Tipsy Tow
New Year’s Eve is around the corner. This doesn’t mean much to me. I’m usually home with the boys and asleep shortly after the East Coast New Year’s Eve celebration. Yes, lame, I know. But I’m not a partier or clubber. I hate dressing up. Oh, and it’s cold outside. Buuut, for those of you … Read more
Santa Strawberries
One of my fave parts of the holidays is holiday shopping baking. Mo and B love to help create and eats all kinds of goodies. This year, we saw some pics of Santa Strawberries online and decided to give it a try. Only 3 ingredients needed: Strawberries Whipped Cream Mini Chocolate Chips Procedure: *Cut the … Read more
Holiday Magic/Is Santa Real?
Recently I talked to a mom that said she wasn’t sure if she was gonna continue to do the whole “Santa thing” with her kids. She was a little down about the economy and said she didn’t think it was right that Santa get the credit for her hard earned money and gift giving.
For me, it’s just the whole essence of giving my kids something to believe in.
I can remember how excited I got around the holidays and the magical feeling of waking up Christmas morning to see the tree lit and filled with presents underneath. (I won’t mention the one Christmas where I complained about the gifts and called them “crap” only to be sent back to bed until I was a little more appreciative for Santa’s efforts).
Anyway, I realize what that mom was saying, but once you grow up and have kids, you really appreciate the efforts your parents make to help you feel special. And I’m sure your kids will feel the same way.
Whether it’s giving “Santa” credit for the gift giving or the Tooth Fairy credit for the money. Just as adults need distractions from things such as the economy, relationships, job situations, etc, children need the same. They too get frustrated with life’s little curveballs: making friends, doing well in school, excelling in sports, fitting in, etc.
So, I choose to let the holiday season be a happy time for me and the boys. It’s a time to celebrate togetherness and c
reate traditions and happiness to remember for years to come. I can only hope that when they get older they will look back and appreciate the efforts just as I do now with my own folks and them giving me the gift of something to hope for and believe in.
Here are a couple of cool sites I found the kids might enjoy:
Claus.com: The coolest thing about this site is the “Naughty and Nice Rating”. You type in your name and get a report from what Santa has concluded about your behavior. Here’s what Santa thinks about me:
Overall, niceness outweighs naughtiness. Was good a lot last month! Politeness often good, but has room for improvement. Could help around house more instead of watching so much TV. Expected to move even higher up “nice” list.
Hmm…Guess I better get my butt in gear if I want to get that new Chole!
SantaClaus.com: For $9.95 you can get a personalized letter from Santa with a stamp “Mailed from the North Pole”. For $6.95 your child can get a phone call the big guy personalized with their name. This sounds like a Flip worthy moment for when your kid is on his way to the Senior Prom. I’m sure his date will get a kick out of his excitement in the years to come.
NoradSanta.org: Wanna know Santa’s exact location right now? This site can pinpoint Santa’s location as well as a detailed countdown til the thrilling day. There is an amazing FAQ’s section that answers your kid’s most common questions that we seem to make up the dumbest answers for:
How does Santa get down chimneys?, How old is Santa?, When will Santa arrive at my house, etc.
So in between your holiday shopping and baking, hop on over to these sites. I’ve gotta go work on raising my niceness quotient!
I Love Magnolia Bakery
On a recent trip to New York, I discovered Magnolia Bakery. Finding Magnolia Bakery in LA was better news than Michael Kors opening at my local mall. Since Magnolia does featured flavors every month, I try and get by to tantalize my taste buds. For the holiday season, they are featuring mini-cupcake Christmas Ornament boxes and … Read more
Holiday Tipping Guide
With the holidays comes gift giving for our family and friends. But many of us like to include the people who are a part of our daily lives throughout the year. Walletpop did a great list citing Emily Post’s rec, Consumer Reports 2010 tipping survey, as well as their own 2 cents. And of course, … Read more
Thanksgiving 2011
When I was little, I HATED Thanksgiving (sorry Pilgrims). I would have much rather celebrated Flag Day. Or Ground Hog Day. Anything but Thanksgiving. I was such a rebellious spirited child. The last thing I wanted was to be forced to sit at a dinner table with grownups. Fast forward many years… I’ve been on … Read more
I Love Mariah On HSN
Last year I had so much fun watching Mariah Carey on HSN. It was her 1st time showing her jewelry and clothing line. She was hilarious. The best part was when she tweeted me ( I have arrived!) during a show commercial break. @MariahCareyMariah Carey @AHotMama Thank youuu! I love the butterfly rings too!! LYM : … Read more
Happy Veteran’s Day
Happy Veteran’s Day to everyone serving in the military past and present.
Thank you for your sacrifice and bravery.
Jimmy Kimmel Halloween Prank
A week before Halloween, ABC late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel made a simple request: “I asked parents to tell their kids they ate all their Halloween candy.” Parents were then asked to videotape the response of their kids and post to youtube. There were tons of responses, but they all had one common … Read more
Halloween 2011
I love Halloween. Yes, partly for the candy, but mostly bc my normally nonchalant child, Mo gets REALLY excited. Mo doesn’t care about much or show emotion for anything besides sports. When Halloween rolls around, he gets really giddy. Like a lot of 7 year old boys, he loves the scary and gory stuff. So, to … Read more
