Mention the name Judy Blume and a favorite book title and a smile is never far behind. Judy Blume’s books have long been a beloved part of every girls book collection.

Gather your children,  young writers and join me for an evening of Q & A with Judy Blume!

When: Thursday May 3, 7pm EST!

Where: The chat will go live here on this post in the chat box below or in the Random House Read & Play Community!

Judy Blume is one of the country’s most beloved and widely read authors, as well as one of our most vigorous activists against censorship. Her 28 titles include the Fudge books, Forever . . . , and the bestselling novels Summer Sisters, Smart Women, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and Wifey. Together, they have sold more than 80 million copies, in 31 languages, and have inspired countless readers, some of whom have grown up to write their own books.

Have questions for Judy? Leave them below so she can answer them during the live chat. *** Please note this live chat is 7pm EST. See you on Thursday evening! ***

• Follow @judyblume on Twitter
• Read an extended bio at www.randomhouse.com/kids

This is Troy on drums at the Ascona Jazz Festival in Switzerland…

{watch till the end for his solo! I know, shameless wife}

Today is a BIG day in Louisiana,  we are celebrating Louisiana’s Bicentennial and the very first International Jazz Day, not to mention the world famous New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is taking place this week. If you are going to Jazz Fest, Troy will be performing on Thursday and Saturday at the Zatarain’s Jazz Tent.

200 & Never Been Better!

On April 30, 1812, the United States admitted Louisiana as the 18th state into the Union. Louisiana was the first state to have a majority Catholic French- and Spanish-speaking population, reflecting its origins as a colony under France from 1699-1763 and Spain from 1763-1803. Following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Louisiana’s road to statehood was not all smooth. Federal law required citizens of a newly admitted territory to apply to congress for statehood, and the admission of the Orleans Territory as the 18th state followed years of lobbying efforts by prominent citizens—both American and Creole (French-speaking Catholics). Men such as French-born congressman Julien Poydras and American attorney Edward Livingston sought the greater political rights that statehood bestowed and convinced Territorial Governor William C.C. Claiborne that the Orleans Territory qualified for statehood. Finally in 1811, Democratic President James Madison signed the bill allowing the people of Louisiana to form a state constitution. Following the state constitutional convention in New Orleans where 43 American and Creole leaders convened, on April 14, 1812, President Madison signed the bill approving statehood. The bill designated April 30, 1812, as the day of formal admission.

Louisiana’s unique Creole-American society can be traced to these French Catholic Creole roots that eventually blended with the English-American Protestant culture introduced after statehood.

Being married to a French Creole has been interesting to say the least, I have learned so much about the rich creole heritage. We have even traced Troy’s lineage back to Jefferson Davis!

Bicentennial Education Guide & Resources

Live chats are hosted by the Random House Read & Play Community Leaders, Random House  and Blog Frog. Our next live chat will be held tonight with Sesame Workshop and Dr. Rosemarie Truglio!

It’s easy to join the Live Chats

1. Become a community member here and chat from the community or this page here at the bottom of this blog post!

When: Thursday 4/26 7pm EASTERN

Where: Right here, at the bottom of this post!

Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio is the Senior Vice President of Education and Research at Sesame Workshop (formerly Children’s Television Workshop). Dr. Truglio is responsible for the development of the interdisciplinary curriculum on which Sesame Street is based, and oversees all educational research pertaining to the development of Sesame Street content.

Dr. Truglio and her team oversaw the research conducted on the upcoming Elmo’s Big Birthday Bash! – A Step Into Reading App with kids between the ages of 3 and 5 and their parents. Her team was also heavily involved in the design and review process to ensure the app met the Workshop’s educational and literacy standards/pedagogy.

Dr. Truglio also develops and reviews the content across all Sesame Street media platforms and products. Since March 2009, she also oversees the educational content and research for The Electric Company currently on PBS Kids Go!

Before joining Sesame Workshop in 1997, she was an Assistant Professor of Communication and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Through her research, she investigated the effects of television on the cognitive and social development of children and adolescents. She has written numerous articles appearing in child and developmental psychology journals; presented her work at national and international conferences; conducted media literacy workshops, and has appeared on numerous broadcast, cable, and radio network news and talk programs, including “The Today Show”, “Good Morning America”, CNN Headline News’ “Showbiz Tonight”, and NPR’s “Morning Edition”. Dr. Truglio is co-editor of “G is for growing: Thirty years of research on children and Sesame Street” (2001) published by Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.

• Visit SesameWorkshop.org for more information

The only thing they left out was nurse; goodness knows we have all sat up countless nights caring for a sick child and or bandaging up a bazillion boo boos.

If you ask me, a mother’s work is priceless!!

Click on the image to expand view.

Some moms walk 15 miles to reach life-saving vaccines for their children. We’re asking you to spend 15 minutes or less each day during World Immunization Week to help spread the word about the Shot@Life campaign and the importance of global vaccines to give every child a shot at a healthy life. Click here to learn more about how you can help.

Be sure to join us for the Shot@Life Celebrate Childhood Twitter Party!!

On Thursday, April 26, the Shot@Life campaign will be celebrating its national launch at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, GA. Join the party on Twitter from 9am – 12pm ET via #vaccineswork.

Some wonderful Partners and Champions will be hosting each hour:

9-10 am ET: Learn about vaccines with @shotatlife, @unfoundation, & @amillionmoms
10-11 am ET: How do you get involved in Shot@Life? Champion hour hosted by @shotofprev
11-12 pm ET: Stories from the field hosted by @gatesfoundation

Invite your friends! Tweet this!

A Health post I visited in Guatemala where life saving vaccines are given to children.

A new trial has found that pneumococcal vaccine is effective in preventing severe pneumonia, the leading cause of death among children in developing countries. One in five children does not have access to vaccines that prevent deadly diseases, like measles, pneumonia or diarrhea. All of these diseases are easily preventable with immunizations. 2.5 million children, under the age of 5, die every year as the result of infectious diseases. Nintey-nine percent of those children live in developing countries around the world.

As mothers, we all have a common goal. We all want the same things for our children -  we all want to protect and nurture our children. The urgency for vaccine development to prevent the spread of numerous infectious diseases in these developing countries can not be emphasized enough.

These vaccines cost very little and they can give children a shot at a healthier, happier life.