“If the morning rush doesn’t always give you enough time to tell them ‘you’ll miss them/have a great day/you can’t wait to see them after school’, LunchHugs has it in the bag.”

For the full review and to check out other great ideas visit

http://www.savvymom.ca/index.php/newsletter/be_a_player

“Parent Tested, parent approved. Who can’t use a little help this holiday season figuring out what’s worth your time and money.”

Have a look at the feature below:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

It is embarrassing to admit that despite creating a company all about writing notes for my children; that I can in all honesty say I don’t remember the last time I left a note for my husband. A little note taped to the bathroom mirror or tucked in his briefcase just to say “I love you” or “I am proud of you” or even “thank you for cleaning out the litter box” (and trust me that job deserves a thank you!) Oh sure I write a synopsis of my love for him in his birthday, Christmas and our anniversary card, but when it comes to the day to day love notes, I admit it…I dropped the ball.

I read an article today that cited a survey claiming “60% of respondents consider a handwritten love note more romantic than expensive dinners, creme filled chocolates and diamond baubles”. My apologies to retailers, but maybe the best things in life are free. I mean how hard is it really to just say “thank you” when it is not expected? With crazy schedules and too many demands on our time it becomes too easy to take our partners for granted, I know I have.

So this February 13^th (and no that is not a typo) I am going to step away from my phone, give my thumbs a rest and surprise my husband with an actual hand written love note, I might even get crazy and spray it with a little perfume. It might just be the best gift I have given him.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

“My son goes to school 2 full days a week, he is in kindergarten. A lunch is a must for those 2 days and being a busy mom, it leaves very little time to prepare a lunch, let alone take the time to include a personalized note.  This is where Lunch Hugs makes our job, of making our kids feel special, a little bit easier.”
Read more here:

http://www.simplemomreviews.com/2011/12/lunch-hugs-creative-cards-for-kids-giveaway.html

“These cards are a brilliant addition to my daughter’s lunches. I love that I can put a little card in her lunch to brighten up her day and let her know that I am thinking of her. She loves getting the jokes or the fun facts and sharing them with her friends. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy more or recommend them to any of my friends with school aged children!”

Read More Here: http://www.ptpamedia.com/product-page?PID=1661

Then the big day arrives and there he is…ten fingers, ten toes, all is good to go.

As a parent you breathe a sigh of relief, but soon a whole new series of worries creep in; will he be happy, will he make friends, will he have good teachers, will he be safe…the list goes on and on. I have always tried to not to get too caught up in the “what ifs”. As my mom used to say, “as long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

As a parent I have experienced many sleepless nights checking a temperature or lying beside my child when they were ill. I have made it through chicken pox, unbearable colic, ear infections, hurt fingers, goose eggs that sent me into a panic, but all in all I considered myself blessed to have two healthy boys…till now.

My youngest is a firecracker. We call him our old soul, you just never know what he is going to say, but chances are he will make you laugh. One of his greatest qualities is his ability to be comfortable in his own skin. He has never been one to try and impress anyone. He makes friends easily and I have always said he lives life like a party and everyone is welcome to join him if they want. I admire this quality in him immensely, although I have no idea who he inherited it from.

He has had his share of small health issues usually as a result of his charging into life head on and I am grateful and frankly shocked he hasn’t broken anything yet. But it always seemed if there was going to be some kind of ailment he would be the one to get it. So when he started to develop a rash on his hands a few weeks ago I figured it was just another blip that would run its course and pass. Instead of getting better, it only got worse. Not to be too graphic, but the skin on his hands started peeling away till his fingers were bright red, splitting and bleeding with the slightest touch. He found it challenging to hold anything in his fingers because of the pain and trying to put creams on only sent him into hysterics.

Five hours in emergency and I am told they think it might be psoriasis even though it is not common in children his age. Now I know this is not a life threatening illness and I am truly grateful it is not something more serious, but frankly it still stinks. There is no cure for psoriasis and it can lead to a myriad of other health problems later in life. The more research I do, the worse I feel and my Google image search has only served to give me nightmares.

My son is only 6. The rash is slowly working its way down his hands; he has signs on it his feet and it has spread to his back. It is as if it is slowly making its rounds of my son’s little body and I hate it. My carefree son is now embarrassed to show his hands, he cries to me that he only wants his hands to be normal again and it breaks my heart to see him retreat into his shell when others talk about it. Research says it can subside and lay dormant till something triggers it like a cold, medication, even stress, but that he will always be susceptible to it. The worst part is that my son is no longer comfortable in his own skin, this disease has taken that from him and I feel helpless and angry.

As a parent, I’m finding it harder for my mind not to play the “what if” game. I worry about his teen years, wonder what will be the next thing to set if off and how he will handle it all as he gets older?

Till now I could make his hurts go away with a kiss and a band-aid. But that won’t cut it this time and as helpless as I feel, the fact remains, that sometimes I just can’t fix it. I have come to understand that the only thing I can do is be prepared if he needs me. So I will do my research and try to have some answers when he asks, be his advocate with his doctors and above all have faith that he will always believe, as I do, that he is amazing on the inside and out.

]]> http://www.lunchhugs.com/stories/sometimes-a-band-aid-isn%e2%80%99t-enough/feed/ 0 http://www.lunchhugs.com/stories/much-to-be-thankful-for/ http://www.lunchhugs.com/stories/much-to-be-thankful-for/#comments Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:29:58 +0000 Kelly http://www.lunchhugs.com/?p=172 Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it –William Arthur Ward

Well the turkey is gone, our pants are tighter and hopefully our hearts are fuller. I know mine is and I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of being at vendor at the Vineland Thanksgiving Artfest in Vineland, Ontario. For three days we enjoyed beautiful weather which drew thousands of people. I have to admit that being a SAHM sometimes makes me feel like I have lost the art of communication, but this weekend I was reminded of how wonderful it is to actually “talk” to people and reflecting on my experiences I have much to be thankful for.

I am thankful for Janine who had the booth next to mine. Like me, she has two boys and is in the early stages of growing her business (www.jcfresh.com). During our three days we shared many laughs, stories about starting our companies, our kids, life etc. Without her I think the weekend would have seemed significantly longer! And this might sound silly, but I am thankful for her Almond Biscotti Bath Bomb which soothed my tired bones after days of standing on my feet in the blazing sun – we really need to be thankful for even the tiniest of luxuries!

I am thankful for Barb, Principal Lorne Gretsinger and the amazing team of volunteers that continue to create an incredible festival showcasing such a range of talented artists. You cannot help but be inspired after the experience and I am thankful for their dedication and hard work.

I am thankful to all the customers who came back from last year and shared their stories with me. With this kind of business you rarely, if ever, get to meet your customers and their insights and support meant a great deal. And I am grateful for all my new customers and the individuals who stopped by to share a joke and made me laugh.

I am thankful for meeting the husband and wife who came to visit me on Sunday and Monday. We talked about cards, business, websites and shared ideas. I was touched that the husband took the time to check out my website and returned with kind words on Monday. I am truly thankful for the kindness of strangers.

I am thankful for the gentleman with his two shelter dogs. As he was walking past my booth I asked him if he wanted a joke, he hesitated, but then gave in and I am glad he did. We talked for quite awhile about his dogs and our shared passion for rescue animals. We shared some laughs and he was such a wonderful, genuine person. I don’t even know his name but somehow it felt like I had made a friend.

I am thankful for my wonderful husband who entertained my boys all weekend and has been so supportive. And I am really thankful for the Thanksgiving dinner he prepared on Sunday night as a surprise. We have been together for over 11 years now and I think that might have been a first, and truth be told, I think he is a better cook than me!

And I am especially thankful for the woman who came by my booth to say she had bought my joke cards the year before, even though she did not have any grandchildren to give them to. She told me how her brother had been quite ill and was in a nursing home and how she would write him notes and include my jokes to cheer him up. She told me how she had lost her brother this year, but wanted to see me to tell me how much he had enjoyed them. For her kindness I am truly thankful.

As my Thanksgiving 2011 draws to a close, I wish to thank everyone for their generosity of spirit who touched my life this weekend. Till we meet again.

I love Halloween. Love, Love, Love it! And I owe it all to my mom.

I grew up in a house that celebrated holidays and they are my fondest memories. For Halloween we would decorate the whole house and my entire family would get dressed up in full makeup and costumes, handing out candy to an array of little princesses, super heroes and monsters.

We always had the scary music blasting and a theme. One year we had a big orange pumpkin on the lawn made of a tent and orange tarps, another year it was a ghost and then there was the year we had corn stalks lining the stairs where my friends hid and reached for kids as they walked past. Now my mom‘s lawn is covered in blow-up characters of all shapes and sizes and has a movie projector that plays fun Halloween movies on the wall of the house across the street.

Did I mention the pumpkins? I think our record was 21, all of which had to be carved. But the best part was it didn’t take long till other houses joined in and 20 years later it is still an event. Neighbours gather, chat, laugh and ooh and ahh at the costume parade. Families actually drive their kids to the street and my mom figures she hands out candy to almost 400 kids.

I remember thinking as a teenager that I couldn’t wait to do the same thing when I had my own house one day. But every year I am back there watching my kids stare in wonder at the decorations and run madly from house to house as my mom beams seeing her grandkids experience the magic.

I will always be thankful to my mother for creating such magical memories for me, my family and our neighbourhood.

What family traditions do you hope to pass on your children?

Shouldn’t that be the goal, “finding our true path…” whatever that may be. And yet so many of us get lost or distracted by messages, whether overt or simply perceived, about what we should or could be doing.

I had a conversation with a fellow mom yesterday that stayed with me. Our sons just started grade one together and now we are “empty nesters” from 9-3 Monday to Friday. She started taking courses for a new career as soon as her time was officially up as a SAHM. When I asked her how it was going, her hesitation told me more than any words she could have said. It is that realization that what you are doing might not actually be your true desire, but rather an expectation and it begins to dawn on you that perhaps you made a hasty decision about what you were meant to do when you were not being a mom.

Why is it we feel this huge pressure to figure out our next step, when our children have barely stepped out the door?

I liken it to the transition from high school to college/university etc. When you are 16 or 17 and are expected to decide what courses you will take, what career you are destined to have, what your life path will be and yet you can’t even legally have a glass of wine to mull it over!

To me it is the same for SAHM’s. If you have two children, chances are, you have not worked full time for at least 6-8 years. Add to that, it would be reasonably safe to assume that your previous employer did not keep your position open waiting for you to return, if that job even still existed. But most importantly, would you still want it? For me, I know I am not the same person I was eight years ago. I clearly remember the stress I felt and the short temper I had back then (some might challenge the idea that that has changed). So scratch that job off the to-do list.

So what’s the answer, if there even is one? All I can say is what I told my friend. What is so wrong with taking a little time to figure what is best for you and your family? I think to be at peace with your decisions, you deserve some quality alone time thinking about what you want to do instead of succumbing to the thoughts, suggestions and wishes of others. So I would say have that glass of wine, enjoy the quiet and mull it over. I’d like to think we’ve earned it!