A Chat With The Boys
Hi all you mommies out there. Welcome back to What Did You Do All Day? OK. I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW, it has been ages since I have blog podcasted. Hope you've had an awesome February. Can you even believe the month of February is gone? March is here and spring will soon be here too! I really don't want to think too much about spring because then I start to think about SPRING CLEANING - Yuck! Let's talk about something better :)
Today I'd like to talk about an incredible organization and it's called Reading is Fundamental or RIF. RIF is the nation's largest children's literacy organization and they happen to be celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. Carol Hampton Rasco is President and CEO of Reading is Fundamental and she can be reached at this Toll Free number: 1 (877) RIF-READ or (202) 536-3400. Their website is www.rif.org. RIF's highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8 and to motivate them to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. Really awesome so please check them out today!
OK. Also today, I talked with two very special people in my life and they are my two younger boys, Phillip and Joseph. Or better known to their circle of friends as Phil and Joe and to me, their mom, as Phildog and J. My son Phillip who is a 9th grader is on his winter break this week and Joseph, who is in middle school, was on break last week but had a snow day from school today which also happens to be his 12th birthday - Happy Birthday J!! We chatted about their music. I figured since that is one huge love in their lives why not chat with them about it? Phildog plays the bass guitar, the electric guitar and the piano and J plays the drums, the electric guitar, and the piano. So, you would never guess one of the items on J's birthday wish list this year - nope never. A MANDOLIN. Yep. So I asked him the other day who was going to teach him to play the Mandolin and he replied simply, "I am of course." OK. The kid is musical, what can I say?
So please check out the podcast below by clicking on the link to hear my conversation with Phil and Joe and then they even played a song for us - Cool!
Well, that is about all from this mom today. Oh, I just would like to mention that my literary magazine for mom authors spring launch is March 26th at www.momwriterslitmag.com, so please stop by and check us out - and big, exciting news coming soon for MWLM, but that's another show :)
Again, please check out Reading is Fundamental at www.rif.org and have a wonderful week!
~ Paula
Click here to download the show! (mp3)
Happy January!
I hope everyone had a beautiful holiday and a very Happy New Year! Wow, it is 2007! What happened to 2006? Did everyone make a New Year’s Resolution for 2007? I kind of forgot…I did it last year for 2006 – you know, made a list of resolutions, and only like two of them I accomplished out of the six listed. Oh well, I have myself an agent – Yay, I did it!!! That was a huge accomplishment in 2006 for me and I’m proud of myself :)
Oh, I just have to brag about my latest magazine launch. If you have not checked it out yet, go to www.momwriterslitmag.com and you will find awesome profiles with bestselling author Jodi Picoult – Jodi Picoult! Can you believe it?!!! Also, we talked with Dr. Christiane Northrup who is amazing and Stacy Sims, mom author of Swimming Naked – don’t you just love the name of that book? So please, pour yourself a mug of hot chocolate and visit Mom Writer’s Literary magazine today and drop me a line and let me know what you think!
So, I have three of my five kids back to school. Yay!!! My two younger ones started back in early January and Phillip, who boards at a high school that is an hour away just started back today. He was SO not ready to get back to the books. He likes to sleep in…what teenager doesn’t?! However, he was VERY ready to get back to seeing his new girlfriend everyday-Ah, young love. She is very sweet and I must say, they do make a cute couple. My two older boys are living it up in Florida. Yep, one of their Christmas gifts this year were round-trip tickets to Florida and back. They are staying with family and are actually working at the Country Club where our parents live for some extra spending money for when they go back to college in a few weeks. God knows they are going to need it! We talked the other day and they have had no shortage of good times – going to the movies and out to dinners, fishing out on the boat and playing golf. Sounds pretty rough, huh?!
Have you ever heard of RAINN? The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network is the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE and carries out programs to prevent sexual assault, help victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice. Did you know that every 2.5 minutes, another American becomes a victim of sexual assault? The road to healing can be frightening. Please help ensure that no one goes through it alone. Please check out www.rainn.org today.
Well, I guess that about does it for me this week. Thanks so much again for all of your emails and for your friendship :) and….Happy 2007 everyone!!!
~ Paula
Click here to download the show! (mp3)
Welcome to my Mom Blog Podcast
Hello all you writers and readers out there! How the heck are you? For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Paula Schmitt and I am a mom writer – Yay! And I have recently founded my own company Mom Writer’s Productions, LLC and I have an online literary magazine for moms called Mom Writer’s Literary magazine which is way cool and you can find the mag at www.momwriterslitmag.com. I also am the creator and hosted my talk show Mom Writer’s Talk Radio where I interviewed awesome mom writers such as Elizabeth Brundage, Leah Stewart, Jacquelyn Mitchard and the Desperate Housewives star herself, Brenda Strong. Now that was cool – and a lot of fun. I have an award-winning book out with Wyatt MacKenzie Publishing entitled Living in a Locker Room: A Mom’s Tale of Survival in a Houseful of Boys which was easy to write for me as I DO live in a Locker Room. My next book – an anthology entitled Adoption Journey: Birthmothers, Adoptive Mothers and Adopted Daughters Share Their Stories is in the hands of my literary agent and hopefully this book will be out sometime in the year 2008!
So, onto why I created this mama blog What Did You Do All Day? Because I felt like this would be THE PERFECT spot to rant about what the hell I did all day! Do your kids or the hubby ever come home from work or school and instead of a nice big hug and smooch the first thing the kiddos or the hubby asks you is, “Mom, (or honey) what did you do all day??????” Well, now they will know. If readers (and writers) out there would like to add their comments as well on what they did all day, well then I say, go for it. I’d love to hear from everybody! The more bitching the merrier. Check out my past blogs here at my new site as well – I have lots of yummy subjects to yak about…
Why is it I always panic and stress out during the holidays? Anyone out there panicking yet? I should be holiday shopping and thinking about Turkey Day coming up and instead what am I doing? – Ironing and grocery shopping, writing/editing and grocery shopping, washing sheets and grocery shopping, cleaning bathrooms and grocery shopping – and did I mention grocery shopping? All this along with a nagging mama migraine to boot! Oh hell, it will get done. I did order the hubby a couple of things so far so I guess I am good for now. How about you guys? Any good mommies out there half done with their holiday shopping or even better – done, done?
OK. On to another topic so I can relax a bit. How many moms out there have heard of Go Red For Women? Check this out – Go Red For Women is the American Heart Association’s nationwide movement that celebrates the energy, passion and power we have as women to band together and wipe out heart disease. Thanks to the participation of millions of people across the country, the color red and the red dress have become linked with the ability all women have to improve their heart health and live stronger, longer lives.
Taking care of your heart is more important than you might know. Too few people realize that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American women — and of men. But the good news is that heart disease can largely be prevented. Go Red For Women empowers women with knowledge and tools so they can take positive action to reduce their risks of heart disease and stroke and protect their health. Sponsored by Macy’s and Pfizer with additional support from the PacifiCare Foundation and Bayer Aspirin, Go Red For Women began in February 2004, and has since grown into a vibrant national movement as more women, men, celebrities, healthcare professionals and politicians embrace and elevate the cause of women and heart disease.
The movement gives women tips and information on healthy eating, exercise and risk factor reduction, such as smoking cessation, weight maintenance, blood pressure control, and blood cholesterol management. Find out more about this powerful movement and the people and companies behind it at www.goredforwomen.org. ©2006 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
PLEASE check them out today and LOVE YOUR HEART!
HEY! Are You A Slacker Mom?
No. Really? Are you? You can find out at www.areyouaslackermom.com. Don’t be afraid – check out your parenting style, it’ll be fun, you’ll see and you will learn some fun tips on mommyhood along the way! So, anybody reading a good book lately? How can you not be, there are so many damn good books out there that there are just not enough hours in the day! I happen to be reading Sue Miller’s new one Lost in the Forest. She is such an awesome writer – I read her book While I Was Gone and have been hooked ever since. I don’t want to give this story away but you MUST pick up a copy and read it! As you can tell I enjoy music. You will notice I have it here on my podcast throughout and I hope you enjoy it, too. I love most music from Classic Rock, Oldies from the 50’s and 60’s, Classical, Opera, Pop, Country, and even some Rap. How about you? What music are you into? Let me know and I will try to get it on my show :)
Guess it’s that time for now – time to wrap it up and say Bye-Bye! I think I have rambled on long enough for today. Got to get back to ironing those sheets while I relax and listen to some Pink Floyd :) Until we meet again!
Cheers, Paula
Click here to download the show! (mp3)
