May all your wishes come true...

One of my favorite things about Alena is little it takes to keep her happy. I'd asked her for weeks before her birthday what to tell people to buy her, and I got quite a few "it doesn't matter" or "I don't need anything" answers. There's nothing that she really wants or wishes for.

Yesterday, I was raking a few stray leaves for today's party. As a few more fell (yes, in April the leaves are still falling), I told her that if she can catch a leaf before it hits the ground, she can make a wish on it. Sure enough, she caught a leaf. I told her she could wish for anything she wanted. I was waiting to hear something good. A pony? Maybe Disney? The latest toys in every commercial? She wished that she could jump into a pile of leaves. Then she promptly turned around and jumped into the little pile I had made. Hopefully all of her wishes will come true as easily as this one did.

Look on the bright side

Life is all in how you view things. Last week, I took my kids to Target, and we ran into Alena's OT. We talked for a minute, then went our seperate ways. After we walked away, Alena said "Miss JeanMarie is so good". I told her I was glad she thought so. She continued "It was so nice of her to come shopping with us today". I told her she was right.

I thought of telling her the truth - that JeanMarie did NOT come shopping with us, we just happened to meet her. But I realized that life is full of disappointments. Anything from Santa and the tooth fairy to not being picked on the team to breaking up, and hundreds of other downers. What's the harm in making her feel a little more special by letting her think JeanMarie was there just for her?

I told my mom afterwards. She laughed, and commented on how Alena's outlook is such a beautiful thing, and how if everyone just thought a little more positive, the world could be a better place.

Here's to looking on the bright side.

My introduction (and inspiration)

My name is Christine. I'm mother to 2 great children (and yes, I mean that), Alena and Nick. I've recently joined FLYlady (a site dedicated to becoming organized and learning to love yourself), and have realized (long before that) that there are plenty of joys in this world, if you only open your eyes to see them. Being a stay-at-home mom, many of those joys come from my children. Add a few life experiences and nuggets of wisdom, and voila, instant blog. So, here I am, keeping my memories in my own little journal that the rest of the world can see. Thanks for reading along.