Category Archives: Current Affairs

Election Day 2014: A Look at the NY Ballot & the WEP

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Remember how much fun it was to take kids into the voting booth even just a couple of years ago? In a attempt to make the system simpler and more foolproof (no hanging chads!) last Election Day, New York switched over from the lever machines that I remember from my youth to paper and pencil ballots. I know it’s supposed to be simpler, but frankly I find it more confusing (and not just because I’m adverse to change.)

Here is a cheat sheet of what tomorrow’s ballot will look like:

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You’ll notice the Woman’s Equality PartyWoman’s Equality Party (WEP) is on the ballot for the first time.

What is the Women’s Equality Party and what is it doing there?

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Join with Seventh Generation for TCSA Reform! #FightToxins

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**Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.**

Have you ever heard of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)?

Despite the fact that I am virtually obsessed with buying only organic produce and dairy products for my family, I didn’t know that this act hasn’t been updated since it was first passed in 1976.

Take a minute for that to sink in. Nineteen Seventy Six.

Try to think about how many ways our world has been changed for better and for worse since then. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that there were disposable contact lenses, compact discs or personal computers. You think maybe a few bazillion new toxic chemicals have been introduced into our world in that time, as well?!

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This Weekend: Watch TOMY’s Guinness World Record Attempt for World’s Tallest Traintrack

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Disclaimer: I received a train set for review purposes.  No other compensation was received.  All opinions are my own.**

Jason Moreno--TOMY master builder

TOMY Master Builder, Jason Moreno, and his team of helpers will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for World’s Tallest Train Track using the newly expanded Chuggington StackTrack.  The Chuggington StackTrack is a die-cast railway system that allows children to build a track which spirals up instead of merely taking over their floorspace like traditional train sets.

As a New York City mom, I have a special spot in my heart for toys that do not take over huge amounts of floor space–with it’s sturdy, interlocking pieces and room for creative spiraling–this set was an instant win.  Definitely not so easy to put together, but once we had it up, my kids loved zooming the trains down the ‘loop de loops’ that my husband had set up for them.

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Water is Just the Beginning #wwd13

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Today, March 22nd, is World Water Day.

After a day shuttling my children, who are both on spring vacation, from play-date to activity and back again, I counted the glasses of water that each one drank.  My 6 1/2 year old son inhaled more than 12 glasses of water and my almost 4 year old daughter had at least 10.

Glasses of fresh, clean, abundantly plentiful water.

I never got into water drinking as a kid, and, as an adult, I struggle every day to make sure that I don’t forget to hydrate.

When, at the end of a busy day, I get home and realize that I am completely parched, it is a simple act to turn the faucet and drink a glass of New York City’s finest.

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Take 5 Minutes to Celebrate Women #womensday

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“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights” Gloria Steinem

Since 1911, people the world over have been celebrating International Women’s day on March 8th as a day to celebrate the economic, social and political achievements of women and to highlight the work that still needs to be done to ensure full equality. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women’s Day is a national holiday.

To learn more about events going on around the world you can check out the International Women’s Day site .

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