In the past week I’ve heard a message three different times — I think I need to pay attention to it.

I watched with interest as Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, talked to Oprah Winfrey on her show today. I couldn’t change the channel as she spoke about how she came to the place where she literally sold out her ex-husband, Prince Edward, for the tune of $40,000. She later says during the interview that she asked for much more, some 500,000 pounds more, and that she doesn’t recognize the woman on the tape. She feels sorry for that woman.

She took full responsibility for are actions and showed remorse as Oprah asked her how she came to this place. How could the Duchess of York stoop so low for such a low sum of money? Isn’t there anyone who could have given her that amount of money? She is the DUCHESS OF YORK, after all. Ferguson claimed, no, she is on her own and needs money. Although, she also claims the initial $40,000 that she asked for was “for a friend.” She didn’t give details about who this friend is or what he/she needs the money for. Where is the money now? It has gone back to the newspaper.

The newspaper. Yes, this is where I became glued to the screen. Oprah asks her to recount the initial meetings with this person who gave her the money. Ferguson tells Oprah, and the world, that she was told he was a businessman that would help her. Upon their first meeting, however, she has a gut feeling, “he’s a journalist.” I’m thinking … oh my gosh, oh my gosh, she KNEW! SHE KNEW! Her instincts told her this wasn’t right. This was a setup. He’s not who he says he is. And, it gets worse. She  knew so much so that she even said it to the guy … you are a reporter. He denied it. Then, she is supposed to have a dinner with him and some other people and she thinks (again, her instinct working here) to have everyone, including the “businessman” sign a non-disclosure agreement. He comes up with an excuse that it is 7:00 p.m. back at his office and no one is there to get approval. He’ll bring it tomorrow. She proceeds with the dinner. The next day, the man doesn’t have the contract and Ferguson proceeds with the meeting.

From Oprah.com:

“I sat there and thought: ‘He’s a journalist. He’s a News of the World journalist. I know he is. I’m going to leave,’” she says. “So just before I get up, I say: ‘I need you to sign a confidentiality agreement, please, because I’m not discussing anything more with you unless you do. And I’m sorry to be so rude, but in this day in age, we have to.’” …

“I even got my office to check this man’s name up in India.”

Warning signs were lighting up her night sky and she ignored them.

Story number two tells a similar tale of a woman who just felt something was off. The difference is that she took action. Immediate action that may have saved herself and her child. ABC News reported on a New Jersey mother who opened her door to a census worker, but something didn’t seem right with the man taking her information. He was shifting his body and she just didn’t feel comfortable with him. She started answering his questions and then it hit her — she recognized him from her state’s registered sex offender list, which she reviews every few months.

On the video, they  show a recent photo of the man as she saw him, and a photo of him that is on the sex offender list — two very different looking people. It would have been hard just to recognize him based on the image and the face before her.  This woman relied on her gut that something wasn’t right, then her mind did the rest.

“I just had an overwhelming bad sense about this person,” she told “Good Morning America” … “It was just a gut feeling. I’d never had that before. It just literally washed over me.”

The mother called the police and the man was arrested.

The last story is from my friend Stacey who talked about this issue in another way, recently on her blog, The Acorn Garden. She says that for years her body was telling her something wasn’t right. She didn’t listen to it until recently when she had surgery to correct it, but wishes she had “listened” to herself sooner.  She says,

“This can be about noticing things are “off” with others, but it can also be about listening to our bodies, and knowing what is normal for us, and what “is just not right.”

Ladies, this is a wake up call. We need to listen to ourselves. When you hear the whisper, listen to it. Believe it. Take action.

Related:

• Sarah Ferguson Speaks Out on Oprah
• New Jersey Mom Busts Sex Offender Census Worker
• Listen, listen … to yourself

There are many reasons to be jealous of Heather Armstrong of dooce.com. There’s the fact that she makes a living supporting her entire family by writing a blog, or that’s she’s a super talented writer (she would choose better words than super talented!), or how about her amazing photography? Let’s not forget the fact that she can get her dog, Chuck, to keep anything on his head (including a lit candle) and pose for a photograph.

All of that is plenty to promote jealousy, but what I’m envious of is her trip to Washington this week to represent women and mothers during the White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility. I would love to be there too! How incredible a moment it will be to watch this important forum take place. To see an open discussion about how America needs to embrace flexibility and help create balance for American families.

The White House Web site says,

The President and First Lady will discuss the importance of creating workplace practices that allow America’s working men and women to meet the demands of their jobs without sacrificing the needs of their families.”

This sounds good. It continues with …

Millions of women and men across the country struggle to balance the demands of their jobs and the needs of their families. Too often, caring for a child or an aging parent can strain a career– sometimes to the point of job loss,” said President Obama.”

Good. Good. Good.

I may not be there, but I suspect Heather Armstrong and the others who have been invited will do a great job representing the rest of us. The forum takes place March 31 and you bet I’ll be following it. You can too — go to BlogHer at 2:30 EDT to see it streaming.

Related:

• Read Armstrong’s story about her trip at dooce.com.
• BlogHer interview with Heather Armstrong about her trip to Washington.

Katherine Heigl, who plays Izzy Stephens on “Grey’s Anatomy,” is leaving the show (getting out of her contract early) so that she doesn’t have to work full-time. Something most mothers can understand. An article from “Entertainment Weekly” discusses her decision:

I started a family and it changed everything for me,” Katherine, who took a three-month leave from “Grey’s” this year to spend more time with her newly-adopted daughter, explained. “It changed my desire to work full-time.”

Something most mothers can understand

Heigl’s desire to spend more time with her new daughter is something that I think all mothers go through.  The new baby arrives home for the first time and you just can’t imagine parting. Even mothers who have strong desires to return to work after having a child, must still have this feeling of wanting to spend every minute with that precious being. Yes, many choose to, and some, have to, return to work.

Although one could argue that Heigl doesn’t need to work because she’s got the fame and she must have the money. Although, I’d say that it was probably a difficult decision to leave behind a role that got her noticed. She won an Emmy for playing Izzy and has garnered several leading roles in films as a result of the show. Leaving this behind right now must have been a difficult decision — even if the outcome is spending more time with her family.

It just goes to show that motherhood changes you. It makes you contemplate every decision. No matter if you decide to stay home or to work, what once seemed important may no longer be as high on the list.

What do you think about her decision to leave the show?

I’ve been seeing a lot of hot parenting topics on the news lately on which I would love to write full blog posts, but life intersects and they don’t get written. Tonight I thought I would highlight some of them here so that I don’t completely miss the boat and can share what I think are some important messages coming from a variety of places.

• Mom Plans Meals For Entire Year — there’s a woman in Texas who has mapped out her family meal schedule for the entire YEAR. She says it saves her time and money. Check out her 2009 meal plan.
• Defining the line of communication between teachers and students. Is it OK for teachers to use social media to connect with students? It’s unrealistic to think that a high school coach won’t send a text message to the baseball team notifying everyone the game has been delayed. Schools across America are dealing with boundary issues for social media. Does a district have to say “no Facebook, no texting, no Twitter following,” with any students. Period. What makes the most sense? Read about teachers texting students here.
• It was nearly impossible to have the TV on without hearing how a trainer was killed by the Killer Whale at SeaWorld. This is a place where families go to learn about and see animals up close. I have to admit that we avoided watching the TV, but I’m not sure that was the right thing to do. Admittedly, it was easier. We plan to go to SeaWorld later this year and I don’t want my son to be afraid the workers (or worse, he or a member of the family) will be hurt or killed. How did you handle the news with your kids?
• A  house with two working parents is a tired house. It’s a house where jugging children’s schedules along with the parents work schedule is exhausting, frustrating and sometimes impossible depending on your job. Morra Aarons Mele writes a great account of how hard this is. She mentions other’s who have written on the topic and how hourly employees are sometimes “one sick child away from being fired.” It’s a tough situation to be in, but one that many parents have to deal with on a daily basis.

Wear Red Day

Today is “National Wear Red Day,” a day inspired by The American Heart Association to bring awareness that the number one killer of women is heart disease. From their Web site:

We’re working hard to change the perception that heart disease is a “man’s disease.” And it’s working! By teaching more and more women how to talk to their doctors about heart disease, we can save thousands of lives every year. Because the good news is that heart disease is often preventable!

And in case anyone still believes that heart disease is only a concern for older women, we encourage you to read the Inspiring Stories we’ve collected. Together, they make the case plain and simple: the time for action is now!”

Why not make a heart healthy meal tonight? Here are some healthy recipes to get you started.

Is Ana Duggar Pregnant Again?

It seems that the Internet is wondering if Anna Duggar is pregnant again. I can’t find any information announcing this news so I guess you’ll have to wait it out for an official announcement. I can say that the elder Duggars (Michelle and Jim Bob) mentioned in their book, “The Duggars: 20 and Counting,” that they abstain from intercourse for a set amount of time after each baby is born. I can’t remember how long, but it’s longer than 6 weeks. I remember thinking that she seems to get pregnant about 9 months after each baby is born. I’m sure you could find this out if you do enough Google searching and look into the birth dates of each child, but you’ll have to do that on your own. So, if Josh and Ana are following a similar path, it would be too early to tell about a second pregnancy for Ana. There, my two cents about the topic it seems everyone is wondering about right now.

Epic Novel a Quick Read

I just finished “Roses,” by Leila Meacham. Long at just over 600 pages, but it’s a quick, delicious read. It’s the first book in a while that I easily found time to read. I didn’t want to go to bed at night (and, you know how tired I am!) and just wanted to keep on reading all the time.

It’s a story about a woman who inherits a cotton plantation in Texas and how this birthright interferes with her life. There’s romance, love, family, tradition and heartache. It’s simply stated and a page turner, telling the tales of multiple generations. Even toward the end, you don’t really know what’s going to happen so you keep turning the page to find out.

Fantasia’s Lesson For Us All

I should do an entire blog post about this next topic, but don’t want to miss the opportunity to say something while it’s hot so I’ll add it here. Fantasia Barrino, the “American Idol” appeared on “Oprah” this week to talk about nearly loosing it all. After struggling her entire life, raising a child on her own and winning the title “American Idol,” her house was in foreclosure.

At one point, she couldn’t even afford to pay for a pizza she had delivered: her debit card was rejected. That’s when she knew she had to do something. She came into money quickly and had (has) a large family to support. Her problem was that she “just wanted to sing.” She let everyone else figure out the rest. She didn’t have a part of her money, of her bookings, her schedule.

Now she does. She’s realized that you have to know what’s coming in and what’s going out. This is a strong message for all women. We need to not let our spouses do all the finances. We must know what’s going on. We must be part of the decisions. It’s a team effort. We all don’t have as much money as Fantasia, so even more reason to know where it’s going.

Fantasia has a new reality show about her family, “Fantasia For Real,” airing on VH1. You can see just through a few clips how disorganized and out of control everything is in her life during the filming. Here’s hoping that she’s learned from this and that we can too.