Could you give up your TV (except one hour per day), computer, iPod, video games, bottled water, going out to eat, all shopping for one week? Two families did for the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Yesterday’s episode was an awakening for millions of Americans as we watched these two families struggle with this challenge. One five-year-old was so attached to video games that the mom describes the experiment like watching a heroin addict go through withdrawal.

Each family had its ups and downs during the week, but ended up saying the experiment has changed them for the better.

National turn off TV week begins April 21. Can you try giving up just the TV for one week? Visit the Unplug Yor Kids blog to take the no TV challenge.

I’m taking a Master’s class about Executive Leadership and my assignment last week was to put together a presentation about an executive leader in the entertainment business. Lots of names came to mind, but I chose Paula Deen because she represents what I call an “overnight entrepreneur.” And, she’s a mom.

Paula Deen is an original mompreneuer. She’s enjoying success today because of a lot of hard work in order to take care of her sons. Here’s why Paula is an inspiration to women and moms.

• Devastation Leads to Action
  After 20 years of marriage, Paula Deen was faced with a devastating divorce, and the need to find a way to make a living to support her two young sons and teenage brother. All she’d know to this point in her life is how to cook and care for people, but she needed skills — and fast. Money was tight; she only had $200 and no business skills. This didn’t stop Paula from digging down deep to survive with the only thing she knew; cooking. (source: Paula’s Story.)
• Overcoming Obstacles
  She had no money, no formal education, and a disease that kept her indoors. (source: Paula’s Story.) A New York Times article quotes Paula on her agoraphobia:

  Some days I could get to the supermarket, but I could never go too far inside,” Ms. Deen said. “I learned to cook with the ingredients they kept close to the door.”

• Believing In Herself
  Paula believed in herself and self-published her first cookbook. Since that time she has had multiple cookbooks published along with a new memoir and is the Editor-in-Chief of a magazine.
• Taking the Good With the Bad
• Take Control of Your Life
• Do What You Love

Paula sums it up great on her Web site:

But, you know what, none of this would have happened if I hadn’t of taken the good with the bad, embraced both the heartache and joy, and taken control of my life when I thought it could not have gotten worse.”

Related:

• PaulaDeen.com
• NY Times article about Deen.
• Cooking With Paula Deen magazine.
• Top 5 recipes from Paula’s magazine.
• Paula’s The Lady and Son’s restaurant.
• Paula on Food Network.

So says, Kate of “Jon and Kate Plus 8.” Last night I was watching an episode of this true and funny family that has one set of twins and one set of sextuplets (hence the 8 reference in the show title) when Kate is obviously ticked that the children were eating gum at their Aunt’s house. It’s something we can all relate to.

Kate is a Mom that we can learn from. When you watch the show you see so many techniques and Mom-isms:

• She’s organized: She has to be.
• She only makes one thing for dinner and can’t cater to the eating whims of toddlers. If they don’t like it they don’t eat.
• She’s just trying to be the best Mom she can be.
• She wants the best for her kids.
• She tells it like it is.
• She’s created “special days” for each of her eight children so they can have private Mommy and Daddy time. How hard is that when you have 8 special days and have to get a babysitter for 7 kids every time you have a special day with one of the kids? If she can do that, the rest of us can be sure to spend some special time with our children.

When I am able to catch an episode of Jon & Kate, I realize that for every day I struggle to do it all, I look at the Gosselins and remember and see that they manage to feed, clothe and entertain 8 kids every day. I can manage one right now.

Related: 

• The family’s Web site.
• Kate’s tips for a smooth household.
• Find showtimes.

While taking photography in college I dreaded one assignment in particular; photograph the sunrise. It’s hard enough to make an 8:00 a.m. class, let alone be out of bed before dawn trying to get the perfect shot — hoping to not screw it up and have to repeat it the next morning. It was the assignment that everyone in the communications department knew about and dreaded. But, it turned out to be the one assignment that I loved most.

Nowadays I’m up by sunrise (like most Moms), but am busy getting ready for the day that I miss the beauty of the actual sun rising. Miss it no more: Discovery Channel has developed a series called “Sunrise Earth.”

Shot in HD, each episode highlights sunrises from around the globe. We’ve watched a few of these shows as a family during our quiet time before bed. My favorite so far is one done in China: We watched the peaceful nature of Chinese fisherman using birds to catch fish. Read the description from the Discovery Channel Web site:

Sunrise Earth International
Li River Cormorants
TV-G, CC

In the last hour of darkness, witness a 2,000 year old working partnership between fishermen and their fish-catching birds, the great cormorants. Dots of light bob at the end of slender bamboo rafts, attracting fish for the trained diving birds to capture … “

These episodes are peaceful, quiet and beautiful. Give one a try one day soon.

I’ll leave you with a sunset for the day:

Photo courtesy stock.xchng

Related:

• View user submissions of sunrises at Discovery.com.
• Find when you can watch “Sunrise Earth.”

Mr. Rogers is one of my all time favorite TV personalities so it is fitting that I honor him on my blog today, the “Won’t You Wear a Sweater? Day.”

Rollins College is honoring Fred Rogers (aka Mr. Rogers) with a celebration of his life, on what would have been his 80th birthday. Mr. Rogers went to college at Rollins in the ’50s.

I remember watching Mr. Rogers when I was a kid. Loving the land of make believe. His gentle nature and soothing voice always captivated me. When my family made a big move, from Canada to Florida, the one constant was that Mr. Rogers was on TV in Florida too!

I’m sure my son would love Mr. Rogers — especially the train. I think I’ll honor Mr. Rogers with a tribute video tonight with the family.

Related:

• “Rollins College Celebrates Life of Fred Rogers” at Rollins.com.
• Orlando Sentinel’s “Rollins strives to preserve neighborly spirit of Mr. Rogers.”
• Mr. Roger’s company, Family Communications.