Thanks!

I will keep this short and sweet.

Thanks for -

• My kids
• My hubby
• Estelle
• Ginger
• my family
• new learning experiences
• Mr. Putters
• my awesome friends

Lucky, Grateful and Thankful

I try to be thankful for what I have every day but it can be hard when you are in the middle of it all, paying bills, rushing to work, etc.  I have had a couple of really yucky years to be quite honest.  People often tell me how glamorous my life looks and I look at them like they are crazy.  Oh yes, being a single mom living in the most expensive area in the country working in the most depressed industry around is glamorous.  But anyway.  THAT is another post.

I AM lucky, grateful and thankful. I have two of the most beautiful kids in the world.  Not just physically although they are darn cute.  Their bright smiles brighten my day.  There is nothing better than hearing the words, “I love you mama.” Cherish all the tiny monumental moments with your children.  They truly do make every day worth living.

I am so fortunate to have my parents, my grandmother and my sisters not only in my life, but all living in California less than 2 hours from me.  Yes, I say sister(s).  I adopted one this year (long story).

I am thankful that my dear friend with breast cancer is still here after a nearly 3 year battle from hell.  I don’t talk to her nearly often enough but I sure think of her a lot.  The strength that she has shown under conditions that are unreal is amazing.  She is a true inspiration to me.

I have the most amazing friends.  (You know who you are!)  I could not have survived the last two years without them.  I will admit there were days (or weeks) when I might have be temporarily crazy, weird, moody, cranky and yet they stood by me and supported me through the roller coaster of emotions.  Maybe they are the crazy ones, but I love them for it.

Somehow I managed to find a fantastic boyfriend.  He snuck up on me when I least expected him and has stuck by my side despite the chaos in my life.  He makes me laugh, even when I don’t want him to.  He is the calm in my storm.

I started a new business this last year.  I like to think of it as family owned because my partners have become part of my extended family.  Being a new business, we have all kinds of challenges, but we are lucky they are good ones.  My partners challenge me, inspire me and support me.  They are also exceptionally talented at providing comedic relief when needed.

I am thankful technology removes barriers of distance & enables me to keep in touch with my friends & family no matter where they are.  Can you imagine not being able to have unlimited long distance?  Not having skype or text messaging? No twitter?  The horror of it all.

So no, my life isn’t really glamorous, but I sure am lucky.

Why dating sucks

One of my friends is a serial dater. I won’t call her out here but she knows it. She actually enjoys dating. Meeting new people, going to dinner. Maybe I am not good at small talk. I have never liked “dating” for the sake of finding a companion. The awkward beginnings. The bad dinners where the guy spends the entire evening talking about themselves or checking out other women as they walk by.
This video made me fall down on the floor laughing. A huge hat tip to my business partner Hal Lublin for finding this, watching it with me, and providing live commentary. The viking guy kills me. So does the guy naming off the women he doesn’t want, “No fatties, no hamsters,…. no crazies.” Enjoy!

Which was your favorite?

Holiday gift giving during a recession

Here it is once again -Toys R Us has sent out it’s 2009 Toy Book officially heralding the Holiday season.  You might be wondering how to fulfill those wish lists when your credit cards are already reaching their limits.  Well, I have a few ideas that might make the gift giving season a little easier on the bank account.

First of all I recommend eliminating obligatory gift giving.  There may be those whom you tend to exchange gifts with merely because you always have.  If you rarely communicate with these individuals it might be time to re-evaluate your gift giving traditions.  It is relatively painless to make a phone call or write a letter which suggests exchanging holiday cards and photos in lieu of presents.  Chances are your recipients will applaud your ingenuity and gratefully  jump at the chance to shave off a few layers of their own lists.

Once you have gotten your list to a manageable level it’s time to come up with a budget.  I think we all start off with the best intentions when it comes to holiday shopping but somehow lose our way.  The hefty accumulation of receipts tends to go unnoticed until the decorations come down and the credit card bills arrive.  By planning ahead you can welcome the new year with ease and curtail the seasonal blues that often accompany overspending.

Adhering to a budget may prove exceedingly difficult this time of year with the lure of the bargain and the enticement of the sale.   Retail establishments use their creative marketing strategies to draw us in and keep us shopping.  When the mailbox is cluttered with catalogs  I suggest taking them straight to the recycling can.  Catalogs are just added temptation for things that we didn’t know we wanted in the first place.  Perhaps you are one who would benefit from shopping from home.  I prefer online shopping because I can Google exactly what I want with less visual temptation from other sources.  Chloe, however, feels that the internet can be just as dangerous, if not more so. The key to successfully adhering to any budget is demonstrating some serious yet much needed self control.

You don’t need much restraint if you decide to make your holiday gifts rather than venture into the stores.  I realize that there is a relatively small amount of the population willing to put the time or effort into homemade gifts but it is an option.  There are many online tutorials available, many with step-by-step instructions and photos, that will aide you in the completion of your project.  I have recently been educated in the art of tutu design and plan on making some super cute tutus for a few lucky little girls and there is no sewing required!

If homemade gifts are truly not your thing and you want to stay within budget without compromising on the gift then I suggest combining resources with others.  Instead of spending a little to get that finicky adolescent in the family something that they didn’t want in the first place, you can get a group together to buy that I Pod or $100 jacket from Abercrombie.   I think this is a great solution to the overinflated Holiday list; a win win situation for everyone involved.

Welcome the holidays and do not let the  financial aspect overshadow what the season is truly all about.  Your contribution of love and friendship should heavily outweigh any monetary gift and is ultimately more valuable.

The Tiniest Monumental Moments

This morning I woke up to feel a small finger tracing the outline of my nose, across my eyelids, and over my mouth.  A gentle breath on my face, and then a tiny whisper in my ear, “I love you mama.”

I opened my eyes to see the sweet face of my son, who then repeated, “I love you mama.”

So often in our lives, we celebrate the big moments.  Weddings, graduations, the superbowl, the college championship game.  These events are all monumental moments, but we tend to forget the small stuff.

The sweet words of a small child, the teenager who made their bed without asking, the wife who made a delicious dinner, the boyfriend who brought over a bar of chocolate, a brief text message saying BOO, I am thinking of you, or an unexpected phone call just to say hello.

As important as the big picture is, we need to step back, pause and appreciate all of the small moments that bring a tear to our eye, a smile to our face, our make our hearts flutter just a moment.  My best memories from my childhood aren’t about major events.  My best memories are baking sugar cookies with my grandma, doing the hokey pokey with my cousins, or playing disco barbies with my sister.

our lives are made
in these small hours
these little wonders,
these twists & turns of fate
time falls away,
but these small hours,
these small hours still remain

Rob Thomas, Little Wonders

It is always great to keep on eye on the big picture and the long term goal, but if we don’t stop and cherish the small moments, we may have missed out on the entire journey.  Be it professional or personal, take a moment to celebrate the small wins in your day.  It is these moments that carry us through, bring joy to our lives,  and help us reach our ultimate goal.