Growing Teens This Spring

A month has passed, and I have not posted anything! Did you miss me? LOL. I am alive and doing great.

Here are my gratitude list and the reasons why I am occupied.

1. My first born just graduated from high school. Two years ago, I did not even imagine this is possible as he was skipping days and sometimes months of school. He turned around and took extra credits to graduate on time on top of working full time as a new young manager at a pizza chain.
2. He requested to eat at Red Lobster. Where we are, I was not too impressed with their lobster and shrimp, but this night, it was awesome. The seafood including mussels was fresh, we had a blast for his graduation dinner. He even apologized that the meals were expensive. I was like, where did this teen come from? It was his graduation night.
3. My house got hit hard by golfball-sized hail last month. It is not to be thankful for. My siding and roof are damaged, but I just got my first check from my insurance yesterday to pay my contractor for replacement.
4. My son, yes the one who's behaving so differently got me a mother's day card with his artsy work all over it. He even thanked me for being his mother and father. I was so touched. His dad is almost non-existent, especially after our divorce. I feel so appreciated.
5. Look at my handsome son in his senior picture!
6. Paul has to be silly in our dinner picture, of course.
7. My son on his graduation gown makes it more real that he really did graduate. LOL.
8. He gave me a long-stemmed rose for the first time on Mother's day. It also marks my 18th year of being a mom. The only other time he gave me a flower was when he was six. He was so proud to give me a dandelion. I reminded this to him, and he just laughed.
9. What's more from my son? He gave me a Teddy bear for Mother's day!
10. My daughter, of course, as sweet as she is, gave me a gift and a card for Mother's day. This is the first Mother's day we were all together in the last few years. It was indeed very special. I think the used-to-be defiant teens left the house for good.  I have my teens and my home back!

Read more gratitude post through TToT blog.

Save a Heart

Another week has passed and it's another opportunity to look back on how lucky I am to receive many blessings.

My MyIntent bracelets came, finally. My daughter has Lil Soldier etched in her pendant to remind her to be strong. I have to bracelets. One says, Help Them, and the other, Be the Example. I use these reminders for work and family. With my teens, it gets tiring to say do this do that. At times, I feel, they purposely do the opposite. So I push myself to be the example. I hope it works, soon!

A family member of a patient brought us, staff, a fruit bouquet. It is as delicious as it looks. This bouquet I don't buy for myself. It is expensive. The best parts are the chocolate covered ones. Guess what I had?

I bought a Hurricane electric scrubber. The ad lied saying, "Does the hard work for you." I powered it and it did not do the chores by itself. :) I still have to put some work in. I must admit it makes scrubbing the floor and tiles easier. It is $40 well spent in Bed Bath. With the coupon, it was even better.

My breakfast partner, Paul, ditched me because of his son's basketball games. So, I took my daughter instead. She got up late that the restaurant did not serve breakfast burrito anymore so we had lunch burrito instead. What is the difference? We did not have potatoes, bacon, and eggs in it. And it is ten dollars each instead of two. Daughter surprised me by paying the tab.

A nice lady handed me a palm cross as I left the hospital. That was nice. She was making a bunch of them.

I am training to run the 5K for this coming June to raise money for Hearts and Stroke week with my group in intensive care unit. My team is trying to raise funds to save a heart (and or a brain). If you want to help, here is a link. I am using the free app C25K. It might be too late for me to start being 46. But I finished training for two weeks out of eight and I haven't suffered a heart attack yet. So I may be good.

I am also using the music app Rock My Run. I love it. I am listening to the sound of the 90's right now. It really inspires me to move. I paid for this app with a Groupon coupon. Another money well spent.

Join us.