It’s Saturday, which means I’m answering questions from the ParentNormal Mailbag. If I sound a little sick on the podcast, it’s just because when it’s wintertime and you have kids, somebody in the house is always sick and it’s apparently my turn in the rotation.
ParentNormal Questions Answered in this Episode:
YouTube Supermom Deva Dalporto is the featured guest this week. Deva is an author, actor, blogger and mom of two kids whose videos on YouTube have been downloaded millions of times, leading NBC to call her the “Weird Al of YouTube Moms."
Recognizing that parents may only have a few minutes a day to listen to podcasts, the ParentNormal Comedy Podcast will now be produced in very short and easy to listen to episodes three times a week, beginning with this episode.
ParentNormal News updates will be released every Tuesday. Special guest interviews will be released on Thursdays. And on Saturdays, I’ll share my answers from the ParentNormal Mailbag.
We’ll still have a theme for each week, and this week’s theme is YouTube vs. Television, so here's what’s in the ParentNormal News about YouTube and TV.
Actress and mom Heather Brooker is the featured guest on this episode about Parenthood in Hollywood. Heather has appeared in The Office, The Mindy Project, Grey’s Anatomy, Cougar Town and many other popular shows. We’ll talk about why she started a Motherhood in Hollywood podcast, what casting directors think of parents and whether parenting can make you better at acting.
James Breakwell, a father of four kids with more than 200,000 followers on Twitter (@xplodingunicorn), is the guest this week. I’ll talk to him about his family’s transition from three to four kids. I’ll also ask him what his family thinks about his parenting tweets and about how to write the perfect tweet.
We are now 10 episodes into the show, and if you’ve listened to even a few seconds of the podcast, you know that I am not a parenting expert, nor do I even think it’s possible to be a parenting expert. And that’s really the purpose of this podcast - to show that we’re all imperfect parents and that it’s okay to laugh at how crazy parenting can get for all of us.
Clint Edwards is the featured guest of this episode. He's a dad of three and the author of the new book This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things. We’ll talk about the successful kickstarter campaign that launched his book, the viral Washington Post article he wrote that led to an appearance on Good Morning America, and we’ll also go through some of the dumbest questions parents get from non-parents.
This episode's theme is 'Mo Money, Mo Problems' and features special guests Norine Dworkin-McDaniel and Jessica Ziegler from Science of Parenthood. We’ll talk about their new book Science of Parenthood and what good and bad purchases they've made as parents.
Yellow Wiggle Greg Page is the featured guest in this episode all about Christmas cheer. I ask Greg about his favorite Christmas songs and about how his family spends Christmas. I’ll also ask him about the rumored Wiggle reunion show and how he’s able to get a song like Fruit Salad or Hot Potato out of his head.
Mom of 16 kids Lyette Reback is the featured guest in this episode about shopping. We'll talk about the secret to shopping for kids. I’ll ask her how toys have changed since the birth of her first child, and I’ll ask her how often she calls one of her kids the wrong name.
Comedian Nick Thune is the featured guest in this episode about bad advice. I ask him if he’s ever been told anything completely wrong about parenting, learn how his wife felt when he cut their baby’s hair and discover what he thinks would make a good title for a children’s book. And spoiler alert: it’s something that required me to learn how to bleep out a word.
Bestselling author and mom of two Jen Mann is the featured guest in this episode about Surviving the Holidays, which are the most wonderfully exhausting time of the year.
Reasons My Kid is Crying author Greg Pembroke is the featured guest in this episode is all about meltdowns – something all parents have to deal with, and usually when it’s least convenient.
Comedian Nate Bargatze is the featured guest in this podcast episode about birth plans. I ask Nate why he and his wife’s birth plan included traveling from their New York home to Tennessee. We also learn who won the bet about whether Nate would cut his baby’s umbilical cord and find out why parenthood has him walking into doors.
Best-selling musician Laurie Berkner, who you’ve probably seen on Nick Jr. singing and playing guitar, is the featured guest in this episode. I ask her what makes a great children’s song. We’ll also talk about how becoming a mother influenced her songwriting.
Michele Lepe, who you probably know as Nina from the Good Night Show on Sprout, if she is able to put her own kids to sleep as calmly as she puts America’s kids to sleep each night on TV. We’ll learn how carrots became part of her kids’ bedtime routine and find out what happened when she tried to change her baby’s first blowout diaper on her boss’ desk.