My Christmas Prayer

I have so many old favorites when it comes to Christmas music. But today I want to share a new favorite. I heard this song for the first time a few years ago on the Oprah song and ran to Starbucks the next day to purchase the CD. It's by Bebe Winans with Rob Thomas. I couldn't find a good video of it on youtube but I did find the song! Enjoy!!!

Christmas Traditions...

Me, my brothers and sister and my Cousin's at Christmas Time...

Christmas time is always very nostalgic for me. In my family, Christmas Eve has always been our day to get together and have a traditional Puerto Rican meal. My Mom is in charge of the feast now but when my Grandma was alive Christmas Eve dinner was her thing!

We would all gather at my Grandparent's house for Christmas Eve dinner every year. We didn't have a long commute because my Grandparent's lived downstairs! All day we would smell the wonderful pernil that had to be cooked all day. It would drive us nuts and we waited with anticipation for my Grandpa to call us downstairs for dinner.

My Grandma cooked the whole meal by herself. No one was allowed in her kitchen to help! The only thing we helped her prepare was the pasteles, which had to be assembled, wrapped and frozen days ahead of the big day. She would also make arroz con gandules and for dessert she always made flan and rice pudding.

Once dinner was ready, we would all take turns at the table eating. All my aunts, uncles and cousins were there and we could never all fit at the table to eat together. The ones that had to wait would gather in my Grandparents small living room and talk and laugh. The apartment would be so loud but I know my Grandpa loved it because he was so happy that everyone was there. My poor Grandma was always stressed because she never thought the food tasted good (but it was always delicious!) and she always ate last. No matter how many of us told her to sit and eat, she would insist on eating after everyone was finished.

After dinner and dessert, we would all head to my aunt's house down the block (again we did not have a long commute!). The party would continue and the adults would really get loose. The volume of the party turned up with lots of salsa music, coquito and silliness. We would wait until midnight and we were all allowed to open one present. That usually turned into us opening whatever our relatives bought for us! I have so many funny stories of those after dinner parties but I will save those for another post!

Christmas Eve has not been the same since my Grandma passed away. We don't all get together like we used to. My Grandpa stopped spending Christmas in NY because it was too painful for him. He would go to Puerto Rico for Christmas. Now he is in heaven spending Christmas with Grandma and I know they are happy!

We are making our own Christmas traditions now. Like I said before, my Mom does the cooking and now she doesn't want any help! My aunts, uncles and cousins do their own thing on Christmas Eve. But I'm hoping that they all take the time to remember all the Christmas Eves we spent together taking turns to eat at Grandma's table!

Good Things Come in Small Packages....

A little nugget of wisdom from my little Diva: "Mommy good things come in small packages. Jesus was a small package and He came and He is a good thing!"

She said this to me this morning and it was so sweet! So take this thought with you today and throughout the holiday season as a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas :)

Green Irene

I am always searching for work at home opportunities. I love exploring the options that are out there so that I can continue to stay home with the kids but bring home some income too! I also love sharing what I've found and I came across this great company as part of the Mommy Go Green Blog Tour.

The company is called Green Irene  and they offer an opportunity to become an eco-consultant  through their company. This concept appeals to me because the work you would be doing benefits the environment and also helps people save money by helping them reduce their energy consumption.


The Green Irene Eco-Consultants are independent business people working from home. It is a direct sales opportunity where the consultant offers eco-consulting services and dozens of recommended green home products. Their main product is the Green Home Makeover. For $99 the consultant conducts a 60-90 minute consultation. This service covers topics such as energy conservation improvements, energy efficient lighting replacements, water conservation tools, improving indoor air quality and reducing harmful chemicals in the home. After consulting, the Eco-Consultant recommends carefully researched and tested products that will make the home greener and healthier. 


For more information you can check out this 5 minute video about the Greene Irene Opportunity: http://www.tinyurl.com/SeizeTheGreen




Here are some more FAQ's from the company:

Do you need a college degree to be an Eco-Consultant?

No. We do require a high school degree.

What skills do you need to be a successful Eco-Consultant?

You need to have a healthy curiosity to keep learning in an evolving field. You need to be comfortable interacting with a homeowner and going thru your consulting plan and explaining your recommendations. You need to be friendly, organized and have excellent follow-up. It certainly helps to be passionate and interested in creating a healthier world, but you definitely won't be successful if you are a “Preachy Green Person”. You will find yourself in a basement checking the water temperature setting on a hot water heater and screwing in a lot of CFL energy efficient lightbulbs, but no mechanical skills are required.

What do I need to be an Eco-Consultant with Green Irene?

You are required to have a computer with a high-speed Internet connections (i.e. DSL/cable) as well as a cell phone so we can reach you on short notice if a client needs to reschedule. You will obviously need to visit with clients in their home in your community, so the transportation requirements will vary.

How much does it cost to become a Green Irene?

The total start up costs are $450 which includes the $150 set up and training fee and the $300 demo kit. The set-up and training fee includes the online training, customized marketing materials in digital form, access to The Ask Green Irene database, access to the BackOffice, your own personal Green Irene ecommerce website (www.greenirene.com/yournameandcommunity) and email forwarding (yourname.yourcommunity@greenirene.com) Then, the demo kit includes a representative group of the Green Irene recommended products (not sample sizes, but real products) - CFLs, water conservation kit, toxic free cleaners and a few other items. If you would like to spread out your costs, you can pay for the start-up in two pieces. You must pay the $150 to get started but you do have 30 days in which to pay for your demo kit (the demo kit is shipped promptly after payment).

Is there a typical “Green Irene”?

Green Irenes can come from many backgrounds, including stay at home mothers who are looking to conduct one or two Green Makeovers a day, several days a week in their own communities. Some are people reentering the workforce and some are recent college graduates who want a “Green” opportunity. Active seniors are attracted to the opportunity and the flexibility. There are opportunities to make this a second job by taking appointments only in the early evenings or on the weekends.

What skills do you need to be a successful Eco-Consultant?

You need to have a healthy curiosity to keep learning in an evolving field. You need to be comfortable interacting with a homeowner and going thru your consulting plan and explaining your recommendations. You need to be friendly, organized and have excellent follow-up. It certainly helps to be passionate and interested in creating a healthier world, but you definitely won't be successful if you are a “Preachy Green Person”. You will find yourself in a basement checking the water temperature setting on a hot water heater and screwing in a lot of CFL energy efficient lightbulbs, but no mechanical skills are required.

If you are interested in becoming a Green Irene please check out the following link:

http://www.BeAGreenIrene.com.

Christmas Countdown

Christmas Countdown & MySpace Layouts



I love Christmas time and all the fun ways we get to celebrate and prepare before the big day! Today we had our Christmas show at church today and the production was great! The music was wonderful and the play they put on was inspiring. I love Christmas Carols and can't wait for Julia's Christmas show at school tomorrow. She is also going to be in the kid's Christmas production at our Church on Sunday!

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and remembering that Jesus is the Reason for the Season!!!


I found this on youtube. It's one of the songs that Julia's class is going to sing tomorrow... Enjoy!!!