{ spending hiatus - month 4: week 3 - the grateful edition }

Trying to find that balance between enjoying life, sharing with the community, getting back into a routine and meeting our financial goals by year-end is what I am thinking about this week....

One of my favorite lines in my favorite book (other than the Twilight books that is), Eat Pray Love, is at the end of Part Two when, after spending four months at an Ashram in India, Elizabeth shares two poems that she's written - the first at the beginning of her stay at the ashram, when she was struggling, and the second one written her last day there after she had found peace and happiness within herself. She writes, "In the the space between the two poems, I have found acres of grace." Acres of grace. I love that.

Last week we had to cancel our last event of the race season due to a super low turnout...We began to get pretty stressed about this as we've never had to do this before but we acknowledged that it was partially out of our control due to the current economic situation. And then we reminded ourselves how lucky we are...we have 3 businesses that are making money, that allow us to work from home with the kids and we have a warm and loving home over our heads.

We reminded ourselves of all of the stories of true suffering in our community, in our country, in our world. I do not wish to diminish or ignore problems of this magnitude. Problems like this remind me that in the midst of trying to spend more wisely, meet out grocery budget with wholesome, organic food and achieve certain financial goals, I don’t want to lose sight of things that are even more important...Our health, a roof over our heads and the fact that we have each other. To this end I am grateful for our abundance and will continue to share it with our community. {Sam & I are going to the food bank this week with a truck full of donations and we dropped off additional items (clothes, books & toys) at the woman's shelter and local school. While she is starting to get the "lessons" on saving, its equally important to reiterate the lessons on "giving and sharing". }

I find myself thinking in terms of acres of gratitude this week...I have so much to be grateful for - happy, healthy children; a loving, kind husband; wonderful parents who I get to see often; Sam's contagious giggle; Henry learning to blow kisses, Sam and Henry's birthparents who chose us; my grandparents who are still alive and able to get to know my children; wonderful friends who are supportive and loving; my health and being cancer free for 8 years; our warm & welcoming home; the men & woman working to protect us everyday against the evil in the world; and the affection of our dirty, but adorable golden retriever.

And because this IS a brain blog....Ellen Weber points out some ways gratitude transforms the human brain in Two Words Can Transform a Workplace. She writes: "Interestingly, the art and science of gratitude grows easier the more you practice it."

Oh, and there was no unnecessary spending this week (other than kickboxing classes which is now considered a necessity!) - in fact we were gifted with a huge bag of peaches from a dear friend and a huge box of hand me down clothes for Henry. {We are grateful - Thank you Liv.}

What are you grateful for, even in times of less?

{ a mother's day wish }

A dear friend passed along this quote to ME, and I thought it was perfect for Mother's Day.

'May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.'

And here are some photos from a recent photo shoot of my sweet family by the delightful Julie Afflerbaugh.

Wishing you all a delightful, relaxing Mother's Day weekend with the ones you cherish. {For the record, I am working at one of our adventure races...so not exactly the Mother's Day weekend I would plan if given the choice, but grateful for the opportunity to be in the mountains and be surrounded by awesome, adventurous souls.}

{ BE grateful }

"May gratitude continue to take over your heart -- crowding out worry, fear, jealousy, envy, hate and the litany of other useless emotions."

Wise words via Domestic Reflections.

{ grateful ME }

pic: a cool "wishing" rock on my trail run this week...

Feeling incredibly grateful today...

Grateful for my happy + healthy family.

Grateful that Stephanie is going to pull through and this heartfelt story about her + her wonderful family.

Grateful for pumpkin bread, crisp apples + halloween cookies.

Grateful that Henry slept really well last night.

Grateful for a fun hike with the family today.

Grateful that we live in a country where we can vote for our leaders.

And grateful for a small laundry pile today.

Here are some great tips on ways to incorporate gratitude into your daily life from Zen Habits.

{ oodles of GOODness }

First comes the addition of adorable, happy, healthy Henry the sixth into our lives. We feel blessed beyond anything we can express in words or writing. I'm so glad we didn't give up our hope or faith that there was another child out there meant to be with us. And we are so deeply grateful to Henry's birthmom Sara, that she chose adoption and chose us.

Then, I read that Stephanie & Christian continue to hear everyone's prayers and are making progress recovering. While I was inspired by her love of life via her blog prior to their accident, I am now inspired by all of the good people who have helped by praying, by raising money, etc. Last I heard, over $150,000 had been raised to date.

And then The Container Store placed an order for several of my products which will be in their stores nationwide beginning in mid-October!! They will be right at the checkout counters in their towers so go buy some - they make great stocking stuffers and hostess gifts for holiday parties! Yipee - the Container Store! Never in my wildest dreams did I think that would happen. Now, the funniest part of this is that it had to be shipped the DAY that Henry was born. It was a busy day coordinating that with the warehouse/shipping people while eagerly awaiting the birth of Henry. Below are pictures of the notepads in production.

But then there is more...The lovely Tracie at Broadway Paper (the most delightful paper store in the world I think)...told ME that she had been asked by Real Simple Magazine for some popular lists for Real Simples January Organizing Issue and voila, they will be featuring one of LobotoME's notepads! Thank you Tracie! Again, never in my wildest dreams did I think that one of my list pads would appear in Real Simple Magazine.

So today I am deeply grateful for so many wonderful things in my life - and I want to thank all of my friends and family (both in person and my virtual friends) for all of your love & support. Thank you Julie, Heidi, Louise & others for the wonderful meals this week and thank you Kate & my parents for all of your help here at home this past week. I'll be back blogging on a regular basis soon.

{ grateful ME }

Gratitude means:

• an appreciative attitude for what one has received
• a warm or deep appreciation of personal kindness
• a disposition to express gratefulness by giving thanks

Today I am grateful that my mom's surgery was a success. Today I am grateful that I have 60 years of love from her. Today I am grateful that I can continue to love her back. Today I am grateful that my daughter can have many more moments like the the one captured above with her grandmother.

What are YOU grateful for today? I encourage you to take 5 minutes and list out all of the people, things, etc. you are grateful for today. It is a great exercise in re-directing your perspective. After you are done listing out your items, give your family big hugs & kisses and tell them how much you love them.