Triple Good Friday

Today is the Friday leading into Memorial Day Weekend. Memorial day is when we remember our soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice and gave their lives for their country, a cause, and their friends. So, before I get to my Friday "Good Things", a moment of silence.

(silence)

Now, the good things on this Friday - all work related.

2. Early release from work this afternoon. Done at 3pm. 'nuff said.

3. Wearing a new T-shirt for casual day in the office. You may know that I have a lot of t-shirts. I love a shirt that makes me laugh. I dislike shirts that are souvenirs from locations where I've never been... people give me those sometimes. This one is a souvenir shirt, from a place I have been, that also makes me laugh, and is awesome. It's the trifecta of t-shirts.

1. It's Grilled Cheese Monday (on Friday) - this requires a brief explanation. Everyone is supposed to bring some type of cheese, bread or something to add in the sandwiches. Some people bring George Foreman grills or other types of sandwich-grill-press-thingers. We all enjoy these together around lunch.


BONUS: It's International Towel Day (of course)

No Sweat!

Life is often like making a movie, sometimes we need more than one take to get it just right. When we make mistakes along our journey through life, we can choose to have a "do over" if you will. We can learn from the err of our ways, stop looking back, and move ahead with a new attitude and a fresh perspective.

As a mom, I have made plenty of mistakes ~ yelling too much, losing my patience easily, and forgetting to live in the moment. Moments in mothering go by in a flash. Most special memories are often captured in photos and videos, but the little day to day things often go unnoticed. Unless of course, they are things that cause us to worry, fret, or question our decisions as a parent.

We need to let go of these nagging little worries, and we can do so with the help from a new book from the Don't Sweat the Small Stuff series, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Moms: Simple Ways to Stress Less and Enjoy Your Family More" by Kristine Carlson. Here at the 3 Things Blog, just one of us is a mom but that's OK because many of the ideas in the book can apply to anyone even my partner-in-blogging, Brian. Although he is not a parent, Brian is an uncle to two cute nephews, and a son to one awesome mom. Hmmm . . . maybe I should send him a copy of the book. Nah, he can get a sneak peak at the first chapter, and so can you. Just fill in this short form and if you read to the very end of this post, you will get the chance to win a free copy of the book. Now that's a good thing! No fair skipping ahead to the giveaway, first take a look at my 3 Good Things about this read:

2. Advice for all This book offers tips and suggestions for all kinds of moms - new moms, single moms, moms of tweens and teens, even empty nest moms and grandmas too. Carlson's advice is cultivated by her own experiences with motherhood combined with personal accounts from friends as well as information from experts. There also is an useful resource section at the end of the book.

3. Short Snippets Carlson knows moms. We are a busy lot, and might not always have the time to sit down for a few hours with a good book. She breaks the book into 100 brief, but informative, chapters for easy reading. This format suits my nighttime habit of reading a bit in bed before falling asleep. The format also allows the reader to select which chapters to read at random depending on one's needs, interests, or time constraints.

1. Imperfect is OK The very first chapter of this book is by far one of my favorites ~ There is No Such Thing as a "Perfect" Mom. I wholeheartedly agree! Carlson encourages moms to be authentic: to acknowledge mistakes, learn from them, and apologize for them if necessary. She writes,"When we make space for imperfection and mistakes, we give our kids a chance to deepen themselves and become more true to themselves and real as they grow up. Abandoning perfectionism is such a relief for us, and them."

Now that you've listened to my take on this terrific little book, it's your chance to win a free copy. How? Just leave a comment in the comment box below this post by Sunday, May 27. If you're not sure how to do that, check out the How to Comment section in the sidebar on the right. One reader will be randomly chosen as a winner on Memorial Day (Monday, May 28) - just in time for a little summer reading. Good luck!

Disclaimer: For purposes of this review and giveaway, I received a free copy of the book as part of the "I'm a Don't Sweat Mom" campaign.

Oh Snap! Mother's Day Recap

Mother's Day has come and gone, and everyone and everything is back to usual around here as in someone needs help with this, someone needs a ride there, and someone (oh, that would be!) needs to prepare that for dinner! All in all it was a pleasant Mother's Day. I did not have to cook, I received some thoughtful and useful gifts, and I had the chance to relax a bit on a Sunday afternoon. Sometimes the day can be overrated as far as holidays go, but all and all it was a good day. Here's a recap:

2. Good eats!

T and Miss O baked some homemade scones for breakfast, and there were leftovers for me to enjoy for the rest of the week too! T also made dinner - a shrimp, tomato, and orzo dish, and a homemade chocolate cream pie for dessert. The pie was quite tasty, much different than this chocolate "fruit" pie Brian posted on his FB page the other day.

3.Good gifts from the heart! Cards and stories from the kids, and a really sweet necklace made by Miss O. I proudly wore it to church that morning, and the next day too.

1. The two best reasons to celebrate the day! Without these precious gifts from God, I would not be a mom today. OK, T had a little bit something to do with it!

You might be wondering what Brian did on Mother's Day (Hopefully, he called his mom) He visited a brand new mommy! His good friends welcomed an adorable bundle of joy earlier in the week. Congratulations ~ welcome to the wonderful world of parenthood!

The Goods on Motherhood

It's all about mom this weekend with the celebration of Mother's Day on Sunday, and it's all good. This week, I gave a shout out to fellow moms and friends to share with me good things about motherhood. They came through with MANY heartfelt thoughts about being a mom, and having a mom too. Here's what they had to say . . .

Motherhood is filled with joy and wonder, hope and heart, learning and love, and special memories to last a lifetime.

Only ONE? OK- I've been absolutely amazed at the special bond I have with my teenage boys. I absolutely adore them in spite of their moronic teenage behavior. No one could have prepared me for how unique and powerful that relationship would be. My 3 boys are my pride and joy! I am an enthusiast of whatever they are interested in at the moment. Their joys are my joys, their sorrows my sorrows. Life is sweet in ways I never imagined because of the privilege of being their mom! - That's only one of at least thousands (good things!) ~ Kathy H.

Being a mom gives me a good opportunity to exercise my funny bone. Correctly done, humor brings perspective, warmth, conveys love, and unifies hearts. I love laughing with my boys because it keeps my countenance lifted. At my age, any help I can get is great! ~ Ruth K.

I truly never knew what love was until my son was born 29 yrs ago. Being a mother has taught me how to love unconditionally. ~ Elaine C.H.

The best thing about being a mum is their unconditional love and the way their eyes light up when I am with them. The best thing about my mum is that she loves me and supports me always even when I do stupid things. She drops everything to help me when I need her. ~ Sharon M.

Am I allowed to be a tad different??? I love being a mum (to one son) and grandmother to 3 small boys, but I delight in being a mother in law... my daughter in law is my joy. I never wanted a girl child before, but when she arrived on the scene I realised what a blessing a girl can be, so happy I have her. ~ Dawn B.

I loved every second of everyday being a mom. The best thing that ever happened to me, and now no more!! I'll never forget my memories. ~ Sus L. (Once a mother always a mother. Cherish your memories, Sus)

I love seeing the world new all over. There is so much joy in the simple things of life. My children are my world. ~ Daphne G.

A good mom communicates with her kiddos. Meow! Ruff Ruff!! ~ Ronda M., mom to an adorable bunch of fur babies

My mum passed away 12 years ago, and I still miss her today. She was my best friend. She was a great mum and dad to me, so you see she was very special, I love you mum up in Heaven . . . ~ Michele H.

I miss my mom very much. Even though she was sick, she still did things for me like watching my three children lots of times. As for being a mom I love my children very much. ~ Julianne P. A.

Hearing those four words - "I Love you Mommy!" ~ Kelly B.

Thank you for sharing ladies. I don't think I could have said it any better myself, but I do have a bit more to say about motherhood. Check out my post Let's Hear it for the Moms on my LeMOMade blog.

Wishing you all a blessed and peaceful Mother's Day!

Going, going, gone!

Well, since my blogging buddy is super busy at work after loafing around on a cruise ship for a week, I'm taking the helm with a little help from some friends. Thank you lifesavers. Today's post . . .

Good things that are now gone (or at least we think they are!)

Yep, blasts from the past. Food, places, and other miscellany including some funny quips from contributors. I will begin:

2. PDQ - those little yummy crunchy bits of chocolate used to make chocolate milk, sprinkle over ice cream, or eat straight up from the jar.

3. Good old fashioned TV - yeah, that's right. Cable-smable, satellite and all that jazz - overrated in my book, We might not have had as many viewing choices back then as we do now, but heck, it was good enough and it was free!

1. Mom and pop stores like bakeries, pharmacies, and whatnot - Of course, there are some dotting the landscape here and there, but the big boxes have taken over retail shopping, and our wallets! Not such a good thing in my eyes.

Now, let's hear from the friends:

Quisp and Quake Cereal

Cock Robin ice cream stores - home of square ice cream scoops, and One-In-a-Million malts!

Stop N Chat - an ice cream shop in Westmont, IL

Drive-in movie theaters (there still a few of those around the country)

S & H green stamps ~ "My mother would make me lick the backs of them so she could put them in the books," said contributor Rick M.

My hubby T suggested soap-on-a-rope, which he always used to receive as a gift from his aunt for Christmas, but then I found this shop online. Who knew?

Finally, funny quips from friends: my mind, my piggy bank, my youth, my past, and the end of innocence. Yep, all those things are gone for sure!

Happy Friday!