MamaManagement

It's December 2nd, and the holiday season is officially in full swing. We've all just survived Thanksgiving, only to be thrown head first into the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza/December Land of Craziness. This is normally the season of stress, anxiety, and overwhelm for me. At least it has been since I had kids. In years past, I've started slipping down this stress-slope in September, with back-to-school. I pick up some serious speed as we careen through autumn and Halloween, fall on my butt come November as I attempt to write 50,000 words of a new book in NaNoWriMo, and then "handle" Thanksgiving. Finally, I crawl toward the New Year's finish line, bedraggled and beaten, while simultaneously creating a fantastic birthday for my daughter and a memorable Christmas for all. And, sadly, most every year, I am blindsided by all of this. Sigh. I know. If it happens every year and I, theoretically, know it's coming, how can I be blindsided? Your guess ...

Oh my Lord, it's December, people! The month when my brain goes a mile a minute during all of the minutes. The season when I am forever remembering that I've forgotten something. (How is it even possible to be constantly in a state of both forgetting and remembering??? It's like having my feet in two different dimensions at the same time. In one version of reality I am remembering everything--Yay; in the another version I am forgetting everything--Boo. (I hope there's a third reality where I'm just napping and reading and drinking coffee.) Fifteen minutes ago, I checked out twice at Target because the first time I forgot a gift card-- the gift card that was my main purpose for going to Target in the first place...and this was my third trip to Target in the last seven days. (insert eye roll here-- Target you are a blessing and a curse.) But my brain did not just short circuit on December 1st, oh no. That happened on November 24th... We visited my in-laws f...

Okay folks. Have you ever had one of those "Oh Crap!" feelings that comes with the realization that not only do you need to find something to wear to a party, you also need to come up with an appetizer to bring with you? And, of course, there's no time to get it all done with the chaos of kids at your feet. (Or maybe you just don't feel like chopping and mixing…) Well, though I can be of absolutely no help with what you should wear to the party (I have NOTHING either to wear either!), I can help with what appetizer to bring. And while I have lots of super yummy apps (the ones you eat, not the ones on your phone), this one is by far the easiest. And, absolutely every time I have ever served this dish people rave about it and ask for the recipe. When I tell them, they almost never believe me that it's this simple. But it is. And it's *that* good too. Trust me. Before I give you the easiest (yet deliciously impressive) party appetizer recipe you'll ever h...

PUDDING REINDEER! Hello super adorable chocolate pudding reindeer! I mean seriously, these are too cute! I made them for my daughter's party at preschool and served them with powdered sugar donut hole "snowballs". So fun! They are really easy to make, though they do take a little time, but it's mindless enough work that it can be done while watching HGTV or Food Network…though I don't recommend wielding a hot glue gun with any shows you get too involved in--I don't want anyone getting hurt! Here's what you need to make your own Pudding Reindeer: - pudding cups - pipe cleaners - google eyes (peel and stick, if you have them) - something for red noses; I cut circles from red foam sheets, but you could use felt, constructions paper, fake berries, fuzzy balls, whatever. - scissors - hot glue gun Stick two google eyes to each pudding cup. Cut out your red noses from whatever material you're using. Hot glue noses to the cups with just a ...

I am a gigantic ball of stress. My shoulders are up by my ears. I have a tension headache radiating up from the knots in my neck. I will likely develop TMJ from my tightly clenched jaw. I am in an almost constant state of shockingly frenzied to-do-list panic. I yell way more than I find acceptable. "Help." I call quietly from the center of my being. "Help me, please." Somebody pull me out of this crazed state of overwhelmingness. Somebody take away my computer and my phone. Somebody take away the iPad and the TV from the kids. Somebody hide my planner and my to-do lists. Somebody grab me by the shoulders and look me in the eye and tell me sternly to just stop. Stop shopping online at all hours. Stop with the Christmas cards and the Christmas calendar. Stop yelling at the kids for being crazy kids and driving me nuts. Stop being driven nuts by my children only because I'm already overwhelmed. Stop with the decorating. Stop with the errand running and the ...

My most recent foray into the world of crafting for my kids was an incredibly simple project that went over surprisingly well with the kiddos...especially my 3 1/2 year old. Here's how it came about... A few weeks back I spent a little time working toward my long-standing goal of cleaning out and reorganizing our office/library. Every so often I get inspired and make a little headway...only to get distracted a short time later. Which is why this has been on my to-do list for somewhere around a year...or at least since January. Anyway, I was cleaning out some piles and drawers when I came across a pile of Christmas cards from last year. Obviously, during the annual January putting away of Christmas decorations I had simply piled up all the cards and stuck them in a corner...where they sat until July, when I randomly pulled them out. As usual, I had meddling kids at my feet while attempting this library clean-out, and they got interested when they saw this stack of cards.....