Find Your Party Pants!

Posted on May 11, 2006 by moonbridgebooks

For her birthday, I gave my sister the book Life is Short, Wear Your Party Pants by Loretta Laroche. Loretta is a stress management consultant who wrote this fun and inspiring book to help us women recognize patterns of negative thinking, turn them around and let loose – have some fun! Almost every mother of young kids could use this book.

My sister seems often overwhelmed with her busy life, as many of us can relate to. Now, I like to ask her, “did you put your party pants on today?” In order to survive, we’ve got to smile, to laugh, to give ourselves a little down time… life’s too short!

My sister is trying. She says she doesn’t have party pants, only “party socks.” Well, that’s okay – put on the party socks and dance with the husband. He’s probably stressed, too!

So all you moms out there, I hope you are making plans to relax and enjoy your Mother’s Day. I’m going to get my husband to grill me a steak and bake me a potato. And I am NOT going to clean up – I’ll have my good party pants on!


Linda Austin
“Cherry Blossoms in Twilight”
http://www.moonbridgebooks.com
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Mother’s Day Gift of Words and Love

Posted on May 4, 2006 by moonbridgebooks

One Mother’s Day, my stepmom decided to throw a special gathering for her elderly mom. Great MaMa had many grand- and great-grandkids who could celebrate her being. My stepmom asked us to write down some memories, stories, poems about MaMa to share. I decided to write a poem about mothers in general, knowing that MaMa was similar in many ways to my own mother – a strong character who, despite a fragile appearance and often demure ways, could be very motherly and opinionated. Though sometimes difficult to live with, our mothers deeply love us. They come with their own backgrounds of pains and joys that create their personalities and can only do the best they know how (and are able) to lead their children to be good people. None is perfect, they can only try in their own way; and now that I see how hard it is to be a mother myself, I can forgive the imperfections.

My stepmom was onto something though. What a great gift to someone you love to put that love down in writing. What a joy and comfort to them to hold a little story of love that lifts their spirits and reminds them that their lives mean something to someone… a scrap of paper that can be pulled out when needed to brighten a day. So often we wait until too late to express our appreciation. Why not freely give out hugs and love now, while they are useful and enjoyed!

Linda Austin
“Cherry Blossoms in Twilight”
http://www.moonbridgebooks.com
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Reading Out Loud – Bonding With Your Child (or Spouse)

Posted on April 27, 2006 by moonbridgebooks

My youngest daughter loves for me to read aloud to her, as did my oldest until she became a busy teen. Both girls are somewhat lazy readers preferring others to do the reading work or to see the movie versions instead, but they really enjoy hearing the stories come alive as I read – with feeling! By varying tone and speed, using different voices and dialect, those little words on the pages can become magical. My youngest daughter and I are taking a beginning Spanish class together, so we’re even reading some simple Spanish/English children’s stories (I can do the accent pretty well from previous lessons years ago). I’d like to encourage “read-alouders” to use those techniques – yes, be bold and break out of your conservative mode because not only will your listeners be spellbound, but you will enjoy the feeling of “bustin’ loose! It’s fun!

My dad and stepmom, retired “old people,” enjoy taking turns reading aloud to each other during quiet times at home or during road trips. It may keep them occupied as miles pass by on their trips, but it is also time to share and bond as they take turns speaking and listening to each other and discuss their thoughts about the book. The last book they read together was “Memoirs of a Geisha”; Dad, having spent military time stationed in Japan some years after WWII, was the expert at pronouncing the strange words. They could better understand the movie as well as compare book to movie.

So perhaps we’re never too old to read to each other. It takes a willingness to spend quiet time together – what a rarity in today’s world, but the reward is worth it.

Here is a link to Jim Trelease’s website (of The Read-Aloud Handbook fame) for tips on reading to children: http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/rah_chpt4_p1.html

Linda Austin
“Cherry Blossoms in Twilight”
http://www.moonbridgebooks.com
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