30 Days of Gratitude

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30 DaysIt’s hard to believe that Halloween has already come and gone and clocks have already “fallen back.” November and Thanksgiving, a month and holiday about gratefulness, are upon us.

I wish I could say this morning that I woke up with the most grateful of hearts. I should have. I have a beautiful and healthy baby boy, a wonderful and kind husband, and a loyal and adorable dog who is an amazing “big sister” to our little one. We had a great time celebrating our first Halloween as a family and our sweet babe has avoided a cold that both my husband and I have endured.

Instead, I woke up as a grump. Why? Because my sweet husband let me go back to sleep after a 4:45 feeding session and was tricked into a two hour early morning play session with no slumber. Instead of being grateful for the extra sleep it afforded me, I was panicked about our sleep schedule going to pieces and an overtired baby.

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is easy to not take a minute and appreciate these wonderful blessings in our lives. We get to be mamas. We live in an amazing, vibrant city. I could go on and on, yet I don’t often pause to appreciate these things on a day-to-day basis.

I have decided to participate in 30 Days of Gratitude this November, where I share one thing I’m grateful for over social media each day. I choose Facebook, but Twitter and Instagram work perfectly for the occasion too. There are some cool lists out there with a prompt or photo for each day. I’m just doing mine based on what I’m feeling on a particular day.

Today, I am thankful for my sweet and healthy baby boy. Tomorrow I’ll probably say something about my sweet husband. Some days I may be thankful for coffee to keep me going or my cell phone to keep me connected. Anything goes, it’s personal.

I live in a world where so many things can happen instantly with the click of a button. It easy to get impatient or lose sight of things that do not always provide instant gratification. It is my hope that my child will be able to name the things in his life for which he is grateful, even if they start out as things like Skyline and his toys.

Maybe my son will stalk my social media one day (judge away, little man) and see all the things I was grateful for in 2015. Maybe he won’t. Either way, I’m looking forward to taking a minute every day to counting my blessings.

What are you thankful for this November?

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Courtney Redding
I am a Cincinnati transplant. My husband and I moved here last October from Washington, D.C., where I was an Early Childhood teacher, instructional coach, and most recently principal at a charter school. I’m now a mom to a precious 8-month-old boy and a dramatic 2-year-old golden retriever. I am passionate about education and love spending time with family, reading, walking/ hiking, Pure Barre, taking pictures, discovering new restaurants, fantasy football, and “quick” trips to Target! I’m excited to start exploring all that Cincinnati has to offer a family and to share my journey into motherhood (and undoubtedly some first-time parent laughs) with you!

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