Cast Your Vote

Nah, I'm not talking about those of the two BIG, IMPORTANT elections that are going on right now.

It's something far more interesting. Well, to me and my trash magazine reading friends anyway.

Earlier this summer I taped an episode of Much More Music's popular "Listed" program, on the Top 20 Hot Celebrity Baby-Makers. It's airing tonight at 8:00 (eastern time).

I know you know who's at the top of that list, but tune in anyway.

The best thing about this? It makes all the time I spent reading Star Magazine and cruising through www.perezhilton.com become legitimate research for this gig.

Now if I can get my kids to change the channel away from Hannah Montana, I might actually get to watch it too.

No Time To Pre-Soak

One of the things I love most about my life is the variety of things that I get to do. One of the things that is hardest about my life is making the transition between the variety of things.

Mondays are always a very exciting day for me as it's Laundry Day. Four messy kids and a slight A Personality means I do it once a week - to get it done - and to check it off my list.

Two loads done, four lunches made and sent with (hopefully) the corresponding kid, moving to a Total Body Conditioning Class I'm still feeling two days later, back home to work on edits for my next book, take some calls, get some groceries, then finally get that shower in. I realized I was attending a ceremony where the finalists for the Mississauga Arts Awards were being announced later that evening, so I put the outfit on for that, zipped to the bus stop, handed over my car to my daughter for her part-time job, shoved dinner down the kids and noted the just-in-time arrival of my husband, dropped two of them at a neighbour, raced out to the ceremony, posed with my certificate, raced home, picked up the kids, checked the homework, filled out the innumerable school forms, finished folding the laundry...and marked October 20th in my calendar - the day the Arts Awards will be given out.

I'm up for the Established Literary Award (I refuse to believe that "Established" means old, versus "Emerging", which means young.)

I should have something clean to wear anyway...as it lands on a Laundry Day.

Hey kid get out of my shot!

On the weekend I had the opportunity to participate in the launch of a new children's store, called La Compagnie Des Petits. This cool children's clothing store has been around in Europe for years, but the first North American location just opened this weekend at the Bramalea City Centre in Brampton.

My six year old son Nicholas was invited to model some of the clothes (he loved his outfit - judging by the fact that he refused to take it off for 48 hours afterwards). I'm not sure if I was pleased or not that he seemed quite comfortable with the flashbulbs and attention. Is there room in my family for two attention seekers? I tried shoving my free book draw poster in front of his smiling face as the photographers snapped away, but they seemed to prefer him over me.

We also had the chance to meet the mayor of Brampton, Susan Fennell, who had the "coolest necklace" according to Nic, and who was nice enough to let him help cut the ribbon.

Check out the store if you live in the area - and enter the book draw!

Free Pierogi With Every Book

Just found out from my U.S. publisher, Sourcebooks, that foreign rights have been sold for my first book (The Secret Life of Supermom) to Poland. This follows up sales to Indonesia and China. I'm thrilled that the book is selling to these exotic locations - but I'm thinking maybe that they'll find the trials and tribulations of the typical North American woman to be quite different than what they face.

While we all juggle work, kids, home, hubby, I'm sincerely hoping that the age of the "Helicopter Parent" hasn't yet invaded Poland.

Actually, forget the free pierogi with every book; what every Supermom needs, worldwide, is a free bottle of vodka with every book. I'll see if we can work that into the next deal.

There IS an age limit...

Or at least there should be. For their own good. No, not talking about women over 40 wearing belly tops, men over 10 wearing "short short" athletic shorts or even anyone over the age of 6 months wearing socks and sandals. I'm talking about the woman in France who just gave birth to triplets. At age 59.

A few years ago I wrote an article about a woman, who, at the tender age of 57 gave birth to ONLY twins. She was, apparently, an amateur. Still I believe some of the observations I had still hold true for this new crazy lady.

Click here if you wanna read it.

One week down, about 40 to go...

So the first week of school is almost officially over. My youngest started Grade 1 French Immersion and is convinced he will be fluent by next Tuesday. I admire his confidence. I do think, however, that I shook it when yesterday he tried to share some of his language skills with me, with his declaration at our local McDonalds of "Je m'appelle toilet." Hmmm. Was the name calling starting already? I insisted, no sweetie, it's "Je m'appelle Nicholas."

(This is the same kid, who minutes upon landing at the airport in France a couple of years ago, passed gas and announced "My butt says bonjour!" I'm already looking forward to potty talk in two languages).

Yet he started to get quite irate and red in the face with his "my name is toilet" statement, insisting he knew what he was talking about until he finally blurted out "I can't think when I have to pee! I need to GO to the toilet!"

Multi-tasking has never been a man's strength.

Mom Overboard!

That was the theme of the Babes & Tots speaker series I participated in this morning in Mississauga's Living Arts Centre. Moderated by the lovely Erica Ehm (that girl never ages, I swear, even though she was cursing her newly acquired glasses backstage), and it was great fun sharing the stage with Ann Douglas and Alyson Schafer, who never run out of fantastic parenting advice. We are all what you might call a little verbose - not exactly an introvert convention. Gave away some prizes, chatted with the audience, shared some stories...all good.

The seminars will continue this evening at 7:00, and then carry on every Tuesday for the month of September until we move the show to Ajax in October, and London in November. My next appearance will be October 7th at 10:00 a.m. in Ajax, so if you live in the area, try to come by. There's a consumer trade show component as well - check out their site.

The best part? (Besides hanging out with these wonderful women of course). I got to miss the first day of school and let my husband handle the Grade 1 tears while I spoke at the media breakfast this morning. The tears? No, they weren't about little Nic missing Mommy all day...it's knowing his days of having exclusive access to the television in the mornings while his 3 older siblings were at school, have come to an end. That, and the fact that "big boys" can't take their blankies to school- I've got it waiting by the front door right now. I'm trying not to miss him too much.