Crossposted from Playground Revolution The New Republic last week published an essay about three books on motherhood with the inane title: "Mommies, Mommies, Mommies: Meow Mix." I'm not making this up. I couldn't make up a title with such a high cringe factor if my life depended on it. I won't link to it, because, a, you have to subscribe to TNR to get to it, and b, because if all of us smart annoyed moms start clicking their website, they win. Their hit numbers go up and yes, that's good for them. Mother snark has become a tried and true way for magazines and newspapers to ride our rage and rack up sales. We must resist. Glance at a copy on a newstand, then announce loudly to everyone in hearing range that this magazine is snarky and mean to mothers. But don't buy it. Sadly, I've already been in contact with an editor at TNR who seems to think it was a fine piece, and funny. She didn't respond to my charge that their standard for journalism on women's issues is astoundingly lower than their standard for covering other issues in the magazine. She sidestepped it. Snark is clearly okay when it comes to us gals, especially gals with kids at their side.

Well, the blogs are keeping it going and it is awe inspiring. Over at MotherTalkers.com, Elisa has a fantastic conversation going on about single moms in the workplace. I really like this comment from "Shenanigans": If you've got someone in your office who has to leave early to pick up the kids regularly, figure out a solution. If they're worth keeping, put them on part time or figure out how they can do some work from home or have them put in time in some other way.

Politics TV is running video of the remarks made by Senator Hilary Clinton , Senator Barak Obama , Senator Chris Dodd , and Senator Ted Kennedy at last week's Capitol Hill screening of The Motherhood Manifesto documentary. It is amazing to watch these clips and to hear how personally the Senators talk about the importance of MomsRising.org, the MotherHood Manifesto, and the issues surrounding motherhood and family life that we all care so deeply about. (Senator Obama is especially moving.) Plus, you get to see our lovely Joan and Kristin too!

Across Pennsylvania, in Harrisburg, in Washington, DC, in the blogs and over the airwaves, our campaign for the mothers of Pennsylvania, and everywhere, reached new, exciting, and interesting heights this week. Let's start with Kiki in Harrisburg: Kiki delivered a 123 page, 5,200 name petition to key lawmakers in Harrisburg, much to the amazement, and befuddlement, of some legislative staffers. “That is not true!” exclaimed one staffer when Kiki told her that in Pennsylvania it was legal to ask about marriage and family in a job interview. The especially disturbing part about that exchange is the staffer works for Sen. John Gordner - who appears hell-bent to stall the legislation in his committee until it dies - as Mr. Gordner obviously isn’t sharing the legislation with people in his office. Kiki did learn from members of Gordner’s staff that within the past week or two, calls and emails have flooded their office from all over the country regarding that “mysterious” SB 440. (You guys ROCK!)