It’s even more important to focus on what I’m grateful for when living with a toddler. When’s the last time you spent time with a toddler? They can be CRA-ZY. At this point, I assume the little birdie’s behavior will verge on the insane whenever we leave the house and enter the public domain. So I’m pleasantly surprised when she’s happy to go along with what we’re doing without flailing, screaming and being incredibly contrary. For at least part of the excursion… I know some of you child development experts out there are thinking, “no no no, you’re supposed to expect compliance and polite behavior, not expect the worst.” Hey, lady, this is survival. For me and for the little birdie, OK?! Confession: looking back on it, having a baby is a piece of cake compared to having a toddler. BUT. With the insanity of toddlerhood comes a lot more fun too. Exhausting mayhem, but fun.

Everything is new and exciting through the eyes of the little birdie and her language development is fascinating. These days, Wren adds about a word every day or so. For example, I asked Wren the other day if she could say, “Cassiopeia” because Chris drew a big W (for Wren) on the paper and I immediately thought of the constellation. The little birdie thought for a moment, looked at me, then said, “no.” Honestly, I’m not sure if she meant she couldn’t say it, or she didn’t want to say it. She seems to be partial to multi-syllable words like apple, bubble, yellow. I joked that it would be funny if Wren continued down the path of acquiring more almost useless words (like Cassiopeia) and ignoring useful phrases like “yes, please.” And I honestly don’t care if she doesn’t really know what, “I love you” means because she said it and that’s all my heart needed to clear a day’s worth of toddler negotiations. Maybe even the whole week. For this moment I am incredibly grateful.

What are you grateful for this week, dear readers?

First things first. A confession: I don’t like November. Cold, grey and dark, but winter’s fun hasn’t begun… BUT one important thing I do like about November is that we get to celebrate the birth of my hubby at the end of the month. It’s always such a bright spot in the face of bare trees and unexpected snowstorms. Back to “woe is me” for a few minutes. Then there are the two weeks in the middle of the month when I fear for my life whenever I go near even a grouping of trees because it’s the peak of deer hunting season (rifle!) in northern Michigan. Fun fact: Did you know that even the blind can hunt in Michigan?

And then there’s Thanksgiving. Sigh. While I love the idea of Thanksgiving (a big raucous, joyous meal enjoyed with generations of grateful family), being a person with divorced parents makes for messy holidays. Maybe you’re in the same boat where whenever the BIG holidays roll around, it can be a melancholy time because your expectation of the quintessential holiday doesn’t quite stack up. Everywhere you look are warm, glowing images of sweater-clad multiple generations laughing around well-dressed tables — big for the adults and little for the kids — eating green bean casserole and a beautiful, golden turkey. Not to say (err, write) that I haven’t enjoyed meaningful meals and thoughtful conversations with extended family and friends it’s just, well, you know. I think it’s past time to change my expectations because people have their own families now and we all live so far apart it’s damn near impossible to get everyone together under one roof. Soooo this year we decided to travel to Montana to be with family, woot woot! It’s going to be a blast – no china for Wren to destroy or a table runner disaster begging to happen. Fun family who all love to cook, eat, drink, talk, laugh and go for hikes. For this I am very grateful. And so Operation Gratitude begins. In the face of one of my least favorite months (let’s not even talk about March yet), I will devote this month to giving thanks.

It’s tough to find something to be legitimately grateful for this week because it was a disaster zone in our nest, not to mention the political climate out there. The little birdie suffered from ‘hand, foot, mouth’ and was absolutely miserable. Barely eating or sleeping and consequently, I didn’t sleep much either. To compensate for lack of sleep, too much sugar and junk was consumed. Those “fun size” candy bars? Evil. And now I seem to have caught some kind of bug that’s left me feeling miserable too. So I’m waaaaaay behind with *work* and home projects. Egads.

Operation Gratitude: Week One

• I’m grateful for a good friend who brought over soup, salad and muffins. I didn’t ask for help, but she knew I needed a boost. Now that’s what I call a real friend.  Thanks, Stephanie!
• I’m grateful for clean underwear! Yes, that’s right. It does go a long way to feeling good.
• Although I’m reticent to admit it, I’m also grateful for the Baby Einstein video I checked out from the library. I know it sounds ridiculous and such a Bad Mom thing, but it saved the day on several occasions this week. There I admitted it!

What are you grateful for this week, dear readers?