Questionable Choices in Parenting
Laughing at life as a parent so they don't commit me
WE love the spooky season, and even though Halloween will look different this year, we’re ready to celebrate. Our latest video for TLC us all about making Halloween special for the kids this year with simple, inexpensive hacks and games for backyard festivities.
Also–how cute is Dylan in his pumpkin costume?
Click right here to see our latest from TLC!
Everyone be COOL–it’s just me in Better Homes & Gardens September issue. No big deal—kidding it’s a HUGE DEAL and I’m celebrating by eating Nutella right out of the jar. Come on over and check me out!
My love for my alma mater runs deep. There is plenty of blue and gold WVU attire in my wardrobe, when a fellow Mountaineer achieves success, I swell with pride, and my husband and I still sing the unofficial school song, Country Roads, to our children as a lullaby–sorry, it was one off the few songs we BOTH knew every word.
Years after graduating from WVU, I have always felt that so many of the really wonderful things in my life were a result from attending my beloved university. So when I was asked to speak at a Pioneer Session about my experiences as a vlogger, blogger, and TV segment gal, I jumped at the chance. First I checked to make sure that I didn’t have anymore outstanding parking tickets from my glory days and then I got down to work.
So what is a Pioneer Session, you may ask? Well lucky for you, I can tell you! Pioneer Sessions at WVU are a way to celebrate alumni who are considered pioneers in their areas of expertise and careers, and a way to connect current students and alumni to facilitate learning and networking. Students and alumi can attend the sessions or watch the session streamed live.
What could I– a little older and wiser Mountaineer–offer to a generation of college students embarking on their futures. Mainly I told them to drink more water, wear sunscreen and NEVER LEAVE college, but then I shared the story of my career, how to use their social media as a powerful tool in connecting with others and landing a job, and the importance of developing their own brand.
To watch my Pioneer Session, click right here!
Take look around my kitchen and you’ll see that I LOVE Rachael Ray. I have her pots and pans, her knives, her cookbooks, and I even have her fancy little EVOO thingy (I think that’s its official name). Last fall I was over-the-moon excited to make a pumpkin hacks video that was featured on her show. So recently when I was asked to come on the show with Rachael to share more of my favorite pumpkin hacks and to demo one of my hacks, I basically SQUEEEEEED, and then calmly said “Oh sure, I can do that.” Real cool, Amanda.
So if you missed my appearance, here it is! I had a blast on the show. Rachael’s staff and crew were beyond amazing and kind, and I was honored to be on the show with Rachael and Bob Harper. Hope you enjoy the segment as much as I enjoyed making it!
Is it possible to be speechless but have SO MUCH to say? I’ve started the first line of this post about a million times and deleted it a million times. So I’ll just start like this… I was invited to the White House and it was a surreal and beyond fantastic day that I will truly cherish forever. Phew, I’ve got that first line out of the way. Now I feel better. Settle in, friends because it’s time for LOTS of pictures. But first, a little back story of how I got the invite to gallivant through the East Wing and the South Lawn.
A few weeks ago I received an email from SheKnows Media asking if I would like to attend an event with the First Lady at the White House. First, I screamed and scared the crap out of my kids. Then I wondered if this was all a ruse to somehow gain access to my social security number. Finally I calmed myself down long enough to RSVP YES, YES, YES. Then I got into business mode and was all “What do you wear to the White House?” Priorities, people.
On the day of the Let’s Move Initiative event, I just kept saying over and over “Is this real life?” and I was a little weepy because I was so excited and so proud and so humbled, and you guys know I cry all the time.
So what do you do if you have a day at the White House? Well, let’s see….
You have coffee with Bill….
You pose with Jackie
You stash a few of these fancy paper towels from the bathroom in your bag. Hey, if they have their name on it, they WANT you to take it. It’s good PR, right?
You send a video to your mom of all the White House China because she is so jealous you didn’t take her with you to the White House and you hope this video helps a little.
You tour the White House Kitchen Garden and strike a little pose because you feel fancy.
You realize those killer heels were a bad choice for walking through the garden…
You somehow snag a front row seat and you say over and over “Be cool, Amanda. Be cool”
Then you settle in because now it’s time to hear from the panel and the First Lady ,and you were one of the 150 influential bloggers invited to this event.
The panel consisted of a powerhouse of ladies that were wicked smart, influential, and making real changes that will benefit our kids. After every woman spoke, I wanted to know more about their organizations and The First Lady’s Initiatives like:
We first heard from Deb Eschmeyer, Executive director for Let’s Move!, and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition, who told us a bit of background on the Let’s Move! initiative. Did you know that ONE in every THREE children in the United States are considered obese? How scary is that statistic? In 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama planted the White House Kitchen Garden and in 2010 she launched Let’s Move! which is an initiative to help kids and families lead healthier and more active lives.
Here’s Olympic Gymnast Dominique Dawes introducing Michelle Obama, White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford wiping up a kale salad, and Ryan Shadrick Wilson the Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel at Partnership for a Healthier America who introduced the super cool Fruits and Veggies (FnV) Campaign.
Then the First Lady Came out to speak, and let me just tell you, she was AMAZING. Smart, funny, and at times, I felt like she was talking RIGHT to me.
Mrs. Obama said that this was an initiative near and dear to her because when she was working full time, she found herself taking the kids to too many drive thrus and heating up too many dinners in the microwave. But after a doctor told her she needed to focus on her kids’ health and weight, she got down to work in her own house, and when he found herself in the White House, she knew creating Lets Move! was going to be where she spent her time as First Lady
Because of the work of Let’s Move!
-1.6 million kids are now attending healthier daycare centers where fruits and vegetables have replaced cookies and juice.
-Over 10 million kids attend Let’s Move! Active schools where they strive to get 60 minutes of physical activity a day
-More than 30 million kids are eating healthier school breakfasts and lunches
-Nearly 80 million people, that’s 1 in 4 Americans, now live in a Let’s Move! city, town or county where kids can walk to school on new sidewalks, participate in a summer meal program, or join a local athletic league.
And as Mrs. Obama said, the 150 bloggers in the room had a social media reach of tens of millions and that the voices of Mommy Bloggers have power and can help to make changes that are important to our kids. And then I got weepy again, because come on, how amazing is that? The First Lady thinks blogs like mine are powerful messengers and that she is proud of us. Excuse me while I cry a little again.
After the event I basically floated all the way home and couldn’t wait to see my kids who were more impressed by the goodie bag that had a beach ball in it then hearing about my day at the White House. Oh well, someday they will get how amazing this day was for their Mamma.
A year ago The Today Show launched their Parenting Team and for me, it has been life changing. LIFE CHANGING, friends! Because of the Parenting Team, my posts have been featured on Today.com, shared on their Facebook pages, and of course my Today Show appearances. So when I gush about the Parenting Team, it’s for a good reason.
Last week during my fourth appearance on the Today Show, I talked to the digital team about what the Parenting Team is all about and why parents and bloggers should join and they made this awesome video.
I have to warn you, this video makes me a little weepy because I’m just so proud and excite. Plus I’m just a big crybaby that gets weepy over everything. I’m serious when I say if there is an emotion to be had, I’m probably crying. Big old crybaby. My favorite part of this video is the clip of my first segment where I’m talking to Carson about chocolate and then I get all Oprah and sing “chocolate.” My BFF keeps saying she is going to make that her ringtone. Ridiculous
So happy birthday to the Parenting Team. I will eat cake all week in your honor.
When I was a little girl and I found myself home from school because I was sick, there was nothing that made me feel better than snuggling up on the couch next to my beloved grandma and watching Regis and Kathie Lee with her. My grandmother LOVED Kathie Lee– she loved her hair, her music, her jewelry, and because Kathie Lee had a dog named Chardonnay, my grandmother needed a dog named Chardonnay. Now my grandmother’s Chardonnay was a sheppard for the devil, but that’s a whole other story.
I really cherish those precious memories with my sweet grandmother and because she adored Kathie Lee so much, I have always had a special place in my heart for Kathie Lee as well. During my other Today Show appearances, I always hoped I would run into her in the halls and I even practiced what I would say to her. But every time I was lucky enough to be on the show, I would just see Kathie Lee as she came whisking in and out of the Orange Room and basically, I was a big chicken and afraid to present her with my practiced speech. So when I got the call from a producer that wanted me to tape a segment with Kathie Lee and Hoda, I couldn’t squeal YES fast enough!
When I finally met Kathie Lee, she was just as lovely, kind, and funny as I had hoped and I just know my grandmother was smiling down (OK probably more than just smiling down) from heaven during this segment. Pretty awesome, right?
So check me out on the Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda where I’m sharing the best ways to throw an amazing slumber party! This is my favorite Today segment yet!
Maybe it’s because I went to college in the late 90s and my entire dorm room was glow-in-the-dark but I was a little too excited over all the glow-in-the-dark activities. And those walking tacos? SO YUMMY!
What’s your favorite slumber party activity?
In addition to loving a good life hack, I LOVE Rachael Ray–LOVE Her. Check my kitchen, I have her pots and pans, her knives, her adorable EVOO drizzle thingy (obvi that’s not the correct name), and ton of her cookbooks and magazines. I’ve bought her dog food for Suggie and I’ve eaten at a dozen restaurants based on her recommendations. Basically, I think she is just rad so when I was asked to film one of my life hacks for her show… I basically squealed like a little girl, forced myself to be cool..be cool, and plotted a way to make Rachael my newest BFF. Here’s the clip of my appearance on her show and a great hack for this time of year! As always, my kids are the scene stealers and I swear, my house always looks this clean (just don’t look behind the camera because that’s where we stashed everything.)
I don’t want to brag, but when I was fresh out of college, I was a TV news reporter in a tiny, little town in West Virginia and I covered ALL the hard hitting news like county fairs, beauty pageants, and lots of ribbon cutting ceremonies. Hard Hitting News, right? But alas, I left that glamorous life to become a teacher, then a stay at home, then a mommy blogger and somehow that all turned into me getting the chance to share my life hacks on TV shows. So sorta full circle, right?
This week I was thrilled to be on Great Day Washington here in Washington, D.C. to share my sanity savers when your kids are sick, and I am always surprised how fast, fast, fast daytime TV is. Phew…
The hosts, Chris and Marquette, were so nice and so funny. And Marquette is ridiculously beautiful and that dress, love! I mean, how cute is she?
Since cold and flu season is going to be hitting us soon, hopefully some of these tips will help you and your kiddos. Check out my appearance!
So much fun! Hopefully I’ll be back on Great Day Washington soon (hint, hint!!) and I’ll remember to talk faster!!!