Happy Poinsettia Day!

Photo credit: www.ipcblog.org

It’s that time of year where we see Poinsettias everywhere. The kids are selling them at school, they greet you near the front of stores and they make appearances in many people’s homes. I recently discovered that December 12^th is National Poinsettia Day.
Here are a few facts about this day:

·       December 12^th marks the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, an American botanist, physician and minister to Mexico.” In 1828 he sent cuttings of the plant he’d discovered in Southern Mexico to his home in Charleston, South Carolina. The plant is known botanically a Euphorbia Pulcherrima (www.poinsettia.com).

·       The House of Representatives passed a resolution in July of 2002 creating Poinsettia Day to honor Paul Ecke Jr. who is considered the father of the poinsettia industry.

·         “Poinsettias contribute more than $250,000,000 to the U.S. economy.”

·        In Mexico the Poinsettia connects to the “legend of a young girl distraught about not having anything with which to honor the Baby Jesus in a Christmas Procession. An Angel tells her that any gift given with love is a wonderful gift.”

You can find out more about the history of the Poinsettia plant at www.poinsettia.com.

Photo credit: www.comfortandluxury.blogspot.com

 

 

Photo credit: www.1stinflowers.com

 

Do you have a favorite plant of flower that you display during the holiday season?

 

 

How do you spend your Christmas Holiday? 3 tips for a stress free Christmas

Photo credit: www.bigfanboy.com

What are your plans for the Christmas holiday? Will you have family over to your house or will you visit relatives? For the past five or six years relatives come to my house for Christmas dinner.

The relatives have to come to expect fun and games that exceed the laughter of year before. Below is an ode to family members everywhere.

 Relatives at Christmas

It was the week before Christmas and all through the house,
Everybody was stirring, even my spouse.
 

Stockings to stuff, foods to bake,

Sweet Potato pie, even a cake.

The relatives were coming for Christmas dinner,

Games they’ll expect with everyone a winner.
 

Granny will come expecting kids to hug,

Cousins will come looking for someone to bug.

Brother will expect lots of food,

But volunteer to bring pop…really dude?

Uncle will visit- eat then nap,

Comfy on the sofa in his baseball cap.

The big day arrived, everything was ready,

But all the kids wanted was a plate of spaghetti.
 

Out in the driveway there arose such a clatter,

I ran from the house to see what was the matter.

Uncle Joe, Aunt Lue and little baby Norm,

Playing in the snow and honking a horn.

“Come on inside,” I yelled from the door.

They ran right in leaving snow on the floor.

Everyone was ready for Holiday cheer,

Giving thanks for relatives far and near.
 

The night ended with hugs and smiles,

The relatives left and drove for miles.
 

We watched as the last car drove out of sight,

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

 

Whether you are visiting relatives or they are coming to you, here are a few tips to make it through:

 

1.      Have a pot luck dinner, don’t try to do everything yourself.

2.      No need for fine china, use paper products, they’re easy for cleanup.

3.      Plan a few easy/fun games – card games, dominoes, singing competition (finish the lyrics to a Christmas song).

 

What are your tips for a stress free visit with relatives or when having relatives visit you?

 

Confessions of a determined mom

As parents we sometimes have to have determination in order to make it through the day. What does determination look like? It can take on many shapes and forms, kind of like the Wonder Twins from the Super Friends cartoon.

Today parenting through the alphabet takes the shape of the letter ‘d’ and the form of the word “determination.” One of the things parents often fail at is taking time for themselves. I’m including myself in that stastic.

Have you ever been determined to do something?  Here’s a list of things it takes determination to complete:

1.      Getting a child to complete his homework when you want him to, not when he wants to do it.

2.      Squeezing into last winter’s wardrobe.

3.      Doing abdominal crunches when you really want to crunch on snacks.

4.      Sticking to an exercise regime when the results are slow in showing themselves.

My confession - I have tried to stick to a routine workout schedule, but it doesn’t always go smoothly. On my last visit to Planet Fitness I was determined to work hard. I approached the treadmill with my ear buds and bottled water. I set the TV channel to Good Morning America and proceeded to program the other setting on the machine.

As I started walking, I noticed a sign to the right of the settings that read, “Temporarily out of order.” The machine was moving so I ignored the sign. My assumption was that the machine was working and someone forgot to remove the sign. I even jogged a little to increase my workout.
When I was done with my workout the young lady at the desk asked, “Angie why did you get on the treadmill that said out of order?”

“I had already started walking when I noticed the sign. I figured if something was wrong with the machine I would fly off or the machine would stop.”

She just smiled and shook her head. I was determined to increase the intensity of my workout so I wasn’t focused on that little sign. I didn’t feel my safety was in jeopardy.

If I were to activate the Wonder Twin power it would be…form of a healthy mom, shape of a healthy mom who makes time for herself every now and then.

If you’re not familiar with the Wonder Twins below is a clip of them in action.

 

What are you determined to do for yourself?