Mamazina Blog

High School Musical 2

Marta Calero

 

He disfrutado de la maternidad inmensamente. Soy una  mamá de

 

dos niños adorables, una niña de cinco años y un niño de tres. Junto

 

Con el profundo amor, que lleñò mi vida con la maternidad, llegó

 

también el abandono hacia mi misma. Físicamente, mentalmente y

 

emocionalmente. ! ¡Yo me olvidé de mi marido tambien! Siempre he

 

sido muy optimista, de algún modo u otro, esperaba ver la luz; y aun

 

en las peores situaciones, supe agradecer los buenos momentos y

 

valorar en su medida: mis bendiciones.¡Feliz, porque mi familia y yo,

 

tenìamos salud, la protección de un techo sobre nuestra cabezas y

 

alimentos en la mesa! Para mi, eso era suficiente

 

Algo sucedió dentro de mi, en estos últimos dos años, quizás hayan

 

sido mis cambios hormonales, que me arrastraban hacia una nueva

 

etapa de mi vida, con cambios fisicos y emocionales. Problemas

 

matrimoniales, financieros, me hicieron preguntarme, qué puedo

 

hacer, para proveerle todo a mis niños?

Yo siempre pensé que mi vida sería extraordinaria. De alguna

 

manera yo sentía que había pagado mis derechos con tristezas

 

después de perder a mi mamá, mi padre y mi madrina antes de la

 

edad de veintiuno. Soñé ...ser una cantante exitosa, escribir

 

canciones que inspirarían a otras personas y levantarían su espíritu,

 

 

ayudar otros en sus momentos amargos a no perder la fé ni rendir 

 

sus fuerzas.Pensé, que sería capaz de sostener financieramente a

 

mi familia, en Cuba, Miami y ahora en NYC. Quizá mis metas eran

 

desproporcionadas, pero hubo un tiempo en mi vida, que esos

 

sueños parecieron tener razón para existir y pude casi acariciarlos

 

con mis manos. Un día, me miré en el espejo y no reconocí quién yo

 

había llegado a ser. ¿Soy una gran mamá, yo pensé,-cómo puedo

 

sentirme tan triste y decepcionada conmigo  misma, si he sido

 

bendecida con dos niños tan bellos, Y he podido disfrutar cada

 

momento de mí vida con ellos?

Estaba triste y no podía sacudirme esa tristeza, sabia que había

 

atravesado muchos obstáculos durante los ultimos tres años, que

 

eran razón suficiente para sentirme triste. La persona optimista que

 

habita en mí, no podía permitir ni aceptar que me sintiera tan

 

desilusionada. ¡Había golpeado el fondo! Necesitaba un cambio pero

 

no sabía cómo lograrlo. Para cuidar de mí, mi ser, mi cuerpo y mente.

 

Yo me preguntaría cada mañana". ¿Cómo puedo recrear mi vida?

Escribí en mi agenda todo lo que debía hacer, forjé un plan, pero no

 

lo llevaría hasta el final. Entonces, un día que estuve en la casa de

 

mi sobrina, ví la película- High School Musical 2. Me encantó,

 

absolutamente la adoré y disfruté tanto  como mi sobrina de siete

 

años de edad. Volví a casa y me di cuenta de que  tenia esta película

 

en mi gabinete, en las siguientes cinco semanas, probablemente ví

 

la pelicula  cuatro veces. Mi cuñada me hizo una copia de las

 

canciones me encantó la mayor parte y he disfrutado escuchando la

 

música con mis niños prácticamente cada día. ¡Saltar en mi cama,

 

cantando con nuestro “micrófono de princesa”.

¿Por qué me gustó la película tanto? Me remontó atrás en el tiempo

 

a cuando tuve dieciocho años. Cuánto adoré cantar y bailar y cómo

 

me cuidaba! Me llevó atrás a un lugar donde todo fue posible, a mis

 

primeros triunfos, mi primer amorsito- a las primeras mariposas en el

 

estomago. Sentía esos sentimientos tan intensamente. Pensé, cuán

 

afortunado y maravilloso haber tenido la oportunidad de bailar y

 

cantar con un ramo de amigos. Hacer lo que usted adora es un

 

regalo. Eso es lo que aspiro.

Para ser honesta, con tanto que ha sucedido yo no tengo la energía

 

para mí pero ahora sé que si cuido de mi misma, seré una mejor

 

mamá  y el modelo a imitar para mis niños, una mejor mujer, amiga

 

y ser humano.

Sé, que no tengo ya dieciocho y he vivido la realidades de la vida.

 

Pero me pregunto, ¿ Por qué no? ¿Cómo puedo crear  alegría y

 

amor en el corazón para mi  misma ? ¿Cómo puedo creer otra vez,

 

cuando la oscuridad ha entrado en mi vida? Yo todavía no sé cómo

 

recuperarme, pero he comenzado ya, con pequeños pasos.

EL primer paso- Me he registrado para una clase de baile de hip hop

 

y jazz, una vez a la semana, para mover el cuerpo que se siente

 

tenso. Comenzaré con esto y les mantendré al tanto en mi

 

transformación a vivir mi vida con alegría, fe y esperanza. Con me

 

renacimiento!

 

 

WHAT WE'RE THANKFUL FOR

What are you thankful for today? (It's a prompt if you want it to be.)

This year, I polled everyone at MaMaZina about what they were thankful for on Thanksgiving. I knew I would get a mish-mosh, a treasure of diverse responses. Things our staff jotted down and sent to me in a hurry, and things they thought about as they went to bed at night. 

If you read our magazine and blog, you know that our families, children, and motherhood are significant in our subject matter. Motherhood is literary because it runs on love, similar to our writing endeavors. Of course we, every one of us, are thankful every day for our fam’s. They put up with us when we, staring at our computer screens with puzzled looks, or typing away speedily on our keyboards, yell “One more minute!!!”

To say that we are grateful for them, well, it needs no saying. What does need saying are the other things that may get lost, or never be said if you end that pleasant but brief conversation with someone when you are really about to get to now them. That point in a dialogue when someone is about to reveal something that you were meant to hear, that tidbit of information that will stick with you for reasons you can't explain, that hook in someone's true-life story. I believe that the best material and most substance is in what’s not obviously stated, so I asked what everyone is thankful for in addition to their families. 

Here is what I got...

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I'm thankful for central heating on chilly days. For neighbors who clip swags of rosemary from the bush in my yard and return the favor with caramel popcorn for my kids. For underpaid, over-worked, yet still-smiling inner city public school teachers. I'm thankful for public transportation and clean city-funded playgrounds. For curly-haired children who screech on the curvy slide. I'm thankful for locally-owned movie theaters with vintage organs played by elderly gentlemen before the show starts. For small, stinky, independent booksellers. For jittery shots of coffee and hot pots of soup.  I'm thankful for small, chubby grabs, for slender 6-year-old fingers, and for warm caresses from larger hands after the alarm rings each morning. For the gentle embrace of the universe each time I fall and its nudge in the right direction each time I ask for grace.

Robin Dutton-Cookston 

Senior Editor and Columnist, MaMaZina (Formerly Mom Writer's Literary Magazine) 

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I'm thankful for Star Trek which will be quite obvious after my blog post.

I'm thankful for my quirky creative girls who are always a changing cast of characters from one day to the next. You'd never know their mother was a writer. ; )

Veronica Hosking

Poetry Editor, MaMaZina

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In our family we have a "Gratitude Tree," which is today just a brown paper

cut out of a tree on a bulletin board. Back in 2003 when I started this, it

was an actual (faux) potted tree on which we hung leaves. On the leaves we

(or I, before my kids could read or write) wrote what we are grateful for. I

have all of our original leaves on the bulletin-board tree now, as well as

many from friends who have stopped in (I keep leaves and markers and

pushpins handy). It is interesting to see how the leaves have changed

throughout the years, but some things stay the same. We have multiples of

"home," "family," "friends," "God," "food" and "love." I am always thankful

for my job, too, and so many other wonderful blessings in my life.

My mother passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at this time last year and

one thing I learned from her which manifested itself through that experience

is that you can still find plenty to be grateful for, even in times of great

sorrow or adversity.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Caroline B. Poser, Author

Columnist, MaMaZina

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I'm thankful for the amazing women I've met through the blogging community! And chocolate.

Mary McCarthy (@marymac)

blog: Pajamas and Coffee 

Natural Mama Editor, MaMaZina

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As some of you may already know, this year has been especially rough for us 

(me and my family) because we lost Rudy's mother in August and in early 

November we found out that my dad has prostate cancer. In keeping with what 

Caroline just said in her email...it is important in times of struggle to 

find things to be thankful for. I am thankful for modern medicine which 

allowed us to spend 10 days in the ICU with my mother-in-law, saying proper 

Goodbyes and preparing ourselves for her inevitable death from an 

incurable, degenerative disease...I am also thankful for modern medicine 

which is currently indicating that with hormone therapy and radiation 

therapy, my wonderful, active, 74-year-old dad will most likely be able to 

rid his body of this cancer and remain with us for several more years.

Lucie Bouchard Antoniazzi

Columnist, MaMaZina

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1. Nobody loves me like my mom does. This love which springs straight from her soul is the nearest I will ever get to perfection until I die. Last week one of my brothers was visiting my parents when I arrived. After my mom’s greeting to me he remarked, “Gee, I never get that response.” No. No one does. Just me. And I love it.

2. For an instant each Sunday morning, a friend who sings in the church choir grabs my attention with a smile that bull’s eyes straight through to my flak-jacketed heart. And I smile back wholeheartedly.

3. In today’s e-mail from a friend – her last sentence, and I quote, “Hang in there with your family of men – that is why you are crazy, you know.” It is true. Undeniably true. Five men versus one me has affected me in more ways than I’ll ever fully understand. However, lately, one son in particular, can zero in on my mood, and give me exactly what I need. We are on the same wavelength. And if only for snippets, every so often, I crave that momentary soul mate.

4. And then there are my friends who never let me down. The constants to whom I may complain or brag, laugh or scream. It doesn’t matter. Like God, they love me—warts and all.

Maureen Locher

Copyeditor, MaMaZina

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I am thankful God loves me.

In 2000 I went into renal failure after being diagnosed with Lupus.

Nine girlfriends and family members underwent testing to see if they might be a match for a much needed kidney transplant.

The closest match came from my oldest girlfriend, Pam. We met in church when we were 12 years old.

We were Girl Scouts together, sang in the choir together and belonged to the church youth group together.

Now we're bonded in even deeper ways than words can say.

November 30th marks nine years with Pam's kidney in my side.

I am thankful for many things, and have been blessed with much, but more than anything else, I wake up everyday and feel genuine gratitude for the fact that God is all around and blesses us with miracles great and small.

Joy Rose

Co-Founder and Publisher, MaMaZina

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I'm THANKFUL for my healthy children. I count my blessings everyday. I'm also THANKFUL for 

my business partner Joy Rose and my entire team at MaMaZina Magazine!  MOMS ROCK!

Paula Schmitt

Co-Founder and Director, Mamazina

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Right now I am looking around my house at all of of our Hanukkah decorations that are up. First night of Hanukkah this year is December 11 and we celebrate the holiday for eight nights. And while that seems like a lot of nights to see everyone, once you begin to begin to fill in the dates on the calendar, it's almost impossible to fit it all in. To have so many wonderful friends that we want to spend this holiday season with, for that I am grateful.

Happy Holidays to everyone.

Kathy Schlaeger

Reviews Editor, MaMaZina

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When it comes to being thankful, I of course hit the big ones.  My health, my kids, my husband, his job, my job, my home, my family.

I would be crazy not to recognize all of these great things in my life.

But as much as life as big and grandiose, it's also small and everyday.  And when it comes to being thankful, I'd like to take time to recognize a few of the tiny things that have made me exclaim "thank Goodness!" over the past few days.

- My son's birthday presents came on time.  Thank you, mail serivce.

- We barely made our connecting flight in Atlanta.  Thank you, universal delays.

- My sore throat was not strep.  Thank you, non-strep bacteria.

- My baby slept in the other day and I drank a cup of coffee while it was still warm.  Thank you, cozy warm blankets.

And the list goes on... anti-wrinkle anti-blemish cream, 24-hour commercial free cartoons, free shipping, the good parking spot at the grocery store, cashing in a free coffee coupon on a day when fate knew I needed the large.  I don't want to forget the little things that make me smile, because we need those little smiles every day of the year.

Karrie McAllister

Webmaster and Columnist, MaMaZina

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I couldn't think of 1 thing that meant so much to me besides my family and I was unhappy with the challenges that I have had throughout the passed 3 years. Then on Sunday I went to the Sacred Center Church, in NYC. It's a place that I have wanted to go for years. Between having my children back to back and challenges alone the way I forgot about me. A big part of me was always reflected through my inner spirit.

Being in tuned with myself and my higher power had always kept me grounded.  I feel so thankful this Thanksgiving for going to Sacred Center- It's the beginning of me re-connecting with my spirit and soul. There was 2 beautiful passages that I heard on Sunday; I AM, it was a breathtaking meditation with an amazing choir singing I AM glorious and the other passage was," Where is the road that I have lost to lead me back."

Before going to Sacred Center I felt I was missing something, that I had lost a part of me.  I realized that it's all inside of me-I just stopped tuning in to my inner guidance. I am so thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to all,

Marta

Marta Calero

Hispanic Writer/Editor, MaMaZina

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Me, hmmmmmm. I am thankful for the things throughout each day that make my heart stop, beat faster, or steadily. I am thankful for my stocked pantry, the way my favorite pillow knows how to curl just right under my head, volunteer lavender plants and my year-round, fragrant basil and lemon verbena. I am thankful for the last (two) minute tenacity of Philip Rivers, my worn-in, comfie brown boots and the night sky. I am thankful for my community, the crowds that show up to cheer on their kids, and I wish this for every child in the world. I am thankful for my team. I’d be lost without them.

Samantha Gianulis

Editor-in-Chief, MaMaZina

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

Thanksgiving is for me

Easter has its chocolate
Brought by the Easter Bunny,
Summer holidays have their BBQ's
And the weather's always sunny.

Christmas keeps us hopping
With the lights and gifts and tree,
But for all the year's holidays,
Thanksgiving is for me.

The entire day is based around
A table full of food.
The turkey roasting in the morning
Puts us all in a spirited mood.

Parades and pies and pumpkins,
And football on TV,
I've got dibs on that there turkey leg
Because Thanksgiving is for me.

We gather with our family,
WIth our neighbors and our friends.
We eat until we're overstuffed...
And then we eat again.

We laze around and all play games
And the dishes we let be,
Because today's about togetherness
And Thanksgiving is for me.

There's no fancy decorations,
No special clothes or flowered hats,
There's no exchange of anything
Except saturated fats.

Instead we get together
And celebrate with company
The great food and love that we all share.
Thanksgiving is for me.

So keep your Labor and Memorial Days,
Your St. Patrick's and Valentines, too.
I'll be on the couch with leftovers,
And I'll save a spot for you.

Because just as the Pilgrims and Indians
Shared with all their hearts,
I give you the peace of Thanksgiving...
Before the rush of Christmas starts.

-Karrie McAllister

When Mommies Make Mistakes

"Things could be worse.  Suppose your errors were counted and published every day, like those of a baseball player."  ~Author Unknown

I thought I was having a really great Mommy weekend.  I managed to spend individual one-on-one time with each of my children.  My 3-year-old and I planted some bulbs.  I took my 8- and 10-year olds on separate library trips. I played a full-court, no-foul, no-boundaries, no-time-outs, one-on-one basketball game with my twelve-year-old and let her beat me 22-0.  We all went out to Friendly’s for dinner and ice cream.

Sunday night I took my two older girls out to buy Thanksgiving outfits.  We aren’t big clothes hogs in this house, but for special holidays I like to make sure everyone has something beautiful to wear.  They each picked out something gorgeous and I was trying on a flattering red blouse with scarf.

 “Maybe I’ll wear this to my son’s Thanksgiving play,” I thought to myself, “When is that again?  Friday?  Wait, we have off this Friday, which means..it..must..have..been..this..past..Friday…OMG…OMG…OMG…”

I got home and ran to my son before my daughters could open their big mouths.  He was playing Battleship with my husband.  “Did you already have your Thanksgiving play?” I burst out.  “Yeah,” he said, nonchalantly.  The look of horror on my face told all to my husband.  I ran upstairs to have a good cry.

I pride myself on keeping our complicated schedules in order.  I have my little book in my pocketbook, which gets written on a large dry erase calendar in the laundry room.  Around that are corkboards where the important flyers hang.  But something went wrong with my system in this one particular case, and I was never going get back the chance to attend my son’s Thanksgiving play.

I emailed an apology to the teacher, asking if she knew of any parents who had videotaped the play.  She wrote me back a nice note saying not to beat myself up over it and gave me a name.  I emailed the person, who sent me a nice picture and promised to copy the video for me.  So I will eventually get the chance to sit and watch the play with my son.  In the meantime, I will be taking him out for lots and lots of ice cream.

I woke up still feeling bad, and was glad to find this quote by Henry David Thoreau : “One cannot too soon forget his errors and misdemeanors; for to dwell upon them is to add to the offense.”

I also liked Sophia Loren’s “Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.”   And how about F. Wikzek’s “If you don't make mistakes, you're not working on hard enough problems.  And that's a big mistake.” 

I was thinking that I couldn’t go on writing this blog when I couldn’t do something really basic like attend a school play.  Then I read Niels Bohr’s quote, “An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field.” 

And finally, from Alexander Pope, in Swift, Miscellanies, “A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying... that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.”

We are responsible for so much as mothers, and when we mess up the best thing to do is say “I’m sorry”, take a look at our priority list, and move forward.

Elizabeth Kathryn Gerold-Miller
The Divine Gift of Motherhood
http:/elizabeth-kathryn-gerold-miller.blogspot.com/

Long Island Motherhood Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/x-15548-Long-Island-Motherhood-Examiner

23 Activities...

So I am sitting at my computer this week, minding my own business, cup of coffee in hand, looking ever so smart and businessey (yes I know that's not a word) in my black horned rimmed glasses.  I am working hard. "Pop" out of nowhere comes this email article.

23 activities that burn 100 calories...

I pick up my laptop to look under it for a hidden camera, how dare I get this email sent direct to me. How do "they" know that I have been sitting on my butt for weeks. Whose last ditch effort to get me up and "burning calories"? And then I look at the title again. "23 Activities". Seriously 23, not 25 or 20, but 23, what an odd number. Couldn't they make up another two so it sounded better? So I start to read these <em>suggested activities </em> thinking what a huge waste of time. And then I become even more annoyed that I have spent so much time reading this lame article. To make it worth my while, I decided to improvised their list and came up with my own.

1. Jog around the neighborhood for 10 minutes. Or if you load up your kids red wagon with ice and beer you can just pull it down three houses for five minutes and get the same work out, plus you will build your biceps lifting and drinking.

2. Jump rope for 10 minutes. This makes me laugh, let's say I do make the rope go around once, OK maybe 3 times before I trip then I start over. The only calories I will burn with be the 8 it takes to hurl the jump rope across the room while yelling at the top of my lungs. "Stuuppiidd PiEECe of Crrraaap Brrrokkenn Juummpp Roooppee!"

3. Climb up and down the stairs for 15 minutes. Which is fine if you don't have A-D-D. You climb up- and see a pillow out of place so you straighten it, then you walk by the bathroom and see a towel on the floor- so you put it up, but realize that it smells so you start a load of laundry, the cat litter is in the laundry so you change it. Then down the stairs...now what was I doing again?
 
4. Go roller-skating for 20 minutes. I would rather be death rolled by crocodile, what is this 1981?

5. Ride a bicycle for 10 minute (power style!) vs. what not power style? I mean every time I get on a bike I am powering through it.

6. Skip for 15 minutes (You’re never too old to skip!) Oh, yes you are. The only was this could be sort of cool was if you were in a costume wearing ruby red shoes, and that is almost creepy.

7. 20 minutes of Housework- did they have to add the Housework? Like we would set aside a special 20 minutes for our "housework workout". Sure, I'll make a DVD, how to "Pledge with Power"

8. Paint a room in your home for 30 minutes. (Paint 5 Rooms and you’ll burn 500 calories-Are they giving up already, we're only on #8 and they put painting a room on the list, seriously?

9. Turn up the music and dance for 20 minutes- Ahh, yes, FINALLY one that makes sense

I won't list all 23 (stupid number) here, but I thought of one more of my own.

10. Take a trip to WalMart- Start in the cosmetics, then head to electronics for nothing particular and then slowly meander through the shoes (OK I admit, I like to look at the shoes, not saying I am buying them just looking through them). Oh shit, I forgot to get a birthday card- so run there. Crap, I forgot toothpaste so I lightly jog to the way other side of the store, then back to the cereal aisle. And closing the 3 hours trip with a stroll down the freezer/ cold section for some much needed beer. Before I know it I have burnt well over 100 calories and even lost some water weight as I have peed my pants a little because I couldn't stop for one minute to go to the bathroom during all the "fun".

TaraB, www.seriouslywhycanti.blogspot.com

The Big Week

Last week we were pretty busy here, and it had nothing to do with the latest installment in the Twilight series.  The previous week my mom called, "Next week is the big week!" She could hardly contain her excitement.

"I know," I replied.

"New Moon comes out on Friday."

I laughed, "True but that's not why it's a big week."

"Why what else is next week?" my mom asked.

I waited surely the woman who gave birth to me would remember my birthday.

"Oh yeah you have a birthday coming up."

"Yes and your grand-daughter is bridging up to cadette on Friday."

"You're not going to see New Moon on opening day?"

Okay, it's true I took my daughter to a Twilight convention in August, but I'm not the fan, she is.  I just missed the convention atmosphere.  And besides last week marked an even bigger event for me, the latest Star Trek movie was released on DVD on my birthday!!!  Everyone in this house knows mom is a Star Trek fanatic.  My husband went and picked up the DVD bright and early Tuesday morning.

When my mom called on Tuesday to say Happy Birthday, she was amazed I had the DVD already and was watching it a second time.  As I type this, I've only watched it five times.  :D  My mom may be ga-ga over Edward Cullen but no vampire is going to come before the USS Enterprise for me.  I even have a USS Enterprise original painting by SH.

Birthday present painted by my husband.

Yes, last week was a pretty good week - my birthday; the bridging ceremony for the girl scouts; second quarter midterm report (still have a straight A student).  I think there may be a Twilight fan somewhere who deserves a ticket to the movies.

Veronica Hosking
Poetry Editor
http://hosking.gather.com

Word Up

So I saw this weird motivational speaker lady doing her “Up Time America” routine on YouTube. It’s this shlocky schtick where she gives a bunch of “everything I learned in kindergarten” sort of commands on how to go about your life. Her gimmick is that every sentence ends in the word UP.

While I agree with 75% of what she’s going for (When you drop a piece of trash, pick it up. If you make a mess, clean it up.), there is this creepy undercurrent of wild-eyed talk radio speak, starting with her towering Palin-esque B-52’s shagadelic hair-do. Perhaps I’ve outgrown wit and wisdom that fits onto an 8 x 11” poster, or perhaps my professor husband has trained me too well over the years to see such pop-psych as a mere marketing gimmick.

But later on we made fun of the whole thing. We joked about re-writing the “Up” manifesto from our own perspective, what we idealize, what annoys us, and what we work toward.

So I did. And here it is:

If you don’t have health insurance, save up.

Before you spout off on the news without the facts, read up.

If someone makes you eat a raw onion, throw up.

Breastfeed your babies. Milk it up.

If your mind is closed, open it up.

Follow the advice of Saint Marley and get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.

Quit wasting money on plastic garbage landfill character toys. Do it up yourself.

Compost! Stink it up.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. Use it up.

To those less fortunate, offer a hand up.

For the marginalized, the voiceless, and the powerless, speak up.

In the face of injustice, bigotry, and hate, take to the streets and act up.

We all have a story to tell. Write it up.

Bring the noise. Turn it up.

Enjoy your food without guilt. Eat it up.

Life is short. Drink it up.

And in the immortal words of Cameo, Word Up.

--Robin Dutton-Cookston yuks it up as senior editor of MaMaZina. When she’s not writing stuff up she likes to dress up, live it up, and then come home and get worked up by the movie Up. Learn about her book, The Foggiest Idea by clicking here and scrolling up.

Getting ready for the holidays

Did you know there are 5 weeks left until Christmas? 5 weeks to get into the holiday season, ready for the hustle and bustle, the music, the grumpiness, the lists and list and more lists of all the food you need to buy, the gifts you need to wrap and the parties you need to attend.

5 weeks really isn't that long. Is it?

Are you ready? Are you one of those who start their shopping in the summer, snatching those gifts while they're on sale? Or do you procrastinate and wait till the week of?

I'm in the middle. Half of my gifts are bought, the other half are on my list waiting to be checked off. I've organized a cookie exchange so I've added that list and I'm starting to get into the mood to decorate!  Now that our basement is finished, it means more room to put things ... I know my husband is going to groan ... but I love to decorate. No - let me rephrase that ... I love to see all the decorations in the stores. They never look the same in my house.

Will you try your hand at homemade gifts this year or will you stick to bought? Again, I think I'm doing half. I'm knitting my daughters some throws and I have this fantastic idea for some homemade gifts. Tell me what you think .... a pretty box filled with 'just for you items'. Like a bottle filled with bubble bath (I would find a neat bottle and make my own labels), some homemade cookies, a book I know that person will enjoy, maybe a journal or writing pad .... you get the idea.

5 weeks. That's it. 5 weeks for us busy moms to get ready for a season that ends way too quickly!

Steena Holmes
Have you read Once Upon A Dream yet?  What a great 'girly' book to add to any gift! 
Chocolate Reality
Diva with a Budget