Rolemommy

Undercover Mom

Suze Orman the Avon Lady

Today, I received a special invite from Avon to the first ever "Tweet Up" with Suze Orman. How cool is that? I think it's great that Avon rang the doorbell of the top money guru on the planet and she agreed to help struggling entrepreneurs like me figure out how to manage my finances in this topsy turvy economy.

I guess I better look for a swanky blazer that'll get Suze to take notice and in the meantime, I'll think of some killer money questions too. Aside from asking whether I should rollover my 401K that's been sinking like a stone, I've got nothin'. If you have a great question for Suze, let me know and I'll give your blog a shout out. In the meantime, if you want a good laugh, then check out this hilarious spoof of the Suze Orman Show from SNL.

Posted in: Blog, Undercover Mom on 06/17/2009

The Movie Popcorn Blues

It's the day after Xmas and we're taking the kids to the movies. And while I've officially re-started my diet, I was planning on ordering a tub of popcorn for all of us to share. That is, until I saw this ! If you've ever wondered how many calories all those overpriced foods contain, now's your chance. Hate to break the news but a large popcorn has over 1500 calories and a package of twizzlers...600!

Insane, but a hot dog in a bun has the least amount of calories along with a box of gummi bears. So proceed with caution when you head out this weekend to see Marley and Me or Bedtime Stories - your ever expanding hips will thank you for it.

Posted in: Undercover Mom on 12/26/2008

Twitter for Dummies

Guess I've learned the hard way, but I'm starting to figure out the ins and outs of Twitter - that social networking site that competes with Facebook. Even though I am incredibly faithful to my FB friends, I have to admit that Twitter can be addicting - especially when you see people with several thousand followers who literally hang on their every mini blog. And so, this week, as I neared nearly 500 followers, I did a dumb thing. I made a plea on Twitter asking for a few more so that I'd reach my goal and guess what? I was un-followed.

So for those of you blogger mom novices who are new to twitter, here are my ten twitter tips from a fellow newbie.

1. Don't ask people to follow you. If you only have five or six followers, some people may take pity upon you, but if you start reaching the hundred mark, let people who want to follow you do it - don't force it or risk being un-followed.

2. Post a link to a blog you might think Twitterers will find interesting but do not post every blog on your site. Again - if you shamelessly promote, you will be ignored.

3. Follow the connected ones. From the momisphere they are: Resourceful Mom, Katja Presnal, From Dates to Diapers, Family Eden, Twittermoms and several more but even if you follow these moms, you will be up to speed pretty quick.

4. If you find an interesting post out on the blogosphere, share it with your twitter friends - especially if it's related to what interests you. Sharing up to the minute information is fair game. Sharing useless information will get you a passport to being un-followed.

5. Comment on your friend's twitter posts. Even if you are ignored by the top mom Twitterers, have no fear - find your own friends and twitter away with them.

6. If you sell a product and would like to offer it as a giveaway during a Twitter-athon session, make sure you reach out to the mom directly and let her know you've got the goods and are happy to share your products with them.

7. Meet Twitter-ers in person. This is not like a dating service - you are not meeting a serial killer. You're probably going to meet an incredibly well connected and savvy blogger - if you're nervous, bring a friend. In person networking is key to making it both on and offline.

8. Don't spend your entire day Twitter-ing. Even though the temptation is there, you do have a life and make sure you take a break from Twitter. Of course, you could always head right over to Facebook, but that is your call entirely.

9. What you post on Twitter is different than what you post on Facebook. Twitter-ers are more Internet savvy - your Facebook friends may never have even heard of Twitter so don't start posting a message about your Twitter friends - they'll think you're from another planet.

10. Always check your Twitter account a few times a day and if you are looking to get the word out on a blog post or product, proceed with caution. As I said, shameless promotion will ruin your street cred - be yourself, be in the know and you'll be a Twitter superstar.

If you'd like to follow me on Twitter, I'm at Rolemommy or Momauthors. If you'd like to un-follow me, it's the same handle.

Posted in: Undercover Mom on 12/21/2008

Secretary of State Clinton & My Personal Dream Team

According to the NY Times, it appears that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is thisclose to accepting President elect Obama's offer to become Secretary of State. And in a matter of days, he'll be announcing his cabinet. Frankly, I wish he consulted with me - because I think I have some great prospects he should totally add to the Obama dream team. Here are some of my picks:

Mike Bloomberg - put him in charge of all city budgets
Colin Powell - give him any job he wants. He deserves a second chance with a way better President.
Steve Jobs - Official White House IT guy
Whoever is running Blackberry - since Obama can't send emails, they can act as his official email reader and responder - just need to come up with a cool name. How about BIC (Blackberry in Chief)@gmail.com
The guys at Google - they could launch a government search engine that makes us money back and helps reduce the deficit.
The other guys at Twitter - they can host private tweet ups with cabinet members sponsored by major corporations. First tweet up sponsored by Motrin.
The kid from Facebook - He could launch a page to re-connect past presidents, VP's and world leaders.
The marketing teams at Disney and Nintendo - can help plan all social gaming activities for Malia and Sasha and create mini events and screening parties at the White House (my kids would like to be on that list)
Emeril Lagasse and the guys from California Pizza Kitchen - White House Chef and family friendly restaurant team.
The dog whisperer - official dog walker and trainer - once that puppy is adopted, the first family is going to need help pronto!
George Clooney - official MC at state dinners and fundraisers - I'm sure you'd get tons of attendees and if you auction off a date with George, just imagine how much more we could reduce our national debt?
Sarah Palin - Governor of Alaska - psych!!!

Do you have any suggestions of your own for Obama? Make a comment and win a holiday gift pack from Klutz.com

Posted in: Undercover Mom on 11/22/2008

10,000 Staples Shoppers to Win Up to $5000!

Last week, I was invited to attend a lunch hosted by Staples and Coach Tom - the retailer's current spokesman who, after appearing that morning on the Today Show, had a lively discussion over burgers and fries with mom bloggers and pregnancy website editors.

Coach Tom was on hand to talk about a cool giveaway campaign Staples is running this holiday season. Here's the scoop - if you shop at Staples, you could be eligible to win $5000 worth of office supplies and there will be 10,000 winners so your odds of winning are pretty good! So if you're planning to shop for a laptop or printer, camera, desk, photo paper, stationery, file cabinets, you name it, shop at Staples and you just may wind up walking out a winner.

Meanwhile, after I was interrogated by Coach Tom about Role Mommy and our web traffic (here's to readers clicking on this page thousands of times), he reached over into his gym bag and handed me a trophy. He then started giving trophies and medals to everyone else at the table - including the wait staff and then after he left our lunch, proceeded to distribute trophies to unsuspecting New Yorkers and tourists.

When I returned to my office, Coach Tom left me a twitter message and when I didn't post a reply, he wrote back a few days later wondering why no one was responding to him. So I twitter-ed back that he should write about the Motrin moms controversy and he'd be sure to get a few followers. And you know what? He twitter-ed right back with a really funny comeback line and since then, I'm really liking that Coach Tom guy. If you'd like to follow Coach Tom on Twitter, then click here or if you're on Facebook, you can click here to add him as a friend too. Plus there are plenty of funny YouTube videos featuring Coach Tom (like the one above) - so get to know him - he may be giving Jared at Subway or the Verizon guy a run for their money.

And if you're in need of office supplies, then look no further than Staples - shop till you win - you never know - with 10,000 winners you can totally increase your odds if you shop there a few times a week - heck the Staples near me even carries paper towels, water and snacks - if only there was a frozen food and deli meat section - I'd be there three times a week!

Posted in: Blog, Undercover Mom on 11/19/2008

Behind the Scenes at the Macy's Parade

Have you ever wondered what it was like to stand on one of the amazing floats that was crafted by a group of artisans who lend their talents each year to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Well yours truly got the chance to do just that this week when I served as official "spokesmom" for My Princess Academy. This brand new website enables little girls to pursue their love of all things princess with their very own interactive world that offers games, toys and activities while teaching them the true virtues of being a princess both inside and out: confidence, beauty, generosity and intelligence. The float is one of eight new entries this year and one lucky family will even get the chance to be flown to NYC for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade courtesy of My Princess Academy. And...to make things even more exciting, the Clique Girlz - a tween group who is currently on tour with the Cheetah Girls, will be performing live on the My Princess Academy float during the parade.

Throughout the day, I got to meet school children who were given an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the floats. With several seasoned Macy's veterans as tour guides, the kids were able to see first hand how the incredible staff at Macy's work tirelessly to ensure that everything you see on NBC or along the parade route goes off without a hitch. Some new entrants in the parade also include Disney's Bolt, a Smurf float that'll take all of us back to our own childhood (gotta love those Smurfs), an incredible Oneida Indian Nation float that features an enormous turtle with a symbolic tree on its back, Horton Hears a Who and an incredible animatronics Ocean Spray float.

The My Princess Academy float will be quite a sight to behold with a gorgeous castle made out of 50 pounds of glitter (and wood of course). Needless to say, I was covered in glitter by the time I got to my car, but maybe it was all that Macy's fairy dust that makes everyone who walks in that magical workshop feel special for a day.

Another cool tidbit that I learned during my backstage tour. Do you know how the floats get from their warehouse in New Jersey to Manhattan? They are partially taken apart and then head through the Lincoln Tunnel along with the gigantic balloons. Second cool tidbit - do you know where they test out the balloon floats to make sure they're ready to take flight? In a remote field in North Dakota - don't know where it is exactly but it's a secret location so that no one gets to see those floats until Thanksgiving Day!

This year's parade promises to be a favorite among kids and parents. The show will be packed with amazing performances - from the Clique Girlz to Miranda Cosgrove from iCarly, Gwen Stefani, Kermit the Frog and much more (heard rumors that the Jonas Bros. may be there too) not to mention the incredible new floats and balloons (any Buzz Lightyear fans out there?). You heard it here first Role Mommies - and keep coming back for the inside track on all things fun for families!

Posted in: Blog, Undercover Mom on 11/18/2008

Motrin Gives New Moms a Headache

It looks like the power of twittering moms led Motrin to remove an online ad that bloggers felt was derogatory toward new moms who carry their babies in slings. If you missed all the controversy since you don't know what Twitter is (a mini blog site where you post everything and anything about your life, favorite finds, etc.), here's the inside scoop...

While surfing around Twitter, I discovered the latest discussion among in the know moms - Motrin and their new ad campaign geared toward new moms who like to wear their babies in slings and carriers. If you'd like to check it out the ad yourself, feel free to click here and see why moms are annoyed over one company's attempt to relate to them.

The discussion among moms who love baby slings and carriers are simple - they don't get a headache while carrying their kids and they want Motrin to know that they've got them all wrong. In fact, some even complained that the people responsible for these ads are twentysomethings without kids so how do they honestly know what moms are feeling. As a marketer, publicist and mom, I have to agree that these mothers are dead on. You cannot tell your audience what they think unless you're living through it. Now of course, if a sling wearing mama at Motrin came up with the ad campaign, then I take it back, but something tells me, even if a mom was in the brainstorming session for this ad, she probably was an anti-sling wearer so again, she probably couldn't relate to those who actually enjoy carrying their babies this way.

As for me, I did use a Baby Bjorn back in the day and never really got a backache from it - I actually developed a pinched nerve in my neck from my 45 pound purse that I carried back and forth to work every day - so if Motrin really wants to target moms, then I say - here's a surefire way - show a mom carrying a Dooney and Burke satchel bag (that would be me), along with a laptop, Dunkin Donuts coffee and a train ticket. Then follow that woman as she climbs up 75 steps to the train, 75 steps down, maneuvers her way onto the train but is forced to stand the entire time and then keep following her as she arrives at her destination and has to climb another set of stairs so she can hit the subway and travel another 10 minutes downtown on a crowded train.

Finally, once our working mom arrives at her office, watch as she rubs her neck, squints her eyes and asks her co-worker if she has any aspirin. Now that's a commercial I can get behind.

Have you ever gotten a headache from wearing a sling or a heavy bag? We want to hear from you!

Posted in: Undercover Mom on 11/16/2008

Subway and the Traveling Pants

Earlier this week I had the chance to dine with a very famous person. I bet you're wondering - who could that be? Well, if you look at the photo on the left, you'll discover that it's none other than Jared from all those Subway commercials!

Turns out the very friendly folks at Subway invited a few bloggers to a breakfast at Sarabeth's and while we were there, we got to hear about their philosophy on healthy eating in a fast food world and we also heard from Jared, who shared his personal story of how he tipped the scales at 480 lbs while in college and after sticking to a diet that consisted mainly of Subway sandwiches, the pounds literally melted away. Once Subway heard his incredible story, they recruited Jared to appear in their national commercial campaign, he made appearances on the Today Show and Oprah, among countless other media outlets, and the rest is history.

Today, Jared travels more than 250 days out of the year visiting cities and schools where he gets to share his inspirational story with kids and adults and spread the message about healthy eating and the fact that Subway offers a great solution to many parents who struggle to find healthy eating alternatives for their family when they're on the run. (That would be me all the time).

Following our breakfast, I posed for a shot with Jared and fellow bloggers Martha McKittrick, RD, CDE from City Girl Bites, Katja from Skimbaco Lifestyle, Dr. Joanna Dolgoff from www.drweigh.com and Dave Kerpen from www.theKbuzz.com. A few hours later, when it was time for lunch, I decided to hit my local Subway and ordered a foot long sandwich for $5, ate half and took the rest home. And you know what? It was really good. So now that I'm still struggling to lose weight through Weight Watchers, I've decided to put a little Subway in my eating plan each week and hopefully that'll help shed some pounds. And for those of you facing a similar scenario (too busy to cook and you grab the wrong things in the process), then give Subway a try - your kids will love it too -because guess what - they get prizes if they go there too - but the kiddy meal comes with apples (not french fries). Gotta love that one.

More to come on a whirlwind week that included meeting Coach Tom from Staples - the polar opposite from really sweet guy Jared; a Disney Interactive event where I got to belt out tunes from High School Musical (a true cheese ball moment) and an Nintendo Makeover event.

Posted in: Blog, Undercover Mom on 11/13/2008

Real Kids in the White House!

(Photo Credit: AP)
While blogs are all afire about the dress that Michelle Obama wore during her husband's victory speech Tuesday night, I've decided to not focus on her red and black Narcisco Rodriguez number, I'd prefer instead to give a shout out to her two girls. As they walked hand in hand with their parents on the stage in Grant Park, I could tell the Obama children are totally down to earth with clothes that I can tell come straight out of some of my kids' favorite stores.

(Photo Credit: BET/AP)

In fact, this morning, as I was watching a story about the Obama girls on "The Early Show," I noticed that one of them was wearing a turquoise tank top that I'm positive came from The Gap. Why do you ask? Simple, because my daughter has the same one! It is truly a breath of fresh air to see two little girls who are the product of two parents who have proved that it truly is possible to achieve the American Dream. Before they even set foot in the White House, those girls are lucky to have been born to two parents who have set their sights high and have conveyed to their girls, their family and the entire nation that anything is truly possible if you believe. If ever this were a Role Mommy moment, I don't know what is.

So here's to Malia and Sasha - it's about time that our kids can truly relate to two grounded little girls who will be moving into the White House this January. And might I also add that their outfits Tuesday night were absolutely adorable.

Posted in: Blog, Undercover Mom on 11/06/2008

Barack Obama Wins the Presidency!

Wow. I have to say, as I sit here watching history being made, I am amazed and inspired by the enormity of what has transpired this evening. After listening to John McCain's concession speech, I am sure that while he didn't make it to the White House, he will certainly be a powerful force in our nation for many years to come.

Here's an emotional snippet from John McCain's concession speech: "...A lost election will never mean more to me than your faith and friendship. Every candidate makes mistakes but I won't spend a moment of the future regretting what could have been....I call on all Americans as I have often in this campaign to believe always in the promise and greatness in America. Americans never quit, we never surrender, we never hide from history, we make history..."

20 minutes later, Barack Obama gave his victory speech in front of over 125,000 supporters in Chicago's Grant Park. To see the transcript and video from the NY Times, click here or check out this video that was sent out by team Obama/Biden and get ready for what I hope will be positive change over the next four years!

Posted in: Blog, TV, Undercover Mom on 11/04/2008

Older Entries

10/26/2008: Clothes Don't Make the Candidate

10/19/2008: OMG - I Am Lynette from Desperate Housewives

10/19/2008: Sarah Palin on SNL

10/08/2008: Just Say No!

10/04/2008: My Fair Palin

10/01/2008: Katie and Sarah on the Campaign Trail

09/26/2008: Who Won the Debate?

09/21/2008: Things that Make You Go Hmmmm...

09/16/2008: Things Barack Obama Can Do to Save Money on the Campaign Trail

09/14/2008: Legally Brunette

09/09/2008: How to Drive Safe in the Rain

09/07/2008: Etiquette 101

09/01/2008: Britney Spears' Mom for Vice President

08/29/2008: The McCain Touche

08/28/2008: Joe Biden - I Hardly Knew Ya

08/26/2008: Michelle Obama - I Think I Like Her

08/17/2008: Bad Behavior - Co Comment Challenge Week II

07/21/2008: The $200 Latte

07/17/2008: Rickshaw to the Ritz

07/06/2008: Rudest Parents Ever

07/03/2008: You Scream, I Scream

05/27/2008: Excess Baggage

05/25/2008: Summer at Snob Hill

05/25/2008: Don't Quit Your Day Job

02/17/2008: Nobody Puts the Feldmans in a Corner

02/04/2008: My Candidate is Better Than Yours

01/19/2008: Searching for Becca Fisher

01/09/2008: The Uninvited Guest

12/27/2007: Was it Something I Said?

12/13/2007: Old Feet and Other Commuter Pet Peeves

12/09/2007: The Sanitation Mom

11/19/2007: Old Yeller

10/28/2007: DATE NIGHT AT A KID FRIENDLY RESTAURANT

09/18/2007: HOME TRUTHS - A New Blog by Judy Epstein

09/11/2007: My Night with a Cheetah Girl

08/28/2007: THE DUDE RANCH

08/10/2007: Tennis Revisited

07/02/2007: Fanny Packs & Sticky Buns

06/14/2007: Gezunga Cars

05/31/2007: The Knitter

05/19/2007: The Playroom

04/21/2007: Gucci Diaper Bags, Wine and the Green Eyed Monster

04/10/2007: Destination Disney...what to do...what to avoid!!!

03/25/2007: Blowout at the Bagel Store

03/03/2007: The Travel Nightmare

02/23/2007: Customer Disservice

02/19/2007: The Family Circus

02/08/2007: My Kingdom for a Pen

01/28/2007: PARTY ANIMALS

01/14/2007: The Waiting Game

12/27/2006: The Gold Mine

12/17/2006: Things that Annoy Me During the Holidays

12/17/2006: Observations on the Train

11/25/2006: Tennis Anyone?

10/31/2006: The Oblivious Factor

10/12/2006: PANDEMONIUM AT THE PEDIATRICIAN

10/04/2006: THE LINE

09/21/2006: Kiddy Brawl at Kid Friendly Bistro

09/12/2006: The Witches of Preschool

09/10/2006: How Am I Driving?

09/07/2006: Bratz at Dunkin Donuts

09/02/2006: A Cheesy Experience

08/28/2006: The Family Bed

08/12/2006: Color Me Stupid...

08/06/2006: Drowsy at the Drugstore

07/30/2006: Tar-jay Oy Vey

07/20/2006: THE INVISIBLE FELDMANS

07/09/2006: Picnic on My Jetta

07/05/2006: Equi-Not

07/03/2006: THE BASKETBALL DIARIES

07/02/2006: SHOELESS JANE

07/02/2006: SAFETY LAST

07/01/2006: No Kicking Please