May this day be peaceful and full of love.
Some new articles/interviews with the First Lady. (hat tip-Angelar)
At ESSENCE.COM
The First Lady Looks Back on Her First Year
Thursday, January 14, 2010 | 12:30 PM
by Cynthia Gordy
In an exclusive roundtable discussion, Michelle Obama talks about motherhood, advocacy and race in the White House
First Lady Michelle Obama says she can't believe it's been a year since she and her family moved to Washington. But as she strides confidently into the White House Old Family Dining Room on Wednesday morning, wearing a red sheath dress and brown knee-length boots, she appears to be perfectly at home.
"I was talking to somebody about what I was thinking this time last year," she told reporters from seven media outlets, including ESSENCE, after taking a seat at the dining table where she and the President host small dinners. Mrs. Obama described how, back then, she was just worried about her daughters adjusting. It wasn't until March, when Sasha and Malia announced liking their new home, that she could relax into the role of First Lady. "That was the first time that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief, despite anything that had happened up to that point," she said. "Hearing that they were okay with this move was like the beginning."
Reflecting on her first year in the White House, Mrs. Obama says she is pleased with the initiatives she took on, more than 200 events including growing a White House garden with local schoolchildren and talking about nutrition, visiting six military bases to advocate for military families and launching a White House mentoring program for teenage girls. "If there is a program that speaks fundamentally to who I am it is [the mentoring] program," she says of the 16 Washington-area girls who she and other White House officials meet with once a month. "The notion that they're preparing to meet with the President, and that they can sit down and address anyone, is just that kind of intangible confidence that can really push kids from mediocrity to fabulousness."
Still, she says there is much more she wants to do.
Rest of article at link above.
From Jezebel:
Obamas Discuss Mammograms & Tiger Woods, Offer Movie Recommendations
In two new interviews, Barack and Michelle Obama reflect on their first year at the White House and reveal that they still make time to check out indie films and keep up with tabloid gossip.
The Obamas gave People magazine their first interview of 2010 (and apparently felt totally comfortable nuzzling in front of People photographer Martin Schoeller). The President said he's proud of getting the health care bill through the House and the Senate this year and Michelle talked more about her White House garden, but both said they're proudest of how their girls have adjusted to living at the White House. Michelle explained:
We've tried to keep their day-to-day life pretty ordinary, so they seem like the kids that we've always known. But we talked about how fun it was just watching as they met the Pope. I think the girls were much more poised and calm in front of the Pope than Grandma and Mama Kaye [their godmother]. It was interesting, the pictures of the Pope and Malia and Sasha standing there exchanging conversation: "How's school?" "It's fine."
Though Barack was questioned about terrorism and Afghanistan, People had a much more intimate question for Michelle: As a woman under 50, would she stop getting annual mammograms in light of the controversial new guidelines on breast cancer? She replied:
I do [get annual mammograms], and I'm not going to change. I tend to err on the side of caution in every aspect of my health. The broader message to women is that we have to own our health. Listen to advice, but ultimately we've got to take care of ourselves.
Rest of article at link above.
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