'Tis the season to be jolly-- or at the very least cranky and busy-- up to your eyeballs in presents, deliveries, required Holiday festivities, and more!

This week, take a breather and check out what EssentialMom.com's advertisers have to offer to make your life easier. Shop from the comfort of your own home or discover new resources out in the community which will make your errands more fun, or better yet, more productive! And, forgive me, but you can even think past the Holidays and organize your January while you're at it-- great classes, events, and resources as always here at Essentialmom.com!

Happy Shopping!

Come join us at Bedford Prep!! We have been recently chosen the "Best Tutoring Service In Westchester" by Westchester Magazine. Classes being offered in the spring include SAT, ACT and SAT II preparation. Individual subject and ISEE tutoring are also available. Bedford Prep has pre-school programs for children between the ages 3 and 4 years old. Children are dropped off at 12:00 with a bagged lunch and then they enjoy an afternoon of fun at our cozy cottage. Afternoon programs include cooking, art, science and one-on-one instruction with a certified teacher.

Play groups at Bellizzi, a place to meet, to eat and to chat while your kids have fun. Gift certificates are available. Order you catering for the holiday early and let us do all the work. Book your birthday parties now for January and Febuary, Bellizzi is where the party is. Bellizzi Restaurant, in 2 locations for your convenience: 153 Main Street, Mount Kisco, NY 10549, Tel 914-241-1200 or 1272 Boston Post Rd. Larchmont, NY 10538, Tel 914-833-5800.

HOLIDAY MINI-CAMP December 26, 27, 28 & 29, 2006, Ages 3-8.
Treat your child to the arts for the holidays. We'll enjoy 3 hours of fine art, music, movement and play. 2 sessions daily. Mornings: 9:30 to 12:30 or Afternoons: 1:00 to 4:00pm. $45 per session. 20% discount for siblings. A great gift for you and your child! Space is limited. 5 Anderson Lane, Goldens Bridge, NY.

Imagine burying one ton of diapers in your backyard-- that's the equivalent of one babyhood's worth of disposable diaper consumption. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, disposable diapers made up 3.4 million tons of landfill waste, 2.1 percent of US garbage, in 1998, the last year this information was collected. In addition to being ecofriendly, cloth diapers facilitate communication between parent and baby: Children learn to let their parents know when they need to go to the bathroom, instead of assuming that the diaper itself is the potty. Cloth diapered babies can train as early as 18 months, instead of potty training by as late as age 5 with plastic diapers. Plastic diapers create a heated environment that is linked to infection and male infertility. And synthetic chemicals are a threat: Sodium polyacrylate is still used in diapers despite its recall from tampons due to links with toxic shock syndrome. Shelley Tween, founder of Healthy Diapers delivery service, offers an alternative: "Cotton diapers let skin breath. It is the reason we don't wear plastic T-shirts," says Tween. Healthy Diapers, the cloth diaper delivery service makes using cloth as easy as throwing the diaper in a hamper instead of the trash. Healthy Diapers washes, dries, folds and delivers clean diapers each week, so moms are free to feel good about the organic and fair-trade diapers while having the convenience moms need. Servicing Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester Counties.

There are few things more beautiful than seeing a child's imagination run wild. You can see it in their eyes, that glint of wonder. This year, give your children the gift of magic. Mario the Magician brings joy and creativity to your parties with his colorful and energetic magic shows. Mario's assistant is always at hand to answer your questions at 917.605.0662 or booking@mariothemagician.com.

GROOVETIQUE Makes Holiday Shopping Child's Play this Season!
GROOVETIQUE, Music for Aardvarks hip holiday shop, has a truly unique collection of cool one-zs & t-shirts, essential CDs & instruments, and vintage vinyl gifts for everyone on your gift list!
SPECIAL HOLIDAY HOURS: Wed thru Fri, December 13-15: 2PM to 4PM, Tuesday, December 19: 9AM to 12Noon, Wednesday, December 20: 12Noon to 3PM, Thursday, December 21: 9AM to 12Noon.
GROOVETIQUE is also open before and after Music for Aardvarks classes. Music for Aardvarks, 157 Larchmont Avenue, 1 block north of Route 1 in Larchmont, 914.834.3383.

"Think Outside the Scrapbook." PreserveIt Frames offers a great way for you to display your scrapbook pages, family memories and holiday pictures with these unique custom quality picture frame kits that will not only bring smiles to your faces but preserve what's inside the frame for generations to come. Using a conservation quality acrylic, with 1/4" depth, it won't crush your embellishments AND it WILL protect your pages/pictures from fading. We even sell the page kits (to help you, including our Christmas page kit, shown here). A great gift for grandparents for the holidays and for that someone who has it all. Don't have time to design a page? Let us do it for you!

Mad about mod? Crazy about contemporary? Passionate about primitive? Whatever style suits you, you'll find it at Suburban Groove, an eclectic new trading company.

Come in to browse, buy or sell. (We'll take things that 'fit our flavor' on consignment). Discover our treasure trove of furniture, home decor and women's accessories-- rare and unexpected finds of all kinds. From avant-garde to antique, we offer only the unique. And we think reusing is really remarkable, so most of our items are either 'previously loved' or made from recycled materials. We only sell things that inspire us, and we know they'll do the same for you. So visit our brand new store and find your 'groove.'

Suburban Groove.....get into it! 51 Babbitt Road, Bedford Hills, NY, 914.241.0154.

Yoga in the comfort and privacy of your own home! Perfect for work-at/stay-at-home moms, attachment parenting and homeschooling families or anyone wishing to bring a little OM into their home. Tracey Pagan, RYT 500, founder of Sun Moon Yoga (and mom of two yoginis) is now accepting students for private/semi-private lessons. ALL levels accommodated. What a great way to begin the New Year! 914.232.2102 or SunMoonYogaKNY@optonline.net for more information.

The runway at the Katonah Shopping Center proved to be a smashing hit when the Y? resort line was modeled by town residents at the holiday party on Sunday, December 3rd. Y? designer JR Morrissey is surrounded by his models (most of them moms from Quality Time Nursery School in Katonah!) under the big top which served as the venue for treats, performances and enormous holiday cheer at the Shopping Center. As the center's fashion boutique, Y? produced the event for the community, enhancing the tree lighting ceremony.

Ready for more fun?

BE LATE AT Y? the chamber of commerce brings holiday late-hour shopping to katonah. Celebrate with Y? wine, egg nog and holiday music. Come early and stay late. Thursday, December 21st, Open House from 6pm until 9pm. Great news for last-minute shoppers and self-givers: fall line is now 20% off! Y? 914.232.4280, 276 katonah Ave Katonah, NY 10536.

And last, but never least, you can always shop from the comfort of your own home with EssentialMom.com's shopping page. Click the button and USE EssentialMom.com's resources and as always...spread the word!