Discrimination Against Mothers

"[M]others in the real world struggle every day because they still get paid, on average, 27% less than men and 17% less than women without children. In fact, most of the structural discrimination against women is discrimination against mothers.

Why is this still happening?

Well, first off it's because of bad policies in Washington.   Our public policies are stuck in the 1950s, despite the fact that we have a modern labor force now that's 50% women.  But discrimination against mothers is also cultural. Even though study after study has shown that mothers are great workers, most individual workplaces and businesses fail to meet the needs of families in how work itself is structured." -MomsRising.org

The Self-Sufficiency Standard

"Diana Pearce, a senior lecturer and the director of the Center for Women's Welfare at the University of Washington's School of Social Work, conducts research on the level of income necessary for individuals and families to meet their basic needs." -The Seattle Times

Watch the video.

Use the Self-Sufficiency Calculator for Washington State.

Don't Eat Vegetables

Imogen and I were discussing hips yesterday. I told her women have them "for when 'you' have a baby. (Then backpedaling) But you don't have to have a baby, only if you choose to when you're grown up. Do you think you might want to have a baby when you're grown up?" She said (with authority), "If you don't want to have a baby, you don't eat vegetables."

Hard to be a Kid

"Mom, I'll handle this.
It's really hard to be a kid."
-Imogen

Bracelets

Swinging on a Star

At the Sol Duc

Golden Slippers

Grammy bought these fancy dress-up shoes for Imogen at the Goodwill last week. She had to promise she would only wear them at home.

An Invincible Summer

Photo by Al

Kinetic Skulpture Race

That Good Fight

"We get sold a lot of things simply by dint of being women living in the West under late capitalism. If advertisers had their way, our insecurities would have insecurities by now (and our hair would still not be any shinier, bouncier, or softer). The fusillade of manufactured needs to which we are subjected is a bullsh*t system, a happiness shell game, with charge cards, and that system deserves to be questioned and, yes, critically unpacked. (And it is, refreshingly, by us [Jezebel] and so many other blogs.) Taking ads out of their context is a way of making them puny. It dispels…their "aura." And it is absolutely part of that good fight."

From:
Sauers, J. (2010, August 24). The Reason We Keep Showing American Apparel Softcore. Jezebel.

Retrieved August 25, 2010, from Jezebel: http://jezebel.com/5620770/on-american-apparels-sexist-brand-imagery.

Radiant Heart

Yesterday

A Childhood Summer

Imogen

Gwyneth & Imogen
July 22

Wise & Wonderful

Immy & Deia, July 19

Bright & Beautiful

Deia & Immy

Photo by Summer

The Home Fires

In 2008, 27% of U.S. children lived in families where no parent had full-time, year-round employment.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation