Gratitude Journal: January 2013

“Be Nimble” seems to be the theme of the month for me.  There is lots of change happening, and adapting is the name of the game.  I am re-evaluating my goal to blog daily on what I’ve read in Simple Abundance.  As much as I’d love to, blogging through the book daily was sacrificing other priorities, like family time.

I’ve kept up on the reading as well as blogging my gratitude daily, but now I’ve got a whole bunch of posts in drafts on my blog for each night’s gratitude list.  I’ll be 80 before I get caught up writing a post to go with each one.  So I’ve decided to create a monthly list of gratitude, still entering five things each night I’m thankful for, instead of creating separate posts for each one.

I’ll update each post with 5 more things every night and keep reading each day’s entry into the Simple Abundance book.  I’m also going to keep blogging through the Simple Abundance book, but on a weekly basis so it’s an achievable goal.

January 1, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. Cuddling with my 5-year-old son in the chair early this morning after his bad dream of bumble bees, while rubbing his warm velvety soft bare back.
2. The serendipity of finding the Simple Abundance book while looking for the movie Serendipity on New Year’s Eve.
3. The whimsical fun of seeing the Cat in the Hat car at the Volo Auto Museum today with my husband and the kids. “Here she is, the Super Luxurious Omnidirectional Whatchamajigger, or S-L-O-W for short.” ~ Cat in the Hat
4. The delicious steak and lobster dinner my husband made for us to celebrate the new year and how much our son resisted trying the lobster. It was a battle we parents chose to lose.
5. The $40 Kohl’s cash my mom gave us and the pleasure of spending it on shoes for the girls (classy houndstooth boat shoes for my oldest, teal Converse for my younger daughter) and a Horton stuffed elephant for my son.
6. I am also thankful for the beginning of a new year and all the potential it holds. And nothing feels better right now than starting this journey while crawling into a cozy bed my middle daughter made for us as a surprise this morning.

January 2, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. I’m grateful for friendship. Talking to a friend after work hearing about her upcoming trips and being able to help her with a website challenge she was having.
2. The gift of medicine: The email I got this morning from my husband’s Aunt, hearing the neuro-transmitter that they placed in our uncle’s back is working miracles for him in eliminating his pain. I’m so excited that they may be coming to visit over Easter!
3. I’m grateful for the one-on-one help our new HR director at work gave to me today, teaching me how to simplify and improve the job descriptions I’ve been wring for my assistant and myself.
4. I’m thankful for the personal development journey I began years ago which has given me tools to handle challenges and continue my process of growth. I’m thankful that even though I may have forgotten the tools for a while, they come back to me when I need them again, helping me to live much more positively than I had in the past.
5. I had a great conversation with my husband after he got home from work today, while we didn’t solve the problems of the world (or work) we were connected tonight. I’m ever-so-thankful for the hard work and sacrifices he’s made and continues to make in order to provide a wonderful life for our family.

January 3, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. The Gift of Technology: I’m grateful for the ability to read on my phone at night, not disturbing my husband as he sleeps.  My reading light was often an issue for us in the past before iPhones and Kindles.
2. The Gift of Self Respect: I’m surprised at the clarity, confidence, and gained respect for myself that I’ve received through this process of writing job descriptions for my assistant and myself.
3. The Gift of Youthful Imagination: I love my son’s excitement about an infomercial he watched for some kind of a sealant and his enthusiasm for wanting to turn Wes’ car into a boat because then we’d have “2 cool things.”
4. The Gift of Gifts: I found a “birthday bag” while looking for something in my closet that my daughters had made me years ago containing scrapbook type collages of themselves and odds and ends they found around the house and wrapped for me.
5. The Gift of Family: I received an unexpected phone call from my aunt tonight.  She was thanking me for the Christmas card (I sent them out late) and telling me how much she loved the silly family photo I included inside.  It made my day when she said it’s the best card she’d received ever (not just this year) and will have a place on her fridge all year long.  It made the hassle of creating and sending the cards totally worth it to hear how happy it made her.

January 4, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. The Gift of Mornings: The morning sun on my way to work was so beautiful in the way it lit up everything with a warm glow. It made it hard to believe it was freezing cold winter outside my car.
2. The Gift of Heat: We were all a little chilly at dinner tonight because the window blinds were left open in the dining room for a while this afternoon. My husband ran up stairs and gathered sweatshirts for everyone to help us warm up. It made me stop to think about all the people who don’t have heat this winter, or have to keep the thermostat super low to save on their energy bills. I’m grateful to be able to kick it up a notch in the mornings when we’re all getting up and ready, and for a warm roof over our heads each night.
3. The Gift of Politeness: I stopped by McDonald’s this morning for a cup of coffee and was caught off guard by my happy feelings after the cashier called me Honey. She wasn’t that much older than me either, but it made me feel good.
4. The Gift of Bribery: My son tonight was bouncing off the walls and having a bit of a melt-down. I told him that he could go to Home Depot tomorrow morning and build to build a bird house in their kid’s workshop if he was good tonight. It worked like a charm!
5. The Gift of Surprises: My girls were busy little bees on their last day of Christmas break at home today! They surprised us by putting away all the ornaments and lights from the tree, cleaning the kitchen and baking chocolate chip cookies! It was such a treat to come home to a yummy smelling, clean house after a tiring week at work! Bonus, it’s great we don’t have to clean over the weekend!

January 5, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. About 2:00 am our 5 year old son came into our room sad because he didn’t get a good night kiss.  He’d fallen asleep on the sofa and we’d carried him up to bed.  He walked over to my husband’s side of the bed and then mine so we could sink our mouths into his soft cheeks and give him good night kisses, and then walked back to his room and went back to bed.
2. We took the tree down and it feels good to have the clutter reduced and more room in the family room again.
3. My husband and I had date-night.  I loved the beer sampler at Granite City and the cheddar ale soup!
4. We made a huge dent in planning our 2013 budget.
5. I discovered we had more money in the checking account than I thought we had.

January 6, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. A long winter afternoon nap
2. Our kids talking about our upcoming trip to Disney, hearing what they remembered from last time we were there and what they expected it would be like going to Disney Land instead of Disney World.  And how much fun it will be going by train.  I also loved my son’s stubbornness to convince us that Mickey’s dog is “Kluto” not “Pluto.”
3. I’m relieved that fixing the garage door was a simple and painless endeavor.
4. I’m thankful that my husband comes up with good solutions that end up being fun ideas.  We were wondering what we would do with our Christmas tree, since this is the first year we’ve had a fresh tree.  He said he’d handle it and surprised the kids with a Christmas Tree Campfire!
5. I’m thankful about the aha moment Wes delivered to me through a comment he made about Becoming Me and the joy I felt helping a friend with questions about a new blog they want to start.

January 7, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. Hearing my oldest daughter’s sweet soothing voice and never-ending patience with my 5 year old as she got him dressed after his bath and read him a story.  I also am grateful for dinner tonight, the casserole recipe she found on Pinterest and made for dinner.
2. My middle daughter’s intuition that I needed a hug and some extra help tonight.  Her main love language is touch and she gives the best hugs.  She also is the angel responsible for the pile of clean clothes on my bed tonight that needed to be put away.
3. My son, although he’s been a stubborn little boy these past few days, made me laugh when he said he’d only cuddle me for 2 minutes because he had things to do.
4. My husband and my mom both for the pep talks they gave me tonight and the unconditional love I feel from both of them.
5. Being reminded that there’s so much more to be grateful for than there is to be sad about.

January 8, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. Funny Things Kids Say:  My mom had picked up my son because I ate dinner out with my team from work. On the way home he asked her if she was going to come clean our house?  (Way to go, kiddo!  I’m proud of you for asking to help Mommy out!)  She asked him if his room was messy and he said, “yes.”  She asked him if he picked up his clothes after getting his pajamas on and he replied, “No, I don’t have a hamster.”   I guess it’s time to go hamster shopping?
2. Good wine, fun team dinner.  It was a nice evening out with the team from work, but even nicer when I got home and my son had waited up for me so we could have a cuddle.
3. ‘m so excited about finishing up the big project I’ve been working on to recap 4th quarter at work and set goals for 2013.  Good things ahead!
4. I enjoyed my chat with the girls at the lunch table today, talking about finances and realizing how far my husband and I have come in the last decade and a half of being together!  It’s good to remind ourselves how much we’ve grown sometimes, instead of always looking ahead to things we have yet to do.
5. I love my mom.  She’s always got a knack for knowing when I need a little extra support, and today she sent me a sweet email telling me how proud she was of me and reminding me to believe in myself.

January 9, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. I called my grandma while folding a mountain of laundry and laughed with her for about half an hour while telling her about tall the Stephens family shenanigans.
2. My son loves his blanket but at 5 is too big to bring it to school, so my mom gave him a little knit square he can put in his back pack just in case he feels the need to hold it for a minute.  I had to laugh when I saw my son asking my mom to spray her perfume it for him so it smelled like her.  What a little lover.
3. I’m so grateful this morning for my husband helping me get the kids up and ready for school, simplifying my morning routine.
4. School called while I was in an important meeting today.  I’m thankful my mom  was available to go pick up my daughter for me.
5. I’m thankful I had the time to write tonight and finish a couple of posts.  This week hasn’t been very conducive to me having time to blog about each chapter of Simple Abundance, but I’m proud I’ve stuck with it and read the book each morning and done my gratitude each night at the minimum.

January 10, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. New pajamas…wish I could stay in them all day today.
2. My Grandma was scraped up and bruised but was okay after taking a spill on the ice.  I’m thankful she’s able to stay with my mom and dad, after spending so much time taking care of Grandpa, she deserves to be taken care of.
3. Laughing with Wes and the kids so hard he broke the back of the dining room chair!
4. How pretty my oldest looked laying on her side reading a book.  Hard to believe she’s so grown up sometimes.
5. My son cooperated this morning and we made it out the door without one frustrating moment.

January 11, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. Nothing.  Just kidding.  Fell asleep early and didn’t journal tonight.  It’s about progress, not perfection. :)
2. TGIF

January 12, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. My son came up to me and asked me, “How come I didn’t get to pick my room color?” I replied, “Because we painted it before you were born. What color would you pick if you could choose right now?” He answered, “Glow in the dark.” which totally made me smile! A quick Google search revealed Benjamin Moore makes a glow in the dark paint! Could be a fun project!
2. My husband was frustrated because my son wouldn’t get out of the car when we got to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. He told him that he’d better get his “Butt out of that seat right now!” As soon as we walked in the door, my son blurted out to Grandpa, “Your son said a bad word!” Grandpa cracked up and asked him what Daddy said. My son replied, “Butt” which made Grandpa hug my son while laughing even harder!
3. Our younger daughter went to a sleep over tonight and we had fun watching the movie Sixteen Candles with our oldest.
4. I’m so grateful I feel better after my adjustment today.
5. On our way home from Grandpa’s we stopped by Ikea to look for a sofa. It was overcrowded, hot, and way more chaotic than this mom could handle. We left after half an hour. I truly enjoyed the peaceful drive home after surviving Ikea’s shopping hell!

January 13, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. We had fun at Culver’s with the kids for lunch.
2. Mom had us over to have dinner with her, Dad, and Grandma.  It was fun to spend time with them and I’m thankful we live close enough to do spur of the moment dinner things.
3. The girls and got a lot done today, getting toys cleared out of the family room and getting the China Cabinet moved from the office into the dining room.  (We’re switching the office and the dining room so we have more room for the table to be opened up.)
4. I answered the phone today and it was my son who was over at my mom’s house, calling me to see if I could bring over his safety glasses since he was helping Wes and my dad in the basement with the canoe they’re building.  My son really surprised me as to how grown-up he sounded.
5. I’m grateful for the fun I had with my daughters window-shopping in the Pottery Barn catalog. We’re buying a new sectional for the family room (hence our need to clean out toys) and we’re moving our old sofa into my office since I work on the sofa as much as I do at my desk. :) (A girls’ gotta right to be comfortable!)  All these changes are a great excuse to redecorate and freshen up the house!

January 14, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. I’m grateful that my son and I got to see a hot air balloon this morning while I was dropping him off at Day Care.  He was so excited, pointing up to the sky showing me!  It was so cold, hard to imagine how cold it would be up there, but I wonder if the burner gives off some heat to keep them warm?
2. I had a great chat with my mom on my way to work.  We get so busy sometimes and don’t have time to talk as often as I’d like.  It was definitely a treat.
3. I’m grateful that my husband always makes me laugh. He’s such a smart ass! :)
4. I love that we have a driveway that isn’t covered by trees like our last one was.  The snow melted off the blacktop driveway without anyone having to pick up a shovel!
5. My oldest daughter was off of school today and shampooed the carpeting in the family room for me.  What a huge help!

January 15, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. My oldest daughter made dinner, ala recipes she found on Pinterest: Chicken breasts sautéed with onions and fresh herbs, zucchini chips, salad, and baked potatoes.  She even had a glas of wine ready for me!
2. Laughing with my husband and girls after my son said I looked like Elmo in my fuzzy red new bathrobe.
3. Seeing my son falling asleep at the table, insisting he wasn’t really tired.
4. Finding a pretty aquarium stand on sale to replace the rickety old dresser.  We were scared it was too much weight on it, and I was afraid I’d only find junky cabinets.  I was so surprised to find something I’d actually buy as a piece of furniture (even without an aquarium).  The fact that it was 25% off made it even better!
5. It was fun seeing our oldest trying to explain Pinterest to her dad (after he enjoyed her dinner), by describing it like window shopping at a restaurant.  She’s such a cute little Becky-home-ecky!

January 16, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. Fun researching a blog post and looking at beautiful home design spaces on Houzz.com.  How many people really get to play on Facebook, Pinterest, and sites like Houzz while getting paid for it?
2. I got to my son’s daycare early today and had a chance to watch him play with the kitchen set at school with his friends before he realized I was there to pick him up! He’s a good boy!
3. I’m grateful for family dinners that give us an opportunity to discover what’s happening in our kids’ lives.  We had a chance tonight to help our oldest realize that it’s not only okay, but important to distance herself from friends with toxic attitudes.
4. The girls and I moved the leather sofa to the office.  We’re making baby-steps on the house which feels good and we had some good laughs while moving everything. My middle daughter was teasing us as to how strong she is compared to my oldest and myself. LOL
5. My cough seems to be gone (knock on wood!)

January 17, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. My son and middle daughter and I got our fish tank stand assembled.  It looks so pretty and it was fun putting it together. My son thought it was just like putting together one of his lego projects, which I thought was a great analogy.  Good teaching moments. (Righty tight-y.)
2. My middle daughter rocked her science test!  Wahoo!
3. My oldest loves to cook. I’m such a lucky mom!
4. I realized today, after I got out of the shower I was out of undies.  I mentioned it to my husband while I was complaining about having to wear uncomfortable swimming suit bottoms.  He came to my rescue with a pair of pantiesfrom the dryer…a load he’d washed the night before!
5. Oldest day went okay with soccer practice and friend dilemmas.

January 18, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. My daughter was off of school, so I got to bring her to work with me.  It was fun having her there and I’m grateful to work at a place where it’s okay to bring my kids once in a while!
2. Wahoo!  We bought a new sofa for the family room today!  It’s a carmel colored sectional and I’m so excited to have enough space for us all to cuddle up to watch movies.
3. I found out I get to have July 5th off!  Extra paid holidays are always something to be grateful for! :)
4. We went out to dinner tonight…Steak N Shake. I’m grateful for my yummy chocolate malt.
5. While dropping my son off at day care we stopped by the window to look at the babies.  (He loves doing that!)  There was one little one bouncing in a saucer, having a grand old time.  It feels like just moments ago my son (and daughters for that matter) were that little.  I love who they’re growing up to be, but I do miss the baby stage!

January 19, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. We got our fish tank moved today!  55 gallons of water and a dozen+ fish is a much bigger job than I anticipated, but it looks so nice.  We’ll be able to enjoy it more where it is and it looks great on the new stand compared to the old dresser it was on.
2. Mashed potatoes for dinner…need I say more?
3. I had a lovely cuddle with my son and daughter this morning. (I guess this is something really important to me because I seem to mention it several times per week.  I know they’re growing fast and before long they’ll be so big and busy that they won’t want to snuggle.)
4. Finished a blog post for Becoming Me.  It feels difficult finding time to write every day and a post has been taking me a couple of days to write, sneaking a few words in before work and before bed each night.  I got up early this morning and finished one I’d been working on. It felt great!
5. I stayed in my pajamas until noon today.

January 20, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. My husband surprised us all with doughnuts for breakfast. Killer for the healthy eating goals, but a yummy treat.
2. We found a lamp (affordable) for our family room. With the sectional there won’t be room for a sofa table behind the couch to put lamps. We found a floor lamp that we can squeeze into the corner behind the sofa on sale at Target! :) (I love sales!)
3. We had breakfast for dinner. “I smell bacon!”
4. I enjoyed spending a quiet day with the family.
5. We watched Titanic with the kids today.  Good teaching moments as well as lots of reasons to point out how much we have to be grateful for in our lives.

January 21, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. A car with heat! Last winter heater went out and we couldn’t seem to pinpoint the problem
2. My daughter made us my favorite childhood dinner: pot roast and noodles
3. Our sofa was delivered tonight!  Yippee!  It looks so pretty and makes our house feel more like a home!
4. I love that my mom called to see how the sofa was and that she and my dad came over to see it after their dinner! How sweet of them…they knew how excited I was and how long I waited for it!
5. I’m grateful that we have a warm house and snugly beds to sleep in on this freezing cold night.

January 22, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. We moved to our new office today and I’m so thankful for Shelly and all her help getting us moved.  She was so sweet about it and works so hard. I’m also thankful for my boss and how he was concerned about how I felt about moving my office.
2. I had a doctor appointment for the kids today, routine check-ups and vaccinations.  My son did so well, not even crying. I’m so proud of him.  My middle daughter too…she’s a trooper.  I’m grateful that we have insurance and the money to keep them healthy.
3. Wes and I were both able to get the time off we wanted for out train trip to AZ
4. I’m so in love with my furniture. My family room looks cozy and feels it too! It felt great having a fire and curling up under snugly blankets on this cold cold night
5. Sounds silly but I’m grateful that there are so many great free podcasts available. I’ve really enjoyed them these past couple of months.

January 23, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. It’s been so horribly cold these last few days. I’m so grateful the weather warmed up!
2. We bought train tickets to take a trip with the kids to Flagstaff, AZ and then drive down to Scottsdale to visit his mom and sister!  I’m thankful that we were able to buy the tickets and that we got a great deal on them
3. I found bargain end tables for our family room.  I really want the ones from the furniture store, but the were beyond the budget we set, so I’ll have to save for them.  But in the mean-time I found some simple ones at Walmart for $12 each that don’t look horrible.
4. My friend at work gave me flowers to welcome me upstairs.  I thought that was so sweet of her and I’ve enjoyed them all week.  I’m thankful that I have a window and that it’s much warmer up there than it was down-stairs. I’m used to working with a blanket and space heater.
5. Wes got ice hog tickets from work.  I’m excited as I’ve never been to a game. I “won” tickets the Wednesday before Black Friday from the COO at work. I had so much work to do and we only had 4 tickets, so I gave them to Wes to take the kids.  They had a great time and I’m excited to go!

January 24, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. I got to snuggle with my son, all warm and snuggly in his bed early this morning because he woke up with sore arms from his vaccinations the other day.  I’m grateful to be here and able to comfort him, and that he’s still little enough to want me to cuddle with him.
2. My middle daughter came into my room while I was getting ready, telling me I had to look out the window.  I was busy getting dressed and didn’t want to, but she insisted. I’m grateful she did because it was one of the prettiest purple and fuchsia sunrises I’ve ever seen in my life!
3. Getting “I love you and hope your day is going well.” phone calls from my husband.
4. I’m so grateful that my mom came to help me get my dining room and office switched.  She even brought Jerico Canyon wine to make the job more fun! The hutch looks so pretty now that it’s uncluttered.  I’m so proud of my middle daughter for assembling the new writing table all by herself!
5. I’m grateful to have great people to work with.  I had a great laugh with Bryan about the dating sites post I’m writing for FatWallet.  And Shelly, our “mom” at work who does all kinds of things to make sure we’re well fed and comfortable at work.  She bought me 2 new lamps for my desk since everyone likes to work with the lights off (and I don’t) as well as some headsets so I can tune everyone out and focus on my writing.

January 25, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. While dropping off our old kitchen table at goodwill I was hit with overwhelming gratitude that we outgrew it because of the birth of our son.
2. While also at goodwill, waiting in line to get a receipt for the donation I was looking at the furniture, remembering all the days of trying to reupholster hand-me-down and yard sale furniture to make our house a home, and I’ve now got a brand new comfortable and pretty sectional sitting in my family room.
3. I’m grateful for all the times my cheese has been moved and that it’s taught me to be adaptable.  My daughter’s upset because they’re now required to have PE every semester in high-school and she’s losing spots she was planning to have for electives her Junior and Senior years, and she’s having a tough time accepting it.
4. I’m thankful for how stubborn my son is.  While it’s a challenge now at age 5, it will serve him well in life if I can teach him to be stubborn about things that matter instead of stubborn about which chair he gets to sit in at the dinner tabe.
5. My middle daughter’s report card was fantastic, and I’m so grateful for all her hard work and grateful that I don’t have to worry about her academically.

January 26, 2013: Today I am so grateful for:

1. Being passionately in love with my husband.
2. Seeing everyone get baptized tonight and listening to my son talking to God, asking Him to make him a chocolate milk.
3. As I got in the car tonight my husband said, “Woo!” when he smelled my perfume. I said, “I’m sorry it came out a little strong,” to which my middle daughter replied, “What, did you toot?”
4. Writing early in the morning when the house is quiet, and everyone’s still asleep.
5. Warming my hands on a cup of delicious coffee.

Heather Stephens

Heather C. Stephens is a serial blogger who writes on Becoming-Me.com about personal development, personal finance, weight loss as well as her many adventures as a mom of three. She also is a blogger for FatWallet.com where she shares money saving shopping tips and deal guides to help people stretch their dollar.

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