gratefulmom

Saturday gratitude

2010-07-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

a mellow morning. successful meeting with Mr.outside preparing to relocate plants prior to the excavation that should be taking place any day...
farmers market with a beautiful breeze. bountiful vegetables. blueberries and plums. macro mamma for lunch by the water while the children climbed the trees. a nap. a spontaneous postdated/sleepover. grilling. making pesto. purity ice cream.

should mention that this
was not my "plan" for the day so I am most grateful that I was able to go with the flow...not something i
naturally do with ease

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little things

2010-07-14T16:22:00.001-07:00

the wonderful feeling of having completed the four loads of laundry

the Netflix streaming DVD with parental control

tired from camp children freshly showered and tick checked

fresh peas from the garden

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blogging on the run...

2010-07-13T20:51:00.001-07:00

this is a test...seems I don't find enough time to sit and write at my computer (note date of last blog entry)

I do seem to find time on the fly to use my phone for Facebook check ins or crossword puzzles while the boys are in classes or on the playground.

not sure why it took me so long to realize I could use an app. this smart phone technology is somewhat lost on me.

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way too long......

2009-08-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

since I have blogged! i have come to the conclusion that in order to have a blog one must make it a habit to write...a ritual in the day, even if it is only one sentence or a descriptive photo. it is not as though i don't have a a plethora of grateful moments in my life on a daily basis. now my huge regret is how many of them i have not shared. dare i catch you up on months? nope- i will not "should" on myself (thanks Ross!) and i will move forward... with a post it on my computer to remind me to pop in more often

so, that said...

i am grateful today for the rain...my beautiful flowers were thirsty and in need of a big sip, my boys were happy to have a wii rockband playdate with good friends, and it propelled me to start purging my house of "stuff" to get rid of!!

Mom's Birthday

2008-12-12T13:13:00.000-08:00

My mother celebrated her birthday on the 10th and we were fortunate enough to have received our webcam on that very same day. My mother has become a New Jersey snowbird fleeing at the first frost to Key Biscayne, FL. For those unfamiliar with "the Key" it is not your typical Florida retreat where you visit grandparents in the complex with the pool and the mah-jong games.

The Key is like stepping into another country, it is tropical and lush, there are iguanas EVERYWHERE and more and more people drive little golf carts around the island. Maybe 80% of the folks speak another language and these huge ornate homes/apartments are there vacation homes. They mostly come from Europe and South America.

It is an experience...one I have been fortunate enough to have annually since I was a kid as my aunt and uncle and grandparents resided in Key Biscayne for that long. It gives me great pleasure to take my children to the library where my grandmother always took me. One might think the library on vacation? First off, then you don't know my boys...the bookworms! Really the library has the most gorgeous grounds with a pond that is filled with turtles and there are a bunch of ducks and iguanas, of course, particularly the really huge ones with the orange crests. It is lush and wonderful for exploring and pretending.

So, back to the webcam. This year we do not yet have a plan to visit so we face 5 months of not seeing JoJo (this is what the grandchildren call her). The camera arrived and we rapidly put it together so we could visit and sing "Happy Birthday". This was a joyous moment. I am not sure which aspect gave me the most pleasure?

*the joy on my mom's face (and dad's) when they saw the children and they realized how easily we could see each other this way
*the joy my children had at seeing their grandparents
*the awe on both sides (including me) of the technology
*the anticipation of seeing my grandmother

It was bittersweet as I wish we had done this while my grandfather was still alive, he would have LOVED this and it would have been so wonderful to have seen him more frequently.

Happy Birthday Mom! I am grateful for you being who you are...much love~

time goes by...

2008-12-12T12:43:00.000-08:00

when this blog idea came up I thought it was brilliant, yet I knew my challenge would be consistency...and here I am over a month between postings! not for lack of material, but lack of time...life gets under me sometimes like a tidal wave and I need to have faith in the wave bringing me safely to shore. one day when i have time to sit around sipping tea and knitting baby blankets for grandchildren I will laugh about these days where I often could not catch a breath.
November reflections:
Dancin had a fabulous birthday with a few of his buddies at the American Museum of Natural History...I attended the first weekend course in the series to get my Certification for Clinical Aromatherapy...Ahn developed eczema...we had a lovely Thanksgiving with 19 friends and family present and flowing cranberry martinis. It was the Hallmark month to be grateful...

December and nippy weather upon us I am grateful to be on the other side of my husbands hernia surgery. I am incredibly grateful for the newly acquired knowledge of knitting as it carried me through the waiting process. Now I need to learn how to make other than scarves!

2008-11-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

Today is one of those more difficult days as a mom. I had carefully arranged for the boys to be with my mother so we could attend a concert in NYC this evening. The littlest one got sick and all bets are off. My amazing husband suggested I take the tickets and go with a friend.... First there is the guilt of leaving my sick child, then leaving my sick child with my husband, then the reality of finding another mom that can drop everything at the last minute and go play! With the financial state of our economy right now it is frustrating to have to "eat" the tickets...we searched for takers to buy or even accept as a gift these tickets...still they will sit unused. My mantra is to "flow with it" and "let it go" and be grateful that my mom took the older boys for the night and enjoy the calm.

I found this timely "topic of the week" on Cheryl Richardson's website:

During stressful times, one of the things that sees us through is self-confidence - confidence in our ability to do whatever it takes to weather a storm; trust in ourselves enough to know that we'll take the necessary actions that will honor our self-care; and courage to do the tough stuff even when everything inside us wants to run and hide. More than a year ago, I wrote about watching a series on "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch" called "American Dream" where the host interviewed successful people who had experienced both significant success and failure. One gentleman, a businessman who made billions only to lose it all before creating success again, had a great idea that's worth repeating, especially during this period of uncertainty. He explained that the thing that got him through his toughest times was an "accomplishments list" he kept with him in his briefcase at all times. He explained, "Most of us spend a great deal of time thinking about how we've failed or what we don't have, and not enough time on what we've done right or on the success we've created. I use this list to remind myself of what I've done well -- especially during the difficult times."As I listened to him talk about this idea, I thought about how valuable a tool this would be for anyone who needed a boost of confidence or a reminder of their potential. Think about it. When's the last time you sat down and looked at your life through the lens of success? If I asked you to list ten accomplishments right this minute, could you? If that question causes your mind to immediately go blank, then I invite you to make your own list this week. Here are some examples of the kinds of accomplishments you might include:I raised healthy and good kidsI enjoy a successful marriageI completed my college degreeI landed a job in a field that I loveI created my first gardenI started my own businessI wrote a book, a poem, or a songI bought my first car or homeI made a difference in someone's life. Get the idea? Okay, let's stop for a moment and do something good for yourself. Open up a new file on your computer right now and take a few minutes to do your own list. Challenge yourself to come up with at least 15 examples, large or small. Think of this exercise as securing a great insurance policy that may just pull you out of an emotional fire when you need it most -- and it may also help you to make a wise decision to stay in the game when you're tempted to jump ship.Once you've made your list, print it out and keep it somewhere safe and handy. Read through it at least once a day this week and smile as you do. In spite of what challenge, failure, disappointment, or hardship you may be facing right now, deep inside is a smart, wise, committed, and hard-working soul who has a track record of success :). Yup -- that's you!

knitting

2008-11-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

When my grandmother came to visit last month she taught me to knit (again) and I have been addicted. She sent a package with yarn and needles all set up so the boys could learn also. This is one of those pictures to save for future girlfriends!

Halloween

2008-11-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

(Luke Skywalker, Fred Weasley, Max from "Where the Wild Things Are", Mary Poppins, Harry Potter)

I am grateful the pumpkin got carved...the costumes worked out...nobody got sick from too much candy and we all had fun! Ahn watched mindfully for 20 minutes or so before insisting upon tricking or treating with the big kids. He cautiously approached and hesitantly accepted the lollipop that was being offered. He unwrapped and thoroughly enjoyed the root beer flavored DumDum pop. Dancin reminded me that he and Kai didn't get candy until they were at least three...

Mischief Night

2008-10-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

I am not sure they still call the night before Halloween "Mischief Night"...but as a kid I remember it was the night that houses were egged or toilet papered. (not that I ever took part in those escapades :-O!)

As I awoke this morning I giggled to myself that with three little boys in my house...every night has the potential to be mischievous and it is certainly not confined to the dark hours. This past summer, Dancin and Kai decided it would be a fun idea to put a live earthworm on our bed. Hours later the worm was discovered in the dark by a friend reaching for her purse. She screamed at the sliminess! Lights went on and there on our bed was a slimy worm trail and a slimy worm...and a very unhappy mom. I reminded myself of the book and now movie "How to Eat Fried Worms" and decided it could have been much worse!

After math, spelling, and a comparison of the Navajo and Apache tribes (Kai has new obsession with Native Americans ever since experiencing their costumes at the Grassroots Music Festival this summer) we will be carving pumpkins, roasting seeds and preparing for the Halloween festivities. I am grateful for the perfect sunny fall day!

gratefulmom.com is LIVE

2008-10-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

I began this blog and then realized the website wasn't running so...who was reading it? But thanks to Rhiannon- www.gratefulmom.com is LIVE and I guess it is time to start blogging...

At this very moment there is a sound in my home that I am not used to hearing:

SILENCE and the real kind, not the kind you get when kids are playing quietly...this is true silence. Ahn is napping, Dancin and Kai are curled up on the couch reading books. I can hear the hum of the computer and the sound of my warm coffee as I swallow it.

This is a rare and beautiful moment that I am profoundly grateful for.

welcome

2008-09-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

new website...new blog...a big thank you hug to Sherry (a gratefulmom of 3 girls!) for inspiring this blog!!

it is my intention to share daily, or as close to daily, the adventures of being a gratefulmom to my three boys. please share your stories!!

we are finishing up our first day "not back to school" as my guys could not wait to tear into their math books!! i believe it is going to be a very exciting year. Dancin (8), Kai (6) did an awesome job of accomplishing their assignments without distraction from hurricane Ahn (19 months). we are all grateful for nap time!