Julie Pippert: Using My Words

Do you ever wonder whether you've been a little trained, like Pavlov's dogs? I do. I get so used to the pat and stock things that usually I accept them, unquestioningly. But when a moment comes that I do pause and ponder, I wonder why this idea or this image is supposed to be so representative, either of a concept or of something I'm supposed to like or want. It happens all the time in marketing and advertising. Every day I'm bombarded with images and messages directed to me (the marketing bucket of me, anyway: middle-class, practically middle-aged mom with two kids and buying power): laundry detergents that power through stains, clothing that makes me look hot, cosmetics and creams that make me look young again, ads about weight loss, and so forth. I wonder, which came first: the chicken or the egg? Did I look at my teeth one day and wonder about their color or did an ad tell me I needed to whiten my teeth? TV, radio, billboards, Web sites and yes, even magazines. All ...

I? Have been busy. But at least when I'm busy I'm troubled with but one devil (versus the thousand that would plague me if I were not busy...allegedly.) What makes me saying that any different from everyone else who says it, and what makes this week noteworthy versus others? This week has been truly busy and absorbing, but it's not been all about me. In fact, I've felt like more of an instrument---which feels more powerful than you might think. My house is a mess, my kids have gotten away with murder (of two rolie polies, as a start), my hair hasn't been out of a pony tail in five days (other than to be washed, which YES, I did wash), I made three innocent children tardy because I forgot my daughter's bike at school, and we've subsisted on starchy dinners all week (mac-n-chz for the kids and loaded potatoes for me and the hubs---have you ever done a Tex-Mex potato, with sour cream and salsa and black beans and cheese? YUM!). But I'm happy. This week I...

Bursting beyond the boundaries When she rides her bike, she'll amble along for a bit beside you, but then she'll thrust forward in a burst of speed, eager to be independent and out front. Her legs pump furiously, her bike a blur of pastel, the pink and purple streamers straight out from her handle bars. Her world is one of rules: stop and wait, look for cars, stay with us, don't get too far ahead, need to leave on time, sit quietly at your desk...a seemingly neverending list. But in that moment, she is motion and air and nothing more, boundaries are falling as far behind her as her parents. She already dreams of the day when she has her own house. She aches for the time that she owns her own life, and her mother aches to never tell her that this time--childhood---is the best she'll get of that. The freer you are, the more you owe elsewhere. Irritating injustice Her teacher says her greatest asset is her sense of fairness, and that this normally quiet child will speak ou...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Glennia Campbell, Managing Editor glennia.campbell@gmail.com http://momocrats.typepad.com/ Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama answers MOMocrats "The Questions We Wish the Debates had asked" MOMocrats step up where mainstream media and traditional debates let the American public down, "Things we wish they'd asked in the debates..." Palo Alto, CA -- April 30, 2008 -- Recently, MOMocrats asked the Democratic Presidential candidates the questions we all wish reporters or moderators had asked in any interview or debate. Today, Senator Barack Obama sent back his answers to the MOMocrats' questions. This is the latest example of the influence political blogging groups are showing in the presidential campaign. The most recent debate between the Democratic candidates was disappointing to most citizens. We felt that the questions were directed more towards mud slinging between the candidate rather than substantive questions a...

Joy Behar is a sick, sick woman. She thinks that Miley Cyrus needed to drop and bare in order to appeal to an older audience. I heard her words myself. That's appalling. Miley Cyrus is FIFTEEN YEARS OLD. She doesn't need to appeal to anyone who needs to see suggestive photos of CHILDREN. Was it porn? No. Was it inappropriate? Absolutely. Miley is a lovely young girl and doesn't need to pose wearing a sheet wrapped around her apparently nude body as if...as if... I'm a mother of daughters. I know art. I even know nude art. I know beautiful photography. I'm a big fan of it for ADULTS. Of which Miley is not one. If that was one of my girls? The news headline would not be "Miley poses nude for Vanity Fair." The news headline would be "Star's mother wrings famous photographer's neck." Annie Liebovitz, you should feel ashamed. She is a lovely young girl, and you should have highlighted the youth, not the sexuality. It's not a "beautif...

1. My friend Kyla has taken time to go to Austin and speak before the elected representatives of the great state of Texas about the trouble with our existing health care system, and to implore them to choose conscientiously to ensure that all who need it have health care. She's there today on her own behalf, but also on behalf of others in her shoes. Yesterday a friend and I kvetched about rising food and gas prices, and she, despite working three jobs, admitted she's worried she's going to have to go back on food stamps. None of her jobs provide any benefits or health insurance. She's an individual, but there are a lot of people in a similar position. In fact, if you only count children, there are 1.5 million in similar position, without insurance. One point five million. Kyla rocks. Thank you, Kyla. You can read her speech at her site by clicking here , or at MOMocrats by clicking here . If you go over to MOMocrats, sign up for the fab giveaway! 2. It's the day ...

The monkey, her wrenches, and the works. (Available here .) Today...monkeys are throwing wrenches into my works. It's 8:30 in the morning and already shaping up to be one of those days. You know, one of those days---like every other one, only for some reason today you want to bang your head on the wall because that seems to offer relief of some sort. * When I walked into the downstairs half bath, I could immediately tell the Smurfs had broken in to our house because they left little blue handprints all over the wall, sink, mirror, doorknob and door. I'm not sure what they were after in the half bath, but apparently it had something to do with the hand soap, which was mostly gone. So...I cleaned the bathroom. * The kitchen fairies must have been scared away by the Smurfs because when I finally made it to the kitchen, the dishwasher was still full of dishes (clean at least), and the sink was still full of dishes (dirty, sadly). Also, nobody cleaned the Whatever off the bottom of ...

I make a lot of snarky comments about the city north of me. I've been called out on this. But, I am a bit of a square peg in a round hold here. For example... I don't like cars and driving in a place that abhors public transportation. I'm a blue in a red zone. I'm a winter person in summer land. I'm a liberal arts person in an engineering and medical job market. But of all the round places to land in, this one is pretty good. Houston is second only to New York City for culture and arts, including performing arts. In fact, NYC is the only city that has more theater seats than Houston. We have incredibly talented, world-renowned resident performing arts companies that perform in architectural masterpieces. A long time ago, the power elite of Houston decided to invest in the arts. That means our museums, zoos, and galleries are top rate, as well. Even my area has thriving arts. My area consists of a cluster of small towns, most of which have populations of about 2000 p...

It's true: I not only bought my kids this toy housecleaning set , but I also sometimes make them put it to good use. And then I blogged about it. Oh the exploitative horror. It's buzzing around the blogosphere again: oh ye hale and hearty mommybloggers, blogging so assiduously about your offspring, what harm do you do? HERE BE DRAGONS! I read the most recent mommyblogging article on the topic of the ethics of parents blogging. Although at first read the article seems comprehensive and contemplative, on second consideration, it struck me as stale. And hyperbolic. I suspect the writer reworked the material to fit her thesis. That's a no-no in science, but also in reporting. You can't---shouldn't---edit and force material to fit the headline you want. That's...dishonest. The problem in large, to me, is that word exploitative. It sours the reader, and casts a pall on the subjects covered in the article. Is blogging truly exploitative? By focusing once again on that...

The first thing I knew about truth was that it had many faces, was not exclusive of embellishment, and was invariably subjective and typically relative. It was also cause for more battles as religion and politics. That's because, I think, the real battle---even when it comes to religion and politics---is over what is true. For some, truth is solid, as hard as a diamond. To these people, truth is incontrovertible. It is a known thing, obvious. That four-legged, solid surface object in the kitchen is a table. This thing is true. For others, truth is slightly more malleable, self-evident, soft. That stuffed object you sit on is maybe a sofa, maybe a couch, perhaps a love seat, or a settee...it depends upon what you know, what you think, how you experience it. The first group is deeply offended by embellishment, unnecessary add-ons. They find this to be misleading, which is their softening how they feel, which is that you are lying. These people, whether they know it or not, subscribe ...

Lined along my driveway are large pots with tiny little trees in them. We're growing them in the hope that they can become strong trees planted where trees are needed. I know one place that needs trees, and I know a group working to plant them. A billion of them. Would you like to help? The Atlantic Forest is one of the largest tropical rain forests in the world. However, after decades of clear cutting, expansion, development, and agriculture only seven percent of the original forest remains. Why are tropical rain forests important to the earth and to people? Forests regulate the atmosphere and stabilize global climate. They also store carbon dioxide and release oxygen. One billion people depend directly on the rain forest. In addition to the lifegiving attributes for the entire world, such as water, medicine, and oxygen, rain forests also provide livelihoods and even hydro energy. It's also home to one of the most diverse collections of plant and animal species.: 23 species o...

If you ask Persistence how old she is, she'll tell you she's five. She can't quite bring herself to say six, her sister's age. Is it because her sister holds a claim to that number right now, or is it an inherent talent for hyperbole---knowing exactly where the line is that she shouldn't cross? On Saturday at a party several of us were laughing with a neighbor, my friend's husband, and he was spinning yarns about his upcoming trip to Italy. "You need to learn how to lie, Jack," I said, "You go one step past believable. If you'd said you were biking from Paris to Florence, some of us might have partially believed you. But walking?" And we all laughed harder. "Maybe it's intentional," he told me, "I get in trouble for teasing, so I try to make sure I'm way over the top upfront so nobody even starts to believe me." Someone reminded me that I must be a very good liar because everyone thinks I'm truthful. I am ...

It's been a wild week in nearly every avenue. Here's what I've seen that might intrigue, interest, disgust, enthrall and/or appall you: The good: Earth Day ramp up has motivated some really fantastic things. At Moms Speak Up, I joined The Nature Conservancy's campaign to Plant a Billion. One tree, one dollar...and every dollar counts. Click over here to check out the information and join in the campaign! Aimee Greeblemonkey launched a project near and dear to my heart (for those of you who know how I feel about art, kid art , and art in school , as well as the environment). Inspired by her son who hosted a backyard art auction and a reader suggestion, she launched Kid Art Auction for Earth Day 2008 . Izzy asked if I would take on Moms Speak Up as Editor-in-Chief, which I agreed to do. I'm currently seeking motivated writers who are passionate about the environment, dangerous imports, health care, food safety, media and marketing, education, politics and many othe...

Thanks for participating in the "green talk" Hump Day Hmm. There's no limit to links here---old or new---and you can put in as many links to environmental-related posts as you like! Copyright 2008 Julie Pippert Also blogging at: Julie Pippert REVIEWS : Get a real opinion about BOOKS, MUSIC and MORE Julie Pippert RECOMMENDS : A real opinion about HELPFUL and TIME-SAVING products Moms Speak Up : Talking about the environment, dangerous imports, health care, food safety, media and marketing, education, politics and many other hot topics of concern. MOMocrats

Earth Day 2008 on April 22! Are you struggling for topics to write about on your blog? Or have you got plenty planned and in the works? Either way, come sit by me and let's talk about hot topics for the next week: Earth Day 2008. This Wednesday's Hump Day topic asks you to share your views about caring for our planet. What do you believe about ecology---preserving and conserving? How did you come to those views? As usual, I'll leave the post up for a couple of days. Just write the post, link back to here, and come add your link in to Mr. Linky. I'm also scouting for great posts for Moms Speak Up . I'm looking for great information, news, updates, green tips and more. There is a lot of environmental and safe product news and information about there, as well as ideas for greener lifestyles, and crucial health care research and knowledge, and more. Every part of our life touches the earth in some way. Let's write about it! Have you written about the environment, d...

Photo of us with Congressman Nick Lampson after a luncheon. Photo credit: Colleen O'Brien, reporter, Friendswood Reporter News Brunch with the fab Liv and Jenny. And a ton of birthday parties. Our weekend was nonstop---which can be good, and exhausting. Also, it sets a bad precedent with kids, who will now think every weekend revolves around MegaFun. In brief: * As always, an interesting lunch with Congressman Nick Lampson. The Democrats are the truly family friendly party. It's not a euphemism for "live according to our morality or we'll make you by law." It means, "we know people have families and we want to be supportive of that." So keep that in mind, my friends, as the election draws closer. Mr. Lampson's chief of staff could not have been kinder or more helpful in accommodating me showing up with Persistence. Mr. Lampson could not have been nicer to her, even earning her trust and a smile. The other guests were also very nice, and gave her lots...