My New Year's Eve Wish

It goes without saying that 2009 was the best year of my life.  I think this picture says it all.

So here's to all we learned and experienced in 2009: the new friends, new children, and starting on the road to health and balance as HOTmamas.  

My New Year's Eve wish for all of us is an EVEN BETTER 2010!  May the New Year bring you and your family love,  health, happiness and all your heart's delight.

New Years' resolutions a bit early.

My gift to myself this ME Monday is forgiveness. I’ve been working hard to change my eating habits the past several weeks, and it has paid off: I’ve lost 3 lbs. Or rather, I HAD lost 3 lbs.
Last week, Christmas week, I gained those 3 lbs back. It was shocking to step on the scale this morning and learn that. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; I ate like a PIG Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It was disgusting. I literally gave myself a stomach ache several times over.
But as the song goes, I’ll pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again.
I also know that I DO NOT want those fatty, sugary foods inside my body any more. I felt sick all weekend: so what’s the point? Sure a cookie here and there is FINE, but not to the extent I took it.


I will do better this week, and I’ve learned a valuable lesson about the foods I want to put into my body. So, here’s to new beginnings a bit before the New Year.

The Day After

Well, for us its the "day after" a VERY busy family filled time for us....for the couple of days leading up to Chrismas we are extremely busy and my kids are over stimulated to say the least. We were busy baking, dropping off gifts to friends homes, wrapping gifts and getting ready for the holiday. I have to say that I have a new found respect for my mom, who knew that she did ALL of what I am now doing? GEEZ, I am tired...yes, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, yes I enjoy the holidays but I also dread them because of all of the "hoopla" involved.....Today, the "day after", we did NOTHING, stayed in our PJ's, read books and played in the snow.

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Happy Holidays to all HOTmamas!

From Sam, Sam's Mom & Sam's Dad -- We hope you are having a wonderful, healthy and happy holiday season surrounded by those you love! We sure are.

Finding the ME in this holiday season

I'm sure the title of this post sounds odd, especially in light of this recent post.  But work with me a little and you'll see the message I'm trying to convey.
The holidays are stressful and I personally think they are MOST stressful on moms.  We try to make everything perfect for everyone in our lives.  Getting that PERFECT gift, decorating the house JUST SO (and I seriously have trouble keeping my house clean enough to avoid a DCFS investigation...), extra amounts of cooking/baking, finding cute-as-a-button outfits for the kids, trying to ensure those velvet dress pants from last year still fit after Thanksgiving, spending extra time with in-laws and extended family (which is ALWAYS stressful, let alone with this added pressure), and the list goes on and on and on. 
I remember as a child, my mom hid/kept all gifts in the basement.  We had an old (150 yr+ farm house with an unfinished (ie: cinderblock w/ dirt floor) basement.  It was cold and damp.  Mom MADE the majority of our gifts (sewing), but made sure we had a couple store bought ones as well.  Even back then, poor as we were, she went over-board with gifts.  Because my dad ran the farm and routinely worked 18 hour days, it was up to mom to get Christmas organized.  On the evenings leading up to Christmas she would spend hours in the basement at night after we went to bed.  Then Christmas Eve she's spend hours baking: cookies, cakes, sweet rolls, etc.  Come Christmas morning I cannot fathom how exhausted she must have been.  She did EVERYTHING for everyone else, and never took time for herself.  I often wonder if she enjoyed the holidays herself.
As a new mom, I'm committed to find some time for myself this season.  Otherwise, I fear, the stress would prove overwhelming and I wouldn't enjoy the holidays at all.  So what am I doing?  I'm making all gifts.  The time I spend on these gifts is actually ME TIME.  I ENJOY making things for others, but even more, I LOVE the satisfaction of homemade projects and the solitude it takes to complete the projects (usually in the basement where my sewing machine and craft cabinet are.)  It's a peaceful time for me.  I play Christmas music and reflect.  I emerge from the basement renewed and frankly, more sane.

What are you doing to take care of yourself this season?

Doing more this holiday season

I'm a busy mom. But I have a home, a job, a husband, food on the table, clothing for my baby, 2 cars...and the list goes on and on.  But many, many moms around the world don't have these things.  They are trapped in the cycle of poverty.  They cannot provide for their children.  I cannot imagine that level of pain, not being able to feed and cloth your children.
But there is a way out of poverty. 
It's called Kiva.  Kiva makes microloans ($25) to individuals around the world.  The recipient of the loan uses the money to purchase inventory to sell (be it food, clothing, etc.)  The recipient improves her life, her family's life, and her community by being a small business owner.  Through local banks, the loans are disbursed and PAID BACK IN FULL to the lender.  YOU are the lender.  YOU can transform a life, a family, a community.
If you are reading this blog, then you have a computer.  If you have a computer, you have $25.  Let's face it, we are all going to spend a lot more than that on holiday gifts for friends and family this year.  We ALL have $25 to give. 
So I encourage you to make a Kiva loan, and maybe even have THAT be your gift to a family member (like Charity: Water or Heifer International.)  Kiva has gift certificates so your family/friends can pick their own project to loan to with YOUR money.  How great is that??

Do you have a favorite world-charity?  How are you working to help others and take the "commercial" out of the holidays this year?