It’s the time of year when office emails start to get mushy. Families get together to eat and be merry. Everyone is thankful for what they have. It’s a great day, this Thanksgiving holiday we celebrate in America.

Families are struggling because of the economy this year. Friends are out of work. Jobs are hard to find. People are sick. Some are dying. But, what in your life is good? What are you thankful for this year?

• Are you in good health? Many aren’t.
• Do you still have your home? Many are in foreclosure or have already been forced out.
• Do you have a job? Many people are struggling to find work.
• Do you eat three meals a day? Many people aren’t able to afford this luxury and rely on others to feed them.
• Do you have a warm bed to sleep on? Many people are homeless and forced to sleep outside on cold nights.
• Do you have family? Some are lonely and the holidays make it worse.

Let’s remember this season to be thankful for what we DO have and to make the best of every moment.

I should take a moment to thank you, the readers, for coming to my blog. I write for you everyday. I think of you as I type and hope that I am inspiring you to be the best mother you can be. Thanks for coming!

Related:

• Travel tips for a long car ride with a toddler

I don’t really know why they call the Friday after Thanksgiving Black Friday — hold on a sec while I Google it …

The term “Black Friday” originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day. More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit).”

- Wikipedia

I usually go shopping on Black Friday. Not for the deals, just for the socialization aspect of it. I’ve had to work on the Friday after Thanksgiving some years, which puts a major crimp in getting into the spirit of the season, but am lucky to have the day off this year. I know some of you are die hards on this day, waking up before the sun to get to the stores for the special deals. This year there are surely deals to be had. Take a peak at some of the Black Friday Web sites to get a sneak peak of the sales:

• http://www.blackfriday.info/
• http://bfads.net/ — this one claims to be the official site
• http://www.theblackfriday.com/ — this one also claims to be the official site
• http://www.black-friday.net/
• http://www.blackfridayads.com/ — “the site retailers don’t want you to see”

I have a ton of boys clothes. From infant to 4T. Tons. I’ve saved most all of my son’s clothes knowing that we would have another child. When I found I Baby Number 2 is a girl, I didn’t know exactly what to do with all of these boys clothes. This weekend I decided to go through all of them.

One by one I started to vet the clothes and pick out the ones that look unisex. I put the “all-boy” clothes aside to sell or give away. I saved the green, yellow and white onsies for the girl.

Then, I started to wonder. What was I doing? Why can’t girls wear blue?

I was never the pretty-in-pink kind of girl. I had two brothers and was more of a tomboy than a fairy princess. Why can’t my little girl wear blue? I started to separate the clothes differently. I kept all the cute blue PJs. Some khaki shorts made the list. A sweet little pair of blue jeans was kept. Here’s a sample of a few of the clothes that I had to contemplate:

This blue PJ is super cute, but originally was in the pile to give away. It’s totally blue with nothing girly about it. If people see Baby Girl in this they’ll surely think she’s a boy. I don’t care.

This one you don’t notice the boy in it right away. Upon close inspection, however, you see tiny cars and typical boy-related items. Girls can like cars too!

So, here’s one that seems gender neutral. It’s a pretty green color. No one should question this outfit, except if you get close enough to read the lettering it says “boy” all over the outfit. Whatever!

Yellow. Yellow is safe, right? This outfit should be for a boy or a girl.

All of the above outfits I kept. I figure it’s crazy to go out and get all new things that my precious little girl will only wear for 3 months at the most. What’s worse is to dictate what she’ll wear based on societies color choice for the sexes. Sure, she’ll be in a lot of blue, but I hope that people will not put her in a pink box wondering why she isn’t in the traditional “girl” colors. I say, “Girls CAN WEAR BLUE.”

I know this isn’t news to anyone — it shouldn’t be news — but I just can’t believe that in one week it will be Thanksgiving. This simply means that in one week we’ll seriously start planning for Christmas. Oh my.

My already busy days are bound to get busier. What is a mom to do?

With people strapped for cash these days, it’s time to start looking for items you need from places other than stores. I recently was told about Freeclycle, a Web site dedicated to connecting people who have something to give away, with people who need that something.

It’s not new, but for many it may be. For me, it is becoming a way to get rid of things I no longer need — like an old garage door that we removed during a remodel. It’s in perfectly good shape. I could try to sell it, but would rather not have to go through all that it will take to try to get rid of it. Freecycle seems the best optoin for me. I’m willing to give it away, instead of throw it away. There’s probably someone doing a remodel that would love a free garage door.

The possibilities are endless. You can search for appliances, kids clothes, TVs, electronics, anything really. You just post a WANTED message or an OFFER message and wait for replies. Freecycle uses Yahoo Groups as its back end which makes it easy for many to use. The groups are based on geographic location which eliminates the need for shipping and allows for larger items to be given away.

Try it out.