That is a staggering statistic. But for MomsRising member Yvonne, it’s much more personal:

“My sister, the mother of 2 preschoolers, has track marks up and down her arms. Last July both she and her husband lost their jobs. Although they applied for every job they saw, she didn’t find a job until late November–and then only a part-time one. My brother-in-law still hasn’t found one. The track marks? My sister, my wonderful sister, gives plasma several times a week, earning $25 each time, in order to feed her family.”

We can’t let families like Yvonne’s face this recession alone.

Will you help by asking Congress and the President to make the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act a top priority today? http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1018

The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act provides funding to ensure that low-income children have access to healthy and nutritious foods. It funds programs like the National School Lunch Program, which guarantees millions of low-income children a healthy lunch during their school day, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) which provides access to nutritious foods to low-income pregnant women, new mothers, infants and young children. In today’s economy more and more families rely on school lunches and WIC as their only source of nutritious food.

By law, Congress has got to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act every 5 years.   We need to make sure the Child Nutrition Act doesn’t expire when families need it most!

Families across this country depend on the Child Nutrition Act programs. A whopping 71 percent of Americans even support increasing funding for the Child Nutrition Act by $1 billion.[3] So now we’ve got to make sure Congress and the President act quickly to secure the funds needed so these key programs will reach millions of children and families in time for the 2010-2011 school year.

Please take a moment to remind Congress and the President that families like Yvonne’s are depending on them:
http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1018

Then the conversation turned: We simultaneously realized that both of our daughters think of International Woman’s Day as something we celebrate for women in other countries, not our own.

We wondered, why?

My friend thinks it’s because, “There’s a real disconnect between our desire as parents to tell our girls that they can do anything they want to do in life, and the reality of the challenges that they will later face as women in our own nation.”

This disconnect isn’t unique to my friend and her daughter, it’s a disconnect that we see with policy makers, news reporters, and business leaders as they fail to recognize inequality that women still face in the United States.

The problem is that without recognition, we can’t get to solutions. And solutions are indeed needed.

You see, in the U.S. we’re not moving forward, we’re falling behind. In fact, according to international gender equality ratings released by the World Economic Forum, the United States fell four spots from last year partly because of our poor performance in women’s health and political leadership. We are now 31st among all nations, just behind Lithuania.

As the United States falls behind, around the world investing in women is increasingly recognized as the fulcrum point by which communities can grow their stability and thrive.

This increasing recognition around the world that “When women thrive, we all do” needs to be taken to heart in the United States as well.

That’s right, we aren’t doing all that well here in the United States. There’s still much work to be done. Let’s break it down:

Economic Inequality: In the U.S. overall, women make 77 cents to every man’s dollar. One study found that women without children make 90 cents to a man’s dollar, mothers make 73 cents, and single mothers make the least, at about 60 cents to a man’s dollar — stats that should keep you up at night given that over 80% of American women become mothers by the time they are forty-four years old. Studies show that passing family-friendly policies — like paid family leave and assessable childcare — lower the wage gaps.

Political Inequality: Women comprise only 17% of our national legislature in America, despite being 51% of the population. We now rank a low 70th of all nations in terms of women’s representation in national legislatures.

Women’s Health: Maternal mortality rates are rising in the United States. In fact, in one closely tracked region, the maternal death rates have tripled in the last decade. In the U.S., maternal mortality rates are now higher than in Poland, Croatia and 39 other countries, according to the World Health Organization.

The common assumption that all is fine in our own nation is one that hurts our economy, as well as the future health and well-being of our country.

What can we do? Today on International Women’s Day, let’s take a moment to look inward. While it’s depressing to recognize that we as a nation haven’t moved as far forward for women’s equality as many people assume, there’s growing awareness about the issues inside our borders. Organizations fighting for women’s rights like MomsRising.org, which now has over a million members, are blossoming. And with this growing awareness comes action.

It takes many hands, many organizations, and many countries–including our own–to achieve international women’s equality. We need to work as a global community, both inside and outside our nation’s borders, in order for all women to have equal and fair treatment.

On this International Women’s Day, I urge you to find and support organizations that champion the rights of women and girls both here and abroad.

Let’s make sure that our daughters, sons, elected officials, and news reporters know that International Woman’s Day is something we celebrate for women in other countries, and, importantly, also for women in our own nation.

Yes, International Women’s Day matters in the U.S. This is the day when it’s officially sanctioned for us to shout from the rooftops that women in the United States are indeed part of a global community still fighting for women’s equality, and to stand on our soapboxes sharing lessons learned from abroad that, “When women thrive, we all do.”

Happy International Women’s Day!

Cross posted from the Huffington Post.

What stinks? Health insurance rate hikes of up to 39 percent are now happening around the country.  And the five biggest insurance companies earned 56% more in profits last year, while covering 2.7 million fewer people.[1]

This week insurance companies are meeting in Washington D.C. for their annual conference and no doubt, they plan to be out in force lobbying Congress against health reform.

Don’t let the insurance industry be the only voice heard on healthcare in DC! Make your voice heard telling Congress that when something so clearly stinks, a change is needed!

*Take a second now to sign this petition telling Congress that health insurance company practices of dropping coverage while raising costs stink–and that America’s families need a change!

http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1019

We’ll deliver your petitions to leaders and key swing members of Congress early next week, along with baby diapers decorated with messages calling for an end to the stinky practices of health insurance companies.

Please forward this petition on to friends, family, parent groups, soccer/basketball lists, and more so that we build a huge list of real people who are demanding that Congress rein in the abuses of health insurance companies.

Some are saying we should just hang tight in this stinky situation. But what’s the cost of doing nothing? A recent article in the New York Times documents the unbearable costs that will accrue if we fail to take action to fix our broken healthcare system:

* Without a change, 275,000 people will die prematurely over the next 10 years because they do not have insurance
* Without a change, the typical price of family coverage is expected to almost double from $13,000 to $24,000 a year by 2020
* And, without a change, the number of uninsured people is predicted to increase from about 49 million today to between 57 and 66 million by 2019.[2]

These costs are too much to bear–and are avoidable if we act now to pass meaningful healthcare reform and rein in health insurance companies! It is indeed time for a change!

Please sign our petition today telling Congress that health insurance company practices of dropping coverage while raising costs stink–and forward it to as many people as you can so it’s a call for action that Congress can not ignore! The next two weeks are likely to determine whether we finally achieve health reform that provides our families with secure and affordable healthcare.

http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1019

Thanks for your work on behalf of America’s families!

P.S. Have an extra diaper or two on hand? Or have a friend who can give you one? Help us send a visual message to Congress that they can’t ignore by decorating a diaper, and then sending it our way so we can deliver it to Congress along with the petition (Instructions below). Decorate the diaper with messages like:

“Health insurance rate hikes of up to 39% stink! America’s families need a change!”
– or –
“56% increases in profits for health insurers last year stink! America’s families need a change!”
– or–
“MomsRising, we’re changing more than diapers – get health reform done now for America’s families!”

And please send those decorated diapers quick to MomsRising, P.O. Box 71083, Chevy Chase, MD 20813 so they arrive here by Monday, March 14th if possible. (But if they arrive later than that we can still use them for other upcoming actions.)

[1] http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/insuranceprospers/index.html, http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/11/business/la-fi-health-profits12-2010feb12

[2] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/weekinreview/28abelson.html?scp=1&sq=cost%20of%20doing%20nothing&st=cse

Paterson’s right about one thing: relationship abuse is ubiquitous — and so are bystanders who, like the governor, don’t do enough to stop it. My grandmother, a teen-age single mom, fell into the arms of a pathologically violent man. The results were so dire that my dad ran away as a 9^th grader. I’m lucky my father found a useful outlet for most of his trauma – he put himself in therapy, became a mental health worker and devoted his career to the many patients whose ills start with abuse. But pain still lives in my dad’s eyes. And I ask myself how many bystanders had the power to step in, to protect my grandmother and her children — but did not.

I know the urge to look away, the feeling of “I can’t deal with this now, how could I help anyway?” I saw it in myself, in how long it took me to read, Crazy Love, a riveting book by my college classmate Leslie Morgan-Steiner, about her marriage to a charming, intelligent man whose rage almost killed her. It was also hard to face the fact that we Gen X’ers aren’t that much better than our parents. As a group, we still don’t acknowledge this violence for the horror that it is. Knowing what Morgan-Steiner’s ex-husband haddone, people still invited him to parties and into their homes, as if saying “well, these things happen.”

In the book, a psychologist explains that abusers often come by their disease honestly — as victims of cruelty themselves. Because of this, predators often live in extreme denial, believing that their brutality is justified or just plain normal. And how much are we each doing to disabuse them of that notion?

“Domestic violence is a brutal crime that shatters millions of lives every year, transcending race, ethnicity, social class and even gender,” said Rudy Giuliani ten years ago. While Rudy’s politics differ from mine, I admire his words and wonder what it takes for more of us to speak — and act on — them. How many bosses want law-breakers on the payroll? What if more abusers knew that violence could cost them their job? Imagine if Paterson had handed his aid a note: “I care about you. Call this number – get professional help. If it happens again, you’re fired.”

In 2008, a group in Texas called the Clean Schools Initiative helped introduce a state bill that would require school districts to assess the environmental quality of proposed school sites and provide a space for meaningful public participation in the decision to purchase new land. The bill received tremendous support, but failed to pass that session. Cyndi along with Christine Ackerson and other concerned parents started Clean Schools Initiative after learning that their community’s new elementary school was going to be built INSIDE an old chemical facility.

Cyndi O’Rourke stated in a speech to the convention, “We were fortunate that our school district took the necessary steps to remediate.  I do fear for schools in areas with low parent involvement or districts that may not have had the money to do proper remediation.  Their schools may not have been so lucky.  It was this realization that opened my eyes to a greater need for legislation to protect our schools.”

Support for bills like the one the Cleans Schools Initiative championed in Texas is spreading across the country as parents, school nurses, and concerned community members are realizing that no such policies exist in many states and communities. Why these policies aren’t getting passed is beyond my imagination, but here are four reasons why you should introduce a similar resolution to your PTA and school board.

Children’s developing systems make them more vulnerable to chemical exposure. During prenatal development, infancy, and adolescence, children are growing and adding new tissue more rapidly than at any other period of life, which makes children are susceptible to environmental chemical influences.

Preventing toxic exposure of children protects the entire community. Safe siting policies will prevent toxic exposures to children and school staff through reducing their daily exposures to chemicals that can cause cancer, immune system impairments, birth defects, learning disabilities, asthma, and other health problems.

Children’s bodies are more sensitive than adults. Children are less able to handle toxic chemical exposures. Children breathe more air and eat more per pound than adults. For example, children absorb about 50% of the lead to which they are exposed, while adults absorb only 10-15%.

Natural activities of children leave them more susceptible to chemical exposure. Normal school activities heighten children’s exposure to the impacts of pollution. After school sports, recess, classes in which children explore the school’s site ecosystem, children’s natural curiosity, tendency to explore, and inclination to put their hands in their mouths all opens them to high levels of exposure.

The Center for Health, Environment and Justice released a Safe School Siting Toolkit last September that holds a lot useful information on how to pass a resolution like the Texas PTA, including sample resolutions that you can copy for your own community. This is the perfect time of year to gather some of your fellow parents and start discussing how you’re going to pass a safe school siting policy.

For a toxic free future,

Renee Claire

Here are ten toxic products, in no particular order, that you don’t need. And, once you read about them, you probably won’t want them either. Be aware that different homes may have different products that are more toxic than these. This is just a basic list of some of the most commonly purchased products that are almost entirely unnecessary, but pose significant risks.

1. Air fresheners: Most air fresheners mask odors with a synthetic fragrance or numb your sense of smell with chemical anesthetics. But, they do nothing to eliminate the source of the odor. Also, aerosol air fresheners spew out tiny droplets of chemicals that are easily inhaled into the lungs. Instead, ventilate well and choose natural deodorizers, such as zeolite or baking soda, which contain minerals that absorb odors. How to Freshen Indoor Air Naturally includes recipes for other homemade remedies. Plants are also helpful for purifying your indoor air.

2. Drain, oven and toilet bowl cleaners: Yes, three products instead of one, but they all fit under the category of cleaners – and these are the three nastiest. Corrosive or caustic cleaners, such as the lye and acids found in drain cleaners, oven cleaners and acid-based toilet bowl cleaners, are the most dangerous cleaning products because they burn skin, eyes and internal tissue easily.

* To clean extra-greasy ovens, mix together 1 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup of washing soda, then add enough water to make a paste; apply the paste to oven surfaces and let soak overnight. The next morning, lift off soda mixture and grime; and rinse surfaces well.
* Prevent clogged drains by using hair and food traps.
* To de-grease and sweeten sink and tub drains, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down drain followed by 1 cup vinegar; let bubble for 15 minutes; rinse with hot water. You might have to repeat the whole procedure more than once. This same mixture can be used prior to scrubbing your toilet bowl to deodorize and scour away grime.

3. Canned food: It’s probably shocking to find a food item on a toxic product list, but it’s no mistake. Food cans are lined with an epoxy resin that contains bisphenol-A (BPA). Most experts believe this is our main source of exposure to BPA, which has been linked to hormone disruption, obesity, heart disease, and much more. Eden Foods is currently the only company with BPA-free canned foods (other than the canned tomatoes, which they haven’t found an adequate substitute for given the acidity of the tomatoes). Opt for fresh, frozen, dried or jarred foods.

4. Pesticides: This is a huge category of products, but they deserve inclusion in their entirety because of how extremely toxic they are. They’re made to be. That’s how they kill things. But, solving your pest problem may leave you with another problem – residual poisons that linger on surfaces, contaminate air, and get tracked onto carpet from the bottom of shoes. There are so many non-toxic ways to eliminate pests and weeds – next time you need to get on the offense, check out the recommendations at Beyond Pesticides.

5. Dry-cleaning: Okay, it’s a service and not a product per se, but the chemical used to do it, perchloroethylene, has been linked to cancer as well as nervous system, kidney, liver and reproductive disorders. Even bringing dry-cleaned clothes home is risky. EPA studies have found that people who reported visiting a dry-cleaning shop showed twice as much perc in their breath, on average, as other people. EPA also found that levels of perc remained elevated in a home for as long as one week after placing newly dry-cleaned clothes in a closet. A Consumers Union study found that people who wear freshly dry-cleaned clothes, like a jacket and shirt, every week over a 40-year period, could inhale enough perc “to measurably increase their risk of cancer” – by as much as 150 times what is considered “negligible risk.” Try wet-cleaning, CO2 technology, or even hand-washing.

6. Bottled water: Most people buy bottled water thinking they’re avoiding any contaminants that may be present in their tap water. For the most part, they’re wrong. Bottled water can be just as, or even more, contaminated than tap water. In fact, some bottled water IS tap water – just packaged (in plastic that can leach chemicals into the water) and over-priced. Also, from manufacture to disposal, bottled water creates an enormous amount of pollution – making our water even less drinkable. Do yourself and the world a favor and invest in a reusable stainless steel water bottle and a water filter.

7. Rubber duckies: How does such a cute toy end up on a toxic product list? When it’s made from PVC – the poison plastic. Banned in over 14 countries and the European Union, PVC, also known as vinyl, is still legally sold by U.S. retailers although it threatens environmental and consumer health at every stage of its product life cycle, according to the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice (CHEJ). When it’s in your home, PVC can leach phthalates (linked to hormone disruption) and lead (a potent neurotoxicant) – contaminating air, dust, and eventually you. Go PVC-free by reading packages and avoiding the #3 in the chasing arrows symbol (usually found on the bottom of a product). If a plastic is not labeled, call the manufacturer. Learn more.

8. Couch cushions: No, you needn’t get rid of all your cushions and consign yourself to a future of discomfort. Just avoid cushions, pillows, and anything with foam labeled as meeting California TB 117, as it is likely to contain toxic fire retardants. These chemicals migrate from the foam to dust to people. In animal research, these chemicals are associated with cancer, birth defects, thyroid disruption, reproductive and neurological disorders such as hyperactivity and mental retardation. Don’t worry about increasing your fire risk, data does not show that this standard has resulted in increased fire safety. Look for foam and cushions made with polyester, down, wool, or cotton as they are unlikely to contain toxic fire retardants.

9. Perfume and cologne: Colognes and perfumes may make us more attractive. But mixed in with the colors and scents are a wide variety of unattractive chemicals. Perfumes and fragrances can consist of hundreds of chemicals. Testing of Calvin Klein’s Eternity by an independent lab, commissioned by Environmental Health Network (EHN), revealed that the perfume contained over 800 compounds. Among the chemicals of concern is diethyl phthalate (DEP) that is absorbed through the skin and can accumulate in human fat tissue. Phthalates are suspected carcinogens and hormone disruptors that are increasingly being linked to reproductive disorders.

It’s not so simple to avoid phthalates by switching products because they are rarely listed on product ingredient labels. Phthalates are claimed as a part of trade secret formulas, and are exempt from federal labeling requirements. Find out if products you currently use contain phthalates and find safer ones on Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Searchable Product Guide website.

10. Oil-based paints and finishes: There are 300 toxic chemicals and 150 carcinogens potentially present in oil-based paint, according to a John Hopkins University study. Still interested in coating your walls and furniture with this gunk? I hope not. Look for water-based options – ideally those that are low- or no-VOC. You could also explore natural finishes like milk paint and vegetable or wax based wood finishes.

Cross posted from the blog at  Healthy Child, Healthy World

Unfortunately, Kristina’s story is not unique. In today’s economy, we hear story after story of parents struggling to find and afford quality child care and preschool.

Today we have a chance to do something about it.

Will you contact your Congressperson today to urge them to help keep families working and young children learning? http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1013

Congress is working on the budget right now, so hearing from you in this moment could make a big difference.

You see, the President’s proposed budget includes significant new investments in programs that help families access affordable, high-quality child care, and early education programs. So now we need to make sure Congress knows that the proposed increased investments in the President’s budget are critical for families.

By contacting your Congressperson today, March 4th, you’ll be part of thousands of families joining together to “March Forth” on March 4th in support of increased funding for child care, Head Start, and child nutrition. With all of our voices descending on Congress for one day we can work together to keep families earning and children learning. Together we can remind Congress of the importance of these programs for children, parents and our economic recovery.

*After you take action via the above link, take a moment to also send this blog post to friends and family so we can have as many people “Marching Forth” as possible today, March 4th.

Why does early care and education matter?

Research shows that the best way to improve educational success is to invest in our littlest learners. In fact, studies show that quality early education and preschool opportunities for at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds is the best way to prevent the achievement gap. [1]

Quality early learning opportunities also save us tax dollars in the long run — it costs a heck of a lot to fix the problems created when kids don’t get the early education they need. Every $1 invested in early learning will later return $7 to our society by reducing the need for remedial education, welfare, and criminal justice services. [2]

Unfortunately, quality, affordable child care isn’t available for most families. As another MomsRising Member, Leah writes: “Quality child care is difficult to find. Affordable quality child care is non-existent. And it’s almost impossible to run a household on one income these days. No matter which way we slice it, we are barely making it.”

What does the proposed budget do for early care and education?

Well, it goes a long way to help families like Kristina’s and Leah’s with key initiatives like:

$1.6 billion increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). This would be the largest increase in funding for the program in more than 20 years. CCDBG directly helps families afford quality childcare

$989 million increase for Head Start and Early Head Start helps ensure that low-income and at-risk children have access to quality early learning opportunities

The reauthorization of key programs like Child and Adult Care Food Program, which would ensure that millions more children across our country have access to healthy foods.

Together we can make the proposed budget a reality and help families across the country keep working and keep kids learning. Contact your Congressperson with one click today!

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1013

And please don’t forget to also pass this link along by forwarding this email to your friends and family. If we all speak up today, we can change the future for families tomorrow.

Together, we are a powerful voice for women, children, and families!

P.S. For a detailed look at the President’s budget proposal for FY 2011 go to: http://www.nwlc.org/details.cfm?id=3802&section=childcare

P.P.S. A big thanks to the National Women’s Law Center for their work on this issue

[1] League of Education Voters http://www.educationvoters.org/tag/early-learning/

[2] Pre-k now. The benefits of high-quality pre-k. http://preknow.Com/community/factsheets/benefits.Cfm

When is a vacation really a vacation? As a working mom, I truly treasure spending a full week with my kids. I want to give them 100% of my attention. But that nagging red blinking light never stops. Am I a bad worker if I don’t constantly check in while out of town? It seems like everyone else does. But I feel like a bad mother when I am distracted by work even when we are across the country inside a beautiful cave learning about stalagtites and stalagmites.

Perhaps RIM (the company that makes the Blackberry) could create a blinking blue light that folks could activate when there really is an email that needs to be answered on vacation, an issue that no one else can address. Those do occur one in a while, but not often. Usually we check in on vacation because we want to feel important and our voice heard, even when we are not around. For my next trip I am going to try much harder not to pay attention to that blinking red light and really detatch. I am wishing myself luck.

Joanna Strober

Enter Parenthood and:

♦ stop working/stay home and recieve a stipend from your employer or a  govt. subsidy

♦ continue working and have childcare that is government owned and operated
♦ continue working and have  childcare that is privatized, licensed and bonded
♦ mandate that all employers have on-site childcare
♦ nanny arrives on your doorstep, leaving only when you give-the-word

Personally, I would love to see employers or the government providing a stipend for a period of time until my child reached school age, allowing me the opportunity to firmly found my family yet relieving financial stress.

However, I believe that allowing families the option to choose which selection works best for them, is the ultimate best!!  More options that actually work!!!

Today, I learned that it is closing next month. York University, where it is located, is continuing to refuse to provide any base funding to the association and no one else is stepping up to provide it a home either. You can read the details in a letter from Dr. Andrea O’Reilly over on the Parentopia blog.

I am so much in shock over this that I can’t come up with anything intelligent to say about it, but I am devastated. I own a couple of the books published by Demeter Press and had put the rest of them on my Christmas wish list this past year. They are apparently going to be going on sale at a discount on their website and I plan to buy each and every one that I don’t own already.

But I’m disappointed that there will no longer be a place to bring together the important research on mothering and to foster the research and thinking on this topic. I’m heartbroken that I may never get to read some of the forthcoming books, like Mothering Canada (Spring 2010),  Disability and Mothering (Spring 2010), Giving Breast Milk (Spring 2010), The M Word: Real Mothers in Contemporary Art (Fall 2010), You Say You Want a Revolution: The 21st Century Motherhood Movement (Fall 2010), The Palin Factor: Politican Mothers and Public Motherhood in the 21st Century (Fall 2010), Adoption and Mothering (Spring 2011), Latina/Chicana Mothering (Fall 2011), Queering Parenting (Spring 2012), Living Feminism Through Mothering (Spring 2012), and Being a Mother Academic: Theory and Narrative (Spring 2012).

Is there someone out there that can save the Association for Research on Mothering? Please tell me there is. This is too precious to lose.

Annie blogs about the art and science of parenting at the PhD in Parenting blog. She is in mourning over this loss.