But I know just saying “no gifts” sometimes, stresses people out.  Many people don’t like coming empty handed and then others bring gifts anyway which may make others feel bad.   So instead of just saying “no gifts please” we said we were teaching my son about sharing and that gifts weren’t necessary, but if you would like to bring something we will be taking unwrapped donations to Children’s Hospital.

I included my son in the whole process.  He knew that people may be bringing things to help other kids.  I wasn’t sure how it would all go over at first, but he was really excited to take the donations to the hospital.   We brought dozens of art supplies which the hospital says benefits the most children.  They were so great with him, thanked him, told him where the donations were going and even gave him a certificate.  He had a great birthday party with friends and learned a valuable lesson as well. If you have organizations and charities where you would like to donate  you should give them a call and see if they have a procedure for receiving donations to make it more special than just at a drop-off.

If you are considering a no gift birthday party, here is a great site I found Birthdays Without Pressure that offers alternative ideas.

I went to the Count Me In Urban Rebound conference on Friday.  I met some amazing entrepreneurs with vision, passion and drive.  I have a lot of insights to share, but today I wanted to focus on the opening remarks by Journey Agent Isisara Bey and share some of her thoughts.

“We must plant seeds before we can harvest!” -Isisara Bey

Sounds logical right, so why is it so hard for us sometimes to be patient or to see what we are doing is actually making an impact.  In our “I must have it now” society sometimes it’s difficult to see the harvest because it hasn’t come soon enough.    For your children what you do now is building them for the future.  If you are building a business, as you know success doesn’t come overnight, but when it does come time to harvest it will come back in multiples.  Trust yourself and the seeds you have planted and continue to cultivate it.  Appreciate what you have accomplished, give it time and be ready for the harvest.

On the same thought, you must also take action to see any result.  Dreaming is good, but action is better.  Do something. Plant a seed and watch your dreams take root and grow.

What seed are you going to plant today?  What is your intention?

The magazine is published by the National Association of Balanced Moms.  It’s a great organization that helps moms stay inspired by providing resources, networking and events.    This issue also features some great uplifting and informative articles featuring mompreneur Michelle Ghilotti of How To Be A Walking Momtra, as she talks about branding, starting a business and how she stays balanced,  Clay Nichols, founder of DadLabs-an online TV Network for Dads, and other stories on intentional parenting and spicing up your summertime space!

You’ve worked hard to build your company and your brand, but how do you get the “buzz” you need to propel your business to the next level?  And how do you make sure the “buzz” is promoting the right message?

Whether you get news coverage depends on how you pitch your story. While there is no one right way to convey your message, there are ways to help make sure you are heard.

•  Make sure you have the right contact. You don’t want to leave a message on a general voicemail box. Find someone you can pitch. It can be a reporter, an assignment editor, or a producer.

• Find out how your contact likes to receive a pitch. Do they prefer contact by phone, e-mail, or fax? Sometimes a story pitch can get lost in the shuffle, if it is not delivered the right way.

• Know your hook. Create a tie-in with your service or product with a newsworthy story.  Ask yourself, why would anyone care about the story? What makes the story interesting? Why would a producer/editor want this story in their show or column? Find a legitimate connection to a hot topic and you can increase your chances of getting coverage.

• Provide resources. Make the reporter’s/producer’s job easy. It’s not enough to give a story idea; you also need to help the them tell the story. Offer to supply the reporter with background information, interviews, sources, video/photo opportunities.

•  Know the right time and show to pitch. What type of story is it? Who does it appeal to? A light feature may do better on the weekends when the media outlet is short on stories. Harder news stories are for the evening news. Mid-day news may be good for health, senior, and women’s issues.  Morning News is good for live interviews.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner so today’s Spreecast was in honor of all Moms.   Jill and I were super excited to have Andrea Fellman of SavvySassyMoms join us!  Tune in to find out about Pregnancy Awareness Month events across the country and a fab free event in LA this Sunday.  Also we chat about what moms really want for Mother’s Day, Ricki Lake’s New Talk Show and Social Media  Community, and how Andrea stays Savvy and Sassy.  Make sure you tune in to the end too where we share some fab and funny finds.  We’ll show you how you can keep your boobies in at the beach and how you can stay hands free and still have a glass of wine at your next party!

Seeing all the fresh greens inspired me to go green for dinner.  And the fact that I’ve been indulging a bit too much these past few weeks didn’t hurt either.  So I thought I would share my favorite Kale recipe and a chef’s secret to the perfect roasted broccoli.

Asian Stir-Fry Kale

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 garlic clove
1/2 chopped onion
1 bunch kale-cleaned and chopped
Dash of sesame oil
Dash of soy sauce or Bragg’s Amino Acids

A Wok works best, but other pans work as well. Start with a little oil and sautee garlic and onion until slightly carmelized.  Add chopped kale and then season with sesame oil and soy sauce.  Stir-fry for a few minutes until Kale is cooked, but still green and fresh.

Super simple and fast.  I love this recipe because it gives Kale a little twist.  Stir-frying brings out the natural sweetness of the Kale and so do the carmelized onions.

Roasted Broccoli

I was at a dinner with a private chef this weekend and everyone was raving about the broccoli.   It was perfectly crunchy and flavorful.  We asked her. “What’s the secret. This is so good!”  She said, ” 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.   What? That’s it- amazing!

For my kids I usually steam it.  For me I usually stir-fry it, but I never thought about baking it.

Secret: Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

That’s it. The broccoli should be slightly browned on a few edges, but still green and crunchy.

 ”Best Job,” celebrates the role moms play in raising Olympians and in raising great kids. Award-winning director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu to created the film, which was shot on four continents and features local actors and athletes from each location–London, Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles and Beijing.

As a part of the P&G Thank You Mom promotion, P&G has committed to raise $5 million to support local youth sports programs in many countries, through a portion of sales and donations.  Every time the video is shared on Facebook, P&G will donate $1 to KidSport(TM) Canada, allowing Canadians to raise an additional $50,000 for the organization.

To share your own Thank You Mom message you can go to their Thank-You Mom page on Facebook.

*TZM was not paid for this post.

“Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought.” -Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

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