Mother's Day Book Giveaway

To celebrate Mother's Day, we're giving away a copy of the Kindle edition of Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella! To be entered to win, leave a comment telling us what you love about your mom. Be sure to include your email address, website, or social networking account (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), so you can be reached if you win. We'll choose the winner at random tonight at midnight PST. Good luck!
 

Televisionary: How TV Moms Have Changed

 
From June Cleaver to Claire Dunphy and all those in between, TV moms have become more contemporary.  Since times have changed, many modern-day women are finding it easier to relate to the moms on TV because they share the daily hassles of the busy mom/wife/career woman.  The following moms made a name for themselves in homes across the country.  All have been, and will forever remain, some of my favorite moms on TV.

TV Mom: June Cleaver(Barbra Billingsley)
Show: Leave It To Beaver (1957 – 1963)

One reason I watched reruns of Leave It To Beaver was because of the older son, Wally (a total hottie back in the day, played by Tony Dow), but it was more than that.  I was fascinated with June Cleaver and the pearls she wore around her neck – I’d like to assume they were a gift from Ward (Hugh Beaumont) because he loved her, and were a gift of his appreciation for her daily chores as a wife and a mother.  I remember watching an episode where she was vacuuming in pearls.  I hadn’t seen anything like it, especially in real life.  When my mom vacuumed, somehow it never looked as glamorous as June.  Between doing household chores, she somehow found time to occasionally socialize with friends and volunteer at Wally and Beaver’s school.  How did she make this look sodarn easy?  In reality, this is only a dream!  Am I right?  However, if you are one who can pull a June Cleaver without breaking a sweat, keep sipping your martini.  I’ll join you when the dishes and laundry learn to clean themselves, the kids have moved out, the husband has stopped following me around like a lost puppy, and I’ve had a very long nap.

TV Mom: Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad)
Show: The Cosby Show (1984 – 1992)

The Cosby Show was the first show that I watched where not only did the dad work, but also the mom.  Married to Dr. Heathcliff “Cliff” Huxtable (Bill Cosby) and mother of five children, lawyer Clair is one of the greatest multitasking women who has ever been on TV.  To some, she’s also known for her bright 80s clothing and hairstyle.  After coming home to her family, somehow Clair finds time to still put a meal on the table and devote herself to her family.  While Clair can be strict (my favorite episode of this example is thisepisode when Vanessa gets drunk), the message she instills in her children is that she loves them no matter what.  I think that Clair’s character was the first step in modernizing all moms on TV.  It allowed them to feel comfortable being that busy mom, but still be able to create a loving household.  Oh, and one little tidbit: I read that her character was based “loosely” on Bill Cosby’s wife!  How cool is that?  Clair Huxtable rocks!

TV Mom: Debra Barone(Patricia Heaton)
Show: Everybody Loves Raymond (1996 – 2005)

Debra is a wife of sports writer Ray (Ray Romano) who travels a lot, and mother of three young children, a girl and twin boys.  She’s the typical stay-at-home/soccer mom who does it all.  She is judged about how she cleans the house and about the food she puts on the table by her mother-in-law, Marie (Doris Roberts), who lives next door and comes over at all hours.  Debra is not fooled by the silly antics of her mama’s boy husband; like when they fight about a suitcase that neither of them has put up since going on vacation weeks prior in the Baggageepisode.  She isn’t afraid to speak her mind when needed and even sometimes when not needed, but family comes first.  When it comes to her kids, Debra’s motherly instinct is visible in every episode of this hilarious sitcom.  I love Debra Barone because she seems real and is someone you or I could be friends with.

TV Mom: Claire Dunphy(Julie Bowen)
Show: Modern Family (2009 – )

If you’ve ever watched this laugh-out-loud show, you know Claire Dunphy is an extremely busy woman to whom you can probably relate.  As a wife to Phil (Ty Burrell), mother to three teenagers and part of a large extended family, she hardly has time to rest.  Being an overachiever and perfectionist, Claire is known as the ringleader of this crazy and loving family, and rarely says “no” to any of their requests – no matter how wild or extravagant they may be.  Between attending her kids' school activities and helping them with projects, she doesn’t neglect paying her husband attention.  She knows she’s aging, but that hasn’t stopped her from wanting to spice things up behind closed doors.  The My Funky Valentine episode is a personal favorite.  She definitely isn’t June Cleaver!  I love Claire’s character because she doesn’t sweat the small stuff and stands up for what she believes in the most: her family.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Isabella Louise Anderson is a member of the RWA, and she is the owner of the website Chick Lit Goddess. She resides in Dallas, Texas, where she’s a housewife and mother to 12-year-old cat, Thorndike. A regular contributor at Good Humor Girl, you can learn more about Isabella here.

What Would A Woman Do?: Balancing Momminess & Sexiness

By Lori Verni-Fogarsi
 
Balancing momminess and sexiness. This is one of the themes in my novel, Momnesia, and when I tell people about it, their most common response is, “Sexiness? Yeah, right!”

As women, we have so many responsibilities. Between kids, work, pets, household and other family duties, it’s easy to become so swirled into the vortex of life that we forget about ourselves. In chatting with women, I’ve found that almost every one agrees that balancing our responsibilities with taking care of ourselves is a challenge to say the least. Usually, when time crunches tightly, “we” are the first to forgo. Fun? For me? Who has time for that?!

However, there’s a reason this article appears in the Good Humor Girl “What Would A Woman Do?” section, and that’s because we women don’t just let problems fester! We nurture! We fix! We identify problems and do something about them!

If your child were, let’s say, being bullied at school, you would do whatever is necessary to rectify the problem, right? Chances are that you’d meet with administrators, talk with your child, help them to foster true friendships, etc. The same is true if there were a problem with a project at work; you’d solve it.

When it comes to taking care of ourselves, it can help to put an actual plan in place. Here are ten easy tips toward taking good care of ourselves. Enjoy!

  1. Make an “appointment.” Don’t wait for some magical day when you and your girlfriends are all suddenly going to have free time. Instead, schedule time—even just an hour or two—and stick to it, just as you would a doctor appointment or job interview.
  2. Light scented candles… without waiting for company to come.
  3. Treat yourself to a small decadence each day. This might be as simple as buying a container of Caramel Macchiato creamer and using it in your coffee every day.
  4. Lock the bathroom door and don’t feel guilty about it. Yes, you are entitled to pee without an audience.
  5. Listen to music that you enjoy (eg: not sung by cartoon characters).
  6. Wear your “big girl” clothes, instead of saving them for some fictional day when you won’t have to worry about ruining them.
  7. Can’t afford an expensive restaurant on date night? Use the same budget, but go to a nice place & just order appetizers, instead of going somewhere filled with screaming kids and coloring pages.
  8. Teach your family that moms are people too and that your interests, wants, and needs are just as important as everyone else’s. (And that no, your favorite activities are not cooking, cleaning, and working!)
  9. Think of something you used to enjoy and make time to start doing it again. This might be as simple as polishing your nails, playing a game of tennis, or reading a (non-rhyming, non-work-related) book!
  10. Most importantly, believe it yourself! When you start to feel overloaded, overwhelmed, or wracked with guilt, remind yourself that taking good care of yourself will help you to be more energetic, less resentful, and everyone will be happier overall!
As I share this perspective just before Mother’s Day, my hope is that we can all strive to put ourselves at the top of our list of important things, and continue to do them all year long. Have any additional good ideas for finding balance? Please share them with us here!

Lori Verni-Fogarsi is the author of the hot new novel, Momnesia. She has been a freelance writer, columnist, journalist, and seminar speaker for 15+ years, and has authored one nonfiction book. Lori is a happily married mom of two, step mom of two more, and has two cats, both rotten. A regular contributor at Good Humor Girl, you can learn more about her here.

Book Review: Strings of Color


*This review is part of the Strings of Color blog tour hosted by CLNB Blog Tours.

Four women are tested by the obstacles in their lives and must find ways to endure and overcome. Simone is struggling in her love life, having a difficult time fully letting a man she adores into her heart. She is also trying to get to know her mother for the first time, which proves to be more challenging than she imagined. Simone must learn to embrace the possibilities and embrace change. After the loss of her husband, Naya tries to move on with her life, even though she feels weak. When an unexpected visitor arrives to shake things up, Naya must confront her past. Misty must also face her past in order to go forward, but different opportunities leave her confused and unsure of what she really wants. Mona has a secret that she must finally deal with, but admitting the truth has consequences. The lives of Simone, Naya, Misty, and Mona intertwine, profoundly affecting them all. 

Strings of Color is a story full of secrets, life lessons, love, and forgiveness. Relationships are tested, and the characters have so much to lose yet so much to gain. At first, this novel is puzzling and seems a bit disjointed. But the stories come together by the end and everything makes sense. It takes a while to get there, though, and the reader has to be willing to stick it out and keep reading through the confusing parts to get to the worthwhile resolution. Strings of Color has intrigue, drama, suspense, and most importantly, heart. It is a strong effort from Marian L. Thomas, and a good addition to women’s fiction.

Marian L. Thomas is also the author of My Father's Colors and Color Me Jazzmyne, which both reached number one on the Amazon bestseller lists in their respective categories. She blogs at The Writers Ink Spot, and enjoys speaking to youth organizations to encourage young adults to tell their stories. She also loves to write poetry. Marian lives outside Atlanta, Georgia, where she is working on her next novel, Colors That Bloom, which is scheduled for release in April 2013. For more information, you can connect with Marian on Twitter.
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Date, Set, Match: The Dating Dance

By Lucie Simone

Dating is a lot like Dancing with the Stars. Sometimes you and your partner hit the perfect rhythm and go on to win the Mirror Ball and the hearts of millions along the way. Most of the time, however, it takes a little trial and error to find the right Mark Ballas to your Cheryl Burke.

I didn’t know what I was looking for in a relationship when I decided to step on the dance floor way back when.  Other than handsome, artistic and employed, I didn’t have too many requirements for my leading man. So, my dance card got filled up pretty quickly with a variety of talented boogie masters. Some liked to Tango, others preferred Salsa, and a few liked to Fox Trot. But each one taught me a valuable lesson when it came to finding the right dance partner.

The first man to leave a lasting impression on my heart was a French boy named Jacques whose accent only made him all the more desirable. He was making a go at modeling. Then tried his hand at acting. Then singing. Then filmmaking. After a few frustrated years getting nowhere with his ever vacillating career, he decided life in Los Angeles was too tough and returned to France, tail between his legs. At least, that’s what I imagine happened to him. I managed to cha cha my way out of that relationship somewhere between his acting and singing careers.

Heartbreaker number two was Derrick. He was an actor, too, but seemed a little more focused in his career pursuits than Jacques. Unfortunately, he was less focused when it came to sexual preference. I was a modern woman, and I really wanted to be okay with dating a bi guy, but much like Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, I realized that a partner who swings just wasn’t my thing. I wanted a man who only had eyes for me.

Next up was Michael. He was driven in his career (a financial analyst), but was also artistic (a filmmaker), and he liked the ladies (a little too much). I told myself that we were just dating. We weren’t exclusive (despite the fact that I wanted us to be), so I could hardly blame him for dancing with other women. It took ages for me to understand that he would never commit. He wasn’t in any rush to leave the disco, and I had to look for someone else to slow dance with at the end of the night.
 
Then came Warren. He had been a friend for years. So, when he professed his love for me one day on my doorstep, I was rather shocked. But I was also flattered, and since he was a hottie, a professional dancer (really!), employed, and completely hetero (really!), I thought, “Score!” We began dating immediately. It was bliss. Until he lost his job and withdrew from me. Dating, he told me—the woman he’d been fantasizing about for four years—was too much of a responsibility for him. Apparently, I wanted to tango and he just wanted to rumba.

Warren was quickly followed by Aaron, who I believed was really and truly “the one.” Our first date lasted 18 hours and our first kiss was electric. One month in, though, we hit a speed bump. Turned out, he wasn’t ready for a serious relationship, and we were too much too fast for him. Right in the midst of a delightful waltz any Jane Austen fan would adore, he changed up the routine and tap danced right out of my life.

By the time Aaron sashayed off the dance floor, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted in a dance partner: handsome, artistic, employed, focused, heterosexual, faithful, responsible and ready for a relationship. Sure, my toes got stepped on a few times, and more than one partner managed to drop me mid-air, but I managed to land on my feet with a flourish. I’m a better dancer thanks to all that practice, and have since found a wonderful dancer to share in the music. Now, it’s all just a matter of keeping in time with the rhythm. 


Happy Dancing!




Lucie Simone is the author of A Taste of Italy, The Waterdance, and Hollywood Ending. Her new novel, Picture Perfect, will be released in August. For more information, please visit Lucie's blog and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.