This blog entry is an apology to my readers for being out of touch for the last two months. As all moms can relate there are only so many balls that one can juggle in the air; and for the last couple of months I have been putting pieces together, finalizing my business plan, and tapping into resources that I will need, to launch A Child's Voice onto a national platform.
So while doing this, a few things needed to be put aside, in order for me to do the other roles well -- that of a business woman, a mother, a wife, a daughter (also went to visit my parents in Florida with my son for a long weekend) and a friend.
I look forward to getting back into writing this blog and bringing more "motherhood juggling" and "insights" to my readers.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
"The Good Wife" CBS Pilot Show
I was asked to review the pilot of an upcoming series this fall on CBS entitled "The Good Wife." On hearing the name I thought it was going to be a sappy show about an obedient wife and put together stay at home mom. But was I ever wrong!!
I was intrigued from the beginning when Peter Florrick (played by Chris Noth) opens up the show with a news conference announcing his resignation as District Attorney due to a very public sex and political corruption scandal. And there stands his wife Alicia (played by Julianne Margulies) standing right by his side, portraying "the Good Wife;" but yet you can see that she is frozen like a deer in the headlights, astonished that she is caught in this position.
As the cameras flash and questions are yelled to the resigning District Attorney, he finishes his statement, grabs his wife's hand and leads her out of the room, caught up in his own world. But as soon as they step into the empty hallway, she slaps her husband across the face, and you realize that soon the tables will turn.
This show is ripped straight from the headlines, depicting a politician who lived a corrupt life, with no regard to his wife or family, and they are the ones who suffer the consequences when their dirty laundry is aired in public. But in our world the media is so caught up in shining the spotlight on the criminal, very rarely do they show sympathy towards the innocent families that are devastated by the fall out.
This show follows Alicia Florrick, a dedicated mother of two teenagers, after her husband is sent to jail and she has to sell their house to pay for Peter's legal fees. She ends up going back to work as a junior associate at a prestigious Chicago Law Firm where she joins her former law school classmate and firm partner Will Gardner (Josh Charles), after being out of the courtroom for 13 years. She gave up her law career to support Peter's career and raise their children, now she has to start at the bottom and prove herself amongst public ridicule as a corrupt politician's scorned wife.
It is wonderful to watch her gain her confidence as she jumps into a pro bono case that the law firm is involved in and starts using her skills as a sharp defense attorney. She finds an ally in Kalinda (Archie Panjabi), the firms tough in house investigator and for the first time in years, Alicia trades her identity as the "good wife" and takes charge of her own destiny.
I applaud the writers of this show and I look forward to watching the series and routing for Alicia Florrick this fall.
I was intrigued from the beginning when Peter Florrick (played by Chris Noth) opens up the show with a news conference announcing his resignation as District Attorney due to a very public sex and political corruption scandal. And there stands his wife Alicia (played by Julianne Margulies) standing right by his side, portraying "the Good Wife;" but yet you can see that she is frozen like a deer in the headlights, astonished that she is caught in this position.
As the cameras flash and questions are yelled to the resigning District Attorney, he finishes his statement, grabs his wife's hand and leads her out of the room, caught up in his own world. But as soon as they step into the empty hallway, she slaps her husband across the face, and you realize that soon the tables will turn.
This show is ripped straight from the headlines, depicting a politician who lived a corrupt life, with no regard to his wife or family, and they are the ones who suffer the consequences when their dirty laundry is aired in public. But in our world the media is so caught up in shining the spotlight on the criminal, very rarely do they show sympathy towards the innocent families that are devastated by the fall out.
This show follows Alicia Florrick, a dedicated mother of two teenagers, after her husband is sent to jail and she has to sell their house to pay for Peter's legal fees. She ends up going back to work as a junior associate at a prestigious Chicago Law Firm where she joins her former law school classmate and firm partner Will Gardner (Josh Charles), after being out of the courtroom for 13 years. She gave up her law career to support Peter's career and raise their children, now she has to start at the bottom and prove herself amongst public ridicule as a corrupt politician's scorned wife.
It is wonderful to watch her gain her confidence as she jumps into a pro bono case that the law firm is involved in and starts using her skills as a sharp defense attorney. She finds an ally in Kalinda (Archie Panjabi), the firms tough in house investigator and for the first time in years, Alicia trades her identity as the "good wife" and takes charge of her own destiny.
I applaud the writers of this show and I look forward to watching the series and routing for Alicia Florrick this fall.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Ode to Our Family Pet
Ten years ago when I met my husband Jeff he had a one year old boxer puppy named Jasmine. She was his baby. And within six months Jeff, Jasmine and I were living together in New Jersey. After just transplanting myself from Florida to New Jersey, Jasmine became my best friend; especially when Jeff was working a lot of hours at the Meadowlands.
As with any couple that doesn't have kids yet, their dog or cat becomes their baby and is considered their child. That was no different with us. Jasmine was our "girlie" and received all of our affection until she was 6 years old, when we decided, since we still did not have children, we would bring another boxer puppy into our family -- a white colored boxer we named Aspen.
Jasmine was so good about becoming the big sister and put up with Aspen's craziness and extreme energy. I think his energy kept her lively over the years. Before he came along she spent a lot of time hanging out on the couch -- but with a new puppy in the house, he kept her busy and they began to play together.
When Jeff and I finally did become pregnant Jasmine was eight years old and we both knew that she would be the protector and once again, big sister. Sure enough, once Zack was born we would find Jasmine laying on the carpet, by Zack's crib whenever he was sleeping.
As Zack has gotten a little older he has stated that these are his "two doggies" and that while Aspen can run around and play rough with him, Jasmine is an "old girlie" who he gives hugs and kisses to.
I am very sad to report that on Sunday, at 11 years old, our loyal, loving, good natured and extremely sweet Jasmine girl passed away, leaving a very large void in our life. I am truly grateful for having her in my life all these years, and loving me and our family unconditionally.
We will all miss her tremendously, but know she is in a place of peace and joy.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Being the Best Dad (FM)
I was very pleased to have two very interesting Dads on this show. Both of these men have careers that do not revolve around being an author, yet each of them felt compelled to write a book about being the best dad possible, and what impact one father had on his son.
My first guest is Tom McManus, who is a former NFL football player with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is now owner and host of a Sports Talk Radio Show in Florida called "The Rumble with Tom McManus" and he recently published his first book "We'll Always Be Pals." He is also a father to three daughters.
This book was written as an ode to his father who passed away due to cancer while in his seventies. Tom shares his close relationship with his father and how his encouragement and guidance helped him play college and professional football. He also points out several lessons he learned from his father, which has molded him into the man and father he is today for his daughters.
Then Tom Sturges, an Executive VP and Head of Creative for Universal Music Publishing Group, and father to two boys 17 and 11, has written his first book entitled "Parking Lot Rules and 75 Other Ideas for Raising Amazing Children." On one side Tom has worked with some of the greatest songwriters of his generation...shortly after our interview I spoke to him and he had just attended Michael Jackson's Memorial. And on the other side Tom mentors at-risk kids at a south Los Angeles school with a learning program that develops creativity in children via song and lyric writing.
When he first became a dad he wanted to be the "best dad possible" and went in search of books to show him how to do just that. When he couldn't find one, he decided to ask parents, grandparents, sports legends and rock starts for their advice, ideas and tips to be the best father. This book is a compilation of "Rules" he had picked up and found effective over the years.
I think you will find them effective too.
My first guest is Tom McManus, who is a former NFL football player with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is now owner and host of a Sports Talk Radio Show in Florida called "The Rumble with Tom McManus" and he recently published his first book "We'll Always Be Pals." He is also a father to three daughters.
This book was written as an ode to his father who passed away due to cancer while in his seventies. Tom shares his close relationship with his father and how his encouragement and guidance helped him play college and professional football. He also points out several lessons he learned from his father, which has molded him into the man and father he is today for his daughters.
Then Tom Sturges, an Executive VP and Head of Creative for Universal Music Publishing Group, and father to two boys 17 and 11, has written his first book entitled "Parking Lot Rules and 75 Other Ideas for Raising Amazing Children." On one side Tom has worked with some of the greatest songwriters of his generation...shortly after our interview I spoke to him and he had just attended Michael Jackson's Memorial. And on the other side Tom mentors at-risk kids at a south Los Angeles school with a learning program that develops creativity in children via song and lyric writing.
When he first became a dad he wanted to be the "best dad possible" and went in search of books to show him how to do just that. When he couldn't find one, he decided to ask parents, grandparents, sports legends and rock starts for their advice, ideas and tips to be the best father. This book is a compilation of "Rules" he had picked up and found effective over the years.
I think you will find them effective too.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Facebook Obsession
I am sorry that I haven't been as current on my blogging as I would like, but I have become swept away in the Facebook obsession. While most people have heard about facebook, and many people are already on it (250 million people) I have only recently signed on to see what all the buzz is about.
As with any new trend like blogging and twitter, I have been asked to sign on to the latest trend with Facebook many times over the past year, and for whatever reason have not. But over the past couple of months I must have had three or four people close to me suggest that I get on to use it as a platform for the business, and to connect with old high school friends. It was only until my husband (who is not a social network person) signed on because his cousin wanted him to, and shortly there after had all of my immediate family and cousins signed on as his friends. Suddenly I knew that I was missing out on something!
Within a day I saw what all the commotion was about....I had reconnected with several people that I had been trying to find for several years, to no success -- but yet I sign onto Facebook and there they are. I also discovered that my 25 year high school class reunion was coming up within the week, that people I hadn't thought about in all that time were suddenly wanting to connect with me, and two old friends of mine had gotten married and were living only 30 minutes from me. (which is amazing in itself because I went to high school in Florida and am now living in New Jersey!
My girlfriend and I met up at a Starbucks for coffee and it felt like we had only seen each other last year, rather than 25 years ago. We picked right back up as if the passage of time had not existed.
Each day I am reconnecting with a new person that I had lost touch with, or someone from my really distant past pops up, and I am keeping up to date on what people are doing on a daily basis!! It has also provided a new platform to provide up to date information for my clients and interested parents, that are looking for information and ideas to help empower their children.
So now I will try to balance my blogging, with facebook entries.
As with any new trend like blogging and twitter, I have been asked to sign on to the latest trend with Facebook many times over the past year, and for whatever reason have not. But over the past couple of months I must have had three or four people close to me suggest that I get on to use it as a platform for the business, and to connect with old high school friends. It was only until my husband (who is not a social network person) signed on because his cousin wanted him to, and shortly there after had all of my immediate family and cousins signed on as his friends. Suddenly I knew that I was missing out on something!
Within a day I saw what all the commotion was about....I had reconnected with several people that I had been trying to find for several years, to no success -- but yet I sign onto Facebook and there they are. I also discovered that my 25 year high school class reunion was coming up within the week, that people I hadn't thought about in all that time were suddenly wanting to connect with me, and two old friends of mine had gotten married and were living only 30 minutes from me. (which is amazing in itself because I went to high school in Florida and am now living in New Jersey!
My girlfriend and I met up at a Starbucks for coffee and it felt like we had only seen each other last year, rather than 25 years ago. We picked right back up as if the passage of time had not existed.
Each day I am reconnecting with a new person that I had lost touch with, or someone from my really distant past pops up, and I am keeping up to date on what people are doing on a daily basis!! It has also provided a new platform to provide up to date information for my clients and interested parents, that are looking for information and ideas to help empower their children.
So now I will try to balance my blogging, with facebook entries.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Being The Best Mom (FM)
On my radio show I wanted to tap into two authors addressing issues for moms. The first is Suzanne Eller, a veteran youth worker, author, parenting and youth culture columnist who wrote the book "The Mom I want to Be." I thought this was such a great book because it unearths a topic that is not talked about very often -- how to be a good mother if you have had a painful past. And how to let that past go and not continue the cycle with your own family?
When I was working with kids in foster care I saw so many families that were caught up in the vicious cycle of abuse and didn't know how to change. It requires a lot to not make the same mistakes that were made to you while growing up because there weren't any positive role models to learn positive ways to parent. I loved Suzanne's book and I recommend it to anyone that is trying to do the best for their family and leave a dysfunctional past in the past!!
Then Brenda Nixon joins me. She is also an author, a speaker and parent educator. She has written articles for more than 100 publications and is a contributing author to 23 books and has published 4 of her own. Her most recent book is "The Birth to 5 Book -- Confident Childrearing Right from the Start." During this interview we talked a lot about a child's temperament and knowing who your child is to be able to parent in alignment rather than conflict. Brenda shares with me how temperament consists of specific traits that determine how your child responds to the world.
These are the nine categories that temperaments fall under:
1. Activity Level
2. Regularity
3. Approach/Withdrawal
4. Adaptability
5. Sensory Threshold
6. Quality of Mood
7. Persistence
8. Distractibility
9. Intensity of Reaction
Tap into the show and learn which categories your child falls into and how to relate to your child better and eliminate many of the battles that you may be running into.
When I was working with kids in foster care I saw so many families that were caught up in the vicious cycle of abuse and didn't know how to change. It requires a lot to not make the same mistakes that were made to you while growing up because there weren't any positive role models to learn positive ways to parent. I loved Suzanne's book and I recommend it to anyone that is trying to do the best for their family and leave a dysfunctional past in the past!!
Then Brenda Nixon joins me. She is also an author, a speaker and parent educator. She has written articles for more than 100 publications and is a contributing author to 23 books and has published 4 of her own. Her most recent book is "The Birth to 5 Book -- Confident Childrearing Right from the Start." During this interview we talked a lot about a child's temperament and knowing who your child is to be able to parent in alignment rather than conflict. Brenda shares with me how temperament consists of specific traits that determine how your child responds to the world.
These are the nine categories that temperaments fall under:
1. Activity Level
2. Regularity
3. Approach/Withdrawal
4. Adaptability
5. Sensory Threshold
6. Quality of Mood
7. Persistence
8. Distractibility
9. Intensity of Reaction
Tap into the show and learn which categories your child falls into and how to relate to your child better and eliminate many of the battles that you may be running into.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Tracey's Tip #22 -- Being a Balanced Mom
Find time to get away! The best gift that you can give yourself is to get away for a break -- whether it be for a week long vacation or a short weekend getaway -- time away from the house provides new momentum.
Usually in the summer we go off to Seabrook Island for a week to hang out at the beach, spend the day in the pool, go out to dinner at night and just be lazy. It is the best week because I am not a slave to the house, or the dogs, or an agenda -- I can go at my own pace, and the responsibilities of Zack are shared by both Jeff and myself.
That week away really helps me to clear my head, put the world of work behind, spend quality time with my family and truely enjoy being present in the moment!
I wish the same for you!
Usually in the summer we go off to Seabrook Island for a week to hang out at the beach, spend the day in the pool, go out to dinner at night and just be lazy. It is the best week because I am not a slave to the house, or the dogs, or an agenda -- I can go at my own pace, and the responsibilities of Zack are shared by both Jeff and myself.
That week away really helps me to clear my head, put the world of work behind, spend quality time with my family and truely enjoy being present in the moment!
I wish the same for you!
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