A Grateful November Walk

On Friday, my husband and I took the day off from work to volunteer for Junior Achievement Day at our son's school.   (Junior Achievement is a national non-profit organization that teaches business, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy to children in grades K - 12.)  When I learned that our school's PTO was looking for volunteers  to come into the classroom, I immediately signed us up!  Fortunate for us, we were the only parents to sign up for my son's class, and so we had the pleasure to teach little Lewie and his classmates!

The first-grade Junior Achievement theme was "JA Our Families," and so we taught lessons about family, community, needs vs. wants, goods vs. services, and entrepreneurship.  During the final exercise, the children had to work in teams to design their own birthday cake store.  They had to answer questions such as, What will you name the store, and how much money will you charge for your birthday cakes?  It was interesting to hear their responses; Lewie's team called themselves "The Big Cake Shop" and they decided to charge $5 per cake.  Another team called themselves, "The Best Cake Shop Ever" and would charge $40 per cake.

After spending the morning in the classroom, all the JA volunteers were then treated to lunch and dismissed for the day.  My husband went off to work, but I promised Lewie I would sign him out early, so we could spend the rest of the day together.  It was a beautiful November afternoon, so we went for a hike.  For the first time ever, my son completed the hour-long hike without a single complaint of being tired, and we had an amazing time talking to each other about school, the upcoming holidays, and, of course, Minecraft!  (Here are a few pictures I snapped with my phone.)

On this particular day, I felt nothing but gratitude.  How could I not?  First, I had a chance to spend time in Little Lewie's classroom where I had the pleasure of getting to know his teacher and his little friends better.  (Two of his little friends gave me their own blue crayons after the presentation because they remembered blue was my favorite color.  One little boy, Brody, even gave my husband and me a very big hug before leaving for lunch.  It was heartwarming to see how sweet all of Little Lewie's classmates were; they are so precious and loving at this age.)  Second, I had a chance to take this amazing walk with my seven year-old and share my love of nature with him.  Our family is healthy, happy, and safe.  What more can I ask for?

I love this time of year because it reminds us to be thankful.  It reminds us to focus our attention on the incredible gifts we have instead of concentrating on what we don't have.  My cup is more than half full; it's overflowing. 

Meeting a Dear Bloggy Friend for the First Time

Since I started blogging back in 2009/2010, I've been an avid reader of my favorite blog, Mama's Little Chick.  It didn't take long before we both noticed that we lived in the same state, and so we vowed to meet up one day.  Well, yesterday, after a four-year long, bloggy friendship, we did just that!  (You can read her post about our get-together here.)

We became instant friends online because we both shared the same values--a love of family and friends, nature, God and all of God's creatures, and, of course, our little ones.  She is a very sweet, spiritual, and inspirational person, and perhaps, my favorite part of her blog is her uplifting quotes that remind us to live in the moment and be thankful for our blessings. 

Yesterday brought the "online" world to life.  While I had the chance to finally meet my long-time bloggy friend, Lewie had a chance to meet her daughter, Little Chick.  It was such a happy, exciting moment!  Since we decided to take our little ones swimming, we met at a wonderful hotel that provides day swim passes for use of their outdoor and indoor swimming pool.   As we approached the pool, Little Chick was the first one to spot us: "Miss Annette and Little Lewie are here!" she said excitedly.  Her warm, cheerful enthusiasm set the mood for the rest of the day.

Both Little Chick and Lewie "hit it off" from the start.  While Little Chick is a few years older than Lewie, they are both born in August and have the same extraverted, friendly, and warm personalities that are known to be characteristic of "Leos."  They both enjoyed swimming together, and Little Lewie left proclaiming that Little Chick was his "new best friend."

While the kiddos were in the pool, my dear bloggy friend and I also had a chance to talk, reminisce about happy posts on our blogs, and learn more about each other.  We were amazed at just how much we had in common, and we both ended the day knowing that we would enjoy many more visits. 

In my four short years of blogging, I am sad to say that I've seen many bloggy friends come and go.  Many have stopped their blogs or moved on to other things, and I would be lying if I didn't say that I missed them dearly.  I suppose "real" life is very much the same way.  Still, I'm happy to say that I have one long-time bloggy friendship that's survived "the test of time."   Now our online posts to each other will be complemented by real life get-togethers.  To use Mama Hen's very own quote:

"God blesses us all with special friendships.

It is up to us to nourish them and watch them grow."

~Mama Hen

 

 

Thanksgiving Thursday

Now I am convinced that we are living in a Snowpocalypse.  We had about 30+ inches of snow outside, and last night we received about 20+ inches more.  Our college has closed or been delayed at least four times since we came back from the holiday break and even on several Saturdays, we've been snowed in.

Our three foot fence in the front yard.

One large icicle on our house.

The largest icicle on our house--probably about seven feet long.

Lewie's little playhouse.

Lewie's playscape.

During past winters I used to complain that we didn't get enough snow or when we did get snow, the sun would melt it all the very next day.  This year is quite the exception, and yet, I'm still disappoined.  This time I'm disappointed because we have too much snow instead of having too little.  The snow is literally taller than my little man, and the icicles on the house have become large, gargantuan daggers to avoid like the plague.  (Being at the wrong place at the wrong time could result in a massive blow to the head if one of those huge, frozen ice chunks ever decided to let go.)

Still, in spite of my disappointment that we don't exactly have sledding conditions, I'm still unbelievably thankful.  This post is being modeled off of the very inspirational Mama Hen and Her Thanksgiving Thursday posts, which are so uplifting.

This week, I'm thankful for...

1) My family, friends, and blog friends.

2) My comfy, warm home.

3) A job/career that allows me to earn extra money for my family.

4) Days off with my little guy.

5) Our safety and security.

Today I'm focusing on being appreciate of our safety and security.  The weather has been scary these last few weeks with howling winds, below zero temperatures, icy conditions, slippery roadways, and heavy, heavy snow.  Everyday, I need to count my lucky stars that everyone in this house is safe.  With these conditions, it's way too easy to get frostbite, slip and fall, slide off the road, get into an accident, or even just have one's roof give way, causing much damage and destruction to the house.  We already have some water stains on the ceiling from problems with our drainage and all the icicles, but these stains are nothing considering the fact that our house has protected us from below negative windchills and 30+ inches of snow.

Today, I'm honestly going to look at my budget once more.  If I have extra money to give, and I know I can find it, I plan on mailing a check to our local soup kitchen, which turns into a homeless shelter during these weather conditions.  I've seen the faces who come here--men, women, and children.  There's something to be said for the gift of warmth...

Thanksgiving Thursday

This year I'm going to do my best to stick to my New Year's resolutions, recognizing that at times I may fall off the wagon and need to start over again.  One resolution is to write in my gratitude journal and to remind myself of all the blessings I have in life.  Since Mama's Little Chick does this every week for her Thanksgiving Thursday posts, I'm going to follow her example and express my gratitude on Thursdays too.

This week, I'm thankful for...

1) My family, friends, and blog friends.

2) My comfy, warm home.

3) A job/career that allows me to earn extra money for my family.

4)  Days off with my little guy.

5)  Guilty pleasures. 

If I may, I'd like to explain my last blessing.  You see...we are all hard working mamas.  Whether we stay-at-home, work full-time, or work part-time, we all have jobs that keep us overwhelmingly busy throughout the day without much time for us. 

If I'm working, a typical day for me would be to get my little boy's lunch ready, pack his diaper bag, make sure he eats breakfast, and head out to direct our school of evening and graduate programs (at a college I worked for before I had my baby boy).  At work, I'm answer emails, deal with student complaints and issues, meet with different college administrators, and in short, think of the best methods possible to increase our customer service, make our students happy, and recruit new students.  Since I have been offered my old full-time job back with part-time hours, I need to accomplish as much as possible while I'm on campus because anything that remains will need to be done from home.  Whew!  When I return home from work, it's time to think about dinner, bath time for my little boy, basic chores, and clean-up.  If my husband's home, he will help me quite a bit, but if it's his late night at work or teaching, I'm the "on-call" person.

If I'm at home with my little boy, my day starts with waking up early to blog and answer emails from work.  My little boy and I have breakfast together and then we're out to either do errands, go to the park, or to go on a play date.  (If we don't leave the house, then I'm usually trying to think of some entertaining activities or crafts we can do, while multi-tasking laundry and cleaning at the same time.)  Since my days at home are limited, I usually try to cram in as much "mommy and me time" as possible while still trying to "stay-up" on housework, groceries, laundry, etc.  Nighttime usually has the same routine except that I'm trying to answer more work emails that were sent to me throughout the day.

My days, although a little different from some moms, still have the same components--family, housework, laundry, chores, errands, bills, etc.  So, if I can reward myself with a piece of chocolate once or twice a day, sneak in a favorite TV show in between Little Bill and Blues Clues, or fit in an hour or so of blog time, then I'm happy.  Then I feel rewarded.  These are my guilty pleasures that I'm thankful for.  Oh sometimes I wish they were larger guilty pleasures...you know--having a day out at the spa, meeting up for a girls' night with an old friend, eating out at a lavish restaurant--but when these larger, guilty pleasures are not readily available, I'll be happy to settle for a Kit-Kat bar and an episode of Desperate Housewives to end the day right.

Thanksgiving Thursday

Today, only a few days before Christmas, I thought it'd be nice to join Mama's Little Chick and do one of her famous Thanksgiving Thursday posts.  At this time of year, it's easy to get caught up in the insanity of it all.   I become so obsessed with wrapping gifts, budgeting (or not budgeting) bank accounts, and last minute cleaning and baking, I start to forget the important things.  I need to sit back, relax, and know I will get everything done...

1. I'm thankful for the love and support of my family and friends.  I mean I'm really thankful.  Each of my relatives or my friends elicit a special memory in my life and each support me in different ways.  For example, I have mom friends that offer "me-time" and toddler advice, single friends that inspire me to get dressed up and want to go out on the town, college friends that remind me of the antics we pulled as teenagers, work friends that challenge my intellect, a mom that inspires me to be generous like her, and a husband that (usually) brings calm and balance to my world.  I'm thankful for each of their roles and how they, without even knowing it, help me to be my best every day.

2. I'm thankful for a warm house.  Yesterday, I literally ran back and forth from my car as I was bringing in last minute shopping bags filled with Christmas presents.  I wasn't running because I was in a hurry; I was running because it was COLD, and with a wind on top of the cold, it felt like below zero temperatures.  I can't say enough about the feeling of stepping inside a warm house to let your fingers, nose, and toes thaw.

3.  I'm thankful for opposites.  At this time of year, during the darkest and coldest days, it's easy to get into a slump.  I find myself going to bed much earlier at night, not wanting to go outside much, and not having a whole lot of energy.  Without the holidays, I think "seasonal affective disorder", for many of us, would start much earlier.  Still, without the dark days of winter, I would forget to appreciate the warm, glowing days of spring and summer.   You need the dark to appreciate the light; you need the rain to appreciate the sun; you need the tears to appreciate the laughs, and really I do appreciate it all.

4.  I'm thankful for living next door to my mom.  My husband and I live in a duplex or two-family house where we live on one side and my mother lives on the other.  (It's the same house I grew up in.  At that time, my mom and I lived on one side and my grandparents lived on the other.  Now we live on my grandparents' side.)  When my husband and I were getting married, I wasn't sure about moving here.  For one, there was a part of me that wanted "my own" house, and also I wasn't sure if I'd be able to live where my grandparents did--would it make me sad all the time because I miss them so much?  Still, I'm so glad we tried out this living arrangement!  When my husband wants to visit family or friends, I have an instant friend next door to visit myself, and...now that Little Lewie's here...we're always going next door to visit Gramy.  He loves going back and forth between our two apartments, and he's become so close to my mom like I became close to my grandparents.

5.  I'm thankful for my little Christmas helper this year.  My little guy, for the first time, has helped me put up some Christmas decorations.  He still doesn't quite understand what's going on, but I sure am enjoying trying to explain it all to him. One of my favorite days was showing him some of my old Christmas tree ornaments.  I gladly took out my favorite--Mr. Peanut Elf.   I've owned him since I was in elementary school, and even to this day, he still makes me chuckle.  He's got a little felt hat with pom pom for the top of his peanut head, pipe cleaner arms and legs, and one of his pipe cleaner arms is holding a pipe cleaner candy cane.  Oh, and of course his face is a simple smiley face with a dot nose drawn in marker.  I LOVE IT!

Happy Holidays to Everyone.  With Love Always.   XOXOXOXO.

The Best Friends in the Whole World

Today I would like to participate in Thanksgiving Thursday, hosted by Mama's Little Chick.  Every Thursday, Mama Hen counts her many blessings, and today, I would like to count mine as well.  In fact, today, I would like to stop and say thank you to all of my special friends out there who have been so incredibly thoughtful and supportive through this tough time.  (Your comments mean more to me than you can ever imagine.)

In life, I've always felt lucky to have some very sweet friends, but today I feel especially blessed...You see, my blogging friends are different.  You didn't become friends with me because we live in the same neighborhood or we went to the same school together.  You didn't become friends with me because we work together or because we're related through marriage.  You didn't become friends with me because we shared the same dorm room in college or because we both took a shade gardening class at the same local community college.

You became friends with me because you took the time to read my profile and my posts to this blog.  You became friends with me because you felt like we had a common bond, a common philosophy, when it comes to how we view our children, our families, and our lives.  You became friends with me because we enjoyed reading each other's comments and supporting each other through the ups and downs of life.

There really is something magical about blogging and creating new friends from all over the country world.  It's a relationship that begins like no other.  Here I share my daily life happenings, my achievements, my goals, my dreams, my failings, and my struggles, and it's my blog friends (not my long time friends) that read about me almost daily and give me the guidance, strength, encouragement, and/or praise to show me their friendship and support.  My blog friends can choose to read and make comments on anyone's blogs (we all know there are a lot of bloggers out there) and yet, they--you--choose to come back here.

Yes, today, I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for choosing me to be your friend.  You know more about me than most of my long time friends who only find out snippets of my life through quick phone calls or Facebook posts.  I can't describe how we first met or came into each other's world, but one thing is for sure, I'm so glad you did!

Happy Thanksgiving Thursday!