Be grateful

I sometimes catch myself being really whiny and complaining… in my head… to myself. I was getting ready for bed one night and was thinking about  how a lot of the things that I wanted to do that day, DIDN’T GET DONE! There are just so many things that need to get done on a daily basis, and not only need, but also things I simply want to do on top of that…

The “need to do’s” ….just to name a few

  • laundry
  • cleaning
  • cooking (x3)
  • schooling the kids
  • exercising
  • making sure kids do their chores
  • making sure the kids practice their instruments

And some “want to do’s”:

  • teaching myself piano
  • reading
  • taking a nice hot bath(maybe not every day)

There is not enough hours in the day for it all. I was going down the list of things that need(and want) to happen every day, kind of annoyed that there is SO MUCH on there, when I realized…

I AM COMPLAINING …about things I should be thankful for!

I’ve been doing that a lot and it made me think…

**and this is kind of how my little pep talk to myself went**

“I need to stop being so negative and focus on the good. There are a ton of people in this world that would love to be in my shoes and here I am taking it for granted.

I need to change my attitude. I need to be thankful. And maybe then, I won’t be so stressed out or overwhelmed when my to-do list goes on for miles.

There are so many people out there that would do anything to trade places with me.

~Instead of complaining about having to cook so often and clean up the kitchen, what seems like, 50 times a day, I should be thankful for the fact that I have plenty of food to eat and have the luxury of eating 3 times a day, plus some.

~Instead of complaining about how I can’t keep up with cleanup after the kids, I should be thankful that my kids are healthy and are capable of running around, playing, and making a mess. I should be thankful for that mess, because it means my kids are happy and healthy.

~Instead of complaining about the never ending loads of laundry, I should be thankful that we have clothes to wear.

I need to look for the good in all things and not focus so much on the negative.”

So, I’ve been working on keeping a positive attitude, and looking at things from a different perspective, and it actually helps a TON! It makes my days go smoother. I’m nicer to the kids. I’m more relaxed. I don’t complain as much. And instead, I thank God for giving me and my husband beautiful, healthy, smart children to take care of, a roof over our heads, food in the fridge, and everything in between. Of course, there are still plenty of days when I’m easily irritated, high stressed, and wishing there was more hours in the day, or I had more energy and motivation, or even sometimes that I could “call in sick” for a day, and not have to do anything. But that’s just part of the journey. You can’t expect it to always be roses and rainbows.

5 comments / Add your comment below

  1. I have a lot to say on this topic :)… and maybe one day we’ll sit down for coffee and talk about it. I totally agree that a positive mental attitude will get to further places than a negative one. I’ve noticed that if I’m ever sad or down, but then just start being grateful even when I don’t feel like it, i start to be/feel more Happy. I think that a grateful heart is the root of happiness 🙂 clearly you already know that. Lol but I just like writing that phrase.

  2. You’re definitely right on this one. I have a 5month old and she’s an angel.. but whenever something does go wrong I begin to stress out. So I’ve had to look at it from a diff perspective that most of the time she is really good and that it will get better!! And that has helped me releave the stress and just pass the situation with content. Still a work in progress!! Looking forward to reading more of your blogs! 🙂

Leave a Reply