GottaLoveMom

- by Carmina Villanueva-Huet A hundred kisses a day, Is all I need. From Guada, an angel indeed! A gift from heaven, That God has given. A hundred kisses a day, Is all I need, Even if she cannot say, "I love you, Mommy!" or "Thank you for taking care of me.". A hundred kisses a day, Is all I need. To overcome my fears, or to wipe my tears. Even when no one sees or hears. A hundred kisses a day, Is all I need. To go on living, To keep on trying, And continue on loving. A hundred kisses a day, Is all I need. You are always bubbly, As I cuddle you fondly. Or how you make me happy. (Ms. Carmina Villanueva-Huet, is one of my college friends. She's one of the new contributors for GottaLoveMom.)

It was one of those Friday nights when my youngest had a gymnastics practice -- an opportunity for an impromptu dinner date at a nearby restaurant. We've heard of the Ursino's restaurant since last year, but with the kids' hectic schedules, we never had a chance until last Friday.

“Your only limitations are those you set up in your mind, or permit others to set up for you.”  ~ Og Mandino Four years ago, my son came home from a 3-day YMCA Model United Nation s Conference. Despite his exhaustion, he was more passionate, driven and motivated than he ever had been.  This was notable because he was already very involved with extracurricular activities and I didn't think it was possible for him to get more involved.  He talked about the new friends he made, and how he learned so many new things. While he tried to catch up on homework and sleep, I went through his luggage to gather all the laundry and I discovered that he received several awards. The next day I asked him about the awards, and told him that we were so proud of his accomplishments, but all he could talk about was the friendships he made at the conference. That was the beginning of my son's 4 year experience with the YMCA Model United Nation’s family. On Jan...

We cannot help how we are predisposed to being. But this coming home to ourselves can sometimes be painful. I strongly believed I am a full-fledged, 100% loner by nature. My motto was the less people in my life, the happier am I. There was an odd thing going on though. A strange unexplainable pattern I kept seeing. My closest friends would have ridiculously large families. Their families would even be the kind that ‘adopts’ friends (that would be me) into their life and treats them exactly like family. I’ve been in three relationships. All three, without exception, had large families and also had enormous circle of friends. It gets worse, this pattern. Of all the gurus to become a devotee to, I chose (fell in love with) one who is the epitome of ‘large group of people’. She’s the only Guru in the history of the planet who hugs everyone around the world and calls them all Her children! Still, I paid no mind to all that repetitive, consistent, what I call, anomaly. I was obs...

One of the great features of my iPhone is the camera. It takes clear pictures - fast and reliable. However, when I upgraded (as suggested) to iOs6, the camera feature became unreliable. Even Instagram stopped working. The convenience that having an iPhone provides includes taking pictures of every single event in my family's life. So when the camera kept crashing, I spent hours reading various discussions about this problem. This morning I thought I was resigned to the sad notion that I won't be able to capture my son's gymnastics competition. I was about to charge my old Canon digital camera. I was about to give up when I decided to call my mobile service provider, Verizon Wireless. The customer service person walked me through the steps and voila! My iPhone camera works again! Here are the steps that worked for my iPhone. 1) Do a soft re-boot by holding the power button (on top of the iPhone) and the menu button (the circle button at the bottom). It took...

Ingredients: •2 cups almond flour/almond meal •2 teaspoons baking powder •1/4 teaspoon salt •1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted •4 eggs •1/3 cup water •1/3 cup frozen blueberries (optional) •Sweetener -- 12 packets of natural sweeteners (If using sugar substitute, Equal has no bitter taste) 

"You look very pretty".  Four words that can make me laugh out loud --  I mean, hysterically loud! My husband has never looked as handsome, fit and happy. His change in (wheat-free, low carb) diet, (isometrics) exercise and outlook in life have made me pause in awe whenever my eyes catch a glimpse of his face. Whether it's getting in to the car, having a conversation, sitting at the head of our dining room table, sitting on the couch watching episodes of "Strike Back",  sleeping next to me, or cooking scrambled eggs in the morning (which according to my kids are far better than mine!) I'm in such awe (or is it because I need new prescription glasses?) that I've been spontaneously telling him, "You look handsome. You look really good!" . And of course, he would reply by flashing that smile that made me fell in love with him -- just like the first time. However, I noticed that he has not said anything about "ME". I hav...

As with all other humans faced with the prospect of a fresh start, I have been trying to figure out my resolutions for 2013 (and beyond, for that matter).   I do not usually like to call them resolutions, but rather positive habits.   This past weekend I was the direct recipient of very hateful and hurtful words.   This event, along with the recent school shooting in Connecticut, brought to light what everyone's resolutions should include.   I was at an intersection in a parking lot and started to move into the intersection, making a left turn.   This woman abruptly turned in front of me, but I was able to stop in plenty of time, avoiding a collision.   It was at this point the ugliness ensued.   At first, she used the F*** word, which does not really offend me, but what followed, really shook me to my core.   After I tried to utter an apology, she shouted out her window, "You fat, ugly whore."   What would possess a woman to c...