Do You Still Feel the Excitement of the New Year?

We are almost half way through January and what do you think? Just another day or are you still rocking the “Fresh Start” vibe that comes with a new year? I’m somewhere in the middle. I think the fresh, new vibe is waning but I still see so much possibility ahead for this year. 

We are told when we are young how fast time flies as we age, boy is that the truth! Last time I checked, Mason was a sweet little boy, playing with trucks and wanting to lick the spoon when I bake a cake. Okay, he wanted to bake the cake, but it was still in a sweet, little boy way. Now he’s more like a man than a boy! I sometimes stop cold in my tracks as I’m looking at this person who is nearly an adult and see, that’s Mason! He still does not have the manly hair that some of his friends are getting, but he speaks so eloquently, and just presents himself in such a way that is not the little boy that I used to know. I’m glad to say he still wants to cuddle with me and he even kissed me good-bye in the office at his school and told me he loved me - out loud as he walked away. People tell me that will stop, but maybe I will get lucky, you all know I tend to be luckier than most. 

So something fun coming this week, the project we did for Johnsonville Sausage in Wisconsin in December will be airing on their website this week, it’s called The Sausage Dome. Here is the trailer, it’s in true Johnsonville form; campy, silly, and fun. Episode one will air later this week (1/12), and Mason’s in episode two that will air on Thursday 1/19. I’ll be posting it on his social media accounts and if I have time, I will send out an email blast. Otherwise, you will see it in next week’s Monday Motivator.

I guess that’s all for now, I will be working this week on my list of things to do to try to get some of my projects under way. I want to start marketing regularly to veterans about using their VA loans to buy a house and get my pipeline back to full. I also think I have the cookbook project idea worked out. I will be mapping out that plan as well. What are your projects and plans for 2017? Do tell and Happy New Year!

Welcome Week #52!

It’s the last week in 2016 and can you believe how fast it went? I know, it’s totally cliche’ to write about how time flies, but it does! I don’t remember that being the case when I was a kid, but Mason said to me half way through this year, “Man mom, time is going so fast!” He was 12, but I suppose when you live a life like his as a kid, it would feel more grown up. Today Mason did his last television appearance of the year in Sacramento. He talked about how to make New Years Eve festive and fun for kids…he would know. 

It’s funny how much things can come around in just a few days. Last week I was really struggling with the whole gift situation that comes this time of year. Mason has been a normal 13 year old and all about what am I getting? It’s been driving me nuts because I want him to be more aware of the spirit of giving and how the magic of Christmas and Santa is really about giving and making other people’s dreams come true. The bottom line is, he’s a kid and as amazing and mature as he is in other realms of life, he’s still a little boy who is loving video games and gaming systems, and he wants more air soft stuff than he can likely use, he wants to go to the movies and he wants to eat crap food, and as his mom I need to just let some of this stuff be. It will pass and I really do not need to worry that he will grow up to be an entitled, selfish human, I don't think that's the case.

While I reflect on our year, how can I feel anything but gratitude? Mason worked a lot this year and by the looks of this last television appearance, it’s showing. After his segment while we were cleaning up, the anchor called to us to say, “In my ear, producer just said, “THAT WAS AWESOME!” that never happens! Good job Mason, you know how to do this and your set looked great!” That’s high praise and even Dave said to me, “Good job Kath, tell John Howard Swain he taught you well…so well, you’ve been able to teach Mason.” 

We were in Chicago in January shooting a pilot for a kid cooking show, Mason did his usual live cooking demos for the Home Shows, fairs, and festivals through the spring, summer and fall. I went to Las Vegas for the licensing show where it looks like I may have landed a gig for my RiverLights Originals art work in 2018, and we came home to get Dave his most favorite of all birthday presents, his Bernese Mountain dog puppy, Gunner. Mason and Dave then went back to Chicago where Mason filmed a spot with Steve Harvey while I was on a girls trip to NYC with Lisa Anderson. No sooner did we all touch down the same day in Sacramento, just two days later, Mason and I were back down in LA to shoot another spot for the pilot show we shot in January. That one will be interesting when it airs in 2017. From there we were back on a plane to Sheboygan, WI where Mason did a job for Johnsonville Sausage. That was a great trip! Not only did we have plenty of down time, we got to meet the good people at Johnsonville, and it looks like there might be more collaborations in the future. That project will likely be revealed next month, so stay tuned! 

Bring all of this full circle with Saturday Thanksgiving surrounded by our friends in the (not so) new house, I turned 50 (how the heck did that happen?!), and we shared another epic Christmas. There just isn’t room for anything in my heart except love and gratitude for this amazing life with my little family. 

Thank you for being on this journey with us, it wouldn’t be the same without you. Happy New Year, may you find this same kind of awesomeness in 2017!