Such a fuss lately about the new, energy-efficient, long-lasting CFL lightbulbs. We all switched to be more green, and adjusted to the slightly odd cast of light and the funny swirls. I personally celebrated when they came out with short ones and different shapes to accommodate my many lamps.

But then opposition (can there really be? But yes there is and spearheaded from Texas no less, of course! Check out this YouTube video a concerned neighbor emailed to me.) made such a fuss, such a hue and cry about the trace amounts of mercury in the bulbs and how they can’t be simply thrown in the trash (no! oh no! one must recycle the bulbs! the horror!).

For the record: I am very perplexed how these politicians can say the uproar about mercury in vaccinations that we inject into small children’s bodies is just fine, but be all up in arms over a trace amount of mercury in light bulbs. Listen, either it’s safe or it’s not safe; frankly, mercury going into the body would worry me more than a small amount in a lightbulb.

But Home Depot has stepped in to make it easy by offering a CFL lightbulb recycling program at their stores—and admit it: we’re all there fairly regularly aren’t we? Read the rest of this entry »

A new report out highlights the economic threat the current health care system creates for American cities, which are typically ignored in the discussion about health care reform. The report, put out by Families USA—a nonprofit and nonpartisan national organization that advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans—found that, “…cities are profoundly affected by the rising number of uninsured Americans and the rising cost of providing coverage for their own employees. These problems have an impact on all city residents, regardless of their health insurance status, and they affect cities’ ability to fulfill other municipal functions as well.”

“Our cities face the dual challenges of assisting a rising number of uninsured Americans and providing increasingly expensive health coverage for their own employees,” Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, said on Monday.

Pollock’s statement summarizes the key findings of the report, which concluded that cities have been overlooked and left to manage local health care crises on their own, which poses a risk to the budgets of other city services, such as police and fire protection, schools, parks, and the repair of city streets and other infrastructure.

“Today’s report makes crystal clear what many of us in cities across America—who are faced with the spiraling costs of health care both for our employees and our citizens—understand all too well,” said Philadelphia’s Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “It’s threatening our economies, our families and our futures. It is time for Washington to stop the excuses and fix our broken health care system.”

The report is based on extensive surveys and research of thirteen cities nationwide, which all had consistent results. Immunizations are one of the largest burdens on cities.

Other key findings include…

Read the rest of this entry »

If I stop and think about it, it really alarms me that I am a mere seven years older than the toxics law in this country, a clunker that has so few teeth it doesn’t control many substances at all, despite being named the Toxic Substances Control Act. I’ve dreamed of overhauling the clunker and ranted about bisphenol-A.

But rather than resorting to trashing more dangerous products from our pantry, we can get on board with the Kid Safe Chemicals Act, an excellent piece of federal legislation recently introduced by three U.S. Representatives (NY and CA, all Dems, natch). This bill could really and truly help with the explosion of toxic products everywhere. we. turn. And all we have to do, mamas, is help pass the thing.

Nothing to it! ‘Cause all you need to do for now is know about this excellent bill. Read about this excellent bill. Talk about this excellent bill. And, when it moves (and with us behind it, it will), when a floor vote is on the horizon, let’s be at the ready to pick up the phone, send that e-mail, make that in-person meeting to tell your Congressional delegation - loud and clear - how very much this matters to you. To us. To all parents everywhere. Read the rest of this entry »

Could it be the news around the world and within our own nation is just a tad bit depressing?  Despair seems to be what the media wants us to feel.  We have a few choices when despair is coming at us from all directions: fight back, run away, or laugh.  That is right, laugh.   Personally, I can’t handle being angry, sad, and discouraged for very long.  Thankfully, I came across a humorous website geared towards moms.

Read the rest of this entry »

 I am a walker and sometimes runner.   Growing up in Wisconsin, my father and I would take long walks through neighborhoods.  My father and I love architecture, and we would pick out our favorite houses and describe why it was our favorite.  I suppose these walks were on par with green walking.  What is green walking? 

Read the rest of this entry »

We workin’ mamas do love to complain about the lack of flexible options in our own and other workplaces (got a 1/2 hour??). Ever dream of working fewer hours to pick the kids up from school yourself, still doing meaningful work that pays the same as your full-time gig? Dying to spend more time doing crafts? Helping with homework? Not pumping?All good stuff that can be awfully challenging within the confines of a conventional 40+ hour work week. So, if you need to work, want to work, whatever your schtick, and you’re seeking more flexibility to tip the scales a bit more toward the home life, one option is job sharing. Or so I’ve heard.

When I returned to full-time work when my first child was three months old, I worked four 10-hour days - ugh. But lucky, lucky for me my husband took the next three months off; he could because he’s self-employed; no health benefits but there are serious upsides - namely flexibility and control over the almighty schedule. At the time there was a whole spread in our local paper about two public school teachers who job shared a classroom. I was amazed. And so jealous. As with anything, of course, there are trade-offs - pros and cons for both the job sharers and their workplace. But I can only imagine because I’ve never known anyone to do it. Which is precisely why I’m asking you!! Read the rest of this entry »

Mummy I’m Bored

Sound familiar? Many mothers I know pack their kids’ days with activities from the time that they wake up to the time that they fall asleep. And while there is certainly some logic to keeping kids busy, like adults, they too need a break. Downtime is critical not only to help kids recharge their batteries, but also to teach them survival skills. As a child I remember telling my mother that I was bored only to receive the standard reply “Only boring people can be bored.” At some point it occurred to me that I should probably figure out ways to keep myself busy rather than bugging my mother to do it for me. How can parents nurture creativity in a child who’s imagination is not given the opportunity to create his or her own pastime? How will that translate to creativity skills in adulthood? Read the rest of this entry »

Health care these days is so ridiculously complicated - at least for me. And as someone who is about to step into the entirely different world of non-employer-based health care for the very first time, I am rather overwhelmed by its complexity and shortcomings. So it was with great interest - and a little fear - that I read a recent NYT article about women who have had Ceasareans paying higher premiums for health care. Why? Oh, ’cause they might have another and cost more!! Why oh why am I not surprised?

So. I’m picturing this: You get a Caesarean, then you leave your job (where if you’re lucky you get benefits!). Now you need to buy health care outside of an employer-protected risk pool, so pre-existing conditions really matter (that pesky problem with our health care system - if you’re ill you just might be too ill to cover!). And if a Caesarean is a pre-existing condition, well, you pay more. Yikes. What do you think, mamas? Fair? Worried? Happened to you?

Check out the International Caesarean Awareness Network to learn more.

 How DO they do it? With the comforts of nannies, housekeepers and a decent income?

I just wanted everyone to check out this post on CNN. Read the comments.

by Ann Bibby

When I was teaching middle school back in central Iowa, I was expected to ensure the learning and safety of every child assigned to me regardless of how cooperative, charming or innately intelligent that child was, and I took that very seriously. I cannot honestly say I enjoyed every little soul I crossed paths with but I can say that there were only a handful of them that I couldn’t manage or that I didn’t coerce into learning.

The recent incident in a Florida elementary school, where a kindergarten teacher had her students vote to remove a disruptive classmate after allowing them the opportunity to tell the boy what they didn’t like about him, got me thinking about some of the reasons I left the classroom and will probably never return. Read the rest of this entry »