Five minutes with Debbie Jacobson, Baltimore Mama and Producer of What's Next?

Capitol Moms founder, Teia Collier, spent a few minutes chatting with the inspiring and highly-motivated, mama of 4(soon to be 5) Debbie Jacobson, producer of Retirement Living's new lifestyle reality show, What's Next?. With our parents getting older and heading toward this new stage in life and already rolling around in it, I found this interview particularly interesting.

Here are a few highlights:

Tell me about What's Next?
It is inspired and started with my dad. He thought he had it all figured out, a plan laid out and then he abruptly got there. And it was all different. It was like someone changed the rules and he was left answering the question, "How do you spend then rest of your life?" What's Next? is a reality show where we walk with a retiree and help them answer that question for themselves. We cover topics like how navigate the complicated Social Security system to learning how to downsize. Every episode leaves the participant (and viewers) knowing a little more and armed with some tools to make their lives easier.

That's incredible, so you're a producer and a mama of four, soon to be five. How do you balance?
Honestly, sometimes the balance is blind. But it does help that most of kids are in school and you do your best. With a 12, 10, 5, 2 and a new one on the way, I depend on my husband as well. He's awesome and my compliment - he does the things that I don't love like dishes and cooking. But I really love working and want to make it work -- I think that having the desire there is really important.

What's your favorite tips for mamas and moms to be?
Be flexible and have patience. Every day will be different, and that's fine. Also read the cues from your own baby -- know that everyone will have advice and not every chart will apply directly to your baby.


What's Next? airs on Retirement Living on Friday's at 2pm, locally on Comcast Channel 8. They also have a supplement website at www.rl.tv with clips and other resources.

Chatting with Petunia Pickle Bottom Founder DaNai Jones

Capitol Moms founder Teia Collier spent a few minutes chatting with fun, laid-back, new momma and founder of the wildly popular diaper bag and accessory company Petunia Pickle Bottom DeNai Jones.

Here are some of the highlights:

Why Petunia Pickle Bottom? With the encouragement and support of my husband, I sought to fulfill a dream and a void in the market for a diaper bag that was functional, stylish and designed for the mama to serve the needs of the baby, rather than the other way around. There wasn't anything like what we created and after some convincing the stores picked us up -- from there it all began.

How do you balance running a successful company and motherhood? We have a lot of help; our family is here. They help with the boys (she has a brand-new little one) and get to build special memories with their grandparents. Balance is always something that you work at, but it helps that we put our family first.

What's next for Petunia Pickle Bottom? We always have something new on the horizon to keep things interesting and to give our fans something new and exciting. (There are also a new line of slings in coordinating fabrics launching in stores this month.)

What are you carrying now? The Crosstown Clutch. (a CM fave)

What are some of your favorite products that you use with your little ones? I love our swaddling blankets (especially now with a newborn)

To view the new slings and take a look at the stylish Crosstown Clutches that make traveling with a baby a snap, visit www.petuniapicklebottom.com

5 Minutes with Playhouse Disney's Imagination Movers and CD Giveaway

On a bright, crisp Easter Monday morning, Capitol Moms spent a few minutes chatting with the funny and quite cool guys, Scott, Dave, Smitty and former Silver Spring local, Rich from the Imagination Movers, the world's first alternative rock band for pre-schoolers, currently playing on Playhouse Disney.

How'd y'all get started? Well, we've been together in one way or another for the last decade. A couple of us went to high school together, our wives are friends, between the 4 of us there are 8 kids, though most of them belong to Rich. We came up with the idea after Captain Kangeroo and the like left this world -- we realized that all the programming for kids were cartoons. We wanted to do something fun, that got kids up and moving we started there.

Has it been a smooth road thus far? It's been a long road. After we came up with the idea and some of the music, we played local sites and pitched the idea for a short show to Louisiana Public Broadcasting -- they loved it but couldn't sponsor to a new show and the people from Disney came out to come have a listen. It was a good match, but then Hurricane Katrina hit and our lives turned upside down. Three of us were standing in line for food stamps and trying to re-create our lives. It was nuts, but Disney came back around and the Writer's Strike hit and now we are wrapping up shooting new shows for the fall.

Oh cool a new show for the Fall, what else is coming up for the Imagination Movers? We've got a new CD - Juice Box Heroes (we've been listening to it for a few days now and it has all your favorites from Playhouse Disney including my Z's favorite Farm)

How do y'all balance band life and fatherhood? We are Daddies and Husbands first then a band -- but after being around these guys for so long -- they are family too. You learn alot about each other, but it works. Dave notes that it helps to make sure to spend time with your kids, either playing outside, singing together,

I love it and to wrap things up, what are some of the products that y'all love to use with your kids? Rich, a proud papa of 4 with one more on the way, loves his Baby Bjorn and swears by the Pack'N'Play. Dave has older kids, right now, they make their Wii, a family sport - racing to the finish line, and Scott says Boudreaux's Butt Paste (we swear by this one in our house too!)is the best.

To enter our GIVEAWAY for a copy of the Juice Box Heroes, simply sign-up for our newsletter and it automatically enters you for the April 4th giveaway. If you can't wait, it is available at www.imaginationmovers.com or in our Amazon store.

To hear samples and watch videos of the their family favorites, click here

Five Minutes with Rock'N'Tot co-founder Liz Weirshousky

Capitol Moms sat down with Bethesda mom and Rock'N'Tot co-founder Liz Weirshousky to get the scoop on the latest hit tot dance party to come to Washington, DC and to chat about how she balances work, motherhood and some of her momma faves.

So give us the scoop on Rock'N'Tot, what was your inspiration? Well there are lots of family dance parties around the country, but looked into them and decided that we wanted to do something a little different and do it our way. We made some awesome connections. We wanted to highlight the hard working, motivated parent-owned companies and give them a place to shine. With RNT, we can do just that.

What is your absolute favorite thing about RNT? Watching my daughter dance and the giveaways - (At this weekend's event, there will be over 50)

How do you balance work and motherhood? I make sure that I have special time with my daughter. I do the nightly bath, we use it as a time, to sing and laugh, dance and bond in a great way. I bring my daughter along as often as possible -- she even helped with the club scouting with us.

What are your three favorite products: Dwink boxes - drink box holders that prevent the "squeeze", Chapstick -- it entertains her time and time again, my NapPak - a great pillow rollpack.

Your top tip for New Mommas: "Follow your gut." You know your baby, listen to advice, but trust your own instincts.


The next event is on Saturday, March 22 at Ultra Bar, 911 F Street, NW and tickets for all walkers are $15.