Exclusive Interview with Beth Blecherman

When you are a parent you need to have a game plan to run your home. I am a single mom so, being able to do some of the things I want my family to do, can take some serious planning. Noah wants to do all kinds of things this summer. Some of the things are as simple as going to the pool or the beach. Some of the things will cost a considerable amount of money. I am trying to be a planner, but my plan isn't quite cutting it. I am getting lost in a sea of sticky notes.  If I lose one of them, I am in big trouble.

I had the opportunity to interview Beth Blecherman. Beth is the author of the book My Parent Plan. Beth is also  a family technology expert, author and founder of the website www.techmamas.com. Beth's book is really interesting and she shares many great ideas on how to make a personalized parent plan. It is a great guide since every family is unique. Some of her tips are to plan for things in advance, sign up for things like summer camps for discounted rates. I know when I was looking for camps for Noah there was a discounted rate if you signed up in advance. Plane tickets are usually cheaper when bought in advance. She also uses Microsoft Office 365 to organize everything from her family's budget with Excel to using Word to write her book. Her publisher could write notes right on the document without having to email her. She told me about cool features that I didn't know about. You can color code your family calendar so you know at a glance who has which practice or what appointment. After talking to her, I am ready to use her guidance and write my own parenting plan using Microsoft Office 365.

Be sure to check out My Parent Plan by Beth Blecherman

For more information please visit Microsoft Office 365 

This post is collaboration with Beth Blecherman and Microsoft Office 365. All thoughts and opinions are my own.  

Exclusive Interview with Darwin Misha Reedy from American Idol

I thought it would be fun to interview my friend Darwin Misha Reedy. She tried out on American Idol in Seattle for Season 6. She seemed like a really nice person during her audition and I didn’t like what Simon said to her. I think because she is different than the typical American Idol contestant they didn’t want to give her a chance. I became her friend on Myspace and she is such a sweet person. She is so much fun to talk to and she is very caring and nice. I have so much respect for her because she actually went after her dreams of trying out for American Idol. I would be way too nervous and scared. I wanted to share her with all my readers because she is awesome.
Her responses are in bold.

Do you prefer to go by Darwin or Misha? Darwin.

What made you decide to try out for American Idol? I have always been a fan of the show, and my passion is to be a professional singer.

What is going on with your music now days? I'm still a singer and songwriter, but I'm unsigned.

Do you have any links of videos that you have done that people can check out? I have a youtube video, but I'm updating with a new video soon. People can click on the link and subscribe to my youtube channel. www.youtube.com/DarwinMishaReedy

I know you change your hair color often which do you prefer? Black or Blond? Right now, blue-black.

Did you ever finish your Novella that you are writing with your mom? If, so is it going to be published? The Curse of Murmuring Brooks is completed. We are considering setting up a website where fans at a low-price download the novella. I will have a link to it on my myspace page.

I know your mom Sherry is your number one fan, how is she doing? She thanks you for asking. She recently fell and injured her knee, but it is getting better. She is working on her own projects, including sci-fi stories, and is working hard as my manager to promote my career.

Do people recognize you from your audition? In Houston the fans are not as open as in Seattle. They will take your picture in a club or once in a while wave from a car, but no-one approaches you. Seattle fans come up to you, make the rock and roll sign or smile at you. People still recognize me.

What is your favorite memory from the audition? Ryan Seacrest's friendliness and support just before I went into the audition.

Did you meet anyone that you became friends with? Shymalai, her brother Sanjaya and their family the most.

What was Simon really like? Simon was the nicest judge, laidback and witty. He was interested in my writing and encouraged me to do something with it.

Would you audition again if there wasn't an age limit? No, but I possibly would be interested in The X-Factor.

Are you more driven to prove to Simon, Randy and Paula that you can make it? No. I am driven by my own desire for excellence and success. I have my own reasons.

What kind of music do you like to listen to? I enjoy all music genres, but I listed mostly to rock, alternative and rap.

Are you dating anyone? Not at the moment.

Is there anything else you would like to share with my readers? Special thanks to the fans. My email address is www.myspace.com/darwinreedy. You can also contact me at idolgirl01@yahoo.com. If any of you have any ideas or connections to help me get my music and writing out there, please let me know. Thanks also to Sheila for posting in her blog. Hey, Sheila! Please say hello to your beautiful son Noah.

Thank you Darwin for taking time out of your schedule to answer my questions.

My exclusive interview with Doug Savant

This morning I had the opportunity to have an exclusive phone interview with Doug Savant. Doug plays Tom Scavo on Desperate Housewives. I happen to love Desperate Housewives I watch it every day on Lifetime and also on ABC on Sundays. I have seen the first 4 seasons multiple times because Lifetime keeps playing them. Doug was also a guest star on NCIS as priest. Desperate Housewives is one of those shows that just pull you right in and captivates you. Each season has a mystery story line and so far the mysteries have been getting better and better.

I was really nervous at the beginning but Doug put me right to ease. He is so down to earth and friendly. He made me feel like we were old friends catching up on what is new with our lives. It was weird when he was first on the line cause I knew it was him from watching the show so much and not Dr. Oz.

Doug is very nice and I really enjoyed talking to him. He told me about a new book that he is involved in. The makers of Listerine co-developed a really cute book of illustrations with humorous captions. The book is called 36 and ½ Reasons To Laugh A Slice of Life. It is written by Rick Adams and illustrated by Chuck Gonzales. This book helps you remember to laugh at those funny moments in your life. After all they say Laughter is the best medicine.

For every book produced, Listerine made a generous donation to The National Children’s Oral Health Foundation’s program called America’s Toothfairy to help low income families get dental care for their children. There a millions of children that have toothaches and that prevent them from eating properly. Some families just can’t afford dental care and it tends to be something that gets forgotten.

The book is excellent. Every page has made me laugh. It would be a great coffee table book for your guests to pick up and look at. It would definitely be a conversation starter. I hope you all will check it out and help those children have a healthy Smile. For more information please visit Listerine's website

Of course we talked about Desperate Housewives as well. I got some inside information. He didn’t tell me who Mike is marrying but he did say I would find out within the first few minutes of the first show of the new season. The new season of Desperate Housewives starts Sunday September 27th at 9 pm ET. I also asked him about Dave and if he is coming back this season. He said that Dave hasn’t reared his ugly head on the show yet but you never know with Desperate Housewives. Dave was really creepy.

I asked him about working with the ladies. He told me that everyone thinks there is a lot of drama behind the scenes on the set but it is not like that at all. He talked about working with Felicity Huffman and how they have great chemistry together. He said that he has a great off screen wife and a great onscreen wife as well. Doug said that he can’t wait to go to work and that he loves his job. He talked about how much fun he has on the set with his co-workers as well.

We talked about his life and his 4 kids and his wife. I asked him if he would ever become a stay at home dad like on the show and he said that he and his wife are both actors and he already does everything a stay at home dad or mom would do . I thought that was wonderful that he makes time for his family even with his busy schedule.

Doug was interested in me as well. I thought that the interview was going to be about him and the book and the show but that wasn’t the case. He asked me questions about my blog and my life. I told him about where I am from and about my son Noah. We talked about what I like to write about and what products I found that are especially good. I told him about Fairytale Brownies because they are so delicious. Look for my review of Fairytale Brownies shortly and a giveaway too. Maybe he’ll enter lol.

He asked me if I am a Colts fan and I didn’t hear what he said so I said a who fan. He told me he likes the Colts too and how much he likes Peyton Manning. Neither of us knows who the Colts are playing Sunday though. Doug is very funny and interesting and I couldn’t ask for a better guy to talk to.

So Thanks Doug for the chance to talk to you and for taking time out of your busy day to talk to me. I hope we can talk again sometime.