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You all know how I LOVE to share and give advice. So before I take off to Oregon for a week, here’s a few last minute tips for the holidays (and every day.)

~ DON’T do things out of guilt or because other people think you should, or because YOU think you should. Do them because you WANT to and it makes you happy.

~ DO savor each moment. It will never come again and will be gone to fast. This means…

~ DON’T get caught up in the “what’s next” trap. It’s so easy to go from this errand and that errand ticking off things on your “to-do” list so that you lose the moment and don’t enjoy a thing. Go slow. Delegate. Prioritize. Let things go. Which leads me to…

~ OK IS OK! It doesn’t have to be perfect. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect. You, your kids, your house, the food, the gifts… don’t have to be perfect. Ok is good enough sometimes. Which leads me to…

~ DON’T focus on the “should have’s.” This is a big trap to fall into this time of year. “I should have left that in the oven a little longer! We should have gotten a bigger tree! I should have gotten more gifts"… Which goes into…

~ THANK YOU! Accept a compliment. Say it with me now “Thank you!” “Your house looks amazing!" “THANK YOU!” “You look beautiful honey!” “THANK YOU!” “Your children are so well behaved!” “Thank you!” See… that wasn’t so bad!

~ DO take time out for yourself. Read a junky magazine or the book you’re putting off. Take a walk and catch snow on your tongue. Take a long bubble bath. Savor that sip of wine. If you feel like including others and it brings you pleasure, GREAT! But let the focus be on your own pleasure for a change.

Have a beautiful, wonderful, relaxing, enjoyable holiday season and I’ll see you all next-year!

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Let me paint you a picture. Target yoga pants, big baby fat poncho, hand-made funky scarf, sunglasses on top of my head rushing out of Office Max and into Safeway onto errand stop #4 on my holiday “to-do” list. Mid stride I see this attractive man (about my age) European looking pushing a cart toward the parking lot and giving me the eye! YES! ME! Giving yoga pant wearing ME the eye! I look around (thinking he’s looking at someone else), nope, just me. So I smile warmly back.

As we get closer I hear “You must be a supermodel!” Say WHAT!? Is this some kind of prank TV show (I’m saying in my head.) “Uuuuuuh” Is what comes out of my mouth. “You are stunning! The most striking woman I have ever seen! You are so tall and so BEAUTIFUL!” This good looking guy is actually gushing over me in front of Safeway. “Wow” (I manage.) “Thank you!” And I walk into the store.

Now, when I was much younger and MUCH thinner, I actually used to have creepy men say things like this to me a lot. But I cannot begin to tell you how long since an attractive man other than my husband took a moment to drool and flatter. It was pretty surprising, and took me totally off guard, (and a have to confess) was pretty cool!

However, I think it must have been the glow of love from the lunch with my husband that the man caught in my rosy cheeks or the stars in my eyes that I have for my guy. Not the blush of beauty and youth, but the radiance that comes from within and only from being so adored by your own partner.

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Once upon a time there was a little boy who pretty much did whatever his mother asked. No, not just did it… but did it with a smile! Then one day an evil spell was placed on this boy. The curse was called “puberty.” Magical evil hormones turned the boy into a cranky old man (even though he still looked like a handsome prince!) When the boy’s mother would talk to him, instead of her sweet boy answering back, she would only hear the snap of a crocodile, or the hiss of a snake. The boy quit doing what his mother asked and even the light of day became toxic to him!

The mother was very worried about her boy (who wasn’t so little anymore.) She was so worried in fact that she resorted to using her own white magic. The mother whipped up a to-do list and attached some gold coins to the end. She sung magical songs of faraway lands filled with beautiful damsels, but the boy had to fight against the evil hormones and finish the to-do list to be allowed to go. The mother made magical meal after magical meal to sate and subdue the “hormones of evil.” Together the boy and his mother won the battle and he became her handsome prince once again. (or was he???)

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Rather than counting the 12 days of Christmas… I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on all the blessings that I’ve had this year.

1) Meeting all the wonderful mothers HERE on SacMomsClub. Thanks for being so wonderful and for reading my blog.

2) My man-cub (of course.) I survived year 14 with my son and am now in for year 15 (at the end of January.) Wish me luck!

3) My marriage. I am so lucky to have been to hell and back again with my man and our relationship. A good one takes a TON of work, dedication and communication. Luckily ours just keeps getting better and better. This year was a good one!

4) Being able to go back to school. Even though I’m only going part-time, I know that’s an impossibility for many women (mothers or no.) I feel so fortunate to be able to have a second chance to figure out what I “want to be when I grow up,” and go after it.

5) Creature comforts.

6) That Obama won.

7) That the price of gas went back down.

8) That everyone I love is still here with me, safe and sound.

9) Jobs. Both my husband and I got new ones this year and I’m REALLY grateful for that (since so many people are unemployed right now.)

10) That I continue to grow as a person. The older I get, the more I try to take my time, enjoy life, learn patience and understanding, and grow as a person. In return, I’m loving who I am more and more and am grateful for that.

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Sometimes us busy “does it all” moms just need to stop. I’ve been struggling with a cold since the weekend before Thanksgiving and just wasn’t winning the battle. You know how it goes; you can’t just lie in bed and watch TV all day like the kids when you’re ill. Nope! You’ve got to keep life going for your family and the home (and your jobs if you have to report to other people.) That was me! Just trudging along like nothing was wrong. Well, I would feel better… then worse… then better… then worse. I tried to ignore it, medicate it, go on even though I was sick.

Tuesday I hit a wall. Monday night my throat was killing me and I had a migraine that would not go away. I could tell that I wasn’t getting “over it” and just needed to stop. That’s right, those four horrid words. STOP! Stop running errands, shopping, wrapping, going to class, going to work and waiting on my family. When I stop, the world seems to stop (is that totally egocentrical of me to say?) I stopped, crawled into bed and slept most of the day. I did as little as possible and yes, it was HARD!

Today I’m feeling a lot better. I know if I would have just kept going I could have come down with something even worse thanks to my wrecked immune system (and being surrounded by preschool cooties at work.) I also learned some tips that I’m happy to share!

1) Eat local honey. This will help your immune system (and it’s tasty!)

2) Cook with garlic, ginger and cinnamon. All three help your immune system. If you have any swelling (or cramps), cook with chili pepper (flakes are ok.)

3) It’s ok to stop and rest. The world will not end!

4) Eat healthy. Juice, make a nice soup or broth, get lots of fresh fruits and veg (did you know colored peppers are very high in Vit C?)

5) Breathe!

6) Delegate. If you can’t stop, don’t try and do it all. Accept help and delegate tasks (both at work and with your family)

I talk a lot about the talented kids at work, but haven't raved about my own kid in a while. Maybe that's because he's almost 15? Strange for me to say, but true. This morning he showed me some photos he had taken on his cell phone. Needless to say, I loved them. We go to art galleries quite often and he has been exposed to many different styles. He's always leaned more towards the modern style and you can tell. I personally see a little Warhol in these pics.

His sword at night with a color reverse. Cool effect!

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(below) his lamp

The boys bathroom at school with a color reverse (my favorite)

There's more, but I think you get the gist. Hope you enjoyed! Now go make some art!

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I’ve been learning a lot this year about the importance of breathing. When you breathe correctly you not only boost your immune system, lower stress and anxiety, but you can actually re-wire your brain to not over-react to stressors. Go figure! Who knew something so simple as breathing could even change your brain?

Since the holiday season can bring on the stress-beast in the most jolly of us… I thought I’d share some tips.

1) Make sure you are breathing (yoga style) from your belly. Your belly and ribs should be rising together, NOT just your chest. Not easy for us belly-conscious women to do, I know… but worth it. There’s a reason yoga pants don’t come with a belt!

2) If you’re feeling anxious or panicky, make your exhale deeper and longer than your inhale. This will trigger your brain and muscles to relax.

3) If things start getting really tough for you and you feel upset, or a panic attack coming on… take a deep belly breath and hold it for the count of 5. Then s-l-o-w-l-y let it out to the count of 10. Do this a few times. If you’re getting dizzy, let your air out slower.

It’s amazing how many times a day we breathe very shallow and only in our chest. Try some of these tips today and let me know how they work out for you!

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It seems you can’t open up the newspaper, turn on the radio or watch the TV without being bombarded with messages on how messed up the country is right now. Yes, we’re in a recession, yes we’re still in a war, yes unemployment is high and stocks are low, your kids are never going to be able to afford college and you can never retire (if you’re luck enough to still HAVE a job). Ho ho ho…feeling ready for the holidays yet?

Am I the only one feeling so lucky to still have a house, job, marriage, and family, that I feel guilty about it? Anytime I feel stressed at work or school I just stop and count my blessings that I CAN go to school and have the opportunity and have a job! So what do I POSSIBLY have to complain about?

With all this doom and gloom all around me, I need some holiday cheer. I need to decorate our tree, mull some wine, watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” (or at least A Christmas Story) and savor the reason for the season. How about you? Is the media getting you down?