Pumpkin Pancakes

This morning I was watching the morning news and saw an IHOP commercial for pumpkin pancakes, I know sounds so delicious right. So my friend Ali and I choose to spend part of our Sunday at the I HOP. Upon our arrival we realized the place was packed, not unusual I suppose for a Sunday morning in Oshkosh. We waited our turn to be seated and order or pancakes. I suppose none of this is really relevant when it gets to the point but as the people were quickly rushing by this one women stood out. As she walked by again we conversed about how we knew here, neither of us could remember right away. Suddenly it occurred to me that we had her as our server the last time we were at the IHOP, I know hard to believe. We both recalled the story she had shared with us just a few months ago.
She has been working at the IHOP for 3 years now.
She is single mom. 
She has a 4-year-old son and basically works to send him to daycare. 
Her cheery smile makes it hard to see who she really is.
However, Ali and I both remember the story she told us the last time she was there. About how her boss was a creep and if it wasn't for her son she would have been out of here awhile ago. The last time we talked she was telling us how she was offered a job at her sons daycare so Ali and I were a little surprised to see her there. When we asked her about the daycare situation she told us another story. Apparently, the daycare is on the verge of being shut down. It lacks structure, and appropriate settings for the children to play in. She was told by one of the teachers there that she should probably remove her son from the daycare and definitely look elsewhere for a job. I don't know what it was that made this womens life so appealing to me. Maybe the fact that she was only a few short years older than me and I could feel myself standing in her worn down shoes. I told her about my dream to open a daycare center, got her phone, and told her that if and when I finish my degree and still want to do it, she would be the first I called.
She gave me a hug, smiled brightly, and continued to work.
As Ali and I finished our coffee we smiled at each other, we both knew we had done good.
Its important to question the health and safety of those around you, no matter how minor the role in your life may seem. You never know the short conversation you have with someone may be the most important of there entire day.

family forms

I found two definitions from the reading "Family Systems, Family Lives" extremely interesting. One being, "...the family is constituted through general behavior patterns or behavior that emerge because of specific needs and desires of human being and because of the societal conditions of our lives." Another definition that I found interesting was "...kinship systems, or patterns of relationships that define family forms."
Both of these sentences got me thinking about family structure and how families differ from one another. Primarily, I thought of the new television series "Sister Wives" on TLC. Its a show about a family that practices polygamy (multiple spouses). In the series thus far there are 3 wives, one husband, and a girlfriend. The three wives share the same husband. This is just one example of a different family form that varies from the social norm of a marriage which contains a man and a women. It got me thinking about how these women's roles in life must vary considering their husband has two other wives who have needs and children to attend to.
I choose to rather than judge the situation that they are in to merely consider the lives of the children as the number one priority and even then it made it hard for me to establish an opinion. Regardless of a family structure I feel that the most important thing is the development of the child. The parents should be selfless in the sense that there children receive the best form of life possible. The parents should be able to communicate well and efficiently to insure that the children are provided with a solid support system, structure, and discipline.
In the series, it seemed that the father and the wives had a happy carefree life, however; the kids appeared to lacked structure, good schooling, and effective communication skills. In addition, the wives seemed to be confused most of the time and the husband failed to communicate effectively with them. Initially I just thought it was strange that a woman would be willing to share her husband with other women, however; after further analyzes I seemed that the system was failing the children as well.
In relation to the definitions I originally mentioned family structure is all determined by the desires of the human beings involved in the family. Although some may take this situation may seem odd I think it seems more odd to me now that I have determined that in reality the children turn out to be extremely confused, lack a family structure, and often have commitment problems.

After establishing my own opinion I did a little research and it turns out that most of my observations are right on  with what the experts, or doctors are saying about the effects of polygamist relationships on the children. Here's a few links that I found interesting.
http://www.traumaawareness.org/id19.html
http://www.christianity.ca/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=6835

I got to vote

I got to vote the other day, and it was totally awesome. This was the first time I have taken advantage of my privilege to vote. It was quite thrilling. My women's studies class is actually what motivated me to leave the house on November 2, 2010 and go vote. During previous elections I may have let this opportunity pass me by. Now that I have more knowledge about what women went threw to get the right to vote I promise I will let this opportunity pass no more. It was interesting to go into this small damp elementary school gymnasium and see all the different types of people stepping up and making there vote count. I felt like I was some how making a difference when I added my scantron to the piles of people who had voted before me. In addition, I felt exceptionally patriotic when they gave me my little "I voted" sticker which I wore with pride all day long. It is quite an awesome feeling to know that we can make a difference somehow and have a say in the way things are going.  It's only been 90 years since the 19th amendment was ratified giving women the right to vote. And lets not forget the many, many, many, many years leading up to 1920 in which women fought day after day to get us that right. Lets not let such a golden opportunity pass us by. The women before us worked so hard to get us this privilege so do your part and use it.

today on the streets of Milwaukee

Today on the streets of Milwaukee I had the rare opportunity of being the passenger. As we were driving I was thinking about my women studies class in the back of my head, it was then that I started to observe the streets a little more carefully, particularly the women.
I first saw a women construction worker, a rare sight nevertheless, it struck me as odd. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who drove by and saw the stunning women in her pink boots, wearing her red lipstick, and her blond hair swirling with the wind. Then I thought back to my article about how I can do it all while wearing a dress. Then it really got me thinking, way to go girl. She's really putting herself out there.  But just the same she goes out in the cold world everyday makes her money, doing dirty work, and still looking beautiful. Just another women, doing what she has to do to get by.  Although I will probably never see her again and I don't know her name she still struck me as a beautiful women.

Next came the homeless women on the corner. Her dirty hair seemed to compliment her blue eyes somehow. I made eye contact with her at the stop light and for a second I saw a glimpse of her soul. She was just as beautiful as the construction worker. I somehow felt her pain in that brief moment that we locked eyes. I found a new respect for her. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes. Going days without a shower and yet waking up everyday to stand on the corner only to be scrutinized by those zipping by her. They all go home to their families and leave her behind without a second thought. Although I will never see her again, I wish she could somehow know that she is in my thoughts.
These were only two of the women that I picked out of the crowds of people. There were many mothers I saw dragging there children along to the bus stop with big bags groceries in both hands. I could feel the weight of the groceries and the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Us women need to stick together. Although we all may be on different walks of life we all share that common bond of being a women that no man can ever understand. We can be each others biggest fans, hold each others hands, and help each other out when the going gets tough.
Out on the streets of Milwaukee there are all types of women, who all have a heart, a will, and a way to get threw each day. I commend you all for your greatness. Keep up the good work ladies.

trick or treat?

Straight from the mouth of Lindsey Lohan in the movie Mean Girls, Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it

I find this quote to be entirely true. Halloween not only for high school and college students but for all adults has turned into a time for women to act like a slut and get away with it. Its never the men who are walking around mostly naked, its always the women. Why is it that this one day a year, regardless of the bitter cold temperatures, it is completely acceptable for a women to parade around dressed in nothing more than a mini skirt, fish nets, and a bra? Halloween has become a holiday were girls dress like sluts, everyone gets drunks, and the guy gets lucky. Is that what our society has come to? . Adults setting bad examples for children to look up that when they grow up maybe they will be so "lucky" to have to same fate. Stores like Halloween Express and Halloween City seem to only promote the promiscuous activities by supplying countless teenagers and adults with costumes that are far to revealing in my opinion. It would be helpful if society changed their views just a little bit and didn't see Halloween as such a time to "get lucky". Maybe its all just fun and games but just the same I feel women should have a little more self respect and treat Halloween like every other day and dress appropriately.
It comes down to the saying we all take from our childhoods, is Halloween merely a trick for on us girls, so the guys can get treat? I suppose its up to you to decide.

Oh, if men could menstrate

I found the article "If Men Could Menstruate" written by Gloria Steinem comical and very interesting. The line that first got me thinking was,
"What would happen, for instance, if suddenly, magically, men could menstruate,  and women could not? The answer is clear- menstruation would become an enviable, boast-worthy, masculine event: Men would brag about how long, and how much."

This article got me think about not only the biological differences between men in women but also the emotional and social differences. The article went on to say that if men could menstruate that the government would supply them with supplies and whatever they would need to comfort themselves. Why is it hat if such a thing as menstruation where to occur in men that the situation would be handled so differently? It seems to me that due to the characteristics that men are often portrayed that if they were to menstruate it would be quite catastrophic.

In Patricia Hill Collins article, "Towards a New Vision" she lists what some of the common stereotypical traits of both males and females are.

        Males                   Females

    aggressive                 passive

     leaders                      follower

       rational                     emotional

strong                       weak

    intellectual               physical

With all these traits laid out in front of us it's hard to grasp that women are often perceived as weak when we are enduring pain at least once a month, not to mention that we are the ones caring and giving birth to children. I don't think that women are given enough credit, and I don't believe they have ever been. The things we have to go threw just to live our day to day lives in some cases is quite painful. And under some circumstances women can't get the help they need even when they are in such pain. Once example that really touched me was the story of Simeesh Segaye. In the article, "Cursed by God?" written by Agnes R. Howard and Nicholas D. Kristof they talk about a women, Simeesh Sigaye. Simeesh is a 21-year-old Ethiopian women who due to her four day child birth which resulted in the death of her child's death and to her dismay soon after she realized she was suffering from obstetric fistula. Simeesh spent the next 2 years curled up in a hut which her family had made for her. Her husband left her and she couldn't get on a bus to seek medical attention because of her smell. Simeesh was lucky to survive but there are many that aren't as fortunate as her.

According to World Health Organization every minute, at least one women ties due to complications involved with child birth, that's about 590, 000. Not to mention, for every one women that dies in childbirth 20 suffer from injury, infection, or disease- that's about another 10 million per year. 

In addition, in honor of breast cancer awareness month I would like to recognize the women who are diagnosed and die from breast cancer every year. 

According to The Centers of Diesase Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov) in the United States in 2006, 191,410 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 40, 820 died. 

 Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women.

Support Breast Cancer Awareness.

The point is, ladies, we are far from weak. If men were the ones menstruating I know it to be true that they could not handle it. As a matter of fact they wouldn't be able to handle half the stuff we have to put up with on a daily basis. This world would be nothing without us. Stay strong ladies, we are the world.

what color is your hair?

The essay "Hold your Nose", written by Lisa Miya-Jervis really got me thinking about what an American women looks like. Or what the "stereotypical" American women looks like? Or even what does an American women want to look like?

The line the struck me the most was, "Can it be that for all the strides made against racism and anti-semitism Americans still want to expunge their ethnicity from their looks?"

I think that the reason this question seemed so odd to me is simply because America is known as the nations "melting pot" or as more recently stated a "fruit salad". That's what I was taught in elementary school and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Even as a young girl I was taught that even though we are all American, we are different.

This article pointed out to me that in modern day society people seem to be a little less excepting of their trates that in that past would have made them unique or original. According to the article "Hold your Nose", "Jews make up only 2 percent of the American population." Aside from this statistic being suprising to me it got me wondering what type of people make up the American population and then what it is that people outside of America see the average american women as. So, I did some research.

According to Wikipedia.com and the Census of the United States of America below is the demographic of the United States in 2008 with a total population of 304.1 million:

Race and Hispanic or Latino origin	Percentage	Number
White alone (of which 29.2 million are White Hispanic and Latino Americans. Excluding these, this category comprises 65.4% or 198.9 million)	75.0%	228.2 million
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, of any origin	15.4%	46.9 million
Black or African American alone	12.4%	37.6 million
Some other race alone	4.9%	15.0 million
Asian alone	4.4%	13.4 million
Two or more races	2.3%	7.0 million
American Indian or Alaska Native alone	0.8%	2.4 million
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander alone	0.14%	0.43 million

75% of the American population is made up of white or Caucasian people, but what about the other 25% which is rarely represented in pictures of the "typical" American women.

It bothers me that rarely women of other races are used as an icon to represent America. In my last blog post I posted a picture of Rosie the Riveter who is portrayed as a strong American women, who is white. I think that even though the other races that compose the makeup of America may have less numbers than the Caucasian race they should be equal represented as an icon of the American people.