In last week’s blog, I suggested making a gratitude list as one of the Thanksgiving traditions you could start this year. I really want you all to adopt this as a tradition, so I decided to put my money where my mouth is and share my gratitude list for 2023.
Not only does sharing my gratitude list keep me honest and make me start a new Thanksgiving tradition this year, but it also presents a good opportunity to reflect before the big day so that I can have my thoughts in the right place once Thanksgiving Day comes around on Thursday.
This week, I put pen to paper and jotted down everything that I have to be grateful for, from big to small. Gosh! I have so much to be grateful for!
Here, in no particular order, is a sampling of the many things I am grateful for in 2023.
My son
How can I not be extraordinarily grateful for my first born? I admit, gratitude is not the only word that comes to mind when I think of him. Other words include frustration, silliness, helper, and for goodness’s sake just go to bed, kid! But seriously, it took a long time and medical intervention to get him, and I will always thank my lucky stars that I get to be his mom.
My daughter
Of course, my gratitude for my son extends also to my daughter. She (thankfully) wasn’t as hard to come by, but she is just as much of a gift to us. I am so grateful for her hugs and her love of her mommy, but can anyone give me any tips on how to get her to enter into a daddy phase?
My husband
I often joke with my husband that my favorite thing about him is his paycheck, but he is so much more to me than that and he knows it. He’s also my source of foot rubs. I kid! In all seriousness, he takes care of us so well. He lets our son help with all of his projects, he makes sure we have fun whenever we can, and he is chief poop scooper. Maybe it’s this last one for which I’m most grateful….
My dog
The world is surely a better place because dogs are in it. I lucked out because my dog just so happens to be the best dog on Earth. She is (usually) a wonderful coworker and second mom to my kids. Her biggest gift, however, is her snuggles. She knows just when you need some TLC and she is more than happy to oblige. My only complaint is that sometimes she’s a bit over the top and makes me fall dead asleep on the couch before 8 pm. But I think we can forgive her for that.
Aquaphor
As a mom of two young children and a lifelong eczema sufferer, I would be lost without Aquaphor. This is truly a product I use every single day. Bad bum rash? Aquaphor. Chapped lips? Aquaphor. Burned a hand getting dinner out of the oven as the little one tried to jump in? Aquaphor. I am forever grateful for your services.
Notepads
My most defining personality trait is lists. Especially if you ask my mother. I make lists for everything. Projects at work get a list. Daily tasks get a list. Groceries get a list. Planning a party gets a list. There are lists on every surface of my home. To make the most efficient use of my lists, I am so grateful for the special notepads I have that really make it easy to keep track of my lists. I have a meal plan/grocery list pad that I tote around from room to room along with my daily to do list pad. These two notepads might be #1 if I decided to rank this list.
Blender
Every morning, my kids drink a smoothie on the way to daycare. Breakfast isn’t served until most of the kids have arrived for the day, but my kids are some of the earliest arrivals. To ask them to wait hours before they eat would not end well for anyone. Car smoothies are my way to start them out with some good stuff and fill their bellies enough to last them until their friends arrive and breakfast is ready. My blender is, therefore, an essential part of my Monday through Friday. Without it, meltdowns would abound. Thank you, blender, for doing your part.
Oxiclean
I do not know what magic is contained in Oxiclean. It takes care of every stain imaginable on clothes. Tomato sauce stains when more dinner ends up on their shirts than in their mouths is no problem. Squished blueberries disappear with a quick soak. And most importantly, blowouts no longer lead to trashed outfits when you have Oxiclean in your life. A mom must-have for sure!
My giant water bottle
I do not have a Stanley, but I do have a knock-off water bottle that is similarly shaped. It’s huge, but it fits in the car cup holder. I bought it when I was pregnant with my second kid because I knew I would need to drink a ton of water when I was breastfeeding. This giant water bottle helped tremendously through that whole cow season of my life, but it continues to play a crucial role. I didn’t realize just how crucial, though, until I recently returned from a business trip that did not have room for my giant water bottle. Without its constant presence, my water intake significantly decreased. I shriveled up like a prune! As soon as I got home, I filled it up to the brim and it has once again been my constant companion. My vital organs thank you, giant water bottle.
Hand cream
Like I mentioned above, I have eczema. Like I also mentioned above, I breastfed my second kid. When you breastfeed but you also work full-time, you pump a lot, which means you are constantly (and I mean constantly) washing pump parts. I’m pretty sure my hands will never recover from all this washing. The eczema on my hands persists 6+ months after I washed my last pump part. My son hates the feeling of my hand eczema and complains incessantly. To avoid “the skin” as he calls it, I bet I apply hand cream 15 times a day. I have a tube of hand cream at every sink in my house, in my car, in my husband’s car, in my purse, and at my desk. It is everywhere. Every time I reach for it, I am so grateful that hand cream is always within arm’s reach. And so is my son.
What are you grateful for this year?