.

One of these tactics is political - the attempt to stir partisan opposition to the proposal solely because it is championed by a governor from the opposing party. This tactic, of course, is contrary to a military way of doing business, where decisions are based on reason and empirical evidence rather than political motives.

The second tactic is the "yes, but" approach, as in "we think expansion of preschool is a good idea, but it's too costly," or "but there are too many practical barriers to overcome," or similar yes-but evasions.

To a former officer, "yes, but" has the ring of excuse-making or lack of commitment to the objective, both of which must be overcome to stay on course.

So why should you care what a retired sailor like me thinks about preschool?

You should care, because the military cares, and deeply, about this topic. So deeply, in fact, that starting nearly two decades ago, the Department of Defense launched a services-wide initiative to increase the availability of high-quality early education programs for its youngest dependents.

The military took up this mission to ensure that children of military parents would start kindergarten ready to succeed. Military leaders championed the cause, funds were allocated, programs were made available so all parents could afford high-quality programs.

The effort proved so successful that government and private-sector policy experts began lauding the military's initiative as a model that should be emulated in the civilian sector.

Why such a strong commitment by the military to quality early education and school readiness? Quite simply, the decision was prompted by the following circumstances:
* A large number of military spouses working outside the home
* Half of today's service members have one or more children under age 5; this amounts to nearly 500,000 across all the branches

But there was another commitment, a common-sense one: to do the right thing for children and their parents in uniform.

So, from the perspective of an observer who has seen how this can succeed, I must now ask why some Virginia decision makers seem so reluctant to follow the lead of their military counterparts.

To borrow a naval phrase, we need all hands on deck. Vote to use the lessons learned in the military as a shining example. Access to high-quality, affordable child care for all should be expanded in our state so that all our children have a fighting chance to succeed.

Jim Metzger
Vice Admiral, USN (ret.)
Suffolk

Amen.

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There was a political rally for Obama in Virginia Beach here this evening. Unfortunately, what with the kiddos and all, I didn't think it was a good idea to attend. (It's T's Navy Reserve weekend, so I'm on my own with the kiddos.) I hear it was a good time with lots of noise and lots of people. I have to admit it's kind of nice to hear Virginia's primary described as "pivotal" even if it is the local paper doing it. I'll just try to forget that we were all but ignored before the Wednesday after Super Tuesday and enjoy it while it lasts. I know all the politicians will evaporate from the Commonwealth after Tuesday's election.

Speaking of politics, the D.C. Metro Moms (and all of their sister sites) are writing about politics and voting today. Head on over and check it out. I'm sure there will be some entertaining and controversial pieces going up throughout the day.

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I have some pictures from the zoo up on Lawyer Mama Dabbles. You can see what a hellion my Holden is when allowed to roam free from the confines of his stroller....

Driving Public Policy

Edited: Well, it seems that the AP is reporting that John Edwards is dropping out of the race. So much for my steadfast loyalty. I still think that he's played an important role in this campaign. I know he says he won't be the vice-presidential nominee, but a girl can hope, right?

I know you want to know who I'm supporting now. I don't think I'm going to decide yet. Virginia's primary is a week after Super Tuesday, so I don't have to decide until then. I know which way I'm leaning, but I want to see where HRC and Obama's policies lead me.

One of the bloggers over at Chicago Mom's Blog drafted an open letter to the Democratic Presidential candidates. You can see it on all of the sister sites, including the D.C. Metro Moms Blog that I contribute to. Veronica's letter is a wonderful idea. Several of the D.C. Metro Moms have been trying to get through to the presidential candidates for awhile. We even started topic days on all the sister sites to increase awareness of the political motivations of parent bloggers.

To a certain extent, it worked a bit. We had a wonderful meeting/teleconference with Elizabeth Edwards. We had some feelers from Senator Dodd's campaign. The Obamas basically told us, "thanks but no thanks," and I don't think we ever even heard from the HRC camp or anyone else. As for the Republican candidates? Bubkus. (Granted, I could really care less, but I do understand that not every mom who blogs is a Democrat.)

The problem I have with Veronica's letter is that it ignores my candidate, John Edwards. People can say whatever they want about his campaign being essentially over, but he is still in the game. CNN can pull him from their polls, but that doesn't change the fact that John Edwards has been driving policy in the Democratic primaries.

Even if Senator Edwards doesn't have a chance at the nomination any more, he's staying in the race to hold the nominee's feet to the fire. To make sure that Senators Obama and Clinton don't kill each other in a toddler temper tantrum, to make sure they don't forget about poverty, and health insurance, and economic reform, and environmental policy, and all those other things that we care about.

So let's not leave John Edwards out because, based on past experience, he's the candidate most likely to listen to us. Edwards does still have a role in this election. If I didn't truly believe that, I wouldn't still be beating the John Edwards drum over at MOMocrats.

For all we've heard about the presidential candidates *cough*OBAMA*cough* being socially media savvy, moms who blog have been pretty much ignored, except by the Edwards campaign. While companies and PR people can't wait to market to us or hear what we think about the latest mop or kid video on the market, nobody besides Edwards seems to give a flying fart what we think about public policy.

And it's not that no one cares what bloggers think. Hop on over the Daily Kos or the Huffington Post. Oh, the politicians care. They just don't care unless they can directly see a result in terms of political support or money. It's not so clear cut with us, the mothers who blog about anything and everything. But make no mistake, we vote, we're well educated, and we talk and write about politics in a personal way. People read our blogs. Some people actually do care what we think.

So, here's what I say:

Take heed, politicians. The internet is viral. If one of our fellow mom bloggers can get thousands of women across the country heading to the gym in an attempt to replicate her Big O on the treadmill, just think what we could do for your ideas and your campaign.

Ignore us at your peril.

Sincerely,

One Pissed Off Mommy Blogger

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As usual, I have new photos up at Lawyer Mama Dabbles. Is anyone other than my mother even reading that site? Give a gal some love, would you? Mwah!

Edited to add: Nancy, babe. I added an O link just for you! I meant to link it, so thanks for reminding me.

The Wisdom of Prose or the Passion of Poetry?

In light of all the toy recalls and chemical scares lately, I'm concerned about what I buy. I'm not a freak about it, but if there is a safer alternative and it's not outrageously expensive, I'll give it a try.

But I have to admit that I'm skeptical. Vinegar just doesn't clean my floors as well as my usual cleaner, although it works great on windows. So when PBN gave me the chance to review Clean Well's new All-Natural Antibacterial Foaming Hand Wash, I came into it with an open, but cautious mind. Read More....

Now on to my post for the day:
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I can't be the only one annoyed by all the press about Hillary Rodham Clinton's "break down" in New Hampshire on Monday, can I?

It's no secret that Senator Clinton is not my candidate of choice. I'm all about Edwards. But it angers me that a show of emotion is automatically seen as a weakness in a woman. And HRC didn't exactly break down. She got a bit emotional and welled up in response to a question about how she does what she does day after day. In response, HRC said,

This is very personal for me. It’s not just political. It’s not just public. I see what’s happening and we have to reverse it. Some people think that elections are a game, it’s about who’s up or who’s down. It’s about our country and it’s about our kids’ future.

Perhaps I have a different perspective because I heard the segment on NPR on Monday afternoon in the car. I didn't actually see the segment until later. But, people! She didn't "break down." Here's the segment. Judge for yourself.

Frankly, I think Senator Clinton sounded passionate and authentic when she spoke about how important this election is for the future of our country. I completely agree with her. I've never doubted that HRC cares strongly about this country and its people, but that normally doesn't come across in her public speaking.

In Nashua, New Hampshire this weekend HRC quoted Mario Cuomo, "You campaign with poetry, but you govern in prose." While I don't believe that Senator Clinton is the right candidate to bring about the changes we need in the U.S., I have no doubt that Senator Clinton is well versed in prose. Her weakness is in the poetry. Unfortunately for her, the draw of poetry is usually more alluring to voters.

Monday's question and answer session was actually pretty much the first time I've listened to her speak and heard Clinton's passion. She's normally so self possessed that she comes across as too scripted. It was nice to see that a human heart does beat beneath her breast.

Clearly Senator Clinton's show of emotion didn't hurt her with New Hampshire voters, so maybe it's time for the press to give her a break. Even if she can't help reverting the emotional female stereotype.* I can't help wondering if the press would have reacted in the same way if a male candidate had showed the same emotion. I doubt it.

*I say this with sarcasm, just to be clear.

Cross posted at DC Metro Moms Blog.

D.C. Moms Gone Wild

Updated to add: KC did indeed have her baby. Go see!

I can't thank you all enough for your wonderfully supportive comments, emails, and the great conversations about my blog post yesterday. It helps so much to know I'm not alone and that what I'm going through is so common.

I began to regret posting on my way to D.C. because I came a little late to the realization that everyone would probably read it before they came to the D.C. Metro Moms party. But I was so touched by the wonderful things you said to me, Nancy, Joanne, Amie, and Julie. I'm now seriously regretting living three hours away from D.C.

Now on to the fun topic!

I had the pleasure of attending the D.C. Metro Moms Bloglaunch party last night at Le Chat Noir in D.C. It was hosted by Graco and Yahoo and damn, do they know how to throw a party.

It was a lot of fun. I got to meet most of the ladies from D.C. Metro Moms that I hadn't met before, reconnect with some old friends like Pundit Mom, Mamma Loves, Mom Ma'am Me, Gunfighter (our token guy), Devra of Parentopia, Kimberly from Petroville, and Sarah minus her Goon Squad. I also finally got to meet Julie from Suburban Ecomom, Andrea from Andrea's Recipes, the unforgettable Susan (aka WhyMommy) from Toddler Planet, and many other ladies that I so look forward to getting to know better.

Considering there was an open bar, the party was actually pretty tame. Although there was a wonderful moment between Susan and Gunfighter, who had never met before. We were all wearing name tags, but the restaurant was dark and they were difficult to read. Well, GF was checking out Susan's name tag and jokingly said, "Pardon me, I'm not trying to stare at your chest."

Susan then informed GF that he could stare away and she'd be perfectly happy to show them to anyone who wanted a peek since they would only be around for 2 more weeks. (Our lovely Susan has IBC, a rare and deadly form of breast cancer. She's doing great though and after surviving chemo, is scheduled for her double mastectomy in 2 weeks.)

GF was a bit flustered and I swear he was bright red, even though I couldn't really tell in the dark. Susan clued GF in on the situation and he looked awfully relieved. I think he thought Susan had gotten an early start at the bar up until that point. I've never seen anyone so relieved to hear it was just breast cancer before!

The Graco people at the party were wonderful. Lindsay has just launched Graco's new blog and I can tell that she'll fit in to the blogging world instantly. There was also an awfully cute Graco guy named Paull from Australia. I was tempted to just follow him around the entire evening so I could listen to his accent but I thought he might be a bit creeped out. He was nice enough to record a little video blog shout out for me though and I'll post it later if I can clean it up a bit. (It was dark and very LOUD.)

Paull was taking pictures and some video for Graco and they have a Flickr group set up for the photos. When Paull had the video camera out, I told Susan it was her chance to take the girls out for one last spin, but she didn't go for it. Clearly she wasn't drinking enough. I think if we'd gotten a few more drinks in her, Lindsay and Paull could have sold the video to Girls Gone Wild. Mommy Bloggers Gone Wild? Is there a market for post-partem boobs? Wait, I don't want to know. There are some real freaks out there.

The very nice Graco people also gave one of their brand spanking new Sweetpeace soothing centers to one of our mom bloggers who may or may not have just had her second baby. (Large hint there. If she'd post on her damn blog already, we'd know!) The Sweetpeace is the mac daddy of swings. Actually, it's hard to call it a swing. That's sort of like comparing a Yugo to a Porsche.

On to the pictures:

www.flickr.com More photos in Graco Get-Togethers

Ooh, I also must mention something that will make you green with envy. Pundit Mom invited me to stay with her and her family for the evening, so I got to meet Mr. Pundit Mom and Pundit Girl. Pundit Girl blew me away with her poise and intelligence and she read me some of her poems. She's so self possessed and affectionate and just plain nice. I wanted to take her home with me. Ms. and Mr. Pundit Mom are doing a great job.

I had so much fun with my fellow D.C. Metro Mom bloggers. I'm just a bit disappointed that there wasn't enough time to talk everyone for as long as I wanted to. I guess that means we'll just have to do it again soon.

3-2-1- Blast Off!

I love the Discovery Channel Store. They always have the coolest toys, for grown ups and children. In fact, my husband has a robot and a remote control helicopter from the store sitting in our sun room right now. We've both been eying the talking globe for some time, trying to figure out just how old the boys need to be before we can justify buying it for ourselves the kids.

So when PBN gave me the opportunity to review one the Discovery Store's latest pre-school toys, I was thrilled! Discovery Store didn't disappoint me. Paz's Lift-Off Rocket is pretty cool. Read More....

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The DC Metro Moms are discussing breastfeeding and boobs today. Pop on over and check out the discussion.

Filling a Pail

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
- William Bulter Yeats

I'm a product of public schools. I've always insisted that my children would attend public schools. After all, we all have an obligation to make our schools better and that won't happen if involved parents and their children flee to the private schools. I was quite judgmental about the topic and looked down my nose at those who spent a small fortune on sending their kids to one of "those" schools.

Well, then I had children. READ MORE....

The DC Metro Moms and all our sister sites are discussing education today. Stop by to read my introductory post and all the discussions about education throughout the day.

The Ghost In My House

I love my house.

It's older and has a lot of quaint charm. By "quaint" I mean it has original plumbing that will need to be completely replaced in the next ten years. And by "charm" I mean the house consists of several additions, none of which really match the original Cape Cod style of the farm house. Our house also has some slightly creepy features like the "Window to Nowhere." But still, we love our house. It was built in the 1920's as, we believe, a second house on the original farm upon which our subdivision was built.

We have the largest remaining tract of land from the original farm, at 4 acres. The original farm house sits vacant next door to ours, it's beautiful Colonial bones waiting for a new family. Of course any home with that much history has, well, a lot of history. Unfortunately, we haven't discovered much about the original owners of our home or the land around it, although I hope to spend some time researching it when the boys are a little older. It seems a shame to not know the history of this house and the lives of the families that loved it. But with the history and character of our old home, we also got something unexpected.

We have a ghost.

Laugh if you will, but creepy things have been happening in this house since we moved in. First, it was just lights and ceiling fans turning on and off. For awhile we weren't really sure because, with the chaos of 2 small boys, 2 cats and 2 adults, who keeps track of whether or not you turned on the ceiling fan in the kids' room?

Then the cat started getting trapped in the boys' closet. (Although it was really only Hollis's closet at the time. Holden was still in utero.)

We have 2 cats. One is laid back and affectionate. The other - Pandora (or Pandy for short) - is a bit annoying. She randomly whines/meows at all times of the day or night. It's an ear piercing whine that can't be easily ignored or tuned out. About 2 months after we moved in, and about the time we were noticing the light and fan machinations, I came home from work early and Pandy was whining upstairs. She'd been trapped in the boys' closet for the day.

We don't really use the boys' closet. It's smallish and deep, built into some spare space in the dormer. It doesn't have a light so I don't like to put much in there because I can't see a darn thing. I keep the few hanging clothes the boys have in there and use the rest of the space for storing off season clothes and extra quilts and blankets.

The day Pandy got stuck in the closet for the first time, I wasn't sure if I'd opened the closet in the morning. There's a trash can in there, so I figured I just hadn't closed the door until it latched. Ditto with the door to the boys' room. At the time, I always closed the bedroom door because if I didn't, Hollis would run back in the room and slam the door behind him in the always fun game of "run away from Mommy." But still, I thought I might have left the door open.

Then it happened again. It still didn't bother me much. I suppose Mommy brain really could be striking on a regular basis. But then, I've been tempted to close Pandy in the closet in the past. I could certainly understand if "someone else" in the house couldn't resist the temptation.

About the time "someone" started working on our whining cat problem, the light and fan show became a little more obvious. I can't sleep without the fan on, so I always turn on the ceiling fan when we go to bed. I would wake up in the middle of the night or the morning and the fan would be off. The overhead light in our bedroom would switch on at 2 am, waking me from a sound sleep. T and I started to get a bit freaked out. But we figured maybe another "charming" feature of the house was a whacked out electrical system.

Then, one afternoon Hollis and I were playing in the living room while T vacuumed. (Yes, he vacuums. Hollis comes by his love for the vacuum honestly.) Our living room is situated between the entry way and our sunroom, an addition that was a side porch to the original house. An earlier owner added on a garage and enclosed the porch with a large square picture window on one side and glass doors leading to the pool patio on the other, leaving in the step down from the house to the former porch. The sunroom is perfect for plants and we keep them all safely tucked away in the sunroom, behind a sturdy, automatically closing baby gate that the kids still can't open to this day. When I walk into the house, I have a tendency to kick my shoes off and let them fall where they may in the sunroom on my way to the living room. Of course, we all trip over my shoes on a daily basis.

So T vacuumed his way through the living room and moved into the sunroom to vacuum the rugs. I got up to ask him something and noticed that he had carefully lined up my shoes on the step down into the sunroom, with the toes on the sunroom floor and the heels up on the step to the living room as if they were on display in a shoe store. I got T's attention and, after he shut off the vacuum, laughed at him for tidying my shoes. We all know that's simply a futile task!

T insisted that he hadn't moved my shoes and that when he'd come through the sunroom earlier, he'd tripped over them by the door. The door to the garage, across the room from the entry way to the living room where they were now.

We both stared at the shoes for a few minutes. They were artfully arranged with the toes pointed slightly outward and heels touching, as if the heels had just lightly clicked. Neither of us had moved the shoes. We knew Hollis and the cats hadn't done it. That left another possibility....

Now the possibility of a benign little ghostie playing with light switches and taunting the cat really hadn't bothered us up until that point. The shoe incident freaked us out because it happened right under our noses. Action was necessary. T was out of town for the next few days, so I sat quietly in our bedroom one night, right under the overhead light, and had a little chat with our "someone."

I started out telling our "someone" that I loved her house and that I hoped she'd been happy here. I asked her to refrain from scaring the kids and freaking the crap out of me. (T was on his own. He'd left me alone in the house with a ghost, damn him.) But then I kept talking. I told "someone" about how conflicted I was about moving away from D.C. in search of a more balanced work life. I told her how scared I to have another child so quickly. I shared that I was afraid I wouldn't love the new baby as much as Hollis or that Hollis would be neglected or scarred in some way. I talked about how much I loved my new role as a mother but how I missed the old me. The me that was so much more than just Hollis's mom.

The words just spilled out. When I finally started to wind down, I tossed Pandy a bone and asked our ghost to stop trapping her in the closet. I explained that Pandy was annoying and a little dim, but that we loved her nonetheless. I know my conversation wasn't really a conversation. I just needed to talk and feel as if someone was listening. (Kind of like this blog. Hmmm....)

I can't say whether I honestly believe we have a ghost. I just like the idea of her, so I still talk to her. She keeps turning our lights on in the middle of the night (in fact, T said it happened again last night while I was in Savannah), but Pandy hasn't been trapped in the closet lately and we still trip over my shoes on a daily basis. Whether she's real or just a product of my (over) active imagination, I don't really care. I love having a ghost.

When the boys are older, I'm sure they will too. How many of you can honestly say that you believe your kids when they insist they don't know who ate the last of the Oreos or broke the screen door? I guess in the Lawyer Mama household we'll never really know....

You may be wondering why I keep referring to our ghost as "her" and "she." Isn't it obvious? I haven't met many men, living or dead, who would pick up a pair of shoes.

This is part of Julie's Hump Day Hmmm for the week. Our topic was, of course, Halloween. Cross posted on DC Metro Moms Blog.

The Parental Goes Political

The women of the Silicon Valley,Chicago, and DC Metro Moms Blogs have been talking about politics a lot lately. Have you noticed? In the year preceding an election, it's only natural that that so many well educated and articulate women are talking about the future of our country. The problem? We don't seem to be taken seriously. At least not as seriously as the "men."

A recent column in The Caucus, the political blog of the New York Times asks whether men are more involved than women in blogging about politics. The consensus seemed to be that, yes, they are, although no one seems to be able to explain it. I think the answer lies not in brash statistics, but in redefining "involvement."

Women bloggers, at least the bloggers I know, don't tend to blog exclusively about politics. We write about the environment, education, health care, our families, our jobs, our lives and politics. However, we aren't always looking for the next sound bite from a politician or dissecting the latest poll figures. We write about what concerns us in a way that concerns us and resonates with our readers. Read More....

I'm Such A GEEK!

I'm practically running around the house doing cartwheels because our meeting/conference call with Elizabeth Edwards has a write up by Tracy Joan on the Daily Kos website. She mentions the new MOMocrats site too. (Have you checked it out yet? Why the hell not?)

My completely embarrassing story about my kids screaming in the background while I was on the phone with Elizabeth Edwards has been quoted for all the world to see. I'm tickled pink.

I'm such a geek!

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On a more serious note, a fellow blogger needs our help. The lovely Jenn from Serving the Queens recently lost a family member in Iraq, Sgt. Matthew Blaskowski.

Jenn has put up a card of sorts, online for Matt's parents, Terry and Cheryl Blaskowski and they'd like to get as many "signatures" as possible before the funeral on Thursday. Please go over and send them your good thoughts. (No anti-war messages will be posted. They don't need that right now.)

Thanks for your help, my bloggy friends.

Hope: A Conversation With Elizabeth Edwards

I don't regularly discuss politics here on my personal blog. I'm not sure I can accurately articulate why that is. I guess Lawyer Mama has always been an outlet for what is going on inside of my head. My thoughts on politics and social policy usually aren't limited to the four squishy corners of my brain. I talk about them often, with friends, family and co-workers. But lately? My thoughts about the upcoming election and the direction of this country have been racing. So bear with me. I'm going to get all political on you, my dear readers, and it's going to probably happen pretty often until November 2008.

This weekend, the Silicon Valley, Chicago, and D.C. Metro Moms bloggers had an opportunity to speak with Elizabeth Edwards. The Silicon Valley moms met with her in person and some of the Chicago and D.C. Metro Moms bloggers participated by conference call, including yours truly. Joanne was the spokesperson for the D.C. Metro Moms on the call and she did a fabulous job. You all know what a big Elizabeth Edwards fan I am, so I was thrilled to have the chance to ask Ms. Edwards substantive policy questions. (If you'd like to see live blogging of the whole shebang, go here and here.)

I did, however, have a moment of sheer mortification. I was on the conference call on my cell phone parked at my laptop in the dining room. My husband has been transferring the contents of said laptop to an external hard drive for the last 3 days, so I was grounded, so to speak. I couldn't lock myself in the bedroom away from the chaos created by two small boys.

During the introductions, I accidentally un-muted my cell phone. Of course, H&H began screaming and running around on cue. I didn't realize that anyone could hear them until Elizabeth said "Whoever has the kids in the background, don't shut them up! I might have to bring my own in here too." Everyone laughed while I was staring at my cell phone in horror and frantically pushing the mute button! Of course, I got over my embarrassment immediately. This was a conference call with mothers. Elizabeth is a mother too. She and my fellow mom bloggers certainly weren't going to judge me for showing a bit of humanity.

Elizabeth (she asked us to call her that!) was, as always, articulate, funny, and a font of information. She answered our questions about health care, her role as first lady, and, most impressively, how John Edwards will make our world better and safer for our children. This was Amie's question and, man, it was a good one.

Elizabeth went on to talk about universal health care, college for everyone, and reestablishing our moral authority in the world. She was up front about change being a slow and difficult process. But she also told us that we need to be engaged to make it happen. "We don't get the change we want unless we're willing to work for it."

Elizabeth talked about not just making this a better America, but about creating a better world.

Creating a better world.

What I like most about Elizabeth and John Edwards is that they both have a touch of idealism in them. They don't talk like politicians. They haven't given up on making positive changes. In fact, they've both dedicated their lives to trying to make that happen and they have concrete plans to do it.

I voted for John Edwards in the last presidential primary. I'll be doing so again in early 2008 and, hopefully, in November 2008. I hope that when my children are older I'll be able to tell them about a phone call I had with our future First Lady and about how she gave me hope. Hope that this world and our United States can be better.

Of course, I'll have to tell Hollis and Holden about how our future First Lady commented on their hooligan noise and roughhousing. But I'm quite certain she did it with a smile.
Cross posted at D.C. Metro Moms Blog and MOMocrats.

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I'm also excited to tell you all that I've joined another blog, this one with a solely political purpose. It's called MOMocrats and it's a group of moms who are supporting John Edwards for president. You can read all about our bloggers here. I'm thrilled to have this opportunity and I hope you'll stop by often to hear what we have to say.

We Won't Be Ignored

I have a new post up on the DC Metro Moms Blog. Head on over to read my latest rant. But here's a little teaser....

Last week on our sister site, Silicon Valley Moms Blog, Rebecca wrote a post she has come to regret. In it, she called Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic candidate John Edwards, a "terrible mother" for taking her kids on the campaign trail. Rebecca, and the rest of us, got a big shock. Ms. Edwards replied to her post within a few hours. And the media picked up on it. The original post no longer appears on the site, but our own Joanne wrote about the exchange for DC Metro Moms.

My point in dragging all of this up again is not to rehash the argument between Rebecca and Ms. Edwards. I had the opportunity to hear Ms. Edwards speak at BlogHer in Chicago this Summer and I'm a big admirer. I'm not here to start another Mommy War. I just want to point out that the response from Ms. Edwards should be a big reminder to everyone, candidates and media alike, of the power and exposure women are gaining on the Internet. Read More....

About A Girl

Edited to add news about the DC Metro Moms Blog and a link to my latest post.

Two weeks ago, Jenn from Serving the Queens wrote a post so brave, so overwhelming, so moving, I just can't stop thinking about it:

And this Girl and I, we are going to be running. Running to a church that as of today is 36 days of travel ahead of us, where the Boy is also journeying to. And we're going to somehow find him before he arrives there, and we are going to tell him things that have gone unsaid for too long and we are going to take our mutual heart in our trembling hands and place it before him and tell him it was his all along.

I think this piece spoke to me because Jenn's Girl lives in me too. Like Girl, I would do everything possible before walking away from love.

If you've ever believed in romance. If you've ever hoped for Happily Ever After, then read this post. You can read more about Jenn's Girl here as well.

Even if it ends badly, Jenn, we'll all be here cheering for you and your Girl. Thank you for your Perfect Post.

Please be sure to check out the rest of the Perfect Posts for August at Petroville and Suburban Turmoil.

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In other news, today is the official launch of the new D.C. Metro Moms Blog, an offshoot of the Silicon Valley Moms Blog. If you wouldn't mind, pop on over and show some love to my D.C. sisters! I have a new post up over there about Hollis's first day of school.

Let's Talk About Sex

Sex. Even the word in the wrong context can sometimes make us blush. But add in a dash of politics and a smidgen of homophobia and we can't shut up about it.

I must admit I laughed when I heard about Republican Senator Larry Craig's little brush with the law. A little schadenfreude may be evil, but it's deliciously evil when a Senator who voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act is arrested in a crackdown on homosexual activity in a Minneapolis airport men's room. My first thought was "another one bites the dust," complete with a Queen soundtrack. Read More....

DC Metro Moms Blog

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm the newest addition to the brand spanking new D.C. Metro Moms Blog, an offshoot of the very popular Silicon Valley Moms Blog. I think I somehow tricked them into thinking that I actually still live in the D.C. area. When they discover the truth, I'm sure they'll kick me out post haste. In the meantime, please join me over there for my inaugural post.

Here's a preview, because I'm a tease....

Until two years ago, I lived in a cute little cottage on an old tree lined street in the City of Falls Church. It was outrageously expensive, but only a 15 minute drive from work on a good day and we all know how miraculous that is in the D.C. area. Moreover, it was within walking distance of one of the best elementary schools in the area. The only problem? Our neighbors were driving us slowly insane.

Read More...

One advantage of living in Chesapeake: tantrums on the beach instead of in Target.