Sonia Sotomayer is one of the most remarkable Supreme Court nominees in history. If her nomination is approved by Senate, she’ll be the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court, and only the third woman.

She was born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, and was raised in the Bronx. Her father died when she was nine, and after his death her mother worked six days a week as a nurse, sometimes working a second job, to support the family.

Even as a hardworking single mother, her mom, Celina Sotomayor, never stopped encouraging her children to focus on their education. She bought a set of encyclopedias for her two children, much talked about in the media in the last few days for being the only set in the neighborhood, and worked extra hours to pay for the tuition costs and send her children to the nearby Catholic school.

Sonia’s brother is a doctor, and after graduating from Princeton university, Sonia went to law school at Yale. She then worked in private practice briefly, but has spent much of her career in public offices, first as an Assistant District Attorney in New York, and then as a Federal District judge and a Court of Appeals judge. During that time, one of the organizations she was involved in was the Maternity Center Association, now called Childbirth Connection, a non-profit organization working to improve the quality of maternal care.

As well as education, Celina said that her parenting focused equally on character. She says that “I always taught my children to study and be honest and be good.”

In a speech at the White House with Barack Obama on Tuesday, Sonia paid tribute to her mom.

“I stand on the shoulders of countless people. Yet there is one extraordinary person who is my life aspiration. That person is my mother, Celina Sotomayor. My mother has devoted her life to my brother and me. And as the President mentioned, she worked often two jobs to help support us after Dad died. I have often said that I am all that I am because of her, and I am only half the woman she is.”
Celina’s neighbors and friends also spoke of her devotion to her children, and of how her kids were always her first priority.

Sonia has worked hard to get to where she is now, but her story is powerful proof of how good mothering can make a huge difference in a person’s life. Not all our children will end up on the Supreme Court, but we hope that they will achieve the things that they dream of. But how does what we do as mothers affect the lives of our children, and how can we help them become successful in their own lives?

I think perhaps the best thing Cecilia did for her children was to love them unconditionally, and be there for them through all the tough times. And so they grew up with an unshakable foundation and the certainty of their mother’s love that has helped both Sonia and her brother achieve things that aren’t usually expected from kids from the Bronx.

January 26 marks the start of the Year of the Ox in the Chinese or Lunar calendar. Those who were born in the years 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997 – and of course 2009 are “Ox people” as astrologers would say. According to many sources, the qualities of a person born on the year of the Ox reflects that of the animal named after it and are as follows:

• Patient and quiet but can be eloquent when needed
• Hardworking and dependable
• Mentally and physically alert
• Competitive, hates to fail or being opposed
• Stubborn

On the negative side, Ox people can have fierce tempers and have a tendency towards eccentricity.

The Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year and is not only celebrated in China or Asia but the world over by many people of Southeast Asian origins. The New Year celebrations this year end on February 15.

Perhaps the most famous person to be born in the year of the Ox is no other than the newly inducted US President Barack Obama (born August 4, 1961). Other ox celebrities include Bach, Handel, Van Gogh, Dvorak, Walt Disney, and Charles Chaplin.

Perhaps it’s never too early to introduce your children to politics? Children’s television network Nickelodeon will be showing highlights of President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration all day on Tuesday.

While the major networks plan to show the whole event live, Nickelodeon is tailoring its coverage for their audience. Snippets of the parade, the speech, and Obama’s oath of office will be televised and Nickelodeon’s own reporters will be broadcasting from Washington DC. Short segments of Inauguration coverage will be mixed in with their regular programs.

Nickelodeon has discovered that children are surprisingly interested in the political process. Nick networks covered the election and ran their own kiddie election, with much closer margin than the real one. Nick’s viewers also voted for Obama who won their election with 51% of the vote, John McCain receiving 49%. 2.2 million children cast their votes. And they say the youth are apathetic about politics!

Another reason that Nickelodeon is paying such close attention to politics is Barack Obama’s daughters, 10 year old Malia and 7 year old Sasha, are part of their target audience, and they are already influential celebrities themselves. Maybe Nickelodeon are hoping to get the First Family’s official approval?

Whatever your political position, most people agree that it’s important for children to understand the political process and want to get involved, understand the issues, and want to vote. I think this is a great thing for Nickelodeon to be doing. If I had cable I’d let my toddler son watch. We’ll have to follow it online if Nickelodeon carries their coverage on their website.

Another way for children to get involved with politics: Legoland has inaugurated President Obama already. An incredible lego model of the Inauguration with thousands of lego people is on display in Legoland in California.

Conservative columnist and author Anne Coulter has a new book to promote, so she’s been on all the talk shows lately. Never one to shy away from controversial topics, and certainly never one to take the middle ground on an issue, this round of self-publicity has drawn the most fire over her opinions on single mothers. Single mothers, according to Anne,  raise rapists, strippers, runaways, and murderers, and are responsible for all of societies’ problems. Ironic then that she’s dressed as a call girl on the cover of the latest epic rant, Guilty: Liberal “Victims” and their attack on America.

I appreciate that Anne Coulter has worked out that the more controversy she generates, the more books she sells. But stirring up anger and resentment against a group of women who are by and large hardworking, nurturing, loving mothers, is doing society more harm than the very small minority of single moms who fit the stereotype that Coulter is peddling.  She keeps ranting, and encouraging people to vote for politicians who won’t fund programs to assist single moms with childcare, employment and healthcare, and single moms will continue to struggle and fall of the bottom of the ladder, and their children will suffer.

And what about the fathers who abandon their responsibilities, who number far in excess than neglectful single mothers?

It’s wrong to label every single one of the approximate one-third of American mothers who are raising kids without the children’s father in the home.

Many serial killers – Ted Bundy being the most notorious – have been raised by single mothers with absent fathers, but others like Jeffrey Dahmer, the Hillside Stranglers, and David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam” were all raised by married couples.

And conversely, Barack Obama was raised by a single mom. John McCain divorced his first wife, leaving her with full custody of their one child and two adopted children. And Sarah Palin’s unwed daughter is now an mom to baby Tripp.

And there’s me too. Is my son is going to grow up to be a murderer, rapist or stripper? He just learned to take his pants off and as toddlers do, has great enthusiasm for demonstrating his new skill, so he seems to have the qualifications for the last one. He’s also very good at building block towers and can recognize letters and numbers so I think it’s more likely he’ll be in construction or some kind of regular job that defies Anne Coulter’s expectations.

Coulter was on The View on Monday, getting into it with Whoopi Goldberg in particular, herself a single mom. If you’d like to fling something heavy at the computer or worship her outspokeness, you can catch it again on YouTube.

What do you think?

On Wednesday, Barack Obama told his young daughters (Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7) that he wanted to be president so they could “grow up in a world with no limits on [their] dreams and no achievements beyond [their] reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world.” He wrote them an “open letter” to express his desires for the next four years and beyond.

As many parents have discovered, kids change everything in life. Obama said that his goals used to be all about how he could succeed. But once the girls entered the picture, his goals changed. “I realized that my own life wouldn’t count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours.”

The president-elect published this letter in Parade Magazine so that not only his girls would read it, but the whole world could see his intentions for his term as president. He addressed the letter to them, but also acknowledges that running for president was for ALL American kids.

Topping the political/personal wish list for every child are educational aspirations and job opportunities, as well as developments in science and technology, and an end to prejudice. He also expressed gratitude towards his grandmother for showing him that our country’s greatest strength may be that despite its imperfections, it can always be made better.

I have never written so eloquently to my children, and I would never let anyone outside my family see the letters, but I do write to them. One letter that stands out as particularly memorable was the one I wrote to my son the day before he entered Kindergarten. I was sobbing as a I wrote, noting that it was the last day when his father and I had sole influence over his life, and praying the best for his first step into the world on his own. Of course, I have written far less dramatic things, as well, to both of them. I tell my daughter what she is able to do, and how I am feeling, and if we’ve had a bad day. I suppose it’s like a journal. But even now, when I read what I wrote just a few months ago, I realize I’ve already forgotten things. So it’s for me and for them.

My son has never read any of these letters, and my daughter is only 9 months old. But someday they will both be able to read my thoughts and know my heart. They’ll know how old they were when they rolled over, and they’ll know I cried the first time they smiled at me. I have recently felt “too busy” to write to them, but the president-elect has re-motivated me. I am going to write to them both this week. And I encourage you to do the same thing.

63% of Americans have a pet. Cats top the list, but if you’re the president, you must have a dog. Not that it’s in the job description, but 100% of US presidents for the last 85 years have had a pooch. And our next president is not about to change that legacy. And besides, he promised the girls (Sasha and Malia) as a reward for being good during the campaign.

During the election, and right after, president-elect Obama has repeatedly voiced his intentions to the press, discussing breeds of dogs that will best suit his family, especially considering his 10-year old daughter Malia’s allergy to dander. While dog experts continue to say that dog allergies are not technically affected by breed and the “hypoallergenic” dog is just wishful thinking, the Obamas are among the many allergy sufferers who believe that some breeds will help.

Thus, they have done their research and come up with two choices: a labradoodle (a cross of a Labrador and a Poodle) or a Portuguese water hound. Next step: find a shelter who has one of these dogs. Of course, many Americans believe in adopting a pound hound rather than going to a breeder, but it’s definitely important for the first family to practice such ideals. Whether or not they’ll find such exclusive breeds at a shelter is another matter, and how long he’ll wait for one might be worth a few bar bets.

For some reason, the American public is anxiously waiting to see what kind of dog Obama will bring to the White House, and likely, his pick will spark a flurry of breeding requests from families who see the wisdom of the choice.

But it’s been a difficult few weeks of consideration for the new president, who has all kinds of decisions to make these days. “We’re closing in on it. This has been tougher than finding a commerce secretary,” he joked. Obama had chosen New Mexico governor Bill Richardson for the position, but Richardson withdrew his nomination after campaign finance scandals arose.

I know how my family picked a cat. We went to the shelter, saw what they had, and selected the one who seemed nicest. But none of us are allergic, and the cat doesn’t come inside, anyway. How did your family pick an animal? Do you believe there really is a hypoallergenic breed, despite what the experts say?

People in many places celebrated in myriad ways yesterday when Barack Obama was elected the next president of the United States. Perhaps nowhere was the party as enthusiastic as in maternity wards the world over, especially Kenya, Obama’s birthplace.

Today saw a flood of little Baracks, Michelles, and even Obamas, as mothers hope their little bundles of joy will meet with similar success in life as the 44th president-elect and his wife. His name means “Blessed.” Her name asks, “Who is like God?”

One Kenyan mother, Pauline Adhiambo, gave birth to twins in the wee hours of November 5, and named them Michelle and Obama. In the same hospital on that one day, there were at least eight other boys with the president-elect’s name. One mother told a reporter that she and her husband picked the name “because the whole town and the entire world was very enthusiastic about Barack Obama, and we believe he is a great man.”

The trend wasn’t just limited to Kenya, but that country definitely led the way. Obama is a celebrity in Kenya, one of their own who has succeeded beyond all expectations. And, of course, it’s not unusual for mothers to name their children after celebrities and leaders. France has seen its share of Napoleons, for example. I named my son Jacob because I thought it was a nice name, but also because I like the story. He really messed up but he was used by his god, anyway. Now, that’s hope.

So while these moms pray that their children will be as “blessed” and “godly” as their namesakes, I pray that the leaders will live up to such expectations.

I’m not voting today. I wish I could, but although I live in America, I’m not a US citizen so I’m not eligible to vote here. And I live in a swing state so I’d dearly love to go and vote, I’m going out and knocking on doors and helping in my local campaign office.

You might think it’s nothing to do with me, but I live here and even if I didn’t, the whole world is watching the elections. The headline on almost every major world newspaper’s website is about the US elections. What America does affects the rest of the world so everyone cares who wins tonight, because America’s foreign policy makes an enormous difference to people all around the globe. The US economy is the largest in the world and as the old adage goes, when America sneezes, the whole world catches a cold.

Parenting is in large part setting a good example. Voting is so important and I’ll be taking my son to vote in my home country, next election, or at least have him help me mail in my postal ballot. Maybe next election I’ll have made citizenship and I will be able to vote: now that’s exciting!

If you are eligible to vote, and if this is your first election with a baby, our blogger VAMomma has an excellent guide to voting with children in tow.

And many businesses are offering sweet rewards to those who vote. Starbucks is giving a free coffee to voters, and Ben and Jerry’s are giving free ice cream to everyone on Tuesday evening. Krispy Kreme are giving free star-shaped donut to voters. So don’t forget to pick up your “I Voted” sticker at the polls!

So will you be up watching the results come in tonight? Did you vote already? And perhaps the most important question: what flavor of Ben and Jerry’s are you going to get?

Recently, one of the presidential candidates wagged a finger at America and said it was a little embarrassing that more of us don’t learn foreign languages. I’ll keep my politics and the accuracy of his statements to myself, but I will say this: I’ve actually been a little embarrassed to admit that I am teaching my children Spanish.

When my son Jacob’now 11′was about four years old, he told us that he wanted to learn Spanish. He thought it would be kind of neat to have another way to speak’almost like a code. So my husband and I, recognizing a window of opportunity when we saw it, plunged in. But ever since, I’ve often felt like I had to defend my decision to friends and family’like they thought I was being obnoxious, pushing my son too hard. But hey, it was his idea in the first place.

Neither my husband nor myself are bilingual, but I had six years of school Spanish and my husband had a few, as well. I started teaching Jacob what I remembered, using the same phrases over and over. A family friend was bilingual, so we began having him over for dinner once a week to speak Spanish with Jacob, and he also made some flash cards for me so that I could expand my list of useful phrases. ‘Clean your room.’ ‘Set the table.’ ‘Get ready for bed.’

Since then, we have hired foreign exchange students, a University student, and enrolled him in three classes to try and improve his ability to speak. We let him watch almost as many DVDs as he likes, as long as he sets the language to Spanish. And for the last two summers, he is ‘required’ to speak only Spanish to me. (Of course, I don’t always know if he’s making up words or using the right verb phrases, but at least I’m trying to encourage him.) By now, he falls into this unusual category of far from a native speaker, but using the language much more comfortably than someone like myself who only learned it in a classroom. He was even able to help as a translator for a church group that went to Mexico to work in an orphanage.

Now that our son has a baby sister, it is his job to speak only Spanish to her. Call me neurotic, but what’s the harm in giving her a head start?

I think it’s cool that he has this ability, even if it’s limited. And in the seven years since he began, I can already see a shift in both the need to speak other languages (especially in the region where I live) and in the attitudes of the English-speaking community around me. But not all of the Spanish speakers in my town think it’s wonderful that we are learning to communicate with them. Strangely, when my son placed at the top of his elementary school’s Spanish spelling bee and represented the school at the district level, there were some native speakers who were NOT pleased. I felt like an intruder.

So I’m torn. Some friends think I’m too demanding of my children, pushing them to be overachievers. Some native speakers are feeling threatened. Yet the likely next president of the US agrees with me that learning a foreign language is important, and all the research says that the earlier you do it, the easier it is. I guess I need to stop being embarrassed about allowing my son the opportunity he asked for, and providing my daughter an advantage she doesn’t even know she needs.

Does anyone agree?