Update on our date with the Obamas

Last week (my how time flies!) Kim posted an open invitation to the Obamas to meet with the Chicago Moms Blog & Co to discuss parenting issues. This weekend Pamela of the Silicon Valley Moms Blog attended the Oprah-Obama love fest. Oh and if you missed the post, we added DC Metro Moms to our fold. So yes, the SV/Chgo/DC/soon-NYC moms blogs are getting in election gear.

Sadly, I received the following email from my contact's contact in the Obama camp:

Good Afternoon Veronica,
Thank you for your invitation for Michelle Obama to join a discussion with the Chicago Moms Blog.  Issues of parenting are very important to Mrs. Obama; however, due to time constraints she will not be able to participate.  As you can imagine, we receive many invitations and unfortunately cannot accommodate them all.

We hope that you will remain engaged in this campaign process and continue to discuss these important issues of parenting, health care, education and child care.

Thanks again for your interest and understanding.
(I'm keeping the name off this post)
Director of Scheduling for Michelle Obama

While I am disappointed, but understand why, Mrs. Obama can't meet with us, I think that this blog and our sister blogs are the perfect place for moms, liberal to conservative, to discuss the issues that matter to moms. Most of those issues we stand together if not on a solution at least on why it is important to discuss them.

So moms, what issues really make you sit up and listen? Are you still in security mom mode stock piling canned foods for the next terrorist attack? And that was their term, not mine. I think we are all security moms worried about our collective children's future not just if some crazed person will fly a plane into the Sears Tower (which I admit that I think about often).

Here are my issues:
* Public Education
* Health Care for All
* Balancing work and involvement with my daughter (this includes time off/flextime for school events, PAID parental leave, school calendars that reflect our non-ag world, right to pump at work & a place to do it, etc.)
* The environment (I'd like the water wars to be avoided)
* The war that is going on here in Chicago & other towns with children killing children
* The terror of not knowing if the food we eat is as safe as it can be

I could go on, but I want to hear from you.