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As of Monday, April 13th, my new blog posts will appear on The BlackBerry Diaries.

You can read all about the release, launch and (hopefully) sales and reviews of my latest book, "The BlackBerry Diaries: Adventures In Modern Motherhood".

PLUS all the usual stuff about trying to keep sane with four kids in a manner which doesn't presuppose the extensive use of duct tape and contributions to a future therapy account.

Come with me to the new world...

Kids...And a Life?

That's the basic premise behind Mom Magazine. Actually its more than that - their philosophy is "Life as a MOM doesn't mean life as a woman has to end."

I was interviewed by their publisher/editor Tamara yesterday for a piece they're running on uncluttering your life for the New Year. Tamara was great - had read my previous post about my challenges with RIM - and she admitted that she had already named her BlackBerry. It's Kumar, from Harold & Kumar, a favourite of hers.

Anyway check out the site and the printed magazine (you can get a subscription for only $15 a year). Loads of great stuff. Visit them at www.mommagazine.ca

And now after all the advice I gave on uncluttering I feel the need to clean out my office. Or maybe just do some more online Christmas shopping.

A BlackBerry By Any Other Name...

So, it turns out the fine folks at RIM want me to make a teensy change to my new book, "The BlackBerry Diaries: Adventures in Modern Motherhood."

I already took out the word "crackberry". NOT ALLOWED.

Or any reference to "addiction". NOT ALLOWED.

I get it.

But the latest?

Apparently, they are worried about the term "BlackBerry" turning into part of the English lexicon much like other branded icons such as "Kleenex", or "Bandaid". As someone who worked in consumer marketing for 20 years I say...this is a bad thing???

According to their legal department it is. And no "begging to differ" is making any difference at all for this poor begger.

I support their new branding initiative. I LOVE my BlackBerry after all. I just wish they wouldn't start with my book.

I have to go through the galley proofs of my book (that's how far along we are, for a March 2009 release), and replace the word "BlackBerry" with "BlackBerry Smartphone", or "BBSM", OR, I can "name" my BlackBerry and get away with it that way.

Barry is just way too obvious.

Any suggestions? I'm thinking Seamus. Or Beatrice.

Send me a BBSM email on it. Kathy@kathybuckworth.com


Sheesh.

We Have a Cover

My fourth book, "The BlackBerry Diaries: Adventures in Modern Motherhood" is going to be released in March, 2009. As a relative newbie in the publishing business, I'm always surprised how many steps you go through from getting words on the page (or screen) to getting a book on the shelf.

And, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover, and as a consequence cover art can take a long time to put together. So I'm really pleased that after months of discussion, proposals, and negotiations between editorial, sales and marketing, and myself, we have a final cover. And I really love it.

The book is already available for pre-order on www.Chapters.Indigo.ca or www.amazon.ca

Do you have a BlackBerry? If you do, and you love it, drop me a line and let me know why...

News at 11!

Yesterday I got a call from a producer at Global News in Toronto, wanting to know if I could film a segment for them on how the economic situation is affecting families and their everyday spending. He wanted to make sure a few of my kids were available as well. My first thought was - Great - this will give my kids the opportunity to complain about their paltry allowances and homemade lunches.

After we worked out the logistics on how many of my kids could be available at what time, I started thinking about how this very real crisis is starting to roost in our house. According to my 17 year old daughter, I'm already a tightwad because I won't buy her a car (like her friends' "nice" parents do), a laptop or install a hot tub in the backyard. My 15 year old son doesn't understand how I can possibly imagine that last year's snowboard is sufficient for this year.

Should they listen to the reality of me getting meaner and leaner "live" on television? I decided to not let them talk and just leave them as "B roll" material.

My two younger kids however, love shopping at WalMart, got their Halloween costumes from Value Village and beg me to go to the dollar store like it's a trip to Disney.

When do we go from expecting so little, to expecting so much?

I admit I put myself in the same category.

While I was feeling good about the fact that my house was clean for the shoot, I felt simultaneously guilty about the fact that I had paid my cleaning lady to do the honours.

So, I hid my new boots in the front closet, unclipped my BlackBerry, stashed my own new laptop in the office, kept my jeans on, and (I hope) managed to talk on camera about what we really can do to tighten our belts in this new world. If you live in the GTA, catch it 6:00 and 11:00 tonight.

My Not So Secret Life

Last week I was interviewed for a U.S. based website called www.sheknows.com about what "Soccer Moms" (that terrific terminology which converts to "Hockey Mom" in Canadian) are really thinking about when they're at the soccer field (or that freezing cold arena).

Here's an excerpt from my interview with the reporter:

“I never feel guilty about sneaking in BlackBerry time as I tell my kids (and this is true 99% of the time - 1% of the time I might be playing BrickBreaker, but whatever) that if I didn't have my BlackBerry I wouldn't be able to leave the home office to take them to their sports and other activities. Rather than seeing it as an electronic leash, I totally embrace it as a portable office. I can physically be in the moment with my children while virtually be keeping up with work.”

I know I'm not alone in this. We're women. We multi-task. Read the whole article by clicking on this link.

I know some of you are with me. And if you're not, maybe YOU can bring the "snack" to the game when it's my turn. I know I'm going to forget.

Books, Berries and Bits

I'm working hard on the edits for my next book, The BlackBerry Diaries:Adventures in Modern Motherhood, due out this spring with Key Porter Books. Well, as hard as I can with children in residence who seem to require individual snacks every 8 seconds or so.

I was reviewing my recommendations for potential BlackBerry upgrades that only a mother could love, and it reminded me of the hysterically funny bit which CBC's Rick Mercer did for a BlackBerry Helmet. If you are a Crackhead, and you have walked into or off of anything while on your BB, you need to watch this. I can't believe this product hasn't come out on the market place yet.

Click here and enjoy.

Or, you can read the original article I wrote which has inspired this book.

No Leverage At All

I recently had an article published which talked about my BlackBerry addiction...and as usual, I had to make a jab at my husband's typical male attribute of not paying avid attention to every exciting thing I have to say. As he says "I have no leverage around here. If I make the slightest mistake, it ends up in a newspaper or magazine or your tv show." I said "That's right, so watch your step Mister."

The truth of the matter is that part of the "Supermom" schtick I present relies on the belief that I have to do everything around here (mostly true) and that he is the average do-nothing kind of husband (sorta true). I like to call it creative license...I'm sure he'd have another word for it (starts with cr and ends with ap). I keep telling him to write his own story and he can say whatever he wants about me. Bearing in mind he's really just giving me more material for the next article. And I do have a new book coming out in the spring so he'd really better watch it.

Funny thing is, the only thing that bothers him more than the bending of the truth is when I don't mention him at all. Men.