A word about being thankful...

 

       At church on Sunday my dad, who is also my pastor, was talking about thankfulness. Very appropriate considering it is Thanksgiving week. A few things he said really got me thinking. One was having the correct perspective, at which time he shared a witty anecdote that got the whole church laughing yet at the same time striking many cords that hopefully resulted in much contemplation and change. I know it did for me... I sat there holding my husbands hand, looked over at him and realized that I need to show more thankfulness to this wonderful man. So often I get caught up in all the toils that being a stay at home mom require and forget that he works very hard also. I have lately been turning our relationship into a competition, saying things like I work every bit as hard as you maybe even harder, you have no idea how challenging it can be being with these kids all day, I cook, I clean, I do everything! Those words came out of my mouth long after they had already been in my heart and poisoned my thoughts. I failed to remember that my husband goes to the gym every morning at six, comes home and makes breakfast and often times even for me, at this point I am focused on the fact that he got to go to the gym and I didn't (way wrong perspective). He works all day then comes home to play with the kids and try to have some down time, any which point I feel the need to tell him that I never get down time! Oh us silly women if only we could realize that a good man would do absolutely anything for their woman if they are just given respect and treated well. So... I have changed my approach. I have been more thankful for everything instead of feeling like he should be more thankful for me, already I have seen amazing results. Once you take your eyes off yourself you can see clearly the blessings that surround you!

 

     On top of being thankful for my man I have a blessings list that I would like to share...

 

2. I am thankful that I am a christian I couldn't imagine life without my God.

 

3. My babies! This is a big one because I am thankful for every little detail... their tiny fingers wrapped around mine, their sweetest kisses. When my 14 month old wraps his chubby little arms around my neck and hugs me with all his might or when I ask him for a kiss and he opens his mouth so wide and kisses me! Early mornings when our three year old gets in bed with us and tells us that she woke up and the sun is awake and that she missed us then gives us these hugs and says I love you so much! The way they have grown to adore eachother. Oh how rewarding it is to be a parent!

 

4. My family: Disneyland, cruises, thanksgiving in palm springs, Sunday night tacos, best friends, mentors. Our family is so full of life, I daily count myself blessed to be a part of them.

 

5. My parents: all good things in my life are owed to them... if they had not raised us all with wisdom and Godliness then my life would be nothing like it is today!

 

I have a much larger list but these are all I am going to share for now. I challenge you all to use this week to take your eyes completely off yourself and be thankful! Be thankful for the good and easy times as well as the challenging ones. Appreciate what you have instead of dwelling on what you don't have. Then your perspective will change and you will see that you possess so much more than you thought.

 

-Shannon Leah

Nectar of the gods!

     My husband and I looked at each other this morning, with two small children crawling around us, and both had the same thought... Coffee! After one strong cup of the "nectar of the gods" I feel like I can do anything. The husband gets packed up and sent to work, the kids are fed, they play in the living room while I put my "off duty" sign up and have my morning Bible time. The baby then goes down for his morning nap and I start our lessons with my three year old. We fly through her reading lesson and all her little workbooks (I really like the Kumon books). She then sits to have her alone reading time while I catch up on some housework, laundry, bills etc. By the time 11:00 rolls around I need a nap because my coffee has started to wear off and I feel less like superwoman and more like Cinderella (before she gets married to the handsome prince and moves into a fancy castle).

     In actuality this post was supposed to be more of an ode to coffee instead of my mornings play by play; so now I will get to the true point!

     In our family coffee has always been more of an event than a simple drink. Ever since I became of coffee drinking age I have developed a true appreciation for these times together. I remember every thanksgiving we drove up North to my grandma's house to spend the holiday with all the family up there. At some point my dad would take us girls to the mall and we would sit under the tiny palm tree in the tiny coffee shop and share a moment. We did this every year until my grandma passed away and even though it has been quite some time since we visited that little coffee shop I will always remember it and the fond memories that we created there.
That is just one of the many examples where coffee has been the tool to get the family together. To this day my dad still brews a pot every morning at nine and every evening at five with an open invitation to the family to come and sit in the yard with him and mom and continue to make those memories that are so precious in this life! I already started with  my daughter, when she was 2 I took her to starbucks for special girl time; she was holding her juice box, looked up at me with so much love in her eyes and said "so, mom, how are you doing today?" My tiny little 2 year old sat there like she was "so big" already feeling how special that moment was.

     My challenge today is... take time to smell the coffee. Get your best friend, sisters, brothers, parents or kids together and create a special spot that you will look back fondly at and say how thankful you are for those memories. Life is short, remember to always live in the moment!

-Shannon Leah

Day in the life of a stay at home mom...

     Today I was able to brush my teeth! As silly as that sounds, being mom to two small children often leaves you with unbrushed teeth and messy hair. Don't even get me started on the luxury of a shower! I pride myself on how "put together" my children usually look when we go out of the house. I fix their hair and dress them well but then I come along with my yoga pants and workout tank, wild hair and no makeup to top it all off! It really doesn't feel good when you run into an old friend or worse an old fling and all you want to do is run away and hide! Yet, I do it to myself day after day! 

     So... Tomorrows world changing challenge is to wake up and before I dress my babies I am going to brush my teeth, get dressed up, fix my hair and put makeup up! I am already feeling like a new woman!

-Shannon Leah

Here's to new beginnings...

Hello World!

     Every time I sit at the computer to write it is as if my inspiration runs away from me, yes it doesn't walk, it runs away! I had the intention of getting on here and solving all the problems of the world post by post and yet my perfectionist tendencies tie my hands and make my brain ache. 

     I will start off with the reason for my title, "Here's to new beginnings;" well... I have been feeling of late that I have not been fulfilling all that I am capable of, that I need to tap into my creative senses and self discipline (can you tell I have been catching up on my leadership books?). I have four sisters, all of which are women to be admired, strong, intelligent and successful ladies and they are part of the many inspirations that make me want to become the best version of myself! Those are not the only reasons, but I am also tired of complaining and ready to be proactive! 

     We will tackle, parenthood, marriage, friendship, religion, cooking, cleaning, ideas, dreams, goals, LIFE, anything and everything. So I invite you on a journey to help me solve the problems of our little worlds, to make mistakes with me then help each other to get up, dust off and try again. To be the best versions of ourselves in every capacity of life! So here is to New Beginnings, may it be the key that unlocks all possibilities!

-Shannon Leah