Thursday, April 27, 2006

Ladies' Home Journal May issue



Check out the May issue of Ladies' Home Journal, a magazine I never expected to find my way into!

Freelance writer Stephanie Stephens did an excellent job, and I was really impressed by the fact checking crew at LHJ. They went over each and every detail!

Page 150 of the May 2006 issue if you're interested.

The Mighty Mama Raffle!

Thanks to some wonderful generosity on part of our many sponsors, the raffle for the 2006 Mighty Mama Skate-O-Rama looks to be the best ever.

The event, held on Mother's Day, Sunday May 14, at Laguna Niguel skatepark, raises money for the library at Orangewood Children's Home for neglected and abused youth.

Prizes to be raffled off include 20 pair of skate shoes from Vans, 10 pair from etniesGirl, six decks from Fanatic Skateboards, two decks and three sets of big, groovy wheels from Gravity Skateboards, decks from Curly Grrlz Skateboards and Skaterbuilt, RocknRonsRockets skateboard bearings, a whole lotta T-shirts from Tum Yeto, Sk8kleen soaps (shaped like skateboard wheels!), private skateboard lessons with pro skater Mike Ogas...and much more.

Check out www.skateboardmom.com for details.

Monday, April 03, 2006

Rolling for Reading



Members of the International Society of Skateboarding Moms typically grin as they spin--having fun, of course, is a top priority. But the club also tries to give back with our Rolling for Reading program, which puts new and gently-used children's books into the hands of kids in need. We distribute the books on skateboards, of course!

I currently have a very large stack of books in my living room that will be donated to the Orangewood Children's Home after the May 14th Mighty Mama Skate-O-Rama. Normally, we try to roll out books to kids every other month. If you have some new or very gently used children's books you'd like to donate, or you're a skateboarder with a little time on your hands and goodwill in your heart, please contact me.

Leopard the Cat



This is my cat, Leopard. She keeps an eye on things. She growls like a dog, but is as fierce as her namesake! She specializes in sneak attacks, but at night, she curls up like a furry bowling ball and keeps our bed nice and warm.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

More magazine, April 2006



Sherri Cruz did this profile of me for the April 2006 edition of More magazine, geared toward women over 40. One thing's for sure, magazines really do know how to make you look younger (make up, lighting!).

Cushy skateboard




Spotted this vinyl, upholstered skateboard at the CA Boom modern home expo in Santa Monica last weekend. Perfect for barefoot skating!

The Perfect School Visit


Last week, I had the pleasure of doing an all-day author visit at George White Elementary School in Laguna Niguel, CA. I have done about 30 school visits in my career, and I must say this was one of the very best. The George White Knights really know how to treat an author!

First, they had a reserved parking spot waiting for me when I drove up. This is a very big help when you're lugging a half dozen skateboards and other props into a school!

Second, from the moment I walked into the front office, all the teachers and staff members knew who I was and why I was there. Big smiles all around. This really makes a visiting author feel welcome! Plus, I can tell the school did a great job in generating enthusiasm about my visit. Kudos!

Third, the students were not only primed and ready, they were super psyched! I have done presentations at schools where the students had never heard of me, or my book, until the moment I was being introduced. Such a pity! At George White, it was obvious that the kids had not only heard of me and read my book, some had actually memorized a few lines. Wow!

I could go on and on (a tasty lunch! enthusiastic helpers!) but the bottom line is, this school went out of their way to make the whole experience one the students won't soon forget. And I'll never forget the entire student body sitting out in the rain, chanting "Skateboard Mom! Skateboard Mom!" as I did my finale of skateboard tricks.

Thank you George White Knights! And special thanks to Jill Brick, Susan Riley, Susan Suhr, Mrs. Koci, and of course Principal Spelber for being brave enough to take a beginning skateboard lesson from Skateboard Mom!



Skate Moms in the News

Oddly enough, the International Society of Skateboarding Moms and I have been featured in approximately 200 media outlets including Good Morning America (we helped co-host Charlie Gibson skate down Times Square, penny loafers and all), CNN, The Early Show, ESPN2, the British Broadcasting Co., National Public Radio and more newspapers and magazines than I can remember. Here are a few if you're interested:


National Public Radio's "My Fellow Americans" series:
http://www.npr.org (type "Skateboard Mom" in search key to find story)

USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-06-29-skateboard-mom_x.htm

USA Today sidebar:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-06-29-skateboard-resources_x.htm

About.com (long)
http://skateboard.about.com/cs/proskaters/a/InterviewBarbOd.htm

A very cool multimedia article on skate mom Tara Ryan:
http://www.courierpostonline.com/multimedia/skatermom.htm

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Smash! Mash! Crash!

Hi all. After a year, I'm finally getting around to write on this blog. So here's an update.

If you're interested in children's books, my second book, SMASH! MASH! CRASH! THERE GOES THE TRASH! comes out this fall with Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry Books. Will Hillenbrand did an awesome job with the artwork. Very cool! Here's the cover:


2006 Mighty Mama Skate-O-Rama



Yep, it's that time again. The third MIGHTY MAMA SKATE-O-RAMA is coming up on Sunday, May 14, 2006 at Laguna Niguel skatepark in south Orange County, California. The event is a skateboard festival for women of all ages--and a fundraiser for the library at Orangewood Children's Home for abused and neglected kids. For more info, please visit my website, www.skateboardmom.com