Smarty Mom: Anjanette Flowers

Smarties, I’m excited to introduce you to celeb expecting Smarty Mom, Anjanette “Angie” Flowers. Angie and her hubby of 2 1/2 years, Jason, are expecting their first child A-N-Y day now and we thought it would be super fun to get a sneak peek into the TV world, News Channel 36 style!

You have a glamorous job, give us the skinny!
My day starts extremely early. I wake up at 1:15 a.m. to get to work around 2:30 a.m. or so. Once I’m there, I read over scripts, surf the internet and wires for any other news stories or water cooler type stories … the kind that get us talking in the newsroom. Then I get ready for the newscasts. We’re on the air from 4:30 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. I come to work looking pretty scary – no make-up and my hair isn’t done either. A lot of people think we have a team of people who style us. Unfortunately, that is so far from the truth. We dress ourselves and do our own hair and make-up.

Once we’re in the newscast, it’s amazing how awake and alive you feel. I guess it’s the adrenaline rush. I have a fun job. Everyday is truly something different. I have a lot of fun with Kellie, Larry and the rest of the crew. I think when you’re on the air live for that long, you have to be able to laugh at yourself. And trust me, I’ve laughed at myself several times.

What brought you to Charlotte and how many years have you been here?
I’d worked in Charlotte before at a different television station. I’m from Anson County. Prior to returning to Charlotte, I was in Miami working at a T.V. station there while my husband who was my boyfriend at the time was living in Charlotte. So, we did the long distance thing for about 3 years or so. Then, we got engaged while I was in Florida, so I knew it was time to get back home. WCNC had a job opening. I applied and the rest as they say is history. My 3 year anniversary at NewsChannel 36 is in April. I started out as weekend anchor and was promoted to morning anchor last year.

College alma mater?
UNC-CH Tarheel born and bred!

As a first-time mom, what was your main source of information during your pregnancy?
Internet (thebump.com; babycenter.com) and friends. Most of our (Jason and I) friends already have kids. So, I consulted them a lot. Then I started coming across some of the books like “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” and “Belly Laughs” by Jenny McCarthy was pretty funny, too.

How did your pregnancy affect your job and what was it like?
So far, it hasn’t really affected my job. I’ve only had to call out a few days. I will say this… it’s hard enough being pregnant and watching your body change so drastically… so being on T.V. everyday… even on those days when you’d much rather stay in bed because you feel you don’t look your best can be a challenge. My hours are another challenge especially towards the end of the pregnancy since it’s gotten harder to sleep and get comfortable at night. The morning crew will tell you I’m always eating. Basically, I can ALWAYS eat! And usually at 2:30am, I’m having leftover dinner not breakfast food. But honestly, that’s sort of the case for most of us on this shift. We eat dinner-type meals when most people are eating a bowl of cereal. And every now and then, I’ll crave cheddar and sour cream chips and one of the guys will be nice enough to go upstairs and get me a bag… except once, they didn’t give me the bag right away. We were still on the air and they actually taped it to the camera… the camera where my teleprompter is so I can’t help but see the bag. Pretty mean I thought, but even I can admit it was a little funny. Also, while I’m not a big coffee drinker, there have been mornings when I was REALLY tired and could’ve used the caffeine boost.

What funny stories do you have about working with Larry Sprinkle (my weather idol!)?
Oh, Larry! Where do I begin? I’ve been on the morning show for more than a year now working with Larry, so as you can imagine, I have a ton of stories. But there’s one in particular that stands out. I think we had just finished talking about e-books and how romance novels are so popular. I believe Larry may have asked if I read romance books. I said something like these days it’s baby books. He said something like well, you had to have the romance to get the baby. I was so caught off guard. I had no words. It wasn’t something I expected to come out of Larry’s mouth… and especially on the air. It was true, but I just didn’t expect it from him. I think that morning, he caught us all off guard… which isn’t particularly out of the ordinary, but none of us were ready for that comment.

What surprised you the most about being pregnant?
No one told me that carpal tunnel syndrome can be part of your pregnancy. I’m dealing with that right now. Ouch! Also, I knew it wouldn’t be easy sleeping and I knew I’d have back problems, but sleeping only every two hours then having to turn over or go potty. Come on! No fair. I thought I was supposed to be getting as much rest and sleep as I can right now.

What is the funniest thing that happened to you while pregnant?
Probably being so absent-minded and forgetful. I heard about pregnancy brain, but wasn’t sure if I believed it… until I started doing things that I had no explanation before… like buying the wrong ice cream flavor (even though I knew I wanted orange sherbert, I picked up lime); driving pass the road I should’ve turned down to get where I was going. Not reading what was in the prompter and just making up things that weren’t there. It’s been crazy. The funniest thing recently happened. It was funny to me, but it actually scared my husband. The garage door to our home was closed, but I left the door to the house open (not just unlocked) because I had been out to the freezer in the garage (I was craving corn dogs – don’t ask)… anyway, turns out I also left the freezer open for a couple of hours. Well, when he got home, he didn’t know what to think. He wasn’t sure if the food monster had come and kidnapped his pregnant wife or what… but nope, turns out, I was sound asleep… in corn dog heaven… with my doggie next to me.

What was your craziest craving?
I don’t think they’ve been too crazy. I don’t put things together that don’t go together. But I’ve craved everything from grape jelly toast to cherry JELL-O to Hawaiian Punch to hot cider. Also, oranges! I would go through like a dozen in a week. Seriously! Ice cream cones from McDonald’s. Oh and Totino’s pizza. Sad but true, I know. Such healthy things right. Okay, maybe my cravings have been a bit on the crazy side.

With baby products changing what seems like every other month, our Smarties always want to be in the know on the hip and latest gadgets. What stroller and carseat did you register for?
I went to the “All About Baby Event” last year and saw a Britax B-Ready Stroller and fell in love with it. Then, I read about the Britax car seats and how safe they’re supposed to be. I was sold! So, then it was a matter of selling my husband on it. Mission accomplished!

What do you think will be the best piece of baby gear that you have?
The crib – for obvious reasons. No, seriously, I’m not sure. At this point, I have no idea.

What piece of advice would you like to receive from seasoned CSP moms (trust me, we all LOVE to share scoop and advice:-)?
In the days before your little one arrived – how did you keep yourself calm and confident that you can handle all that lies ahead?
And I hear of some people who were able to get their babies to sleep a few hours a night just weeks after they were born (or maybe it was a couple of months)… anyway, are they telling the truth?
What’s the secret?

Minivan or SUV?
I’ll be in a car, but I’m more of an SUV kind of girl. In fact, the car seat is so huge in our car that I told my husband we may have to switch. Don’t get me wrong I’ve got nothing against mini-vans. It just so happens I like the letters S, U and V. That’s all. 😉

Best book you’ve read lately?
Since they’ve all honestly been pregnancy books I’m going with “Belly Laughs” by Jenny McCarthy because it was informative and very funny.

Favorite date-night spot?
I’m simple. I like what I like and I don’t usually stray too far away from that. So, probably PF Chang’s, Texas Roadhouse or our living room. And yes, that means sitting on the couch and having dinner in front of the T.V. We’ve had some of the best dinners there.

Best kept secret in Charlotte?
Still looking for it. Besides, if I knew it, I’m not sure I’d want to share. I’d want to keep it my little secret.

I could not live without my…
My cell phone and my husband… in that order. Just kidding. As sad as it is, I am quite lost even if I just misplace my phone, so I think that’s my final answer. And my husband for obvious reasons. Don’t know what I’d do without him. Don’t want to know.

Thanks, Angie, for sharing your Saturday with us! And best of luck to you for a wonderful delivery and can’t wait to circle back around to meet that sweet little bundle of joy!

Photo courtesy: Jennifer Kiser Photography

Got Duck? The Annual Kindermourn Hope Floats Duck Race is TOMORROW! Get your quackers and support our team, in honor of our beloved and dearly missed co-founder, Jennifer Bunich. For more details and to buy ducks, click here. Quack, quack!