Blog Posts by The Succulent Wife

My family was in for a major shock when we moved away from 16 years of living in the sunny Southwest to the Midwest with its grey winters. People were warning us that winters would be hard. Yeah, right. I was born in Montreal, I remember winters. Pfffft.

As we were visiting Chicago area homes in planning for our move, we scoffed at the particular homeowners that featured a closet with a standing tanning booth in it. "You'll need this in the winter" they said. Yeah, right. Pfffft.

Well, pfffft on us as we found out by mid-December of our first winter in Chicago. We were all dragging and so tired and sluggish all the time. And craving orange juice! Yep, we were all afflicted by SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). So, we got a light therapy lamp. And I only thought of sharing this story when I realized that most people living here still did not know about this easy, natural remedy.

Why Light Therapy? Light plays a major role in the production of serotonin. It then makes

Valentine's Day Gift IdeasIf I am to be honest, Valentine's Day is a far bigger deal for my daughters than it is for my husband and me. It seems that the school enjoys promoting this should-be celebration of undying love between two lovers as a vehicle to express friendship between classmates. Although we do not officially celebrate Valentine's Day in our home,

For many, going out for a romantic dinner on Valentine's Day is a tradition but, what about if you made it a date night every month? Or even every week?

restaurant_com I am not talking about a steak'n cheese burrito at Carls Jr, but a wonderful meal with that special ambiance at perhaps your favorite dining establishment. No way you say? Well, if you go to Restaurant.com there is a way to get significant discounts at restaurants in your neighborhood. Maybe even your favorite one.

I thought that everyone knew about Restaurant.com , but in mentioning it to a few friends of late, I realized that it's still a well kept secret. Now that you know, don't wait a minute longer. Here's what you do: register and subscribe to email. You will receive emails that announce 60 to 80% off promotion. Usually sold in $25, $50, $75 and $100 gift certificates, these can now cost you only $2, $4, $6 and $8 respectively. Hard to believe but it is true! I have used the Restaurant.com certificates at the most

Personalized gifts are always popular. But dna11.com takes it to the next level as they use a person's DNA, finger prints and kiss prints to create VERY unique artwork.

Kiss Portrait by dna11

Just as we loved the DNA portraits we mentioned in our Family Gift Guide last month, we also love dna11's Kiss Portrait™ for Valentine's Day (or for a wedding or engagement), a very innovative and modern form of romantic portraiture! And, it does not require any undressing or silly posturing, head hanging off the fur or satin covered fainting couch…

All you need to do is to order the Kiss Portrait kit. You will be sent a M.A.C. lipstick and kiss sheets to capture your lip print. Send that back, decide on color, style, size and frame and you've got the most uniquely romantic gift idea around.

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5 languages of love bookWith Valentine's Day around the corner and references to the celebration of love and romance to be seen everywhere, I thought that it was timely to finally read this book that has been - repeatedly - recommended over the years. Before I had my two youngest daughters, a girlfriend mentioned the "must read" book "5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. I must say that even though the book title kept popping up, I never paid much attention until I recently received a copy. I read it mainly to learn more about the relationship with my children - okay truth be told, for my teenage son - but also found it invaluable for my relationship with my husband.

The premise of the book is that we all feel and know that we are loved by how people relate to us. There are five "languages" that we can fall under that make us feel truly loved. They are: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service and Personal Touch. We, of course, will fall into more than one category but one will resonate more than the others. Finding the right language is the key to helping a person feel loved.

Words of Affirmation

This is really as simple as "to love me is to talk to me". My youngest daughter, who is only four, falls under this category. Although we may be baking, reading or playing a game together, it is the verbal communication that she enjoys the most. The key is to give her your undivided attention, plus be aware of the tone of your voice and the words that you use. This really goes for anyone, but what is different with people who resonate with this love language is that they take words personally. When I reprimand Adanna I have to be careful with my tone and words. Where I would need to give her siblings a strong tone in my voice and/or a time out, for her I just need to tell her what she did that was not okay. She gets it. We used to say she was so sensitive but after reading this book it is more that she hears the words I say and how I say it more clearly than her siblings. To her, when I say "I love you" she knows I mean it. One day she told me that she loved me to her heart. How can you beat that.

Quality Time

This is "to love them is to spend time with them". For my seven year old daughter Thea,

Over the holidays my family went to Downtown Disney, a street of restaurants and shops that links Disneyland, the Disneyland Resort and California Adventure Park, to have lunch. While we were walking around my daughters noticed a store, LittleMissMatched that featured vibrant socks in the window and asked if they could go in. Why not? They can always use more socks, their sock drawer being filled with orphan, non-matching socks. Much to my surprise (and delight!), I found out that LittleMissMatched doesn't match socks either! All socks are sold in a pack of three non-matching socks . They are coordinated in either color or pattern, but not both, which makes them fun and creative to wear. These socks are not just for girls, but also for boys, babies and women (sorry men). Ankle, knee high, toes sock and more are all sold in three packs or gift packs of six, nine and twelve, perfect for birthday gifts.

Little MisMatched Anklet Socks

This unconventional way of selling socks is what made this brand explode. The

synthesized with AlexaEvery now and then comes along an artist that offers a really new perspective. Alexa Meade , all of 23 years old and not even officially trained in art, is one such remarkable person. And when we say perspective, we mean that she completely toys with our notion of depth and volume as she paints 3D objects (people, mostly) into 2D tableaux.

Alexa plays a very clever visual mind game with the viewer. One that personally has me riveted. Her work, due to the very fact that she paints on actual people, is ephemeral, performance art that is, thankfully, captured on camera. Here are some fascinating examples of her work:

"Aligned"
Aligned with Alexa Meade

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There is no doubt that the transition from high school to college is a journey for both you and your teen. The magnitude of the move from 24/7 parent to empty-nester is not to be taken lightly, but your focus must be on helping your child in their journey. For many parents this requires a step back to allow your teen to explore their own needs and desires and take ownership of the process. But being involved without controlling the process can be a challenge.

student. What TYPE of helicopter parent are you?

One of the more interesting ways of describing levels of parental involvement in the college process, comes from an online college tool, Cappex.com. Once you have created a (free) profile on the site, you can find a parent worksheet that outlines different types of "helicopter parents". I know this term usually carries a heavy, negative connotation, but their premise that parents are essential to the college process, but can easily be out of line rings true. Being too involved