DreamComeTruePhoto_8T9A0157-T adorable baby boy who loves and hugs his puppy little doggyDreamComeTruePhoto_8T9A0157-T adorable baby boy who loves and hugs his puppy little doggy

Hey, Busy Mom!
Do you hear the jingle of holidays in the air? Does excite or stress you out? Or... both? My 5 favorites for this week totally reflect both of those feelings and are here to help you deal with them ;)

• 1. Favorite Gift Idea for Your Teen: JBL Flip 4 external bluetooth speaker!
  It had really high reviews on major tech sites (just checked - it still is rated very highly!); it has exceptionally good sound quality; it is very-very easy to use and it was quite inexpensive. So, for $75, my teen got it as a gift for his last year's holidays. And so did I ;)
  
  For the whole year we had a mini-contest who would utilize this colorful baby the most. I used my mint colored beauty on photosessions, on picnics and even vacations with friends for ambience and mood setting. I kept it in the original pretty box and mine still looks brand new.
  
  I think my kid won this "usage" contest hands down: my teen is never parting with his little blue speaker! It is constantly blaring from his room upstairs, it lounged next to a campfire, kept emotions high next to the basketball net, shaken off the forest and backyard spirits on a tree stump, overpowered all soundproofing construction tricks in a basement, annoyed some grandmas on a beach, managed not to get lost on regular bike trips and even accompanied my son to the shower. Yes, it is water resistant. No, I never asked if he actually tested it. Yes, I could use this little blue monster as a GPS tracking system on its big teen-age one... let's say companion. And no, it is not scratched or damaged, looks as good as new. And sounds too, though I am not always sure I am as thrilled about that one, haha.
  
  Check my Favorite Teen Gift Idea video for a more detailed review and a fantastic little feature my son discovered!
   
• 2. This Week's Inspiration: What It Takes To Have an Extraordinary Life This is something totally new, I haven't shared it with anybody yet!
  
  Listening to a marvelous interview with Tony Robbins on a Marie Farleo YouTube channel, couldn't pass this one by: Tony Robbins was discussing the essence of failure.

  DreamComeTruePhoto_8T9A5563-T How much time do you give to an average child to learn how to walk? How long is it going to be, before you decide he should try something else, because he is not a walker?" No! You usually say: "My kid is going to keep trying UNTIL he learns how to walk!"

  So true! When it comes to walking, we are content to watch our little ones fall, get up, fall again and keep trying until they succeed. In every other endeavor or skill, both for ourselves and our kids - it is just so tempting either jump in with premature help, or give up on it altogether... Food for thought ;)
  
  The original interview contains LOADS of fantastic insights about relationships with our spouses and kids. I found very useful tips on secrets of success. Loved a wonderful discussion of Robin Williams' suicide (the man who had literary every achievement most can't even dream of), suffering, dealing with daily frustrations. And the whole body of philosophy on what it takes to be live in joyous, content, happy, beautiful state and how to achieve it - pure gem.
  
  Enjoy and please comment below what you think :)
  Tony Robbins & Marie Forleo: What It Takes To Have an Extraordinary Life
   
• 3. Favorite Place to learn about upcoming Events: Monmouth Moms website
  
  It is holiday times! So many things are going on: Lights Spectacular, Ausbury Park Holiday Bazar; restaurants treating children for free; brunches and photos with Santa; pool Open-Swim times; figure skating options; even learning about traditions and Christmas past at Allaire village... Love their site for the up-to-date calendar, recipes, local news and inspirations.
   
• 4. Holiday Week Kids Activity Idea: Ok, I'll share a secret that we take advantage of year after year: Christmas is the best time for skiing!!! Yes, the mountains are deserted on those days :)) So, for the last decade (yep, or even longer!), we don't hesitate to book ourselves a little adrenaline filled retreat.
  
  Where? Hunter Mountain Children's Group Lessons. Guys, take it from the devoted skier and a perfectionist: this is the best school on the east coast. Tremblant or Killington already have the best slopes, they don't bother putting extra efforts to teach kids well. Other places really fade in comparison. Hunter - developed the most efficient system; kids emerge with skills we'll never have. Their ability to control, exercise safety and... perform! Think you ski good enough to teach them? Think twice: knowing how to ski, and knowing how to teach are two different skills and we see the results that are just so subpar in the skill levels of kids who stick to Hunter and all others...
  
  DreamComeTruePhoto_8T9A9997-T Holiday card photosession composite work beautiful girl dancing at the christmas decoration in the snowflakes and starsDreamComeTruePhoto_8T9A9997-T Holiday card photosession composite work beautiful girl dancing at the christmas decoration in the snowflakes and stars The best part - did I mention the mountains are empty during Christmas? Yep, we pay for the public lessons (taking advantage of the deal Pay-for-5-Get-6th-Day-Free - the school applies it automatically, no need for coupons or codes)... kids end up with private/semiprivate lessons on those days! Oh, they are counting days until we head up north... And so am I ;)))
• 
  5.  Favorite Project from the Week: Holiday themed composites ;)
  I LOVE doing composite work, this is one place where my creativity really gets to spread its wings... holiday times offer the best opportunities!

Love chatting with you, gal, but time to get back to work!

Please share your own gift ideas (yep, I am desperately searching for some)! Please comment below which one of my favorite hit a homerun for you and what type of insights would you like to get more of!! :))