Penguin Chick Has Two Moms

Tango had two dads. Now, an unnamed Little Blue Penguin at the New England Aquarium has two moms.

Okay, that’s a bit misleading to readers of this blog. I had the same misconception, though, when I read the headline “Penguin ‘mothers’ make daily care a labor of love” in today’s Boston Globe. The article explains:

For the past few weeks, [Caitlin] Hume and fellow New England Aquarium biologist Heather Urquhart have been mothering a 22-ounce Little Blue Penguin that was rejected by its parents after a difficult hatching.

Each night, the two surrogate moms delicately pack the baby—covered in soft, gray-blue down —into a plastic cooler. Inside, the bird rests comfortably, swaddled in a white towel for the car ride home, oblivious to Boston’s rush-hour traffic.

Hume and Urquhart are not, to the best of my knowledge, in a relationship with each other. In fact, Urquhart “admits to a little separation anxiety when it’s Hume’s turn to take the chick home.” Still, I had a pleasant moment of thinking about Little Blue and Tango showing up as special guests at a national COLAGE conference.

On a related note, Fox News, of all places, has an article today citing a zoologist who claims “about 1,500 animal species are known to practice same-sex coupling, including bears, gorillas, flamingos, owls, salmon and many others.” It notes, however, “One thing that does seem to be exclusive to humans is homophobia.”

Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s

Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 29, is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s. Yep, that’s right. Free cones at any B & J’s participating Scoop Shops. No purchase necessary. (Though if you come home with an extra pint or two, don’t blame me.)

What’s your favorite B & J flavor? I have a perverse love for Chubby Hubby, given that my spouse is neither chubby nor male. I’m also partial to Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey.

I have to say, though, that most of our ice cream purchases of late have been from a nearby dairy that uses hormone-free milk from their own cows. Not that I don’t love the guys from Vermont (who also use hormone-free milk), but I like supporting smaller, local businesses, too, and my son likes to see the cows when we go pick it up.

(Thanks, Parent Hacks.)

“Proud Soccer Mom” T-Shirts, Hats, and More

Just in time for Mother’s Day, I’m pleased to launch the brand new “Proud Soccer Mom” line of t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and more. Suitable for both playgrounds and Pride marches, they could become a wardrobe staple.

Buy now through CafePress.

Reader Appreciation Day: Families Like Mine Giveaway

It’s Reader Appreciation Day, an event organized by Robin Reagler of The Other Mother. I thought it would be appropriate, therefore, to have another giveaway, this time of Abigail Garner’s must-read book, Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is. Abigail writes from her own experience of having a gay dad who came out to her when she was five years old, but includes the voices of many others. It was an eye-opening book for me and brought up a number of issues I had never considered, like the fact that children (LGBT or not) of LGBT parents must go through a “coming out” process similar to our own, as they decide how much to share, and with whom, about their families.

More on the giveaway in a moment. First, let me say that I do very much appreciate all of you who stop by Mombian, especially those of you who keep coming back. What started as a hobby while my son was napping has grown, like him, into something more than I could have imagined. I’m pleased to see the number of comments going up, too; I hope this site sparks conversations among us. We all have much to learn from each others’ perspectives and experiences.

The book will go to the first person who leaves a comment with the correct answer to the following question. Please note rules and restrictions below. Read the rest of this post »

Working It Out

This week’s poll is in honor of season three of Work Out, which provides just enough women’s-sports coverage (and lesbian visibility) to get us through the gap between the end of March Madness and the start of the WNBA season. (Then it’s on to Wimbledon, the Olympics, and the U.S. Open here in the Mombian household.)

I know, Work Out isn’t really about sports; it’s about relationships. That and Jackie Warner’s abs.

While we’re on the subject of sports, though, Feministing brings us the happy news that girls are participating in sports in record numbers.

The Most Powerful Lesbian Moms in America

Out magazine just published their second annual list of “The Power 50: The Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America,” which means it’s time for my second annual list of The Most Powerful Lesbian Moms in America.

The definition of “power” is subjective, of course. For the purposes of this list, I considered it to mean someone who is known by a large cross-section of the population, within or outside the lesbian community, is at or near the top of her chosen profession, or who is in some other way a well-known personality and long-time influencer. I aimed for inclusion rather than exclusion, but tried to pick those whose impact in their fields or in the world at large is widespread and lasting.

I’m including the names of partners, even if one person is not as well known, in order to acknowledge the contributions of both people to their households and to each others’ achievements. (I may have missed a few partners, however, if their names are not public, and I was not able to find last names and professions for a few others.)

Out only has 14 women on their list, one more than last year, so I’m hoping my suggestions may help them find a better balance. If I can come up with the names of 46 powerful people who are not only lesbians but also moms (a few less if we omit less-known partners), surely Out can add some more lesbians to its Power 50. Out gave more weight to political clout in all its picks, whereas I looked at overall clout, political or professional. But still, I can’t believe the balance is so skewed.

I’ll also add that we must each define success for ourselves. It may mean choosing to stay home with one’s children, or to forgo career advancement for the sake of one’s family. For those who strive to achieve in both career and family, however, these moms are inspirational.

Of course, the thing about motherhood is that your kids always think you’re the most powerful mom(s) in the world, and it’s their opinions that really matter.

In alphabetic, not rank, order by last name of the generally more well-known partner: Read the rest of this post »

Online Drum Fun

Looking for an engaging, non-branded online game for your young ones? Try the Tiny Drum Machine. Not a “kids’ game” per se, it nevertheless entertained my four-year-old for better parts of this afternoon. It’s a simple music-making program where you can specify notes and tempo or let it randomly entertain you.

There are five variations, all based on clicking squares in a grid to make the notes. They vary in sound, with some more drum-like (one and two), and others approaching a mandolin-like tunefulness (three to five).

A couple of usability tips: 1) You sometimes need to click the green grid before the R for randomize feature will work; 2) the tempo controller slides horizontally to speed up or slow down.

(Thanks, Download Squad.)

Mary-and-Heather Baby Guessing Game

Mary Cheney, lesbian daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, and her partner Heather Poe are expecting the birth of their son any day now. Back when I worked in the corporate world, someone would always start an office pool when a colleague was expecting. Height, weight, gender (if unknown)—all were fair game. I’m not sure why we did this, except that it was easier than a trip to Atlantic City or Vegas.

I offer you this thread, therefore, to submit your guesses as to the height, weight, and name of Mary and Heather’s bundle of joy. (We know it’s a boy, so no guessing on that.) I’ll name winners in each category as well as those who were closest across the board. No cash prizes, I’m afraid, only adulation for your prognosticating prowess.

Most Powerful Lesbian Moms in America

[I've updated this post based on reader comments. Thanks to all, and keep the ideas coming. It's good to see so many lesbian moms who have achieved such success—though I'll quickly add that this is a personal choice. It's just as acceptable to choose to stay home with one's children, or forgo career advancement for the sake of one's family. For those who strive to achieve in both career and family, however, these moms are inspirational.]

Out magazine recently published their list of “The Power 50: The Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America.” Despite my criticisms of the list—too white, too male, too willing to expose those not officially out of the closet—it got me thinking: If we were to assemble a list of the most powerful lesbian moms in America, who would we choose?

The definition of “power” is subjective, of course. For the purposes of this list, I consider it to mean someone who would be known by a large cross-section of the population, outside the lesbian community (whether or not they know she is a lesbian mom), and who is either at or near the top of her chosen profession or whose actions have the power to start a media debate. I’m including the names of partners, even if one partner is not as well known, in order to acknowledge the contributions of both moms to their households.

In alphabetic, not rank, order (by last name of one partner): Read the rest of this post »

April Fool’s Debriefing

No, Mary Cheney is not going to appear on the next season of The L Word. You should, however, be aware of the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide, as Blogging Baby reports. In fact, a new study shows that everything is harmful to children—except, perhaps, Vanilla Chai Spice Similac. Babble’s Strollerderby has more.