Hi mamas-

This week, we’re handing the newsletter over to the founder of an organization that is doing the work — making sure mothers are heard, supported, and represented where it matters most—paid family leave, maternal health and childcare! We couldn’t be more thrilled for Erin Erenberg, CEO of Chamber of Mothers, to take over The CARRY ALL this week, so you can learn more about their mission and even join it! You can also hear more about them on my podcast this week. And keep reading for winners from last week’s SIMPLIFIED giveaway 🎉

-Paula, Founder CARRY™ Media ❤️

Moms, hello!! I'm Erin Erenberg, CEO of Chamber of Mothers—and we're so excited to take over the CARRY™ All this week! 

If you don't know us, Chamber of Mothers is a nonpartisan movement of American mothers dedicated to addressing some of the biggest challenges faced by moms and families today. 

Our goal is to unite mothers across both sides of the political aisle and to create a country where no mother dies a preventable death, where paid family and medical leave are accessible to all, and where quality child care is affordable for EVERY family.  

Can you even say a mom is healthy until she has the social support she needs — namely time to care for her family and self after birth, as well as affordable, accessible, quality childcare? 

They are all connected. 

This week's newsletter will put a spotlight on support that mothers like you can lean on whether you are expecting for the first time, have grown children, or simply understand that healthy moms are the backbone of our country. 

Cheers to staying fed up and fired up!

-Erin

 This week in The CARRY™ ALL, we’re talking about:

• 🧒🏼 Practical Tips for Finding Childcare (Before Summer Begins…)  

• 📋 The Best Antidote For Anxiety Is Action

• 📖 Share Your Stories

• 🎉 Simplified giveaway winners announced

GIVEAWAY!

In honor of Women’s History Month, our founder Paula Faris is giving away copies of her book You Don’t Have to Carry it All to 5 lucky readers every week in March! Want one? Comment “CARRY” in the comments at the bottom of this newsletter! Winners will be announced in the following week’s edition of The CARRY ALL.

THE BIG 1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣

1️⃣  🧒🏼 Practical Tips for Finding Childcare (Before Summer Begins…) 

Chamber of Mothers co-founder Lauren Smith Brody, who is also the founder of The Fifth Trimester, is an amazing resource for mothers navigating childcare. Here are a few practical tips on how to find childcare as working moms near the 10 most stressful weeks of the year: Summer. 

1. Check your job benefits for childcare help and have your partner do the same. You may have more available to you than you expect in terms of FSA reimbursements. 

2. Get visible. Do not hide this need — people can only help what they see and hear. Share your network of trusted sitters. If five fellow parents all shared two names, you'd have 10 go-to sitters in a pinch!

2️⃣ 📋 The Best Antidote For Anxiety Is Action

We hear from a lot of moms about their worries and concerns for themselves, their children and their families and how they’re being affected by public policies. Our advice? Get active locally with other moms who want to bring about change. When you join a local Chamber of Mothers meeting, you will find yourself in a community with other fed up and fired up moms who are fighting for paid family and medical leave, maternal health and affordable and accessible childcare for all.

3️⃣ 📖 Share Your Stories: Child Tax Credit

One of the most powerful tools we have is sharing your stories of modern motherhood. During our fly-ins to Washington, DC where we meet with policy makers and elected officials from both sides of the aisle — your stories are what we talk to them about. For our next fly-in, we will be talking about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act where we will be advocating to keep the Child Tax Credit at $2,000 per qualifying child. 

If you have a story to share about affordable and accessible childcare OR how reducing the tax credit would impact you—please tell us about it here.

And, don’t forget to listen to Erin’s conversation with Paula this week on why moms make ideal employees, plus why supporting moms and families is actually an economic issue.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT 🤎

for working moms with older children

• At Chamber of Mothers, we understand that mothers of older children find themselves the primary caretaker of aging parents, too. 

  It’s a lot to carry which is why we are pushing hard to protect Medicaid at all costs. 
  Here are some facts: 

  • 72 million Americans benefit from Medicaid coverage. 

  • Medicaid covers 60% of nursing home residents

  Cuts to Medicaid will have a direct impact—mentally, physically, emotionally and economically on mothers. 

  While the budget bill recently passed in the House of Representatives, it will go to the House Energy & Commerce Committee next where they will have to come up with a plan to cut $880B from programs in its purview. Then the House and Senate will have to pass it by March 14th. 

  Please reach out to your elected officials to voice your concerns! Here is a script:

  “I am calling to urge YOU to vote no on any budget that involves cuts to Medicare, Medicaid or SNAP.”

  If you’d like to stay up to date on future calls-to-action—make sure you sign up for our newsletter here.

Finally, congrats to our FIVE winners from last week’s SIMPLIFIED giveaway. You’re getting a copy of the SIMPLIFIED cookbook by Emily Ley and a bunch of Simplified swag. RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL with your mailing address, so our team can get them out to you. 🎉

➡️ Brittany Cortez

➡️ Jennifer Hostetter

➡️ Mary Alice Lathem

➡️ Liz Sperlich

➡️ Meg Applegate