Ten Things I Am Good At

What 10 things are you really good at?

Here are a few of my own

1. Seeing past every one’s faults and seeing the good.

 

2. Taking time to be with my kids every day. There is not a day that goes by where I am TOO BUSY 

to spend time with them doing things that matter like, listening, playing, enjoying, being in the moment or just holding them. There is nothing more important. The house is going to get dirty, and the TV will always be there.

 

3. Finding time to write. I know a ton of people who tell me they wish they had written in their kids books of firsts, had written letters, documented life experiences, or whatever. There is time. Just do it.

 

4. Taking pictures of my children. Loads of people tell me I take great pictures. They want to know how I know how to get the light or how to capture that moment. The truth is, I have no idea what goes into taking a fabulous picture. I am mostly just trying to capture the moment so I can live it again and again.

 

5. Keeping up with my family. I honestly think that if I didn’t make attempts to reach out to them, I would never know what was going on in any of their lives.

 

6. Technical stuff. I am not the smartest person in the world but I can figure out how to use a camera, set a VCR, hook things up to the computer or TV, hook the computer up to the TV, download from my cameras to the computer and burn it to a disk, etc. I wish I had more time to hold an in house class for the many women I know who can’t figure out how to load pictures to the computer, or once loaded where are they? I hear these questions so often.

 

7. Talking on the phone. Just ask my husband.

 

8. Making a good pot of coffee. Ask any coffee drinker and they will tell you just how important this is.

 

9. Researching information. I am an expert computer surfer. Ask me to find you something and I can turn it out. I love while talking on the phone, someone can bring something, anything up and I can Yahoo, Google, or whatever them an answer in less than 60 seconds.

 

10. Being happy, not sweating the small stuff. Easier said than done but I have become such an expert at just concentrating on things that I can change and not wasting time on things I have no power of that I scare myself sometimes.

Check Out These Live Animal Camera! You Never Know What You Will See

At least three times a week Goddess comes over, sits on my lap and says "mom can we search out pictures and videos of cute animals?" I love those moments because I know as she gets older, she is 8 now, she will not be looking to spend time with me. Most of the time we find something that makes us saw awwww....but other times we find ourselves learning more about animals we love. We love LIVE cams and have spent the past 3 years watching Eagle nests.

Animal Planet is a favorite and we were thrilled to find Animal Planet L!VE. 

Ant Cam
apl.tv/leaf-cutter-ants.htm

Beluga Cam
apl.tv/explore-beluga-whales.htm

Calf Cam
apl.tv/calves.htm

Chick Cam
apl.tv/chicks.htm

Cockroach Cam
apl.tv/cockroaches.htm

It is really cool and Goddess will sit and watch for hours or keep coming back every once in a while to check and see what else is going on. We are leaving one of the computers on with a cam all day. You never know what you are going to see. Personally I like the relaxing images of the Sea Nettle Cam.

Enjoy!

Take Care Of Your Body Odor Naturally

As my children are getting older, checking into safe deodorant has been important to me. Eventually Handsome and Goddess will need to use deodorant daily as many of my friends children are already doing so. It was only last month that I was talking to a dear friend of mine about my fears of deodorant and aluminum used in many brands. She mentioned that her 11 year old was using it already and had been. Honestly, I was surprised when she didn't seem bothered by the fact that her daughter was using a deodorant with aluminum or knew the dangers of it. While there isn't enough scientific evidence to support that aluminum causes breast cancer, there are links to other things like aluminum toxicity. If nothing else, many people do have allergic reactions to aluminum and since my kids are allergic to so many things, I have been searching out natural deodorants for them that are hypoallergenic.

I think I found one that is not only aluminum free and hypoallergenic but also works!

  

I love it and have been using it for 5 days now. For the past 20 years I have been saying that there is only one deodorant that works for me and have faithfully used it. It is not true! This works!

Naturally Fresh also has a Spray Mist that is the liquid version of the crystal deodorant. It is 100% natural and gentle. Handsome has some stinky feet after gym. A quick spritz in the morning and he we don't keel over when he takes off his sneakers.  He has taken it to his room and sprays his feet after his nightly shower and before putting on his socks in the morning.

My favorite product from Naturally Fresh so far has been MoistStic! It is an awesome lip balm that smells wonderful and heals my dry lip issue. Perfect to toss in my bag and take with me when I head out for the day. I reapply at least 3 times a day and love the way my lips feel. I am completely hooked.

How I Ran My First Giveaway - My How Things Have Changed

August 5, 2008

Well, this morning we held the official drawing for my very first giveaway. It was so much fun and I can’t wait to hold another one. I printed out everyone’s comments, cut them up, folded them, put them in the Official Box or in this case an empty coffee can/plastic thingy.
Here is how it went down……………….


Be on the look out for more giveaways from this blog and my other blogs.

Summer Time Memory

• Summer at Red Pond with my Mom, Dad and Sisters. There is nothing like eating breakfast cooked over a BBQ.
• Ice cream at Jamos.
• Heading down the Jersey Shore with my girlfriends.
• Wildwood’s “watch the Tram Car Please“
• Summer at my cousin Carol’s in Staten Island.
• Hanging at the lake with my husband and kids last year.
• Drive in Movies with my parents.
• Vermont with my very first best friend Peggy and learning how to swim.
• Bike riding all over the universe with my sisters on summer vacation.
• Going to the park all day and laying on the merry-go-r0und spinning around until I thought I was going to puke.
• Bunking down in one room to sleep because there was only 1 air conditioner and loving every minute of it.
• Spending a summer with my cousins in Long Island and feeling like I was part of a big family, living with a mother and a father.
• Teaching bible school with a bunch of other teens and having the best time.
• Drinking beers out of a trunk and listening to music in the swamps of New Jersey.
• Camping for 2 nights in the back of my boyfriend’s car with a bunch of people I didn’t know and having the time of my life listening to Creedence Clearwater and Springsteen all weekend long. I can’t listen to either of them and not think about that crazy weekend.

What are some of your Summer Time Memories?

Big Brother’s Got Your Back

Originally written about Handsome taking care of his sister on June 5, 2008

Yesterday I took the kids to the Elementary School Park to play for an hour. It was about 5:00 and I figured it would be pretty empty. It was my first time going there and figured we would try it out.

I told the kids if they listened while there and left when I said it was time that I would take them back. They were awesome. There was no problem when I told them it was time and they walked hand in hand to the car. Cute.

 

When we got there, there were about 8 kids between the ages of 5 and 12 with not a single parent in sight. Not a good sign. I refuse to be responsible for strangers kids and prayed no one would get hurt because I wanted to have fun with mine.

 

The kids were rude and obnoxious to my kids which was a little surprising considering I was right there. A few times they refused to let my kids get on or off the slide and one of them wanted to scare my kids when they came down the slide “Here come the little kids” was spoken more often than not in the 15 minutes we were all together or not. I just kept telling my two to say “excuse me” and pass down the ladder. I had to tell them to let my kids off the ladder 5 times. Annoying.

 

What I loved the most of seeing these obnoxious few was how protective my son was with my daughter.

 

He would walk up the steps, half block the way, let his sister pass in front of him by putting his hand on her shoulder and then take up the rear. He was very aware these kids were rude and he wanted to make sure nothing happened to her. “Watch for Goddess” he would say as she passed by. I loved watching him take on the big brother role. So sweet to see it at such a young age.

Journaling In 2005 - It Truly Is The Small Things

Today was a great day. Why? Well it really is something so small it almost seems silly to make such a big deal about it but to me it really is special. 

 

Today, my husband, The Teach, soul-mate, dude, man, baby daddy, friend, and occasional thorn in my side took us to the park. I have been asking for this for the past year and a half. 

 

I took Handsome there every day last year. I would mention to The Teach what a great time Handsome would have in the hopes that he would be unable to NOT join us the next time. He never would. There were quite a few fights about this and he would say that there would be plenty of time for the park but it just never seemed like he was making any. 

 

This morning I mentioned a convo that I had yesterday with two girlfriends. They were talking about men and how most don’t want to do things with their families. I said that not all men were like that and that I believed that when my kids were a little older The Teach would have a lot more interest in doing things with them. His selective hearing button must have not been working because he said “maybe we will go to the park this afternoon”. 

 

Forcing myself to not jump out of my seat with a joyous “yippy” I simply said, “Handsome would love that.” He headed outside saying he had some things to do and the kids and I headed to the deck.

He started building a new bridge for our creek and I played with the kids until Handsome wanted to go inside. While heading in, The Teach said “call me at 2:00 and we will leave for the park. I still didn’t believe it would happen.

 

When we finally got to the park, I found some shade and watched my two boys running, swinging, sliding, and climbing. All the things that Handsome NEEDS to do, and NEEDS to spend some time with Daddy. 

 

Handsome had an awesome time and the Goddess and I made a friend. Another mom with a 4 1/2 month old was there and we exchanged numbers to get together next week. It is the weirdest thing; I have given my number to complete strangers just because we have kids the same age. This is the only time you can have a five minute conversation with a stranger and hand over your number without wanting a free meal or a roll in the hay. It really is strange.

 

As we left the park with the baby girl screaming in the back and my son drinking water in his car seat, I looked over at my husband and thought that he was the hottest person alive. Like I said, it truly is the little things.

 

Posted by mgagliano

Can't Wait Willow by Christy Ziglar

The 411 by Maria:

I totally agree with the writer of Can't Wait Willow, at least in my house, I am forever telling my kids to learn patience. They want everything now and neither knows how to wait. They ask for something, I tell them in a second, or give me 5 minutes but they either ask again or try to do it themselves, usually something that they should do, climbing to get something, and the possibility of injury. Ugh it is never ending.  Or then we have the other side of the coin where I have to remind them that they NEED to make a decision for themselves.  It is very confusing to kids. Do this, don't do that. Just  this weekend in fact I told my son that he needed to do something for himself because my job is to make them independent and not to have to count on others. Poor kid doesn't know if he is coming or going sometimes.

When I was a kid, mom and dad were never home so we pretty much took care of ourselves. We decided when to go outside, when to play, what to watch on the one TV with 8 channels and managed just fine. Today, kids have so many choices, mom and dad are for the most part always there to help.

In Can't Wait Willow, a little girl can't wait to go to the fair. She heads out to go but in her excitement ends up spending all her money on other things she wants without leaving anything for her tickets or the cotton candy she has been longing for.

Thanks to a loveable fellow in a top hat she is given a second chance with a gift of two tickets and she learns the valuable lesson of saying no to a small, quick fix of fun to holding out for the big, long lasting prize.

Great story for kids about saving, patience, and weighing the benefits can change the course of your day when you think about your decisions. Sometimes thinking with our heart is easier than our head but not always wiser.

A good lesson for all.

Flood by Alvaro F. Villa

The 411 by Maria:

Flood is a perfect book to enter into the discussion of possible disaster that can affect any of our lives at anytime.  The story is about a family preparing for a storm and deciding that their best course of action is to leave the home they love. This turns out to be the right move as their home is damaged by the storm. When they return they rebuild and move on with their lives.

The illustrations showcase emotion from their nice life before the storm, the storm, their fear of leaving their home, and their return. Hope, realization, sadness, and finally hope again all shine through the wordless book.

My Goddess and I have read this book a few times which is odd to say since there are zero words in the book.  The story is completely narrated by the reader which I find quite unique. Leaving openness for those reading to create their own dialogue fitting to their situation.

See the book 9:49 

Are Your Dreams Unfulfilled?

Growing up I wanted to be a nurse. My mother had been sick with cancer when I was 11 years old. I watched all these loving nurses come in her life. All of them had a special something. Something that made you want to be just like them. They made my mother feel better, she seemed calmer and more relieved when they were there. Whether they were giving her pain medication, changing her sheets, or making her comfortable in her bed all while smiling at her 3 children who sat there, watching not knowing what to do for her.
I wanted to be that person. I wanted to help someone like I hadn’t been able to help my mother. From the age of 12 I knew what I wanted and told anyone who would listen.
There are so many reasons why this never happened. Some of it is can be read here and here.

Beside these reasons, moving out so young, having no support, financial or emotional, I basically got a job that I hated and never wanted to pay the bills and that dream just slipped away.

Looking back now, I think I would have been a terrific nurse but I also believe it would have been something that changed me as a person. I tried Hospice when I was younger and it killed me to see people dying. I believe that everything happens for a reason so I don’t look at this as a regret just something that I had wanted.

Now, I get to play nurse for my two babies. Someone gets hurt and there I am with my medi- kit. Ready to scoop someone up and clean, bandage, ice, hug, remove or kiss the boo-boo. I am the best damn nurse mommy I can be.

So, is this REALLY an unfulfilled dream? I feel like in a way I am living it, just not the way I had originally envisioned.

My Wish

Who doesn’t wish for things? Who doesn’t wish that things could be different or wish we had more time with loved ones? 

The women in the picture is my mother circa 1956. I wish I knew who the guy was. I know this was her prom and I wish I had that dress. My mom died when I was 12. I wish I had more time to get to know her.  I wish I could know her as a women,  not a wife, daughter or sister but the Diane the women.

I wish that I could pick up a phone and call her. I wish I could remember her voice, how she smelled, how she felt.

I wish I could feel that mother love. The love that only your mother can give you.

I wish I knew if she was proud of me. I wish I could see her hold my children. I wish my children could know their grandmother. I wish I could tell her “I love you” and hear it back.

I wish I had another day, another hour, another minute with her. I wish she were here!!!

Beach Bag Book: Player By Laura DeLuca

I never get to read at the beach because I have two littles under 10 that I watch like a hawk but I know many people who read and certainly look forward to the day I can. If you are like many of my friends, you are generating a list of possible beach reads for the shore, pool, or lakeside runs coming up put this on your list.

The 411 by Maria:

2 days and done! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Josh is a pretty popular guy. Handsome, athletic and had money. The girls love him and he has no problem juggling a few until he falls in love with Rosa his lab partner.  Wow Laura, great job on this mega teen drama. So many characters and I was never sure who the killer was although I considered the "real" killer about half a dozen times only to be thrown off.  Not really a fan of mystery, I loved all the twists and turns of this story (246 pages).
This is a page turner for sure. Josh, his best friend, the glam one, the goth one, the catholic school girl and a spare. When one of the girls shows up dead, Josh's tires are slashed, he is poisoned and notes containing poems are left for him about more potential kills, Josh must figure out who the killer is before they strike again and take another person because of him.

Laura definitely is a great story teller and this is a great book for young and old.

Morrigan - REVIEW

The 411 by Maria:

Let me start with this. I opened the book and there was a glossary of book terms. Now I know a lot of folks love this but I am not one of those folks. This immediately turns me off and I thought, this was going to end up being a chore to read. Man was I wrong.

 There are werewolves, witches, shifter, guardians, and fairies mixed into a modern tale that connects the fantasy world with the modern world complete with a love story to span the ages. That is what Morrigan was for me. Morrigan is a young girl who has been in foster care her whole life until she hears a distance voice calling her and telling her that someone was coming to guide her home. Morrigan is a Princess in another world and that world needs her back.

I have read other Laura Deluca novels like Destiny, Destiny Unveiled, Phantom, and Jessica  and I think this was my favorite so far and it was the only one I was unsure I wanted to read.

There were many favorite parts of the book but mostly I loved how Laura always had me guessing, would good win over evil? Who is evil, who is good? I flip flopped so many times.

Great read. Superb fantasy.