Canada Moms Blog

Save Mandi's Life with Your Cord Blood Stem Cells

Cross-posted from the Silicon Valley Moms Blog

Mandi Schwartz is a 22 year-old junior at Yale, where she plays forward for the women's hockey team.  She is also fighting leukemia, a blood cancer that is destroying her bone marrow and rendering her stem cells useless.  The only way she will survive this battle with cancer is with a bone marrow or a cord blood stem cell transplant.  A partial-match bone marrow donor has been identified, but transplants using partial-matches often result in life-threating graft-versus-host response.  Cord blood stem cells are the same stem cells as those in bone marrow, but partial-matches from cord blood stem cells result in complications much less often.  Cord blood can be donated easily by pregnant women and can be collected from the umbilical cord post-birth with no danger to the mother or to the child.  If you are pregnant, please consider donating your umbilical cord to the organization that can save Mandi's (or someone else's) life.  How?  Start by visiting http://becomemyhero.org.  If you are pregnant, there is a non-invasive way to determine whether or not your baby's cord blood might be a match to someone whose life could be saved by your donation.  To learn more about Mandi Schwartz, please click here.  You can also sign a petition regarding stem cell transplants.

Please click here to continue reading this post or to leave a comment on the Silicon Valley Moms Blog...>

Lies I Have Told on Behalf of Elf on the Shelf

Cross-posted from our sister site, Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

He's upside down, our Elf on the Shelf. His legs jut up into the air, his head buried deep in a pile of folders, hands clasped behind his back. He looks as if he's been pushed off the edge of a cliff, bound and blindfolded. He was pushed alright, but according to our made-up-on-the-fly rules, there was no direct contact, so the push was legal (as was made up by me) and our Elf did not lose his magic. I'm too tired to turn him upright, I'm ready for him to return home. A few more hours, and he'll be back at the North Pole for another year. I'm tired of our Elf, tired of the lies.

Grandma was over last night. She spotted our Elf in a bucket of plastic dinosaurs and she...she...touched him! The kids stopped in their tracks, breathing deeply and staring at grandma.

"Grandma, you touched Elf on the Shelf, " the boys whispered, staring in disbelief. (We did not give him a name, as we were instructed to so he is not Tony or Elfie, he is Elf on the Shelf.)

Grandma stared back, not quite comprehending.

"Yes, Grandma, the Elf loses his magic if we should touch him, " I explained, smiling through clenched teeth.

Grandma squirmed and denied it, "No, I um...I touched the dino---"

Continue reading this post on Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

It's Sunday. I'm Not at Church. Are You?

Cross-posted from our sister site, Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

The Future is Wild is playing from the next room, my spouse is reading the newspaper, I am drinking coffee in my jammies. Later we might go for a hike. It's Sunday and I'm not at church.

It's not that I'm adverse to church, or synagogue or any other form of religious faith. It's that I'm not sure how to steer my family toward a life that includes a faith-based day and uncertain that I have the drive to commit to it for the long haul. I keep telling myself, If one-quarter of Americans can do it, so can I, right?

An ongoing Gallup Poll research study suggests that about 40 percent of Americans attend some kind of religious services, while nearly 10 percent consider themselves faithful but rarely show up for services. Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (a dang interesting resource for information) demonstrates that geography and type of faith guide how often people attend religious services and the more urban, the lower the percentage of attendees. Again, I find myself just a statistic.

Recently, the Catholic church has gone on a get-butts-in-seats media blitz asking its faithful to return to regular services.The problem is, ditching Church is not a sin. If it ain't a sin, I'm pretty certain my spouse would pick watching the Raiders get pummeled over a couple beers than go to Church.

Continue reading this post over at Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

The Silicon Valley Moms Group Healthcare Town Hall Recap

These days, the topic on everyone's mind is healthcare.  You can't turn on the television, listen to the radio or pick up the newspaper without hearing of the latest "town hall" meeting or a new debate about healthcare reform in Washington, DC. Quite frankly, it is EXHAUSTING and CONFUSING!  On August 18-19, 2009, Silicon Valley Moms Group contributors added their voices to the fray.  Through written and video blogging, we shared our stories and opinions on this important topic. 

Here are the links to all the posts, and the wide variety of viewpoints they represented:

Silicon Valley Moms:

• Linda: Healthcare for a Dream Life
• Tina: The Questions of Healthcare
• Robyn: One Working Moms Take on the new Healthcare bill 
• Darryle: Two Hearts
• Nicole Peltin: Healthcare - the Dreaded Pre-Existing Conditions
• Erica Cosgrove: a Professor Mom Speaks Out
• Rox: the Business of America May Be Autos and Banks, but it Shouldn't Be Healthcare
• Sidney: Something Needs to Change
• Myrna: My Experience with the French Healthcare System
• Jill: The Stress of Being the Sandwich Generation
• Karianna: Autism is a Dirty Word in Healthcare
• David: Best Healthcare Plan: Diet, Exercise, and Cocktails
• Anna: Socialized Healthcare: What's in a Name

Chicago Moms

• Kim: Healthcare Reform Needed - Different Year, Same Story
• Jeanie: Food for Thought
• Melanie Myatt: Our Healthcare System is Broken
• Miss Lori Asks for Help - Healthcare Evolution
• Shannon Capanna: On July 27, 2009, We Became Part of the Problem
• Angela Allyn: My Healthcare Debate
• Susan: Healthcare is Bleeding Families and Small Businesses Dry

DC Metro Moms

• Sandie: My Mother's Story
• Sue: Healthcare Reform and Children with Chronic Conditions
• Jessica C. :Let Patients Get the Full Picture
• Jill Berry: My Healthcare Experience as a Foreign Student
• Amy Adams: Healthcare Reform is NOT a Race
• Michelle: What About the Children?
• De: We're Lucky We're Insured, But...
• Linda Kerr: Agree on All Points, Unsure of Direction
• Aimee Olivo: I Believe We Need Healthcare Reform Now
• KC: A Doctor in Support of Healthcare Reform
• Andrea Meyers: How Free Healthcare in Australia Saved Me
• Jim: Thoughts on Healthcare from a Federal Employee

New York City Moms

• Carol Cain: Calling Us Lucky, for Now
• Deborah Quinn: Define "Good Insurance"
• Helen P.: Healthcare Debate, An Overlooked Factor, I Think
• KarenTV: The Ultimate in FUD Manipulation
• Jennifer Perrillo: The Healthcare Missing Link: Relief for the Middle Class
• Jessica C: My Dirty Little Secret

New Jersey Moms

• c2mom: Want the Truth on Healthcare Reform? So Do I
• Lori Landau: Kids and Healthcare: Calculating the Costs
• Mary Kate: Does this Position Include Health Benefits?
• Vanessa Druckman: Growing Up Under the Blanket of Socialized Healthcare
• MT: The Cost of Autism and Healthcare in New Jersey
• Amber Watson-Tardiff: Healthcare and Homelessness: Stories from the Frontline

50-Something Moms

• Myrna: My Experience with the French Healthcare System
• Donna: What's So Scary About Socialized Medicine?
• Annie: Lying About Healthcare Reform

Deep South Moms

• Amy: We're Already Paying Too High a Price for Healthcare
• Marty: Broken

Los Angeles Moms

• Elizabeth Peterson:I Say No to Socialized Healthcare
• Florinda Pendley-Vasquez: Healthcare: Other People's Decisions
• Donna: What's So Scary about Socialized Medicine?
• April McCaffery: There is No There There
• Sarah Auerswald: Remote Area Medical: Los Angeles Heroes!

Canada Moms Blog

• Mary G.: Community Health Centres: A Good Health Care Answer
• Crunchy Carpets: Healthcare from a Socialist's Perspective
• Samantha: I'll Keep my Dilapitated aging "Nazi Socialist*" Healthcare System Over Yours Any Day
• Karen: Navigating Stormy Waters - My Thoughts on the US Healthcare System
• Jessica: An American Girl in Canada

Philadelphia Moms

• Cecily: Healthcare Reform, My Experience, Why We Need It
• Sarah: Healthcare Bill Needs Discussed, Debated, Deliberated

Rocky Mountain Moms

• Aviva: Not Political, Personal

3rd Annual SVmoms Summer Party

Cross posted from our sister blog, Chicago Moms Blog.

In coordination with Chicagonista, the SV Moms Group celebrated its 3rd Annual Summer Party in Chicago for the 2nd time around! There was so much laughter and fun shared with our missed bloggy friends and we could not thank our sponsors enough for making this happen.

Chris Campbell of Lakeshore Branding is our extraordinaire party planner and sponsor. Not only did he provide the beautiful party space at NV Penthouse Lounge, but the wonderful SVtinis and Chicagotinis were all provided by him. Lakeshore Branding also happens to be a “digital marketing agency that makes snazzy web sites and happens to be pretty darn good at Internet Marketing”. So if any of you are in need of some web help, he’s the man to call.

That’s Caring along with Tasty Catering provided the delicious food. That’s Caring also provided a couple of their eco- friendly gift baskets as drawing prizes.

Ring Central provided the trolley that chauffeured our bloggers back and forth to the Sheraton Hotel to the NV Penthouse Lounge and back.

Yahoo provided the Tarot Card Readings that was a big hit! Whether it made some laugh, cry, or worry, I’m sure they were all some great materials to blog about.

Smarty Card sponsored the much needed free massages. Imagine a mom without her kid/s. Partying with her girlfriends in a beautiful lounge. With martinis! And now massage?! Yes, it did happen.

Photobooth Express sponsored the most fun party within the photobooth party! They were the silliest, cutest, and funniest photobooth pictures of moms gone partying.  I've personally used this company in a lot of my events and I can't imagine not having them around to help me entertain my guests. And really, how can anyone go wrong with having one of these booths in any of your parties? An instant hit to all your party guests.

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MJ Tam is the Editor of Chicagonista.com - "movers, shakers, & baby makers" and Creator of City Connect Media, Inc. that runs and operates Chicagonista and other upcoming city sites. MJ also has a personal blog called SugarMyBowl.com

Do you Twitter? Follow mjtam here.

Moms, Celebrities and Twitter: the Video

Who's Following You on Twitter? @ Yahoo! Video

Cross posted from our sister blog, Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

It seems more then ever moms are using Twitter to share what they are doing and see what their friends are up to. Twitter is a service that allows people to share "what they are doing" in 140 characters, which keeps people brief. And if that is not enough, moms are sharing their pictures on Twitter using Twitpic and their stories on Whrrl.  Twitter adds to the list of the online social networking and blogging activities moms are doing during the short amount of time they have to themselves. But a guilty pleasure has also developed among many moms who follow Twitter: following celebrities. Following celebrities on Twitter and Twitpic gives me a chance to catch a glimpse of what they are up to on a daily basis. For example, I can view a picture of Demi Moore shoe shopping or see a glamorous dress she is wearing while I (unglamorously) fold laundry. I can also get a good laugh reading Twitter jokes by Heather McDonald, Chelsea Lately show and Jimmy Fallon. I can even follow a verified Twitter account for Barack Obama.

Jane Maynard from This Week for Dinner was a late-comer to Twitter and is still building up her celebrity list of followers (current tally is somewhere around zero). She shared this Twitter story with me:

"The highlight of my Twitter career thus far was when Hugh Grant started following me. Yes, THAT Hugh Grant...Actor/Writer/Producer/baked bean thrower. Okay, so maybe it wasn't really Hugh (who has since disappeared from Tweetland), but if Santa Claus is a follower, why can't Hugh Grant be one to? And, in case you're wondering, I did NOT follow Mr. Grant back."

I was thrilled to learn two of my favorite celebrities Jane Fonda and Katie Couric are not only blogging, but are on Twitter. After I followed Jane Fonda and Katie Couric I received a big surprise when they followed me back. It is this type of interaction that makes Twitter so addicting. Jane Maynard and I also share a fascination with looking at pictures posted on Twitter.

The Pitfalls of Parenting Kids in the Age of Smart Technology

Cross Posted from our sister blog, Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

Children and Pitfalls of technology @ Yahoo! Video

I have teenagers and when they were kids, Facebook didn't exist.  In fact, cell phones weren't cheap enough for kids to own until my kids were in Middle School.   I'm definitely learning on the job when it comes to technology use and parenting.  When the kids were in elementary school, there was no discussion or mention of technology in all the parenting books I read.   Oh sure, we had a computer but not all families did. It was more of a resource for the entire family. 

My concerns at that age almost completely dealt with inappropriate content exposure.  That was so much easier to control than what I have to deal with now.  Why?  Because it's out of MY hands and into THEIR hands. 

Read the rest of this post at Silicon Valley Moms Blog.