10 Praises

A friend of mine had this as her status on Facebook this evening: "Now to end the day on a positive note: Praise yourself for 10 things you did today. (This isn't so easy.) Even the little things count!" She posts quite a lot of statuses in this manner, and I love it! Such a simple exercise yet really makes you think about what you did do, and makes you appreciate all the little things. So, here's my list of things that I am praising myself for...

1. I'm making Christmas gifts for family members. That's all the detail I'm going to divulge mainly because said family members read this blog! But I love making them, and I'm proud of how they are turning out.
2. I folded and put away laundry. Ok, this is the smallest bit of a little white lie. I haven't actually done this yet. But I need to if I want to sleep in my bed tonight, so it's on the "must be done" list. And besides that, I hate having clean laundry hanging around in baskets.
3. I cleaned up my dishes from dinner. Mundane and routine, but still, I didn't *HAVE* to do it. Could have left them there...
4. I went to my daughter's dance rehearsal for observation night, and did the "Turkey Wobble" with her class and other moms. It's a goofy little dance, but the kids like it, and I couldn't pass up a chance to dance with my baby girl!
5. I fed my cat. This is just as mundane as cleaning up the dishes. But in exchange for putting a scoop of food in her dish every day, she'll curl up on my lap and purr. That's some good pay back!
6. I complimented a friend's baby, who has fabulously chubby cheeks! I love chubby cheeked babies!
7. I hugged and kissed my kids. To me, this is a given, and I do it at least 100 times a day (give or take, or at least as many times as my kids will allow me to). However, I know that there are kids who don't get as much love from their parents as mine do. My kids are just about the biggest source of AHA for me, and I can't imagine not giving them love.
8. I took out the trash. See #3.
9. I found my son's permission slip that he needs for a project he's doing for school. For a few moments, I was afraid that I had thrown it out. What with cleaning off my dining room table this weekend, who knows where things ended up! I had put the slip in a place where I wouldn't lose it, and surprisingly enough, it worked!
10. I told a friend I love them. I love my friend who posted this in the first place, she's awesome. I love my Very Dear Friend who reminds me every day how much I am loved. I love the girlfriends I have, my "friends who are boys," my coworkers who let me go to hockey games with them, long-time friends, new friends, friends I have yet to meet. Anyone who has shown me support, given me encouragement, made me smile, understood my pain, talked with me, cried with me, laughed with me, held my hand (literally or figuratively), or have otherwise been a part of my life - I love you all. You will always be my AHA.