Demon: Your mother’s in here, Karras. Would you like to leave a message? I’ll see that she gets it.

My sister lost her husband unexpectedly, my work did a fundraiser to help her and the kids, she’s in her last weeks of pregnancy (she’s expecting baby #4), she’s moving the end of this month to a bigger home closer to her work and sitter, I picked up new freelance work in the form of graphic design to compliment book tours, work’s been busy wrapping up the fiscal year in hopes that we’ve hit our goal, summer vacation for my 3 kids…oh the list just goes on and on!

And the latest? My oldest daughter is starting middle school tomorrow! Can I scream FREAK OUT?! My goodness! I feel that time is flying too fast. There were days I couldn’t wait for her to walk, talk, start school, and now? I’m crying and wanting her to slow down and remain innocent for as long as possible. The middle school years are the years when things soak in or not. She’ll be influenced by things she’s never been influenced by, there will be boys, there will be boys (yeah PURPOSELY typed that twice), and a heavier school load she’s never experienced before.

Her school day will start earlier  (bus at 6:30am…INSANE!) but that also means her day ends earlier than before. I wonder how it will work out now and when her younger siblings start school in a couple of weeks. Will I be able to manage 3 kids in school, their after school activities, their social schedule, my work, my other work, my reading, my writing, myself, and of course we can’t forget my marriage and the house! Ugh…so much, so much! (STILL trying to convince my husband to let me hire a maid 2x a month for heavy cleaning…)

But then the other side of me, the young girly side of me, is looking forward to chick-flick nights in front of the tube doing manis & pedis while munching on yummy snack foods. The fun shopping trips I look forward to (well the expenses for that I’m NOT looking forward to) and of course the clothes sharing (yes, she’s taller than me and minus the chest, pretty close to my size already).

Right now I need to breathe…we’re starting a new adventure. She is and we are. Together I’m hoping for the best.

BTW…I’ll be getting active again soon. So much will be happening around here, I’m sure I’ll have a lot to say. Now off to my next post writing! Organization & planning!

This guest post was written by Gail P., who is interested in obtaining a forensic science education through online classes.

The after school activity has its benefits: it gives kids something to do with their downtime and often yields opportunities that schooling alone doesn’t, it provides parents (and especially parents of younger children) with less daily stress, and it can help reduce the strain on family relations. It can also do the near-opposite of all of these things, leaving children overstimulated between school and homework, requiring parents to shuffle their children from activity to activity, and putting a strain on what would otherwise be family time. Here are a handful of things to take into consideration.

1. Don’t east fast food for every meal.

While it’s tempting, given that it’s fast and it is filling, choosing fast food over, well, just about anything else is a bad idea. Eating preservative-laden, high-fat food on a regular basis has a detrimental effect on both your health and the health of your children. It conditions everyone to want more food full of salt, fat and preservatives, isn’t sustainable as a long-term form of sustenance, and will likely get boring after a while for both you and your children (who may also become obsessed with the toys and other incentives to continue eating there). Instead, when you can’t cook a meal, prep dishes in advance; you can set aside an hour or two to do several days’ worth of cooking, producing better and less expensive food in the process.

2. Set aside specific times for getting homework done.

Some children will come home, knock out their work, and make it easy for you. Others are going to be procrastinators. A schedule full of activities can make this considerably more difficult, as kids who’ve played sports or worked on projects after being in classes all morning and afternoon may finally start to feel a day’s busyness catch up with them. By making homework part of a specific routine, you ensure that it gets done.

3. Don’t let family time fall by the wayside.

Between work and school (and homework for both kids and parents), it’s easy for families to fall into hectic, fractured schedules and see each other more infrequently than is ideal. Setting a date each week (or several times a week, depending on just what, exactly, it is that you need) in which you do something as a family — what that is up to you and should probably vary — and holding everyone to it may be one way to address this.

Compensation has been provided for this guest post.

When I begin to lose the inches, my skin gets softer and of course jigglier in some areas (inner thighs & the dreaded post pregnancy belly, which I’ve had for at least 10 years…ugh…). Other areas happily get firmer (arms, butt, and calves) but the 2 areas that I’m the MOST self-conscious about seem to “go south”.

I freak out and it seems I almost instantly want to “fill in” the space so it appears firmer, even if it’s just a layer of fat. But at least then it doesn’t jiggle nearly as much.

I know…I know…

I’ve got to be patient, I’ve got to keep going…it will (hopefully) all eventually even out with the rest of my body.

It will get firmer in time.

There’s no need to freak out so soon.

It’s just so hard when you already have mental weight issues…Am I the only one?

This past week I did manage to get back to the gym after 2 weeks of healthy lifestyle hell. I was more food conscious and made some healthier eating choices. I walked the 3 flights up and down at the office more.

This week will be better. I know it will. I’m feeling more conscious of things. I will keep the above freak out in check.

The two most powerful warriors are
patience and time. – Leo Tolstoy

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BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Mamavation.  Two blogging carnival participants will receive a Hydracoach.  Join in on the carnival by answering the following question in your blog post and link back to the Mamavation website.  Link up your post here to share with others.

How do you encourage your children to contribute to your family’s healthy lifestyle?

For my house, I encourage my children to contribute to the family’s healthy lifestyle by:

• having healthier yet enticing family meals, this is also great for time of family bonding
• teaching them to choose healthier foods & always having on hand healthier snacks
• incorporating daily exercise whether it’s participating in a sport or being active at home and play

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV

This post is sponsored by Mamavation and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway.

What Next?

I must admit though, in the beginning, I was a tad worried that my husband and older two kids (11 and almost 10) would be disappointed and think the show would be too childish, weird, or boring. BUT, as soon as the main cast came out, everyone was in awe and kept telling me to take a picture! Little One (4) kept turning excitedly to me asking “Ooh! Mommy, is it real?!”.

Hubby did get a bit irritated by the lady behind us screaming to her other friend down the row and for letting her kid drop m&m’s between his back and chair. I partially blame that on the seat rows being too narrow in depth. I had to be careful of kneeing the back of the head of the person in front of me the whole time!

The costumes were great, the songs were fun to sing along to, and the choreography was great! Ken and Barbie were a bit awkward (yeah…for ALL in my family…Barbie in leotard was a bit weird (and too outlining; was she even wearing panties?). BUT the kids left STILL singing the tunes all the way home.

Feld Entertainment did a great job in producing the show. We look forward to their other shows and recommend that you get tickets the next time they are in town too!

Feld Entertainment, Inc. is the world’s leading producer of live entertainment experiences that lift the human spirit and create indelible memories, with 30 million people in attendance at its shows each year. Feld Entertainment’s productions have appeared in more than 55 countries on six continents and include Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, Feld Motor Sports, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!

• Feld Entertainment Company Profile
• Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
• Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation
• Feld Motor Sports
• Disney On Ice
• Disney Live!

Check out the trailer below and be sure to watch it tomorrow night at 7pm ET as it premieres on the GMC tv channel.

GMC WORLD PREMIERE MOVIE CHRISTMAS WITH A CAPITAL C

STARRING DANIEL BALDWIN AND TED MCGINLEY

AIRS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5 AT 7 P.M. ET

Movie Based on Popular Song “Christmas with a Capital C” by

Contemporary Christian Band GO FISH

Atlanta, GA (November 22, 2010)- GMC, America’s favorite channel for uplifting music and family entertainment, will premiere Christmas with a Capital C, their first GMC World Premiere Christmas movie, on Sunday, December 5 at 7 p.m. ET.  The movie will encore at 9 p.m . ET and 11 p.m. ET.

‘Tis the season to be jolly, but holiday traditions are under attack when lawyer Mitch Bright returns to his hometown of Trapper Falls, Alaska.  Residents of the small town who once looked forward to each year with enthusiasm and taking great care to drape the town with Christmas cheer every season, find themselves in the heat of a legal battle with a former member of their community.  Christmas with a Capital C stars Daniel Baldwin (Cold Case) as Mitch Bright and Ted McGinley (Married with Children) as Mayor Dan Reed.  High School rivalry between the two re-ignite over a Nativity scene in the town square.  Nancy Stafford plays Reed’s wife.  Brad Stine plays Reed’s brother.  The movie is based on the song “Christmas with a Capital C” by the Contemporary Christian band Go Fish.  The Go Fish video for this song has received over 15 million views online.

“Christmas with a Capital C is based on what has been referred to as ‘the war on Christmas,’” said Leslie Chesloff, executive vice president, programming, GMC. “The movie delivers provocative subject matter and rich performances by an ensemble cast of talented actors.  The quaint community and picturesque landscape of Seward, Alaska lent itself beautifully to the storyline of this movie,” she continued.

Christmas with a Capital C is written by Andrea Gyertson Nasfell and directed by Helmut Schleppi.  James Chankin, Michael Scott and David Cuddy are producers. Visit www.watchgmctv.com.

About GMC
GMC (www.watchGMCtv.com), the fastest-growing network in television and the number one digital network in perceived value (source: BETA Research), is America’s favorite channel for uplifting music and family entertainment. Recently, The Parents Television Council™ awarded its Entertainment Seal of Approval™ to GMC for being “an authentic family-friendly cable network.” GMC is the only television network to receive the highly coveted honor in 2010.

GMC can be seen in nearly 48 million homes on various cable systems around the country, on DIRECTV on channel 338 and on Verizon FiOS on channel 224.

We’ve come to the time in the season

When family and friends gather near
To offer a prayer of Thanksgiving
For blessings we’ve known through the year
To join hands and thank the creator
And now when Thanksgiving is due
This year when I count my blessings
I’m thanking the Lord He made you
This year when I count my blessings
I’m thanking the Lord He made you

I’m grateful for the laughter of children
The sun and the wind and the rain
The color of blue in your sweet eyes
The sight of a high ball and train
The moon rise over a prairie
Old love that you’ve made new
This year when I count my blessings
I’m thanking the Lord He made you
This year when I count my blessings
I’m thanking the Lord He made you

And when the time comes to be going
It won’t be in sorrow and tear
I’ll kiss you goodbye and I’ll go on my way
Grateful for all of the years
I thank for all that you gave me
For teaching me what love can do
Thanksgiving day for the rest of my life
I’m thanking the Lord He made you
Thanksgiving day for the rest of my life
I’m thanking the Lord He made you

AboutOne is an online family information management system; ONE place, accessible anytime, anywhere, from any device, (you don’t have to be at home, and you don’t have to be on your own computer) where in just seconds busy moms can store, secure, and manage household information, including health records, possession details, education records, contacts, and family memories – both text and pictures.

AboutOne stores the information with bank-level security. Then, the system automatically uses the information you’ve entered to save you time on family administrative chores like completing school forms, college apps, caregiver instructions, and tax returns, creating family newsletters and scrapbooks, and automatically creating and mailing holiday cards (coming Dec 1). The information is also available, at your fingertips, to make informed decisions and respond quickly to an emergency. (Also coming soon is the ability to automatically create hardcover photo memory books from the memories and stories you’ve entered in AboutOne.)

BUY IT…Try it FREE for 15 days – thereafter it’s only $5/month or $30/year from www.aboutone.com.

OUR THOUGHTS

THE PROS: All of your family’s medical, home, and milestone information is all in one place making quick print outs of information or a family newsletter easy. Household tips and links to coupons for saving money were available throughout the online app.

THE CONS: Lacks calendars, event planning, and list management like to-do’s and grocery lists. It says you can access it anywhere but it appears to be only if you can access a decent web browser.

OVERALL THOUGHTS..For the monthly price of $5 or even $30 or a year’s access, I feel that this application should offer more. While the concept is great and I haven’t yet utilized an online app with medical/home information with family milestones in one place yet, it would be better if I could go to one place to store ALL information (calendar, event planning, to-do lists, grocery lists, and sharing with other family members)  I needed to run an efficient household and an app for use when I’m on the go. The main thing I liked though from the online application was how it stored all medical information for each family member and how easy it would make completing doctor and school forms. If you can’t already tell from my health summary below, I should either live in a bubble or hire a full time maid but of course both are null!

I was given access to this online application as a Review Maven Program reviewer.
I did not receive any other compensation and all opinions are my own.