| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
I recently wrote about my amazing meeting with Maria Shriver (click HERE), and am happy to share video from the evening.
The video is broken into four different YouTube links, so I will direct you to my "other" blog, Silicon Valley Moms Blog (click HERE) to watch Maria share her words of wisdom.
Enjoy!
Even though I blog about television, I really love reading good books. As we all know, once you have a kid, you can kiss your quality book-time good-bye. I can find time to read magazines, newspapers, and many blogs... but finding time to read a book is a precious commodity.
That said, moms who like to read books *cherish* solo airplane time because it allows big chunks of time to dive into a book. I had some travel-time recently, but was disappointed after selecting some dud books. I even picked up the newest book from my beloved Alice Sebold, and just could not finish the darn thing. (Sebold's must-read is The Lovely Bones, but skip The Almost Moon.)
However, my most recent read was worth the wait. My dear friend Vicki sent me her copy of The Shadow of the Wind, and it was memorizing from start to finish. I devoured the book (which was an awesome distraction during my 4-hour layover in Chicago), and deeply loved (and deeply hated) each wonderful character.
The book was written in 2001 by Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and was translated to English in 2004. The story takes place in post-Spanish Civil War Barcelona, and tells the tale of a young boy named Daniel who loves books. Daniel discovers a treasured book with a rich history, and as he investigates the mysterious author, the boy finds trouble, love, danger and passion as he tries to uncover the mystery of his beloved writer.
The Shadow of the Wind is truly a good read, and worth the precious time of a mother who craves good books.
Yesterday, the writers for Silicon Valley Moms Blog were invited to a private book signing with California First Lady Maria Shriver. Ms. Shriver is promoting her newest book, "Just Who Will You Be?", so I read my copy and eagerly waited to meet her.
I arrived at a book store in Palo Alto, sampled some delicious (and low fat!) ice cream, and waited for her arrival. Ms. Shriver arrived (on time I might add!), and was warm, personable, polished and (as expected) smart. I loved her.
Of course, I don't know her, but I really liked what I heard from her. During our hour-long meeting, she shared her experiences as a journalist turned mother, turned working-mother, turned author, turned First Lady. Always a champion for social causes, always a Shriver.
One of my fellow bloggers, Robin Roark, captured some of her favorite messages from Ms. Shriver, which I will share as well:
"Having been a workaholic all my life, I advocate for more moments of joy in your life. Because when you look back, that’s what you’ll remember."
"Moms are 24x7 in the front lines of humanity. Are you man enough to try it?"
"Having any time yourself – I didn’t know it was possible. I was raised where any time to do something for yourself was selfish. It’s ok to give yourself permission to do it. "
"I grew up thinking that if I didn’t run for office, I’d be a disappointment. I grew up with a lot of 'shoulds.' I’ve worked quite hard to let that go. "
[On being a working mother] "Looking back I was way too stressed about finding a balance. Those were jobs I loved. Hated to give them up. But I did. With each child, my job decreased. I shouldn’t have tried to shove it all together. I didn’t have the courage to say that I wasn’t going to work at all."
"I have one wild and precious life. To put my wild and precious life at the end of the line is no longer acceptable."
Thank you, Ms. Shriver, for taking time to meet with us, for sharing your experiences, and for inspiring moms everywhere!
Recent Comments