Thankful

I have a lot to be thankful for but I wasn't hip enough to know that the daily thankful posts on facebook and other blogs were all about.  Then I came across the blog 'Designer Wife' and was inspired by Lindsay's 30 Days of Thanks challenge. 

I love this challenge for a couple reasons: 1. with bills, sleep deprivation, a leaky basement, etc it is easy for me to get caught up with stress and overlook all the good things around me... this challenge will help me to focus on the good things that bring happiness into my life.  2. it will help me to meet a few of my 12 by 2012 goals because it will encourage me to post more and also help me work on my photography skills as I take pictures of things on my thankful list!

So let's get started!!  I am working from the list that Lindsay provided (pdf here) and, while I can't promise that I will post every day or necessarily post in order, I will cover each item on the list by the end of the month.  Here are the first few items on the list.............


thankful #1: a person

My mom.  Of course I am thankful for my husband and my son and my sister and my best friend, Eliza, but my mom is top dog.  Sorry guys. 

My mom was not the "cool mom" when I was growing up.  She didn't buy me and my friends beer or let me go to co-ed sleepovers.  She worked from home so I couldn't watch MTV or have boys over after school without her knowing about it.  It sucked when I was younger but I realize now that I didn't need another friend when I was sixteen, I needed a mom to teach me right and wrong and that is what I got.  Sure, I couldn't watch the Real World while my mom was sitting in traffic on her way home from work, but I also never had to wonder if she was going to make it on time to pick me up from soccer practice.  A friend told me that if she had to choose a mom to have besides her own that she would choose my mom... she really is the best. 

My mom watches Jack while I work and she sends me pictures while I'm away from him.  She is supportive of our decisions as parents and never criticizes, judges or tries to tell us what to do.  I know that she loves Jack as much as we do and while I'm sad to leave him each morning, I never worry about his well being.  She helps me do laundry and dishes and comes over early some mornings so I can shower without having to make small talk with a squirmy baby in a bouncey seat who doesn't yet know how to patiently wait for me to finish showering.

She is the bee's knees.

thankful #2: an animal

Before Jack, our babies were Bagheera and Phoenix.  They always drove me a bit crazy because they are clumsy and loud but mostly I loved them like crazy.  Now Jack is here and I'll admit that the cats don't get as much attention as they used to, but I still love them and they still bring me joy each day, especially Bagheera.  He is a clumsy little guy who lets Jack grab handfuls of fur without making a peep.  He lets Jack put him into headlocks and flop down on top of him.  He sleeps on my legs every night.  Sure, he put holes in my new sheets because he can't jump onto the bed without bumbling around.  And, sure, he wakes the baby up from naps by sliding across the table and knocking everything off.  But he is my little bb and I love him.

So are you in??  What/who are you thankful for?  Tell me here, or blog about it, or tweet it (not sure how to tweet but I'm working on getting hip to that too!)... just be thankful!

Coming in the next few days I will share the cozy place I am thankful for (my bed... who doesn't love a fluffy, cozy bed?!)... for now though, I'm off to curl up on another cozy place- the sofa- with my man, a glass of birthday wine and last week's Criminal Minds!