It’s been a long while since I’ve posted a Thankful List.

For a while I did it weekly as it really helped me focus on the good and gain perspective during a time I found it hard to, well, do that.

Then that time passed.

I never forgot the power of noting my thankfuls.

I just stopped posting them.

Then a few months ago I spoke about this wonderful online group with my Life Coach – telling her how much they’d helped when I needed to encourage myself to focus on the positive. Finally yesterday, I was updating my “Best Of” Page (finally) and there was one of my #TTOT posts doggedly holding on as my second most visited post EVER and … yeah.

I needed to post this week.

Heck! It’s been so long, I’ve never used your new button. It’s super pretty:

So my recent thankful?

I’m thankful for my six-year-old daughter’s tutor (Thankful #1) and the fact that she’s hit level #3 readers, which means she’s actually making reading progress (Thankful #2). If I can add a third thankful in there (Thankful #3), I got the tutor reference from Sonia, a local Ottawa blogger over at The Mother of Adventure. I’d been looking for a French language tutor or tutoring service in Ottawa for a while by that stage and come up empty, but then caught her post about Teachers to Go. They found us a French language teacher to help my daughter for one hour a week, which was perfect.

I’m thankful for our neighbour with a pool (Thankful #4). My kids – at six and three – love swimming and have already been over a handful of times this season to swim with her grandson and the girl whose house backs onto theirs. It’s the casual neighbourhood fun I want my kids to have – random, unstructured time with the kids who live around them.

I’m thankful for the mixed-tape of music that almost three years of blogging has given me (Thankful #5). Honest, navel-gazing moment? There are nights when I’m tired and stuck at home with young kids in bed that I surf my past music posts. And that makes me happy. If you’d like to visit one I think is PARTICULARLY under-loved yet awesome try the Letter J in my Musical A to Z series. Ironically enough, it includes the Jimmy Olsen’s Blues. Kinda like the post, he’s used to being ignored. But really, take moment:

I’m thankful for my youngest’s swim teacher who is really trying to help my daughter back-star (Thankful #6). She swims around happily on her front, but refuses to swim on her back. As a former swim teacher, swim coach and competitive swimmer I think it’s fair to say I’m THAT PARENT that no swim teacher EVER wants to deal with. As a rule I don’t comment and let lessons run their course, but watching can sometimes be painful. That said, this current teacher is pretty great. I watch her sincerely trying and equally balancing her time between the different kids in the class. And I’m thankful for the effort.

I’m thankful for my husband (Thankful #7). As I was writing this post, he came by and we had a whole discussion about a) Jimmy Olsen then b) Spin Doctors (because, what was that song they were REALLY known for?) then c) What about the Hip? Wasn’t that the first band we saw together? (Awwww). That found us then listening to this song, which we both love:

We then got into a debate over the meaning. Surfing on that point landed us here. So nice when my hobbies can draw in the whole family.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to have attended two blog conferences in my home town. I learnt a lot. Enough that I will join them in Toronto when they move there next year. Each year I got the message that I should have a Facebook Page for my Blog. So I finally launched it a few weeks back. Still figuring out what to do with it. But I’d be very thankful for a like. (somewhat shameless Thankful #8).

I made a new dolly badge to theme and EVERYTHING.

I appreciate that dolly looks SUPER INTENSE, but we have two of these dolls at home – purchased at a community craft show two years ago. My daughters love them. When we bought them I think the doll my youngest picked was almost bigger than her. As she gleefully ran off with it – clutched as it was by HER WHOLE BODY – I saw the look in the craft-woman’s eyes. We made her day. So when I needed a Facebook doll? She worked.

I’m thankful for my new job (Thankful #9). It’s fair to say I have been struggling for the past couple years of professional life to find the right fit for me now. The job where I feel my skills are useful and that challenges me and lets me grow and learn, while also letting me be there for my kids – because they are only this age once. I’m only two months in, but I think I’m happy.

I’m thankful for the local opportunities blogging has given me (Thankful #10). My recent example? This past Thursday, I was invited to attend the United Way Ottawa’s Community Builder of the Year Awards Gala.

I first connected with United Way Ottawa last year when I won tickets to their gala through Andrea’s blog A Peek Inside the Fishbowl. Since then, I have been happy to support and engage as I can. Thursday night’s event was a great reminder of all the good being done in the community where I live.

So there’s my ten. Surf others, or join in here.