Wisdom Wednesdays: "Being Thankful"

Be warned, I went a little “quote-crazy” today. You’re welcome.

This is on my facebook page and one of my most favorite quotes:
“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.” -Meister Eckhart

The other day I was pinteresting (verb?) and I noticed several people pinning articles about how to raise grateful children. I clicked through some of these articles and they were really, really good. Now, of COURSE I want Cooper to be a child that is thankful for what he has, but don’t kids learn these traits from their parents behavior? While searching creative ideas on how to raise our kids online, how are we doing in the general “living our lives as good people” arena? Many of us thank God in prayers for what we have, but what about perpetually living grateful? It seems a bit ironic to try to instill character-traits into our child, when we may not necessarily have them ourselves.

"If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul." -Rabbi Harold Kushner

So back to Pinterest. It was at this point in pinteresting when I did a gut-check. No matter how many “gratitude boards” I make Cooper fill out, being grateful won’t be a trait that my child learns unless we as parents are living it. I read this article about how we can learn to make counting our blessings a part of life: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/ten_ways_to_become_more_grateful1

I listed the main points but I encourage you to click on the link for more detail.

1. Keep a Gratitude Journal.
2. Remember the Bad.
3. Ask Yourself Three Questions.
4. Learn Prayers of Gratitude.
5. Come to Your Senses.
6. Use Visual Reminders.
7. Make a Vow to Practice Gratitude.
8. Watch your Language.
9. Go Through the Motions. (ie "fake-it-til-you-make-it", says Lauren)
10. Think Outside the Box.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

To me this was not only interesting but an important read, and like any habit we form or characteristic that we acquire reminds me that living gratefully starts with committing to make it a priority and continues with a plan. And like they always tell you: it takes repeating 20 times to become a habit. As for me, this is one habit that I intend to work on.

Gratefully,
Lauren

life in numbers: half-birthdays

Okay y’all, I’m starting to get a little…sentimental.

I’ve always revered valued, half-birthdays- and yesterday Coop’s came and went without too much fan-fare. Today, however, I woke up and said to myself “Cooper is 6 months old! Coop is SIX.months.old. I have a SIX. MONTH.old.” It hit me. To me six-months means for SURE I don’t have a newborn anymore, it means he is HALF-WAY to being ONE YEAR OLD, which means I am soon going to have a ONE YEAR OLD!!! It’s like crossing the “baby” bridge and now being on the other side. I should probably start planning his first birthday party.

[caption id="attachment_424" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Someone is sitting and no longer needs a chair to hold his head up![/caption]

I remember so well the feeling of wanting Cooper, finding out we were going to have a baby, and than those special moments in between of seeing his heartbeat for the first time, seeing him kick in my belly (and the kid kicked ALL the time), and so forth.

[caption id="attachment_428" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Announcing Coop's arrival last year.[/caption]

All the while wondering, “I wonder what he’s going to look like? What will he be like?” It was such a special, 'no-idea-what-to-expect' time. I get so excited when I talk to friends going through these new exciting moments. It’s terrifying, thrilling and a time full of hope.

[caption id="attachment_423" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Coop no longer sits in the bumbo to eat. [/caption]
Ah, six months. I would say this age is my favorite – but I say that every month. Each month that goes by I see a little more personality that is Cooper. At this age, his behavior is now pretty predictable, I feel like I know him more: what makes him happy, sad, scared, tired- it’s less of a guessing game than it was when he was a newborn. When he's awake he is laughing 50% of the time. When I change a dirty diaper he thinks its HYSTERICAL and has a deep belly laugh that is sort-of humiliating (I mean, dude, show a little respect to your mom here). He laughs when I say “come on Coop say it with me “MA-ma!” (like "HAH! I know what you’re trying to do here mom!"), he laughs when I put my nose under his chin...I mean it is so easy to make this kid LAUGH.



[caption id="attachment_426" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Bella joined the pics![/caption]

Coop is always moving and curious, and he is SWEET. Sweet and yes, sometimes challenging. He is my proudest moment(s) and my heart out-of-body. He is six.months.old.

When I woke up this morning and had my "oh s**t! I have a 6-month old" moment, I thought about where our little family has been and got excited to discover what's in store. I can’t wait to see Cooper live. So here, here! To the next.six.months - and enjoying every moment in between.

-L

Friday Re-Wind

There is so much that I am loving about this past week. A little week-in-review on this Friday...

1. West Elm
I’ve fallen back in love with this store. I’ve recently made two purchases that I just adore. Don't you love that? When you make a purchase and then like it more when you bring it home? Typically never happens, but it has recently:

First, this salvaged wood shelf. I feel like you could put this shelf anywhere and it would work but it is hanging in our master above our bed. (I’d take a picture, but my room is not quite ready for public viewing yet). I’m in love:

Traditional Wall Shelves design by New York Furniture And Accessories West Elm

http://www.westelm.com/products/salvaged-wood-shelf-w637/?pkey=e|shelf|16|best|0|1|24||1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-

And these curtains I just bought for our new updated office/guest bedroom that my husband finally gave the green flag to decorate. Hip hip hooray, this room is no longer just “his space” and "off limits." I went with a gray/white theme which has turned out really nice.



http://www.westelm.com/products/cotton-canvas-printed-window-panel-scribble-lattice-b901/?cm_src=AutoSchRel

2. Kale
I’ve been trying to make kale a staple in our household because its got such great health benefits. But, have you had kale? It’s a little…challenging. This week I’ve fallen in love with a roasted kale recipe - so much that I made it twice in two nights. Here’s the Grilled Kale recipe from the blog Unruly-Things:



http://www.unruly-things.com/2011/09/grilled-kale-salad.html

3. OWN
I mean, if we’re being honest here, who doesn’t love Oprah? I don’t watch her new network religiously (probably should), but I TIVO her show Next Chapter. From Carrie Underwood, to Neil Patrick Harris, it’s such an intimate look into peoples lives. And there are always little nuggets of true Oprah wisdom that she gives each episode. The last episode I watched she called the kitchen "the heartbeat of the house.” Oh Oprah, I've missed you. The show airs on her network on Sunday at 8pm central.

4. Family time
Last weekend we were so excited to have family in town from Las Vegas. My sister-in-law stopped in with her two kids and it was so fun to spend time with her family and my mother-in-law. I just wish everyone lived closer! Our babies are 11 short days apart. Here’s some pics from the visit (and yes the boys are matching. You're welcome.):





Also, Denver, I'd like to thank you for no humidity even with record highs. It allowed this little munchkin to play outside. And you've seen it - we officially have a sitter!



[caption id="attachment_397" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Hudson continues to keep a safe distance. [/caption]

Well folks, Jeff and I are off to Steamboat Springs for the weekend. I will never tire of the fact that we can travel to so many these fabulous places within hours. Just another reason I love Colorado. :) This weekend will be my first time leaving Cooper...ever! I'll share that experience next Friday. Have a great weekend everyone!

-Lauren

Wisdom Wednesdays: Tolerance

This week I was especially drawn to writing about tolerance, because I feel like lately, this country is lacking it. I’m talking tolerance towards those that we disagree with AND tolerance towards those that disagree with us. Alas, some quotes for this Wednesday:

“Yes, we are all different. Different customs, different foods, different mannerisms, different languages, but not so different that we cannot get along with one another. If we will disagree without being disagreeable.” – J. Martin Kohe

Unless you’ve been isolated from technology lately, I’m sure that you’ve seen coverage on Chick-fil-A. Why this whole situation has surprised so many people, I’m not so sure. Chick-fil-A is a Christian owned company, closed on Sundays, and this belief guides the whole morality and choices of the company. Everybody who's ever tried to grab waffle fries on a Sunday knows this! Controversial coments made by the company's president about his belief of what constitutes a marriage caused a huge uproar on both sides. It got loud really quick. Yesterday for some reason I was watching Comedy Central and The Daily Show was on. Y’all this episode was hysterical. Check it out (PS don't be scared by the link title...it's chickens, obvi):

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-july-30-2012/cock-blockers

“I think people have to set up little battles. They have to demonize people whom they disagree with or feel threatened by.” -Barbara Kruger

No matter what you believe, I think we need to remind ourselves that we will inherently disagree on important issues. However, we can still respect one another, LISTEN to one another, and most importantly not tear the disagreeing party down because they don't think like you do. We can agree to disagree. Whether you be guided by religion, personal reasons and experiences, or other reasons - you are entitled to your belief and opinion. That’s what this country is based upon right? Freedom of speech...freedom to choose. I just wish we were more respectful of one another when we are speaking.

So here’s to tolerance. And not screaming at and disrespecting those that don’t agree with us. Which reminds me, I'd like to apologize to all the Vegans out there. I have always struggled trusting people who don't eat cheese. But in the spirit of tolerance and respect for those that forgo gouda...I will agree to disagree! :)

“And as I've gotten older, I've had more of a tendency to look for people who live by kindness, tolerance, compassion, a gentler way of looking at things.” -Martin Scorsese

xox
Lauren