New Year, New You?

The last vestiges of Christmas are all but gone (these bunnies were given to my lovely young nieces. There is a third bunny with a K on her tummy but I'd already wrapped her before taking this photo).

With the Christmas holiday out of the way, I've had lots of time to think (dangerous for me I realize). I'd love to know what other people think about New Year's Resolutions. I never plan to make 'em, don't even think about 'em in any way until that quiet down time between Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Of course with sickness running through our house and my immune system down yet again, I start thinking about the big issues in life (and unfortunately for me I think about the negatives when I'm sick... so I have to really work at turning that around).

With 2008 looming just hours away, my thoughts keep returning to 2007 ... what I achieved (or didn't), how I feel about my life and where it is headed, etc., etc.

I realize as I grapple with aging, that I also need to live a long life to be with my children and so ... if not for myself, then for them I need to turn some things around -- keep growing and improving if you will.

And so part of me wants to make a New Year's Resolution list (published or unpublished) that would go something like this:

• Finally get our lives in some semblance of order (new calendar, family notebook, etc.),

• Get in shape, exercising regularly,


• Finally get a working budget ... well... working,


• Hone our parenting skills and make our family even better than it is,


• Hone my own thinking skills and finally help my brain work better too!

Now just about anyone could see that that list is just setting me up for a letdown in the new year. Who could do all that? But on the other hand, if I don't make myself the best healthiest me that I can, am I not letting my children down? Lofty thoughts when zillions of folks will just get drunk tonight and lay around with a hangover tomorrow.

So... do you do the resolutions or do you not? To resolve or not to resolve, and how much, that my friends is the question. And by the way, resolutions or no, glad I know ya and Happy New Year 2008 to you and yours!

Mama Zuzi

Don't let the grinches get you down

I was feeling the Christmas spirit in a big way until about 2 days ago when we realized some jerk had thought a good use of their time and energy was to steal our outdoor Christmas light remote box and cut our extension cord while they were at it. Now I'm just trying to not let the B******s get me down. That box was worth all of about $36.00 new and a half an extension cord - how much can you get for that? Maybe they just wanted it for their own. Either way, it sucks. I'm still trying to keep the spirit especially for my children but I'm frustrated and angry too. Any great ideas for not letting the grinches steal my true meaning of Christmas are welcome...

P L E A S E S H A R E ! ! ! ! !

ThankFul Friday

I just have to say today that I have the BEST friends in the world!

Having a wonderful and green-as-we-can-manage holiday has become so much easier by the efforts and thoughtfulness of others, including my Fabulous Friends!

Thanks to the generosity of my friends, I've been able to give and re-give (even better recycled) two prime goodies on my kidlets Christmas lists! Yay! And I managed to help at least one friend to get some old toys out of her house (any parent knows how good that feels)!

We in turn have sold some old toys, and given away some as well. All this kindness and giving just makes me want to give more to those less fortunate. Ahhh the true meaning of Christmas comes shining through.

Hand-me-downs, re-gifting from friends and their older kids, Craigslist, Freecycle, handmade... how are you greening up your holidays, whether they be Solstice, Christmas, Hannukah or other?

PS... who doesn't love The Hannukah song?

Taking stock of stockings

Before my lovely daughter was born, I'd made stockings for our young family (all 3 looked like Dad's),

When the girl was born, I couldn't quite get around to remaking them and of course I couldn't find the right materials to make hers match ours so we used one we'd been given but began to feel badly ... so this year I went to redo both the children's to their liking... above is what the girlie chose! Yup that's pink alright.

However, despite all my efforts and best thinking, once we pulled out the Christmas ornaments and decorations and she found the OLD one we'd been given... she decided it was the one she wants! Go figure!

Ho ho ho, recycled Christmas

O.K. up front I want to say I am not a scrooge. I love Christmas and pretty much always have. There was that one pre-teen year when I breathlessly and expectantly opened my much-desired Michael Jackson cassette tape (yes I said cassette), only to find Hank Williams or some other such country artist inside instead. That was pretty frustrating.

This holiday season I have been thinking how I find commercials which make re-gifting out to be the spawn of the devil, to be ... well let's just say misguided. I admit if you regift a dried out old fruit cake or some hideous unrecognizable bobble-head doll to someone who doesn't specifically have an affinity for those things, that isn't really the spirit of giving. Recycled gifts however, can be! A gift to the person you are giving to as well as to the earth and our shared community. Sometimes less really is more. Sometimes homemade is just better.

To that end, I am a blur of knitting needles and yarn whenever I'm not busy doing something that keeps me from it. I have also begun prepping my youngsters with a new campaign. It goes a little like this...

Santa (who just so happens to live at the North Pole) is getting into recycling! It is a natural I say. The man calls one of the coldest places in the earth home and why wouldn't he want to save it, buying less, recycling more and lowering his footprint? My kids think that's a little weird granted, but they got quiet when I said Santa cares about the polar bears, the penguins and the seals. And I'll just bet they enjoy whatever the jolly man brings, even if it has a small dent on one side or a light that won't light at the top!

And why should we feel bad if the fabulous gift we are giving cost slightly less due to a coupon or a sale? Do we? Do you? It is the gift and the giver's intent that matters most. You are welcome to tell me if you think I'm wrong. Mind you I will also admit that one of the best gifts I ever got was a very expensive digital camera with multiple bells and whistles. The zoom lense -- thankfully -- was pre-owned! :-) The main reason I love that camera is because of what I can do with it, not because of it's cost.

Will I buy a few things directly from a store or online new? Yup but pretty much as few as possible. But I'm doing lots of surfing on Craigslist too. How about you?