November Thankfuls
So I didn't hop on the daily thankfulness posts on facebook for a couple of reasons. Mostly, laziness and forgetfulness. Too much pressure for me to remember to most something specific every day. Also, because I post enough pictures of my daughter and crazy status updates to annoy my facebook friends as it is, I didn't want to make it onto more "hide users" lists. But this way I can still list 30 things I'm thankful for on my own time and people can choose whether or not to read them! :)
1. My family - just gotta get this one outta the way, right? My husband, my daughter, my parents and my siblings. They are all pretty much the best ever and exactly what I need in my life, whether I know it at the time or not. ;) The majority of the time I even want all of them in my life too! WIN WIN!
2. Tums. (I'm 38.5 weeks pregnant. Enough said.)
3. Facebook. Stupid, I know, and silly - but when you have friends and family spread out all over the country as much as Ian and I do, it makes keeping in contact so much easier. I guess maybe I should just say technology since I'm equally grateful for email, instagram, FaceTime, etc. And also facebook makes me mad sometimes. Ok, I digress..#thankfulforthehidefeature
4. My mudroom and garage. Seriously, it makes my life so much easier. Wet clothes, laundry, boots, outdoor gear, etc. all contained to one room that we can enter to from the garage? #amomsdreamcometrue And yeah, when it's 0 degrees out and your kid isn't supposed to wear a real coat under their car seat, a warm car in a warm garage is amazing.
5. My best friend. I remember when she had her first boyfriend and was "in love" and I asked her "Is it like in the movies?" (For the record, it wasn't. He was a dingbat, unfortunately, but hey, we were 14.) But our best friendship - it's like in the movies. Not like the friendships in the movie Clueless or something. Maybe like The First Wives Club, where we bond over illegal activity and singing and dancing and drinking. I don't take that kind of friendship for granted for a second.
6. To have all my basic needs met. Seriously, it's something most of us take for granted every day but the cold weather served as a good reminder that I need to give back more because I am so, so blessed.
7. Health. I'm so thankful for my health, my husband's health, and my children's health.
8. Free church childcare. Sometimes that one hour a week is the only hour I am ever alone, and I get to do something for myself while knowing my daughter is being well taken care of.
9. Chocolate chip cookies (and also, see #2.)
10. McDonald's eggnog shakes. This is the best time of year to be pregnant!!
11. All of my second families in Anchorage. It is really, really hard to be a parent without family you're close to nearby (something I didn't fully appreciate until we moved) but I am so grateful for all of the families who have stepped in and helped. Clara and I had *four* Thanksgiving dinner offers this year, I mean come on! Obviously I know that's 98% them wanting to see Clara, but that's a lot of mashed potatoes and gravy that I could go wild with. Thanks, friends.
12. Clara's dance class. It's an hour a week I get to watch her respond to another adult, she has a blast and what's cuter than a bunch of little kids running around with crazy props?!
13. All the drive-thru coffee huts in Anchorage with GOOD, local coffee and awesome baristas. Especially the one I go to...frequently. :)
14. God. Guess this should have been #1, huh? :) I'm thankful for His presence in my life.
15. My spiritual community. I was going to just say my church but then I realized I am equally grateful to spiritual role models and friends I have all over the country, including my last church in Maryland. It makes me really proud to be a part of a community that works really hard to live up to "open hearts, open doors, and open minds." I feel very at peace being surrounded by that kind of Christian love while also being challenged spiritually as well. It's a good balance.
16. Pinterest humor section. Sometimes you just need a good laugh.
17. My husband's ability to calm my nerves.
18. My dad's ability to say exactly the right thing at the right time (most of the time!)
19. My daughter's ability to humble me and remind me to appreciate the little things in life.
20. That I haven't had this baby yet. I would really like his or her father to be here for the birth.
21. To live in a state where I am able to choose where and how I would like to give birth, and to have access to modern medicine and research to make such an informed decision.
22. Alaska. I am so happy I get to raise my family in the place that I was raised and I believe helped shape me into who I am today. Plus, I get to wake up and look at awesome views every day that people dream about seeing!
23. Disney movies. #momofatoddler #sloperswife #noshame #itsallaboutbalance
24. Stickers and sticker charts. #momofatoddler #stickersmotivateher #dowhatworks
25. My awesome mom friends. There's "mommy wars" (hate that term, but still...), judgment, bullying, etc. everywhere but I am so lucky to have the support of great moms in Alaska and Maryland who respect my parenting choices (even if different) and also who I can go to for advice when I want it.
26. Zulily and Amazon. You might call it a shopping addiction, I call it good shopping skills. I mean, if I was going to have to buy it anyways...
27. White Christmas. The movie, the fact that I get to have one this year, everything about it...
28. Christmas music. MARY, DID YOU KNOW....
29. Good books and my ability to read them.
30. The fact that I got to live somewhere drastically different, meet a ton of great people and be within 20 minutes of my family for over five years. I'm so grateful for our time in Maryland, even if I complained about the state itself a lot. Looking back, I wouldn't do anything differently!
I easily thought of like six more I should have included, just within the last minute. So yeah, I have a lot to be thankful for! One of those is that I am preemptively thankful that none of you judge me for what is easily 47 typos in this because I didn't proofread at all.
1. My family - just gotta get this one outta the way, right? My husband, my daughter, my parents and my siblings. They are all pretty much the best ever and exactly what I need in my life, whether I know it at the time or not. ;) The majority of the time I even want all of them in my life too! WIN WIN!
2. Tums. (I'm 38.5 weeks pregnant. Enough said.)
3. Facebook. Stupid, I know, and silly - but when you have friends and family spread out all over the country as much as Ian and I do, it makes keeping in contact so much easier. I guess maybe I should just say technology since I'm equally grateful for email, instagram, FaceTime, etc. And also facebook makes me mad sometimes. Ok, I digress..#thankfulforthehidefeature
4. My mudroom and garage. Seriously, it makes my life so much easier. Wet clothes, laundry, boots, outdoor gear, etc. all contained to one room that we can enter to from the garage? #amomsdreamcometrue And yeah, when it's 0 degrees out and your kid isn't supposed to wear a real coat under their car seat, a warm car in a warm garage is amazing.
5. My best friend. I remember when she had her first boyfriend and was "in love" and I asked her "Is it like in the movies?" (For the record, it wasn't. He was a dingbat, unfortunately, but hey, we were 14.) But our best friendship - it's like in the movies. Not like the friendships in the movie Clueless or something. Maybe like The First Wives Club, where we bond over illegal activity and singing and dancing and drinking. I don't take that kind of friendship for granted for a second.
7. Health. I'm so thankful for my health, my husband's health, and my children's health.
8. Free church childcare. Sometimes that one hour a week is the only hour I am ever alone, and I get to do something for myself while knowing my daughter is being well taken care of.
9. Chocolate chip cookies (and also, see #2.)
10. McDonald's eggnog shakes. This is the best time of year to be pregnant!!
11. All of my second families in Anchorage. It is really, really hard to be a parent without family you're close to nearby (something I didn't fully appreciate until we moved) but I am so grateful for all of the families who have stepped in and helped. Clara and I had *four* Thanksgiving dinner offers this year, I mean come on! Obviously I know that's 98% them wanting to see Clara, but that's a lot of mashed potatoes and gravy that I could go wild with. Thanks, friends.
12. Clara's dance class. It's an hour a week I get to watch her respond to another adult, she has a blast and what's cuter than a bunch of little kids running around with crazy props?!
13. All the drive-thru coffee huts in Anchorage with GOOD, local coffee and awesome baristas. Especially the one I go to...frequently. :)
14. God. Guess this should have been #1, huh? :) I'm thankful for His presence in my life.
15. My spiritual community. I was going to just say my church but then I realized I am equally grateful to spiritual role models and friends I have all over the country, including my last church in Maryland. It makes me really proud to be a part of a community that works really hard to live up to "open hearts, open doors, and open minds." I feel very at peace being surrounded by that kind of Christian love while also being challenged spiritually as well. It's a good balance.
16. Pinterest humor section. Sometimes you just need a good laugh.
17. My husband's ability to calm my nerves.
18. My dad's ability to say exactly the right thing at the right time (most of the time!)
19. My daughter's ability to humble me and remind me to appreciate the little things in life.
20. That I haven't had this baby yet. I would really like his or her father to be here for the birth.
21. To live in a state where I am able to choose where and how I would like to give birth, and to have access to modern medicine and research to make such an informed decision.
22. Alaska. I am so happy I get to raise my family in the place that I was raised and I believe helped shape me into who I am today. Plus, I get to wake up and look at awesome views every day that people dream about seeing!
24. Stickers and sticker charts. #momofatoddler #stickersmotivateher #dowhatworks
25. My awesome mom friends. There's "mommy wars" (hate that term, but still...), judgment, bullying, etc. everywhere but I am so lucky to have the support of great moms in Alaska and Maryland who respect my parenting choices (even if different) and also who I can go to for advice when I want it.
26. Zulily and Amazon. You might call it a shopping addiction, I call it good shopping skills. I mean, if I was going to have to buy it anyways...
27. White Christmas. The movie, the fact that I get to have one this year, everything about it...
28. Christmas music. MARY, DID YOU KNOW....
29. Good books and my ability to read them.
30. The fact that I got to live somewhere drastically different, meet a ton of great people and be within 20 minutes of my family for over five years. I'm so grateful for our time in Maryland, even if I complained about the state itself a lot. Looking back, I wouldn't do anything differently!
I easily thought of like six more I should have included, just within the last minute. So yeah, I have a lot to be thankful for! One of those is that I am preemptively thankful that none of you judge me for what is easily 47 typos in this because I didn't proofread at all.
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