New York City

On Today’s Show Book Author Jenna McCarthy

Today’s Show:

On Tuesday’s show we have Jenna McCarthy whom is an internationally published writer whose work has appeared in over forty magazines and dozens of websites. She will be on to share her latests book with us The Parent Trip- From High Heels and Parties to Highchairs and Potties. We are so thrilled to have her with us. To learn more about Jenna and her book please be sure to visit her website by clicking here and don’t forget she will be on our show Tuesday Morning at 11:00 am central time you can join our show and chatroom by cliciking here\

Jenna McCarthy is an internationally published writer whose work has appeared in more than forty magazines, on dozens of websites and in two obscure anthologies. Her first book, THE PARENT TRIP: FROM HIGH HEELS AND PARTIES TO HIGHCHAIRS AND POTTIES, will be available in early 2008.

Jenna was born in New York and raised in Florida. Thirteen years of overpriced private schooling paid off when she was admitted to the prestigious Florida State University. Industrious by nature, Jenna went to class nearly every time it was too hot or overcast to lay by the pool. Ultimately she earned a degree in advertising with a minor in French studies, the latter of which comes in extremely handy when she is craving a croissant.

She worked for a while in advertising sales before landing a job as a copywriter at one of the largest ad agencies in the Southeast. A painful lay-off on her twenty-fifth birthday launched an accidental freelance writing career, not to mention a nasty hangover.

Although Sex and the City wasn’t even a column yet (let alone a TV show), Jenna yearned to work in the glamorous world of magazines and managed to secure an interview at Seventeen. Dressed in head-to-toe white, she obviously stood out in Manhattan’s sea of black and was offered a staff writing position, which she accepted without having the vaguest idea of her salary.

She spent several years analyzing the pubescent male psyche and pushing gruesome prom dresses before moving to Mademoiselle—which is now defunct, although Jenna is almost positive this has nothing to do with her. At Mademoiselle she enjoyed the privilege of sharing an elevator with well-known, skeletal supermodels and legendary publishing icons on a daily basis. (Jenna proudly points out that amazingly, she managed not to develop an eating disorder or allow her obsessive-compulsive tendencies to morph into destructive habits during this time.) Eventually New York’s relentless winters, smelly and unreliable subways and one particularly aggressive panhandler got to her. On a whim Jenna traded in her wardrobe of black suits for a bikini and relocated to Los Angeles, where she became an editor for Shape magazine. In her exhaustive free time she continued to serve as a west coast editor for Mademoiselle. When she had settled into a comfortable California routine—perhaps intoxicated by the balmy Pacific breezes—Jenna let the urge to work in her pajamas overtake her and embarked on a full-time freelance career.

Over the next ten years, Jenna’s byline would appear in an array of national and international magazines and on dozens of web sites. She met and married a wonderful man who convinced her to move to Santa Barbara, home of the “newlywed and nearly dead.” During one two-year period of possible insanity, she decided to capitalize on her insomnia and accepted a position as co-host of Santa Barbara’s top-rated morning radio show. When she wasn’t busy embarrassing her husband by broadcasting the details of their every disagreement to their tight-knit community, she continued to write and also managed to get pregnant. After pumping breast milk on the air, Jenna felt she’d achieved her broadcast dreams and returned to writing exclusively.

Another pregnancy and many more articles ensued before Jenna turned to writing books. She continues to live in and humiliate her husband from Santa Barbara. The couple has two beautiful daughters who thankfully are too young to read, so Jenna is pretty sure she hasn’t humiliated them yet.

New York City

Spend $50 at Kmart and Get $25 GFC

Kmart and Glamour have teamed up to give you a $25 Kmart gift card for every $50 you spend at Kmart (after coupons) through 4/30. Just send your original receipts along with your name, address and telephone number to Glamour at:

Glamour Platinum Rewards
Attn: Promotion Department
4 Times Square, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10036

Receipts must be receievd by 5/13. Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of gift card. It does not say, but I get the impression as though the $50 spent must be in one transaction.

Thank you to Coupon Cravings for this tip

New York City

Meet the Pilot Who is Being Hailed a Hero

Growing up in Denison, Texas, Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III used to join the other boys sitting at the edge of a runway, watching planes from the town’s Air Force training base take off and land.

Thursday evening, Sullengerger, 57, entered the annals of flight lore himself when he safely helmed disabled US Airways Flight 1549, with 155 passengers and crew aboard, to a smooth and safe landing in the middle of New York City’s icy Hudson River.

There were no fatalities in the narrowly averted disaster, which Sullenberger – “Sully” to his friends – reportedly told air traffic controllers was caused by birds flying into the jetliner’s two engines.

“If there’s ever been a miracle, this is a miracle,” flight instructor Gregory Keshishian told AM New York newspaper. “For him to … put the plane down apparently perfectly takes a great amount of skill and judgement.” Click here to read of this posts from People

New York City

Are You Depressed at Home with Your Children?

For some women, it’s a dream come true – spending all day, every day with their children and being a full-time parent.

For others, leaving a career to take care of the kids can trigger serious strikes against self-esteem and lead to depression.

Many stay-at-home mothers may be depressed, but either don’t know how to get help or don’t want to take emotional responsibility for themselves, says Lana Ackaway, a certified psychoanalyst and clinical social worker in New York City and through 4Therapy.com.

Depressive disorders can make one feel exhausted, worthless, helpless and hopeless. Such negative thoughts and feelings make some people feel like giving up.

“It is important to realize that these negative views are part of the depression and typically do not accurately reflect the actual circumstances,” Ackaway said.

A woman who already has problems with self-esteem, independence, autonomy, competition and commitment may have trouble with the added burden of not working and being at home with children.

“The change needs to be felt, experienced and the person must psychically adjust,” Ackaway said. “These feelings and experiences need to be integrated in the psyche over time.”

Depression shows up in different forms in different people, Ackaway suggested in an email interview June 15.

“Some people cry a lot and feel sad. Others seem angry, irritable or anxious,” she said. “For others, depression shows itself in vague physical problems like constipation, muscle aches and headaches.”

She suggests asking yourself if any of the following statements are true:

1. I feel sad or down most of the time.
2. I’ve lost interest in the activities I used to enjoy.
3. I feel tired almost every day.
4. I have problems sleeping. I sleep too much or I’m staying awake at night.
5. My appetite has changed. I’m not eating enough or I’m eating too much.
6. I have trouble concentrating.
7. My friends say I’m acting differently. I’m either anxious and restless or lethargic.
8. I feel worthless or hopeless.
9. I have frequent headaches, stomach problems, muscle pain or back problems.
10. I find myself thinking a lot about dying.

If you find yourself in the above list, you may be suffering from depression.

It’s important that you realize that depression is not a “phase” or just a bad mood.

Sometimes depression can be triggered by a change in lifestyle, Ackaway says. If you’re a new mother, a newlywed or you’ve recently relocated or given up your career to stay home with your children, be aware of potential signs of depression.

While it may not go away on its own, there are some things you can do to to help your recovery:

• Set realistic goals and assume a reasonable amount of responsibility.
• Break large tasks into small ones and set some priorities. Do what you can, as you can.
• Try to confide in someone and be among others, if possible.
• Participate in activities that you can.
• Mild exercise, going to a movie, and participating in religious, social or other activities at times may help in the short term.
• Expect a gradual improvement in mood. Feeling better takes time. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see a marked improvement quickly.
• Postpone major decisions. Discuss major change with a professional who can be objective.
• Ask for help. Let someone else help you.
• Get professional help.

Therapies such as interpersonal therapies, which focus on the patient’s relationships that may be causing or exacerbating the depression, and cognitive/behavioral therapies, which help the patient change the negative styles of thinking and behaving that are often associated with depression, are often effective.

Psychodynamic therapies, which have now shown positive results in new research studies, focus on resolving the patient’s conflicted feelings.

“It’s work, but it can be sustained and it’s not a Band-Aid,” said Ackaway, adding that 90 percent of her patients are treated without medication.

Ackaway suggests finding a therapist through recommendations from people you know who have had positive experience with a well-trained, licensed psychotherapist. Other sources may be universities, medical schools, community mental health centers, or an online resource such as 4Therapy.com or psychologytoday.com.
The copyright of the article Depression and Stay-at-Home Moms in Stay-at-Home Parents is owned by Diane Laney Fitzpatrick.