Life as a Mommy book News Release

                                                       Stonegate PTO
          and author, Cathy Spigarelli, a Zionsville mother of three
                                           PRESENT

                                                    Life as a Mommy:
                         Insight, Advice, and Ponderings of a Typical Mom

                             (ISBN # 1-59858-124-4, Softcover, $15.95)

In the book, Life as a Mommy, author Cathy Spigarelli explores the daily life of a typical mom. Each
day for an entire year, the author wrote about life with her three, young children, then ages 2, 4, and
6. The book is comprised of 365 compact entries, each with a girlfriend-to-girlfriend, conversational
tone and can be read in minutes without guilt. Ms. Spigarelli does not claim to be a parenting
“expert”...just a mom with the believe that “moms need the support of their fellow moms.”

                                                 Life as a Mommy:
* encourages fellow moms, offers mom-to-mom advice, suggests ways that moms can help one
another, provides parenting insight, ponders life as a mom, and celebrates the motherhood journey.
* provides a window into the daily life of a mom, revealing her triumphs and struggles, her joy and
laughter, and her dilemmas and concerns.
* was written to fill the void in support facing so many moms today.
* gently advises, offers insight, and gives reassurance to fellow moms.
* readers will be uplifted, encouraged, and feel as though they are a part of the author’s playgroup.
* readers will see themselves in this book.

                                     We journey through motherhood together.
                                                      Won’t you join me?

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Please enclose check or money order and this form. Mail to:

Life as a Mommy                                                  __ No. of books x $15.95         = $________
4443 Oak Ridge Court
De Pere, WI 54115                                              __ No. of books x $0.96 (tax) = $ _______

Phone: 920-632-4931                                          __ No. of books x $1.00 (ship) = $ _______
Email: cathy@cathyspig.com
www.cathyspig.com                                              TOTAL       = $ _______

Love Your Child Like There is No Tomorrow

For a mom, there is no greater fear than the loss of a child. As we raise our children, the
most significant role we play is that of protector. From birth on, we teach our kids how to be
safe: “The stove is hot. Don’t touch it.” “Don’t play in the street. A car could hit you.” “Wear a
helmet when you ride your bike.” “Don’t do drugs. Don’t drive drunk or ride with a drunk
friend.” The list is long, and protecting a child is an arduous task.

So, on the day your child makes it to his 18th birthday, a mom says to herself, “I did it! I got
him safely into adulthood.” And you breathe a sigh of relief. Not only do you celebrate his
becoming a man, but silently you celebrate your success as a mother, too. What a great
accomplishment!

But then one summer day, the unthinkable happens; your 18-year-old son is senselessly
murdered. There was no way to protect him from this random act – he was innocently
swimming in the river with friends, packing in as much fun as possible before the work of
college begins. His life was cut short when a gunman jumped out the woods near the river
and began shooting. This unforgivable act was unprovoked, nonsensical, and random.

As a mom, a worst fear has now become a reality. All the years of successfully protecting
your child from harm now feel like failure. How does a mother protect her son from random
acts of violence, such as the shooter in the Niagara, Wisconsin woods? The truth is, she
cannot.

The feeling of despair is enormous. Pure potential is lost. Hopes and dreams have abruptly
come to a close. Energy, time, and love invested in your child turn fruitless.
This is what it feels like, but I believe that this is not the truth.

Yes, hopes and dreams have ended, but the energy, time, and love given to raising your
child were not for nothing. No matter the amount of time a child spends on this earth, each
day, they affect our lives and the lives of those around them. A two-year-old’s innocent smile
towards an old man in the grocery store brightens his day. The determination of a four-year-
old struggling to learn how to ride a two-wheeled bike reminds us what a admirable quality
determination is – we vow to practice more of this in our lives. The enthusiasm and energy
shown by a middle-schooler on the soccer field inspires all middle-age parents, longing for
the energy of youth. A teenager’s pleasant demeanor and polite manners towards a retired
grandmother working at McDonald’s gives her hope for the youth of today. The courage
shown by a teenager who does not buckle under peer pressure, reminds us all to march to
the beat of our own drum and not to apologize or feel guilty about it. These are the things my
nephew, Tony Spigarelli, left behind.

Hundreds of people attended Tony’s funeral, and most had stories of the positive force that
Tony was in their lives. He mattered each and every day that added up to the 18 years of his
life, and he used those days to change the lives of those around him.

So you see, every bit of love and care invested in Tony was not fruitless, at all. Yes, it was a
lifespan short of expectations, but yet a joyous gift for the 6,874 days we were graced by his
presence.

What are we, as mothers, to take from this awful, awful tragedy? Our job as a mom is to
protect our children, but we need to understand that we cannot protect them from
everything. We do not control the universe. Where does this leave us? With this truth:
treasure each and every day we have with our children – laugh with them, learn from them,
and share love like there is no tomorrow.

By Cathy Spigarelli
Tony Spigarelli’s aunt and author of Life as a Mommy: Insights, Advice, and Ponderings of a
Typical Mom

Proceeds from the sale of Life as a Mommy: Insights, Advice, and Ponderings of a Typical
Mom by Cathy Spigarelli will be used to finance counseling for the victims and survivors (and
their families) of the July 31, 2008 shootings in Niagara, Wisconsin. To learn more about the
book, please visit www.cathyspig.com. To purchase the book, please send check or money
order to: Life as a Mommy/Counseling Fund c/o Cathy Spigarelli, 4443 Oak Ridge Court, De
Pere, WI 54115 or visit Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com to buy the book online or visit
The Reader’s Loft and Butterfly books in De Pere, WI.

To read about the Niagara shootings, please follow this link:
http://www.ironmountaindailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/502436.html?
startIndex=26#membercmts502436