Mermaids of the Lake Blog

Happy Mother's Day!

Mom is such a special word.
The loveliest I've ever heard.
A toast to you
above all the rest.
Mom, you are so special,
you are simply the best!

Pets Are Pretty in Pink

By Mermaid Debbie

While searching for images of the color pink to share for PINK SATURDAY I noticed how many photos I have of my pets in my creative space/office. Wow! I love having my sweet creatures (including kids) visit me here.

I find that I need time alone to foster my creativity; to regroup, meditate, pray, but too much alone is, well.... lonely! I am so incredibly grateful for this tiny little room, all mine to create in. And when my family visits me here, it's a blessing!

As I write this, my kitty, Janie is snoring loudly, content and warm on her perch high atop my painting cabinet.

This week I babysat my parents adorable Italian Greyhound, Benne Roo. He felt secure and happy, claiming the little bed in my studio as his. As I typed away, putting the finishing touches on our Nov/Dec issue of Mermaids of the Lake, Benne snuggled and snoozed for hours.

My son is home after being gone for 9 months and along with him, came his sweet puppy, Henry. Henry has a lot of puppy-energy, so he didn't exactly snooze on the little bed, but he did spend lots of time, jumping on it!!! Having my wonderful boy home, lounging there, also, spending time with me, catching up..... Ahhh..... I can't think of anything better.

Willie is my dog-boy and he can sleep here on this pink bed for hours. He looks pretty; his beautiful brown fur goes so nicely with bright, bubble-gum pink! Willie is obviously very secure in his manliness!

When, my 15 year-old daughter plops down on the bed and talks to me about her day, sharing the little things and big things... I have to force myself to act calm and casual so as not to scare her away!

So, as much as I cherish my alone time in this sweet little room, I cherish even more the moments where I have the company of those I love! (Just not all at once, please!)

Have you heard of Pink Saturday? It sure is a fun linking party to be a part of. Visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to find out more and to view the list of all of the Pink Saturday participants.

Visit our Mermaids of the Lake online women's magazine and see our awesome holiday issue!

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Thank you for visiting! And of course, like everyone who blogs, WE LOVE COMMENTS!!!

Surprise it's Monday!

Is your family spending Sunday evenings dreading Monday mornings? Mermaid Debbie tells how she solved this in her own life and home.

I know it is common in our society to dread Monday morning. Monday mornings are synonymous with bad days. People wake up tired, grouchy and are often late. “Bad hair days” are more common on Monday mornings. I have experienced all of these things many times, myself.

 

I realized a few years ago that starting the process of lamenting the fact that the weekend was “almost” over really took away from the joy of what was still left of the weekend! If we are not living in the moment, where are we? I was in the, “Oh, yuck! It is almost Monday again, back to the grind, I miss the weekend, etc…” place. It was depressing.

I have found that I really prefer the feeling of being happy and looking forward to Monday, rather than dreading it. I make an attitude adjustment. I now view Mondays as a fresh start. Because I work at home I have flexibility in how I schedule my week. I will not make any doctor, dental, hair, etc… appointments on that day. I now savor the thought of Monday. It is my day to unwind after a busy weekend, organize the week ahead, and clean my house. After the kids are off to school, and I have done my workout, I light a delicious smelling candle and turn on some music. I keep my sweats on, and get to what I call…”nesting”. Somehow, vacuuming and laundry feel cozy instead of dreaded chores. I also organize my work space, check emails, look at my calendar, and get a good sense of what the rest of my week is going to look like.

A friend of mine who works in an office takes a similar aproach. She treats herself to a special coffee on the way to work, schedules meetings Tuesday through Friday, and uses Monday to organize her week ahead. She says she looks forward to Mondays since taking charge of this day.

An attitude adjustment and something to look forward to are both essential keys to mastering finding joy in an otherwise drab day.

As I was discovering this new way of viewing the “dreaded Monday morning”, I realized that my children were struggling with the same feelings. My young daughter was expressing sadness and dread about going to school the next day. I remember feeling frustrated with her because our Sunday afternoon and evening were being spent in a state of depression, with me trying to talk her out of her feelings, instead of giving her keys to solving them.

My son was begging to stay up late, trying to keep that “it’s the weekend” feeling. He was grouchy, tired and almost impossible to wake up.

So, one such Monday morning I woke them each up with “Surprise, it’s Monday!!!!” That didn’t go over real well. After they left for school I had one of those “light bulb” moments that Oprah talks about. I ran to the store and got them each a little treat, I baked a batch of cookies, and wrote them a little mommy loves them note. When they came home from school I tried it again. “Surprise, it’s Monday!!!”

It worked! Every school-day-Monday is a Surprise Monday. It is usually something very small: a pack of gum, their favorite snack, or a special privilege. Sometimes I surprise them and invite a friend over, or pick them up at school and take them out for a milkshake. Because I have had a good day I am able to give my family a clean, organized, loving house to come home to. The ideas are endless. We have decided to change the way we feel about Mondays. My kids love Mondays now, and so do I!

“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change". Dr. Wayne Dyer

Letting the disaster reign - what's wrong with a messy house?

By Mermaid Jennifer

Generally I like a clean house. I value order and vacuumed rugs. Dishes should be done as they are used and paperwork filed. But unfortunately, having everything in order is not always reality. In fact, it's not reality for too many of us, is it?

Here's a little story about my day of letting things hang out and taking time off to enjoy the mess.

Literacy in the age of text messaging

By Mermaid Jennifer

Mermaids of the Lake has a new issue out called, "The Power of Words." There are many new articles this month all about how we use words, in a variety of methods.

One way that kids are using words now is through text messaging. Although the words are modified and shortened, texting has become an acceptable way to communicate.

What has this done to literacy in kids and teens? Find out more by reading, "OMG - My child hates reading," in this issue of Mermaids of the Lake.

Dressing teen girls for Halloween

By Mermaid Jennifer

At my house, we like Halloween. I enjoy letting my kids dress up in fun, but safe costumes. But this year as I took the kids to look for costumes I felt overwhelmed by the variety, but frustrated by the designs. 

Many stores are now carrying costumes that fit teen girls, but are grossly inappropriate.

My 13 year old daughter and I were looking for something for her that would be both affordable and appropriate. No such luck. All of the costumes that would fit her were in the adult sizes (they make those costumes so small). She said, "Mom, I wanted to be an Eskimo, but none of these are appropriate for me. They are too short and too low cut." 

As we browsed the store, I found that she was right. Most Women's Halloween costumes are on the sexy side. Why is that? 

Some older teenage girls were in the dressing room at one costume store. Each of their costumes would demand male attention, but perhaps compromise their morals. These girls were easily under 18, but were dressing like harlots for Halloween with cleavage bearing tops and super short minis.

It's a shame that in order to play "dress up" it now requires a young girl to look promiscuous. I am sorry that's how that industry has grown their business.

In the end, we did find some costumes at Walmart for a reasonable price; and they were a bit more family friendly. 

My daughter is going as Wilma Flintstone this year.

If we want our girls to grow up with a healthy self image, we need to say no to the sexy super hero and yes, to the family version of costumes. 

What do you think?