30 Days of Thankfulness - November 24

Sweet and tender family moments. Like these. Watching my husband become the sweet, strong, loving, doting and adoring father he has become is truly a blessing.

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 23

We almost left Angelica's lovey at Target today. She was having a temper tantrum because she didn't want to leave, so I yanked her up out of the cart and dragged her out of the store screaming...not realizing her lovey was still in the cart. So today's gratitude is extended toward the Target employee who chased me down to return the lovey to me (saving me more headache and tantrums later on).

Additionally, I'd like to express my gratitude for kindness in general. I love it when I witness someone doing something out of the good of their heart. I love it when I hear about people committing acts of kindness anonymously...so you know for sure that they were doing it because it was the right thing to do and not to be praised or recognized or gain anything from it.

I also love that I'm surrounded by kind people. Friends and family who would do anything to help, even if it's just to lend you an ear or a shoulder when you need it. Those who don't kick you when you're down (or even when you're not down) with cruel words and actions. It takes character, and boy, do I have some great people in my life. I love you all. :)

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 22

Since last week's cold has become this week's bronchitis, I am thankful for Mucinex. It has returned me to my regularly scheduled breathing already in progress.

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 21

Whew, after the weekend I have had, I have lots to be thankful for!

I survived my daughter's FIRST SLEEPOVER PARTY THIS WEEKEND. My niece (age 2) and nephew (age 3) arrived yesterday morning at about a quarter after 11 and spent the night. So if you count, I had two two year olds and a three year old under my watch for about 24 hours. It was an incredibly fun experience and the kids were remarkably well behaved.

To keep them entertained we:

• Painted
• Baked cookies
• Played on the swings
• Played in the front yard with the baseball bat and Angelica's tricycle
• Colored
• Watched movies
• Read stories
• Ran around outside (more)
• Watched more movies
• Read more stories

The kids all refused to nap, and fell asleep in various places in my living room around 6:00. Anna (my niece) was first, climbing up on the couch to snuggle with me. She passed out within minutes. Willy (my nephew) was next, climbing into Angelica's Anywhere Chair and falling asleep within minutes. Shortly after that, Angelica just laid down on the floor next to my feet and I heard her snoring (yes, snoring!) a few minutes later. They slept until about 7:30, woke up, ate dinner, and then were up UNTIL MIDNIGHT.

OH. EMM. GEE.

Yet somehow they all woke up in great moods around 8:00. My brother in law picked the kids up around 9:30 and we still made it to church today.

I survived it. I had fun. I am totally exhausted and I don't know how daycare teachers don't lose their sanity though, and they have more toddlers/preschoolers in their care every single day than I did!

Would I do it again?

Absolutely. I LOVE THESE KIDS!

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 20

I am thankful to have a car that runs. It may be tiny, old (2001), with a dented bumper and a drivers side door that cannot be opened from the inside of the car (I have to manually roll the window down and reach out and open the door from the outside to get out), and make some pretty strange noises from time to time, but it runs, it blows cold air (when it needs to), and best of all, it is PAID FOR.

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 19

I am thankful for the funny things my daughter says. I could make a list that would go on forever, but here are just a few gems from lately:

"(insert thing here)? I don't THINK so!"

Me: "Angelica, do you have smelly poops in your diaper?" Angelica: "I hope so!"

(Watching cars in front of us not moving at a green light): "Go, go, MOVE! The MOON is FOLLOWING US!"

"Moommmyy, BOOGIES! You want some?"

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 18

I'm so thankful for coupons. I just checked my receipt from my Thanksgiving grocery shopping, and I saved over $30 on coupons alone. Combined with Buy One Get One Free deals, I saved over $60!

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 17

Today, I am thankful for my counselor. I started seeing her back in April of this year, and in that time my life has changed completely. I am a completely different person now -- so much happier, so focused and centered and in touch. Today I "graduated" from counseling and I am proud. I will miss our visits but there is someone out there who needs her time more than I do now.

For any of you out there who are struggling with depression, there is no shame in asking for help. There is no reason to suffer in silence. Mental health issues can be treated and you can get better. You owe it to yourself.

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 16

Today I am so thankful for memories. Especially those of my little baby Angelica. Some days my heart aches -- literally -- for another baby, because I remember how wonderful and magical it was to be pregnant with her, to give her life, to bring this beautiful little baby into the world and watch her grow. Every single step along the way I feel like she couldn't be any more amazing, and then...she does something else that absolutely amazes me. Every single thing I remember about her babyhood, her emerging toddlerhood, and even up through present day, is amazing in ways I can't even put into words.  (It's amazing how motherhood allows you to block out the sleepless nights and temper tantrums, right?) I'm so thankful that at each of those steps, I made a conscious effort to tell myself, "Stop, and take this in...because you are going to miss this one day."

30 Days of Thankfulness: November 15

My daughter has the best daycare teachers. It's truly like her second home away from home. She has me, and then she has her "school mommies" that help her learn and play, make friends, do art projects, and become a well socialized and well rounded little girl. I love them and I appreciate everything they do for us!

So, Miss Angela and Miss Jennifer -- you ladies rock!

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 14

Today I am thankful for my church. I know in the past I have discussed my non-Christian faith. I'm a Unitarian Universalist, and we attend the 1st Unitarian Church of Orlando. It's the second UU church I've been to but definitely feels like a spiritual home. I absolutely love the welcoming, accepting, open congregation, the positive message it brings and the ways it gives back to the community. I love having a place where people can congregate and discuss spirituality (and challenge and learn from each other) without being told what to believe, how to worship, or that they're wrong for being spiritual in a way that's different from others.

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 13

I am so thankful for my camera. Photography has been a hobby for a few years now, and eventually I'd like to move toward making it a business -- not to mention it is one of the things that just makes my life feel full. This hobby gives me a sense of self outside of being "just mom" -- even if my subject is usually my adorable little girl.

The other thing that I'm grateful for my camera for is the fact that it's been around to help me document my ever growing, ever changing little girl. I've upgraded cameras twice since her birth, so not only have I seen my skill evolve, I've watched my little baby grow into a big girl through the lens, so I have literally thousands of pictures to look back on when I start to miss the little baby she used to be.

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 12

Today I am thankful for my life. Each day is a wonderful adventure and my life just feels so FULL of joy. Like anyone, I have ups and downs, especially living life with a particularly precocious two year old with a fierce streak of independence. But each day, I get up with a clean slate, ready to breathe and take in the new day and all the wonder it will bring. And part of that is getting to see the world anew through my daughter's eyes.

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 11

Today, it's only appropriate to give thanks to our veterans. Thank you for your service to our country. Thanks for keeping us safe. Thanks for everything you do. You are our heroes.

And those of you who know me well know that there is one very special veteran in my life. My sister, Stefanie, was only 19 when she was sent off to Iraq at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom back in 2003. Every day I thank my lucky stars that she made it home safe and has since given me the cutest niece and nephew ever, and married the awesome/sarcastic SOB who is my brother in law. I am so lucky to have her as both my best friend and my sister. So, a special thanks to you, kid. You make me proud.

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 10

Today, I am so thankful for my ob/gyn. Weird thing to be thankful for, right? Especially for a chick who isn't pregnant and doesn't plan to be for a very long time. After having Angelica, and going through some pretty awful postpartum depression due to grieving over the overwhelmingly disappointing birth experience I had (due in large part to the egotistical, misogynistic doctor I had during my pregnancy), I am so thankful that I now have a NEW doctor who treats me with respect. I had a visit with him today (just a checkup/prescription refill check-in) and he kept telling me what a fantastic job I'm doing taking care of my health while balancing work and parenting.

 Oh, and he's one of the very few in the area who will perform a VBAC, should I choose to go that route.

Good doctors are hard to come by! So thank you, doc, for being one of the good ones.

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 9

Today, I'm thankful for my iPod, which brings me much joy on my way to and from work. I get my daily Dave Ramsey show fix as well as getting to rock out to my favorite tunes. Thank you, Apple, for this wonderful invention!

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 8

Today I am thankful for Netflix and Hulu. Why?

Because of them, I'm saving $80/month! We canceled cable a few months ago and these have been our way of watching our favorite shows. I don't miss cable at all, not one bit, thanks to Hulu and Netflix, and I think my bank account appreciates the extra padding.

This post was not sponsored by Hulu or Netflix and I received no free product or other compensation.

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 7

Coffee.
Sweet, wonderful, energy giving coffee.

I haven't got much else to add to this. It's the little things that matter.

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 6

(Apologies in advance if this post is full of rambling and scattered thoughts. It's been a long day and I am exhausted, and still recovering from a cold so my head is foggy!)

Today, I'm thankful for Dave Ramsey!
I read the Total Money Makeover at the end of last year, and re-read it back in April of this year. Right around that time, we made a lot of big, big changes in our life and I wasn't able to really dive into the plan. But in July, I set up our budget and we have stuck to it like glue...and as of today we have completed Baby Step 1 and really started hitting Baby Step 2 (the Debt Snowball) with a vengeance and it feels GREAT.

This afternoon we went to Dave Ramsey Live at the UCF Arena. While the stuff he talked about was nothing that wasn't in the Total Money Makeover, we got fired up today and paid off one credit card in full and had a credit card cutting party. It's so fulfilling. On the way back from the event, we were talking about how quickly we can see the change happening. Since putting the budget into effect in July, neither of us have worried about money. We know how much we have. We know where it's going. Hell, we TELL our money where it's going. I know Dave says this a lot, but it's true. You think a budget will be binding and restrictive, yet it's very freeing.

He'll tell you this, too -- and it's so true. Nothing he says is what you don't already know. It's nothing new. It's all common sense. But he just has a way of drilling it into your head in a way that motivates you.

Now, I'm not a Christian, so that part of his program I can't buy into. And I'm not conservative, so his politics don't speak to me. But his program does work.

And for the newfound freedom from financial stress, I'm thankful. (And, I am also thankful to my husband for sitting through the five hour seminar, despite his hesitation!)

(Oh, and by the way, if you're on his plan and you go and close out some accounts, be forewarned -- CREDIT CARD COMPANIES WILL FIGHT YOU ON IT. I spent about 10 minutes trying to get the one I paid off today to just close the damn account! What part of "I use cash" don't they get?)

30 Days of Thankfulness - November 5

Today, I am thankful for my job. With the unemployment rate being so high, I know that being employed is a gift in and of itself in this economy, but I'm grateful for other reasons. I have a boss who makes it easy to come to work every day because she's great to work for and has always been very understanding when unexpected situations arise. I have a job that is constantly changing and evolving, giving me a wide variety of challenges. And, last but certainly not least, I am grateful that this job provides me with a paycheck that allows me to provide for my family.