I can’t imagine any gift greater than the love of a mother, but the love from a Grandmother is closely rivaled! Today marks five years since my cherished Grandma Pat passed away, so I wanted to bring back a post that I wrote about her a couple of years ago. If you are fortunate enough to be close to your Grandma, or even if you’ve been estranged, I urge you to take just a moment to think of a way to reach out to her, and tell her that you love her. I would give the world to be able to say that one more time to mine.

This day is for you Grandma!

My Dearest Grandma,

My Rock, my friend, my confidante, my soft place to land~

I miss you so much- there is a hole in my heart and in my life that all of the love in the world could never fill. I miss our cherished talks, you holding my hand and listening to me. I miss your guidance, your voice, your soft spoken, gentle words. I feel so broken without your arms to hug me, your words to guide me, your prayers to heal me. My soul aches knowing that you never met my Son, or that you can’t see the beautiful little lady that my daughter is becoming before my eyes. I am so thankful to have named her after you- such a strong, devoted, dedicated, spiritual woman.

Every day, I hold my babies a little tighter, read to them an extra story, sing to them one more song- just as you did to me. I show them unconditional love, teach them good manners, build traditions- all of the beautiful, wonderful things that you taught me to do.

I miss sitting on the porch swing with you, sharing my life, my fears, my heart with you. I miss hearing your words that helped to guide and shape my life. I miss knowing that no matter how heavy the earth became on my shoulders, that I could sit near you, lay my head on your shoulder, and hold your strong hand, and somehow know that all would be right, after all. You would make me know that all is as according to plan, and that no matter the reason- no matter how unraveled or disheveled I had become, that I would emerge stronger because of it. I believed you then, and I overcame mountains that I never thought I could conquer because of your lended strength, devoted love and wise words.

I miss you so tremendously in my life, more now than ever. I need to hear you say that I am a strong woman, a wonderful Mother, and promise me that I can get through anything. I need to hear you say once again that I will never carry more than I can handle, and that my soul can bare any burden or my body can withstand being broken, as long as my spirit and my passion remain. I believed those words when they came from your mouth, but now that you can’t speak them to me, they are harder to understand, to grasp, to hold onto. You were my light when all of my world was darkness, when the waters became so torrid I thought I would drown, you held tightly to me.

You are so loved, forever cherished, missed deeply. I pray that when I have left this earth, hopefully when I’m very old, that I will have touched even one person’s life, the way you have touched so many. I hope that I can carry your legacy of strength, leadership, undying, devoted love and wisdom. I treasure you, and I hear your words in my mind, echoing through my soul. I love you, and I am so blessed to have had you in my life. I would move mountains, cross rivers, walk through fire to be able to hold your hand, feel your love, and hear your words again. What a fortunate woman I am to have had someone like you in my life, to guide me and shape me into the Mother that I have become, and the strong, confident woman I am striving to be.

I love you forever….
Kristin Noel

Before any party, playdate, or gathering, I often find myself asking the Mom that is hosting the event, “What can I bring to the party?” Every time I ask that question, my mind reels back to being a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 22-year-old sales manager, listening to a motivational speaker stress the importance of “bringing something to the party”, when attending a meeting or company event to make yourself known and be recognized.

As a Mom, I often ask the question “What I can bring to the party” in a literal sense, but lately I’ve got to thinking about it, and we all need to utilize our gifts and talents, and bring them all to the party- especially when charting a course outside of our comfort zones. Sometimes it’s scary to look beyond the safe and predictable environment that we’re in, for example, if you’ve been a stay-at-home mom for the past five years, and now you are venturing back into the workforce. Or if you’re a working mom, and you are switching gears and beginning the journey as a stay-at-home mom. Either way, you’re most likely wondering what you can bring to the party in your new role.

When I delved into my role as a writer and public speaker, I was terrified that after being a stay-at-home mom/waitress/bellydancer for the past five years that I wouldn’t have too many valuable assets or skills to offer at any party being hosted by successful entrepreneurs and executives. Should I bring my well-honed skills of facillitating time-outs? How about my multi-tasking abilities that allow me to talk to my mother-in-law, check my Facebook, and make PB&J sandwiches for my kids all at the same time?

In order to really find the guts, and grow the balls, so to speak, I made up my mind that I would just bring MYSELF, as real and honest and genuine as I could be, I realized that THAT is what I was bringing to the party! And before I knew it, I was surrounded by these women that I’ve admired, and they were patting me on the back and offering me support and advice! My multi-tasking would come in handy, my ability to be consistent is appreciated, and my sense of humor would fill in any cracks or crevices!

Do you have times where you wonder what you can bring to the party? Are you afraid of letting others in to see the real, authentic you? We all are! We just don’t tell anyone else! I challenge you today to bring YOU to the party- no facade, no “perfect mom, brilliant kids, sparkling clean house” charades allowed! You’ll be amazed by the support and admiration you’ll get from the other “party guests” if you just bring the real you!

If I may share, one of my favorite quotes to help you with this new challenge:
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ~Anais Nin

So set down that Venti double-shot vanilla latte and go BLOSSOM!

And still look damn good! Being a very busy mom to two toddlers, writer, bellydancer, waitress, and wife thrown in there somewhere, I am constantly on the lookout for products and tricks to help get me out of the house quickly! I have got my routine down, and I think my family has finally stopped telling me that parties and events start a half-hour earlier than they really do, to get me to be on time.

 I used to be late everywhere, especially when my brood grew from one to two, but I decided that it makes me look bad, and it is disrespectful, so I came up with some tricks that help me get out the door- here are  my secrets:

• Shower the night before: If you don’t have to jump in the shower and blowdry your hair, you’ll shave at least 30 minutes off of your morning routine. Use a rich moisturizer, I like Nivea Original Moisture Body Lotion, all over your body, so you’re still smooth and soft when you wake up!

• If you’re like me, even if you blowdry your hair the night before, you will wake up to it sticking out in several different directions. Instead of getting your whole head wet, pin up your hair in sections, just run a little bit of water on your hands, and pull your fingers through your hair, just enough to dampen it. Then blowdry in sections, and at the crown, use 2-4 big velcro rollers, they’ll add height and make it look like you spent 45 minutes blowdrying your hair!

• For your face, just simplify your usual routine. The most important cosmetics that you need for a day out with the kids, are a moisturizing lotion with SPF 15 or more, a swipe of mascara, and a quick slick of lipstick. I also curl my eyelashes to give an extra little perk to my face. This all takes 2 minutes, pat!

• For the kiddies, I lay out their clothes the night before. That way, there is no hassle about what they’re going to wear, and my 5-year-old daughter doesn’t have the ability to argue with me about it, because we went through that already the night before, and she’s already forgotten all about it!

Voila- you’re set! Out the door in 35 minutes and looking pretty sassy, Mamas!