MOMocrats

A Mother's Day Card from MOMocrats & Moms Rising

Wishing all of you a happy, healthy and joyous Mother's Day 2008.

Dreams for My Daughter

This Mother's Day, I'm not thinking so much about me, as about what life will look like when PunditGirl becomes a mother.  I know she's only in second grade, but given the political landscapes today (those with a small 'p' and a capital 'P'), I wonder if things will be different.

As a geeky high school senior, I attended a mock political convention at the local college.  I was already into following politics  -- my social studies project that year was keeping a notebook full of Mo Udall newspaper clips! -- but participating in the mock convention, and knowing that I would vote in my first Presidential election that fall, sealed the deal.

I dreamed about what the world would look like in the decades after that -- fantasizing about women in elective office, women running law firms, women truly taking half the world.

Listen to Your Mama: TODAY on Blog Talk Radio

Join MOMocrats Glennia, Joanne and Stefania on our inaugural podcast!  We'll debut the MOMocrats Blog Talk Radio Show on Saturday, May 10 at 3 pm Eastern/12 pm Pacific.  You can listen live or listen later through the archives at Blog Talk Radio.  There will be a live chat you can participate in at Blog Talk Radio and ask questions while we're on live.  You can also listen from here.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the new show and are open to ideas for guests and segments on future shows.

We hope you will join us!

Watch the Indiana and North Carolina Returns *LIVE! TONIGHT!* with the MOMocrats

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Hey all you MOMocrats and DADocrats and FRIENDocrats! Come join us today at 5:00PM PST/8:00 EST to watch the returns roll in. (Let's say 5:00/8:00ish, might be a little earlier, might be a little later, we're moms, you know how it goes.)

Spend the evening with us! Put the kids on ignore to bed, grab a glass of wine and your favorite snacks, and cozy up with the computer. We can talk about returns or anything on your mind during this election cycle.

We'll be liveblogging and chatting using Cover It Live.  Head on over to the site, create your account, and when we launch the liveblog, you'll be ready to jump in and participate.

Go Read It: John & Elizabeth Edwards on Clinton/Obama

If you've ever wondered why the MOMocrats were founded to support John Edwards' candidacy, look no further than this week's People Magazine Article, "What We Like (and Dislike) about Clinton and Obama."  No endorsement from either one, unfortunately, but we do get a glimpse of the discussion around the kitchen table in the Edwards home.

The MOMocrats have been sitting around our virtual kitchen table for months discussing the very same topic as the Edwards, how we like and dislike things about both Clinton and Obama.  We have a few die-hard Obama Mamas, and some Hill-Raisers among us, but many of us still miss the Edwards' presence in the race.

How about John Edwards for Attorney General and Elizabeth Edwards for Secretary of Health & Human Services?  That's a dream team I'd like to see in leadership positions in either a Clinton or Obama administration.

MOMocrat Joanne visits XM Radio Again!

I'm excited that I'm going to have another chance to talk with Scott Walterman Monday morning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time on The Morning Briefing, on XM Radio Channel 130 -- P.O.T.U.S. '08!

I'll be chatting with Scott about the MOMocrats recent exclusive Q&A with Barack Obama, the Wall Street Journal and "mommybloggers" and lots of other presidential campaign goodness!

I hope you'll join me!

You can also find MOMocrat Joanne getting ready for her interview at her place, PunditMom.

What Do the MOMocrats Want for Mother's Day? Other Than a New President.

If you've got a MOMocrat on your shopping list, then there are few things to consider when it comes to gift buying.

Sure, it would be great if we could all chip in a few bucks and guarantee that our candidate would take over the White House in November. Although, I'm pretty sure we're well on our way to seeing that happen without the "Mother's Day Giving."

Go Democrats Go!

But what about charitable donations? We've seen people scoff at the thought of giving a donation on someone's behalf, but with so many people in need, I'm wondering if giving mom a little time off, and shooting some money to people who need it might be a better route.

Of course, think about donating to the campaign of your mama's favorite candidate. Then grab her a MOMocrats t-shirt, a bottle of wine, and send the kids to Grandmom's for the day.

Another idea might be to donate on her behalf to charity, like Johnson & Johnson's Baby Cause site (powered by Global Giving). I'm working with them to encourage folks to consider donating -- and if you've got strong feelings about how you want to be recognized this Mother's Day (presents or not), feel free to share them on your blog. You could actually win a donation to be made on your behalf.

Sorry, that's just way cooler than a Hillary or Obama purse. At least, in my opinion. And it's a great way to honor another mother who might not have the means to do it herself.

You can find Kristen at Motherhood Uncensored, Cool Mom Picks, and Parent Bloggers. You know, in case you're looking.

Winners of the MOMocrats Mother's Day Giveaway Extravanza!

And the winners are...

Grand Prize #1 SnapTotes Barack Obama Purse and goodies:

SUMMER

Grand Prize # 2 SnapTotes Hillary Clinton Clutch bag and goodies:

DAISY

Congratulations!  We hope you enjoy your prize packages!

Runners-up will receive:

• Custom-made, embroidered T-shirt or totebag of your choice from the MOMocrats Etsy shop:  SARAH GRANGER

• $20 gift certificate for MOMocrats Choice on Zazzle.com - 2 winners: SUSAN/ WHYMOMMY and COLLEEN.

• Autographed copy of Just Who Will You Be? by California First Lady, Maria Shriver: ILINAP

• Copy of Thirty Ways of Looking at Hillary, edited by Susan Morrison: GUDRUN

• Set of Election Protection Condoms from Condomania: CYNEMATIC

• MOMocrats Apron: FLORINDA

• MOMocrats beach totebag: LIA

• MOMocrats refridgerator magnet - LETICIA/TECHSAVVY MAMA, MAMMALOVES, & CRUNCHY DOMESTIC GODDESS,

• Political buttons from our personal collections -CAROLINE & KAROLI

• A MOMocrats bumper stickers:  MEANDERWITHME, SHELLI, BONGGAMOM, KELLYOLOGY, KRISTIN, & MAMIKAZE

Thanks to our sponsors, SnapTotes and Condomania!  If you order a Snaptotes Political Collection bag from them, they will donate 25% of the proceeds to the candidate of your choice.

To claim your prize, e-mail us at momocrats (at) gmail (dot) com if you haven't heard from us already!

Thanks for entering!

MOMocrats Meet Maria Shriver

Thanks to an invitation from the Silicon Valley Moms Blog founders, MOMocrats Sheila Bernus Dowd, Sarah Granger, Glennia Campbell, Beth Blecherman and I recently had an opportunity to meet First Lady of California, journalist, and author Maria Shriver.

She was in town to meet with bloggers to promote her new book Just Who Will You Be?, billed as "an inspirational book for seekers of all ages." For a complete recap of the evening, please see Sarah's excellent and very detailed post.

For me personally, the opportunity was a chance to listen to one mother (albeit a very famous and accomplished one) talking with other mothers about balancing work and family life. Having just juggled childcare so I could attend the meeting, and feeling a bit frazzled and very guilty that my husband had to pick up our girls and take them to work with him so he could finish his project, I sat listening glued to her every word. I had intended to moblog and Twitter and all I could do was just sit and allow her to make me feel better about my choices.

She spoke about juggling her career and family and how ultimately, like so many of us, she gave up her career at times to make her children a priority. Even time she went back to work after the birth of a child, she found herself being able to give a little less to her job.

She said (paraphrasing) "Mothers are on the frontlines of humanity." Oftentimes we are the ones who deal with the school forms and field trips and the bulk of the day-to-day "raising of the kids" duties. Then she gave a coy smile and shares that she often asks if people are "man enough" to do a mother's job.

MOMocrats First-Ever Mother's Day Giveaway Extravaganza!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.  WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON MAY 2!  THANKS FOR ENTERING & SUPPORTING MOMOCRATS!

In honor of Mother's Day and to thank our loyal readers for your support over the past six months, the MOMocrats are sponsoring a Mother's Day Giveaway Extravaganza.  This week, leave a comment on this post and place a MOMocrats button on your blog.  Here's the code:

<a href="http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/"><img src="http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats-square-button.gif"> </a>

If you already have a button on your blog, just leave a comment below.  Enter by noon (Pacific Time) Thursday, May 1, 2008.  Winners will be chose at random and announced on Friday, May 2, just in time for Mother's Day delivery!  Enter and win for yourself or your partner or your mom!

MOMocrats contributors, readers, and friends may enter to win one of the following grand prizes:

A fetching, high quality bucket tote featuring the next POTUS Barack Obama's handsome face on it, courtesy of SnapTotes. The bag will be filled with Obama and MOMocrats swag.  Be the envy of your playgroup when you carry your supply of sippy cups and Goldfish crackers in this fabulous, fashionable bag, valued at $80. Great for your next fat-cat fundraiser or a trip to the soccer field.

For you Hillary fans, we have a lovely microfibre clutch bag featuring the next POTUS and former First Lady Hillary Clinton's beautiful black and white portrait on it, also from SnapTotes, a $50 value, stuffed with MOMocrats and Hillary swag.  Perfect for a night on the town, a Hillary rally, or for use as a make-up or travel case.

But wait, there's more! Runners-up will receive: