52 Weeks of Gratitude - Express Gratitude to Three People

This weeks challenge is to express gratitude to three people. It was actually not very much of a challenge for me, as it is habit for me to show people in my life appreciation for the things they do for me.

I wrote a handwritten note to each of my son's teachers, thanking all three of them for the impact they have had on my son. When my son started at the school he is currently at last October, he was behind where he should have been academically. In the almost 5 months he has been at they school, I have seen a dramatic change in not only his learning ability, but his personality as well.

I make sure to have a conversation with his teachers when I drop him off in the morning and when I pick him up in the afternoon. Having worked with children in the past, I know how important those short conversations are. So in the morning, I make his teacher aware of any issues that came up after we left the prior day, if my son told me of any troubles with other children. And in the afternoon, I always check to see how his day was.

Even though there is a constant flow of communication between us, I wanted them to know how important they are to my son and me. And I know that most people appreciate a hand written note, especially since it rarely happens anymore.

I am grateful for these women. Their patience and caring nature is appreciated by me immensely. Knowing how difficult some children can be, especially my own, it means so much to me that they treat my son and the other children so well! 

How do you show the people in your life gratitude? How you like to be shown gratitude? Do you appreciate an overt gesture or is a simple thank you enough?

52 Weeks of Gratitiude - A Friend

Happy Sunday Everyone!!!

This week I'm writing about a friend that I am grateful for. This is very tough, I have several very close friends whom I love very much! So, I decided to share why I'm grateful for the friend I have had the longest. 

I am grateful for my friend Krista. We met during my senior year of high school, on New Year's Eve. (Funny side note, I had a crush on her younger brother, who is my age, while I was in middle school.) We didn't meet that night and just become best friends, we started becoming friends because some other friends of ours asked her to call me to convince me to have a party at my house. For some reason, even though we barely knew each other, she was able to convince me and we started hanging out from then on. 

Looking back, I kinda think we were an odd couple. I was still in high school when we met. She was 20 at the time, working full time and had a two year old son. I guess we just 'clicked' as you could say and enjoyed hanging out with each other. 

Since that time, we have shared so much of our lives together, gone on several road trips together, been with each other through our pregnancies. (She threw me the most amazing baby shower!) We've been there for each other through relationships good and bad. (Happy to say that she's in the best one I could ever imagine for her!) 

One thing I actually love about Krista, she in unyielding in her honesty with me. And while it may appear to others that she is being a bit of a bitch, I know she is being brutally honest with me, and most likely, correct. Which is why I view our friendship as more of a sister relationship than a friendship. We will fight and not talk for several months and go right back as if nothing happened. I love that, we are not scared to make each other mad. There is no walking on eggshells here.

I am eternally grateful for my friend Krista, she has been there for me through thick and thin, good and bad. I think anyone would be blessed to call her a friend.

My January 2015 Favorites

So, I decided I'm going to try a new thing and start doing a monthly favorites post. This will encompass beauty, food, kid products, media, pretty much anything that I (or my son) have been enjoying for the past month.

BEAUTY

*Naked 3 Palette - I purchased this a few months back and didn't use it too often then. But I have been using it regularly in January. I really enjoy the colors, as they are beautiful, but fairly neutral and appropriate for an office environment (where I work).


*Nivea's A Kiss of Olive & Lemon Lip Care - This has been my go-to lip balm. I had a cold for a few days, which forced me to use a lot of tissues. This in turn dried out my lips, adding to them already being dry because the air is a bit drier during the winter here in Florida. Nivea's A Kiss of Olive & Lemon has really helped keep my lips soft and I really like the smell. 

FOOD & DRINK

*Bigelow Sweet Dreams - I have been loving this tea this past month. It's a chamomile and mint tea and is caffeine-free, which makes it appropriate for bedtime. I usually drink it before bedtime, before I do my final tooth-brushing. I really love the way this tastes, and to me, it does taste different than Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea.

*Quest S'mores Protein Bar - These are DELICIOUS! I have been eating them on my way to the gym, before I work out. I have been a fan of the Quest bars for a while now, but these are my new favorite. They are not vegan and do have added sugars.

BOOKS

*Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters! by Rachel Macy Stafford - I am always on the look out for a good personal development book. I came across this when someone in one of my Facebook groups was reading it. I haven't finished it yet, as I only have about 30 minutes a day to actual feel decompress enough to read, then I am ready for bed. However, I am enjoying the book, it is really opening my eyes to the amount of time I spend on my phone and computer and doing other tasks and how I could be using that time to connect with my son. So far, I would recommend this book to any parent.

So this is my first try at a monthly favorites post. I hope you enjoyed it and will possibly try some of these things. I enjoy and use all of them and definitely recommend them.

Have a great day!

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge - The City You Live In

Happy Sunday Everyone!

This weeks challenge is about the city I live in. I live in the Sunshine City in the Sunshine State,   

St. Petersburg, FL. I love living here. 

Most people know my hometown as a vacation place, with great beaches. And that's so true, the beaches here are AMAZING and I love the fact that I am 20 minutes from the beach. I honestly feel sorry for people who have never been to the beach. There is something so therapeutic about the ocean (But that's a whole other topic.)

Sunset, no filter added. Yes, this is what I get to see almost every night!

But what you may not know about St. Petersburg, commonly referred to as the 'burg by us locals, is that there is so much culture here and it's continuing to grow all the time. We are becoming home to many great restaurants and local craft beer breweries. St. Petersburg is also home to the Salvador Dali Museum, which has the largest collection of Salvador Dali's works in the world AND the building is also an amazing piece of artwork as well! The Chihuly Collection is also here, displaying Dale Chihuly's works of art and they are INCREDIBLE! There are so many other museums here, it would take forever to talk about them all. There are just my favorite two.

The Salvador Dali Museum

The Chihuly Collection

But, despite the amazing sunsets and beach and versatile culture, my favorite part about the city I live in is the fact that it is MY home. I love the fact that I know so much about the history of this area, I love the fact that I know where everything is and I love that I know so many people here. We moved here when I was 4 years old, so we've lived here a long time. Even though I'm not a native, I consider myself a Floridian. I would never want to live anywhere else. Anyway, so growing up, my parents were not privy to all the 'local secrets' like all the great restaurants or different events. Most of the stuff we knew about were touristy. As time went on, and they met more people, they started to learn about all the neat places that people who grew up here have known about forever. As a parent now myself, I'm glad that I know so much about the place my son is growing up, I feel we are rooted here. And I love it!

Tell me about the place you live! What do you like about it?

52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge - Something Someone Gave You

Happy Sunday and Happy February!

I cannot believe it's already February! It seems like 2015 is going so quickly, I feel like I've hardly had time to stop and take a breath. Which makes this post that much better, as it's giving me the time to stop and think. I really get a lot of of stopping and thinking about what I'm grateful for in my life. 

This  weeks challenge is something someone gave me. This really made me think, as I normally don't get too many gifts from people. I'm more the kind of person, that if I want something, I go buy it. Also, my son is still young, and does not like arts and crafts, so he hasn't made me too much. I'm sure once he starts actually making gifts for me, I will cherish those!

So, on to the 'something someone gave me.' Last year for my birthday, my two closest friends went in together and bought me a Pandora bracelet with two very special charms.

One is a best friend charm, the other a baseball. They actually gave me the gift on Opening Day last year right before we went into the TB Rays home opener, which was the day after my birthday. We kind of had a theme for that day 'Best Friends and Baseball.'

The reason this gift meant so much to me was the thought that went into it. It meant so much me that they would do something so special for me!

What special gift have you received from someone? Please let me know below.