Thankful for the little things

Easter came and went and what a wonderful time. It was Preston and my first Easter alone. I made it extra special. I made him a huge Easter basket filled with coloring books, flash cards, trio bars, bubbles and paints. We went to church. We had a yummy breakfast with a great friend. And even visted the Easter bunny in the park.

A couple of days before Easter a friend of mine told me about his neighbor who was saving a ton of quarters and thought he had them hidden from his wife. No particular reason he was hiding them but just enjoyed knowing he had this little quarter collection. The neighbors wife was busy filling Easter eggs for all their grandchildren when she asked him if he had any quarters. He knew right then and there that she found his hidden quarter stash so being the good husband he is...he handed them over. She used all his quarters he had been harvesting in that glass jar and filled the Easter eggs with them.

This story made me giggle. I guess you kind of just have to know the neighbors in order to giggle as much as me. They are an older couple...so madly, deeply in love. And that husband would do anything for his wife and never complains about anything. Even if it means giving up his quarter stash.

The story also gave me a good idea! I should fill Prestons Easter eggs with money as well. I...unlike the neighbor used all of my quarters to put gas in my car but I did have some pennies laying around. I gathered all these pennies and filled 18 eggs with money and then made a trail of eggs from Prestons room to the dining room where his Easter basket was. Preston was totally in love with all the monies in the Easter basket. He wanted to carry all those eggs everywhere we went. He ended up leaving them in the car where the rest of the toys migrate and I get a huge collection...and then when it becomes overwhelming I clean the car out.

Easter has passed, about a week has gone by, and I have a huge collection of Easter stuff in my car. Including those penny filled eggs.

This huge long story leads me to this: This morning on my way to work. I put gas in my car and had 1 dollar and 12 cents left. I decided to pop next door to Mcdonalds (don't judge me. I was hungry) and grab a biscuit off the dollar menu. I knew that with tax I could get it. I get to the window to pay and guess what!? I dropped a damn dime down between my seat and became short on my 1.08 tab. I tried so hard to get the dime and thankfully that young drive through kid was patient. I could not reach the dime for the life of me and I couldn't just leave because I really wanted that biscuit.I literally emptied my purse onto the passenger seat and was digging everywhere for 8 cents! Then! Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the Easter basket with the penny filled eggs. It only took me 2.3 seconds to get over the guilty feeling of raiding my sons Easter basket to pay to get my biscuit on. I cracked those eggs open like a pro and popped out 8 pennies into my hand. I smiled and said "Oh here, sorry about that". I got my buscuit. It was yummy.

Today I am thankful for the little things. No matter what happens in life and what position I am put in...I realize everything always works out. Today I proved it to myself once again. Life is awesome.

Butterflies

I have started this new journey of my life looking at myself as a butterfly. Before being a single mom, I lived the life as a wife (since a very young age) and a mother. I haven’t done much, seen much, and haven’t traveled to places I would like to. Kind of like…. living in a cocoon. But, at the time I enjoyed the cocoon…it was a safe place for me. It was all I knew. Then the divorce came…we will call this my big transition. My wings slowly started coming out and I have been transforming into something different. Stronger, wiser, and confident.

People look at single moms like cripples, and want to feel sorry. Of course, it is a not so ideal situation people ever think they are going to be in…but it does happen. Single moms are some of the strongest women out there and I need to start giving myself more credit and other single moms more credit. Raising children is a job unto itself. Doing it alone multiplies that by five. Single moms are some amazing women raising beautiful children in a couple’s world.

I got a card in the mail and it really touched my heart. What a coincidence that the card had butterflies on it. It read “You’ve got to admire them- setting off on a journey of no less than a thousand miles on only a wing and a prayer. Yet make it, they will. And so will you.”

I will make it. So will Preston. We are a great team. I am not going to wait for him to graduate school and be off to college before I figure myself out and become the most amazing me. I am going to do it now. Preston deserves the most amazing me and I deserve it too.

Wishing

Lately, I have found myself wishing about a lot of stuff. Wishing I had more energy to do everything on my daily to do list without negative thoughts running through my head. Wishing I had more time to sleep. Wishing I had more determination. Wishing I had a house cleaner, a dog sitter, a personal massage therapist to rub my back every night as I fall asleep. Wishing I had more....more.

Then, I realize...all I do is wish for things I don't have instead of being thankful for what I do have. I am thankful for my dad and step mom. They are angels on earth. I am thankful God has blessed me with the most beautiful, loving, funny, healthy, curious little boy. I am thankful I have a job and a roof over our heads. I am thankful that every day I wake up, I have a chance to do something amazing.

It is so easy to get caught up in what you don't have, or what you wish you had, or what you wish you could change. The fact is...it should be more important to look around and start being thankful for what we do have. I am going to make it a point to start my day of listing five things I am thankful for. If I quit wishing about things that I want and focus on what I do have....I am sure I will be blessed with the "wants" when the time is right.

What are you thankful for?

Girly mama

I am the only girl in my house. I did not realize how much my "girlishness" affects the activities that I allow my son to be involved in. I tend to lean on my sons dad who naturally would be OK doing these "boy" type activities with our son. I am learning that I need to let go, let my hair down, and get dirty too! (so to speak).

Now that I am a single mom and there is no dad in the house with Preston, I had to figure out how to get him to do those boy activities. That is when I really had to re-evaluate my self.

I have learned that showers can clean anything, and shower caps are a blessing. I have learned that my nails won't get ruined if there is dirt under them. I have learned that I own a washing machine for a reason....and that reason is to wash the dirty clothes that my son and I have made while getting dirty outside. Oh and did I mention that they make rain boot for girls too?!

Recently, I have explored the outdoors so much with my son. We get magnifying glasses and look for bugs in the grass. We dig holes and bury seeds from the fruits and veggies we have been eating. We finger paint using our fingers and our toes! We also pull weeds together and jump in water puddles.

My son has so much fun doing these things with me. I am so glad that I have learned to let go of my girlishness side ( for a few hours) and be in the moment with him. I can wash all the dirt away, but I will never be able to wash away the memories of him and I together, happy and laughing.