November 2012's Challenge: Give Thanks Daily

This month I have been working on teaching Little Man what gratitude means. Every night after we say our prayers we go around the room and say what we are grateful for. Every night he looks up at me and says, "I am grateful for you mom." It melts my heart. 

 I promise I don't do that every night just to hear him say that- although I love it when he does. :)

I am not totally sure if he gets the concept of gratitude but I know he is well on his way and I am planting the seed by doing it daily. The best way to teach our children about gratitude is to have a heart of gratitude ourselves.

So, your challenge is to:

Last month I asked you to take the time and be still on a daily basis. This month, you will set your alarm on your phone just like last month, and when it goes off- stop whatever you are doing and for 30 seconds or so list in your mind (or on paper) all the things you are grateful for right there and then at that moment. 

It will fill your heart with love and charity as we get into the holiday season.

I will be sharing a million ideas I have thought of on how to teach your children about gratitude and I would love to hear your ideas as well!

But for now- go make that list!

besitos

xo

Stopping to Smell the Roses...Literally

The sun is waking up and I hold a warm bowl of oatmeal in between my hands. I love the way it feels. Little Man is sleeping in which gives me extra time to reflect and think about my challenge this month.

I feel like it's been a busy week -but who doesn't have busy weeks? There were several times I was consumed with the business of my day when the little bells on my phone came on to tell me to take a few minutes and become present. (October's Challenge)

How often do we get stuck in the daily tasks of our "to dos" to really enjoy each moment to the fullest?

The other day Little Man and I were at our weekly library stop... he loves to take his SWEET time to and from the car. I am usually on a mission to get home and get dinner ready and practically drag him to the car.

Not this time.

This time I pushed aside that need to rush on to the the next thing and entered his world and explored with him for a moment. Stomping and crunching through piles of leaves, I followed and observed.

I stopped and noticed the things he was interested in.

We took time to smell the roses. Literally.

Then he ran to a patch of grass and just laid there curiously observing the things in the sky. Feeling quite hungry, I resisted the need to get back home... I went over to him and laid beside him. The sky was bright. We watched an airplane in the sky.

And then I saw this.

Right in front of me was this beautiful tree...the very same one we pass every time I rush to the car. But from down there- it just really struck me. In a few weeks this tree will be bare. I would have missed it's beauty because I was too busy focusing on the next thing to really observe what is in front of me all along.

Reminder: take in the beauties of fall...soon they will be gone.

It was a good day.
besitos,
xo 

What's the hurry?

I had another great reminder in Sister Tanner's Positive Parenting Class the other week that reminded me about being still. Which for me mean to stop being in such a hurry.

A quote by best selling author and journalist Anna Quindlen:

“...But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three on them sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And  I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in a hurry to get on to the next things: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.”
― Anna Quindlen

Yesterday little man fell asleep in my arms and instead of getting on with my day- I stopped. I just sat there. I studied his little face and felt his little hands in mine. I thought of this quote and it reminded me to treasure this moment...one day he will be grown up and it will be just a far memory. But I am so glad to say I have at least the memory.

Don't live life WISHING you could go back in time because you failed to let those moments pass you by.

Besitos,