#Gratitude365 Day 16

#Gratitude365 January 3 2014

Three days in a row we've been out to a park/playground and the feeling of fresh air feels so good! Pretty much when the kids ask "What are we going to do today?" and our response is an offer to take them to the park, the kids often poo-poo on the idea. Not today. We bumped into some friends there yesterday and planned to meet them there again today. It was on their mind all the rest of yesterday and all of this morning:

"When are we going to the park?"

"Did we get everything for our picnic?"

"Are we riding our bikes to the park?"

I think we're like most parents, we go through slumps of not getting the kids outside to "just play" and every year it is one of the things I re-visit when contemplating my resolutions or goals. Speaking of goals, I want to make a "family goals" sheet to put up on the refrigerator... something that we've never done before and can keep us all accountable for our follow through (points finger at me!).

Living in southern California we know we pay a sunshine tax, and we take it for granted most of the time how amazing our weather really is. This winter break we've had beautiful blue skies just about everyday and it has been warm enough that shorts are an option. Since I grew up in Minnesota, I absolutely appreciate this gem of a place to live. Some of my local friends have even been posting photos of "beach days" during winter break. That is how fortunate we are.

Today I'm incredibly grateful for fresh air and friends to play with at the park. 

OH, and naps. My husband mentioned he needed a nap and then I suddenly realized how groggy I felt (worn out from the park? my body still fighting this cold? going to bed at 2 a.m. last night?) and he told ME to go ahead and take a nap. A random afternoon nap is such a treat!  When I woke up I could hear the kids asking where I was, he lied and told them I went to the store - cuz otherwise they'd barge into my room to wake me. I didn't have to worry about dinner, he had already made dinner, fed the kids and cleaned up! Man, that was a 4-in-1 delight. Maybe it's because it's my birthday tomorrow. I'll take it! My bucket is full and tomorrow starts a new year around the sun!

When's the last time your partner let you take a nap?

#Gratitude365 Day 14

#Gratitude365 January 1 2014

Whoa. You blink and it's a new year. A high school teacher of mine once explained why it seems that time passes more quickly for us as we get older. When you are 4 years old and you're waiting an entire year for your birthday to circle around again, that is 20 percent of your life, a huge chunk of time to wait. When you're 40, waiting for your birthday to circle around again, a year is just 2.5 percent of your life. It's all relative. Makes sense to me.

I tend to wait until after my birthday (coming up this Saturday) to start to adhere to healthy/exercise new years resolutions - so I'm grateful that I know myself well enough to not put that kind of pressure to skip yummy treats, desserts, drinks or otherwise when celebrating my one special day a year. Even though I have that policy, I did jump in with a renewed commitment to drinking 8 glasses of water a day and starting the day off with hot lemon water before eating/drinking anything else. I got that tip from La Jolla Mom a few weeks ago and have been sticking to it almost every day (one reason I like to start new things a little before the new year is to give me some time to get used to a new habit!) I'm grateful for having found that tip when I did because I've been battling two colds back to back these last two weeks and feel like I haven't been "as sick" as I would have been if I hadn't had all that extra vitamin C. Really, I haven't been congested with either of these two colds so that was a total win.

Scrolling through the photos on my phone I saw Owen, my 4 year old, had taken a selfie, as is totally the norm with kids and iPhones, and it made me smile. There are days where I'm having constant struggles with him about personal space and respecting boundaries, but then I see one of his #lovenotes like this and my heart feels full. He gives hugs out like they are in high demand, he hugs like you're the love of his life, and he kisses me good morning, good night and just because. His middle name should be Joy because he clearly wants to pass joy to everyone around him. Today as I start the new year and still try to figure out "exactly" what my new years resolutions are, I am grateful to be the mom who gets to kiss this face every day.

What little surprises make you smile?