no audition video..

that's right, people. I didn't finish my video. I spent all day Wednesday and Thursday filming... when I sat down to edit it Thursday night at 11 pm, I knew that no matter how hard I tried, it wasn't going to be what I wanted it to be. We filmed at several field trip locations, but the main highlight was our excursion to the mortuary. It was awesome and we learned a lot... but after watching our footage several times, I realized that in order for it to be effective, everyone needed mics. I wasn't going to spend my time editing clips that were hard to hear. The shots of me explaining my idea for a show were funny-- but only funny if you knew me. After all that work, I threw in the towel because I thought it would hurt my chances of getting chosen, not help them. What I filmed was sad. I mean, it's great home video footage, but it's not worthy of pitching a show.. It makes my idea look amateur, and I know with the right equipment (ei. a television crew) the show could be awesome.

So here's my idea in a nutshell. I auditioned for an educational reality show. This is what I pitched to the producers last weekend:

Like everyone auditioning for this contest, I've always known I was going to change the world. As a little girl, I honestly thought I was going to be the first female President of the United States. When I got married and had children, I realized that the greatest contribution I could make to society, the best way I could literally change the world, was by raising responsible, educated, caring children.

I have spent the last 5+ years homeschooling my kids. I am NOT auditioning for a homeschooling show-- I know it's not for everybody. Homeschoolers are crazy (they either start out that way, or they quickly become so.) But I do believe I can inspire parents to become more involved in their children's education. We need to take responsibility for what our children learn, we can't blame the school system or government.

Education is a very controversial subject in this country right now. Class sizes are getting bigger, summer is getting shorter. Kids are sitting in their desks for longer periods of time, and many electives are being eliminated. Because of the No Child Left Behind Act, Nevada schools only have ONE 15-minute recess for elementary school aged kids. I believe education is moving in the wrong direction. Kids need to get their hands dirty. They need to spend most of their time playing, not sitting. Education needs to be fun, exciting and experimental. Schools aren't going to be able to offer this to our kids, so as parents, we must step in and supplement and give them some hands-on learning.

What is tragic about our educational system, is not necessarily the amount of time we sit in desks, but how unprepared we are for the real world when we get out. We spend 12-16 years of our life in school and when we graduate, only a small minority of students actually know what they want to be when they grow up. And even if the do know what they want to be, they don't have experience in that career whatsoever. School isn't preparing us for the rest of our lives.. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans spend their entire adult-life stuck in a career they don't enjoy. I want my kids to be passionate about what they do! I don't care if they spend their lives as a garbage man or a door-to-door salesman... as long as they are happy about it.

What I want for my family (and I believe this is something we can do whether or not a television crew is following us) is to spend a year living in an RV traveling the country. I want to leave everything behind--- our house, tv, video games, furniture, etc. and hit the road. There is so much to do and so much to see and our kids are going to be grown before we know it. The main idea of the television show would be to inspire parents to get out and do more. We would NOT be going to the big tourist spots of the nation... Disneyworld wouldn't be on our radar. Instead, we would explore everyday kind of field trips, things that are in every city, and places that don't cost a lot of money. I would want to spend a day with a shrimp boat captain and a lighthouse operator. What do they do everyday? How did they become what they are? Do they enjoy it? What do they get paid? etc, etc. Doesn't it sound fascinating? I think so. These would be the kind of field trips that every classroom should take... but can't because of time, space, resources, money. And yes, it would be a show for kids, but I hope it would inspire parents to talk more with their kids about everyday kind of things. A field trip to the post office or grocery store should be exciting. The world is our classroom and learning can happen outside the school walls.

I believe I am the perfect kind of host for a show like this because I am learning right along with my kids. I received a college degree, but I don't think I necessarily got an education. Unlike thousands of others who are trying out for their own talk shows, I am not interested in a big salary. I don't want a makeup artist and I don't care to be famous. I am already living my dream job. I get to teach, inspire and be with my children everyday.

And that was my pitch. I think it's something different and exciting. I think I have the personality to make it fun. I know my husband and kids would be entertaining to watch. One of the casting directors hinted that they were looking for a show for inside the studio. If that's the case, I said we could always bring the field trips to us... but it's not the same kind of feel. It's a total shot in the dark, but it was a lot of fun to go for it. I don't regret making the trip down to L.A. to audition. It meant so much to have my family with me.. it was just one of our many field trips-- I kept telling my kids, "If you ever want to try out for a tv show, this is what you have to do." and they were a big part of my audition (meaning, I know I got called back to the studio for a second interview because my family was there and I was living what I was preaching.) It was awesome because so many people wanted to meet my husband and take pictures with the kids. It was such a fun, crazy weekend! (and having Cindy there was an added bonus! She didn't know what she was signing up for this summer by coming to live with us!)

Anyway, that's the audition explanation. This may or may not be "in the stars" for me and my family. If I don't hear anything back from the Oprah audition, I may just contact TLC or another station... Obviously, we can travel whether or not we have cameras on us, but it would be radical to have someone else pay for it.. and we might as well take America along for the ride, dontcha think?