The glow

I'm not afraid to admit it, I love Pinterest! I check it every few days. I follow my friends. I use it for party planning, craft ideas, and recipes. It's fun. A family friend has a Pinterest board called "The glow." And it's really great. She posts motivational quotes and inspirational sayings and I just really like how she thinks. I thought I'd showcase a few here:

One weekend, two compliments

We had a busy weekend—almost too busy. But it was filled with lots of good things.

On Friday night, we had dinner with two former teachers from the girls' daycare. They're good people and have been very kind to Emma and Lindsay over the years. I'm happy we've kept in touch, I'm happy they're both doing well at their new schools, and I'm glad they know we appreciate them. Good teachers are just awesome. When we left dinner, one of the teachers said that meeting our family was the best thing that came out of her working at the girls' daycare! (Sad that she didn't have a better experience as an employee, but I happily accepted the compliment—#1—none the less.) The girls had fun.

On Saturday morning I skipped boot camp, but it was for a good cause. I made a meal for my friend who just had surgery. (Between appointments and birthday parties and dinner plans, there was just no other time.) I love cooking for friends. It's a win-win situation—it helps brighten someone's day and makes you feel good at the same time. Even better, I brought Lindsay with me to the supermarket and had fun walking around shopping. We counted fruit, watched the lobsters, and even played ball in one of the aisles. Lindsay hung out with me in the kitchen when we got home. She "washed" dishes while I cooked.

After cooking, I had an appointment with Cheryl. She paid me one of the nicest compliments I've received in a long, long time—#2. It meant a lot to me and I will carry it with me for a while, I'm sure. 

Next, I got to go to a fun outdoor birthday party with Emma. The weather was just perfect. It's my favorite time of year. I'm thankful that Emma has so many good friends and that those good friends have good parents. I love to see her having fun and fitting in so nicely.

Saturday evening we had dinner with my old friend (Sarah) who just moved to Sharon. I am so thankful that we seem to have picked up right where we left off! Emma and Lindsay had so much fun playing with her boys. And I even got to meet my Sarah's new niece (6 months). Her niece was born premature, so it's a miracle that she's even alive. Since I grew up with Sarah and her sister, it's pretty amazing to see our children playing together. It used to be just the three of us, now it's us plus 5 kiddos! 

Yesterday (Sunday) we celebrated Andrew's mom's 70th birthday. We had a lovely brunch with amazing food. I was nervous about bringing the girls to a fancy restaurant, but they were amazing. The highlight of brunch, for me, was seeing how happy Elinor was. She was grateful to have the family together and even teared up when we gave her her gift (earrings). Seventy is a big deal and it was easy to put all the negativity out of my head when I saw how much she appreciated everything. I was happy she was happy. It felt good to make her birthday memorable. We spent the afternoon at the aquarium and the girls had tons of fun.

I talked to my mom last night. She and my dad are on the Cape for a conference my dad's involved in. They'll be driving through Boston tomorrow and want to take me out to lunch. The invitation made me happy. We see them a lot, but our visits mostly revolve around the girls—which is great. But this time they're stopping just to see me! 

When skies are gray

Today I am thankful for my girls' singing (and some other stuff).

Last night, after helping her with her spelling homework (fun), Emma got in the shower and I stayed at the computer. While checking my email, I overheard Emma singing in the shower. I didn't recognize the beginning of the song, but towards the end she was singing the words to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Not only am I thankful that she was happy and carefree enough to sing in the shower, but I love that she was reciting words that we've read together many times.

This morning I took a later train than usual. Before dropping off the girls, we stopped for Munchkins. While we were waiting in line for the drive through, the girls started singing each other's names. It was a nice little sister moment.

Lindsay knows all the words to "You are My Sunshine" and we sing it almost every night. She can't say all the words, nor does she understand them, but she tries. It's always one of the sweetest moments of my day. It melts my heart every time. Last night was no exception.

It made me happy to help a friend out this morning. Her husband had to leave for work extra early for some training and she needed a ride to the train station. I was thankful for her company on the train. (She's the friend who is newly pregnant!)

I was able to get a dermatologist appointment for Emma next week. Sounds trivial maybe, but her appointment (to have some increasingly bothersome warts removed) was originally scheduled for 12/17. Two months in the life of a 6-year-old is a big deal!

I'm thankful it's Friday!

Good gin on a hot day

Yesterday a life-long friend send me a picture of her son playing the clarinet. She said it reminded her of me. It made me so happy. I appreciated hearing from her, knowing she was thinking of me, and knowing that she remembered an important (musical) part of my life. I am so proud of her son and I hope he finds as much joy in music as I did growing up. (Note to self: Play again someday! Or at least listen to more music that's not Laurie Berkner or Kidz Bop.)

I am thankful to learn (after talking with my mom) that my troubled uncle has proven—through his actions during the first few days he's been back in MA—that he really is taking strides towards a better, cleaner life. He followed the guidelines and reached the goals his siblings set for him this week. I am also very proud of my mom and her brothers and they way that they have handled the situation. 

My friend who had surgery today is home and recovering. I'm thankful that's it's over and she's doing well. I'm also thankful that none of my problems are life-threatening.

I am thankful for the dinner invitation I received from an old friend—my maid of honor! We grew apart when Andrew and I moved to Easton. But she recently moved to Sharon and I'm incredibly excited that she's so nearby again. Her two sons are the same ages as Emma and Lindsay. I'm glad to have them become a bigger part of our lives. Sarah (my friend) is one of the funniest, wittiest people I know. I'm excited about the laughter she'll bring into my life. I need more laughter. 

As silly as it sounds, I'm thankful for the new Fish with Attitude app that I downloaded for Emma earlier this week. She and I have had fun over the last few nights decorating fish tanks, collecting coins, breeding fish, feeding and training fish, and growing our tanks. As cheesy as it sounds, there is some learning involved (it takes 300 coins to buy that decoration, a happy fish plus a brave fish = a smart fish, etc.). It's a great teaching opportunity, a good conversation starter, and an excuse to spend extra time together. 

Side note: 

The book I'm currently reading (for my awesome new book club) is The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett. Last night I came across this quote—it's definitely apropos:

"If you've had good gin on a hot day in Southern California with the people you love, you forget Nebraska."

I know, I know. I don't drink gin and I'm not from Nebraska. But for the main character in the book, the gin represents her finding genuine happiness (in the little things) and Nebraska represents a dark past. Let's just say that I hope I have enough good gin in my life to forget about Nebraska someday. I'm working on it.

It's all in your gratitude

Without going into too much detail and getting myself all worked up, let's just say this: The last few years have been challenging for many reasons. There's been a lot of negativity in my life, which has really impacted the way I feel and the way I've been living. Recently, I realized that I'm the only one who can fix this. (Duh!) And I'm desperate. I need to turn things around. I need to be my old, happy, glass-half-full self again. And I'm committed to doing this—for me, for my kids. My first step = this gratitude journal.

There is so much good in my life, and that's what I'm choosing to focus on. Sure, everyone has bad days, but I'm hoping that this can be a repository and a reminder of all the things I have to be thankful for. Moving forward, I'd like to write daily (or at least a few times a week) about all of the good, little, day-to-day things that happen. But, there are big things, too. So for my first post, I'm going to 1) make a list of the big things and 2) jot down a few of the small things from the last few days. Here goes!

The big things (in no particular order except for #1)

1. I have two smart, amazing, healthy, happy little girls. (Just look at those smiles!) They bring more joy to my life than I ever thought possible. They teach me, they challenge me, they surprise me every day. I don't think I really even knew what love meant until I became their mother. They are everything I have ever wanted and more.
2. I have a comfortable home, plenty of food, a safe car, clothes, and lots of other STUFF.
3. We live in a good town/community with good schools. Education is extremely important to me and the girls—at ages 2 and 6—are already excelling.
4. I have parents who love me and support me unconditionally. They have taught me what family means and they have been amazing models as far as parenting goes. I've told them before, the only way I can ever repay them is to do my best to give to my daughters all that they've given to me. And honestly, those are really big shoes to fill.
5. I have amazing friends. They listen to me, they guide me, they lift me up. Some I've made recently, some I've known all my life.
6. I have an amazing extended family. I don't know anyone who is as close to their aunts, uncles, and cousins as I am.
7. I have a very special sister who has taught me many important lessons: patience, honesty, humbleness, diligence, kindness, and genuineness—just to name a few.
8. I have hobbies that make me happy—reading, writing, baking, shopping, party planning, spending time with family & friends, playing games, playing with my electronic gadgets (phone, iPad, Kindle).
9. I have an interesting job at a company I like. Every job has its moments, including mine, but for the most part, I like what I do and the people that I work with. My job is also flexible and relatively stable (knock on wood) and I'm able to provide my family with a steady income and benefits.
10. I have some very wonderful professionals who are counseling me through this difficult time and, well, it's helping.

The little (and not so little) things

1. Emma got a 100% on her first spelling test. She was very proud.
2. I found the sapphire I lost from my great aunt's ring (Saturday). A true needle in a haystack story!
3. Some other moms and I recently started a book club. We've had two meetings so far. I love the third book we're reading.
4. A good friend who recently had a mastectomy is cancer-free. She has her last reconstructive surgery tomorrow.
5. The chemo my uncle with esophageal cancer is receiving is working. He's currently undergoing his last round of treatment (for now).
6. My troubled uncle in Phoenix finally came home (last weekend). He is admitting that he's in trouble and is accepting the help his siblings have offered.
7. A new season of Survivor started and Andrew agreed to watch it with me—just like old times.
8. The teacher who was making Lindsay unhappy got let go yesterday. The (temporary) replacement is one of Lindsay's favorites.
9. I used a vacation day to go on Emma's apple picking field trip yesterday. The weather was perfect and the kids were amazing.
10. A good friend of mine (who has suffered multiple losses, including her 3-week-old son) just found out she's pregnant again.
11. I've lost about 15 pounds in the last three weeks. Many more to go, but a good enough start to keep me motivated.

Perhaps I'll add to these lists over the next few days, but for now, this is a good place to start, I think. Do these lists change everything? No. But they do help with the big picture. I am lucky. I appreciate what I have. And I give thanks.