Mom’s Christmas Wish List

So I may have not gotten everything on my list,but we had a great Christmas!

Written by Alyssa Banko

Published in SCV Health &Family Magazine January 2013
A publication of The Signal

I so enjoy this time of year.  The holiday season brings decorating,shopping,baking,entertaining and just spending quality time with family and friends but…it’s also that time of year when moms everywhere tend to get a few more grey hairs,see more pounds appear on the scale,search aimlessly for sales,lose their tempers in long lines and rack their brains to find the perfect gifts.

Face the facts,it’s the moms that pull the holidays off perfectly.  Cards are mailed,gifts are shipped,cookies are made and decorations look great.   When Christmas morning finally arrives,the kids are grinning ear to ear (because mom proved successful with their lists),husbands are delighted (since they really didn’t have to do a darn thing and they received awesome gifts),and moms are snapping pictures and enjoying the moment (looking like total crap,depleted of their last ounce of energy and relieved the day has finally arrived.)

As I sit and open my gifts of pajamas and slippers,homemade gifts and maybe a new sweater,I think about how much I truly love the gifts from my family BUT I dream about those things I REALLY want.  Those are things I really can’t put on a Christmas list but can merely only fantasize about.   Santa,I haven’t been a naughty mom but a pretty darn good one,for the most part.  Sure,maybe I do some whining and complaining at times and yell a little more than I should but all in all,I’ve done a heck of a job this year.

I’ve logged thousands of miles on my car,laundered piles upon piles of clothes,lugged hundreds of cases of drinks into the garage, spent many days cheering on my kids, and going from one appointment to the next.  The folks at the grocery store know me by name,I’m a wonderful maid,I take pride in serving breakfast for dinner and manage to keep the family pets alive and well.

Maybe it IS time to share my real Christmas wish list,after all,I’m really not asking for that much.  Below are the top 10 items that make my list.

To have just a few more hours in every day.A week of not having to drive the kids ANYWHERE!For my kids to understand the true meaning of “listen.”Chores to be completed without me having to ask.One day of week of no fighting,screaming or yelling.An hour a week to sit and read in my jammies,under a fuzzy blanket on the couch rather than between pick-ups.A clean and uncluttered house for me to stare at for just an hour.To walk in the laundry room and see that there’s nothing to wash.A refrigerator full of prepared food that can be ready in an instant by just pushing start on the microwave.And lastly,it would really be nice not to have the crappiest phone in the house out of six people.  It seems as though mom ‘s is the only phone never ready for an upgrade!

And Santa,one more thing,if my stocking could be filled with a magic potion to zap away my muffin top and thin out my butt and thighs,I would be forever grateful.

Happy Holidays to all!

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Do We Compliment Our Kids Too Much?

January 13,2013 | Written By: Nicole | Categories:Family Platoon,Nicole's Camp,Parenting Tactics,School |

When I was growing up my mother was a big complimenter.  “Honey,you did such a nice job.  You did great.  You’re so smart.  You’re so amazing…”  My dad,on the other hand,rarely complimented me.  “93%?  Why wasn’t it 100%?  Are you satisfied with that?  Is that really your best?  Not bad.  Now what are you going to do?”  In the end,my dad’s reaction did a lot more to push me to try harder than my mother’s compliments.

My husband’s boss is one of three brothers,all of whom are at the top of their field.   One brother is one the most highly regarded doctors in the country.  The second is a major political figure.  The third is the head of one of the largest media companies in the world.  When asked what drove them to reach for such success they say that as kids they were never complimented.  If they brought home all A’s,their mom and dad would simply shrug their shoulders and say ,now what.

My oldest son got his report card for last semester this week.  I told him that I wanted him to present them to Dad and me,as opposed to us simply looking it over.  He needed to tell us the grade,how he arrived at that grade,what he needed to do better,and his plans for improvement.  I figured it would make him accountable for each and every grade.

Additionally,we tried not to compliment him on the elements that showed improvement.  Instead,we asked him what areas he felt good about and what he felt bad about.  No parental stroking of the ego on this one.

It’s not that I think compliments are bad,but compliments should be specific.  “I love the dedication you’re showing with your studies this year.”  “I thought you explained your point about the blahblahblah in your essay really well.”  “Your math homework is so much easier for me to read!”  These let the kids know they’re on the right track,but don’t feed them perfunctory praise,nor give them an inflated sense of themselves.

Have you ever noticed how the moment you give your kids a compliment,they often start to act up?  But when you are a little passive in your response,they seem to want your attention and approval all the more?

And have you ever noticed how well behaved your kids are after you’ve spent some quality time with them?  In my household,the compliments accomplish very little,but the time spent together makes all the difference in the world.

www.mommywarriors.com

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New Reality Series – Big Rich Atlanta

January 9,2013 | Written By: Alyssa | Categories:All About Videos!,Entertainment,For Moms,Found Videos |

Lookout all you Housewives fans,there’s a new reality series coming to the StyleNetwork…

Big Rich Atlanta,is a show about the exclusive world of Atlanta’s Buckhead Country Club,where outrageously wealthy mothers and daughters do whatever it takes to stay on top of the social scene and in control of the action. It’s hot,it’s humid,and it’s full of drama.  Georgia’s mother-daughter duos are nothing but peaches–but are they peachy keen on each other?  Big Rich Atlanta premieres Wednesday,Jan. 23rd at 8/7c on Style.

Take a look at the series peek clip below.

Starting Wednesday,Jan. 16th,fans can watch the full premiere of Big Rich Atlanta early on StyleNetwork.com before the official television premiere.

Wow,all I can say is that I guess I should be thankful I am a mom to 3 sons and only 1 daughter!

MommyWarriors

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