Archives › 2005 › October
GLBT Community Reaction to New Supreme Court Nominee
As many of you are by now aware, President Bush today named Judge Samuel Alito as his next nominee to the Supreme Court, replacing Harriet Miers. Here’s what the Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal have to say about the choice, seeing Alito as a choice of the far right and raising a number of [...]
Last-Minute Halloween Ideas for Moms
Let’s face it: You’ve probably gotten your kids costumes weeks ago, in time for all the pre-Halloween Halloween parties. Now the big day is here, and you have nothing to wear to greet trick-or-treaters at the door. Here are a few ideas, all cheap and easy. Transform a white bedsheet into a ghost or (if [...]
Daylight Saving Time Ends
All you busy moms out there: Don’t forget that you should have changed your clocks back last night. Yes, it’s that time of year when you get out of work in the dark and your kids have approximately five minutes of outdoor playtime after school, daycare, or nap. On the positive side, you may have [...]
Sheryl Swoopes Comes Out
WNBA multiple-MVP winner and three-time Olympic medalist Sheryl Swoopes has just come out in an interview with ESPN The Magazine. She joins Michele Van Gorp and Sue Wicks as the only out members of the league. Swoopes’ announcement coincides with an endorsement by Olivia Cruises and Resorts, who also endorse Martina Navratilova and golfer Rosie [...]
Duct Tape and Diapers
The moms’ group I belong to had a thread on its message board recently about using duct tape to secure diaper tabs. I happened to mention this in an e-mail to Erica over at Lifehacker, and she said it’s a trick she’s used herself. She was kind enough to mention me in her post about [...]
Periods, Brain Activity, and a Female President
Posted on my Salty Snack science and technology blog: Periods, Brain Activity, and a Female President, a note about some recent research on our favorite (!) monthly event.
Kids, Food, and Advertising
The Guardian has a lengthy article today on the effect of advertising, particularly food advertising, on kids. (It has a U. K. perspective, and mentions some U. K.-specific findings, but most of its major points apply equally to the U. S. and elsewhere.) While some blame advertising for children’s obesity, unhealthy materialism, and dissatisfaction with what they (or [...]
Rosa Parks Has Died
Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks has died of natural causes at age 92. As we continue to fight for civil rights for all, may we not forget those who have gone before us.
Melissa Etheridge and Breast Cancer Donation
As National Breast Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, I want to mention that Melissa Etheridge is donating all of her record royalties from her new song “I Run for Life” to breast cancer charities, along with 100% of of the proceeds from download sales of the song at www.fordcares.com and the iTunes Music [...]
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
The Huggies Baby Network recently featured an article by Lisa Beamer titled “The Greatest Things About Girls.” It horrified me, frankly, to see yet another example of how people even now smother their children in traditional gender roles. Here are some select quotes: I loved having my boys, but after several years of trucks, dinosaurs [...]
Try Some Art: Dale Moses
I’ve just put up a banner to promote the work of Dale Moses, a gay, Dallas-based artist. I like his work a lot. With bold colors and simple shapes, it has appeal for both adults and children, and hopefully for many Mombian readers and their families. Moses paints dogs, cats, rubber duckies, crayons, shoes, tops, [...]
How to Make a Decision: Family Creation and Other Major Choices
I’m occasionally asked, usually by lesbian friends considering pregnancy, how my partner and I chose our sperm donor. Truth be told, we didn’t use any particular methodology other than agreeing on key factors (health above all), starting with a broad list, and refining, refining, refining. With most sperm banks, you can get free, short profiles [...]
Get Your Tits Squeezed Today: National Mammography Day
October 21 is National Mammography Day. To find a facility in your area, please call: American Cancer Society (800) 227-2345 National Cancer Institute (800) 4-CANCER Do it for yourself. Do it for your partner. Do it for your kids.
Essential Tool: A Headlamp
Enough politics for a while. Here’s another in my ongoing series of Essential Tools: a camping headlamp. Even if the closest you’ve been to camping is sitting on your back porch with a beer, one of these lightweight lamps can be indispensable when you’re working behind a bookshelf, under a cabinet, or in the corner [...]
Lambda Families of NJ 5th Biennial GLBT Family Conference
This coming Saturday, October 22, Lambda Families of NJ is hosting their 5th Biennial GLBT Family Conference at Montclair State College. It is a chance both to learn and socialize with other LGBT-headed families. There are workshops for parents, those planning on becoming parents, kids 8 to 11 years old, and kids 12 and over. [...]
Same-Sex Marriage Suits and DP Insurance in New York
The Albany, New York regional state appellate court heard arguments Monday in three same-sex marriage suits, including one challenging the constitutionality of New York state marriage law. Regardless of the outcome, however, New York’s top court, the Court of Appeals, will ultimately give the final ruling on same-sex marriage. (Is it just me, or does [...]
New Jersey Children of LGBT Parents Speak Out
Last Sunday, Garden State Equality organized “Let My Parents Marry,” a town-hall meeting where children of LGBT parents, and supportive children of straight parents, spoke in favor of same-sex marriage. While the audience was apparently appreciative, let’s hope the message reaches out to those who need to hear it.
South Asia Earthquake
Over 40,000 dead. Over 60,000 injured. 3.3 million homeless, with winter fast approaching. The South Asia earthquake is the third major natural disaster in the past twelve months, following Hurricane Katrina and the Indian Ocean tsunami, and as such, risks facing a world tired of donating, airlifting, and rebuilding. As a mother, I cannot read [...]
Mombian T-Shirts, Hats, and More
Hot off the presses: Mombian t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, bags, and bumper stickers emblazoned with the line “We Are Both the Real Mom” and the Mombian URL. (Thanks to Erica for the design.)
Children of Same-Sex Parents Are Well-Adjusted
From the “But We Knew This” department: Research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics Conference and Exhibition last week concluded there are no overall difference in self-esteem, gender identity, or emotional problems between children of same-sex parents and children of opposite-sex parents. Ellen C. Perrin, professor of pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine, [...]
Women and Engineering
I met a mom earlier today who implied that girls don’t have an interest in things mechanical. Hmm. My partner has a doctorate in engineering. I’ve written programs to collect data from CCD cameras on rather large telescopes. (Not to mention installed the odd hard drive and assembled more furniture from IKEA than I care [...]
Halloween Fun
For many of us with children, Halloween is an extended holiday, starting in early October with costume shopping (or making) and ending with two weeks of assorted parties and parades, not to mention the official night of trick-or-treating. Here are some resources to help you survive the witching season. GooGhoul is a directory of Halloween [...]
How to Respond When Meeting Lesbian Moms
October 11th is National Coming Out Day in the U. S. Instead of offering advice on coming out (ably covered by the HRC Web site), I want to flip things around and offer a few hints to people who may be unsure how to react if lesbian moms come out to them. Don’t assume that just [...]
Homemade Fast Food
Lifehacker reports today on a new cooking trend: “make and take.” The idea is that you go to a special store and purchase pre-prepped (washed, chopped, etc.) ingredients for several specific recipes, which you then simply have to assemble at home. The going rate seems to be about $200 for twelve four-person meals, which works [...]
Connecticut Civil Unions
Earlier this week, Connecticut became the second state after Vermont to recognize same-sex civil unions. It was the first state to do so by an act of the legislature rather than the judiciary. The good news is that this milestone caused barely a ripple, news-wise. The other good news is that couples unionized (or is [...]
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