the Mom-Stuff Community » girlfriends

Make an “All-About-You” Day for a Special Girlfriend

the mom-team — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:28:25 +0000

What girlfriend deserves her own special holiday? (seriously!)

Some friends are there for us when no one else is, others find ways to help us reach our dreams and then there are those amazing women who know just how to make us laugh when we were really ready to cry. Girlfriends who care about how we feel and think, who really listen and who celebrate our successes with us are cherished friends.

We’re so fortunate as women to have close friends and especially blessed when a special friend comes into our life who makes us a better person and who demonstrates all the amazing qualities of a true ‘best friend forever.’

My friend Jill (shown here and currently caring for children in Haiti) is a kind, caring, funny, amazing woman. Her longtime BFF (over 20-years) recognized her girlfriend gratitude as an opportunity to make Jill feel as special as her friendship is to her. So, she decided to show her appreciation for Jill and their wonderful friendship with a surprise “Jill Day” celebration.

Unaware that it was her special day, Jill was invited over for a normal dinner at her best friend’s house. However, as soon as she arrived, she knew things weren’t so ‘normal.’ “Happy Jill Day” signs the kids had made decorated the house and yard. She was greeted with hugs, cheers and cards. Her favorite meal was prepared and everything was centered around this special guest of honor. Her BFF toasted Jill and shared her appreciation for the decades of friendship they’d shared, the amazing qualities about Jill that she loves and even gave her a friendship ring to remind Jill of their friendship.

As you can guess, Jill as overwhelmed by this special friend and her amazing display of love and girlfriend gratitude. it was their own personal ‘holiday’ and celebration of friendship – a day to reflect and feel grateful for their wonderful years of friendship.

Who in your life could you use a “Jill” day? What girlfriend has been there for you for years? What friend means so much to you that you just need to express it?

Plan your own “Jill” (or Sandy or Barb) day. Make it special and all about your favorite friend. Show her how much you appreciate the gift of her friendship and express how she has impacted your life in amazing ways. Customize the day to what will make her feel special and loved – dinner, tickets to something she wants to see or something as simple a mani/pedi together – whatever she’ll enjoy and cherish, as you do her friendship.

That’s just one way to celebrate her friendship. For more, check out these ways to be a better friend, reconnect with old friends and make new friends in our Month of Friendship blogs.

Article from http://girlfriendology.com/blog/3592/month-of-friendship-day-20-make-it-an-all-about-you-girlfriend-day/

Finding Time for Girlfriends

the mom-team — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:11:43 +0000

Do you balance your life to make time for your girlfriends?

Or do you struggle with balancing work, life, family, friendships and life?

Girlfriends make women healthier, happier, less stressed, live longer and feel more beautiful. Those wonderful benefits of female friendship improve our quality of life and are substantial to our level of happiness. So why don’t we work to have not only a life/work balance, but to have a life/friendship balance?

Probably the most common excuse for not making time for our girlfriends is that we don’t have the time. We have kids, jobs, homes, relationships, dirty clothes, meals to prepare, dishes to do and all the wonderful other things that women do on a daily basis. We constantly juggle deadlines and budgets, try to take care of ourselves and our families, and often don’t even sleep well to be rested for another day of responsibilities and expectations.

Here’s our girlfriend advice for being a better friend and maintaining a life friendship balance:

1. Make time with your girlfriends a priority. Put it on your calendar. Schedule time together – and don’t change plans. Examples: Every Sunday night: call up a girlfriend and catch up on her life. Check in at least once a week or month with different female friends. Send a birthday card to all your girlfriends on their birthdays. Show your girlfriend(s) how much their friendship means to you – be the kind of friend you’d love to have!

2. Make plans with girlfriends in advance. Monthly Book Club, an upcoming concert or sports event, a trip together. Plan ahead and balance your schedule around it. (See #1!) Sometimes we have to plan far ahead to make arrangements and get on everyone’s schedule. So, plan ahead for some great times with your girlfriends!

3. Multi-task: Spend time together and ‘get stuff done!’ Run, work-out or take a yoga class together. (It will motivate you to get exercising and make it much more fun!) Volunteer together – do good for others and spend time with your favorite BFF(s). Even plan some of your ‘chores’ together – meet to go grocery shopping, go to the garden/home store together and work on home projects together, cook meals ahead of time (together, of course) then split them so you both have meals prepared.

4. Get into a routine. As we mentioned above, call your girlfriends every Sunday afternoon or evening. Plan a girlfriend’s happy hour for the last Friday of the month and book a babysitter in advance. (Then possible share the babysitter with our girlfriend’s kids!) As shared on our Facebook page, Amy from Cincy Chic, has a standing girlfriend get-together – aka: “Champagne Tuesday.” (Does that sound fun and like you’d love to hang out with Amy and her girlfriends every week?!)

5. Look out for each other. Just like you need some work / life / friendship balance, so do your girlfriends. If your friend is working too much, invite her out to dinner to spend time away from work and with you. Talk about work some but also make the conversations about fun stuff – like reality shows, shoe shopping, upcoming travel plans, etc. If your BFF is a busy, busy mom, hire a babysitter for her and surprise her with a night out with you (and the girls). (Check out BabySitEase for a babysitting service provided by our girlfriend,Peggy Murriner.)

Happiness is found in balance. Balancing our time allows us to allot for our needs – working to follow a passion (and affording us the income and free time to enjoy the rest of the hours in our lives), spending time with people we love and maintaining a sane life work balance.

Build some time into your schedule for your girlfriends. It’s important to your happiness. It’s important to the balance of work and life.

http://girlfriendology.com/blog/3304/be-a-better-friend-finding-time-for-girlfriends/

Today I want to take the time to introduce you to one of my new girl friends. Her name is Heidi and her blog is Made by Heidi. If you like craft projects you will love what she is doing right now. Made by Heidi has a contest going on. She has 18 craft projects posted and she wants you to vote Heidi says “I need your help! Take a look at the contestants and vote on your 5 favorites over in my sidebar. The voting will be open until Friday, August 6th at midnight. You are allowed 5 votes, per person, per day. Go to her site and get some great ideas. Vote while you are there.

http://madebyheidi.blogspot.com/2010/08/if-you-were-chosen-as-one-of-top-20.html

I am Thankful for My Online Friends

the mom-team — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:40:59 +0000

FOR THE HUSBAND WHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.

FOR THE TEENAGER WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME, NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED.

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING, WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING, AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.

FOR MY HUGE HEATING OR COOLING BILL
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM COMFORTABLE

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH WHO SINGS OFF KEY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR.

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MANY E-MAILS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.

I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. I LOVE COMMENTS, TWEETS, LIKES AND EMAILS.

THANKS FOR BEING A PART OF THE MOM-STUFF CIRCLE