Your spouse is hotter than you think and you used to be really into each other. Those are two of the Top 10 Reasons to Date Your Spouse, one of my favorite fun pieces. I love the way it looks with the conversation hearts this month in Coulee Parenting Connection. Also, it’s on the cover. I like that.

How do you keep the spark of romance alive? Having been married for more than 17 years, this is a challenge I face–like, all the time. I have developed an interactive talk/session/chat for women’s groups or couples based on the ideas in this article. In fact, I’ll be at the First United Methodist Church in Springdale in a couple of weeks. Click here to see my tips, check out my schedule here, and if you like what you see, invite me to talk to your group too! (I love to talk.)

PS – What are your hot date night plans for Valentine’s Day?

Images: CarbonNYC, Flickr, Coulee Parenting Connection

We talked 2012 parenting trends on Parenting U a few weeks ago, but in this video I talk to Laurie Gelman from BabyCenter about their predictions. I’m not sure I agree with all of them, but it’s always fun to talk to the experts.

Trending Topics we discussed:

• The Year of the Dad: We decided to employ nanny cams to see if stay home dads are really doing the housework, or just watching Mob Wives marathons.
• Fertility as you age: How many times can Laurie repeat my age? (Note to self: Don’t say your age on live footage that will not be edited)
• Too much technology? She likes XBox Kinnect. I like texting my kids from the kitchen.
• Is everyone looking for their 30 minutes of reality fame? Please pray that my kids don’t figure out how to post to YouTube.

About Laurie Gelman

Trend and Lifestyle Expert Laurie Gelman has 20 years of national broadcast experience including stints at “Fox After Breakfast,” and co-hosting a national parenting show in Canada called, “The Mom Show.”  Laurie was also a contributing editor for Cookie magazine, and she has written for The Observer Playground.  Laurie is the mother of two little girls and currently the house mom to her 4th grader’s class. She is married to executive producer of “Live! With Regis and Kelly,” Michael Gelman. Laurie is also a regular contributor to BabyCenter’s Momformation blog.

What trends are you seeing, or predicting, for 2012?

(I’m hoping duct tape attire makes a comeback.)

I’ve been talking about Listen To Your Mother everywhere, except here. So I thought I should. I am thrilled to bring this show to Northwest Arkansas for so many reasons, but come on– New York City, Chicago Washington DC, San Francisco and Northwest Arkansas? Taking it up a notch my friends in the 479. This show gives people a chance to read heir personal writing about motherhood in front of a live audience. You don’t have to be a writer or have any experience in front of an audience. We want anyone and everyone who has something to say to submit an audition piece! To find out all the details on LYTM, check out our fancy new page on the national site.

Audition For Listen To Your Mother

Stephanie McCratic, and I have already heard from an amazing group of women. Yes, they are sending in audition pieces, and you should too. We are creating an amazing depiction of what motherhood really is– the good, bad, ugly, scary, and sometimes funny. So send in your writing about motherhood now! We are going through the submissions  and will be contacting those we would like to see for live audition.

Save the Date!

If you don’t want to be IN the show, be sure and mark your calendar for April 29th at 2pm. Walton Arts Center in the Starr Theater.

And Now, a Word From Our Sponsors…

If you would like to sponsor this event, please let me know! This is a wonderful opportunity to interact with some very influential women in Northwest Arkansas and beyond. Sponsors have opportunities to get in front of the performers at the auditions and at the rehearsals, as well as exposure in posters and print advertising. If you’re looking for Mother’s Day business, we’ve got a spot for you! Listen To Your Mother is a perfect opportunity to align your business with an amazing event celebrating motherhood.

Net proceeds from Listen To Your Mother Northwest Arkansas will be donated to various charities, including Arkansas Visitation and Exchange Center. 

“This one time? At band camp?”

I can’t help myself. It’s one of those stupid things that come out my mouth before I can help myself. I ONLY say it when they wear these t-shirts, which my daughter–the budding xylophonist–came downstairs wearing this morning. The older they get the more it irritates them.

“Mom, it’s not funny because we don’t know what it’s from.”

[snicker snicker]

“Either tell us or stop saying it.”

“No.”

In the carpool to school I might have said it again. The neighbor boy commiserated. “My parents say that, too.”

“It’s probably from Bridesmaids.”

“No way. It’s way older. My parents have been saying that since I was like four.”

“I’m going to google it,” said another neighbor. “There’s probably a YouTube video or something.”

God bless the internet.

Ever since I created my own book trailer for Blacklisted from the PTA, I’ve been collecting other funny book trailers. Frankly, we need more, because there are a lot of funny books out there, as well as a lot of really boring books that people could be tricked into buying if only they had a humorous–though deceitful–promotional strategy. So far I’ve found six, from Linda Yellin, Jenna McCarthy, Alan Arkin, Sarah Maizes, Maya Banks, and of course yours truly. We need more. Truly.

So, get a snack, check out my collection of funny book trailers page, and let me know when you come across worthy additions. (While you’re at it, bring me something, would you? I’m thinking something in a salty/sweet with magical ass fat burning properties.)

Check Out These Posts, Too, If You Want:

• 5 Books I’ve Resolved to Read in 2012
• Live From My Kitchen: Blacklisted Book Trailer
• How My Husband Got Kicked Off My Sales Force

Image: skypax pictures, Flickr

I’m not big on making New Year’s resolutions, per se. However, I love the whole out-with-the-old-and-in-with-the-new attitude. Of course there is the requisite dieting, but only because I don’t fit into a single pair of jeans. Instead of boring you with my oatmeal and egg white regimen, I thought I’d channel my self-improvement enthusiasm into a reading list.

Here are five books I’ll read in 2012:

40 Days to Personal Revolution by Baron Baptiste 

I read this one last January and tried to follow the 40-day “transformation” program that included daily yoga and meditation. Daily – that was the kicker.

Read the rest of this post on Modern Mom.

Random Bubbly:

• Parenting Trends, and My Too-Tight Sweater
• Girls Trip New York City Style
• Reflections of 2011, aka Holy Crap, I Did All That?

Image: macinate, Flickr

I love doing the ParentingU segment on 5News. I love learning about the cameras and the mics and the when I’m supposed to shut up and when I’m supposed to talk. I even love getting up super early once in a while for the boost it gives the rest of my Monday.

And I LOVE those guys at KFSM. Mitch and Shane and… that other guy. The only thing I wish is that they’d offer up fashion advice when I need it. Like when my holiday cheese intake has been at odds with sweater, so that when I attached the mic (I do that myself, now, because I’m all like, knowledgeable, and stuff), I wish the boys would let me know that my sweater was all bunchy.

Oh, well. It’s not like I was there on a fashion assignment. We were talking parenting trends.

Slow-vaxing, home-birthing, yeah, yeah, whatever. My favorite part of this segment? Mitch’s joke about helicopter parenting. You’ll just have to watch.

I’ve received a lot of encouragement lately to spend more (okay, SOME) time reflecting on what I have accomplished. This, instead of just charging ahead. So I put it on my to-do list and here I am: Thursday, 10:45 – 11:15, Reflect. And what am I supposed to do, just sit here? No can do. A bullet-pointed list seems in order. We’re coming up on 2012, after all. I wouldn’t want the world to end without a digital record of my accomplishments.

2011, The Recap:

• Started representing Peekaboo magazine on the KFSM 5News ParentingU segment.
• Published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: New Moms.
• Presented a session on using Twitter to create community at SheCon new media conference in Miami.
• Published Blacklisted from the PTA, surpassing every single sales goal I set.
• Became a freelance contributor to the Today Show MOMS website.
• Became a columnist for Brooke Burke’s Modern Mom website.
• Pitched a story to Writer’s Digest about how to have a successful book launch party. To appear in the February 2012 issue.
• Released a video book trailer.
• Recorded my first audio essay and posted to this blog.
• Interviewed Wendy Williams for her “After the Show” website feature. They linked to my book.
• Applied for and was granted one of only ten national licenses to produce Listen To Your Mother in Northwest Arkansas.
• Invited to speak at several venues in 2012, including The Divorce Expo in Detroit, the Ozark Writer’s League annual conference in Branson, and the Oklahoma Writer’s Federation annual conference in Oklahoma City.

This post is sponsored by Serve from American Express. Sign up for Serve and receive $10 credit towards your first use. Comment below within the next 7 days for your chance to win an extra $100 credit to your account!

A friend of mine is getting married in February, and although we would have loved to humiliate her with half naked men in the City of Sin, she wanted a pre-wedding celebration in New York City. No arguments from me. I combined a little work with a lot of play. Soon we, her friends, were emailing a blur of schemes and plans, trying to fit in all the things Our Girl wanted to do in the city.

I can’t begin to remember it all, but here are some highlights:

• Got kicked out of a cab in the rain to the tune of, “My shift is ending.”
• Scored half price tix to Jersey Boys, so had to cue up a Frankie Valli Pandora channel. Natch.
• At Bar Americain I saw Bobby Flay, or a reasonable facsimile signing one of his books.
• Ate Magnolia cupcakes.
• Interviewed Wendy Williams.
• Did not learn how to hail a cab. Pissed off a pedicab driver.
• Finally got to meet my online buddy Jacoba Urist, and many others, at a BlogHer meetup.
• Courtney Love sighting at the premiere of Young Adult.
• Met the very cool and stylish Crushworthy Moms, Alison Kleinert and Karina Lepiner.
• Peeked in the windows at Hoda and Kathie Lee at Rockefeller Plaza.
• Shopped in China Town.
• Shopped on Fifth Avenue, where shopping = trying not to trip and topple a rack of clothes on the top floor of Louis Vuitton.
• Got free drinks just for sitting at a restaurant table too long! Lingering pays.

And of course, there was eating–lots and lots of wonderful food. Among my favorites were an amazing artichoke avocado salad at Il Corso, the blue cheese chips at Bar Americain, truffle fries at Rue 57, and the artichoke fritters at Stanton Social.

It was at Stanton Social where us girls squared up for the Rockettes tickets I’d put on my credit card before we hit the city, as well as the Sex and the City tour tickets another in our group had covered. It was fairly comical watching us calculate the dinner bill and reimburse each other for tickets. (And that doesn’t even take into consideration the shady back room dealing in China Town.) On one side of me was a three-way transaction that included two sets of tickets, dinner, and a Hard Rock t-shirt. And maybe a goat. Too many martinis to remember. On the other, a woman handed me $80 cash. The next day she slipped me another $8. And just before we headed for the airport she gave me another $1. The next night we used Serve, and I have to say I’m a fan.

I was a bit apprehensive, as I think some of the girls were as well, but the process was super easy and you can use the funds in your Serve account online or off. (They send you a card.) Check it out for yourself and if you like it, make sure to enter the contest described below.

Remember to sign up for Serve and receive $10 credit towards your first use. Comment below within the next 7 days for your chance to win an extra $100 credit to your account! Official sweepstakes rules and regulations may be found by clicking here. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Image Credits: The Marque, Flickr, Lela Davidson

I tend to think I can do anything. Most days this type of unreasonable confidence serves me well. And then I try to bake. I recorded this essay, which is included in Blacklisted from the PTA, to remind myself of my personal limitations. Thy name is KitchenAid.

(I don’t know if this officially counts as a podcast, but that sounds good so we’ll go with it.)

Things That Could Go Wrong While Baking

Looking for a few laughs for mom this holiday season? Order Blacklisted From The PTA in paperback or Kindle now.

Like This? Try These:

• Video Book Trailer for Blacklisted from the PTA
• My super fantastic recipe for Cheddar Dates
• Drive a Mile in My Minivan

Audio: Lela Davidson

Image: asha susan, Flickr