November Thankful: The 10th

Today I am thankful for the warmer weather. The kind of weather I love, when all you need is a sweatshirt. It really felt like Fall today, instead of the early onset of winter. Fred, Nana, Mason, Sophie, and I walked the short distance to the courts in our neighborhood. Happy to be outside, breathing fresh air, and the chance to have a family fun day playing tennis. Oh, how I have missed spending my days like this, and how I hope to have more of them in the future.

November Thankful: The 9th

I was talking to my father on the phone today and he told me a wonderful story that I wanted to share with you.

It was election day. My dad slowly made his way into the polling station at the local elementary school, my elementary school. He went to stand in line and very soon realized that the line wrapped around the building a few times and would be hours before he got to vote. He knew he would not be able to stand that long, having suffered a stroke 5 years ago and dealing with physical disabilities as a result. After about 10-15min. the people around him began to see him struggle. They offered to have him sit on the buckets they had been sitting on, but they were too low to the ground. He would never get down or back up. Then the young man standing behind my dad asked if he could get my father a chair from the principles office. The young man was excited to be voting for the first time, a recent graduate of my high school alma mater as well as a former student at the elementary school they were standing in now. The chair in the office has wheels and that would be perfect for my dad. So the young man disappeared into the office for a few minutes, returning not with the rolling chair, but a wheel chair instead. The young man than proceeded to push my father through the long, winding line around the school until they reached the sign in table.

As I listened to my father tell me this amazing story, I felt some tears well up in my eyes; tears of unexpected gratefulness. In that moment, I said a silent prayer; thankful that there are people out in this world who are still compassionate, decent human beings, considerate of others.

I am also thankful for the very rare opportunity to get dressed up and go on a date night, enjoying a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant with my handsome, loving husband. (*Thanks Nana, for letting us have this special night. It really meant a lot to us.)

November Thankful: The 8th

Today I am thankful for the opportunity to volunteer in Sophie's classroom. Originally another mother had signed up for this day, which I wanted, but at the last minute needed to go out of town. Luckily I had walked Sophie into school this morning and was asked if I still wanted to volunteer. Of course I did! It really worked out great, because Nana is in town and able to watch Mason, so Fred could work and I could volunteer. 

Interacting with the Ducklings and seeing how things run in the classroom has been a memorable experience. It really made my day to see the smiles on the kids faces as we played monster in the dollhouse, searched for and counted out the colors of bears at the sensory table, and was served tea and various other foods in the dramatic play area. Sophie had a little bit of a hard time letting me leave in the end, but soon joined the rest of the class in the circle, singing the "go wash your hands" song before snack time. She loves to sing, a trait I am certain she gets from me. 

I was really nervous to help out in the classroom at first, you never know how the kids will react to you. It seems silly, but I care whether or not I have the approval of a classroom of three year olds. Especially a group of three year olds who interact with my daughter on a daily basis and could potentially be candidates for play-dates. I guess I had nothing to worry about though, because it was a wonderful experience and especially rewarding when I got a hug from one of the girls, for the second time this year when volunteering in the classroom. I was kneeling on the floor in the dramatic play area when she just came right up and gave me a big hug. It was so unexpected, and I got that knowing look from the teacher as she walked by, observing this interaction. My lips instinctively curled up into a smile and I melted into a puddle on the floor. To know that I have made a positive impact on a child's day really makes my day that much brighter. I walked around the rest of the day with a bounce in my step. I never noticed before, but these children, especially my own, really make a positive difference in my life as well. This is the reason I became a parent, why I love working with children, and am so incredibly thankful for everyday that I get to have moments like these. 

November Thankful: The 7th

OK, so I know I have been totally neglecting this little blog of mine. I don't really have an excuse.  Simply put, I underestimated how busy I would become,  and how little "me" time I would get with two kids in school on opposite schedules. That, and I have been trying to focus on taking care of myself better.

In addition to all the things occupying my time, I am getting over a serious cold, where I lost my voice just in time for Mason's birthday party, and am recovering from what I call my minor breakdown. If I am going to be truly honest, I have been suffering from some pretty severe anxiety over the last month. After finally recognizing that I needed help, I am on my road to recovery.  I feel healthier, stronger, and have more energy. I am happier than I have been in a really long time and the change is noticeable.

With this new me emerging, I am hoping to get back to blogging on a regular basis. Making it a priority to write things out and once again document our lives. To start, I thought I would bring back November Thankful. It being so fitting with my life path right now, and it being the season of giving thanks and all. So here we go.

Today I am thankful to wake up and be reaffirmed that Obama was re-elected president, and that I was brave enough to get the haircut that I really wanted. It's short but I like it and am slowly getting used to it. Sophie runs around calling me Tangled. I believe this is mostly due to the fact that I took inspiration from the movie and showed my stylist a picture of Rapunzel's hair from the end of the movie. 

I felt really silly bringing in a picture of a cartoon, but apparently someone else had brought in an American Girl doll asking for the color hair of the doll. LOL.

Most everyone says they love the new look. I think it makes me look older, more mature. Which I like. Now I just need to learn how to style my hair the way she does.