Archives › 2006 › December
Happy Hanukkah
A very happy first night of Hanukkah to those of you observing it. If your family comes from multiple traditions, like mine, then I wish you joy as you light the first of eight trees in your yard, or do whatever you do to honor and celebrate your interwoven diversity in this season of miracles [...]
Weekly Political Roundup
Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) blocked the nomination of President Bush’s nominee Janet Neff to the federal courts. Brownback, who chaired her hearing, said he would only permit a vote if Neff agreed not to hear cases involving same-sex marriage, claiming that her attendance at the commitment ceremony of a neighbor and friend of 26 years [...]
Melissa, Tammy, and the Twins’ Photo Shoot
Melissa Etheridge, Tammy Lynn Michaels, and their new twins have done a photo shoot for US Weekly, in which they talk about IVF, baby names, being out as parents, and crunchy tacos. I want to offer my suggested changes to some of Melissa’s classic songs now that she’s taking care of babies again: “Somebody Bring [...]
Holiday Shopping Deadline
For all you last-minute shoppers out there: Today is the last day to get free Super Saver Shipping on items at Amazon.com and still have your items arrive by Friday, December 22. (That’s the last night of Hanukkah and the last business day before Christmas.)
Check the Box
I was filling out a registration form for an online parenting community the other day. One of the questions was “Marital status?” Being an accepting sort of site, they gave the choices “Married, Partnered, Single.” My cursor went automatically to “Partnered,” since that’s what I had called myself for thirteen-plus years. “Wait,” I thought. “I’m [...]
Conference Call on Children’s Health-Insurance Coverage
It’s easy for us as LGBT parents to focus all our political energies on LGBT-specific issues. I’m often guilty of it myself, especially as parenthood has reduced my available bandwidth for anything not related to teddy bears or Thomas the Tank Engine. I just received an invitation, however, from Families USA, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization [...]
Health and Safety Roundup
A few miscellaneous items of interest: Young infants should not be left alone to sleep in car seats, warn New Zealand researchers. There is a risk of breathing problems, especially for premature infants, even when restrained in a seat appropriate for their age. Women who have epidurals during labor may find it harder to breastfeed, [...]
Recipe: Monkey Bread Redux
My first attempt at monkey bread was a traditional herbed loaf based on a white-bread recipe (but with a little whole-wheat flour added because I like it that way). Not willing to leave well enough alone, however, I then decided to try it with a challah dough. Challah, as you may know, is a Jewish [...]
Recipe: Herbed Monkey Bread
Here’s a recipe for a simple yet festive bread that’s both fun to make with kids and suitable for company. It comes out in a cake-like shape that makes a great centerpiece for a dinner party—a nice alternative to a basket of rolls. Its pull-apart sections are easy for little monkey fingers to grab, too. [...]
Lesbian-Parent Weblog Award Nominees
Two lesbian-parent blogs have been nominated for the 2006 Weblog Awards: LesbianDad, in the Best New Blog category and Liza Was Here in Best of the Rest Blogs. Both are in contention to win their categories, but the competition is tough. Unfortunately, there are no LGBT-parenting blogs nominated in the Best Parenting Blog category. Gay [...]
Interview with Ellen Kahn, Director of the HRC Family Project
I’m very pleased to present a special feature today: an interview with Ellen Kahn, Director of the Human Rights Campaign Family Project. Ellen took time from her work at HRC (and her two children) to answer a few questions about the Family Project’s accomplishments in 2006 and what they have in store for 2007 and [...]
New Diet Fad: Lesbianism
Are partnered lesbians less subject to weight gain than straight women? Yesterday’s New York Times Magazine reported on dietary research that showed “women tend to gain weight once they move in with male partners.” Researchers found that “Living with a male seemed to put pressure on females to consume more of the ‘unhealthy’ choices.” This [...]
2007 Calendars Now In the Mombian Shop
The Mombian Shop now features a new Calendar section, in addition to recommended books, videos, toys and more for lesbian families. I’ve picked a selection of calendar themes likely to appeal to us dykes, including women artists and writers, cowgirls, softball players, motorcycles, and the “George W. Bush Out of Office Countdown.” There are also [...]
Non-Bio Moms Lose One, Win Two—Maybe
Custody cases involving non-bio moms have been in the news lately, including this just in from Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled Friday that a lesbian non-bio mom had no parental rights over the five-year-old daughter she and her former partner had agreed to raise together. The women separated before marriage was an option [...]
Girls and Science: More Than Just Nail Polish
Several bloggers, including Mike the Mad Biologist, Shakespeare’s Sister, and Amanda at Pandagon, have written about the Discovery Channel Store’s appalling choices in science gifts for girls. The top boys’ gifts include things like the Discovery Whodunit? Forensics Lab and the Discovery Speed Detector, while the girls have the Discovery Deluxe Nail Salon and the [...]
Mary Cheney Roundup
Everyone’s talking about Mary this week. Here are some of the more notable or amusing contributions: Pam of Pam’s House Blend is blunt: “With this development, Mary and her partner Heather Poe are going to make her father’s religious right friends go apesh*t again.” She then charts some of the rabid right’s first reactions.
Blue Jersey’s Third Ad for Marriage Equality: “It Certainly Sounds Like a Marriage to Me”
Despite my misgivings about Blue Jersey’s second marriage-equality ad, I rather like their third one, which takes the perspective that a rose by any other name is ridiculous, and might as well be called a rose.
Weekly Political Roundup
The Maryland Supreme Court heard arguments from 19 gay and lesbian residents, urging them to strike down a law banning same-sex marriage. The New Jersey State Assembly’s judiciary committee approved a bill to create civil unions with the same rights as marriage, despite a push from LGBT-rights groups to call these unions “marriage.” The full [...]
Skicross Trumps Women’s Ski Jumping for 2010 Olympics
The International Olympic Committee ruled today that women’s ski jumping will not be included as a new sport in the 2010 Olympics, while skicross will. Skicross is similar to snowboardcross, another classic (!) Olympic event, but with skis instead of snowboards. Do we really need both of these? The athletes can try again for 2014, [...]
Blue Jersey’s Second Ad for Marriage Equality Fails to Convince
Blue Jersey’s second ad for marriage equality features the same two women—one married, one “civil unionized”—as the first. This time the pair are doing their respective taxes. “Single, Married, Divorced, Widowed?” the civil-unionized woman reads in puzzlement. None of the categories fit her. The ad fails, however, to address the obvious comeback: “Well, won’t they [...]
Kids’ Gender-Exploration Kit
The fine folks at PG Toys contacted me and asked if I would write about their first kids’ toy project, The Gender-Play-Doh Kit. The kit includes: A convertible bag Lipstick Nail Polish Clip-on Earrings Make your own bracelet! Black makeup for drawing on facial hair Suspenders A Bow-Tie A set of flash cards with fun [...]
Holiday Gift Pairings for Kids
When I give gifts, I like to create a theme by matching several items—and I don’t mean buying multiple products with the same branded character. An “action item” and a book or CD can allow kids to have fun with a subject from a variety of angles. Here are a few ideas for those (like [...]
“Gingerbread Houses”: Martha Strikes First
I was all set to write about making “gingerbread” houses from graham crackers, an easy, clever project my son did in art class this weekend. Turns out Martha Stewart beat me to it. (Thanks to Blogging Baby for the sighting.) I’m including, nevertheless, a photo of the house my son decorated, to prove that one [...]
Swedish Lutherans to Bless Same-Sex Unions
Not to be outdone by Conservative Jews, the Swedish Lutheran Church, the country’s largest denomination, has said same-sex couples will be able to have their unions blessed in any of its congregations as of January 2007. Individual priests may refuse to conduct such ceremonies, but the congregation must ensure a blessing is provided. Although Sweden [...]
Conservative Rabbis Permit Same-Sex Unions, Gay Ordinations
The governing committee of Conservative Judaism has ruled to permit same-sex commitment ceremonies and the ordination of gay and lesbian rabbis. They did not, however, go so far as to approve same-sex marriage. Although the committee’s decision was not unanimous, enough members approved to make it valid, “meaning that it is a well-founded interpretation of [...]
