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…

The Role Mommy Fave Five

Hot off the presses, we have our Fave Fives of the Day. Get ’em while they’re still hot and buzzworthy! And if you missed yesterday’s fave fives, then click here and check them out!
1. FREE BOOK DOWNLOAD! Jean Chatzky knows that times are tough right now and people are uncertain about their financial future.  She wants to help by doing something different which is why she made her book, The Difference: How Anyone Can Prosper in Even the Toughest Times available for a 24 hour FREE download on Friday, March 13 on Oprah.com/JeanRadio, where you can also access ongoing information about her Oprah Radio show which airs on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.
2. BARGAIN BRIANA’S DEAL OF THE MONTH: The 15 Days of Couponing will guide you through the art of couponing. It is a skill that you can learn and maximize to the full potential to help your family and help others. So if you are interested in cutting your grocery budget in half or more, read yesterday’s edition and stay tuned for tommorrow’s edition.
3. CONNECTING WITH TEENS: This fabulous blog keeps parents up-to-date with both entertainment and technology that will help them stay closer to their teens. Check out Connect with your Teens through Pop Culture and Technology
4. MAKE YOUR OWN DETERGENT…WHO KNEW? Suddenly Frugal offers an ingenious post about making your own laundry detergent. It’s cheap, it’s fast, it’s easy and it really works on getting clothes clean. (I sound like a commercial, don’t I?) Anyway, here’s a link to the post so you can check it out for yourself:
5. TWITTER FOLLOW OF THE DAY: Best Thursday Twitter follow and tweet. Patrick Duffy followed me today. Yes, Bobby from Dallas and The Man from Atlantis. And he sent me the video below. That guy definitely has a sense of humor. Thanks for the laugh Patrick and thanks for the follow.

A Few Good Book Picks of 2009

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of vlogging and all I have to say is that I never anticipated that video editing would be consuming most of time. Last night, I was busy editing together a reel for more than five hours. Then, the following morning, I continued editing throughout the day and finished the project at 5 pm!
Unfortunately, all this video stuff has prevented me from writing about all the things I’ve done this past week. Hmmm…you’ve seen the videos from our Moms Night Out and Moms Night In so I don’t need to write about that but – I have been out and about with my family – we saw Pink Panther 2 – which we agreed that while it was cute, it wasn’t as good as Paul Blart: Mall Cop. I know, my taste in films has something to be desired.
I’ve also been hitting the gym a lot – haven’t shed any weight but at least I’ve settled into a routine and I’ve managed to read a few books while I’ve hit the elliptical machines. I’m reading “What Would Google Do?” by Jeff Jarvis and I just got an advanced copy of The Difference by Jean Chatzky and I have to say…I am loving that book. I saw Jean Chatzky speak at a More Magazine event a few months ago and her advice motivated me to fine tune my business and focus in on the things I love doing. And as a result, things are really starting to fall into place. So thank you Jean Chatzky! My payback to you is to highly recommend your new book – which hits stores on March 10 to as many people as I know. If you’d like to pre-order The Difference, then click here.
In the mom book category, I have two great picks for you. Though both don’t hit stores until April, you definitely should pre-order them so you can devour them once they arrive. The first is Because I Said So, by one of my favorite mom writers, Dawn Meehan – a mom of six from Chicago who is one of the funniest and sweetest moms I know. Dawn and I became BFF’s at the Glamour Reel Moments red carpet event and as soon as I received it, I read it cover to cover and laughed out loud at how this mom of six has masterfully captured her chaotic life. My second book pick which hasn’t hit stores yet but I’m sure will be amazing is Perfectly Imperfect: A Life in Progress by Lee Woodruff. Lee is a NY Times bestselling author of In An Instant and is one of the most personable, funny and genuine women I know. I’m sure her second book is destined for bestseller status and I am always happy to spread the word about people who make the world a better place.
And yours truly contributed to True Mom Confessions: Real Moms Get Real
which will be released this April and was edited by the fabulous Romi Lasally. Finally, on the Role Mommy news front, I’m going to be spearheading a humor anthology for parents called C Mom Run which will be released by Plain White Press in November…check back for updates on some of the incredible writers/bloggers/authors who will be featured in this destined to have you ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing for all you web novices – thanks to Creole Princess for teaching me that one).
Anyway, I have to say, I am happy to be reading again – there’s something to be said about cracking open a book and learning something new or just laughing until your sides hurt.

More Magazine Reinvention Convention Discount!

l_MORE_ReinvConv.jpgJust received a great discount on the upcoming More Magazine Reinvention Convention on Monday, October 6 in NYC which gives Role Mommy readers $100 off the ticket price. Take a look at the incredible panelists they’ve lined up and if you can’t make it, shoot me a question you’d like to ask and I’ll give you a shout out at the event. Below, is a list of speakers for the day and more information about the Reinvention Convention.
BREAKFAST KEYNOTE
Speaker: Carly Fiorina, Business leader and best-selling author of Tough Choices
MONEY MASTER CLASS
Speaker: Jean Chatzky, More contributing editor, financial expert and best-selling author of Make Money, Not Excuses
FASHION MASTER CLASS
Speaker: Isaac Mizrahi, fashion designer and author of How to Have Style (Gotham, 2008)
LUNCHEON PANEL
Moderated by: Cybill Shepherd, actress, singer and activist; panelists will include Karen Allen, actress and entrepreneur, Vanessa Williams, actress and entertainer, and other Women of Hollywood
HEALTH MASTER CLASS
Speaker: Dr. Pamela Peeke, Chief Medical Correspondent of Discovery Health TV
HEALTH PANEL DISCUSSION
Moderator: Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Chief Medical Editor, NBC News
Panel: Dr. Laura Berman, relationship expert and Director of the Berman Center
Dr. Gail Saltz, psychiatrist, columnist, bestselling author and Today Show contributor Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom, Founder and Director of the UPMC Weight Management Center; Diet and Nutrition Editor of NBC’s Today Show
CAREER MASTER CLASS
Speaker: Lisa Johnson, co-author of Don’t Think Pink and The Free Agency Formula
If you’d like to register today, click on the link below and enter the promo code to receive your discount! Hope to see you there!
Promo Code: MOREFRND
Registration Site: www.more.com/reinvention