Five (Really) Good Things

1. I've been planning a big meeting for work for the past few months, and it was held today. It went fab. u. lous. Better than I expected, truthfully, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. It's gratifying to having something like this out of the way and to see how my efforts pay off in a 'big picture' sort of way. And now that it's over, I can breathe a little easier and move on to some other projects in the works.

2. My daughter had her three year Well-Child Checkup with her pediatrician yesterday. Her doc is also a good friend of mine, and Riley adores her, so when "Dr. Julie" told her that she needed to eat good food and get lots of sleep so she'd be healthy and strong, Riley took it to heart. She's eating better already and telling me over and over that "Dr. Julie said to eat healthy foods". Riley checked out healthy and well above her age in motor skills, cognitive skills and learning. She seems to be thriving.

3. I've always really enjoyed spending time with my kiddo, but lately, we seem to have fun on a much different level. Maybe it's because she's a little bit older, but it seems that there is less "mothering" on my part, and more just playing (does that make sense?) We've been doing lots of art projects, having impromputu dance parties and sing-a-longs, going for walks, tea parties, and reading together. It's been fun to experience this part of parenthood, especially when the rest of it can sometimes feel like so much work.

4. Riley loves to help me around the house, I've been working on channeling that into something useful and actually helpful. Knowing that my girl loves to be recognized for the good things she does, I created her "flowerpot" which is basically a way to document when she does her chores. Each flower represents one thing she is supposed to do each day (brush her teeth, put her clothes away, etc.) and she puts them in her flowerpot when they are done. When all six flowers are in the pot, she gets a special 'flowerpot' treat (Hershey's Kiss).


It's been working so well! She does everything without being reminded and she's become an expert bed-maker. No complaints here!

5. I'm hanging out with my girls tonight - there is probably some painting and some jewelry making on the menu. I'm so happy to have a low-key, no stress evening with some of my favorite people. That's a really good thing, in my book.