Our Students Need You!

Did you know that any student in our public schools can be restrained and secluded for any reason, at anytime, by any employee of a school district, without telling the student's family?  That any student can be locked in cells in school for any length of time and no one know that it happened?  Do you want this to CHANGE?

The State Board of Education must hear from YOU!  ATTEND or WRITE THEM about how they must protect students and schools from these dangerous practices next Wednesday, June 9th in Atlanta at 1:00. The TIME IS NOW.  

Please help us fill the room on June 9, 2010.  If you can attend, please RSVP to Rashidah Ansari at GAO at 404-885-1234 or ransari@thegao.org. 

             

If you are not able to attend in person, please write to the Board of Education to voice your concerns. A sample template is here.

The Safe Schools Initiative is hosting a press conference following the public comment (at 2:15 p.m.).  Please stay and join the crowd to show the State that you support safe learning environments for all students.

Meeting details are as follows:

The public hearing is at 1 p.m. at the Department of Education (DOE), which is located at 2053 Twin Towers East, 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE, Atlanta 30334.  The DOE is on the 20th floor.  To access the public hearing space, turn right when you get off the elevator and you will be at the room.  Below are directions, parking information, as well as MARTA information.  Parking is $5 cash.

We recommend you arrive early if you plan to make public comment.  There will be a sign-up sheet as you exit the elevator to the right.  There is a food court located in the building.  We suggest you arrive early, sign up to speak, then have lunch and return to the meeting space. 

Please note that all speakers have only three minutes to speak.  For that reason, we suggest you make a script or have notes to help you stay on track and within the allotted time.

The Floyd building is located directly northeast of the State Capitol in the block between Piedmont Avenue and Butler Street, facing Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. Parking is available in the Pete Hackney lot on Butler Street. To access the Floyd Building, there is a bridge on the 5th level of the parking deck. Once you cross the bridge, take the stairs or elevator to the 3rd level to enter the Building.

For premium convenience, the Georgia State MARTA Station is located in the Floyd Building.

Traveling I-75/85 Southbound

Exit #248A Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive. Turn right onto Martin Luther King, turn right onto Butler Street, then right into the Pete Hackney parking lot.

Traveling I-75/85 Northbound

Exit #246 Fulton Street. Turn right onto Fulton, then left onto Capitol Avenue. Cross over Memorial Drive turn right onto Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. Turn left onto Butler Street, then right into the Pete Hackney parking lot.

Traveling I-20 Westbound

Exit 258A Capital Avenue. Turn right onto Capital Avenue and follow to Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and turn right. Go to the first traffic light and turn left onto Butler Street. Parking deck is on the right.

Traveling I-20 Eastbound

Exit 256B Windsor/Spring Street follow straight on this street to Central Avenue (3rd traffic light). Turn left onto Central Avenue turn right on Memorial Drive. Go to second traffic light and turn left onto Capitol Avenue. Turn right onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Turn left onto Butler Street. Parking deck is on the right.

More information:

Parent to Parent: http://www.p2pga.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=92&catid=48&Itemid=66

Georgia Advocacy Office:

http://www.thegao.org/SafeSchools.htm

Thank you for taking the time to make a difference!

Love, hugs, and blessings,

The Mama

Giggles and Boobs

I've been giggling to myself all day long.  Not about boobs though... I'll get to that later.

My mowhawk clad half-pint reminded me once again this morning that I need to censor what comes out of my mouth.

As he struggled to put his jacket on, the little one hissed something to the likes of, "I'm so freakin' cold!"

Wait... WHAT???

I really didn't think that "freaking" or "freakin'" was that bad, until it came out of the mouth of my two year old!

To make sure he really said the PG13 version, I asked him to repeat it.  Again, in a slightly sharper weren't-you-listening-the-first-time tone, he hissed, "I'm SO FREAKIN' cold!!"

Note to self: Censor. Censor. Censor.  Freedom of speech (A.K.A. freedom of foul language) should not be allowed in front of impressionable preschooler ears.  There is a time and place for everything after all!

In other news and on a totally unrelated note, some of you may know that I'm a huge supporter of breastfeeding.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a total boob-nazi.  If it works for you, great.  If not, then so be it.  It has to work for both BABY AND MOMMY!  But at the end of the day, breastmilk IS nature's perfect food for babies.  It just is what it is.

Shortly after the earthquake in Haiti, a flood of Facebook messages lit up my news feed with information about breastmilk donation for the babies who had been affected by the disaster.  If you read my post the other day, you know what  a hard time I've been having processing the devastation.  I immediately contacted the numbers to get more information and find out if it was a legitimate call for help.  I am still nursing our youngest child and figured that it might be small, but that donating milk would be an easy way that I could help the littlest victims.

I was disappointed to find out that the calls for donations are not legitimate.  Unfortunately, because of the highly perishable nature of breastmilk and the immense difficulties that crews are facing getting supplies to victims of the quake, there are no donation banks accepting milk for Haitian babies affected by the disaster.  Furthermore, I learned that if the potential donor is nursing a child who is over the age of twelve months, her milk is not eligible for donation.  Boo.

And while we're here, let's take this moment as an opportunity for some education.  The WHO (World Health Organization) recommends breastfeeding for the first six months and up through two years of age.

Over the past decades, evidence for the health advantages of breastfeeding and recommendations for practice have continued to increase. WHO can now say with full confidence that breastfeeding reduces child mortality and has health benefits that extend into adulthood. On a population basis, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life is the recommended way of feeding infants, followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods for up to two years or beyond.

Source: http://www.who.int/child_adolescent_health/topics/prevention_care/child/nutrition/breastfeeding/en/index.html

Furthermore, evidence suggests that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of breast cancer - which unless you are new to this blog, you know that I am also a huge advocate of breast cancer awareness.  This fact has not been a deciding factor in whether or not to breastfeed my children, but it is an added bonus.

After pregnancy, breastfeeding for a long period of time (for example, a year or longer) further reduces breast cancer risk by a small amount. Source: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/pregnancy 

So yes, I am still nursing my 15 month old.  And yes, I would be more than happy and willing to donate milk to a child in need.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama

Thoughts Are Elsewhere

I'm writing this post with a heavy heart.

Over the last several days, I have struggled to compose a thoughtful, witty post.  Instead, I'm fighting back tears and sending up prayers of both thanksgiving for the life that I have been given and pleading for those who are hungry, hurt, and alone.

I am overwhelmed by the situation in Haiti.  The devastation.  The loss.  The horror.  The sadness.  The hope.  The hope...

Despite everything that these people have been through, they are still singing.  They are still praying.  They are hopeful.  I heard one reporter point out that when you have nothing, and everything is taken away, all you can cling to is faith and hope.

Still, it is unfathomable what the people of this already suffering country are faced with.

The children tear at my heart.  The orphans.  The littlest victims who don't understand where their families went.  The ones who died alone.  These tiny victims cause a physical, profound ache in my chest that doesn't seem to ease.

When my four year old daughter asked me why Haiti had an earthquake that "cracked the buildings and hurt some people", I gave her the only answer that I could even remotely understand myself: God needed more angels to help the world.  She (thankfully) doesn't understand death or loss yet, but was seemingly satisfied with this response.  But I wondered, am I?

As an adult, I struggle to process the magnitude of the catastrophe.   My faith doesn't give me answers I can understand and I feel so helpless.

I want to do more.  I want to go down to Haiti and scoop up the 1.5 million children affected by the tragedy and tell them that they are not forgotten.  I want to kiss their boo-boo's and give them water to satisfy their thirst - thirst which threatens their very lives.  I want to cover them with a blanket and provide them with a soft pillow to rest their weary heads.  I want to let them know that they have new angels watching over them.  I want to hug them and help them feel love so that they believe it, just as my own child did.

My heart aches.  My mind is elsewhere.  My hands are tied.

Even as my own lack of understanding grows and frustration with my own helplessness prevents me from sleeping at night, I will not let myself forget.  I will not allow myself to turn the other way when the images get too gruesome or the sadness becomes too much to bear.  I will continue to try and find ways to help.  I will keep praying for the victims, and for the babies.  Because right now, that's the only thing I can do.

Love, hugs, and blessings,

The Mama

What Kind of Person Will You Be?

I have made a conscious effort to keep this blog light and fun, exploring the trials and triumphs of motherhood... and life in general. My preference is to try to be as honest and entertaining as possible, avoiding things that might make you squirm in your seat.

Every once in a while, however, I come across something that shakes me to the core... that rocks my world so substantially that I feel like I've been given a gift that I cannot keep to myself.

Clearly, I am pro life. Just in case there's any confusion, I'm also anti-firearms, anti-death penalty, and anti-abortion. (I'm also anti-octomom, but that has nothing to do with my pro-life stance; it's just a personal pet peeve I have with anyone who decides to use government assistance to get a regular nail fill-in every 10 days... and to clarify, I don't wish her any ill-will, I just wish she would shut up and take care of her children instead of making the media rounds, spending time on plastic surgery, and asking for handouts. But, I digress.). I've run my car off the side of the road and into a mailbox to avoid hitting a squirrel. No lie. I figure that I'm not the one who made another living creature's heart beat, so why should I have any role in making that beating heart stand still. If this makes you uncomfortable, you should probably step away now. I'll return to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.

For those of you who are still reading, thank you.

I'm surrounded by a lot of selfishness. It's a fact of life... we all are; there is just a lot of self-centric thought in the world. "I, I, I... me, me, me..."; "How will this affect me", and "how will I be impacted'" is the prevalent theme of today. If you're thinking, "that's not me" or "my situation is different", maybe it's time to take a long, hard look in the mirror. This isn't a judgment; just a suggestion.

At any rate, I came across this video when it was shared on Facebook by an old elementary school classmate of mine. It's powerful, heartbreaking, thought provoking, controversial, and beautiful. It may make you squirm. It might make you angry. It will make you think.

If you're not uncomfortable by this post so far, I encourage you to take fifteen minutes of your day to Gianna's speech. And if you are, I encourage you to challenge yourself and watch anyway.

Part One:


Part Two:


Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama

Here I go...

First things first. Children should not be born with the job of fixing YOU.

I've been hesitant to really voice my opinions on this blog about Octomom, Nadya Suleman. Make no mistake, I do have an opinion on her. I just haven't shared anything on THIS blog up to now.

Seriously? Seriously... what in the WORLD was she thinking???

I completely support her view that those six frozen embryos were her babies and she could not destroy them. However, there are much better ways to go about doing things than the route she and her doctor chose to take. I definitely would not have had them destroyed. But the way it was handled is just plain wrong.

First of all, I am a full-time stay at home mother who is married to a wonderful husband. I have financial and emotional support to help raise our family. I do not rely on any type of government or outside assistance to make ends meet. I have three children, age three, nearly two, and four months old. Most days I am not able to get a shower before noon. I cannot remember the last time I could afford the time or expense of a professional manicure. That being said, I would not change a single thing about my life. My family has certainly been faced with our share of struggles over the last several years. However, we are blessed to be healthy and stable and have been able to overcome our obstacles thanks to lots of prayer and hard work.

I am not in ANY way trying to compare myself to Ms. Suleman. However, I do not understand at all how she can even begin to think that it is reasonable that she will be able to provide her children with the kind of lifestyle they deserve given her situation. I watched her on an interview with Dr. Phil yesterday and folks, the woman just does not get it.

She repeatedly told Dr. P that she had a plan "in her mind" but was completely unable to vocalize that plan. She said she didn't receive government assistance, yet she gets food stamps. She said this wasn't what she intended, but everything went perfectly. She said she had tried for 7 years to conceive naturally; however, her first IVF was at the age of 24. She also repeated multiple times that her history of difficulty conceiving was the motivation for the implantation of six embryos versus two or three at a time.

I don't know what planet she's from, but six live children certainly seems like successful conception and implantation to me.

It is frustrating and disappointing that the creation of human life has been turned into something so nonchalant. Let's turn back the clocks for a moment. At one point, she said she had five embryos implanted at one point and that none of them were successful. Why were so many eggs harvested and so many embryos created for this one woman? She has six living children from five successful IVF procedures. She also has the octuplets who were implanted from 6 embryos. That seems like a hell of a lot of embryo-making to me.

Dare I even say, gluttonous?

From a financial perspective, I simply cannot wrap my head around the justification for her actions. First of all, IVF is not cheap. It is expensive to harvest the eggs, it is expensive to create the embryos, it is expensive to take the medications to optimize fertility, and it is expensive to implant the embryos. All of that is BEFORE successful implantation is even achieved! Add to that the cost of prenatal care, perinatologist care, delivery, postpartum care, and infant and pediatric care and you are talking about a lot of medical expense. I have friends who are hapily married to very successful men who are unable to afford the tens of thousands of dollars necessary to undergo repeated IVF attempts.

On Oprah the day before yesterday, Ms. Suleman's father said to not punnish the babies. I agree with that one hundred percent. However, if someone were to donate to this woman, how would it be guaranteed that she wouldn't pilfer the monies on her fill-ins or restaline injections? I mean, honestly, have you seen the woman? There is one woman in the world with natural lips like those, and Angelina Jolie Ms. Suleman is NOT.

This isn't a judgment of her. Rather, this is a question of her judgment abilities.

So, what's done is done. Those eight precious babies will eventually get out of the hospital. They, and their six siblings, have a very difficult road ahead of them. With a mother whose judgments are questionable at best, how can it be assured that those children get what they need?

She has repeatedly said she loves her children. If that's the case, then she needs to be responsible for loving them. Perhaps, however, it is time for someone else to step in and decide how the logistics are handled. Britney Spears has a person who is responsible for determining her financial affairs, right? No doubt there are people who would like to help support these babies but who are not comfortable with where the funds would go. If someone else were in charge, perhaps it would be more likely that the babies be financially and materially cared for the way they should be.

She doesn't even have a suitable place for the family to live. The hospital will not release the babies to her care until she can prove that she has a stable home for them to go to. Wow. Just wow.

I think it's safe to say that this woman has some very deep rooted psychological issues. She has clearly said that she had babies because she had a void that needed to be filled. And while what's done is done, it is important to make sure that those lives that have been created are taken care of appropriately and that these events are not repeated by another mother.

As tired as I am of hearing Octomom's name, I will continue to pray for her and her children. I can only hope that this situation does not turn out as badly as it has the potential to. I think we should all say a prayer for those babies. They did not ask for the life they have been born into.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama

Inaugural Thoughts

I've struggled with whether or not to blog about the inauguration. In fact, my thoughts have been swarming as I try to wrap my head around how I feel about today.

Don't get me wrong, I am excited for the potential that our new President brings to our country. However, my feelings are based more on emotion and less on facts and figures. I'm embarrassed to say that I feel like I don't have enough knowledge about President Obama's policies to have an educated opinion that should be shared.

All of that being said, my TV is tuned in and my ears are perked to the voices of the newscasters. This is, no doubt, an historic day.

Our first African-American president will be sworn in just a few short hours from now. I'm excited about being able to witness this significant event in our country's history and share it with my children. I don't personally care about his race. In fact, we just had a discussion the other night at the dinner table about how everyone in our family has different skin from one another. I think it's important to be colorblind. But I would be remiss if I didn't at least acknowledge that this is, in fact, a very important day in our nation's history.

Today is about so much more than race though.

I think one of the things that is the most poignant, that saddens me the most is that in the midst of the joy and celebratory commotion, is a divisive harshness between people on both sides of the political spectrum. It is impossible to ignore the quick quips and soundbites flooding the airways and internet. I think it's useless to be bitter about his inauguration. He is our new president. He needs our prayers. I also disagree with the angry celebration coming out of the Anti-Bush camp. He is leaving office. It is time to look forward. For every individual who is elated by today's events, there is another who is equally filled with anger.

President Obama needs our prayers. Whether you agree or disagree with his policies and positions, he is the new President of the United States. He is responsible for making very significant decisions, decisions that are incredibly weighted in this somber and troubled time that our country is experiencing. We are ALL being affected by what is happening right now.

Today marks a day of immense challenges for our new president. Our economic and social situation should be a sobering reminder that we are all facing an uphill climb. We cannot move forward without uniting in effort. I would like to urge you, regardless of your personal feelings, to take a moment to ask who or whatever you believe in, to watch over President Obama on this historic day and as he faces enormous decisions that will shape the future of our nation.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama

More on the CPSIA

The Wall Street Journal has a good editorial that I found via jcarolinecreative.com's blog. You can find a link to it here.

She also notes that Target has started their sales on toys. She poses a brilliant question:

"Let me make sure I understand-- I can get a great deal on various children's products right now. But do they become dangerous on February 10?"

I couldn't have asked it better myself.

Finally, here are two products that reflect the inflated costs necessary to cover the expenses resulting from the CPSIA legislation. A two thousand dollar felt fortune cookie and a three thousand dollar sock doll... need I say more?

Fortune Cookie

Yes, these cookies do cost $2,274.00. Thanks to the new law that goes into effect Feb. 10, 2009, the CPSIA will require that I test each product in my shop for lead. Each component will cost $70 and since these cookies have 4 components (felt, thread, ribbon and polyfil), that will bring the total to $280. Add in the additional $350 per component for phthalates testing for a total of $1400. (And increased overhead for Etsy and Paypal final value fees). This makes my once $6 cookies $2,274.00.

For more info please read http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/cpsia-deadline-for-changeorg-vote-cnn-article-3247/

Sock Doll

Yep, you read the price right. This price reflects the added cost of $70/component for lead and $350/component for phthalate testing that will be required once the CPSIA goes into effect.
For more info please read http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/cpsia-deadline-for-changeorg-vote-cnn-article-3247/ or http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html.

I guess my writer's block is gone after all.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama

Friday Soapbox

The front page of the New York Times iPhone application had a story today about the fourth quarter losses posted by Bank of America just as the mega-bank is poised to receive help from the federal government's bailout package. I chuckled, then sneered, then cursed, and finally forgave.

I wondered how long it would take BOA to become another "victim" of the financial crisis. In the last months of 2008, the self proclaimed bank of opportunity swept in and snatched up failing competition, giving shareholders and the public the impression that it's head was well above water as the other financial ships around it were sinking faster than the Titanic. Yet as a BOA customer who was in the midst of bankruptcy and foreclosure, I silently wondered how long they could tread water.

That's where the chuckles began.

As our personal financial Eco system crumbled around my little family, representatives from the financial institution which celebrated "higher standards" bullied us, threatened us, invaded our privacy, and walked a fine line between debt collection and criminal harassment. At one point, as I struggled with preterm labor, I had one fine gentleman call me a liar and a manipulator. He went so far as to cite specific transactions posted to my BOA checking account. Did I mention that he called regarding my credit card?

Remembering this made the sneer come out.

As I continued reading the article, I learned that Bank of America would be receiving substantial bailout support and that even as they noticed losses on the books as the closing of their acquisition approached, the fed had promised support. I cursed. Where was our support when my husband was laid off. And then laid off again. And then when I was laid off. Where was our promise of a lifeline when we had to live off of credit cards and home equity lines of credit because there was no job and our interest rates were going up. Where were the "they's" to bail my little family out when were facing losses.

The cursing in my head subsided and gave way to a surprising emotion... Forgiveness.

I forgave the collector who threaned me and called me a liar. I forgave the employers who let us go knowing we had small children at home and another one on the way. I forgave the banks for their irresponsible lending practices.

I forgave myself.

I forgave myself for not being more careful with what had been entrusted to my care. I forgave myself foe being greedy. I forgave myself for being hateful and angry. I forgave myself for distrusting.

There is not just one group of victims. We are all shouldering the burdeons of a crumbling economy. We are all struggling. There is more than enough blame to go around.

The most important thing, however, is that we learn from the current situation. We need to take stock of what we do have, help others who don't have enough, and count our blessings for another day and another opportunity to change the course of our future and the futures of our children.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama

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