#makesmesmilemondays Letter from the Past

When I look at the date on this letter, I'm amazed at how much time has passed. 

1989!?!?!!!

It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in Mr. Riberdy's class, in my itchy wool Catholic high school uniform, joking around with my classmates and sharing stories we'd written, reading classic novels or just listening to Mr. Riberdy go off on a tangent and talk about one of his adventures in parenting or the funny experiences he had while working odd side jobs in the summer. 

Back then, Mr. Riberdy was about my age now, and had two little kids at home, too, so when I think of him today it's bittersweet: I'm the one who is teacher now, the working parent of little ones, the teacher going off on tangents and just hoping my students will aspire to just a little bit more in life. 

Once Mr. Riberdy actually packed up a group of students into a minivan and off we went to O'Hare airport late at night, to pass out personal care kits to the many homeless people that slept in the terminals for the night. I remember how exciting and fun it was to be of service with my friends, and to this day, I always try to plan two or three service projects with my students each year, hoping that my students will gain something from the contagious spirit of giving as I did while wandering the late-night terminals of O'Hare with my classmates and teachers. 

Mr. Riberdy died too young, of cancer, leaving behind his young family, soon after my class graduated in 1991. 

I am thankful for his good wishes and words of advice, advice that I will try to follow this Christmas and every one that follows. 


The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. Isaiah 9:2 ESV

Blu-ray Movie Magic Giveaway! #MovieMagic

Disclosure: Special thanks to PartnersHub for sponsoring this post. 

You Haven’t Seen Your Favorite Movie Until You’ve Seen the Special Features!

This Holiday rediscover the #MovieMagic behind your favorite films. Blu-ray offers exclusive special features that put you in the filmmaker’s chair, with a behind-the-scenes access to all of the magic: Special effects, talent interviews, alternative endings, unreleased scenes, bloopers, and more.

With a Blu-ray combo pack, you can enjoy your favorite films in high-definition whenever and wherever you want. You can keep the Blu-ray disc in the living room, DVD in the car, and the digital copy on your phone for when you’re on the move!.

 I'm exited to host a giveaway for one of the following titles (chosen at random from the list below) to award one lucky reader!

Bump Club and Beyond to host the shopping event of the season on December 12th!

Have you ever attended a Bump Club and Beyond event? Always fab, these events are the place to be for moms with bumps or moms with babies. This holiday season, Bump Club and Beyond is partnering with the best local retail vendors and hosting the holiday shopping event of the season! And perhaps best of all, you'll be shopping for a good cause, because 100% of the proceeds from admission fees for this event will benefit More Than Milk, Share Our Spare and New Moms Inc. as well as the American Red Cross for tornado and typhoon relief. 

Join your fellow moms at The Land of Nod on Thursday, December 12, 2013 for the second annual Holiday BCBazaar and you'll not only enjoy 15% off all Land of Nod merchandise but also exclusive discounts from on-site local retail partners. Attendees will have the opportunity to shop items from the huge BCB 2013 Holiday Gift Guide going live on December 6th at bumpclubandbeyond.com. Local retail partners include Psychobaby, Preggers, Argo Tea, Galt Toys + Galt Baby, Sprout San Francisco, Urban Sitter, Monica + Andy, Petit Organics, Baby Mantra and more.

Visit the Bump Club and Beyond website to purchase tickets or make a donation to support the local charity partners:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/holiday-2013-bcbazaar-at-the-land-of-nod-tickets-9290465031

What my 4-Year-Old Wants for Christmas: Magic Grow Capsules and Calico Critters

This Christmas, my daughter, age 4, has one thing on her list: she wants those little capsules, that when immersed in water, turn into sponges (Grow Magic Capsule Safari Animals). They are about $1 at the dollar store. This is one of the benefits of not having a tv in our home: my daughter is not bombarded with commercials telling her what she should want for Christmas. But of course, I want to give her a few new toys that she will enjoy throughout the year, and I'm looking for quality and toys that encourage the imagination.

#GivingTuesday - Two Easy Ways to Give Today! @ShotAtLife

• Head over to Diapers.com and stock up on diapers and other baby needs, and Diapers.com will donate one life-saving vaccine through the Shot@Life campaign with every $50 purchase when you use code SHOTATLIFE50. (Don’t need baby products? No problem! You can still use the code on any of the Quidsi Brands' websites)

• Visit the UN Foundation's Holiday Shopping Guide. You'll find so many beautiful gifts that give back including these beautiful Pearls Against Polio necklaces, bracelets and earrings - all proceeds will be donated to Shot@Life! I love this delicate 10-pearl bracelet. 

A Smarter SmartPhone for Kids: Zact Mobile #MC

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Zact. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating


Are your kids asking for a smartphone for the holidays?

I need my son to be connected, but I have concerns about his usage: i.e. I don't want to end up with a $1,000 bill at the end of the month, nor do I want him using his phone after bedtime. I recently learned about Zact, a no contract nationwide mobile service, with parental controls that let me set a limit to text and data usage as well as curfews, so I don't have to worry about late night texting, for example. 

#makesmesmilemondays Chopping down our Christmas tree in the wild woods of #LoganSquare

Daniel and Chiara in the wild woods of Chicago

After a restful and joyful Thanksgiving, we headed into the wild woods of Fullerton and Western Avenue (in our Logan Square Neighborhood of Chicago) and chopped down our Christmas tree.

Normally I wouldn't bring a tree into the home quite so early, but the weather is sorelatively warm and my daughter so enchanted by all things holidays. So we picked out a beautiful, fresh tree, tied it to the roof of our car, and set it up in our home, and trimmed it with lights and our favorite ornaments, much to the delight of both the kids. 

Yesterday was also the first day of advent. We lit the first candle of the advent season, and read from Romans 13: Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. I reminded the kids how difficult it can be to put on that armor of light, to be the good example and a light a in the world - because it really is much easier to wade through life and not be a light. I know sometimes I let frustration loosen my armor: this advent season I'm going to focus on keeping my armor of light on, and intact. 

Chiara picks out a wreath

Even our dog, Gizmo, got into the holiday spirit. He donned his holiday sweater and sat like a human on our sofa while we trimmed the tree. I swear he is my 3rd kid. Let me rephrase that - he knows he is my 3rd kid and that's that.

Gizmo