The momentum is growing here in the keystone state. Do you feel it? Dozens of blogs are talking about the problem of "maternal profiling" here and in 27 other states; thousands signed the online petition; and lawmakers might just be waking up. Yes, people care about the fact that it is legal -- in the majority of states in this country -- to ask someone in a job interview if they are married or have kids and decide to hire that job applicant, or not, based on their answers. (Ugh. I hate writing that, every time I type it, it makes me madder. I just can't believe it is true.)

It is almost hard to put into words what it was like to be under one roof with 5,000 Pennsylvania women who are motivated for change. The energy was electric. Yesterday, a group of us including Georgia Berner, Georgia's friend Linda, Lindsay Patross, Lindsay's friend Breen and I staffed a booth for MomsRising.org at the PA Governor's Conference for Women. We were there, as we have posted, to tell people about the fact that in Pennsylvania it is legal to ask someone in a job interview if they are married or if they have children. Our mission was to help propel these 5,000 Pennsylvanians into action. From a booth with a great "MomsRising" red carpet and a beautiful MomsRising.org banner, we distributed The Motherhood Manifesto, the MotherHood Manifesto DVD and a fantastic handout. We even had a raffle for a 'Steelers' basket - which, in Pittsburgh, is always a hit. Mostly we talked, and talked and talked.

I was shocked when I heard Kiki Peppard’s story of searching for work only to be repeatedly denied the opportunity to prove her worth and support her children simply because she was a mother. Her unrelenting commitment to passing a law in PA to protect other mothers from the discrimination she suffered has me in awe.

Out of school for eight weeks, my daughters and their friends start saying things like, “I’m bored,” and asking hopefully, “When does school start again?” I didn’t feel that way as a kid. I wanted warm summer days to magically continue through November, skipping fall altogether and going straight to Christmas. Today, my quest for the endless summer continues and when stores start “Back To School” sales, I get anxious. It’s not my kids going back to school that bothers me; it’s having to pack school lunches again.