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May 09, 2008
Famous Moms
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| Image: A famous and wholesome mom from TV's yesteryear. I
almost used a picture of Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears (both moms), but
thought that might send the wrong message. With Mother's Day coming up I thought it would be good to pay homage to great moms. As many of you fathers know, Mother's Day can be a double-duty holiday for us. You need to do something for your own mother, as well as make sure your kids are on track to uphold their "mother thanking" duties. So count this blog post as a gentle reminder that Mother's Day is this Sunday. It's also a history lesson about moms that otherwise might have been forgotten. George Washington's Mom (from here)- Mary Washington had "a mind of her own" -- she liked the isolation of the family farm near Fredricksburg, hated getting dressed up, and preferred to spend her time fishing with her first and favorite son, George, or rocking on the porch, smoking her pipe, gardening, or baking batches of her famous gingerbread for George and his four siblings. She tried to keep George close to home, but he kept trying to leave -- to become a sailor, which she forbid, and later, when he came of age, a soldier, which she was powerless to stop. And while he was away during the French and Indian Wars, she wrote George to complain about how she was fresh out of butter (and could he please send some), and during the Revolution, she requested that the government of Virigina provide her with an allowance, since she was, after all, the mother of the Commander-in-Chief. Donovan McNabb's Mom (from here) - Before the Eagles beat the Bears in Chicago this past October [out of temporal context], many of them feasted on macaroni and cheese, red beans and rice, greens and sweet potato pie - much of it homemade by McNabb and delivered to the team's hotel. " Donovan loves the red beans and rice," she says, "And macaroni and cheese is his favorite." Asked if she knew when he was a little boy that he was going to become a super star, she says, "Not at all. You just want your children to grow up to be successful college graduates and go on to make their own way in life. But he chose sports and that was a good thing. It kept him busy and kept him focused and in his books. That was the means kind of thing. So, No, I didn't expect that until we started seeing it coming out of Syracuse." Now, McNabb, who used to work as a pediatric nurse, runs the Donovan McNabb Foundation in suburban Chicago and oversees her son's business along with her husband, Sam McNabb. Her business is Donovan's business. It's become her second career. Saddam Hussein - The Mother of All Battles (from here)- In August 1990, Saddam and his army invaded Kuwait as a result of a long-standing territorial dispute, proclaiming it Iraq's 19th province. He defied UN orders to retreat from the tiny country, beginning what he called "the mother of all battles." The result was the Persian Gulf War with U.S.-led troops launching a relentless air offensive on Baghdad in January 1991. The war, which proved disastrous for Iraq, lasted only six weeks, and the U.S. announced a ceasefire in late February. UN terms imposed strict conditions on Iraq, including the destruction of all stockpiles of weapons. Mr. Mom (from here): [Trying to get Kenny to give up his security blanket] Jack Butler: I understand that you little guys start out with your woobies and you think they're great... and they are, they are terrific. But pretty soon, a woobie isn't enough. You're out on the street trying to score an electric blanket, or maybe a quilt. And the next thing you know, you're strung out on bedspreads Ken. That's serious. Pink Floyd's Mom - (from here): Mother, should I run for president? Mother, should I trust the government? Mother, will they put me in the firing line? Ooooowaa is it just a waste of time? Frankie Lou Glazner: I need to give a shout out to Frankie Lou. She made great meatloaf, was a cub scout den mother, and helped out in many a kid's classroom. My mom raised three boys, ran a business with my dad, and kept a clean home. Her holiday decorations, for Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving were legendary. When I was little she would wake me with a sweet, quiet, voice. When I was older, she'd send my big brother in to knock me out of bed. Frankie grew up in a small town in Oklahoma and was on a championship high school basketball team. She spent summers picking cotton on her dad's farm. Her own mother passed away when she was a child, and she was saddled with a step-mom who never seemed to like her (or her kids). She married my dad right out of high school and they lived in New York, Texas, New Mexico, and California. Frankie passed away in 1997 after a lengthy fight with breast cancer. She attended my wedding, but never met her grand kids. So part of my job this weekend is to make sure they know who she was. Other Moms: I wouldn't mind hearing about your mom, other famous moms, or interesting moms in the animal kingdom. So feel free to post something about moms. Or, just have a happy Mother's Day. |
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 CI Challenge: Can you guess what it is? Winner: Executive VP of Future Knowledge at Momcorp, Robp. |
Posted by Lon at May 9, 2008 07:33 AM
Comments
CIC: It's Mom (without her 'mom' suit)....from Futurama, the maker of robots and Mom's robot oil.
Posted by: robp at May 9, 2008 07:40 AM
CIC: That's the Mom from Futurama. She is incharge of Momcorps.
Posted by: D.Erickson at May 9, 2008 08:14 AM
Posted by: Gregg at May 9, 2008 10:24 AM
What a bunch of momma's boys.
Momcorp is listed as #4 on the Forbes 25 largest fictional companies. Here is a description of Momcorp
#4 MomCorp
Headquarters: New New York City, Earth
Industry: Conglomerate
CEO: Mom
Est. 2007 sales: $291.8 billion
Intra-solar conglomerate; major divisions include Mom's Friendly Delivery Co., Mom's Friendly Baby Food Co. and Mom's Friendly Advanced Weapon & Munition Co. Manufacturer of most of Earth's robots, MomCorp holds global monopoly on synthetic robot oil. CEO and 99.7% stockholder Mom locked in power struggle with co-owners, sons Walt, Larry and Ignar; has threatened to "cram squirrels in their frigging blow holes if they don't settle down."
Featured in Futurama.
You can see the other 24 here which include Stark Industries (Iron Man), Willy Wonka, Cyberdyne, and others...
http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/10/largest-fictional-companies-oped-books-fict1507-cx_mn_de_1211company_slide_5.html?thisspeed=20000
Lon
Posted by: Lon at May 9, 2008 10:38 AM