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July 30, 2015 - Image 51

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 2015-07-30

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

Left:

Allyson

7-year-old

this

Ochs Primack's

son,

publicity

Below, left: A

Aidan, snapped

shot of his

sample

mom.

page from

her blog, Momontour.com.

fmally feel like I'm doing
something that makes me feel
good inside:'

about you than I think 1 should:'
Despite the personal challeng­

She also got dozens of emails
from parents seeking advice

also

for their child actors, which
prompted her to write and self­

Last year, she learned
that the Arizona legislature

publish her first book, You'll be
Swell: What to Expect When You
Expect Your Child Will Be a Star,

businesses to discriminate based

in 2014.

the

Earlier this year Primack fic­
tionalized much of what was on

ernor's office with almost

way. I

on

Pinterest. Their

eclectic range of
topics so far has

momontour

A fine WordPress.com site

best fall hats, kids'
shoes, college dorm

-

avocado

Once

Upon A Time

Once upon

a

'women were not

legal,

same-sex

people

allowed to vote, racial

couples

were

were

slaves,

prejudlce was

through advertising
on her blog
a

guns coold be put in the hands of anyone who Wl111ted

one

rarity among most

day, things started to change. Things got a little

bloggers.

beHer..

In 1865,

slavery

success

In 1920. women became aliowed to vote,

puts

In 2015

same-sex

cauptes

were

allowed to be

legally

are

stin

waiting for the rest of Ulls story

to be told.

I'm sony mat I can't finish it for you yet. One

day I wiU.

But jf I can't complete it for you, promise

that you will

never

stop trfing to write

a

Love, Momontour

as

Alaska

guests of Princess Cruises,

where she

blogged

about their

amazing;'

she

says. "We were blown away by
the things that we saw. We got

experience nature up close and

personal.

If it isn't

on

your bucket

on

the road with

Sam and the cast of the

son

Family
in
48 cities
performed
they

as

the country.
When the tour ended, readers

The

the

blogs

more

she feels connected

others, sharing

experiences

not

but also

only her

weaving

and observations

they have a blast doing? I
to
get window shop online, learn

and education to fashion and

recipes from my friends, do
and crafts and travel; it feels

like

summer

camp than

job:'

fellow mommy blogger
California started Thel1best.
com, a curated website that high­

'80s, Allyson Ochs Primack

a

on

thoughts

in

topics ranging

from

politics

celebrities.

"People are looking for
mommy bloggers because I think

it makes them feel less

alone;'

she says. "I get emails all the
time from people who say they

read my blog and feel the same
way but are too scared to voice

their

opinion. Or, I get feedback

from those who tell

I said

me

that what

changed them in some

on

the

news.

public outcry,

I also don't know that I

But

didn't;'

Primack says. "If you have a plat­
form and an audience, you can
do great things with if'

In addition to

writing,

Primack dedicates her time to

an

Arizona foundation she started

finish the book while she is in

memory of a theater friend who
died from cancer, was established

as

the

Michigan for part of the summer
daughter, Lauren, 12,
attended Camp Tamarack and
her son, Aidan, 7, went to day

"It's

kids

Primack writes,

more

blog about

viral and the

subject of her
writing. Not surprisingly, this is
the premise of her sequel to Mom
on the Road. Primack hopes to

comfortable

an

because

her

more

ended, blog­
ging about daily life presents its
challenges for Primack, mainly
because her family is not always

parenting

experiences.

many people are lucky enough
to make a living at something

arts

Since the tour

14, is at
York.

to

and life

about

free copy last

a

March.

passionate about:'

now

no

anything thing to do with it.

interested readers

she

tour;'

blog

went

a

downloaded when she offered

lucky.
get spend
my days doing
something that 1
truly love and am

on

attention. She wrote

issue also ended up

where her

across

made it to the gov­

measure

the governor didn't sign the bill.
"I don't know for sure if I had

to

OCHS PRIMACK
As a child who grew up in
Rolling Oaks in the 1970s and

things trending

experiences

her

as a

journal about her

sexual orientation. Somehow

on

many books have sold, more
than 10,000 digital copies were

ater camp in New

ALLYSON

the top 11

started in late 2012

com,

way for her to

approved a bill that would allow

After tremendous

camp. Sam,

list;
Just last month she and a

lights

blog, Momontour.

help implement

change.

Primack doesn't know how

urged her to continue writing.

it should be?'

in

Primack's

on

While she is still "mom

Fishkind says. "How

new

to

Craig,

musical The Addams

days

that

experiences.

"Alaska was

in full

lives in

blog

Mom

social media to

it. The

for her second book,
the Road. Although

am so

"I

happy ending to this story.

to

early

luck, she

content.

me

I

band, Adam, traveled

to

(and nights) both
promoting her site
and generating

married

We

While she

attributes her

was abolished.

now

munity experience except that
experience happens mainly
online, through mommy blogs.

-

one.

Then

Primack, who

and their three children, believes
todays moms get a similar com­

recipes.

full-time income"

not allowed to marry. and

her

in

Farmington Hills subdivision
used to sit together and talk for
hours while the neighborhood
kids played.

Arizona with her husband,

and

Fishkind says
she generates "a

time in America, black

moms

her

included the 11

must haves

remembers how the

that sometimes arise, Primack
recognizes the power of

es

now

interesting

we are

talking

a

in

dealing with our

about themselves

on

she

cyberspace?"
trying to figure it

book, Motherblogger,

she talks about how parents can
share their stories without upset­

ting family members,

as

make local theater

Primack

says she did a few times on her
own blog. Sam unfriended her

This book,

published in Mayas a guide for
Sam (and others starting high

school)

a

who

blog

patient told him, "I know

how to survive the

high-school years.
"I have figured out what my
niche is aside from making
people laugh:' Primack says.
"Through my writing, I am
able to make people, especially
women, know they are not
alone with the challenges that

the

when

on

can come

Facebook and husband, Craig,
physician, asked that she keep

with

struggles

are

turning 40 and

of raising kids

up with the
and social media

growing

a

technology

more

that

IN

Moving on From

the Middle, which actually has
nothing to do with blogging, was

on

him out of her

more acces­

sible to young people regardless
of their financial situations. A

third and most recent book will

says. "I'm still
out"

In this

to

be donated to this foundation.

scenario

how we reach out to other par­
ents, but how-do we coexist [with

kids]

Theatre Foundation, named in

portion of the proceeds of her

the­

social media, and we're talking
about our kids there, too. This is

our

upon returning from her travels
with Sam. The Audrey Johnson

we never

had:' 0

July 30



2015

51

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