Today I am grateful that my children can overlook my parenting mistakes . . .

It's such a cliche, but being a parent really is the hardest job I've ever had.  The possible ramifications of doing the wrong things are enormous!  I'm a pretty confident person, but I constantly second-guess myself where my kids are concerned.  Am I being too harsh?  Too soft?  Too protective?  Too lenient?  The questions go on and on.  It's enough to drive a girl insane!  When I make a mistake, I'm not too proud to admit it, and I hope that shows my kids that I'm doing the best I can.  If not, I guess I can always offer to pay for their psychotherapy later!

Today I am grateful for sloppy joes . . .

Today I am grateful for family traditions . . .

Our Easter tradition is to color Easter eggs the night before Easter and then have an early dinner at my Grandma's house on Easter Sunday.  My youngest child is now 12, but we still have a good time coloring the eggs.  This year, we went to a friend's house for an "egg coloring" party and my oldest daughter's boyfriend joined us for the party as well as dinner at my Grandma's.  All in all, it was a very nice weekend enjoying the company of wonderful family and friends.  We are so incredibly blessed!  <3

Today I am grateful for positive feedback . . .

I spoke at our local ASWA meeting tonight on generational diversity in the workplace.  It's always a little unsettling for me to do presentations because I always wonder if my audience will find my information useful or valuable.  During my 2-hour session, there was quite a bit of audience participation, so I was feeling like things were going well.  After I completed the presentation, several people approached me to say that they enjoyed it.  It's so wonderful to get a positive response!

Today I am grateful for hope . . .

Today I am grateful for heating pads . . .

Today I am grateful for pediatric urgent care with convenient hours . . .

My son has a knack for having asthma attacks on Sunday evenings.  That used to mean a trip to the ER.  Luckily, I discovered that Phoenix Children's Hospital has a pediatric urgent care facility just a few miles from our house, and it's open until 11pm on Sunday.  We were there for less than an hour, just long enough to get a dose of steroids and be sent on our way.  It was relatively painless, and my son was able to get home in time to get a good night's sleep.  All is well again.  :)

Today I am grateful for new beginnings . . .

Today I am grateful for sarcasm . . .

Sarcasm plays a big role in our family.  We're all a bunch of smart alecks (some more so than others)!  It's funny to see strangers' reactions when we are out in public giving each other crap.  We just love to playfully make fun of each other, and we can all take as much as we dish out.  It provides a lot of laughter in our lives, and I love that my kids are all so clever and witty!  :)

Today I am grateful that my husband is so supportive of me . . .

This won't come as any revelation to those who know me well, but I'm a difficult person.  I'm not even ashamed to admit it.  I'm your stereotypical only child: independent, self-centered, controlling, stubborn, over-achieving, perfectionist, and I really dislike not getting my way!  While these qualities aren't always considered strengths, they are part of who I am and have contributed to the successes I've had in life.  Unfortunately, they can also make life challenging for my poor husband.  Despite all of this, he is incredibly supportive of me and really tries to understand where I'm coming from.  He's not perfect, but he's perfect for me!  <3

Today I am grateful that tax returns are due just once a year . . .

Yes, I am an accountant.  Yes, I absolutely hate doing taxes.  Thank goodness not all accountants work in tax!  Every year, I put off doing my taxes until right before the deadline.  Every year I promise myself I'll get them done earlier, and every year I procrastinate until I just can't put it off any longer.  I finally finished them tonight, so now I have a whole year until I have to worry about them again.  Oh happy day! 

Today I am grateful for the character that is built through overcoming challenges . . .

Today I am grateful for self control . . .

My 14-year-old is driving me crazy!  She's in an extended "it's all about me" phase.  Couple with that the fact that she has always been a very headstrong child, and it all adds up to me pulling my hair out on a near daily basis!  This morning she missed the bus because she was looking for a bag that was in plain sight.  When I realized that she had missed it, I told her I would drop her off at school on my way to work.  She asked me when we would be leaving, and I told her I would be ready in about 15 minutes.  She proceeded to say "Well, can you just take me now, because I don't want to be late."  Seriously ?!?!?!?  I calmly (through gritted teeth) explained to her that it was not my problem that she missed the bus and I was not going to stop what I was doing to take her to school, thereby making myself late in the process.  At this point, I expected her to huff off and leave me to finish getting ready.  Imagine my surprise when she asked yet another question: "Okay, then can we leave in like 5 minutes?"  Wow.  She's still alive, so you have proof that I did, indeed, exercise a great deal of self control.  I'm sure her ginormous set of cojones will serve her well in her adulthood, but at this point she'll be lucky if she makes it to 15!

Today I am grateful for pedicures . . .

I have a confession to make.  I have really ugly feet!  I used to try to hide them at all costs, but living in Phoenix makes that a little difficult.  So I get pedicures to make them at least presentable.  I do tend to neglect them in the wintertime, but I finally got around to getting a pedicure yesterday.  Little did I know that spring was about to take a little vacation.  It's been rainy and cold since, so my poor little toes will just have to stay hidden for a little while longer!

Today I am grateful for memories of my Uncle Mike . . .

Today was my beloved Uncle Mike's birthday.  Unfortunately, he is no longer with us to share in his special day.  We lost him almost a year ago.  He was such a wonderful man, and his passing has left a giant hole in my heart that will never fully heal.  He lived in West Virginia, and I was unable to make it to his funeral due to a prior commitment I couldn't get out of.  My Aunt Cheryl asked me to write something to be read at his funeral, and I agreed.  It was very difficult to write, but I'd like to share it now as it really sums up what he meant to me.

Writing this is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  How do you sum up an entire lifetime of love, admiration, respect and gratitude for such a wonderful man in a few sentences?  Uncle Mike was like a father to me, and that's not just a figure of speech.  He couldn't have loved me any more or treated me any better if I had been his own.  My own Dad did not live close to me for most of my life, and Uncle Mike was happy to step in and be my surrogate Dad - not out of any obligation but just because that's the type of person he was.  He's in every one of my happy childhood memories (as well as a few bad ones because Nekole and I tended to get in trouble a lot!)  I loved his sense of humor, even when he was teasing us girls relentlessly, and his kind heart.  I remember he would stay up late with me to watch Saturday Night Live because he didn't want me to have to watch it by myself.  I was a night owl, and he would always fall asleep in his recliner and then deny it when I'd wake him up when it was over.  I treasured those times when I had him all to myself.  I will be eternally grateful to Uncle Mike and Aunt Cheryl for welcoming me into their lives and showing me the stability I didn't have at home.  Because of Uncle Mike, I learned what a husband and father should be, and I was lucky to find a man who reminds me of him in so many ways.  My own father passed away 15 years ago when my two oldest children were very young.  Again, Uncle Mike stepped in and filled my Dad's shoes in my children's lives as well.  We are all so thankful for the times we got to share with him.  While it hurts more than words can express to have lost two Dads in my lifetime, I will feel forever blessed to have been loved by the most amazing man I've ever met or will ever meet - my Uncle Mike.

RIP, Uncle Mike.  I'll love you forever.  <3

Today I am grateful that my husband doesn't mind cooking . . .

I absolutely HATE to cook!  Luckily, my husband doesn't mind it, so we don't have to starve to death.  Maybe someday, when I have more time, I'll learn to cook and love it.  It's highly doubtful, but you should never say "never."  :)

Today I am grateful that you're never too old to learn new things . . .

Today I am grateful for supportive friends . . .

Last night I posted some videos and pictures of my kids on Facebook, and several of my friends "liked" them and posted some very nice comments.  It's so great to be able to share in each others' joys and be proud of each others' kids.  It may seem like bragging to some, but I love to hear about their kids' accomplishments, too!  I'm so lucky to have friends who are happy when I'm happy and sad when I'm sad.  The older I get, the more I appreciate my friends, and I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.  <3

Today I am grateful for weekends . . .

I spent most of the weekend at a dance convention and competition with my daughters.  I love to watch them dance, so I actually enjoy those crazy weekends.  The only problem is that I don't get much accomplished during them.  I'm okay with that, though.  There's plenty of time to "get things done," but kids are only young for a short time.  There's always next weekend!