If you haven’t noticed, I have added a Poll of the Week in the right sidebar.

It’s just a little something fun to jazz up the site.

Go ahead, cast your vote! It’s free - no strings attached.

A mother’s work is never done. Parenting is a tough job. We all know that. But, hey, moms need a little time to relax, too.

If you can’t justify putting your work away at the end of a busy day, here are 10 things moms can do to “relax” and tackle your to do list at the same time.

1. Hobbies - hobbies are supposed to be fun. But sometimes having an unfinished project can add to the daily stress. Use this time to work on something that you have been meaning to finish.
2. Call a friend or relative - someone that you haven’t spoken to in a while and whose company you enjoy.
3. Organize that mountain of family pictures - online or off.
4. Exercise - go for a walk or do some aerobics.
5. Pamper yourself - do your nails, soak your feet, whatever you have been putting off that makes you feel better about your appearance.
6. Flip through magazines and cookbooks and find some new recipes - this helps with the “what’s for dinner” stress.
7. Listen to your favorite music and work on your lists. Planning makes everything run more smoothly.
8. Read a parenting book - yes, it is job related but you should always take the time to read the instruction manual!
9. Pre-screen a movie that your kids want to see but you are unsure about.
10. Play one of your kids favorite video games - so you can play it with them later (you will score some points for “cool mom of the year” as well!)

This post was written as part of the Litemind Lists Group Writing Project.

Wired for Noise has posted The Turkey Hangover Edition of the Carnival of the SAHM’s!

Huh? What is that?

Basically, a collection of great posts by different bloggers about the stay at home mom experience.

Oh, and did I mention that one of my posts is listed there as well?

My December resolution is to take more pictures. Parents have the subjects to photograph but not the time (or the third hand to hold the camera! )

Once upon a time, I took tons of pictures. As the kids grew, I snapped less and less.

Usually my hands were full. Try as I might, I couldn’t juggle the babies and the camera. As they moved into toddlerhood, I couldn’t keep them away from the camera long enough to snap the pictures.

Now, I just plain forget to take the camera.

With the holidays upon us, I am making an early resolution to take tons of pictures during the month of December.

And while we are on the subject, does anyone have any good tips for keeping their digital photo libraries organized?

This year our family started our Black Friday shopping a little late. Actually, we hit the stores at about 9:00 am. And surprisingly, we still found most of the stuff that was on our list.

Sure, a few things were sold out and we settled for a few comparable products instead of what was actually on our shopping list. But overall, we found some good bargains and completed a good portion of our family’s holiday shopping.

This year our son accompanied us on our expedition. And somewhere along the line the word “sale” got lost in the translation. We forgot that he was uninitiated, “green” if you will.

Our first stop was Circuit City. My husband and I, flier in hand, scoured the shelves for the cheapest deals - we love the $5 items. My son, on the other hand, began to fill his basket with lots of stuff. I must have blinked, or maybe he is just quick, but before I knew it his basket was overflowing.

Movies, posters, and at least 30 video games (some at $35 a pop) were among his selections.

You all must be familiar with the conversation that followed.

Me - Nope, no way, not going to happen.

Him - But mom - it’s Black Friday!

With all the hype, frenzy, and media attention surrounding this day, my son figured Black Friday was a shopping free for all.

In the end, we left with a few sale items, a disappointed son, and the realization that we have to do a better job of teaching our kids how to spend money responsibly.