Friday Full of Thanks.

Last night I went home and had bean soup with some salad. I really needed to find low fat protein. It tasted yummy and was healthy. I still had pain and nausea, but at least I enjoyed my food.  I was full and didn't need snacks and I didn't crave carbs. I woke up very thirty and nauseated. I know I've been behind on my water so a goal for today is to try to catch up. I think it will help my overall energy level. I weighed this morning and I'm back down a pound. Just one more to be back where I was a week ago.

Today instead of talking about my problems, I've decided to focus on some things I'm thankful for.

I am thankful for:

1. The giggles of my children:  I am so lucky to have 3 healthy, happy kids who stress me out and irritate me, but most of all who fill my life with joy and laughter. We watched the new Tinkerbell DVD last night and we all enjoyed it a lot. It took my mind off my stress just to sit and laugh with them.

2.  A caring husband:  He has been supportive and understanding. I haven't felt like talking with him or doing much of anything. He's pitched in and helped, but most of all he's been reassuring and encouraging. He offered to cancel his big trip next week to be home with me. He is worried about me and comforts me, waits on me. He is wonderful.

3.  My second Mom:  She's been my Mom's best friend for the last umm...36 years.  She helped raise me when Mom worked 2 jobs and later when mom had to travel for her job. She has no kids of her own so I am truly like her daughter in every since. Some things I learned from her that are invaluable and my own Mom couldn't teach me because of her own issues.  She is always there when I call and ask for help.  When I called to tell her about the surgery, I didn't even have to ask. She just said, "When should I be there?"

4.  My Nanny:  She's really more like a member of our family by now. She's been with us since August of 2002.  She is so wonderful with the kids. She takes care of the house and does the laundry.  All of which I appreciate immensely.  She cooks meals when she can and runs my kids all over town.  Of course I pay her to do all those things. It's the things she does that she doesn't have to do. Like bring me soup when I'm sick or fix me a cup of tea.  Teach me Italian words and speak it with me. Give me hugs. Ask to watch the kids so we can see a movie tonight and I can get my mind off feeling bad.  People always ask how I found her and I always tell them "God".  She was the first person we interviewed from the agency all those years ago.

5. Sharing my love of reading with my son: He's really turned into a little bookworm.  Now that he's old enough for us to read the same sorts of books it is a lot of fun.  Just this morning we had a little argument about who was going to get to read the new Vlad book first. (It's a book about a teenage boy vampire).

6.  My home:  We were fortunate to find our home and move in a little over a year ago. It really was a dream come true to be able to afford a large house with plenty of room in the backyard and a pool.  We have been working on the yard and enjoyed our little garden this year. I'll be harvesting the last few watermelons over the next week or so. It truly is a sanctuary and I love going home.

7.  The new frozen yogurt place:  I know it seems silly compared to all the above, but I am really thankful I found this new yogurt bar place. Losing weight is hard and finding healthy things you love as treats is important for my long term success. Since I love ice cream, this place has helped so much. With a cup of yogurt at 220 calories and the healthy toppings like blueberries, blackberries and almonds, I can splurge without the guilt. Usually when I do I use the treat as my lunch meal. I love it and it is low fat, no sugar added. Yummy.

8. My iPhone:  Again a silly one, but I'm trying to find things outside the usual.  My iPhone really helped make such a difference to me on the journey to fitness. With the different apps: LoseIt for tracking my food, couch to 5K, nike plus,  200situps, 100 push ups, google reader and gmail,  I am constantly connected to my new healhty living lifestyle. I can record my food, exercise, blog or read blogs, send you guys an email, ANYthing I need to stay on track. I love it and couldn't live without it.

9. My back porch:  I know this probably is just an extension of the one about my home, but I love our back porch. It's a long porch across the whole back of the house which includes our bedroom. It overlooks the pool and yard. The house sits on a hill and we back up to a green area with walking trails and pond. On these cooler fall evenings it is really an awesome place to sit and relax and reflect while the kids play down the hill on the swing set. My husband and his BFF sat outside drinking beers and laughing until midnight. At first I was annoyed as I was tired and didn't feel great, then I realized how great it was to lay there listening to my happy husband and he and his friend debated football and video games and politics and whatever else a couple of geeks talk about. The porch just provides the perfect place for all that good stuff.

10. My bloggy buddies:  I know I say this all the time, but I am really thankful for my blogosphere friends. It's amazing to me how many new friends I have that I've never even met. You probably know more about me than many other people in my "real life" and I appreciate you all.  It helps so much knowing you are out there checking on me and listening to me and keeping me on track.

So now that I've composed my list, maybe each of you should do the same?  Sometimes it's so easy to focus on what is going wrong that we forget what is going right. I'm thinking I may make this a weekly ritual for me as I have such a tendency to live in the land of the negatives.

I hope all of you have a super Friday. See you later for part 2.