You’ve gotta love this time of year. First, because it’s finally starting to warm up…are those buds I see out on the trees from my sunroom? And second, it’s the time of year when my writer friends’ books are hitting the stores just in time for Mother’s Day! For now, here’s a look at three great reads that will be available starting this April plus, in the carousel above, you’ll see some more picks that are on the Role Mommy must-have book list.
Perfectly Imperfect: A Life in Progress
Stop Second-Guessing Yourself–The Toddler Years: A Field-Tested Guide to Confident Parenting
Because I Said So
Breaking into Talk Shows
Today’s PR lesson of the day centers on timely topics where you could fit in and promote yourself, your book, product or brand. If you’ve watched the Today Show lately, you can get a feel for how they produce a segment and then figure out how you might be the perfect guest for them.
Here’s how it works. If you watched today’s segment, which focused on women and body image, you’ll see that they featured Cindy Lieve, the editor in chief of Glamour who shared the results of a survey the magazine just did on women and body image (surprise, we all still think we’re fat). They paired Cindy with the author of a new book about body image – a woman with a lovely British accent who I think contributed two comments to the conversation and the third guest was a psychologist whose specialty was…you guessed it, body image – she only spoke once, if you’re keeping score.
So that’s the trifecta of a morning show television segment. Magazine editor, author, psychologist. So if you’re not an author, magazine editor or psychologist, how do you break in? Simple. Sometimes they also like to round out a segment with a mom expert. So what’s your specialty? Are you a green mom? A gaming mom? An Internet safety mom? A cooking and recipe mom? If you do have a niche, you actually have a much better chance of being picked for a news or talk show because producers can clearly see what your blog offers readers. If you’re more of a generalist (like me), then it will be much harder for you to break in. The reason for that is simple. While you may believe you are the all-knowing mom in the blogosphere, not having a specialty works against you – especially since those Today Show producers have just written a parenting book themselves. Why do they need you when they have each other?
I don’t want to depress you so here’s how you can beat the system. Figure out the topic that suits you best and bring in experts that’ll round out the segment and showcase you too. Even better, if you follow the Today Show on twitter, they actually send out messages when they’re looking for guests for a story.
As for the Queen of Talk, Kristin at Spirited Woman said the best way for a mom to break in is to visit Oprah.com and keep paying attention to the site and what shows they’re working on. Kristin actually got a call back for their talented kids show – that doesn’t mean she’s booked, but at least she got a call back. And trust me, when you have the email address and phone number of an Oprah producer that doesn’t mean you’re going to get anywhere fast. They do not return calls or emails unless they’re interested. And if they’re not interested, you are pretty much dead in the water.
For local TV news or radio shows, your best bet is to pitch the reporter who covers the topic that best suits you or visit the website and send your story to them as well. Another idea is to secure a newspaper placement on your business or book and then reach out to TV reporters with that story. A lot of times TV news is driven by print media so don’t count out newspapers when trying to make your mark.
The bottom line on breaking in is to do your homework. Study the network morning shows and the local news and pay attention to the stories they’re covering on a regular basis and then figure out how you could fit in. It’s not easy to do but with a little ingenuity and persistence, you may one day find yourself in the TV hot seat.
Role Mommy on the Run…Our Latest Show
Friday’s Blog Talk Radio show is going to jam packed! We’ll be featuring Traveling Mom, Kim Orlando as she and Walmart 11 Mom, Katja Presnal drive from Michigan to New York in a brand new Ford.
The Friday Fave Fives
Today’s Fave Five focuses on a potpourri of things that have transformed my life this week. From technology, to shopping finds to news you can use, I always love stumbling upon new things that make me smile, so here are my life lessons of the day.
1. It’s official…I love Skype. And it’s not because it makes it easier for me to connect with people anywhere in the world, but because my daughter, who’s getting ready to go to sleepaway camp for the first time, is getting the chance to Skype another camper so that she can get to know her before they even start their summer adventure. I just wrote about it on Momlogic if you’d like to hear how my daughter has managed to make a new friend and even counsel her about bullies at school.
2. I finally found a hand bag that holds my laptop and looks amazing at the same time. And I have Michael Kors to thank. After my overnight visit to Lambertville, New Jersey, we hit the outlets and I found myself the perfect black leather bag and have managed to fit my MacBook, files, purse, another smaller handbag, my notebook and dayplanner inside. Sure the bag then weighs about 70 pounds, but damn do I look good.
3. While rubbing my shoulders after unloading my fancy bag and realizing it might be causing a crick in my neck, I pulled my handy dandy Slendertone Revive massager out of my purse, strapped the gel pads on, adjusted the settings and managed within 20 minutes to get rid of the pain. Imagine that. Visit The Find, to check out Revive.
4. While at the gym this morning, I flipped on “The Doctors” and saw my favorite trainer from “The Biggest Loser” Jillian who dispelled some myths of fake foods that are actually fattening or just plain bad for you. And what did I learn? Butter spray actually has almost 900 calories in a bottle. So even though you think you’re spraying zero calories on your veggies, if you squirt too much, you better watch out. It turns out that olive oil is better than butter spray – and even more interesting, Jillian says if you drink olive oil, it’s really good for you. Somebody get me shot glass…stat!
5. After getting the chance to speak with Chandra Wilson last week, I was all jazzed up to watch another episode of Grey’s Anatomy, and I have to say, tonight’s episode was amazing. I love a great show that makes you cry – yes I’m a sap, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Thursday Fave Five
Today’s Fave Five centers on my favorite topic…entertainment. This week, we got the chance to speak with two stars in one day, so we figured we’d give a little link love to some of our favorite Role Mommies and Role Daddy celebrities!
1. Today, we got the chance to meet Roscoe Orman, also known as SesameStreetDad on Twitter or to your kids…Gordon from Sesame Street! Gordon is the chief storyteller for AudibleKids.com and we took part in a private lunch with some of our favorite mom bloggers at Mommasaid.net, Melissa Chapman at Time Out NY Kids and NYC Moms Blog, Vanessa at Chef Druck Musings and New Jersey Moms Blog, Suzanne at Green Baby, Esti at Primetime Parenting and Lori at Bored in the Burbs, Wendy at Babies Gotta Have It and Phillipa at JuiceBoxJungle. Plus, some of the moms brought their kids and they were mesmerized by Roscoe and his special impression of Elmo. More news to come soon on the great offerings by AudibleKids.
2. We also got to interview one of our favorite reality TV hosts, Phil Keoghan, the host of the Emmy award-winning series “The Amazing Race” on CBS. Phil is about to embark on a 30 city bike tour to raise money for MS and he hopes to cover 100 miles each day until he makes it to New York in time for the finale of “Race” in May. Visit www.philridesacrossamerica.com and to listen in to our interview, click on the link below:
3. 
Best magazine cover of the week…Valerie Bertinelli on the cover of People Magazine sporting a bikini. I have always loved her and was so impressed last year by her Jenny Craig weight loss success that I joined too and lost weight. Of course, I gained it back and am continuing to diet yet again, but either way, Valerie – you’re an inspiration to yo yo dieters everywhere!
4. I know there are lots of movies coming out over the next few weeks, but top on my list is Monsters vs. Aliens (gotta love Reese Witherspoon and Seth Rogen) and 17 Again (gotta love Matthew Perry and Zac Ephron). I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to fill up on some popcorn and diet coke and laugh right along with my kids.
5. Since I’ve been hitting the gym a few days each week, I’ve been tuning into one of my favorite morning talk shows…“Live with Regis & Kelly.” I don’t know about you, but no matter what new show or morning talk duo hits the airwaves, nobody can beat Regis and Kelly – they are hilarious, great storytellers and make my 20 minutes on the elliptical fly by. Oh, and am totally loving bad hair week. I’m a sucker for makeovers.
Have an item you want to submit for Fave Five? Then what are you waiting for? Email us at beth@rolemommy.com.
The Wednesday Fave Five
Today’s Fave Five will focus on finances because in light of this ridiculously bad economy, we could all use a little cheap advice on how to save money, where to find great deals and who is giving the best advice during these trying times.
1. As much as I love surfing the web, I also enjoy reading insightful articles from The Bottom Line, a custom published weekly newsletter offering tips on everything from investments to retirement, health and much more. If you’ve got 10 minutes, then that’ll give you just enough time to read Bottom Line from cover to cover.
2. If you’re looking to save big on the homefront, then visit Mom Advice, whose founder, Amy Clark is featured in this month’s Redbook Magazine. Check out her blog on the No Spend Challenge where Amy offers tips on how to make it through 30 days without splurging on useless items.
3. If you’re looking for deals on the best shopping finds on the web, then here’s a simple solution…visit The Find and their new blog, The Find Buzz which shares the inside scoop on the latest steals and deals.
4. I never really watch financial news, but lately, I’ve found my self gravitating toward CNN and MSNBC since they’ve been featuring stories and experts offering great advice and leads on how to find a job, reinvent yourself, pursue a new passion and much more. Favorite segment yesterday was on CEO’s who became pizza delivery men and taxi drivers. Maybe we should all just go back into farming and call it a day.
5. On April 2, Jean Chatzky, author of the new bestseller “The Difference” will be doing a free chat on Liveperson.com. If you’re in need of some great advice on how to manage your finances and prosper even in tough economic times, you won’t want to miss the opportunity to hear directly from Chatzky who will be available to answer your questions at Liveperson.
To hear some of Jean’s tips in the meantime, the click on the video below…
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Tuesday Fave Fives
Today’s favorites range from fabulous finds to incredibly touching blog posts, to freebies to Late Night TV news to fabulous shopping blogs. So without further ado, here’s are our Tuesday Fave Fives…
1. I’ve been surfing Twitter for most of the night and during that time, I came across the following posts from two courageous mom bloggers who are going through some scary and difficult times with their infants. Visit Meagan Francis and My Charming Kids to read their heart wrenching stories.
2. Check out this post in today’s Momlogic community involving the dangers of leaving children in cars. Another reason to slow down and stop living your life on auto pilot.
3. In case you’re wondering or in case you care, David Letterman finally decided to get married. I guess he was tired of having people call his girlfriend Regina, his Baby Mama.
4. Over at Freebies for Mom are some important essentials. Free toilet paper! Hey, what are you waiting for? This is a freebie that anyone can use…over and over and over again!
5. Loving the Popshopology blog. Reviews are featured each day for trendy, techy and out of the ordinary finds. Gotta love the meat pillows. Yes, meat pillows. Don’t believe me? Then click here to check it out.
Gotta Love Those E*Trade Babies
The Monday Fave Five
It’s been a fabulous weekend…actually spent the night away from home with my hubby and the place we traveled to tops our fave five list. So take a look and if you have some fave fives, you want to send our way, then what are you waiting for?
1. An Overnight Getaway – for couples who are stressed over the demands of family, jobs, the economy, cold weather, and more, I highly recommend getting away – even if it’s just for one night. This past weekend, we joined our friends on a roadtrip to Lambertville, New Jersey – a quaint colonial town that’s chock full of antique shops, great restaurants, bars and is literally a foot bridge away from New Hope, PA. Best of all, it was only 90 minutes from our house. For those of you parents on the east coast in need of a quick getaway, book yourself at the Lambertville House, then head to Marcia Browns for drinks, the Boat House for more drinks and Anton’s for dinner.
2. The Perfect Prescription for Small Business Owners…in the interest of full disclosure, my finance guru hubby just launched a blogging community called The Budget Doctor and trust me, if you are in search of great tips on how to save money or get back money that’s owed to you, you’ll want to join the site right away and start saving!
3. I Beg Your Pardon…I’m Gonna Promise You an Herb Garden…big kudos to First Lady Michelle Obama who is planting an herb garden at the White House and invited 26 school kids from Washington D.C. to help her with planting. As the herbs and vegetables grow, the students will be invited back to tend the garden and then eventually use the veggies and herbs to whip up a meal in the White House kitchen. I’ve just decided…Sasha and Malia Obama have the coolest mom on the planet.
4. The Zone is about to get some competition. After eating like a fiend this weekend and finishing off our bender at McDonald’s, my friend and I decided we were back on the dieting wagon. So this year, as we gear up for summer and bathing suits (OMG), she’s convinced me to give a new meal plan a try – Nutropia. This program enables you to order your meals online, select the number of days each week you’d like to receive it and best of all, since the meals are prepared by chefs, the choices change every week so you’ll never get bored! And my friend says someone in her office did it and the weight seemed to melt away. I know slow and steady wins the race but considering it’s almost April, it’s time to get serious or risk another season of very long bermuda shorts.
5. Latest Peanut News….The Associated Press ran a story this week on the recent peanut scare and Role Mommy was quoted. Though the number of peanut fans is dwindling, we still are partial to fluffernutter sandwiches and PB&J (especially on a Weight Watchers mini bagel)…hmmm…maybe I should have one of those before those Nutropia meals start getting delivered to my door. I know, I am hopeless.
A Sneak Peak at My Next Book
Okay…so I admit I am the worst person in the world to keep secrets. So I’m going to let the cat of the bag. I’m working on my next book and am so beyond excited about how great it’s going to be. It’s called C:// Mom Run and it’s going to be a humor anthology featuring essays from some of the funniest mom authors, syndicated columnists and bloggers that I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know over the past few years.
While you may have heard of a few of them, what I can tell you is that these women are the Nora Ephron’s of our time. Every single one of them will share a story from their lives that some mom in our country (and probably abroad) will be able to totally relate to and laugh their sides off. I will share the names of our contributors soon, but in the meantime, take a look at some of the comments that were flying back and forth when I shared the book cover with them.
Many thanks to my publisher Julie Trelsted at Plain White Press who is embarking on this exciting journey with me and these fabulous women. While the book will be released this November, we’re actually going to be giving audiences a sneak peak this May when seven of our contributors appear at an event in New York City showcasing their incredible comedic writing talents. So strap on your seatbelts ladies, it’s going to be a wild ride! Oh…and if you want to listen in to a podcast of an essay I’m contemplating using in the book, then click on the video below and let me know what you think.