I met and fell in LUV with Stefanie Wilder-Taylor when I was about 13 months pregnant with my second child, and we had just moved to Savannah, Ga. I had no friends and an 18-month-old who was the definition of willful. I would go to Books-A-Million and to the play area of the mall to stalk other moms. I was so desperate to connect with someone. Aubrey could be crying and ready to go home, but if I saw a cute mom with kids close to Aubrey’s age, I wouldn’t leave until I met her. (It’s sad and pathetic, I know. I was lonely.)

It was on one of these missions to the mall that I discovered Stefanie on a bookshelf. I picked up her book, “Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay” and laughed until I cried while Aubrey destroyed the Thomas the Train, train table.

This was the first book about parenting I had ever read that was written by someone I could relate to; it was so honest and completely transparent. Her humor is in your face and laugh out loud funny. She calls ibuprofen “Baby Crack” and actually told a nosy stranger at the mall that, no, in fact, she would not be breastfeeding because she was giving her baby up for adoption. (You know those women who offer oodles of unsolicited parenting advice when you are preggo? They are also SO helpful, touching your swollen stomach and all you want to do is grab their muffin top and scream, “DO YOU LIKE THIS????”)

I left the store with a new book and a pseudo-friend that day and regularly give her books to my friends who are expecting.

Stefanie’s second book, “Naptime is the New Happy Hour,” was just as hilarious as the first and the nation was shocked when Stefanie announced she had a drinking problem and was giving up alcohol all together. The titles of her books were catchy, but they didn’t glorify and celebrate drinking. I think they were a reflection of how MANY parents unwind at the end of a long day by having a drink. Sometimes it’s the only grownup thing they do in a day. But Stefanie realized she had a problem, she couldn’t stop with just one drink, and to her great credit she realized she wanted to stop drinking before it destroyed her family.

Can you imagine writing two playful books with the titles, “Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay,” and “Naptime is the New Happy Hour,” then having the cojones to say, “You know what, this isn’t healthy for me anymore, I quit.” -TO THE WORLD?

On her blog, Baby on Bored, Stefanie has Don’t Get Drunk Fridays where she shares her struggle to remain sober. (She’s already got a year under her belt! Go Girra!) She also shares other women’s stories which are truly inspiring. I don’t even have a drinking problem but I look forward to reading these posts every Friday because the women Stefanie features are fearless, brave and wonderful- just like her.

Here she is, Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, one of my writing heroes and definitely a woman who deserves a gold star!

What was the most surprising thing to you about motherhood?

This answer will sound totally cliche but I was shocked by how difficult it was and then shocked again by the ferocity of love I have for my kids. The weird thing was when it shifted. I was hating life as a new mom for kind of awhile and then all of a sudden when Elby was around 16 months, BAM, I was head over heels in loooove with her. (See what I mean? How many parenting books will tell you it can take time to get to know your kids and develop a relationship with them?) Missed her when she went to bed, wanted to hang with her all day, it was like I’d been bitten by a vampire or something. And it never really wore off although I don’t need to hang out with her all day anymore. A few hours will scratch the itch just fine.

How do you balance writing/work/book tours with family/mommy time?

I’m not going to lie and pretend like it’s really hard to juggle my time because writing is quite simply a luxury activity except when I’m on a deadline. (Again with the brutal honesty, I feel the same way.) I know I have it good. When I’m on a deadline, although it’s stressful, I can see my kids throughout the day (I have a nanny to take them to the park and feed them lunch while I work) and when I’m not on a deadline, I am with them a ton. I’ve personally never been on a book tour because my publishing company doesn’t do them with writers like me and when I’ve traveled it’s only been a day or two at a time which let’s face it, is a Godsend. (Remember that gold star I said she deserved? She’s been on Dr. Oz AND Larry King in the last few months. Dr. Drew was on Larry King with her. *swooning*)

There’s nothing I love more than freshly laundered sheets in a hotel with On Demand and room service. How else would one get to see movies like Marley and Me (sucked) and Her Sister’s Keeper (Eh)?

If you were childless for one week what would you do?

That’s easy. I would go to San Louis Obisbo with my husband and then when we got back we’d go eat sushi every night. Other than that, life would remain exactly the same. Some people don’t like to stay home and watch marathons of Househusbands of Hollywood on Fox Reality TV. But I do. So it works out.

What is your most hilarious or humiliating parenting memory?

There are really so many but the one that comes to mind is being with Elby as a baby at an indoor playground at the mall. She must’ve been a little under two and still in diapers. I walked over to her while she was sitting in a little plaster boat and there was a huge puddle of pee at her feet. Her diaper was bursting and I was appalled. I pulled her out, stuck her in the stroller and got the hell out of there before someone could tell it was my kid. But when I got to the car, I had no more diapers and I had to put her naked in her car seat all the way home. I wish i could say I was never again caught in a situation without extra diapers but I can’t.

If you could be sure your children learned one lesson from you, what would it be?

Is self-esteem a lesson? If it is then that’s it. I want my kids to feel like they are enough. I’m really into praising my kids even though it’s no longer hip. (A trend setter, too.) I’d rather take the chance they become conceited than take the chance that they don’t feel good about themselves and therefore don’t want to try. Of course, I’m not talking about telling my kid she’s the most beautiful every five seconds, but my older daughter is naturally prone to anxiety and, knowing her, I praise the sh*t out of her accordingly.

What made you want to be a writer?

Writing. (If you are a writer you totally get this and realize it’s the perfect answer.)

At what point in your writing career did you realize you had a drinking problem?

It wasn’t my writing career which alerted me to my drinking; I didn’t write when I drank. The drinking was a crutch I used to relax after an exhausting day of parenting. Now writing is more my escape which drinking used to be. It did occur to me that I talk a lot about drinking in my books but I sort of figured I was joking and that it wasn’t really an issue. When I felt that drinking was starting to interfere with me being the mom I wanted to be, that’s when I put a cork in it.

What was it like to say “I have a drinking problem” after publishing your two first books?

It wasn’t easy. I absolutely worried that people would judge me for what they probably figured was an attitude that promoted drinking and then turn around and say it’s bad. But I had to do what needed to be done. If one is going to quit drinking, I don’t believe that can be done in secret. And I believe that I owed it to my audience to know exactly what was going on with me. I still think that drinking can be fun and a great way to unwind with friends. Just not for me. Not anymore.

I know you have been a huge inspiration to other women in the same situation, has that made it easier or more difficult to maintain your sobriety?

Absolutely easier. It’s the best decision I could’ve made regarding my sobriety. It’s not a path for everyone (being public) but for me, hearing how other women have been affected in a positive way by my example has held me accountable and that’s a strong motivator!!

Bonus Question:

How long did you wear maternity underwear after you had a baby?

I never wore maternity underwear in the first place. Damn, that sounds bad. I wore thongs the entire time. But, I did wear my black maternity pants and sweats from Old Navy for a good solid year and a half after Elby. And the twins are now two and a half and I still rock a pink maternity dress on occasion!

Stefanie’s most recent release is, “It’s Not Me, It’s You: Subjective Recollections of a Terminally Optimistic, Chronically Sarcastic, Occasionally Inebriated Woman.” AND it’s blurbed by Chelsea FREAKING Handler. Another gold star for Stefanie.

(Click on any of the links above to purchase her books. Now.)

Her next book will be available June 2011. It’s titled, “I’m Kind of a Big Deal.” She most certainly is.

Follow Stefanie’s blog, Baby on Bored, or keep up with her on her Twitter page.

Jen Singer is another one of my tweeps. (That’s one of my twitter people, for those of you who are still missing out on the phenomenon that is twitter.) Jen is one of those moms, who after reading her blog, makes you feel like you could walk into her house, put your feet up on her coffee table and tell her about how your kids just totally humiliated you in the checkout line at Wal-Mart. She would listen, laugh and reassure you that you are a good mother. (Which happens to be the name of one of her many books.)

After lurking around her website MommaSaid.net, laughing hysterically at her “If You Give a Mom a Cookie” video, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know how someone successfully raised two boys, was a pioneer in the blogging world (her site has received a Forbes Best of the Web designation for Parenting Blogs), battled and beat a cancer diagnosis and did it all with grace and a sense of humor. (Information regarding her cancer diagnosis and treatment can be found under the “Laugh” section of her website. Seriously.)

When and why did you start blogging?

I started blogging before anybody had put the words “mom” and “blog” together, back in 2003 when my kids weren’t in school at the same time. I worked nights, even though I am decidedly not a night owl. I wanted to build a community for my writing and for my future books. Also, I wanted to find other moms who agreed with me that perhaps motherhood isn’t like a baby lotion commercial all the time. (I’m sayin’!)

Were you blogging before you started writing books?

I launched MommaSaid in January of 2003 and published my first book, “14 Hours Til Bedtime” in November of 2004. I’d published essays in magazines like Woman’s Day and Family Circle, but I wanted to expand my audience and to not have to wait six months for an essay to hit the stands in a magazine. Blogging made sense.

Many writers I know who also have blogs, bristle at the idea of being considered a “Mommy Blogger.” What’s your take on the whole “Mommy Blogger” phenomenon?

Well, I’m a mom who blogs about being a mom, so I’m certain that makes me a mom blogger. I hate the word “mommy” though. My own kids haven’t called me Mommy since they were in preschool. “Mommy blogger” makes it sound like a fun little hobby to do at nap-time, which in my case, it certainly isn’t. It’s a business, with spokespersonships and books that help pay my mortgage.

What was the most difficult aspect of your cancer diagnosis?

The hardest part was worrying that I wouldn’t be here to watch my kids grow up. I was too sick to be the kind of hand-on, everybody-in-the-minivan kind of mom I had been, and that was hard on the kids – and me.

How did having cancer change your perspective on motherhood?

Here’s where I’m supposed to say that it made me cherish every moment, smell every flower and sing with the birds. But it doesn’t. Sometimes, the kids fight and the milk gets spilled and I wish I could go hide at a movie that’s not animated with talking animals. That’s when I realize how fortunate I am that, at that moment anyhow, that is my biggest problem. You know, instead of fighting for my life. (See what I mean? Don’t you want to be friends with her? How can you not love someone who is THAT honest?)

What’s the best piece of parenting advice you ever received? The worst?

My German mother-in-law used to remind me, whenever my kids refused to sleep, “There vas nothing wrong vith him all day, and there’s nothing wrong vith him now.” It gave me the strength to sleep train my kids and stop being so stinking exhausted all the time.

The worst advice was not to tell my kids I had cancer. Kids fill in what you don’t tell them with worse scenarios. It’s better to tell them. Besides, I was bald and in the hospital a lot. What was I going to tell them? I was starring as Dr. Evil in the Broadway production of Austin Powers?

Funniest parenting memory?

The night the kids wouldn’t sleep and I was shushing them so they wouldn’t wake up a house guest. I wound up throwing the phone, which had broken and wouldn’t stop beeping, out the window. Then I drove the kids around at 4 a.m. in 11 degree weather until they fell asleep. I wrote about it in Beth Feldman’s “See Mom Run.” Proud parenting moment indeed.

If you don’t connect with Jen via twitter, Facebook or MommaSaid.Net– YOU are missing out! Click HERE for more information about Jen’s books.

Don’t forget to enter to win my blog giveaway! (All you have to do is leave a comment for a chance to win the best sports bra EVER!)

I met Lori “The Toothless Wonder” Wescott while the two of us were in nursing school at Auburn. We were in the same clinical group, and it was through those harrowing and near death experiences at the hands of cardiac surgeons, and patients alike, that the strong bond of our friendship emerged.

Our very first day of clinicals, we were given the oh-so difficult task of bathing a patient. (One patient, two students. How hard could that be?) Our patient’s “real” nurse was in her room and offered to help us. We took her up on her offer and whispered to her how it was our Very First Day Ever, and we had no idea what we were doing. Then we realized she wasn’t a hospital employee, but the patient’s friend. Awesome.

We never killed or hurt anybody, but we did embarrass ourselves and make each other laugh on a regular basis. Like the time me, my sister and Lori went to yoga and while in downward dog, I made eye contact with Lori which cued her as the perfect time to reveal to me that she had a false tooth. She popped her teeth out and smiled a gap-toothed grin at me. I collapsed on my yoga mat and laughed so hard I had to leave the class.

THIS is the level of funny you can count on with Lori. Her blog Loripalooza makes me laugh out loud every single time.

Allow me to introduce my friend, Lori Wescott. (She promised to keep her teeth in for this interview.)

What’s your parenting philosophy?

I try not to hit my kid too much. I got that advice from Lynne Spears’ memoir. It’s a good read. You can pick it up at that last minute check out section of most TJ Maxx stores.

Why did you start writing?

To pass time in jail. Ok, fine. It actually started in the form of “Letters to Luke.” Luke is my son and before he was born I started journaling to him. I would look back every week or so and crack myself up. It kind of went from there.

Who are your favorite humorists?

Oh, there are so many. I love, love, love Kristen Wiig, Kathy Griffin and Chelsea Handler. My favorite males would probably be Louis CK and Stephen Colbert

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Breast or bottle?

None for me, thanks. I’m drinking vodka.

Cry it out or family bed?

Oh, cry it out, definitely. If we had a family bed we would ALL be crying it out.

Facebook or Twitter?

I have an appeal for both, but you gotta love a social media outlet that allows you to tap into the inner life of uber mom Dina Lohan. Did you know she went to the dentist today?



How often do you feel the need to take out your tooth?

Oh, my famous trick tooth. Gotta love it. I’m getting the permanent one in a couple of weeks so I’m trying to take it out every chance I get. It’s a great way to take a confrontation to the next level, too. It’s pretty intimidating when you see someone take out their tooth and slip on brass knuckles. I also take it out and give it a good soak once a week, whether it needs it or not.

You’ve worn several different career hats in your life. Which are you most proud of?

Being a nurse was obviously rewarding, but never to the same degree as being a trohpy wife and mom. I have the most awesome husband and son in the world and if you don’t agree, I can take out my tooth and we can settle this outside.

Check out Lori’s blog, Loripalooza, or follow her on twitter @LoriWescott

Oh. My. Lanta. To say I’m excited about this week’s Super (Silly) Mom interview would be like saying that Heidi Montag has had a little work done. I am beside myself with excitement. Celia Rivenbark is one of my favorite writers of all time. You heard me. EVER.

Celia got her start working in a small town newspaper at 19 and has been bringing the funny ever since. She has written a syndicated humor column for years and has written five books. (Belle Weather: Mostly Sunny with a Chance of Scattered Hissy Fits; Bless Your Heart, Tramp; We’re Just Like You, Only Prettier; Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank; and You Can’t Drink All Day If You Don’t Start in the Mornin’)I have read every single one of her books at least twice, and could quote passages from memory. But I won’t, because that would be obnoxious and really, you should just buy all of her books and try not to laugh yourself into an umbilical hernia.

Celia and I also have the same amazing agent, Jenny Bent, whom Celia says, “is like a ninja.” I’m super glad, because I know nothing about literary throwing stars and publishing nunchucks. I’m just glad to be Daniel Son in this whole Mr. Miyagi/Karate Kid analogy we’ve got going.

If you haven’t met her yet, I’m pleased to introduce you to Celia Rivenbark.

If you WERE going to start drinking in the morning so you could drink all day, what would you drink?

I’d drink Firefly Sweet Tea-Flavored Vodka with just a splash of Simply Lemonade in it. You’d be passed out long before noon but it would be in such a delicate, Southern way.

If you had to trade places with a celebrity mom who would it be and why?

Well, it sure as hell wouldn’t be Elin Woods. Bless her heart. I like to say that she has managed to accomplish the impossible: make me feel sorry for a billionaire Swedish bikini model. So who would I trade places with? Catherine Zeta-Jones. She’s the most gorgeous woman on earth and she seems to be immune to silly tabloid stuff. And Michael Douglas, though he has his demons, seems to be getting the fatherhood thing right the second time around.

How old is your daughter? Has she read any of your books?

Sophie (“the princess”) will be 13 in six weeks. She’s scanned my books but she inevitably puts them down in favor of some stupid YA read or to re-read parts of the Twilight saga that she missed in the first 432 readings. She pats my hand and says, “Now, mommie, you know I’ll get around to yours very, very soon.” It’s like she’s talking to an insecure halfwit, which she is.

My oldest daughter is 5 and just starting to understand what I do. (She repeatedly tells her teachers and random strangers at Wal-Mart, “My Momma writes Facebooks!” as if that is a full time job.) Does your daughter ask you specifically not to write about certain situations or do you just use your best judgment?

Ever since the princess turned 10, I’ve been careful to give her veto power over anything I write about her. I respect her too much not to! The surprising thing is that she has yet to kill a humor column. I was sure she wouldn’t let me run the one about how she threw up during sex-ed class but she loved it. I had to pick her up at the school nurse’s office where she was on one cot and a little boy was in the other. My husband likes to refer to that boy as “my future son-in-law” which cracks me up.

How do you deal with the Anonymous A-Holes of the world who always have something negative to say?

The anonymous a-holes are irritating but only for a second or two. I’ve worked for newspapers since I was 19 years old so I’ve had plenty of hate mail over the years. I’m pretty tough.

What is the most important thing you want your daughter to learn from you?

Kindness

Tell us about your current projects.

I’ve just finished the sixth book, “For A Fat Girl You Don’t Sweat Much,” which will be published by St. Martin’s Press in summer 2011. I’ve got another book under contract with them which will come out the following year. I’ve temporarily suspended my weekly humor column to tend my ailing hubby. He’s just started six months of chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and it’s pretty grueling. At a time like this, it’s hard to “find the funny” but I’m sure I’ll be back before too long.

Bonus question:

If you could send Super Nanny Jo Frost to any celebrity home to spend a week, where would you send her and why?

I’d send Nanny Jo Frost to the Kardashians’ home. Every damn one of them is crazy as a sprayed roach.

You should really check out Celia’s website, even her Bio makes me laugh out loud. And if that’s just not enough for you, you can stalk follow her on Facebook and Twitter like I do!

Jessica Bern is a mother, stand-up comedian, actress, blogger and writer (try to say that five times fast!) I was introduced to her through Anna Lefler and spent the better part of an afternoon and evening reading her blog, watching her web series and trying (somewhat successfully) not to pee on myself.

Her post about taking her daughter Phoebe out for lunch in New York City, was so hilarious and real, I couldn’t help but fall in love with both of them.

While Jessica is busy writing, filming and um, standing-up, she has also found time to speak at the internationally known BlogHer conference.

I know you will love her as much as I do!

What inspired you to start your webseries?

I had just gotten divorced after 14 years of being married to my husband and his mother. For some reason the extra doses of anti-depressants and powdered donuts weren’t doing enough to assuage my grief so I started to write these essays.

One night, while reading the Calendar section of the L.A. times, I came upon an ad for a café that did readings every Wednesday night. I knew the woman who ran the show from my days as a stand up. Apparently, she did not remember me very well as she booked me to perform right then and there. Anyway, the reception I received from the audience night after night was pretty amazing. Naturally, this inspired to continue to write more and more.

I initially tried to turn the essays into podcasts but many of my friends encouraged me to make them into videos instead. They seemed to think that my facial expressions were the reason people laughed at my stuff in the first place. Frankly, I thought it was because my writing bordered on the genius…ish but apparently, I was greatly mistaken.

How long have you been blogging and why did you start?

The series was not cheap to make although by Hollywood standards it cost me no more than the equivalent of one bran muffin at the Ivy. That being said, I was encouraged to start the blog to draw people in to watch the series, the idea being if they thought what I wrote was funny, then they’d want to watch Bernthis- oh and because writing is way cheaper than filming and gives me way more time to spend with my Oreos.



How do you write and film your webisodes?

I would write the essay and then would break each line down and try to match an image to that line. The image could be a photo or a person/people doing something. I hired a fantastic director/editor who has a great sense of humor and off we went.

I am FASCINATED by the world of stand-up comedy and really admire anyone who has the guts to do it. It’s like extreme writing, if something doesn’t work, I would think you know it immediately. How did you get involved with stand-up? Was it always a goal or something you just fell into?

The idea that one sets a goal to get up on a stage night after night and risk utter and total humiliation is not one I would put much stock in. However, the idea that one is so narcissistic that he/she believes they are so interesting and funny that a room full of people would pay money to listen to them talk, is something I would put A LOT of stock in, so much so, that I did it myself for nine years.

When I was young, I survived being “mean-girled” (we voted and decided this is a word so don’t email me) because of my humor and the ability to forge my mother’s signature so that I could avoid going to school at all. Growing up, I always thought I would be a lawyer. That did not happen as smoking pot, staying out late with your drunken friends and getting good grades are mutually exclusive. After college, I tried journalism but had no desire to spend the best years of my sex life in a small town working my way up to reporting on the goings on in a semi small town and then a small town and so and so on. I wanted to go back to New York City where I was from and just begin right there. Sadly, no one else in the world of on camera news or the New York Times seemed to share my vision. So, naturally, the next step was stand-up comedy. Why are you looking at me like that?

Can you tell us about your involvement with Blogher?

In 2008, it was recommended to me by a fellow blogger that I go to the conference, which I did. I didn’t know a soul besides her and I think we ran into each other for about 7 seconds the entire weekend. I had a blast, however, learned sooo much and knew I’d be back. The following year, I was a host of a Room of Your Own about humor writing along with several other very funny women.

This year, the people at BlogHer asked me, along with Anna Lefler and two other women, to speak on the subject of humor on their “main stage.” I was thrilled and very honored to be asked. I also recently was asked to write my first piece for the actual BlogHer.com website. Rita Arens, who is incredibly generous and a wonderful writer herself, was kind enough to think of me.

Overall, I think the women behind BlogHer are incredibly bright and inventive and I’m very pleased to be a part of their world.

How has being involved with BlogHer affected your career?

Well, I think that being a panelist is opening some doors for me, to be sure. Being a part of the Room of Your Own last year allowed me to be introduced to many bloggers that had never heard of me before so that was terrific. I guess in some ways, it really put me on the map.

What projects are you working on now?

I’m working on revising my series and making a few more of them. I’m also working on finding a brand that I believe in and where I can utilize my skills as a spokesperson, writer, video maker and comic to bring about greater awareness of the product through social media and my mother’s habit of shopping at Lord &Taylor.

Other than that, I’m hoping to keep my daughter away from the driver’s seat of a car until I’m dead and away from the hands of a man until I’m dead, dead.

Be sure to visit Jessica’s blog over on BernThis, and follow her on Twitter! Click for more information about BlogHer.

Um, yes.

That’d be Heather (Longboobs) McDonald from Chelsea Lately! (Whom I’ve always felt a connection to since I used to be able to breastfeed a baby behind my back.) She graciously agreed to a Super (Silly) Mom interview and I was thrilled. I have watched countless hours of Chelsea and Heather in the middle of the night as I endured breastfeeding, teething and sick babies.

Heather is a wife, a mother of two boys, a successful stand-up comedian and in addition to appearing on Chelsea Lately! she is a story producer. Heather travels regularly doing stand up and has somehow managed to write a book and still look fabulous on TV. Here’s how she does it all:

What was the most surprising thing to you about motherhood?

How much more it makes me love my husband for giving these little people to me. I love that my husband, Peter and I can just sit back and laugh at them. They are the best form of entertainment.

How do you balance writing/work/live performances with family/mommy time?

It is very hard to balance all I am doing right now. I do it by making literally every moment I have with my children count. When I’m on the road is when I get a spa treatment or lie in bed and read and when I’m home it’s all about them.

I work out 3 days a week from 6-7am then from 7-7:45 get the boys ready for school. I come home from writing on Chelsea at 7pm (I have an hour commute each way that is the only time I talk to my girlfriends, thank God for Bluetooth). I try to eat at work so not to take time from the boys since I only have 2 hours (they go to bed at 9) to give them a bath, go over homework, read the notices from the school and play with them. I try not to go on the road too many weekends out of the year, never more than 2 a month.

I wrote my book over the summer. I would wake up on Saturday and Sunday morning and begin by 9am and finish by 5pm. I wrote from my husband’s home office so not to be away from the kids. I got interrupted a lot but somehow I managed to do it.

Do you have a nanny or daycare to help you manage your work schedule?

My kids go to after school care until 5pm when my husband picks them up and feeds them dinner. I do have a cleaning lady come twice a week. If I need to leave for an hour on a Saturday she can watch them. I also bought the house next door to my parents and they help in jam. I have help. I ask for it and accept it every mom should. (Carve this in stone Mothers of the World!)

What is your most disgusting parenting moment?

Most recently, my husband was out golfing when I heard my 4-year-old son, Brandon screaming from the bathroom for me. When I got there he was sitting on the toilet and I looked in between his legs to find his favorite Hot Wheels car parked between two giant turds. What is a mother to do? My husband was playing golf so he could be gone anywhere from 3 to 13 hours.

I couldn’t flush the car with the poos- besides it’s his favorite car. What kind of a mother would I be? So I got out a ladle and scooped it out while trying to keep myself from gagging. When my husband finally returned home I made sure to offer him some soup.

If you could be sure your children learned one lesson from you, what would it be?

The lesson I want my children to learn is to not be afraid to follow their dream and do the work it takes to attain that dream. My goal as a parent is that I raise productive human beings who are happy and contribute to society in some way.

Did you start out doing stand-up or writing? Do you have a preference?

I started out doing stand up first and then shortly after I enrolled in the Groundling Theater in LA and went through the entire program which included writing monologues and scenes. I love both writing and performing. Acting is a little more fun because it involves someone else doing my hair and make up and after stand up I allow myself to have a real drink.

What do you wish you had known before you had kids?

I wish I would have known how much I would worry. No one can warn where your brain will go when you can’t find your little one at Target for ten seconds.

What’s your “go-to” for a laugh?

I get to laugh a lot at my job and at home but when I need it I usually like to turn on the Millionaire Matchmaker on Bravo and laugh at the gross men on there and be so grateful that I am married.

Has living in “Hollywood” affected your parenting ?

Well, I live outside of it in the San Fernando Valley. I am not a hippie dippy mom at all. I will admit, I did not breast feed and my kids get all their vaccinations and I can honestly say the only green food my sons consume are their own boogers. (Ah, a kindred spirit…and possible spouses for my booger eaters.)

However, my sons are 7 & 4 and neither has ever had an ear infection or been on antibiotics, so there. They are healthy and not overweight but yes more fruits and vegetables would help.

I keep it “real” by living in Woodland Hills in fact I live next door to my parents who reside in the house where I grew up. I got married in the Catholic Church I was baptized in and my children attend their elementary school where I went as well. That is how I do it.

I chose a school that would help me raise my kids and teach them right from wrong and hopefully they will come out with a conscious and just enough Catholic guilt to serve them well. I am mortified by the behavior of some of the public High School kids in our neighborhood so I do plan on sending them to Loyola Marymount, a Catholic Jesuit private High School. It is no guarantee but at least I know I will have done all I could to give them the same opportunities as was given, a safe positive place to learn and grow.

If you could make one staff member of Chelsea Lately! go through nine months of pregnancy and delivery, who would it be?

It would be Chuy because to see him get even rounder would only be that much more magical.

How refreshing is it that a celebrity mom lives next door to her parents and is sending her kids to the same school she went to as a child?!

Go to amazon.com to preorder Heather’s book, join her Facebook Fan Page or follow her on twitter!

This week’s Super Mom is Barbie Bassett, those of you in Mississippi might recognize her as the chief meteorologist for WLBT out of Jackson. I met Barbie when her book tour for “Forecasts and Faith” brought her to Greenwood’s Turnrow Books.

I knew within moments of meeting her that I had found a kindred spirit. Her enthusiasm for life, her faith and her family was contagious and I was excited to read her book. I spent a very late night wringing my hands as I read about Barbie reporting live, nine months pregnant, while Katrina pummeled the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts. Not only was she about to go into labor, but her husband is a paramedic and a first responder. While others were evacuating, Barbie’s husband was heading directly into the storm. Every time she saw live footage in the newsroom, she was looking for him, hoping and praying he was still alive.

What prompted you to write your story?

I began blogging in 2006 and was sharing my spiritual journey, the ups and downs of being in the public eye, and giving behind-the-scenes forecasting for severe weather events. Readers began commenting on my blog entries and some suggested I write a book. Many said they were growing spiritually just by reading my blog and using it as their devotional. Then while keeping a busy speaking schedule across the southeast, audience members would tell me I should write a book. I finally listened to the Lord and did it!



Many of the mothers who read my blog are struggling to find that delicate balance between work life and family life. As a mother, chief meteorologist, TV personality, writer and speaker, how do you balance your time? Do you have a “system” that works for you or do you struggle to fit it all in?

Every day is a new challenge. I try to organize my day as best as I can and stay on track. Now that I’m homeschooling,(*jaw drops to the floor*) it is more important than ever to plan my day! But everything doesn’t always happen the way we want it, does it? I keep some structure to the day and when things happen to derail my plans, I adjust. More importantly, I keep Christ as the center of my life. When He is the center, everything else that happens is peripheral, works in tandem and flows better. I can easily tell when I am trying to be in control and when I put Him in control of the day.

If you could be sure your children learned one thing from you what would it be?

I want my children to follow the anointing God has put on their life. God has called each of us to do something specifically for Him; He has given us a mission. When we operate in the middle of that anointing, we have immeasurable peace.



What is your favorite book? or favorite authors?

My favorite book is “Same Kind Of Different As Me”, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. Some of my favorite authors are Joyce Meyer, Bruce Wilkinson, Max Lucado and Mark Hankins.



Can you share one of your most hilarious motherhood moments?

My children recently discovered some of my feminine products, one of which is panty liners. My daughter Grace (6 years old) and son Will (4 years old) asked me what they were used for. “These are big girl Band-Aids,” I told them. Frankly, I didn’t think it was important to go into detail what they are called or their appropriate use. A few days later, I noticed my 2-year-old Lilly Faith, had gotten quiet in the house. I heard Will screaming for me to come quickly. “Lilly Faith has gotten into your big girl Band-Aids!” Sure enough, the whole box had been opened and Lilly Faith had been caught in the act!

How does being a television personality in a very legitimate and professional way affect your faith? Do you feel you have to censor your faith or feel that you are more closely scrutinized?

If anything, my faith has grown through my career. I am constantly scrutinized for what I wear, my hair, my weight, my past pregnancies and anything else superficial. But Satan will use principalities to try to control personalities. When I get criticized for what I look like, I try to see who is offering the criticism which is always the devil! He will do anything to steal our joy and our peace. I refuse to censor my faith. If I do, I’m not being a true disciple of Christ because I am too busy trying to “be conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2). I receive more encouragement from Christians who appreciate my public stance in living my faith than I do criticism for doing so. If someone is going to talk negatively about my faith in God, I make sure that what they say about me isn’t true!

Bonus Question:

If you were not a meteorologist and money was no object, what would you want to do for a living?

I enjoy gardening and growing flowers, so I’ve always thought I would enjoy being a florist. However, I do not have an artistic bone in my body, so I never pursued that passion. So, I’ll stick to what I know and keep growing my own tulips, roses and day lilies.

Links:

www.barbiebassett.com (for scheduling information & for more on the book tour)

www.barbiebassett.blogspot.com (Barbie’s Forecasts & Faith blog)