I love the holidays. Can you hear my faint sarcasm? I really do love Christmas, but I can't stand the (usually self-imposed) stress that accompanies the season. Whether the stress is a result of financial worries, extended family squabbles, an ill grandparent, or just busyness, it can take it's toll. Add to that not getting enough sleep and eating too many empty calories (a.k.a. peanut butter fudge and a couple boxes of Aplets and Cotlets...all by myself), and my immune system is beaten down to almost nothing.

I thought it was such a good idea...staying up until 2 every morning to do my writing. The house is quiet, the phone's not ringing, no one's on Facebook that late to distract me with silly jokes (which I love). But my stay-up-late-and-get-work-done plan backfired, and I found myself getting sick. It was a very mild virus, but ended up settling in my inner ear (doctor didn't find anything, but we know our own bodies, right?), and on December 10 I was struck by the most violent vertigo I'd ever experienced. I was sitting on my bed when the room started spinning, and it felt like the bed was rising up to tip me off of it. Talk about scary!

The vertigo waned over the next week but was overlapped -- and eventually replaced -- by dizziness. (Vertigo is when you feel like everything around you is in motion when it isn't, while dizziness is a spinning feeling inside your head.) This lasted in varying degrees until this past weekend, when it handed off the baton to a new virus better known as the common cold.

So here I sit, sniffling, complaining about my plight to friends on Facebook, and now here. My head feels like it's been stuffed with rocks, my neck hurts, and my eyes are burning. My throat hurts, too, so I'm medicating it with a cup of hot cocoa (the heat feels good, but the sugar's a no-no...oh, well).

I have learned, then, that to avoid a similar fate the next time I'm super busy, to do the following:

• Get to bed early. No late hours.
• Have scheduled times to just relax and unwind.
• Cut out the majority of sugar in my diet (I could never get rid of all of it).
• Take my Vitamin C, etc.
• Drink lots of water.
• Plan better for the big expenditures like Christmas, birthdays, etc., so it's not such a big stressor.
• Never, ever, ever skimp on using disinfectant wipes on shopping carts and shopping baskets! (Pretty sure that's how I got sick this time...the one time I didn't use one.)
• Continue to wash hands like a maniac, as always.

Hope you've all stayed well over the holidays. If you have anything to add about how you avoid getting sick, please share!

As a bit of a Christmas gift to my friends here at HSB (and elsewhere!), I've discounted the Christmas article pack at InspireMe PLR. InspireMe PLR is my new site where I've begun offering excellent yet affordable articles to fellow bloggers and web site owners.

Sometimes, especially if we're moms, we get a little too busy to keep up with adding fresh articles and posts to our pages. InspireMe PLR can help with that. I'll be adding more article packs -- a "pack" is a collection of articles on the same subject -- after the first of the year (currently, I have Christmas and Aromatherapy article packs). If there's a topic you need articles for, please leave a comment. If I'm able to write some articles on that subject, you'll be the first to know!

Click on over to http://www.inspiremeplr.com to check out the articles. The Christmas pack features 12 articles plus a long bonus on the history of Santa Claus. Originally, I was selling this pack for $12, but through January 1st, it's only $6 (unless the packs sell out first -- only 125 were available when I first put them up).

Don't need any more Christmas articles or posts for this year? These articles may not be available again next year, and they certainly won't be half-price before Christmas. Get them now at this great price and be prepare for next December (and WOW your readers!).

Merry Christmas to all! 

Christmas should be a peaceful time, right? The baby Jesus slept "in heavenly peace," and personally, I would like to, also! But I fret and I fuss over how many gifts we have to buy, whether or not we've spent the same on all of our kids, and if we forgot this nephew or that niece. Did I leave anyone off of my Christmas card list? And, because of this lovely snowstorm that's socking us in, do I have enough ink to print out 40 pictures of my kids, just in case I don't make it to the photo center at Walgreens before Christmas? Or should I just call them New Year's cards and take the load off my shoulders?

Fellow moms, you might have some of these same Christmas stressors...or an entirely different set unique to you. Either way, I'd like to direct you toward a fun site that's offering some free gifts to moms. At Menu Planning Central you have access to five different downloads, all free for the taking. Will you choose the Christmas caroling songbook, the guide to making a gingerbread house, or one (or all) of the other three free gifts? Take some time for yourself, mom, and check these out. And hey -- don't forget to check out Menu Planning Central when you're done downloading your gifts!

ARE YOU CONNECTING?

What comes to mind when you think of social networking sites? MySpace? Friendster? I'd like to introduce you to a few sites that I belong to, and am loving being a part of. I can truly say that belonging to the sites below have actually enriched my life.

Facebook 

I joined Facebook this year, at the invitation of a friend I hadn't seen in a number of years. Since signing up, not only has that friendship been rekindled, but my friendships with others have been renewed, as well. I am connecting with people I knew years ago, but never thought I'd see again. And people at church who were previously just acquaintances have also become my good friends.

I've also made new friendships and have "networked" with others in the writing profession. You may also be surprised to know that there's a growing network of homeschooling bloggers on Facebook -- many of them from right here at HSB.

If you're on Facebook, or want to join up, be sure to add me as a friend. (And please include a note to tell me you saw this on my blog.) 

Twitter 

Twitter is another fun networking site, but to me, is a little constrictive when compared to Facebook -- at least as far as having conversations. While Facebook is a leisurely walk in the park, Twitter is the Boston Marathon. No time (or breath) for talking -- just a quick little "tweet" in passing. BUT...there are those who absolutely love Twitter, and from what I hear there's quite a bit you can do with it, with all of the various websites out there that are dedicated to broadening the Twitter experience. I will say I've gotten some leads for my new website (mentioned below), but it's not as easy to make friends. One reason for that, I believe, is that on Twitter it's possible to get a lot of followers really fast, which makes it almost impossible to get to know more than a few of them very well.

Still, I think I've stood just on the top of the Twitter iceberg, and am looking forward to seeing what else lies below the surface. Are you on Twitter? Follow me, and I'll follow you!

Twitter Moms 

Twitter Moms is a site for...drum roll, please...moms on Twitter. It's more like Facebook, in that you can network at a more leisurely pace and really get to know others. I haven't done a lot with this site or the next one I'm going to list, but hope to once the hustle and bustle of Christmas is over. It's a fairly new site that is growing by leaps and bounds, so be sure to jump on the train! Once you do, send me a friend request. You'll have fun reading through the forums, blog posts, articles, and entering the fun contests. One caveat about joining Twitter Moms, though: You have to join Twitter first.

Cafe Mom 

Finally, I'd like to introduce you to Cafe Mom. This is yet another that I've yet to spend much time hob-nobbing at, but I'm excited to try it. After Christmas, of course. Why not sign up? You can join groups, write a journal and read those belonging to others, get answers from other moms, take polls, etc.

So there you have it. If you need something to do in the mornings while you wait for the coffee to take effect, join one (or more, if you're really adventurous) of the above networking sites. You'll like meeting new people and making new friends. You could also start a group just for your local homeschool support group. But, please, these sites can really be addicting. Homeschooling comes first on the list of priorities, but be sure to give yourself that "mom time," too.

BUSY? YOUR NEXT BLOG POST IS JUST A BUCK AWAY.

Believe me, I know very well what it's like to not be able to post on your blog as often as you'd like. I've been dealing with a weird vertigo for the past week and a half, which has left me almost incapable of getting anything done. Mainly, I think it was just from a lack of energy. That, and smacking my head into the wall whenever I'd try to walk. I'm feeling much better tonight (if you couldn't tell), though I'm still dealing with a good deal of dizziness. I'm just glad the room stopped spinning long enough for me to get off of my very own sideways ferris wheel.

Christmas is looming, too, and that makes finding the time to blog very difficult. Some bloggers just give up until after the holidays are over. Don't be one of them! I started a new website just for people who want to throw some quick content up on their pages, be they blogs or web sites.

InspireMe PLR, I hope, will be your new favorite place to get articles in a hurry. It's new, as I just said, so I only have two article topics available: Christmas, and Aromatherapy. The Christmas article pack is full of great tips for the season, along with some really great recipes (some are my own creation and tested happily by my family). You purchase the articles (it's called an "article pack"), then modify them however you'd like. Change them, rewrite them, put your name on them. Other people will also be buying the same pack, so modifying the articles is strongly recommended in order for you to give the articles your own unique feel. By all means, ask me if you have any questions. You can also go to the site and check things out for yourself.

The price is the best part: The articles figure out to be about $1-2 apiece. A steal, really.

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So, there you have it. Have a great weekend, my friends. We're covered in snow and -- according to the news -- are going to be facing down a huge windstorm this weekend. Please keep our area (Pacific Northwest) in your prayers. 

AOP (Alpha Omega Publications) sent out a very good devotional today by email. At this time of year, when we should be feeling joyful, we're sometimes stressed out, feeling put-upon, and maybe a little overly sensitive (especially around the inlaws). This devotional is a good reminder to die to ourselves and let Jesus Christ be seen through us. It's not about us...it's about Him. Enjoy.

Dying to Self
Monday / December 15, 2008

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

Homeschooling is not what you thought. Those images of perfectly happy children soaking in your words of wisdom have evaporated. You feel like you have bitten off more than you can chew. You are reevaluating. Homeschooling involves sacrificing more of your precious day than you intended. "What about time for me?" you ask....

Read the rest of the devotional online at AOP by clicking here.

While there, take a look at materials you might need for the second half of your school year. You can save 12% by using coupon code SAVEBIG. Or, just read the devotional and be blessed. :-)