Mama's Musings

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

The sound of coloring filled the kitchen air. It was concentrated work. Santa was coming soon, and the kids had to be prepared. A list, a wish, a hope, and a dream.

My children, ages 7 and 9 1/2, believe in Santa Claus.

Macy's is partnering with Make-A-Wish foundation. For every letter to Santa they receive in their designated mailbox in Macy's stores nationwide, Macy's will donate to the Make-A-Wish foundation.

In preparing for this post, the folks at Macy's reminded me of the story Virginia O'Hanlon who wrote to New York Sun editor Francis P. Church in 1897 to ask if there truly was a Santa Claus. The story reminds me of the innocence my children still possess - the unjaded, unabashed joy of belief and wonder.

The most poignant part of the editor's kind response reads:

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus...The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see.

So it got me to thinking about all the things we believe in that we cannot see. Apart from the obvious (God), we also cannot see music, oxygen or happiness. We can only see the effects of these things. But they are as real as our favorite tune, the air we breathe, and the feeling on Christmas morning when our sleepy-eyed children awaken to the magic of love, generosity, and forgiveness.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. May he reside in your heart this day and always...

Manfred coming alive

According to the Washington Post, scientists have successfully reconstructed 2/3 of the wooly mammoth genome. Wow. Wonder if Manfred from ICE AGE fame will be lumbering down the path at the zoo when I take the grandkids in thirty years...

Unhappiness and TV linked

We all want our kids to grow up to be happy individuals. Yet, everytime I tell them "No, you can't watch TV for another consecutive hour. Get up, go to the door, and discover the oxygen outside this house," they balk. Like breathe fresh air, people, and stop begging me to fulfill your digital addiction (slight hypocrasy aside - I mean I live from my computer work, ok?)

Thanks be to John P. Robinson and sociologist pal Steven Martin. No joke. After culling through 34 years of time-diary data, they discovered what we moms already know.

Unhappy people watch more TV.

Now, that's not to say that TV makes you unhappy. I've been known to hunker down once a week to watch my reality show about young singing talents behind the scenes. TV consumption just has no lasting benefits (and if you've ever indulged in too many chips while watching the playoffs, you'll know which lasting effects that can have on you...).

So I'm back to my point about limiting my kids' TV viewing. It doesn't make you happy. And neither do the false advertising promises fulfill their long-term vision of what happy people look like.

Amen John P. and company. Glad to know you're on our side.

Digital Mothering

How many of us moms rely on gadgets to grow the kids? I'm not sure. Yes, I have a cell phone, which I use for business so my mobile office makes me feel less guilty whilst standing on the soccer field sidelines cheering for my kids instead of working on behalf of clients. Other than that, I don't use a digital calendar because, quite frankly, I don't know how to get our WLAN working. So we've resorted to the paper kind you get for free at year-end when companies unleash their marketing tools to the kitchen walls across the nation.

Or PDA's. Nope, don't use one of those since I sold my Palm Pilot for a song on eBay.

But I do use a GPS when I drive my husband's car. But that's usually for business because my driving radius for the kids involves jaunts to the grocery store, athletic field or occasional stray friend's house who forgot where he lives and thinks lunch at our house is cooler anyway.

So I don't mother digitally. I wouldn't know how. Does hiding the remote control from the children so they limit their TV viewing count?

Weigh in. I want to know.

Top Ten Tween Unplugged Toys #5

The holidays are a season of light, love and giving. Heifer International offers the perfect solution for families to give the gift of life to others through their sustainability program. You can purchase part of or all of an animal that goes to families in need throughout the world for just a few dollars. You can pass the gift along to others by stating their offspring should go to another family in need as well. Teach your children the reason for the season with this gift idea.

Built on twelve cornerstones, the Heifer design supports sustainable lifestyles for all.

Heifer founder Dan West said "Give not a cup, but a cow". You can found out how at www.Heifer.org.

Music Review: Rebecca Martin's 'The Growing Season'

Take the surface of a Baby Grande, add a hint of honey or a splash of swirling Merlot, and what do you get? Rebecca Martin in 'The Growing Season". A critically acclaimed album, 'The Growing Season' is a blend of Diana Krall meets Katie Melua. It is rhythmic and soulful and downright inspiring.

Influenced by Rebecca’s roles as a mother and community organizer, ‘The Growing Season’ offers “sophisticated” (Jazz Times) songs of peace and growth for a changing America that, in this historic moment in time, are more significant than ever.

Listen to “Make the Days Run Fast” here.

The birth of her son Charlie James, now three, motivated Martin to take an active role as a community organizer in Kingston, NY, building a neighborhood civic group now known as Kingston Citizens.

Rebecca Martin explains: "My work in music and the community are one in the same, they are both a public service requiring ongoing care and a clear intention. Both are truth-seeking tasks. Both can transform the way people think and act in the world.”

Amen to that, sister! As a writer, who is also a mom, I feel the very same way.

Together, these influences are woven into the seamless narrative of ‘The Growing Season,’ which incorporates “diverging routes to wisdom and fulfillment” (Jazz Times) to create a very personal album that is both meaningful and tuneful.

A Bavarian in Heaven

My editor just sent me this link. If you speak German, you'll understand...If you're Bavarian, even more so!

The Art of a Good Frolic

Have you had a good frolic lately? I mean a happy-go-lucky stomp in the woods to your favorite tunes? Or a romp about town just for the heck of it?

Frolicking is clearly underrated. And so needed. So if you haven't frolicked (in German it sounds similar - frohlocken, literally happy luring or rejoice), do so. Then tell me how it was for you.

Power to the frolicking people.

Peace.

Top Ten Tween Unplugged Toys #4

Perhaps it is a bit of a misnomer to call this recommendation a 'toy,' but as any parent of a teenager knows, they start to believe your car is their plaything early enough.

Give the gift of driver safety this year. Allstate Insurance Company has developed a driving contract to encourage safe teen driving.

Allstate’s interactive Parent-Teen Driving Contract is directly for driving age teens (15-19), however, it's never too early to start education tweens about safe driving, too. It is the greatest gift parents can give to their children for the holidays. Check out details here. For a copy of the contract, click on Download 7_parentteen_driving_contract_image_1.pdf

Book Review: ADD/ADHD Drug Free

Does your kid have a hard time paying attention? Do you ever feel as though what you say goes in one ear and out the other? Help is on the way. Whether your child has attention deficit disorder or some variation (and in this day and age, don't we all?), this book is for you.

ADD/ADHD Drug Free: Natural Alternatives and Practical Exercises to Help Your Child Focus by Frank Jacobelli and L.A. Watson is a terrific guide to help parents learn better, drug-free ways of dealing with their unconcentrated child. The book has two parts: an explanation of various challenging behaviors and a workbook section for the best approach suitable to your child. The neat thing is this book helps you find out what type of learner your child is. What I liked the most was the strength survey in the middle of the book to determine what type of learner your child is. I was quite surprised to find out that my daughter tends to be a visual/spatial and musical/rhythmic learner (of course, she sings at the top of her lungs for most of her waking hours...) The survey questions was a little too challenging for my seven-year-old son whose athletic prowess beats his academic strengths by far, but my nine-year-old was able to answer the questions without trouble. ADD/ADHD Drug Free will continue to be a great resource as my kids face challenges at school, with friends, and, yes, with Mom, too.