It has been an amazing few days for me because I am in a national magazine! Well me and RichSingleMomma.com that is.

How exciting for me and so wonderful when friends call me to say they saw me while casually browsing through one of the best selling magazines in the country.

The mystery publication is Essence magazine. I am in the December 2013 issue which came out this month. Ironically a couple of my friends saw it before I did so I was scrambling trying to find my copy.

Watch the video

My appearance in the Work and Wealth section is because of a shopping challenge I was a part of along with bloggers at sistersavealot.com and doublesavingdivas.com. The challenge was for us to spend $250 on 10 premium gifts for family and friends using deal sites, mobile apps, coupons, and unique savings strategies.

I bought fantastic gifts for my family and friends at 78% off retail. I’ll share my techniques in a future article or video. I had so much fun with the challenge and proving you can buy great gifts for less.

What strategies do you use or plan to use for your gift buying this holiday season? Are you looking for a gift guide to help you find great deals?

I am a fan of heart pendants. The remind me to always stay in a loving frame of mind. I have sterling silver and crystal heart pendants but I don’t have a gold one.

Honestly I’m not a huge fan of gold pieces because I don’t like the way they look on my skin, but that’s just me.

I got a cute little heart charm pendant from Dogeared Jewels that was delivered by Zappos. What a cute little charm and it didn’t look half bad on me either.

I think it would make a nice casual piece of jewelry, especially for mom to symbolize the love we carry in our hearts for our children. With Mother’s Day this weekend it’s a perfect token of love.

Here are a few pictures of it and me wearing it:

What do you think? Would you like one of your own?

You have a chance to win your own by entering my little giveaway. Simply fill in the blank in the comments below.

“My heart bursts with love when my child ______________”.

The winner will be randomly chosen with Rafflecopter.com. Entries will be taken until Sunday at midnight. The winner will be announced Monday at noon.

This same pendant will be mailed to your house. The winner will be emailed.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

During this holiday season (or rather any time of the year), it is important to give thanks and be grateful what we do have and what is to come. To be financially fit, it is important to give gratitude in order to receive more. As we take some time to remember those of less fortune, remind yourself of the things that you should be grateful for.

Don’t forget to pay your bills, preferably on time. The services that you pay for in exchange for money are living essentials for your daily life. Remember that you are being grateful of having the benefit to use services that the city provides, to have a phone, finance a car, and much more. When you are more grateful for things, it changes your attitude about your bills. It causes you to remember that you could be homeless and jobless or one of the other.

Bills are a blessing that allow you to pay your dues on necessary services like the lights, water, gas, and a car for example. To be grateful during the holiday season and throughout the year, it is also good to donate if possible to those of less fortunate. Even though finances may be tough and the economy even tougher, don’t forget to give thanks.

During this time of year it’s easy to get overwhelmed because your money may be limited. There were several Christmases that I struggled to make it but with a little creativity I was able to give my kids a great Christmas day.

“Throughout the year, many single moms do a juggling act when it comes to finances.  Holiday spending can add extra pressure, not just on the personal budget, but also when it comes perhaps to negotiating with the child’s other parent.  Who’s going to buy what?  And if the co-parenting relationship is already strained, it may be difficult to communicate and partner to give your child gifts without breaking the bank.

“On the other hand, if the other parent is absent, then mom must bear this load alone.  One solution is to have your child make a wish list and aim to purchase one thing off that list, instead of building the expectation that she will receive a laundry list of items.  In our family, in lieu of lists of what we want, we make a list of gifts we want to give others.  This helps put the focus of the season where I believe it belongs: on giving, rather than getting.   I also encourage homemade gifts which come from the heart and which help us stay in budget.”

 “Throughout the year, too many single mothers find themselves having to make difficult trade-offs in an effort to make ends meet while giving their children the best opportunities they can afford.  That pressure is constant.  And, during the holidays, it’s intensified for single moms who want and are expected to shower their children with toys, gadgets and all things fun, even though they may not fit into the budget.  Guilt and frustration can take over.  But, the resources and support of a community can uplift mothers through this festive but often pressure-filed season and help them find ways to feel confident in their financial decisions and powerful in their lives…which promises a happy holiday season, even when funds are tight.”

• Make paper snowflakes and hang from the ceiling or tape to windows
• Make your own ornaments
  • Stuff clear ornaments with ribbon, glitter, or potpourri
  • Shape and bake clay or play-doh ornaments
• String popcorn or cranberries
• Make paper chain garland
• Bake cookies and other treats and give as Christmas presents

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The kids and I went to check out Stone Mountain’s Snow Mountain here in Atlanta this weekend. It is part of the Stone Mountain Christmas that runs from November 10, 2012 to January 1, 2013. I heard about it last year and thought it would be cool to check it out but we didn’t make it. I got invited to go this year and am so glad I went. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time.

We got in and took a family picture in front of the Christmas scene then moved on to find Snow Mountain. We didn’t know what to expect as we walked through the village that was all decked out in Christmas lights. We saw signs for the shows for the little kids to The Polar Express Experience. I’ll get to that later.

Fun on Snow Mountain 6x’s

Then we spotted the entrance to Snow Mountain. We could not start the fun just yet because they didn’t allow extras like scarves, purses, video camera, etc. We had to turn around and put our stuff in the lockers. Fortunately it was only a dollar to store our things. Now we could ride. And boy did we ride. Six times in fact. Three times on the solo slide and three times on the family/group slide.

I was one tired lady after all that. When you are at the top of the slide they run through the rules like; hold the grey handles, don’t get out, stay in your lane, and if you lose something they will get it for you. Glad I remembered that last part because the second time we went down the family slide I lost my cell phone. I took it to take all the lovely pictures you see here.

Lost and Found Cell Phone, Whewwww!!!

I noticed it was missing when I wanted to take a picture of the kid’s Snow Zone. The phone was gone so we headed back up the hill to get ask if they found it. They sent up to the top of mountain to get it…I was really tired. We got there and they said they had it at the bottom of hill and we needed to go back down…GRRRRRR!!!! Fortunately they let us go to the front of the line and ride back down. So that made the third time on the family slide for us. I got my phone back once they verified it was mine and we were on our way to other adventures.

Funnel Cakes and Forever Christmas Show

We stopped for a Funnel Cake and something to drink after the Snow Mountain Adventure. I convinced my son to taste the cake that he looked at with his nose scrunched up. He tasted it and loved it. I think he is pretty much won over, LOL!

We checked the schedule and made our way to the Forever Christmas show. It was basically a Christmas music review. The website describes it this way:

“Come enjoy the sounds of the season, from Doo-Wop to current Pop! “Yule” love remembering the songs from yesterday and making new memories for today!”

It was better than I expected and the singers were really good. There was a surprise for the little kids in the show. My kids are older so they weren’t impressed, in fact my daughter didn’t like it at all. I suspect it’s just her personality though. But little kids will really like that part.

The Polar Express 4-D Experience

The next thing we did was go see The Polar Express Experience. It was a 4-D show that “engaged your senses”. Here is how the website describes it:

“When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

THE POLAR EXPRESS 4-D EXPERIENCE is a 20-minute show based on the inspiring and beloved Caldecott Medal children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg.”

It was a fun experience though it seemed too short. It felt like we were a part of the excitement in the movie.

Christmas Parade and Friends

After the show we waited around for the Christmas parade. We ran into Amy from Atlanta with Kid and The Q Family Adventures, along with her husband and kids. We chatted with them for a bit until the parade started. Her husband Ron had his video camera all ready to capture the show, but it went by too fast for him to get anything, LOL! He has a video creation and production company if you ever need a great videographer.

Cookie Decorating for the Little (or not so little) Artists

My daughter wanted to decorate a cookie so we headed to Memorial Hall so she could express her artistic talents. My son declined because his growling stomach made it hard to have a good attitude. So he sat and waited although he was very grumpy :-p.

We ran into Raisa Lefe (Macaroni Kid Sandy Springs-Dunwoody) and her family on the way to eat dinner. It was fun watching her little boys talk about everything they did at the park that day. They are too cute.

Plenty of Exercise, Plenty of Fun at Stone Mountain

It was a fun afternoon and I definitely got my exercise. The steep hills of Stone Mountain are not to be taken lightly but the park is beautiful throughout the year. We left before the laser light show and fireworks but I’m sure it was great.

I hope you enjoyed reading about our snow day at Stone Mountain park. If you live in Atlanta go check it out before January 2. If you plan to visit Atlanta during the Holidays I hope you check it out as well.

Check out the rest of the pictures on Facebook and like the RichSingleMomma page while you are there.

We are down to the wire with the Countdown to Thanksgiving Food and Frills. Today is one of my favorites because it combines my love of chocolate with my love of pecans. The recipe for yummy pecan pie is below.

How to Make Yummy Pecan Chocolate Chip Pie for Thanksgiving Desert

Instructions

How to make chocolate pecan pie

If you have been following the Countdown to Thanksgiving Food and Frills series you’ve learned how to set a Thanksgiving Table, how to Prepare a Turkey, how to Roast a Turkey, and how to make Gourmet Mac and Cheese. Today you are going to learn how to make an appetizer even the kids will love.

Mini Quiches are a great appetizer while you are waiting for the Thanksgiving meal to be served. It’s easy to make and event the kids can help. You can probably add your own extra ingredients too for a special touch.

How to Make Mini Quiche Thanksgiving Day Appetizers

Instructions

How to make mini quiches

Shopping List

What kind of appeitizers do you enjoy making? Do you think you’ll make the Mini Quiches?