Things I’m Thankful For: April Edition

Happy Wednesday, friends!  

We’re mixing things up a little bit today and sharing what might become a fun little series over here on the blog: Things I’m Grateful For This Month. 

To be totally honest, this comes from not having any idea what to write about this week.  Not because I don’t have a full list of 12 months worth of blog post ideas and content that I want to share.  

Not because I’m not full of words.  

But because sometimes, even when you have words, it’s not the right time to share them and other times, you might have words, but they aren’t fully processed in your own mind yet.  

In my mind, I wanted to write a post about decluttering your digital life and why you should do that.  But then I opened my inbox and had about 700 unread messages.  It’s something I’m actively working on, but maybe not to the point of advising on just yet.

And since we’re just putting it all out there, I had a little bit of a break down yesterday with the amount of toys and just things that seemed to be everywhere in our house.  

And so here we are. 

Making a gratitude list.  Focusing on what I’m thankful for.  Because there is always something to be thankful for. 

Gratitude List: Things I’m Thankful For This Month

This post is also inspired by Lindsay over at Lindsay’s Sweet World, who shared her very own grateful list last week.   

Grocery Pick Up

Like most people, we have been doing what we can to take fewer trips to the grocery store.  We’ve been using Walmart grocery pick up for a while now, but I am even more thankful for it now.  Granted, these days it is harder to find a pick up time and the items are more sometimes harder to find in stock. 

I am thankful to be able to shop from home and have the luxury to just drive up and have someone bring it to the van.  Every single time I look in our fridge, freezer, or pantry, I am reminded of what a gift it is to be able to be well-stocked with food for our family.  

Meal Planning

In the same line of thought, I am thankful to have gotten back into meal planning.  This was one of my goals for 2020 and I’m thankful that this time has encouraged me to make meal planning a habit in our home.  

It takes a lot of stress out of the day to know ahead of time what I need to prep and cook for dinner each night. 

Working From Home

In the midst of everything going on in our country these days – so many shut downs and layoffs due to the coronavirus and COVID-19 breakouts, I am really thankful that Hubs has a job that he can continue to do remotely from home.  

He has been working from a make-shift home office in our bedroom for the past several weeks and we are so thankful.  It’s not always easy to keep the big boys away from him while he’s working, but man is it nicer that he can just come downstairs when he’s finished rather than having to wait for him to drive home. 

Worship at Home

Like most other churches, our church has been live-streaming services so that families can worship from home for the past several weeks.  I miss gathering together so badly, but I am thankful for technology that still lets us worship together, separately. 

On Easter, they had a recorded zoom video with the choir and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t tear up. 

Our Family’s Health

Every day I take a deep breath and am reminded to be thankful for my health and the health of our family.  We don’t always think about being thankful for our health until we’re not healthy or someone in our family is unwell.  But, what a gift it is to be healthy!  

Exercise Videos

Since we’ve been home, I have been a lot more intentional about cooking good, healthy food to eat and trying to get more regular exercise.  I’m almost 3 months postpartum and frankly, just ready to start getting my body back in shape.  

Having the extra time at home has allowed me to be more intentional about that.  

Sunshine & Warm Weather

I can without a doubt say that being able to get outside and feel the sunshine is a mood-boost for everyone over here.  We haven’t been on too many family walks because the pollen in NC is less than ideal in the Spring.

But I have been taking the boys out when we can get out for some fun outdoor play and I think we’re all better for it. 

Good Neighbors

Since the weather has been nicer, we have been able to see so many more people outside.  And even though we’re practicing good social distancing, it is good to talk to our neighbors. 

And they are some of the best neighbors. 

Rhythms and Routine

Okay, maybe I should say the opportunity to create rhythms and routine.  One thing that I do struggle with is getting into regular routines around here.  I feel like I can do mornings well or afternoons well, but it is hard to feel on top of it all day long.  

Much of this has to do with having a newborn and not always being able to predict how long he will nurse or nap on any given day and not always having activities that keep the big boys occupied during those times when I need to be alone with the baby.  

But, now that literally every single one of our extra-curricular activities is cancelled indefinitely, I know that we have an opportunity to work on creating new habits and routines at home.  I’m thankful for this time. 

Totally open to suggestions for independent play, creating routines with preschoolers and toddlers, etc. 

Family Movie Days

We’ve also been having some fun family movie days on the weekends around here.  We pop popcorn, pick a kids’ movie and all watch together.  We may eat our weight in popcorn, but it is a good time.  

At the End of the Day

These days are not always easy or fun or well planned out.  Our home isn’t spotless (by any stretch of the imagination), and our kids are not always well behaved.  

We have good days and bad days.  

BUT WE ALWAYS HAVE MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR.

What is something you’re thankful for this month? 

WELCOME TO THE WEDNESDAY LINK PARTY! MEET YOUR HOSTS:

Jaclyn from Coffee, Pancakes, and Dreams
Brittany from Dreams and Coffee
Mary Leigh from Live Well Play Together
Tiffany from Lake Life State of Mind
Lindsay from Lindsay’s Sweet World
Keri from Cultivate an Intentional Life 
Holly from Bee Simply Organized

 You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!