Simplifying isn’t my strong suit. And yet it’s weird that I always felt organized in so many areas of life. I guess my life has always been so full that even if parts were cluttered, the rest made up for it. Until they didn’t. I found out that I had to move the family across the country the day after my Mom died. The past 9 months have been like an Edvard Munch painting. (Yes, sometimes I scream.) I pride myself on not being negative, but the ‘glass half full’ mentality has been exceptionally difficult.
We all have our parenting strengths, and families often go through challenges that test us. There are the small but normal developmental hurdles like the first time your child sees what will happen when they hit mommy in the face or try and cut off their own hair. There are the slightly cringe-worthy times they fall off a swing or fail a test in school. But then there are those heart-lurching, life-shifting moments when a threshold is crossed, and everyone involved has to adjust.
Many children on the autism spectrum have robust and complicated emotions that they simply can’t express to others in typical ways. Sometimes people around these kids don’t get the normal smiles, hugs and eye contact received as part of typical communication. There are a million ways people can show love – a huge spectrum. I spoke with Olympian and mother of four, Silken Laumann about her experience parenting a 21-year-old daughter named Kilee who is on the autism spectrum. In the podcast below, we speak about self-care, parenting, sport, and how technology can not only teach, but help family connections. Technology can help children discover new ways to express themselves.
Heather Morris of “Glee” and “DWTS” is the mom of two boys: Elijah who was born in 2013 and Owen who was born in Feb. 2016. Guess what? Even celebrities entertain kids with edible slime and Lego!!
On September 3, Heather will go psycho in a new Lifetime movie, “Psycho Wedding Crasher.” This is a totally different role from what viewers saw on “Glee.” (And with no singing or dancing!!!)
Born in Creston, BC, Pascale Hutton studied fine arts at the University of Alberta. A mother of two young boys, Hutton has a huge amount of passion for nature, and constantly models a love of nature for her two boys, ages 6 and 2. On today’s Facebook Live, I talked about the interview and how I plan to do small things to help the environment with my kids in order to get rid of the helpless feeling I have since the USA pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord. It seems that Pascale and I are on the same page!
Actors have many roles, and for mother of two Sara Rue, being an activist in today’s political climate is as important to her as any theatrical performance. With her daughters in tow, Rue recently participated in the climate march from where she was filming, setting an inspiring example for her kids. A celebrated actor on stage and screen, you have probably caught her as Carmen Ferrara on Popular, and as Claude Casey on Less than Perfect. As a huge sitcom fan, I loved her performance in The Big Bang Theory, playing Leonard Hofstadter’s physician girlfriend Dr. Stephanie Barnett for three episodes.
The first two things I noticed about Ashley Scott (besides her flawless beauty) were words on her twitter account. ‘Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life’ is her bio, and a few days ago she tweeted 11.11. Whoa. I am one who constantly sees 11:11 on a clock, and knew inherently that I was going to enjoy our interview with Ashley Scott on parenting spiritually in LA.
Sometimes you speak to a person and it makes you a better woman and mother. So was the case when I spoke to Nikki Deloach the day before her new film,”Perfect Catch,” which premieres on the Hallmark channel on April 22nd. In the podcast below, I talk to Nikki about her 3 year old son, her current pregnancy and the insane judgments hurled on us by other parents. We also spend much of the interview discussing what got her through her own struggles with postpartum depression and how the challenges associated with this mental illness helped her become an even better actor.
Chatting with Vanessa Marcil about her new film on the Lifetime Network airing April 8th, 2017, I was struck by her prowess in psychology. She explains that being dark-haired, she often plays the villain, and yet looks for the light in these characters in order to give them depth. This Saturday on the Lifetime Network, “The Wrong Mother” will debut. When a professional mom (Marcil) of twin toddlers has a mishap, she and her pilot husband must hire help in the house in order to keep things running smoothly. Unfortunately, their hire is not ideal. Vanessa confirmed that I may need a glass of wine before watching this movie! The plot sounds completely riveting and not to be missed on Saturday.
UrbanMommies talked to Charlotte Jenkins, on how she balances motherhood with a public and demanding role at Toronto’s fashion hot-shop, GOTStyle.
Best of all, she gave us the inside scoop on how moms AND dads can play the part of parent of the year, without adopting the ‘look’.
At work, Charlotte has tackled everything from “glam stuff to the not-so-glamorous” for all three of GOTStyle’s retail platforms. Between “problem-solving, getting things done on the fly, as well as fixing things… It’s definitely prepared me for being a mother. Well, nothing can prepare you for being a mother, but…”