MOMS WHO ROCK

BY carrie wattu

Age: 43

Occupation: mom and news anchor at Fox25 for 11 years

Mom of Two: Isabella (11) and Liam (8)

Married to: Dale Stephanos, political illustrator

Grew Up: Groveland (Maria challenged us to identify where her hometown is located in Massachusetts)

When Fox25 News anchor Maria Stephanos gets off the set, the first thing she does is check her e-mail. Waiting in her inbox is a note from her 72-year-old mother, something along the lines of "You look beautiful in your…"

"She sends them to me every single day," said Maria, "She's my greatest fan."

It is this supportive parenting that helped to build Maria's career: "My parents thought I was unique even if I was like anybody else. I had positive reinforcement my whole life. If I did something wrong, they had no problem telling me that, but they thought I was the most unique person."

Maria embraces this philosophy with her own two children, whom she adores, "They are so special to me. They are who they are. They don't try to be anybody else, they are individuals. They embrace that. I embrace that. Just wrap your arms around it and hold on to that tight."

And there's no letting go. "We are very strict with the children. We teach them to look people in the eye and say 'please and thank you.' I don't let my kids watch TV (the news is horrible!)."

So how does Maria manage her two important jobs? "I get up at 6:45 /7 a.m. with the kids, make breakfast, go over spelling words. We talk about the day, what happened the night before. By 8:30 everyone is on the bus and on their way."

Before taking her 5-mile run, Maria reads all of the newspapers and news online. After a shower, she gets ready for work. "My husband [Dale Stephanos]is a crazy-talented artist. He is just an incredible dad to these kids. He works [from his home office] until I leave for work at 2 or 3 p.m. and then he takes over."

"Would I love being home with the kids relaxing and winding down? Yes. But this is the way it is. And these are the hours," said Maria.

The Stephanos children have grown up with Maria's network, Fox. When Maria talks about the dream of hosting her own cooking show, her children say, "No way! You can't leave Fox!" Still, Maria's daughter will tell her, "I don't want you to go to work."

Maria's response: "I tell her that I don't want to leave her. I love you the most and first, but what I want you to know is that I love my job. What I hate is leaving you, but I love my job."

"It's important for my daughter to understand that you can be a mom and that you can be passionate. It doesn't make me less of a mom or an anchor. You can do both. I tell my daughter this all of the time. "

Bedtime isn't until 1 a.m. after Maria tucks us all in with the 11 o'clock news. Her routine doesn't include caffeine or alcohol, but she does eat chocolate every single day ("Everything in moderation," she says). Maria's "firm" is still fun.

That said, Maria's days off-on Fridays and Saturdays - are not spent complaining that the family is not together enough. "I am not going to go down that road. We have a blast. This morning, I made Greek cookies (they are so time-consuming!). I make sure we cook together [Maria cooks meals such as chicken soup Greek-style and chili all weekend long for the week ahead]. We put the music on. We have classic hits on and I try to make everything a game so that they can learn. They think I am crazy. I feel happy and I want to have fun."

And fun is evident everywhere in the Stephanos household from the children's artwork posted on every free surface of the kitchen to the gumball machine in the bathroom…even bundling up for a wintry slide down their back yard hill (Maria's idea!).

How does she stay so upbeat? "I have knocked on more doors of people who have lost their sons and daughters. I have been witness and have been able to tell people about tragedy for the past 18 years of my life. I can choose to be depressed about it and choose that the world is terrible or I can realize how lucky most of us are. This is not the norm. I choose to be grateful for everything in the world." Maria's delivery is so passionate, so sincere.

While Maria really is as smart, friendly and down-to-earth as she appears on TV, she will not mislead us that her life is as neat, organized and glamorous as it may appear. She confesses that her typical "mom outfit" is whatever she picks up off the floor and that during her first pregnancy, the first time she felt her daughter move, she was actually at a murder scene.

"Tell them!" she pleaded, "I want them to know that I eat dinner at my desk and call my kids on the phone while I am eating. That's my dinner. You think that's glamorous? I go to bed at 1 a.m. and get up. It's not glamorous. I don't have a nanny. I cook. I clean."

But she must have a stylist. "No way! There are no stylists. I blow dry my own hair every single day. I put on my own make-up. And I pick out my own clothes. My boss approves it. I shop at Filene's Basement, the sales rack at Lord & Taylor, and I am a Frugal Fannie's junkie."

While Maria looks sharp reporting the news, and often gets comments about her signature boots, she told us, "I am not just a pair of boots. I do love making the phone calls. I do care about the news. I am working the news. I am making the stories happen."

Maria's conversational reporting style is a result of her direct involvement with stories. "I make sure that I know what I am talking about. I need to get a background on a story. Feel it and know it. That's what makes it so interesting to me."

"I have interviewed presidents, first ladies, but the greatest compliment is always 'You have the greatest children.' You are succeeding at your job." She says it like she means every word, which leads us to Maria's current accolade: A Mom who Rocks.

How does that feel?

"I was honored because I know the paper [baystateparent]. (It's always in the pediatrician's office). I thought, 'Now this is not someone who wants to interview me about my boots or something that doesn't matter. What matters to me most is my kids. I truly was honored.'"

Does she feel comfortable with the title? "I feel like if you are going to pick a title, 'Are you a mom who rocks? Are you a mom who gets by? A mom who likes to sleep in?' I am going to pick 'Mom who Rocks!'"

Take 15 with Maria

1. I am the queen of: spontaneity.

2. Best part of your day: Waking up my kids with a million kisses, cooking them breakfast, grilling them on spelling words. The worst part? Saying goodbye when they head out for the school bus.

3. How do you celebrate your birthday? I eat red velvet cake…the entire thing! My mother has made a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting for my birthday ever since I could eat real food! Thanks Mom.

4. Your kids' birthdays? It's a family tradition - I make red velvet cake for my kids! My daughter loves Pizzeria Regina pizza. It's her favorite place to go for her birthday. My son begs to have Fenway franks at the greatest ball park on the planet.

5. Favorite household chore: Cleaning my bathrooms. Honestly!

6. What you'll never buy again: Diapers... Hooray!!! (except when I'm a Yiayia - A Greek Grandma!)

7. What's the hardest thing about juggling work and family? Making sure that each gets as much of me as possible. The easiest? I love them both.

8. List three words that your kids would use to describe you: OK I asked them and here goes: Queen of all fun people, beautiful big brown eyes and adventurous. I know it's more than three, but that's what they said.

9. Why raising a family in Massachusetts is great: Are you kidding? The ocean, the history, the people, the food, the culture, the landscape, the ocean! The Red Sox, Fenway Park... My list would take up the entire page.

10. My "mom" outfit is: Whatever I pick up off the floor

11. What makes me a better mom: My job. I see and report a lot of horrible things. It just makes me so grateful to have two healthy beautiful children.

12. Famous moms you've met: I've met and interviewed Barbara Bush, Hilary Clinton, Laura Bush, Jane Swift. Honestly, I've been so fortunate to interview a lot of well known people. But the moms who are memorable to me are the ones who aren't as recognizable -- the ones who sit by their child's hospital bed and still manage to take care of the family and get everything else done.

13. I cannot resist: My kids and chocolate

14. Tell us about an inspiring mom who you know: My mom is the most inspiring "mom" I know. She was strict, insisted on manners, wouldn't let us see rated R movies, made us eat liver and loved us with all her heart. I love to sing and I have the WORST voice. I would sing every day, and she never let on how bad I was. All I heard was, "Maria you have the most beautiful voice!" She has always been my greatest cheerleader. I never let a day go by without calling her.

15. March is the worst month! Do you agree? No way! March is full of hope. The snow starts to melt, we are gifted with more and more warm days and summer is right around the corner.