January 14, 2010

Top Tuesday: Summer Camp RoundUp

It’s about the time for summer camps to come calling. Already, we’ve gotten invites to sign up for Texas Mathworks, iD Tech and Camp Triton. But I’m just not ready. Here are my top four reasons…

1. Didn’t I just finish Christmas? And it’s not even Spring Break. My brain just isn’t wired for camp quite yet.

2. It’s during the first three months of the year that I start the savings account so we can actually afford some of these camps. Does it look like the prices went up again this year or is it my imagination?

3. As soon as I sign up on the dotted line for one camp, another camp my kids *have* to go to will show up in my mail box and it will be scheduled during that very same week.

4. No matter what we decide now, my children will change their minds at least six times before June.

So tell me…are you ready for camp?

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January 9, 2010

Speechless

Last night my daughter asked me to scratch her back. She said it is the thing I do best next to loving her.

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December 15, 2009

Top Tuesday: Favorite Holiday Traditions

My favorite holiday traditions

  1. Fudge made with eggnog and Mandel Bread (this is the only time of year I make it!)
  2. Music. Especially this Chanukah song:    “In the window, I can see the glow. Of my menorah on newly fallen snow. I will set you, my little candle, on this the first** night of Chanukah.
  3. And Chris Rice’s “Go Light Your World”
  4. Packing a goodie box for a military service member serving overseas and seeing my children get into the spirit with their sweet notes, pictures and appreciation for what these men and women have given up to serve our country.
  5. Picking out a special snowglobe for my son and a nutcracker for my daughter.
  6. Lighting the fire and listening to Christmas music specials on PBS.
  7. Designing our annual Year in Pictures book on iPhoto.
  8. Sitting on the stairs in the dark of night after the children go to sleep making sure they don’t wake up while Santa Baby does his thing downstairs.
  9. Listening at 3 a.m. to the kids rustling through their stockings and wishing they’d fall back asleep for just a few more hours.
  10. I’m leaving this one open for you to fill in. What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

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December 13, 2009

Did somebody say snow?

Some conversations are highly predictable when moms get together.

Me: “It’s such a busy time of year. I keep forgetting I’m supposed to be enjoying the holidays.”
Other mom: “I just have to stop and remind myself every so often.”
Still another mom: “I know…I’m so busy running around. I’m too tired to have fun.”

Oh, yeah. Must be the holiday season.

And even though I’m busy All. The. Time. it feels like I’m not making much headway on my to-do list. How about you?

Frankly, it doesn’t help when I get news of a not-to-miss activity. Like the holiday celebration at the Westin La Cantera. Festivities include ornament making, pine cone decorating and a Living Holiday tree. There’s storytelling and carolers. And real snow.

Insiders to the event tell me Mondays and Wednesdays, there’ll be a special opportunity to make snow globes using clean jars, figurines and non-toxic paint.

All this – totally free. But it’d be nice if you picked up a small toy for Toys for Tots and dropped it off  the donation station at the hotel.

Oh, wait. I think I found a small empty space on my to do list between stopping at the grocery store and running by the card shop. If I just write really, really small…..

Details, in case you want to join us…

Daily, December 13-24
Decorating, 1 – 3 p.m.
Holiday nature tree visit, 4 p.m.
Storytelling in the Esparza Library,  11 a.m. and 3 p.m. (see my note below)
Coloring activities in the lobby after the storytelling until 5 p.m.
Walking tour with cowboy storyteller “Makin’ Dust”, starts on the El Fortin Lawn at 5:25 p.m.
Ornament and snow glob making and the man himself, Santa Claus, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

For the 3 p.m. storytelling, show up a little early to enjoy some authentic Mexican hot chocolate “champurrado” and pastries in a cozy little nook beautifully decorated for the season. Adults can sample one of the hotel’s “Farm-to-Glass” grownup drinks, like the Jalapeno Bubbly, Pomegranate Arillus Real or Rio Grande Mimosa.

The Westin La Cantera Resort is located at 16641 La Cantera Parkway in San Antonio.

For more details on the holiday event, go
Here
and
Here

Photo source: SXC Photo

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December 1, 2009

Top Tuesday: GirlSense Babble

If you’ve read my blog on MySA.com, you know I’m on another mommy rant about GirlSense.com and its new Twitter-like feature called Babble. I’m struggling to help my kids navigate a complex online world while still protecting them from unsafe or unfriendly environments. Today’s top five lessons learned from Babble…

1. I had forgotten how mean tweens can be. They write direct messages to people they don’t even know saying things like “Nobody would like u, ever.”

2. Teenagers need to revisit spelling and punctuation. Big time.

3. The company that owns GirlSense needs to do a better job of selecting its advertisers. The top banner this morning: “Are you single? I’ve created a site that’s put together more than 800,000 relationships. Better than trolling the grocery store.” You have Got. To. Be. Kidding.

4. In its defense, GirlSense provides an opportunity for creative expression and the development of business sense.

5. If you are having a rough day, the games like Bad Hair Day are suprisingly entertaining time wasters.

Are your kids involved in social media? Is it a struggle for you, too?

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November 25, 2009

Get moving to get turkeys on the tables of families in need

 

 

Looking for something to do on Thanksgiving Day that doesn’t include food? The San Antonio Food Bank’s got the ticket for you and your kids at The Great Turkey Challenge, starting at 7:30 a.m. for you early birds!

It’s a 5K Run/Walk to support the Food Bank’s efforts to put turkeys on the tables of needy families in our area. Registration is $20. Just show up at the H-E-B Arsenal, 646 South Main Avenue in downtown San Antonio with your walking shoes. At last count, just over 800 people had registered.

Can’t make it? No problem. You can donate online. Every $10 raised buys one turkey for a family who needs a Thanksgiving meal. You can also donate cash or nonperishable goods at any of 23 Security Service Federal Credit Union through the end of November. A list of the service centers is here.

 

 

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November 24, 2009

Top Tuesday: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the entire year. But it hasn’t been without its mishaps. Here are my top five Thanksgiving lessons…

1.  It’s not a wise idea to leave frozen turkey in a sink with running water to answer the phone. Because inevitably, the turkey will slide, cover the drain, and you’ll flood your kitchen. Don’t ask me how I know that.

2.  Just because a turkey is golden on the outside, doesn’t mean it’s fully cooked on the inside. Use a thermometer. Don’t ask me how I know that either.

3.  Potato peelings and disposals do not mix. That’s why Thanksgiving day is the busiest day of the year for plumbers and why they can charge an arm and a leg and a foot to solve your kitchen problems.

4.  Brining – no matter what anybody says – is messy work. Spills happen.

5. Two slices of turkey on top of a piece of bread covered in mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce and warmed in the microwave the day after Thanksgiving is heaven.

 

Wishing you and yours a stress-free, mess-free Thanksgiving week.

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November 18, 2009

The power of a connected community

I’ve been following Anissa Mayhew’s story since yesterday through twitter and the beautiful voices in the blogs of friends (like this one) and various women who don’t know me from Adam. I am struck by the outpouring of love for this one woman who is fighting the battle of her life right now. I am struck by the online community that has rallied around her family. Mainly because suspect many of them are just like me. Never met her. May never have even read her blog before yesterday.

Anissa is a blogger and mother of three. She’s had far too much tragedy in her life. Yet through it all, she’s clearly managed to keep an attitude. Mostly a funny one.  Her post on Monday was all about heading to a Disney cruise ship with a bunch of other bloggers. But she never made it because yesterday, she had a massive stroke.

Prayer requests have gone out by the thousands via twitter and the connected community.  I want to add mine to that flood of words and thoughts lifted high. Prayers for Anissa and her husband. For her children. For all those who were feeling overwhelmed and disconnected but found laughter and hope in Anissa’s words.

This blog is a story about the power of connectedness. Especially for women. Even when we really don’t know each other.

I will enjoy going back and reading Anissa’s posts. I hope there will be many more to come.

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November 18, 2009

Left speechless

tough decisions

 

Overheard from my daughter when she was five years old….

“I just can’t decide. I don’t know if I should go to Yale…or beauty school.”

 

 

 

Photo source: Michael Marsland/Yale University

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November 17, 2009

Waiting with baited breath…

This past weekend, I had the absolute joy of being hosted by SeaWorld and The Motherhood for a Walk on the Wild Side campout. An overnight girlfriends getaway, each woman there was a Texas mommy blogger…and each one brought to the tank her unique take on life, her sense of humor and her willingness to sleep on an air mattress for the night.

It’s Top Tuesday, so here are my top five lessons learned…

  1. Chance still has my vote for camp counselor of the year. He is absolutely brilliant. I would not only trust my kids with him, I’m seriously trying to figure out a way to convince him to babysit for me. Yeah, I know, he has a full time job at SeaWorld, but after just a couple of hours with him, I’m pretty sure my kids would be smarter. At the very least, they’d learn the difference between a sea lion and a seal. And who wouldn’t be better for knowing that?
  2. Shamu is a last name, not a first name. That’s why there can be a Shamu at each SeaWorld park. Now…go tell you kids. Because I know they’ve asked.
  3. Killer whales live in a matriarchal society where the oldest female is dominant. Considering I was the oldest (by far) of all the mommy bloggers this weekend, I kind of like that fact. Didn’t get me any extra swag, but I did walk a little taller for the weekend. Now if I could only convince my kids I’m the one in charge.
  4. All animals can be trained. Some can be trained more than others, but even the slowest of learners is capable of learning something. There are no class failures at SeaWorld. I liked this point so much, I blogged about it here.
  5. Women of an Impressive Age (like me) and air mattresses are *not* a match made in heaven. Which is why I know what penguins do at 3 a.m. in the morning.

And now, because I couldn’t let the day get away with a few fish puns….

For a whale of a good time, you can join two animal curators from SeaWorld on Tuesday, November 17, at Blog Talk Radio, where the park has spawned a call-in radio show. You can catch the fun at 11 a.m. Central. The topic to be tackled: how training techniques at SeaWorld can be used in everyday situations with our children, colleagues and spouses. It gets my seal of approval. How about you? Mullet it over and let me know.

More details here.

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