Don't get caught on the Naughty List because you forgot to order customized Santa Letters for all your favorite kids!

For just $6 for the first letter and 10% off for each thereafter with the discount code SANTA, you can send the magic of Christmas to any child. A unique letter that you personalize will arrive from North Pole Station in Alaska in time for Christmas. Choose from a variety of themes including The Reason for the Season and School Days templates. Each one is special- just like the children.

Act now before Santa gets too busy making toys and packing his sleigh! Ordering is open through Tuesday, November 20.

Proceeds benefit The Mommies Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a safe, secure, FREE place for mothers to find support and encouragement from other mothers and to empower them to be better women, mothers and community leaders.

Santa Claus letters are coming to town!

This year share the magic of the holidays with your favorite children by ordering personalized letters for each one. Each unique letter will be mailed from North Pole Station in Alaska in time for Christmas. For just $6 for the first letter and 10% off for each thereafter with the discount code SANTA, choose from one of our eight templates to customize the perfect letter for each child on your Nice List. Whether it be Baby's First Christmas or encouraging an older kid to Keep Believing, we've got the right message for Santa to send!

Santa gets very busy this time of year, so place your order by Tuesday, November 20. All proceeds benefit The Mommies Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a safe, secure, FREE place for mothers to find support and encouragement from other mothers and to empower them to be better women, mothers and community leaders.

Place your order today by clicking on our Santa Letter campaign here, on our forums, or through our facebook event that you can share with all your friends and family.

Beware of Turtle
by Jessica Shenefield
first published in Crunchy Carolina, June 2008

I have a soft spot for turtles. Though I recognize that it’s based purely upon influence, I like to joke that it’s hereditary. My mother had red-ear sliders from childhood till college. My sister has had a chinese box turtle since 1989. We were stewards of four precious young desert tortoises in the early 90's due to an over-breeding at a wildlife center. Turtles, lizards, and snakes—oh my! I have an affectionate fascination with all of them—and I’m passing it on to the next generation.

For years now I’ve been encouraging my children to stop and smell the flowers, watch the ants, observe a spider, contemplate a wasp and photograph a butterfly. I point out vistas, pastures, yards, gardens, trees, hawks, vultures and livestock as we travel about on errands and road trips. I teach them to observe the wildlife but not harass it; including the vegetation. They are great about letting me know when they’ve happened upon something nifty and taking me to it for discussing, identifying and recording.

My husband, on the other hand, will collect it and bring it to me. Such was the case with Snappy.

One sunny Sunday afternoon in April my dear husband was standing in the doorway of our outbuilding when, marching across the driveway in front of him—at its full one-inch of height—was a hatchling turtle with a tail twice as long as its body. Being fully aware of my turtle amore' he plucked it up and brought it inside for identification as he’d never seen a turtle with such a long tail (we both originate from the left coast).

It was a very young common snapping turtle and we started browsing big-box stores online for a terrarium to keep it in, then opted for CraigsList to find a used one instead. Snappy didn’t have time to wait for somebody to communicate via email so we put the turtle back where he had been found…and ten minutes later discovered another terrarium, with a phone number. Scooped Snappy back up (he hadn’t gone but a couple inches in all that time) and discussed it further; finally returning him—AGAIN—to the spot in the driveway where he’d been sighted. Snappy took the cue and bolted for the direction from whence he’d come. Twice picked up, once shy?

Perhaps we’ve unintentionally ensured that he’ll not venture into the populated portion of our property in the future. In hindsight, had my dear husband been as well-trained as the kiddos, keeping Snappy would never have been an option; and I admit to being embarrassed that we’d ever considered making a pet of a wild critter—we’d resisted the temptation with other wild turtles. I suppose it was the draw of an extended science project…the ability to observe a turtle growing up and learning about their habitat more personally as we attempted to recreate it within captivity, but with wild turtles there is no returning them to the wild when you get tired of them or when they become unmanageable. Once you start keeping them you have to keep them till their end. If you try to return them to their natural habitat they most likely will not survive and they’ll be taking your germs. Call to mind the devastation on native tribes by early settlers—same story with wild critters turned pet, and later returned to the wild.

That said, I still get tickled over the mental picture of a ‘Beware of Turtle’ sign at the top of the driveway. Perhaps we’ll install one anyway, and have the satisfaction of perplexing our neighbors…as well as a conversation starter that this is not our habitat alone.

About the author:
Jessica Shenefield, LMBT (NC License #8367) is a nature-loving, four-wheeling, homeschooling mama of three. 
She occasionally paints, occasionally bakes, and occasionally blogs. 
When she isn’t tromping about the countryside with her kids, or providing chair massage at local farmers’ markets, she is likely on Facebook. 
Find her at pauseNC.blogspot.com.

SCValleyMommies' fabulous Flower Power fundraiser is drawing to a close, so if you haven't placed your order yet, now is the time! It's never too early to plan to improve your curb appeal or beautify your backyard. From begonias to tiger lilies and everything in between, Flower Power is the place for quality flower bulbs with a 100 percent money guarantee.

This fundraiser runs until March 20, 2012, and your bulbs will arrive in April and May, just in time for beautiful summer blooms. Time is running out!

Save time, money, and gas by planning your perfect garden from the comfort of your computer. Spring over to http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/i/t/240241/Sx89zFxHmHXL, and check out the wide array of lovely lilies and pretty peonies, among other bulbs. As a bonus, if you spend $40 or more, Flower Power will send you a free bag of 10 Twilight gladiolus, a $10 value.

So what are you waiting for? Don't delay: Grow with us today!

Profits made through our fundraising link go toward our chapter's operating expenses.

Ever wonder what's so special about Premium Access to the National Forum? For a limited time The Mommies Network is offering FREE access to premium content like Debate This and Buy/Sell/Swap to all members.
See what you've been missing by logging on to http://www.themommiesnetwork.org/nationalforum/index.php and get started today.


Free Premium Access is available to all current and new members of The Mommies Network National Forum. It is available NOW through April 30th.

Bonjour! Ciao! Hola! Have you been checking the National Chapter and participating in Cultural Awareness Month? In our Multicultural Mommies forum, we’re talking about foreign languages and discovering fun facts about different cultures. Join the celebration, and add some new words and phrases to your linguistic repertoire!

Do you have something to add to the conversation? Share your knowledge with other moms who are learning a language with their children. Go global with TMN as we highlight the many languages and cultures that make our world wonderful!

We chat online in a private forum — discussing everything from the best photographers to the worst temper tantrums and all that lies between — and meet up regularly at member-driven events around town. Whether it's a late-night commiseration about a crying baby (there are 4 a.m. posts to prove it) or a Moms' Night Out, SCValleyMommies provides what our members need, when and how they need it.

Click here to go directly to our calendar, and stay up-to-date on all of our events scheduled for this week.

We chat online in a private forum — discussing everything from the best photographers to the worst temper tantrums and all that lies between — and meet up regularly at member-driven events around town. Whether it's a late-night commiseration about a crying baby (there are 4 a.m. posts to prove it) or a Moms' Night Out, SCValleyMommies provides what our members need, when and how they need it.

Click here to go directly to our calendar, and stay up-to-date on all of our events scheduled for this week.

February is Cultural Awareness Month at The Mommies Network, and we're thinking globally! Share a love for foreign language and different cultures with your child in our Multicultural Mommies forum on our National Chapter. Each week, we'll feature several languages and cultural tidbits. You may also participate and strengthen your language lingo in a special webinar. Additionally, our sponsor will provide information on how you can continue your language-learning experience after the month is over.

According to Associated Content, brain research shows that children are at an optimal age for language learning. Although language study is effective at any age, some studies suggest that the human brain is more open to learning a foreign ­­­­­language ­­­from birth to preadolescence. Fortunately, researchers have not found an age in which the language window closes completely, especially in the areas of grammar and vocabulary.

Take advantage of this opportunity to think globally, and join us as we learn about foreign languages and different ways of life during Cultural Awareness Month at TMN!

We chat online in a private forum — discussing everything from the best photographers to the worst temper tantrums and all that lies between — and meet up regularly at member-driven events around town. Whether it's a late-night commiseration about a crying baby (there are 4 a.m. posts to prove it) or a Moms' Night Out, SCValleyMommies provides what our members need, when and how they need it.

Click here to go directly to our calendar, and stay up-to-date on all of our events scheduled for this week.

Friendships are often one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling parts of our lives. Not only do they provide us with company to engage in enjoyable activities, but they enrich our lives through shared meaning. Support systems have been linked to higher levels of happiness and improved overall health. While some friendships may only last for certain periods of time, others extend over a lifetime, and most of us recognize these relationships as some of the most important we will have. Even for people who generally feel they don't have trouble making friends, there are stages in life when this task may seem more difficult, leaving us feeling lonely or doubting our abilities to connect to others. If this feels like it is true for you, or you've noticed that this might be the case for your child, here are some ideas that might help in this process.

Children
With all the exciting activities that occur at this age, children may feel overwhelmed with the task of fitting in with their peers. Although you want their education to come first, making friends is most likely to be at the top of their agenda, and is also important to their development. Here are a few ways you can help your children establish relationships with their peers:

1. Teach your child important social skills that are essential to establishing and maintaining friendships such as sharing, listening, following rules, and playing fair. Allow your child to participate in events and activities that enable them to practice and implement these social skills. You can reinforce positive social interactions through verbal praise and, if this is something that is a real challenge for your child, through a structured reward system.

2. Provide opportunities for your child to play and socialize with other children their age such as play dates, sleepovers, car pooling, and extra-curricular activities. They should interact with their peers from school and in your neighborhood.

3. Read books with your children that teaches them about friendships and social skills.

4. It isn't uncommon for children to be timid or anxious about making friends. Be attentive to any red flags that your child may display that could indicate he or she is having trouble such as throwing tantrums, withdrawal from you more than is normal for them, or other changes in behavior or emotions.

Teenagers
During the teenage years, your son or daughter will encounter many possibilities to make friends such as participating in athletics, attending school events, and participating in extracurricular school activities. This is also a time when 'fitting in' and feeling connected to peers seems the most important to them, so not feeling part of a group or connected to people can feel especially difficult during these years. Here are some ways to help your teen navigate their social world:

1. Let your teen see how you interact with your friends. Because they are entering the young adult phase, it is important for them to see examples of mature, adult interactions. This can also help your teen better understand how positive friendships in adulthood look. If they are willing to go, take your teen to lunch with you and a friend.

2. Encourage your teen to partake in social activities that would enable him or her to meet other teens. This can include going to the movies, attending a dance, or eating dinner with a group of their peers. You can use your home as a 'safe' location for teens to hang out, yet still have adult supervision, by giving them a private area or room to spend time.

3. Talk to your teen about the meaning and importance of friendships. Discuss what makes someone a "good friend" and how to resolve conflicts and/or manage meaningful friendships they may have with others.

4. Monitor how your teen interacts with their friends. If you feel he or she is in an unhealthy relationship with one of their peers, attempt to provide guidance.

Post college-graduates
The college years provide young adults with numerous opportunities to meet new people as well as gain unique experiences. However, upon graduating, many people find it difficult or overwhelming with having to "start over" and meet new people, especially when relocating to a new town or city. Here are some ways that might help you connect to others after college:

1. Get involved in your local community. Join clubs, teams, or other extra-curricular and/or service based groups that allow you to meet and interact with others on a weekly basis. Working with others to reach a common goal is a great way to connect, and takes some of the pressure off this process, as you already share a common interest.

2. Invite people to engage in some sort of activity such as going to lunch, getting coffee or a drink, or hanging out at your place.

3. If you're shy or lacking in confidence, don't be discouraged because these feelings are not uncommon. Talk to someone else who has dealt with this stage of life, too.

Adulthood
As we enter adulthood, we often feel settled into patterns of making and maintaining friendships. However, many people feel dissatisfied with their outlets for social connection or the number of people to whom they truly feel close. When we are set in our ways, we can lack imagination regarding ways and places to connect to others. Here are some ideas about how to connect to new friends as adults:

1. Attend functions in your community that cater to something you are interested in but may not have tried before. This enables you to interact with people who you will begin to see on a regular basis. This could be joining a local charity with regular volunteer hours, or taking classes at a community center.

2. Join a group that involves doing something you enjoy yet keeps you active such as a yoga class or a golf club. This allows you to meet people with common interests, providing conversation starters that help take the pressure off the anxiety provoking introduction and connection process.

3. Invite family over for dinner. You can consider choosing members you feel most close or comfortable with or those who you want to get to know better, and set a theme for a dinner party. If you are in a relationship, consider having favorite members of both yours and your partner's family over together. This can deepen pre-existing relationships and lead to more regular family events and connections.

If you find your child or yourself having a little more difficulty making friends than you would like, speaking with a psychologist may help identify barriers and provide ideas for help moving past them.

Are you looking for some curb appeal? Do you need to beautify your backyard? Spring planting season may be a few months away, but there's no better time than now to grow with SCValleyMommies! We've partnered with Flower Power to bring you a fabulous fundraiser to help you plan the garden of your dreams.

Flower Power sells quality flower bulbs with a 100 percent money-back guarantee. Gorgeous geraniums, tantalizing tiger lilies, and beautiful begonias are just a few of the many bulbs available and ready to be shipped to your door. This fundraiser runs Jan. 22–March 20, 2012, and your bulbs will arrive in April and May, just in time for beautiful summer blooms.

So save some gas and the trip to your local nursery or big-box store, and plan your perfect garden from the comfort of your computer. Visit http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/i/t/240241/Sx89zFxHmHXL to view the enormous array of flower bulbs, and spring into Flower Power and SCValleyMommies' fabulous fundraiser!

Special bonus: Spend $40 or more to receive a free bag of 10 Twilight gladiolus, a $10 value.

Grow with us!

Profits made through our fundraising link go toward our chapter's operating expenses.

The New Year's parties may have ended, but our sponsorship promotion hasn't! We're still ringing in the New Year at The Mommies Network with an incredible deal that will have you reaching for your noisemakers.

Moms may have the greatest buying power, sharing business experiences and trends with one another. And since women make more than 80 percent of all purchasing decisions and control two thirds of the nation’s disposable income, targeting this group benefits your company. Resolve to reach this influenial portion of the population by taking advantage of this limited-time promotion.

With all new/renewed sponsorship agreements, your business will receive a complimentary blog feature (advertorial to include logo/product image and 500 words). Prepaid agreements receive a 5 percent discount and a complimentary two months on one sponsorship listing. Sponsors also receive 20 percent off event sponsorships. Offer expires Jan. 31, 2012.

The end of the month is just around the corner, so what are you waiting for? Celebrate with TMN by taking advantage of this amazing deal.

For more details on how your business can ring in the New Year with moms across the nation, please contact Jessica Van Dyke at Jessica.VanDyke@TheMommiesNetwork.org.

We chat online in a private forum — discussing everything from the best photographers to the worst temper tantrums and all that lies between — and meet up regularly at member-driven events around town. Whether it's a late-night commiseration about a crying baby (there are 4 a.m. posts to prove it) or a Moms' Night Out, SCValleyMommies provides what our members need, when and how they need it.

Click here to go directly to our calendar, and stay up-to-date on all of our events scheduled for this week.

Mondays can be great or one of those Mondays. For me today was one of those Mondays. My daughter decided to show everyone in BlockBuster what kind of demon crawled up in her by screaming and throwing her bag of M&Ms every where. She didn't stop screaming til we got to the car.


So I knew today was a good day to do some cake therapy. A good cake can take care of any problems. As soon as my daughter took her nap I hit the kitchen to make Rainbow Cake.






Rainbow Cake in Jar

Place the jars in a shallow baking dish, add about 1/4″ in water in the baking dish. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Note: The cake will mushroom over the top. I used extra batter which caused the volcano effect.

Hello, and Happy New Year to everyone!

My name is Karen Skidmore, and I am the owner of Completely Fit, a personal training and fitness company located in Mount Airy, Md. I am a team leader for one of the groups in The Mommies Network Weigh-In Challenge.

All my team members have started off strong and are working very hard to accomplish their goals. They were asked to fill out a detailed questionnaire about their current nutritional and fitness habits, and answer questions about what changes they wanted to create. Based on that information, I have helped each person come up with a detailed action plan that will not only help to accomplish her goals, but more importantly, help to improve her lifestyle.

If you are looking to make a change in your life but are not a part of the Weigh-In Challenge, you too can do it with just a few small changes at a time.

If your nutrition is off track, start by taking away one unhealthy food once a week and replacing it with a healthy food.

If your exercise routine is off track, start by finding something you really enjoy doing — walking, biking, or swimming — and adding 10 minutes of that exercise to your day. Before you know it, exercise will have become a daily routine.

Be sure to track your results, as we do much better when we can see our progress.

I am very excited to be a part of this group and team, and I look forward to reporting our successes back to you each month. — Karen Skidmore, Completely Fit

We chat online in a private forum — discussing everything from the best photographers to the worst temper tantrums and all that lies between — and meet up regularly at member-driven events around town. Whether it's a late-night commiseration about a crying baby (there are 4 a.m. posts to prove it) or a Moms' Night Out, SCValleyMommies provides what our members need, when and how they need it.

Click here to go directly to our calendar, and stay up-to-date on all of our events scheduled for this week.

So many people talk about postpartum depression these days, and yet the awareness we all hope for is not even remotely close to existing. So how can I begin to imagine that same awareness for those of us who experience postpartum anxiety? Or can I?

Towards the end of my pregnancy I found myself awake at night, thinking and thinking. And thinking some more.

What is going to happen with this baby? Will s/he be okay? Will *I* be okay? Will childbirth go okay? What if my water breaks and my husband isn't home? (It did, but he was home soon after.) Is it going to be like in the movies? (It wasn't.) I think I have to pee again. Do I really have to pee again? So soon? Ugh. I wonder if something is wrong that is making me have to pee or think I have to pee like 900x a night. Is it normal? Is it possible something is the matter with the baby?

Damn, how is he asleep? How can he just lay there and sleep that way? So easily? Damn him. Closed his eyes and rolled over and that's that. It's his baby, too. He's going to have to take care of it. It. Everyone thinks he's a he. But I don't know. Should I know? Shouldn't I know by now, instinctual-ly or something like that? Don't most expectant mothers have dreams that tell them what their babies are going to be and aren't they almost always right? Why haven't I had that dream yet? Well, I guess I should know - I mean I'm NOT asleep. How can I be dreaming up the gender of the baby if I can't even close my eyes and fall ... I think I really do have to pee now. Sigh.

And so it went. Night after night until I suddenly realized I couldn't take much more of it. I wasn't sleeping. And if I did fall asleep and eventually woke up to go to the bathroom I could not fall back to sleep. It would take hours of my mind racing before I was finally able to shut it down. If only for a little while. I was exhausted.

I was a stay-at-home not yet mom, and I was so tired I could barely function. And I was having a healthy pregnancy. A really healthy pregnancy, with no issues at all. What was my problem? I didn't know - but I knew enough to decide that it was time to find out. I called my doctor.

Now, mind you, this was a few months before baby arrived. I was able to monitor my anxiety and manage things with a small dose of prescription medication. It was the right thing at that time for me. After baby was born I was on alert. Would I be exceptionally moody? Uptight? Angry? Overly-hormonal? A friend of mine who had suffered from pretty intense PPD after her second child called regularly. 'You're doing alright?' she would ask.

And my answer was always a resounding 'Yes,' as I felt I was doing alright. In comparison to what I experienced talking to her nightly into the wee hours of the morning during her postpartum experience, I was doing amazingly well. And I loved my baby. I never wanted to put her down. I rarely wanted to step away from her, but did enjoy the R&R provided by having family in town, as I knew that would soon end.

And then family left and headed home. My husband went back to work regularly. And my baby and I? We were home. Alone. Together. With our pets. And that was pretty much it. Holy crap! What now?

My anxiety didn't skyrocket as one would expect. It wasn't a level of heightened anxiousness automatically for me. But man, as soon as she hit that 3 month-mark of colic, reflux or whatever else that was combined, I hit that wall. And as she grew and started rolling and moving some on her own, I started climbing it. The wall - that is. Get her crawling and I was all about upping my meds. The anxieties increased. The nights of not falling asleep multiplied, as I was already a new mom. I was breastfeeding. And I was awake nearly ALL. The. TIME.

I used to joke about my experience being PPD-lite. Meaning I didn't have the mood swings and such that many a PPD mom will reflect on. I even coined the term PPA in my mommies' PPD support group, thinking I was the first to think of it. Ha. What did I know? I was a new mom, ya know?

Obviously I made it through those early days. I found a way to hang in there, to survive. There was so much going on, but having people to talk to - to count on - to listen, that's what made it pass so smoothly. And to remind myself of how strong I was, that helped make it all okay. But the interesting thing to me about postpartum anxiety is that it never really, truly seems to go away. Because - after all - you are ALWAYS postpartum after your child is born. At least that is my perspective, four years+ into motherhood. And so the story continues ... stay tuned.

We chat online in a private forum — discussing everything from the best photographers to the worst temper tantrums and all that lies between — and meet up regularly at member-driven events around town. Whether it's a late-night commiseration about a crying baby (there are 4 a.m. posts to prove it) or a Moms' Night Out, SCValleyMommies provides what our members need, when and how they need it.

Click here to go directly to our calendar, and stay up-to-date on all of our events scheduled for this week.

I am not a morning person at all. When my daughter screams, "Mommy!" in the morning, all I want to do is hide under the covers for a few more minutes. So usually, I am not in the mood to make a huge breakfast, either. I like something that is good and quick.

Lately, Virginia has been on a blueberry kick. She loves her some blueberry waffles. When I was at the grocery store, I grabbed some fresh blueberries for her. Well, don't you know, my silly goose turned up her nose at the blueberries. I don't like to waste food, so I decided to make blueberry muffins. I usually use the store-bought muffin packs, but I ran across this To Die for Blueberry Muffin recipe on AllRecipes and decided to give it a shot.