Everyday Yogini is still going strong with her 5-Minute Gratitude Saturdays, and so am I. The holidays are coming up on us so quickly and it just helps me, every Saturday, to sit down and focus on the wonderful things going on for my family and myself. It helps me gain perspective, get calm and centered and move on to my ever-growing “To Do” list. Here goes…

I am grateful for good health. Coco seems to be almost back to her usual self. This ear infection was a doozy, it affected everyone in the house and I’m just so grateful to have it behind us.

I am grateful that earlier this week, my husband noticed one of my tires was low and took it in for me to have a slow leak patched so that I didn’t find myself stranded on the side of a Texas highway with a flat tire and two little girls. Alone.

I am grateful that, once again, tomorrow is Sunday, and that means that my husband will be returning from his business trip to Las Vegas.

I am grateful that the renovation of our guesthouse is complete, that it was finished on time and that it, too, just like the French drain project, came in under budget.

I am grateful for all the wonderful new “mommy” blogs that I’ve discovered this week. I love checking in with moms all over the country (and the world!) and finding that the theme of motherhood in our lives truly is universal. I don’t think that anyone’s life is boring, I believe that we all have something to say, something to share, and that blogging is really making the world a smaller place. I like that. A lot.

And yes, sometimes I am grateful for things that are purely superficial, completely vain:

I am grateful that the humidity has taken a break in this little pocket of the country because my hair is looking good, all straight and shiny.

I am grateful that my pink eye is almost cleared up. Gross. And really? People must think I’m an ass because I have not taken my sunglasses off all week. I can almost hear them as I walk away, “who does she think she is? Gwyneth Paltrow?” (And there is no meaning there in choosing to compare myself to Gwyneth. I just recall a picture of her recently doing the grocery shopping in her shades. Just like me, earlier this week.)

I’ve learned a lot about myself this week, which has been a pretty major revelation for me. I know I’ve said it a million times: I am a complete and total control freak. A Type A personality, for sure. I like things a certain way, my way. I don’t leave much room to just let things happen. I like schedules and routines and knowing what’s coming up. As a mother to two young girls, it comforts me to have all of these details in place at any given time, it makes what can at times feel like a pretty chaotic life seem… manageable. And I often find that when things are getting too far off the course, I start to panic. So this week, I had a great lesson in mindfulness: counting to 10 before reacting, taking a step back, reminding myself, constantly, that the world is not going to stop spinning on it’s axis if the toys are not all put away or there are dishes left in the sink. I made a conscious decision last week to really try and focus on being in the moment, instead of the usual 10 moments ahead that I usually am, and it worked. I was calm under pressure. I didn’t snap at my daughter. I got things done. I smiled more. I ate better. I stood taller. I had fun.

That being said, I am grateful for mindfulness (Thanks, Nona!).

I cannot recommend enough the practice of just sitting down and for 5 minutes putting pen to paper what you are most grateful for at that given moment. It goes a long way towards giving you peace of mind, something I think we can all use a little of.