I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but on March 6, 2018, I, along with my four amazing friends, Robyn Graham, Kathy Marcino, and Kristin Smedley, am launching a podcast!!!! Whaaaaatttt???!!! Yep. After being in a mastermind with these three incredible women for a little over a year (thank you, Dr. Jennifer Gardella, although I'm not sure you know what you started!), we found that we had learned so much from one another, [...]
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"] Photo credit Robyn Graham Photography UPDATE: THE GOODREADS CONTEST WAS A GREAT SUCCESS! OVER 850 ENTERED TO WIN A COPY OF THE WOMAN'S BOOK OF DIRTY WORDS. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS! BUT WHILE THE CONTEST IS OVER, BOOK CLUB VISITS ARE STILL AVAILABLE! CHECK OUT THE NEW BOOK [...]
Just in case you needed/wanted to hear more about me, and of course, why wouldn't you, since there's simply never enough of ME online--please note the dripping sarcasm--here are a few recent interviews with links, below: Next Act for Women http://nextactforwomen.com/writing/writing-a-humorous-book-about-midlife/ Recent interviews: The Creative Giant Show with Charlie Gilkey http://www.productiveflourishing.com/podcast/mary-fran-bontempo/ Happy Hour with Annmarie Kelly and the Victorious Woman Project http://wche1520.libsyn.com/friday-happy-hour-12-9-16 Recent columns: Best Kept Self--site [...]
Ah, the summer road trip. If you lived in Philadelphia, and were a child in the '60's (Yikes!), it's likely your summer involved a trip to the Jersey Shore. The good parts: A cherished week at the beach, summer breeze ruffling your hair, the "rides" a.k.a. the Boardwalk (and yes, it deserves the capital letter, as any kid knows), surf, sand, cotton candy, pizza, and so on. The bad part: Getting there. A trip [...]
Biking without a helmet. Roller skating without a helmet. Jumping off of really high things without a helmet. Climbing trees without a helmet. Is anyone sensing a theme? Okay, I’m older than a lot of moms out there. Much older. As in, I’m a grandmother already older. (Dear God, I still can’t wrap my head around that.) Back in the “old days,” which, for me, meant being a child in the ‘60’s (Gaaaaaahhhhhh!!!), [...]
White vinegar. As scents go, it's hardly one that you'd think would elicit fond memories. But I'm literally sitting here crying as I think of the ghosts of Easters past. Any mother who celebrated Easter with her kids, at least when my kids were young, remembers the smell of white vinegar. It was the essential component when dyeing Easter eggs. That's what we did back in the day, before those mesh bags filled [...]
By: Mary Fran Bontempo Last Sunday saw the Golden Globes, the Oscars' drunken cousin, again assaulting the airwaves with its annual public Hollywood A.A. meeting airing on NBC. As an awards season junkie, yes, I watched, and as always, I have some thoughts and opinions, which will never be taken into account by anyone but me, to share. The Globes always make me feel better about myself, especially because it's the one awards [...]
