Your Experiences & Signatures Needed!

Yesterday, I stubbed my toe and found myself hopping on one foot, saying “Ouch, ouch, ouch!,” while my children looked on with amused expressions. My daughter, age eight, blurted out, “Look it’s ‘Pain Family Leave!’” Of course, my toe immediately felt better and I had to giggle. But some corporate interests really do think paid family leave is a “pain”—and shame on them!

*Sign our petition and also share your thoughts and experiences with businesses after reading this full post. To share your experiences, just click the blog title above, or click on the “Read full post” link below. Then scroll down to the end of web page–through all of the comments/blog text–to the “Post a Comment” section. Fill in the blanks with your text. Then when you are finished don’t forget to click the “Post Comment” button at the very bottom of the page.

Listening: We’re all ears!

We’re listening hard! We’d love to hear your comments about what you’d like to see on the MomsRising website and in the e-alerts. *To share your ideas, just click the blog title above, or the “Read full post” link below. Then scroll down to the end of the comments/blog text to “Post a Comment.”

Got a story to share? Tell your sick days saga here!

We want to hear your stories about the sick days you receive at work–or about your lack of sick days. What’s happening in your life with this important issue? Do you have enough sick days? What happens at your work when people get sick? *To share your story, just click the blog title above, or the “Read full post” link below. Then scroll down to the end of the comments/blog text to “Post a Comment.”

Great Read! The Care Crisis

If you have time to read just one article this week, then check out the cover story in The Nation, “The Care Crisis,” by Ruth Rosen at: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070312/rosen

It’s a timely, articulate argument about why, “Working mothers can’t pamper their stress away–their balancing act needs a political fix.” Read it, then act!

Resolution Inspiration! What’s Yours This Year?

Have a New Year’s resolution to share? An inspiration for the next 365 days? *Share your resolution by clicking the blog title above or “Read full post” link below, then scroll down to the end of the blog text and Post a Comment.

Speaking of inspired, check out what two MomsRising members, Yvonne and Ken, are doing for their New Year’s resolution in the text below.

*A New Look for a New Year by Yvonne and Ken:

“At the end of every December, our family picks themes to represent our upcoming year. The theme is a way to help each of us focus on something we want more (or less) of in our lives. Last year Yvonne’s theme was “Start no new projects.” Ken’s was: “Better balance between time spent at work and time spent at home.” At the end of the year, we keep looking ahead and find something new to work towards. 2007 brings us the first unified theme since our marriage.

We will accomplish this by becoming human MomsRising t-shirt wearing billboards until paid family leave passes in our home state. Yep, we each will wear a MomsRising t-shirt every day, until a paid family leave bill is passed in Washington State.

Share Your Holiday Greeting Ideas!

Do tell! Please share your ideas for what MomsRising should e-mail out to members as a holiday greeting here!

*To share your ideas, click the blog title above or “Read full post” link below, then scroll down to the end of the blog text and Post a Comment.

The holiday season is a great time for making people smile, and also for helping grow the size of our movement. You, our members, are the key source of great ideas and power behind the dynamism of MomsRising.

Breastfeeding Action Update

We have exciting news on this front: You all are amazing! Last week in response to news that a ticket agent forced a mother off a Freedom Air flight run by Delta Air Lines for breastfeeding on-board, MomsRising put up a petition and you responded (and can still respond!). In less than a week the petition gathered over 20,000 signatures telling Delta Air Lines that breastfeeding mothers should be supported, as well as supporting the Breastfeeding Promotion Act before Congress. Over 20,000 signatures! Emails and calls from MomsRising members, as well as regular updates about the high number of petition signatures, pushed both Delta and Freedom Airlines to issue statements underscoring their commitment to allowing women to breastfeed onboard planes. Freedom Air also noted that the incident would serve as a training opportunity for all employees.

Share Your Breastfeeding Tales

Can you believe a woman was recently kicked off a Delta airlines flight for discreetly breastfeeding her child!? Please share your own breastfeeding tales of triumph and embarrassment here (*Click the blog title above or “Read full post” link below, then scroll down to the end of the blog text and Post a Comment)! And don’t forget to sign the petition to tell Delta Airlines to get a clue and be supportive of breastfeeding mothers, as well as tell Congress it’s time to pass the Breastfeeding Promotion Act, which amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect breastfeeding mothers.

Got an idea you want to share?! Testing 1,2, 3!

Hey all — We’re testing out turning on the ability for folks to comment directly on each blog post starting now. So here’s the first test. Comment away! Got an idea you want to share? Test your comments here.

“O” is for Open Flexible Work Options

Up online now for all to read is Chapter 3 of the Motherhood Manifesto, “O: Open, Flexible Work Options.” Then after you read Chapter O, share your thoughts with others on the MomsRising forum.

Contrary to what some believe, flexible work options aren’t a utopian ideal. In fact, many companies are finding that when they stop managing by the clock, and start managing by work results, as Best Buy did, they see better employee job performance, better employee retention, and lower training and recruitment costs. It can be a win-win situation for all.