Brandie The White House's Big Earth Day Announcement
by Josh Loposer
http://www.greendaily.com/2010/04/22/the-white-houses-big-earth-day-announcement
Want a a free home energy upgrade courtesy of the federal government? As part of the White House's official Earth Day festivities, Vice President Joe Biden unveiled the "Retrofit Ramp-Up," a plan to dole out $452M in energy retrofits to 25 communities across the country.
Using funds set aside by the Recovery Act, contractors will literally be going door-to-door to offer Americans a chance at a free energy-saving upgrade. The only problem is that you have to live in one of these 25 privileged communities. Lucky for me, my town made the cut. Did yours?
(mine didn't make the cut - bummer - but I think this is great! And I know we have lots of Michigan moms on here - the State of Michigan is listed so you'll have to let us know if you get to participate in this!)
4 months ago -
wvmommie3 Good morning everyone....had a busy couple of days, now let's hope that the weekend will slow down a notch or two....lol
5 months ago -
wvmommie3 I'm trying to make the best of this rainy sunday!
5 months ago -
wvmommie3 It's not my story to tell, but I'll be the narrator since he's only three years old. The day he was born will be etched into my brain and my heart for the rest of my life. I hold it dear and cherish every second of his life.
Looking at him now you wouldn't know there was a problem, or that he's ever been sick. You wouldn't know about his surgeries unless you saw his "boo boo" on his chest. His name is John and he's a three year old little boy. He's strong, bright, beautiful, and healthy. As healthy as we can hope and strive for. He was born with congenital heart disease. I didn't know there was a problem until the day he was born.
After my cesarean I didn't get to touch him until all the tests were complete and the medical staff has a diagnosis. His pediatrician came into my room to explain why I haven't been able to touch my child and that a cardiologist would be in to see me to explain John's CHD. A few hours later, the cardiologist on call, came into my room and explained John's condition. He would have to be monitored, meet with a surgeon, and have surgery to repair his heart. His diagnosis was ventricular septal defect and pulmonary stenosis. He was closely monitor and a ten weeks old he had to undergo open heart surgery to repair the VSD and to open up his pulmonary valve. The surgery took a little longer than we expected because they found two more holes in his heart. This was called an atrial septal defect, or also known as an ASD. It was a bumpy road but he made a wonderful recovery. At eight months old he a wire from his first surgery caused some inflammation, which required another minor surgery to remove the wire.
When I was told about his heart condition I felt like a bomb was dropped on me. I didn't know what congenital heart disease was or anyone that had a child like mine. Since we were going to have to fight this battle for the rest of his life, I thought it would be smart to become educated about his condition.
A congenital cardiovascular defect occurs when the heart or blood vessels near the heart don't develop normally before birth. Scientists really don't know why they occur, but in sometimes a viral infection can cause serious problems and sometimes heredity plays a role.
Pulmonary stenosis, which is an obstruction defect, is a narrowing of the pulmonary valve. This narrowing makes it difficult, if not nearly impossible for the blood to flow from the right ventricle to the lungs. After his surgery, John was only left with 1/4 of his pulmonary valve because of the severity of the narrowing. He will need a valve replacement at a later time.
Artial septal defect is when an opening exists between the heart's two upper chambers. This lets some blood from the left atrium return to the hole to the right artrium instead of flowing through the left ventricle a, out the aorta and to the body.
A ventricular septal defect is when there's an opening between the heart's two lower chambers. Some of the blood that's returned from the lungs and been pumped into the left ventricle flows to the right ventricle through the holes instead of being pumped into the aorta. Babies with VSD may develop severe symptoms or high blood pressure in their lungs.
These are only a brief explanation of my son's diagnosis. There are several different types of congenital defects. Statistic show’s that one out of every one hundred babies born, are born with some form of congenital heart defect. I didn’t realize how many people had to fight such a big battle until I met other families during John’s recovery. One mother I met told me about online support groups for families with children like ours. The support groups are there to share your stories, chat with about daily struggles, and to help each other through the good and bad times.
Today, John healthy, thriving three year old little boy. He has annual check-ups with his cardiologists to monitor the progress of his heart. He will need a valve replacement when he’s older, but now he’s a happy, healthy boy!
5 months ago -
wvmommie3 Good morning everyone and TGIF! I hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend. Got any plans you'd like to share?
5 months ago -
Brandie
Luke Sharrett/The New York Times
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi held a news
conference with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip James
Clyburn after the Congressional Budget Office announced their score on
the House health insurance reform bill on Thursday.
By http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/robert_pear/index.html?inline=nyt-per and http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/david_m_herszenhorn/index.html?inline=nyt-per
Published: March 18, 2010
Luke Sharrett/The New York Times
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi held a news
conference with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip James
Clyburn after the Congressional Budget Office announced their score on
the House health insurance reform bill on Thursday.
By http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/robert_pear/index.html?inline=nyt-per and http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/david_m_herszenhorn/index.html?inline=nyt-per
Published: March 18, 2010
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WASHINGTON — Democrats on Thursday unveiled the completed version of
the health care legislation they intend to bring to a vote this
weekend, saying that it would more than pay for itself over the next
decade while extending insurance coverage to most of those who lack it.
With his party scrambling to line up the last commitments it needs to
push the legislation through Congress, the White House announced that http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per
had canceled a trip abroad that had been scheduled to begin Sunday, the
same day the House is likely to hold its most important vote on the
bill.Continue reading http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/health/policy/19health.html?hp - Just a note: look in that picture - that is Kim Moldofsky is in that picture!! How exciting for her!!! Awesome! Cant wait to hear all she has to share about her day today!! http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/health/policy/19health.html?hp# http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/health/policy/19health.html?hp#
weekend, saying that it would more than pay for itself over the next
decade while extending insurance coverage to most of those wh
6 months ago -
Becki Michelle Obama discusses her concerns about childhood obesity and talks about why it's part of her mission as First Lady to help our kids lead healthier lives. Rock on, First Mom!
http://www.newsweek.com/id/234885
6 months ago -
kathysykes
Tim and Thomas (Baby boy)
6 months ago -
kathysykes Proud to be an Obama Mama!!
6 months ago -
juliepippert OH NO! This is deeply distressing news!! From the Daily Women's Health Policy Report:December 15, 2009 — Low-income women in at least 20 states no longer have adequate or convenient access to cancer screening services, including mammograms and Pap tests, as a result of the economic recession and diminished levels of health coverage, according to a recent study by the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network, the http://www.ajc.com/health/poor-being-turned-away-239227.html reports. For the study, ACSCAN conducted an unofficial survey of women's health screening programs nationwide from July 2008 to April 2009.The study found that at least 14 states facing significant budget constraints were forced to turn away women who normally would qualify for no-cost mammograms and Pap tests. ACSCAN officials said that the number of women who are being rejected is not known and that some might receive screenings in other programs or through providers. Many providers also do not track the number of patients who have been rejected or obtained the screenings elsewhere.According to the AP/Journal-Constitution, providers and health departments in each state have different methods for handling no-cost screenings. Some might supplement federal funding with money from the state or from private donors. The cost of the screenings also can vary from an average of about $100, while a Pap test can cost between $75 and $200, according to ACS (Bauman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/12).
9 months ago -
MamaMayowa POP + POLITICS
My friend asked me whether or not Obama was well liked among the African-American side of my family.
“Of course!” I exclaimed. “My family has always held a fondness for Obama. But what truly won our hearts – well, mostly for my mother and aunt—was his marriage to a dark-skinned African-American woman.”
“Wow, really? Even though they’re both married to White men?” My friend was baffled. “That’s… strange.”
Before that point, I had never thought of it as strange at all. But maybe it is. And after that, a troubling question began creeping into my mind: do some Black women hold an interracial relationship double standard?
9 months ago -
juliepippert I missed this when it came out, but stumbled across it today -- a gorgeous and natural family portrait of none other than the First Family! In my family, we like to do family portraits this time of year because we tend to have lots of opportunities. Do you take portraits around the holidays, such as Thanksgiving? Do you use them for holiday cards? Do you have any great tips for how families can get gorgeous photos like this (not same as, but lovely and with natural, personable feel) (I mean, how many of us are lucky enough to know an Annie Liebowitz? LOL!)? We always end up looking so stiff on a sofa!
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/10/new_obama_family_portrait_by_a.html
10 months ago -
Becki It's the ultimate trick-or-treating treasure, that one house on the block that offers the coolest candy and surprises galore.
This year it's the big gated place on Pennsylvania Avenue, No. 1600. There's no mailbox out front, but every little kid knows who lives there.
Welcome to the White House, boys and girls.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33563158/ns/today-white_house/
10 months ago -
JillSimpson Good article about some of the tensions Michelle Obama faces as she tries to balance being First Lady and wife with her own individual personality ambitions. I admire the honesty, affection and principles in their marriage. Here's the link to Jodi Kantor's story, coming out in this Sunday's NY Times magazine: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/magazine/01Obama-t.html?em .
10 months ago -
SanDiegoWriter
http://lisawantsthefloor.blogspot.com/2009/09/one.html
We’ve all been told never to speak about politics or religion to
avoid the minefield it too often creates. However, there are times when
you must step forward into precarious territory in order to address
what is really going on. This is one of those times. For the
record, I’m no longer a religious person. I suppose I was as a kid, as
much as most children go along with whatever spiritual program is
assigned to them by their parents. For me, it involved going to Sunday
school, afternoon fellowship and getting confirmed. My Sunday
school education centered on Jesus and his capacity for unlimited,
unconditional love. I was told his love extended toward anyone in equal
measure – healthy or sick, rich or poor, fair-skinned or dark, young or
old, pious or sinful – and I believe – even gay or straight. The
vibe at my church was peaceful and open. Not the dancing-in-the-aisle,
hallelujah-flowing kind. This was New England, after all. We were
properly dressed and kept a short leash on our emotions. What we did
talk about was being good to one another and how to be of service to
those in need. I remember feeling that anyone and everyone belonged
there. That we were one. I don’t ever recall a time when there
was any implication that “we Christians” had the edge on the
competition. That our religion was the right
one. There was no suggestion that any one group of people was to be
condemned in any way. I can’t summon even a moment where politics
played a role in the sermon, where people were told who and what to
vote for. While I am grateful for the experience, religion and
I have been at a stand-off ever since. I began to back away slowly as I
witnessed the changing face of Christianity. From my vantage point,
judgment and intolerance were new on the scene, eclipsing love and
acceptance. These days the line between religion and politics
is too often blurred. The ways in which they intertwine fascinate me
and I’m forever trying to sort it out. There is a feeding frenzy of
hate in the media that is permeating society; it is no longer a slow
drip. Real journalism is dying off to make way for more shock-jock
opinion shows with screaming hosts who lie and distort the truth and
demonize innocent people. The rhetoric has become a poison that is
seeping into sermons and town hall meetings and marches and the floor
of Congress. It is a machine that manufactures fear. It is a
call-to-action to people who lack the ability for rational thought,
people who have a tendency to confuse violence with an act of “freedom
fighting.” Everywhere I look I see a deterioration of decency and respect. Every day I feel the uncertainty of these times.It
often makes me wonder: How did we get so far away from each other? How
did we go from a sense of “We’re in this together” to “You're on your
own”? The lyrics in the song “One” by U2 are a wake-up call that we’ve put on snooze. “One love, one blood, one life You got to do what you should. One life -- with each other -- Sisters, brothers One life -- but we're not the same We get to carry each other, Carry each other.”I
realize now that religious or political affiliation is not the real
issue. The quality of our existence rests on our individual and
collective purpose on this planet. How we treat each other will
determine our fate as a country, as a people. Martin Luther
King, Jr. said, “An individual has not started living until he can rise
above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the
broader concerns of all humanity.”When will we see that we are in this together? When will we see that we are: Sisters. Brothers. One.
11 months ago -
Becki U.S. President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for giving the world "hope for a better future" and striving for nuclear disarmament.
The decision to award one of the world's top accolades to a president less than nine months into his first term, who has yet to score a major foreign policy success, came as a big surprise and provoked strong international criticism as well as praise.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091009/pl_nm/us_nobel_peace_obama_6
11 months ago -
Becki First lady Michelle Obama says women should do what makes them happy, a lesson she says she learned after realizing her two children, her husband and her physical health feed off of her good moods.
In an interview appearing in the November issue of Prevention magazine, Mrs. Obama discusses the meaning of good health, aging and her exercise, diet and beauty routines. She sat for the interview at the White House in late July.
Mrs. Obama says she learned "what not to do" from her mother, Marian Robinson, who now lives at the White House.
"She'd say being a good mother isn't all about sacrificing. It's really investing and putting yourself higher on your priority list," Mrs. Obama said. She said Robinson put her own two children first, sometimes to the detriment of herself.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090928/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_michelle_obama
11 months ago -
Melissa Stanton I had the opportunity to attend President Obama's speech at the University of Maryland today. It was a strong speech, with information specific to the financial and healthcare concerns of college students and new grads. Here's a link of the entire speech. I recommend the part near the end (minute 24+) in which he discusses other hard fought battles (to abolish slavery, give women the right to vote, establish Social Security, Medicare, etc.) and tells a funny story about the origins of the 2008 campaign's "Fired Up!" chant. There was just one heckler, a college age pro-lifer screaming about Obama and healthcare reform killing babies (????!!!!!!), but looking at the media coverage he seems to have gotten a lot of play. Figures. The other 18,000 people in the audience were "Fired Up!"
http://www.wbaltv.com/video/20968365/index.html
12 months ago -
juliepippert Are women more effective lawmakers than men?
That’s the preliminary conclusion of a study conducted by researchers at Stanford University and the University of Chicago, who say that on average, women in Congress introduce more bills, attract more co-sponsors and bring home more money for their districts than their male counterparts do.
The study, which examined the performance of House members between 1984 and 2004, found that women delivered roughly 9 percent more discretionary spending for their districts than men.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27152.html#ixzz0RBx8Wbat
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27152.html
12 months ago -
robin I hesitated to join this circle initially, as I really try to desperately steer clear of all politics as much as I possibly can.....I despise the arguing that typically ensues, I can't stand the party platforms and the generalizations that just turn my stomach. I believe what I believe and it doesn't happen to fit neatly into anyone's political package. But as I watched President Obama deliver his powerful speech last night, once again, I was moved to tears. I think maybe the reason I always cry every time I hear him speak is because I worry that many Americans just don't "get it" and likely never will. Our country has become so self-centered, so self-focused, so arrogant and so incredibly paranoid and selfish that I don't think some people will EVER be able to hear President Obama's clear message of Hope. I am so tired of people, many of them my fellow Christians, make their ridiculous comments and accusations, assuming that because we sit beside each other in Bible Study that I must be against him, too. Well, I am not. He is My President, Your President and Our President. And for that reason, I am incredibly proud to be an American. I will continue to pray for him and for his family, for all our leaders, every day, now more than ever......
So if that qualifies as being "head over heels" for The First Family, well then ladies, I guess please count me in!
12 months ago -
View all 3 comments
Cooper Lucky!!!! You have two very handsome men in your life!
6 months ago
Brandie What a great picture!! =)
6 months ago
Becki What a wonderful picture! I bet you're the love of their lives, too!
6 months ago