Great teacher or babysitter gifts. Buy a cookie cut out pattern, add some colorful icing and a few ribbons with a nice card is a special holiday gift. Framed Collage ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Perfect for any occasion, great for friends or loved ones. Gather pictures of person you're making collage for. Look for pictures of various places you've both been and fun times you've shared.

Once you have your pictures, cut and organize them to make an attractive display. Glue them in place, decorate frame and you have a gift that's a lasting memory. How can you put a price on that? Homemade Ornaments ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Get a recipe for a hardening clay from any holiday crafts book. A childs' foot or hand imprint creatively decorated make excellent gifts for grandparents or relatives.

This is something special that you can only give once. Your kids will quickly grow up. Family/Children Portraits ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An 8X10 of family/kids is a perfect gift for grandparents or distant relatives you might not get to see very often. You can even make a holiday frame for it. Look for low prices at JC Pennys or Sears. Magazine Subscription ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who doesn't like to read magazines? Reasonably priced, magazine subscriptions make excellent gifts. Find out what magazines or interests they have and then every time your friend receives another issue, they'll think of you. TIS THE SEASON . . . . KEEP THAT IN MIND ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All too often, holidays seem to come and go in a flicker of an eye leaving us wondering if we even had a celebration at all. Take time to visit with others whom you do not get to see very often. Spend time with elderly in your family.

Start a 'tradition' within your family that everyone, including kids, can participate in. These will be your cherished memories of loved ones in your life that no gift can replace.

What is a proactive parent? A proactive parent understands that that parenting is a relational activity, which rules that govern relationships with others work here as well; just with added twist that parent is in charge. A proactive parent understands that children are like sponges and will react as parents react. A proactive parent understands that to truly be best parent she can be is to understand herself as completely as possible.

I became convinced during my working years and as a parent that many problems have a more spiritual aspect: A feeling of worthlessness. Mothers, women often feel as if spirituality belongs to men; or their own experiences as children has left them feeling as if they are unworthy to be anything other than, "a loser." Because of my own personality, experience and understanding of myself, I went into formation for Spiritual Direction and created a ministry for mothers.

I have come back to writing late. When I was younger I wrote often, then stopped for many reasons. Now I am slowly coming back to journaling.

I learned that life truly is what YOU make it and there are rules to this game of life, and I have become a student of life to live it at my best.

Sonny Perkowksi is a woman who has spent most of her adult life explore and examining her life.