It has been said that gratitude is the mother of joy, so Mother’s Day month seems like the perfect time to practice building the gratitude habits that will allow us to commit to regularly taking time to focus on all that we are grateful for, even (and especially) when it would be much easier to focus on the inconveniences and distractions of our everyday lives.

So, how about it: What are you grateful for?

Well, I made a list… not a To-Do list, which we moms are all so adept at, but a Gratitude list, and here’s what I came up with:

• I am grateful that my daughters still think Mommy-snuggles are so special.
• I am grateful that my husband is my best friend who believes in me and my dreams.
• I am grateful for family and friends who “get me” and truly want the best for me.
• I am grateful that I can be genuinely happy for others and truly want the best for them.
• I am grateful for all of the opportunities I have created and been blessed with in my life.
• I am grateful that I always know I am loved and know that I am deserving of that love.
• I am grateful that my Dad passed along his wisdom and sense of humor.
• I am grateful for all of the new relationships that continue to bless my life, and the endless possibilities to grow, learn, and share that they bring with them.
• I am grateful for the biggest challenges that Life’s presented me, as I’ve been blessed with the ability to trustingly know each one has a meaningful purpose, even if they may come with initial pain.
• I am grateful to be able to enjoy my world with all of my senses.
• I am grateful that my children teach me more about Life every day.
• I am grateful for being able to recognize and savor those “Life is perfectly as it should be” moments of pure contentment (and that I am remembering to enjoy those moments much more often).

Of course, this is not a complete list, but it is what I feel in my heart at this moment, and tuning into these grateful feelings provides an instant boost of energy and joy.  Although gratitude is a very simple gift, it is not always easy to practice.  We all have times where we experience negative emotions, fear, anger, doubt, and the like. However, the value of gratitude is absolutely precious – since it is impossible to focus on both a thankful thought and negative thought at the same time, choosing to focus on gratitude is the fast-track to happiness, fulfillment, contentment, and hopefulness.

And, it is a gift that is topped off with all of the smiles and heartfelt warmth that it brings when it is shared freely with others!  A gift that allows us personal happiness as well as a joyful connection to others – and it is available to each of us, in limitless supply, at any time!

Happy Mother’s Month, and I am truly grateful that you are sharing this moment with me!

What’s more fun than making a mom smile?

Making 10,000 moms smile for free!! Visit www.sendamomasmile.com to send all of your mom-friends a well deserved Mother’s Day mom-smile and a chance to win a $100 Gift Certificate (redeemable at all of a mom’s favorite stores)!

It’s a fun and free way to tell all of the moms you know and love, “You’re doing a great job, Mom!”

This weekend is Mother’s Day weekend, so it’s all about Mom and the people who love her!

Celebrate all moms by taking part in the 7^th Annual 2010 Moms’ Run on Saturday, May 8.  The race, which benefits the Ruth Rhoden Craven Foundation for Postpartum Depression Awareness, is a 5K run/walk that starts at Blackbaud Stadium on Daniel Island (Charleston, SC) and proceeds through the beautiful Etiwan Park neighborhood.

The race begins at 8:30am and will be followed by a finish line celebration at Blackbaud Stadium, with all sorts of family-fun, including: Food from Daniel Island restaurants, live music by Frank Royster, face painting, and a special appearance by Cupcake the Clown!

It’s $25 to register; $10 for children 12 and under. Strollers welcome!

Visit http://momsrun.blogspot.com to learn more, donate, register, and see complete race details.

To volunteer, contact Race Coordinator Angie Mizzell at angie@angiemizzell.com

Bring the whole family and join in on celebrating moms and supporting a wonderful Mom-cause!

6 Easy Low/No-Cost Ways to Honor Mom This Mother’s Day
(Attention Dads – Here’s What Mom Really Wants!)

1. Take all of the kids out grocery shopping and leave Mom with a quiet, empty house for an hour or so.

Let Mom know that it is her time to spend however she would like while the rest of the family is out stocking up on the weekly necessities. You can really make it a mom-treat by putting all of the groceries away too as a part of the deal! It may be hard for Mom to refrain from jumping in, so suggest that she go relax in another room until the grocery duties are done!

2. Help the kids make a “Mom & Me” Book to share with Mom.

My younger daughter made this sweet little keepsake for me all on her own recently, chock-full of all of the things she loves about us as a mommy-daughter duo, and it is a hand-drawn memento that I will absolutely cherish always! The home-made equivalent of a Mommy-Oscar!

3. Plan a sweet and simple date night… at home, after the kids are tucked in.

It can be as effortless as a glass of wine on the porch and quiet grown-up conversation with just the two of you, or her favorite chick-flick, minus any eye-rolling, head shaking, or other not-so-subtle Dad protests. Even if “An Officer and a Gentleman” for the 15th time since you met each other doesn’t quite “lift you up where you belong” (O.K., maybe you need to be a girl to recognize that theme song.), she will be swept off her feet that you are making it all about her for a night!

4 Surprise-clean one of the places where Mom spends a large majority of her time – her mom-mobile.

This can be a “Fun-Daddy” activity with the kids – Dad, kids, and water-hose fun!  The key here though, Dad, is to do so while holding your tongue from making any criticisms toward Mom regarding the following: the kid-garbage littered throughout (and, yes, a mom’s arms and mind really are too full of other stuff to bring a little in every time she gets out of the car!); or the coffee-to-go stains on the console (not to mention the few misguided coffee-drops that somehow found their way onto the fabric-covered ceiling – Life happens!); or the 501 DVDs that you find everywhere but in the now-empty case where they are meant to be stored; or the piles of toys, books, and tote bags that haven’t quite found their way back into the house yet. Inquiries as to how the car arrived at that “How have you not lost a kid in here?”-state in the first place is a conversation best saved for another time!

Just imagine Mom’s delight when she enters her home-away-from-home on wheels and encounters the unexpected smell of something a little fresher than the eau-de-lost chicken nuggets and sour milk that she has grown so accustomed to!

5. Treat mom like the VIP she truly is by helping out with the household chores, without being asked!

Tell mom “I love you!” with an unrequested, already-folded basket of laundry! (Better yet – an empty, already-put-away laundry basket!) It is a simple surprise that is guaranteed to make Mom smile, and maybe even bring a grateful tear to her eye. Yes, it is THAT big of a deal for her to not have to ask for the help, and instead, receive it unexpectedly!

6. Speaking of gratitude, nothing says thank you like a simple “Thank-you!” (Just like Mom taught us!)

Few things in life are sweeter than a simple, heart-felt acknowledgement of your efforts. Let Mom know how much you all appreciate everything she does each day for everyone else. The best part is, it doesn’t cost a thing, while the value to Mom will be more precious than gold!

For a fun, free, easy way to say, “Thanks Mom, you’re doing a great job,” please join us in thanking 10,000 moms by Mother’s Day! Visit http://www.sendamomasmile.com/ to send all of the moms you know and love a well deserved mom-smile and a chance to win a $100 Gift Certificate (redeemable at all of a mom’s favorite stores)!

For all of our Mom-Friends – let’s celebrate the joy and love that we share so freely with our kids every day!

Send A Mom A Smile

Please help us reach our goal of thanking 10,000 Moms by Mother’s Day!

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where one lucky mom will Win a $100 Gift Certificate
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