MamaBlogger365 - Are Two Heads Better Than One? by Shira Adler, Diva Mama

Nothing stresses out a mother more than the holidays. Why?

Because our true primary selves, our working, creative, entrepreneurial “let’s-get-it-done-head” collides head on (sorry) with our “Mommy-she-touched-me-are-we-there-yet-I’m-bored-am-I-going-to-be-possessed-like-the-demon-on-the-new-The-Devil-Inside-trailer” head.

Living the dual existence of visionary mompreneur and stay-at-home mom is almost like having one pet who is both dog and cat, mongoose and cobra, spider and fly. I’d like to say it’s less filling and tastes great, but that may be an exaggeration.

Home for the holidays, at least these days, is the kind of statement that brings sheer terror, night sweats, and more than an extra pound to us moms who know better than to believe that time off during the holidays is anything but, for us.

The point of all this is not to lament how crazy it is to shop, wrap, cook, or in my case order in, Olympic-style, meals as often as humanly possible, but to gain, at least a little bit, some perspective.

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Bio: By day Shira Adler is a cantor, spiritual vocalist, certified pastlife regressionist, voice-over artist, producer, performer, writer/blogger and mompreneur and by night... well, she is actually the same person at night though she does admit to wearing fuzzy socks when no one can see her and hiding a secret stash of Mallomars somewhere near her writing desk for those late night pick-me-ups. In, around, and between her various work activities, she is raising two beyond-the-spectrum children as a single mom (though lovingly gives a shout out to her best friend, editor and soulmate whom she considers the bees knees). Is it any wonder her website’s tag line is One Voice Many Paths? Seriously, look up the definition of a multi-tasking Mama and you will find her picture there. But when it comes to living a life of connection, faith and consciousness Shira is the gal to call -- or if you’re fresh out of Mallomars -- she’s always happy to give you one. For more information visit: ShiraAdler.com, read her blog at Diva-Mama.com; Social: Twitter (1DivaMama), Facebook (DivaMama1), Tumblr (not really sure, but the name is cute) and LinkedIn (because doesn’t everyone?).

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MamaBlogger365 - Holiday “Check-Up”: Tips for a Stress-Free Season by Lowry Manders

Ellie loves to arrange the holiday window gels /
 © Lowry Manders, all rights reserved.

We're grateful to Lowry Manders for the gift of her special every-Friday holiday series! Read on to make the most of this time of year with your family!


Time for your Holiday “Check-Up”! Are you surviving? Are your children surviving? Does it feel like:

a) The most “wonderful” time of the year? (Are you just GLOWING in the magic and wonder and Christmas lights, the warmth of family and friends? Good for you.)

b) The most stressful, chaotic time of the year? (Is the extra pressure causing you to get a little “Grinch-y”, snapping at your children and loved ones?) or is it…

c) The most depressing time of the year for you? (Does all the cheer and jolliness just accentuate some loss or broken relationship, some wounded, empty place in your heart?)

My guess is, your answer might be: d) all of the above. It’s normal to experience some combination of these emotions, depending on the day, on they year, on your sleep status, on your cycle! During the holiday season, it strikes me that our society bombards us with an impossible juxtaposition of expectations, especially if you are a mom. We are expected to provide and create Norman Rockwell-like meaningful moments with our loved ones, especially our children, in an effort to achieve option “a”, even while checking off an enormous to-do list amidst the “hustle and bustle”. Or do we expect this of ourselves?

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MamaBlogger365 - The Shadow of the Holiday Blues by Patti Ashley, Ph.D.

Even though this is the time of year that is supposed to be joyous, many people experience sadness and melancholy, or what has come to be known as the holiday blues. Studies have shown that woman suffer more than men with the holiday blues.

My book Mothering Beyond Image: Living in the Shadow of the Too-Good Mother describes five common themes that women experience as mothers. When thinking about the holiday blues, it is easy to compare the five themes in the book to the stress of this time of year. Below is a list of the five themes, how they can relate to the holidays and how bringing them out of the shadow and into the light can help beat the holiday blues.

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Photo credit: cohdra|MorgueFile