Appreciation

In the craziness of our life, sometimes we forget to appreciate all the good. We don't stop appreciate the many blessings and people that God has placed in our lives. Rick and I have made it a priority to appreciate each other more. It has been easy to recognize the big gestures but some days the little ones get lost in the shuffle. We made a pact to start noticing and verbalizing how much those "little" things mean to us. For example, Rick unloaded the dishwasher while I took Maggie to gymnastics. That made my lunch process so much easier. I did the night dishes while Rick finished a paper. This way he didn't have to stop his studying or do them at 1 in the morning. More importantly is the the support and appreciation Rick has given me when I have struggled as a Mom. The hugs and reminders that he feels I am the best Mom in the world have meant everything. Today he shared that the encouragement and appreciation of his efforts at school have helped him during some more trying moments.

This appreciation effort is also important for the kids. As parents, we have tried to verbalize the positive and take note of any efforts. We acknowledge with much excitement when Ricks has tried a new food. He didn't eat them but he at least put them in his mouth for a taste test. We happily gave high fives to Maggie for using her "big girl" words instead of whining to ask for something and not throw a temper tantrum. At the end of the day as I tuck Maggie into bed or kiss Ricks good night, I try to mention one thing that I have noticed that is positive. I tell them how proud I am of them and how proud they should be of themselves. Maggie has really bloomed in her own way with the recognition. I am not sure Ricks gets it but he will.

It gets hard sometimes to slow down or even feel positive enough to do it but the end result is worth it. Lately, the house has really had a positive feel to it. It doesn't mean we don't have bad moments where we struggle (Monday morning) but we recover more quickly. Today was an awesome day of just being present and having fun. The only way I can verbalize it is that the more positive we have gotten, the less crabbiness has reared its ugly head (at least for Mom & Dad). And when Rick and I have a better attitude it rubs off on Maggie and Ricks. Life just flows better, calmness prevails and in the end we reach our goal - a house full of happiness and love!