Daily: Reflect on at least 5 things for which I'm grateful (Happiness Manifesto #2)

time to think and plan

clean slate Mondays….I forget where I got that phrase, someone here on 43t, I’m sure

free passes from the library

free math club for my little guy….a parent is running it once a month before school and its really good!

rediscovering my love of cooking (must be fall!)

Veterans. I’m grateful everyday, but will be glad to celebrate our veterans service on Wednesday.

Enjoy your week, everyone!

...work. I work very part-time, but I feel truly valued. In this time when so many people are out of work, I’m so blessed.

reconnecting with old friends. Just happened to answer the phone at work and took a call from an old, old friend who had moved away. Small world. :)

realizing that I wanted to add a goal to my life to be more deliberate with my reconnecting with old friends.

my son winning the fire safety contest! He worked so hard on his poster I’m so happy for him! The prize is awesome! They will come to our house and pick him up in the firetruck, take him to breakfast, then drop them off at school. Little boy heaven! He’s over-the-moon happy!

jack-o-lanterns…the more elaborate the better!! I love everything about making them, toasting & eating the seeds, lighting them in the dark. I’m not a Halloween fan, but I LOVE jack-o-lanterns.

and one more…my workout schedule! I don’t like working out, but I’m in a good schedule that works for me, so I’m doing it. Plus I’m trying a Zumba class tomorrow!! We’ll see how that goes….

I’m grateful for…

a weekend away with my very funny girlfriends…I haven’t laughed so hard in SOOOOO long!

finding the time to scrapbook my teenage son’s high school years. Spending time with all those cute photos of him helps me squash the impulse to strangle him for being such an idiot!!

being able to host a pasta party for my daughter’s team: 20 of her closest friends :)

being in the right place at the right time WITH my camera!!

pistachios….mmmmm

I’m grateful for

the chance to go into Boston with the kids on Sunday. It was a gorgeous day and we were free to go and play (and eat!!)

the chance to finally get to the Institute of Contemporary Art. Its a gorgeous modern space right on the waterfront and I’ve been wanting to go since they first opened…

spending Saturday with my youngest and his soccer team at their first tournament. Fun getting to know the kids and parents better. And taking LOTS of great pics of the team!

my new camera AND flickr. Sharing my photos from the tournament couldn’t have been easier thanks to my brand new flickr account.

the time Monday to go and visit WPI with my oldest. His college search is varied because he doesn’t really know what he wants. But he reeeeally liked WPI. :)

2 for 1…visit w niece and a new haircut & color. LOVE that she cuts my hair!!
finding the most comfortable shoes on the planet ON SALE! Yay!
finding a spare screen protector in my blackberry paperwork
reclaiming my fleece that I’d left behind MONTHS ago
having a folding table and a bunch of empty plastic bins to be able to loan a friend.

I’m grateful for the aha moment that nudged me to post my gratitudes two days in a row (guess I’m plugging in more and more)

For finding one leftover serving of incredible soup from this past weekend’s farmer’s market in the back of my fridge…it was like a gift!!

which made me grateful for Niel and his postings, including those about the “magic fridge” in his life :)

for the opportunity to work one-on-one with a child later on this afternoon.

and lastly, for my 30-min “ride” on the Nordictrack this morning. Two days in a row…I’m on a streak!! :D

Yom Kippur. We’re not Jewish, but we enjoyed having the day off.
Apple picking with my kids & their friends yesterday.
My new digital camera w sweet zoom lens. L-O-V-E it!
The bridges I built with one simple cake. :) Priceless.
Being right. For once. In the eyes of my teenage daughter.

And one more…for the discipline to drag out and dust off the old NordicTrack. Set it up in front of the tv in the basement and watched and sweated for 30 minutes. Hoping to make it my winter habit.

Have a great week all you 43ters!

I’m grateful for…

....my son. Today is his 8th birthday.

my daughter. Who will be 15 next month. What would I do with all of my free time if she weren’t such a challenge???

walking with a friend on this glorious fall day.

throwing parties. Soccer team pasta party, then family birthday celebration going on here tonight. Party on!

Calvin and Hobbes.

and one more. Fall leaves. We are at the very beginning of the change here in Massachusetts. So gorgeous to see a burst of color surrounded by green. Did I mention gorgeous?

Have a fabulous Wednesday, everyone!!!

I’m grateful for…

the first day of school. My kids are all beginning another new chapter in their lives.

that my little guy is excited and nervous and happy to share all of those feelings with me.

that my older kids are growing up and becoming independent and do LESS of that. Even though I’d like them to stay little and share everything with me, I know that the goal is otherwise :(

its a gorgeous fall day….sunny & crisp.

that I have an eye appt this morning. I’ve been putting this off after an unpleasant incident that happened around town with my old eye doctor…it shouldn’t have affected our doctor-patient relationship, but I just couldn’t see him in a positive light after that…so I’m off to see a new doctor today.

I’m grateful for…

...a perfectly gorgeous day. 70 degrees, sunny and dry…heavenly!

ruthless pruning of an out of control garden. Felt a little more like bushwhacking than gardening :) A lot of work but omg its looking so much better!!

seizing the day and taking my kids to Hampton Beach in NH yesterday. Our last hurrah before soccer started for all of them today. So much fun.

Body surfing in the waves with the kids. The water was so warm (well, for around here) and the waves were so much fun!

playing skee ball in the arcade with my 7 year old :)

and one more….couldn’t end my list without a mention of Ted Kennedy’s passing. I’m grateful for the human beings on this planet that do choose to devote their lives to public service.