Interview with 2009 Honoree- Vanessa Van Petten

I had the pleasure of interviewing a friend and colleague of mine, Vanessa Van Petten, about her Mom's Choice Founder's Award for her book- You're Grounded. I first learned about Vanessa through a social networking web site- SelfGrowth.com and immediately connected with her mission and ideals. Her book- You're Grounded, caught my eye, because as an intuitive mother of four children, this young woman was speaking my language and doesn't yet have kids of her own.

Vanessa lives in Los Angeles and has an incredible background working with tweens and teens from a very raw or what she likes to call a "radical" approach to what parenting looks like to many of these young people. I dug a little deeper to learn more about Vanessa's personal background and here's what she had to say!

Tara: Tell me about your family.

Vanessa: My parents are divorced. I was raised in one Jewish household as an only child and one Christian household as one of four with one step brother and two half sisters! Complicated, right?!

Tara: LOL. Vanessa you have such a great personality and are such a real person, I can only laugh when I go back and read some of our interview together..

So share with us what the real inspiration for your book was?

Vanessa: I was so tired of fighting with my parents and I knew other teens must be going through what I was going through. I wanted to let them know they were not alone and there were things they can do to shift the patterns with their parents. I also wanted to give parents some insight into the teen mind and why we do what we do so they don't feel so alone either.

Tara: Great insight from such a young person. Now there's a real story to how you came to write this book.

Can you share your story with our readers?

Vanessa: I was grounded and very, very angry at my parents. I could not talk on the phone, be on the internet, --nothing! Luckily I decided to put practical application to my anger and my lack of freedom.

Tara: What a great way to manage your anger and something I am sure you have shared with the many young people you mentor today.

Did you have an aha moment; was it inspired by something you were doing or someplace you were visiting; a person in your life?

Vanessa: My aha moment was when I was in China, talking to Chinese teen rappers about why their rap music was so angry. I was writing my thesis on Underground Chinese Hip Hop and Urban Youth and expected them to say they were upset with the government and repression, instead they told me—“we are mad at our parents.” I thought that it was the universe’s way of telling me I was supposed to help teens everywhere.

Tara: What a great aha moment! Not only because you thought to ask the question, but you took the message and acknowledged it as a way you could serve young people through your own experiences.

Who would you say is your greatest source of support; why?

Vanessa: Scott Edwards is my boyfriend, my best friend, my internet guy, my reality check and my rock. I am so grateful to him for all of his help. He has been with me since I decided to publish my book!

Tara: Any other thoughts you would share with people reading your story?

Vanessa: Dream really big, work really hard and you will get there.

Tara: What has it meant to you personally or to the success of your product to have been honored with a Mom’s Choice Award?

Vanessa: It is such an honor! I love moms and it is so nice to have mom’s love what I do. The Mom’s Choice Awards are such a great brand and stamp of approval, I am so grateful to them and to Tara Paterson, the real force behind the Awards!

Tara: You are the power behind your award. Your work speaks for itself and is the reason I recognized your book for such an award. I am so impressed by your tenacity and confidence in your mission. I know with people like you in the world, our children will have great role models and to me that means more than anything!

What are your future plans; what’s next for you as an author/ writer?

Vanessa: Professional blogger? I am working on lots of projects; as I say we have lots in the oven. I am working on several more webinars now so I can bring my "in person" work to people all over the world in easier formats.

Tara: Ah yes, check out Vaness and my webinar- Radical Parenting Using Intuition!!

Anything you would like to add?

Vanessa: I am so grateful to all of our readers and to the Mom’s Choice Awards, I am a true believer in heart resonance and think that the more people who are doing good things, the more joy there is.

Thank you Vanessa, I believe that too!!

Entro Magazine

Entro® (ahn΄ tro) means "introducing inspired works” and is derived from the Norwegian word TRO which means "to believe." The online magazine is produced annually and released in conjunction with the Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) and features stories that help families grow physically, emotionally and spiritually; are morally sound and promote good will; are inspirational and uplifting; and relate to the MCA award-winning products and services. As of 2009, this online media property feeds into Twitter, FaceBook and 150 parenting portals. Read the 2009 issue. Please help us spread the word about this FREE inspirational resource for families, librarians, media specialists and educators!

To read Entro, click here!

Founder's "Parenting Well Using Intuition" teleclass

Tonight, my "Parenting Well Using Your Intuition" class begins.

LIVE TELE-CLASS BEGINS- TONIGHT
4 Two hour classes offered- 6/8, 6/15, 6/22 and 6/29
TIME: 7:00 – 9:00PM EST

What does it mean to parent using your intuition? What is intuition and how will you know when to use it? As parents, we are bombarded by too many resources outside of ourselves for guidance on how to parent. We look to the latest books, advice from experts, family, friends, church, community, web sites, media, etc. What about finding your own inner knowing about how to parent your child? It is my intention to empower you as a parent to trust your feelings and intuition when it comes to raising your child.

What if you could successfully:

· Trust your feelings about how to parent your child
· Feel emotional upset within yourself, acknowledge the emotion and shift the feeling before you interact with your child
· Encourage your child to make choices
· Honor your child’s feelings about a person or experience
· Enjoy each moment and allow the rest to come

In this interactive course, Certified Coach for Parents of Intuitives- Tara Paterson, will share the 10 Secrets that will have you interacting positively with your child while strengthening confidence in your ability to trust your own inner knowing about how to parent your child.

Register now for- Parenting Well Using Your Intuition

Also offering- Radical Parenting Using Intuition!

Check out this youTube video on what we are offering!

As a special added bonus for taking this teleclass, we are offering a $50 discount for the Radical Parenting Using Intuition webinar!

Register now for- Radical Parenting Webinar

Interview with 2009 Honoree Rosemary Serluca Foster

I recently had the honor and privilege of not only interviewing Rosemary, but also had the pleasure of meeting her in NYC at Book Expo America. Rosemary is the author of Genevieve’s Gift: A Child’s Joyful Tale of Connecting with her Intuitive Heart.

This connection was special for me for two reasons. During my last pregnancy with my 4th child (2nd daughter) I considered naming her Genevieve. And the other special reason is that my work is intuitive parenting and working with intuitive children through heart centered connections. As you can tell, Rosemary's book is aligned directly with those principles.

Rosemary's company is Rosedove Productions, LLC located in Nyack, NY and she is married to her wonderful husband Doug Foster. She has four godchildren whom she adores: Lauren, Chelsea, Antonia and Ian and feels that all the children and adults she works with on a deep level become part of her extended family. I asked Rosemary some questions about her book and here's what she had to say.

Tara: What was the inspiration for your product?

Rosemary: I began to observe children around me who were losing their intuitive and creative spark as they got older through peer pressure and unconscious parenting, and felt moved to create something specifically for children that they could relate to; something to help them keep in touch with that deeply present, and intuitive part of themselves.

Tara: Rosemary, I couldn't agree with you more. My book Raising Intuitive Children is aligned specifically with the need to educate parents about what it means to raise intuitive children. What I have found through the feedback about the book, is that parents themselves are beginning to recover their own intuitive knowing and memories.

Did you have an aha moment; was it inspired by something you were doing or someplace you were visiting; a person in your life?

Rosemary: Oh yes! I was on a meditation retreat, sitting next to an idyllic pond. I began journaling and wrote the sentence—“teach children about intuition.” It felt like someone had commanded me. So I followed the order, so to speak, and created my children’s workshop called Kids-R-Intuitive, which is comprised of exercises, visualizations, crafts and games to help children tap into their inner and creative voice, and then wrote the book, Genevieve’s Gift.

Tara: How wonderful. So many of us are being called to re-ignite this sense for our children.

When did you first come up with your idea?

Rosemary: After that meditation retreat, I felt something important was about to be born through me. Being that I am a writer, it felt natural to create a book. I constantly relied on my own intuition to bring this project to life. I was in fact, living the journey of connecting with and following that small still voice inside, just like the main character does. And it was through the same heart connection meditation that I teach children in my workshops, that I first got a glimpse of what Genevieve looked like, who is very similar to my sweet, intuitive goddaughter Antonia.

Tara: Who is your greatest source of support; why?

Rosemary: Without a doubt my husband Doug. He is, and has always been very supportive of my creativity and writing, not to mention he is a very kind and steady, and reminds me to take a step back and look at the big picture, especially when things “appear” not to be falling into place.

Tara: We have the "supportive husband" blessing in common. Someone told me it's the divine masculine we are beginning to see in men. Whatever it is, I am grateful to have one :o)

If you could offer one piece of advice to someone who is thinking of venturing into this line of work, what would it be?

Rosemary: Listen to your intuition every step of the way. I cannot stress enough how important this is. The journey of how this book came to be is a story in and of itself, and the common thread throughout that journey is the synchronistic events that kept me moving forward. That’s not to say it wasn’t challenging, for it definitely was at times. But that’s part of the growth experience that none of us can, or should avoid. My job was to listen and follow. You’ll feel so much better after you've tried something you're dreaming about doing.

Tara: Absolutely so true! If you don't listen to that inner voice, you miss the blessings that are waiting for all of us on this journey we call life.

What has it meant to you personally or to the success of your product to have been honored with a Mom’s Choice Award?

Rosemary: It is a great honor and validation of my work. I am so grateful to have been awarded by an organization that celebrates the same values that I hold dear in my own work, integrity, consciousness and compassion.

Tara: What are your future plans; what’s next for you as a writer?

Rosemary: I am continually writing and working on other projects that include: content for websites, magazine articles, ghostwriting and editing books, and TV scripts. I would love to have a publisher acquire Genevieve’s Gift (any ideas or introductions are so very welcome!) and also create a whole series of Genevieve's Gift books, (I have many adventures in mind for our heroine.)

Tara: Anything you would like to add?

Rosemary: Just that it has been an absolute pleasure working with the Mom’s Choice Awards organization. The entire staff is so gracious, helpful and warm. I feel very blessed to have been in connection with all of you. Thanks and many blessings!

Thank you Rosemary. We are so pleased to have the caliber of books, a book like yours brings to the world. Many blessings to you as well!

Book Expo America was a Success!

Book Expo America was an amazing success this year! Thursday night we held an event at the 92nd St Y for Greg Mortenson and Pennies for Peace. Executive Director- Christiane Leitinger and 12 year old Sequoia from Reston, VA were present to accept the Mom's Choice Award for Charitable Organization of the Year. I presented Pennies with a coffee can full of pennies my younger son- Caden, collected for the organization.

Greg presented his mission to promote peace through education with an audience of about 450. The event was a huge success and proceeded well into the night with Greg signing autographs and interacting with all of his guests.


Friday morning, I had the honor and privilege of interviewing both Alisyn Camerota our 2009 Celebrity Mom of the Year and Greg Mortenson our 2009 Author of the Year. We were filmed live on camera at the Mom's Choice booth.



Later that morning, we moved to the main hall of the Javits Center to present both Honorees with their 2009 Mom's Choice Awards. The award presentation was featured on Fox & Friends Saturday morning during the 7am hour.

I also had the privilege of interviewing several of our 2009 Honorees. It was a wonderful experience and I would like to personally thank all of the people who made this event possible.

Stay tuned for live footage of the interviews and the event in the coming weeks!