Thanksgiving and Post-Thanksgiving Day

Yesterday one of my favorite parts of the day was when Brooke came in our bedroom and said "Happy Thanksgiving". She then hopped into our bed followed shortly afterwards by Maya. We had the whole family including our two cats snuggling in bed. It is not a usual occurrence so it made the moment that much more special!

Today, I am grateful to a friend of the family who took Maya and Brooke along with a few of their friends to the bowling alley. They spent time bowling and eating pizza and then visited Sweet Frog for dessert. Tony and I enjoyed our together time while the girls were away.

Catching Up on My Posts---Trip to Panama

Thursday, November 21st:

Today I am so grateful to be headed to a warm country to meet Tony. My travels were safe and while at the airport, I called my good friend, Karen, who always inspires me. She told me of some great things happening in her life and reminded me once again about the miracles that can happen in our lives when we are open to them.

Friday, November 22nd:

After having breakfast with Tony, who then went to a meeting for work, I wandered around Panama for a bit. The downtown area is much like any city.

Later, I met up with Tony and we checked out of our hotel. We headed to the older section of the city called San Felipe or Casco Antigua. It is a quaint place with a mix of buildings that are in ruins and buildings that have been restored. Our new hotel was located there and was beautiful. We wandered around and enjoyed taking in the scenery.

Saturday, November 23rd:

Today we toured around the city some more....visiting the Panama Canal and talking to both the locals and other tourists. I love spending time with Tony and exploring this new place together.

Sunday, November 24th:

Today, we got up early and took a tour of a town about 2 hours north of Panama City, called El Valle. It is a town built in the middle of an extinct volcano and it is beautiful. While there, we visited a natural zoo, hiking up a mountain called "Sleeping Indian", and got a mud mask while visiting a thermal bath. Lots of fun!

Monday, November 25th: 

We headed home today. I am grateful for a safe flight home and for the sheer joy in seeing our girls again!

Tuesday, November 26th:

I am grateful for the opportunity to work with children and the freshness and honesty they bring to every encounter.

Wednesday, November 27th: 

I am so grateful for 5 days off of work with very little plans....sleeping in, snuggling by the fire, playing games with my girls, doing some Christmas shopping, and making meals together. Perfection!

Panama, Panamaaaa

I am heading to Panama tomorrow to meet my hubby who is on a work trip there. So excited to spend some quality couple time there! I won't be posting while on the trip, but I will be looking for things I love every day and will post about them when I return. Yay for 90 degree weather in November!

Inspired to Write

After hearing about some choices for a Solar System Project, one of my second grade students spent over an hour writing a "Trip Through the Solar System" story. I loved how he pulled in some information from a book that we read a few weeks ago about the centrifuge machine that astronauts use to train for space travel!! So happy to have inspired some amazing writing!

Reading, Snuggling, and Knitting

Much Needed Snuggly Night!

New Dishes

So grateful for a shopping spree with my mom this morning. She took me to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and I picked out a beautiful set of dishes! 

On The Right Track

Today I met a few of my girlfriends for a hike and then brunch. We met to catch up with one another and to talk about the book we were reading this month called "Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown. Our conversation reminded me that I am on the right track in my life and that there are others on the same track with me. A very comforting and exciting feeling!

Reminder of Gratitude---11/15/13

Yesterday was parent-teacher conferences at our school. I had some time to talk with our Head of School during a break and was relaying to her a situation that I was experiencing stress about. She reminded me of looking at the situation through the eyes of "what IS working" as opposed to "what ISN'T working". And when I did, the stress melted away.

It was a much needed reminder that even when you are committed to the practice of gratitude (the main purpose of this blog!), a gentle nudge from other liked mind people is needed every now and then.

Girls Book Club

I love that Maya and Brooke belong to a Book Club with their friends. Each month, one girl hosts the gathering and chooses the book. Tonight they met to discuss the American Girl Doll book called "McKenna" and do a craft with the theme of gymnastics. It is so special to have a group of friends like this at such a young age!

Grateful for my family

Realizing how fast time can fly and how much I love the snuggles of my girls, my hubby, and my cats!!

Children Doing Homework

When I got home tonight, my plan was to watch a few DVRed episodes of "The Voice." My girls were going to do a quick spelling activity and then we would start watching. Over an hour later, they are happily busy doing their spelling homework while I am sitting here biting my tongue so as not to interrupt their work......meanwhile I am ready to watch some people sing!

So grateful for my hard working girls!!!!

Keep it real

Being Real

Great lesson about speaking your truth and coming out of the proverbial closet. So very true!

We Have Choices

Today, I am struck by the fact that we have a choice every moment of the day. We can look at a situation and make a choice to be upset or we can look at a situation and make a choice to be grateful. Life is shifting so quickly now and people are on the move. Organizations are changing and the things that are no longer working are falling away. It can be a scary feeling to watch all this change or we can use it as an opportunity to feel so much gratitude for what we do have and for the things that matter. I choose the second option. Thank you for it all!

Amazing Birthday Party!

Last night, we hosted an amazingly fun birthday party for Brooke. All of our closest friends and family were there (except for those who live out of town) and it was wonderful to spend time with each of them. Our kitchen functioned exactly as we hoped it would, the children and adults hung outside by the campfire, and the food was delicious. Perfect!

Cranio-sacral Therapy

Tonight I am so grateful to my dear friend, Betsey, for using her crania-sacral skills to work on Brooke's nose and body. Brooke released so much unneeded energy from her body and she left the session feeling "warm, good, and happy." LOVE!

A New Way to Greet Surgery

I saw this video on the Internet. It is of a woman facing double mastectomy surgery hosting a dance party in the operating room before her surgery. I am in awe at the amount of joy on her face in this moment. May I greet my life with such joy!

Facing Surgery

Amazing Clouds

Tonight when we left school, Brooke pointed out the amazing clouds above our heads. We all looked up and were wowed! One of my friends captured them with her camera. Gorgeous!!!

Quiet Day at Home

Today, I took the day off to recuperate from the strep throat symptoms that I have. It was such a blessing to lay on the couch all day....to have a slower pace than my normal days. I am feeling better tonight and I am so grateful!

Grateful for Friends and My Hubby

So grateful for a friend who took care of the girls tonight while I slept off some symptoms of strep throat. Also grateful for my hubby who brought me hot green tea and a bagel and cream cheese from Panera!

Happy Birthday Brooke!

Brooke, Maya, and birthday gifts


I love the sisterly love going on in this picture. Maya was so excited to go shopping for Brooke's gifts and to watch her open them this morning.

Remembering 8 years ago

Eight years ago, I was in labor with our sweet Brooke. She is such a joy to our family! She has a "thumbs up" approach to life and is always looking for fun. I am so grateful that she is in my life. I love learning from her everyday!

Communicate Good

A dear friend of mine, Molly Koch, was interviewed by the founder of this website. In reading through the article and then perusing the website, I was touched by how wonderful it was to read about good news instead of the litany of bad news portrayed in American culture today. There are so many people doing amazing things even right in our own backyards. I am grateful for their example and hopeful that this website will be a beacon for more to come.

Communicate Good--Article on Molly Koch