Chicago Moms Blog

What the World Needs Now

The Modern Wing of the Art Institute

Art lifts us. Gives us hope. Makes sense of our past and instills a belief that there is something beautiful for all of us to create here.

Overjoyed to attend the sneak preview for the media yesterday at the Modern Wing of the Art Institute, I had some beautifully landscaped quiet moments to reflect on my life long love of art. It all started with my mother's narrative as we walked down the hushed halls of the Art Institute when I was a small child.

Holding my hand tight she told passionate stories about when she first fell in love with Degas and his ballet dancers or how she feels when she sees the brushstrokes of a Renoir. She begged for my opinion encouraging me to open up and share my interpretation of what I saw (even when it conflicted with her own). This bubbling excitement spilled over on me like a flood of possibility and again and again I was swept away when I entered the museum. The truth is, I still feel it every time I walk in. 

Now with my own children, I find myself reflecting on the genius of my parent's philosophy. Despite living meagerly as small business owners, they never forgot to engage in the beauty of this world. They made it a point to take us to the ballet, to the opera, to the museums and to more simple places like state parks and historical destinations. Almost like a ritual or better yet, an escape so that my sister and I knew that there was more to living.

2008 Donors Choose Blogger Challenge - reaching out across the blogosphere one post at a time!

For the month of October 2008, Silicon Valley Moms Group has partnered with DonorsChoose.org, to help spread the word about the lack of funding and support needed for our public schools The premise behind Donor's Choose is quite simple and effective. Through DonorsChoose.org, teachers request what they need and write a descriptive proposal of how funding will benefit their classroom. Some of the requests are basic: note books for a third grade class so the children can learn cursive, markers and highlighters, a binding machine, books, a digital camera, pencils (yes, PENCILS!), chart paper and washable colored markers. Others are to enhance the education environment in a creative way. Trust me, you'll be shocked and floored over as you read through the many requests.  And you will want to help.....

Since Silicon Valley Moms Group is spread throughout the country, we have made it simple for you to see requests from teachers in each region.  Please click on the links below to learn about requests in YOUR area... and please consider making a donation.  Skip that latte or cappuccino today - and give those few dollars to our public school classrooms! Your donation would be greatly appreciated. There is no donation too small or too big when we’re talking about supporting the education of our children.

• Los Angeles
• Silicon Valley
• Deep South
• DC Metro
• New York City
• New Jersey
• Chicago

We also wanted to give a HUGE SHOUT OUT (and link-love) to SV Moms Group Contributors that have already posted about DonorsChoose.org on their personal sites and blogs.  As Parents and bloggers, we are passionate about the public schools system and lack of funding to educate ALL our children. Regardless of our political views, public school teachers should not have to request the essentials to teach! As a country, we should be doing better.  Our teachers and students deserve more......THANK YOU SV MOM GROUP CONTRIBUTORS for spreading the word across the blogosphere!

• Beth from Techmamas:  DonorsChoose.org Challenge:  Donate To Help Schools
• Jamie from Blonde Mom Blog:  Help Make A Difference In Our Public Schools
• Leticia from Tech Savvy Mama:  Website of the Week:  Support Public Education with DonorsChoose.org
• Meghan from Meaghan's Mindless Muttering:  Donor's Choose
• Jodi from Jodifur:  I Know That These Are Hard Economocial Times
• Lotus from Sarcastic Mom:  Definitely Good For The Kids
• Amy from Selfish Mom:  Help Out Some Public Schools
• Florinda from The 3R'S: Reading, 'Riting, And Randomness:  Saturday Review 10-4 (good buddy)
• Ana from Finding Bonggamom:  Give, baby, give!
• Nicole from Not Just A Working Mom: Help a kid out... Invest in our future... Are you up for the Challenge?
• Robyn from Who's The Boss?: What if you could change the world for the price of a latte?
• Josephine from MOMMYVENTS: Help a teacher out.....
• Melissa from Cool Stuff We Dig:  We Dig the DonorsChoose.org Blogger Challenge
• MJ from ChicagoMomViews.net:  Chicago Public Schools need us!
• Jessica from Surely You Nest:  DonorsChoose - Targeted Gifts to Public School Class Projects
• Lisa from Blog On The Wall: Help Impoverished Public Schools
• Stacy from Fabulous Miss S.:  Boogers and Giving and DC Metro Moms Donor Challenge
• Karen from SOBCon08:  Karen Putz Shares Her World
• Michele from Mom Without A Map:  Keep The Momentum Going
• Shelli from BagMomma:  Invest In Education
• Stacey from Laptop TV Mom:  Donors Choose:  Buying Books for our Schools
• Jessica from Jessica Gottlieb:  Hey, Mom, This Means You
• Donya from Crooked Eyebrow:  It's Your Choice.....
• Cindy from We All Fall Down:  Help Chicago Schoolchildren
• Sara from Self Made Mom:  Hi, I'm Alive
• Lia from Freitas Family Follies: Donors Choose: Help A Teacher Out
• Dayna from Bourbon Baybee:  A Poser Donates
• Myrna from Tangerine Times: Donors Choose Blogger Challenge

We also have many friends and bloggers throughout the blogosphere sharing the SV Moms Group - DonorsChoose.org Blogger Challenge!  THANK YOU for helping us spread the word!

• Six Apart/blogs.com:  Bloggers, Start Your Engines!
• Burbed.com:  Silicon Valley Moms Blog Donors Choose
• Dad Or Bust:  Laughs are only a nickel
• Successful and Outstanding Bloggers:  Karen Putz on the Chicago Moms Blog  Donors Choose Challenge

If you have put up a post about our DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge on your personal blogs/sites, please leave a comment below and we will make sure to add your link to this post.

Jill Asher is the Co-Founder of Silicon Valley Moms Group.

Your local Chicago school needs you!

We all know that the Chicago Public Schools are in a state of um, flux. They are trying things that other school systems don't do or maybe even, don't need. One of the experiments that seem to work in some schools is the Local School Council:

   

Local School Councils (LSCs) are elected bodies at nearly every Chicago Public Schools (CPS) elementary, middle and high school. The LSC has 6 parents, 2 community members who are not parents of students at the school, 2 teachers, the principal, and, in high schools, a student member. The parents and community members are elected by the parents and community residents around the school. Teachers are selected by the school staff. These members serve for a two-year term. High school student members serve for one year. By law, the LSC chairperson must be a parent representative.

    The LSC's major responsibilities are to approve the school budget and annual strategic plan (called the school improvement plan), to evaluate the principal every year and to decide every four years if they want to renew the principal's contract or hire a new principal. This is the strongest site- based management system in the nation.

'Tis The Season To Reflect

RECAP!

Around the time of the holidays, I can't help but think of all those who won't have a table full of food for Thanksgiving or their religious holiday of choice.  This is also the time of year when many of us distribute our contributions to charity for the year.  Others may collect food for local food banks, ring the bell for the Salvation Army, or volunteer through our churches and synagogues. But what happens the rest of the year?

If you are anything like me, charitable giving and serving the community became even more important to you after you had children.  Once I'd held that small helpless baby in my arms, I knew that I had to do what I could to ensure that every baby in my community had the same opportunities and love that my own children have. Whether you grew up volunteering and fund raising, or came to it later in life, I know that many of you, many of us, also had the same reaction to motherhood. As a result, the Silicon Valley Moms, Chicago Moms, DC Metro Moms, and New York City Moms are all writing about community outreach today.  Please join us, enjoy the discussion, and enjoy the holiday season.

Here is a RECAP of all the posts that went up on our "Community Outreach ..." day across the Silicon Valley Moms, Chicago Moms, DC Metro Moms, and New York City Moms Blogs.....

Shihara's Story

Shihara was twelve years old, in seventh grade, when her dad went to school, to a parent-teacher meeting.  He was an unusual man, clearly a good and conscientous father -- most of the parents attending were mothers.  That school was hit by the tsunami in December 2004, and Shihara's father was killed, along with almost forty other parents meeting with their kids' teachers.

I can't imagine what that would be like for my family, if I or Kevin went to school one day to meet with a teacher, and just never came home again.  If I were killed, my family would be financially okay, but Kevin would be struggling to find child-care to help him, in the midst of dealing with the grief.  If Kevin were killed -- gods, I can't even think about it.  I'm lucky that I have a good network of friends and family that would help, but what if they were suffering their own tragedies?  Over 30,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka that day.  So many children lost their parents on a single day.

Do As I Say, Not As I . . . Do?

I cringe as I write this, but . . . the truth is that I would not describe myself as being very charitable at this point in my life.  My husband and I make financial contributions and other donations here and there. But I am not talking about money. I mean being involved in something . . . actually giving my time to help someone. I can’t remember the last time I did any volunteer work (other than for my daughter’s school). I seem to be constantly doing things for my family, but I don’t spend a minute of my life doing anything to help others.

A Project X-Style Christmas

My best friend Ashlee and I met through blogging (of course!) and both of us had an instant unspoken bond due to struggles with our firstborn sons. My challenge, having a child with epilepsy, and hers was having a child almost not even born alive, period. A true Christmas miracle, our sweet best buddy Xavier. He was born in December 2005, 12 weeks too early. Today he is a healthy, active toddler and just pure sweetness.

Having spent 6 weeks in the NICU, among other later struggles, Ashlee and her husband David know all too well how it feels to spend Christmas in the hospital. And not just the hospital, but the NICU. A place that you are glad is there for the "just-in-case," but where you hope you never have to go.

Ashlee formed Project X to provide support and assistance to preemies and their families in Northwest Indiana. While the NICU is the best place for tiny babies, it is often a foreign and frightening experience.

Why aren't more people asking us to donate money for Tabasco Flood Relief?

This is cross-posted from our sister site, Silicon Valley Moms Blog.  We felt that it was important to get the word out through all of our blogs.  Please help us spread the word.

'This is not just the worst natural catastrophe in the state's history but, I would venture to say, one of the worst in the recent history of the country,' Mexican President Felipe Calderon, talking about the flood in Tabasco, Mexico.

BBC News: More than one million people are believed to be affected, with 300,000 thought to be trapped in their homes and more rain forecast in coming days.

Hi there, people of the silicon valley and web!  Today, I have a question for you.  Do you have a housekeeper, a gardener, a babysitter or nanny, or another house worker who is from Mexico?  Have you ever been waited on, had your food cooked by, or your table bussed by someone from Mexico?  If you're a mom, have you had some of the Mexican people, with their lovely, child-supportive culture, give you kind looks and a helping hand when your WASPy neighbors were ignoring you?  Have you or your children derived benefit from the added dimension that our overlay of Mexican culture in California gives you - in any way?

OK, now tell me this.  Have you reached into your pockets and sent money to the people of Tabasco, currently reeling from one of the biggest catastrophes to happen to Mexico in years?

Me either.

Why is this?

Today on the radio, I heard a statement that  went straight to my heart.  "Please ask the people of the world to turn their eyes onto Tabasco," the man said.  It made me think.  I haven't heard any news of local moms holding bake sales to benefit the people of Tabasco, Mexico, and I haven't seen any mails sent out in my email groups about how to help.  Nobody has made it easy for me to just Paypal dollars, you know?

Fisher Price Lead Scandal, Toys Recalled

We all know the dangers of lead poisoning by now. Tommy and his infamous RC2 gang taught us that just a few weeks ago.

Too bad Mattel didn’t learn from this. They were, however, proactive and quick to respond to the reports.

Fisher Price is officially scheduled to announced August 2 that it will recall over 1 million of its toys, more than 83 types of its Sesame Street line and Dora and Diego Characters due to excessive levels of lead. The official press release states, “Surface paints on the toys could contain excessive levels of lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.”

To solve this problem with Fisher Price: Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from children and contact Fisher-Price. Consumers will need to return the product and will receive a voucher for a replacement toy of the consumer’s choice (up to the value of the returned product).

Customer Contact: For additional information visit the firm’s Web site at www.service.mattel.com or contact Fisher-Price at (800) 916-4498.

List of products recalled (since May 1, 2007)

This, fortunately, is the first major recall issue involving lead paint for Fisher Price. The recall involves Chinese imports.

“Anytime a company brings a banned hazardous product into the U.S. marketplace, especially one intended for children, it is unacceptable,” said Nancy Nord, acting chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Ensuring that Chinese-made toys are safe for U.S. consumers is one of my highest priorities and is the subject of vital talks currently in place between CPSC and the Chinese government.”

As I've written before, Barack Obama is lobbying for legislation that bans children's products containing lead. Currently, products are allowed to have .06 percent lead content.   Obama sponsored the Lead Free Toys Act in 2005. The Act specified any product containing lead in excess of 600 parts per million would be banned.The new Act will ban any product aimed at children younger than six that contains more than trace amounts of lead.

Wonder how that will be enforced with imports?

Aurora Abortion Addition

What was that title again?

Yep...you read that correctly. Planned Parenthood is opening a new facility in Aurora that will provide abortion services. Whew...not sure how I feel about this.

The $7.5 million facility at 240 N. Oakhurst Drive, in DuPage County, adjacent to a Dominick's, is scheduled to open Sept. 18. In the planning stages since 2002, it is Planned Parenthood's first full-service site in the Chicago area in 20 years and the only one to perform abortions outside of a Near North Side Chicago location. Private donors contributed $5 million toward its construction.

The new site will  offer women's services like birth control, testing for gynecological cancers and screening for STD's. "While teen pregnancy rates have declined during the last decade, sexually transmitted infections -- specifically, chlamydia and HIV -- have steadily increased in DuPage, Kane, Will and Kendall Counties, according to state health officials."

This particular Planned Parenthood facility will be the only one offering abortions in Aurora.

As an adoptive mother I ride the fence on abortion. Even before my infertility issues I was Pro-Choice. But I certainly don't believe in abortion as birth control, as my son would not be here if his birth mother chose to do that. I'm thankful that she chose to bring him into this world and I know that God had a plan for him.

On the other hand, is it better for some women to chose abortion for their children when they know they would be doing them harm in utero? Certainly. I believe we would have far fewer children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or severe handicaps if women took responsibility for their unborn children.

But, what other choices does a birth mother have?

Adoption, of course. There are hundreds of families right here dreaming of a child or another child...including us. Our family is currently in the process of filling out our paperwork to adopt our second son from Guatemala (our first is from Russia) but we would much prefer staying right here and linking with a birth mother, just as many other families would.

The problem is that because of birth control and abortions there are very few domestic adoptions these days and the wait for a Caucasian child can be more than two years (we would obviously accept a biracial child). The wait for a biracial child can be much less but a family does have to wait for a birth mother to link to them, as they get to chose.

Additionally, all agencies have a waiting list to get on the "choice list" for birth mothers to chose. When we were investigating domestic adoption it was at least a  6 month wait to get on the "choice list".  It all sounds so impersonal, doesn't it? 

It doesn't have to be. Adoption and Abortion are extremely emotion and personal decisions but they should never be taken lightly.

If you are pregnant and in need of social services Bethany Christian Services has a great list of pregnancy centers in Illinois.

National Listing of Domestic Adoption Agencies

Illinois Listing of Domestic Adoption Agencies

St. Mary's Services - the Homestudy Agency we are using for Guatemala. They also facilitate Domestic adoption and counseling for birth mothers.
Toll Free: +1.800.252.4152

Marcie's adoption site is My Two Boys.