Day 30 of 30 days of Gratitude.

Day 30 of 30 days of gratitude. Today I am grateful for this experience of expressing gratitude daily. It has been good to focus on the positive things in my life. I am going to continue more challenges that shift my perspective. Next month I will give at least one compliment everyday. Who wants to join?

Day 28 of 30 days of gratitude

Day 28 of 30 days of gratitude. Today i am grateful for rainbow after the storm. This is a metaphor for life. It reminds me that emotions, feelings, desires, aversions, fears...they all pass, just like the storm.

Day 27 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 27 of 30 days of Gratitude: today I give gratitude to my first born child: a girl. She had to be sent here to make me a better person. There is no one else that knows me so well. That is why she can work me so well. I am constantly struggling with trying to control her. Raising a strong willed child with compassion is no easy feat. I often question why I am not just whipping her ass. Then I remember what it was like to be a thoughtful and intelligent six year old with out much life experience. I both dread and look forward to what the future will bring. Raising girls into women is complicated.

Day 26 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 26 of 30 days of Gratitude: today I am grateful for my son. I am grateful to be his primary caregiver, source of nourishment, paci, and lovey all in one. I get to be the one he smiles at first thing in the morning and the one he hugs last thing at night.Today he turned 6 months. Time has flown by so fast. He is crawling and pulling up to stand on everything. I look forward to all the other milestones yet to come.

Day 24 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 24 of 30 days of Gratitude. As the holiday weekend comes to a close I am grateful for my two brothers acquired through marriage. It has been wonderful watching them grow into the men they are today. One off at college. The other chasing his dreams. Both determined to succeed. Laffy and Charles, I love you and thanks for showing me what it's like having brothers.

Day 23 of 30

Day 23 of 30 days of Gratitude: Today I'm grateful for for pandora. At one point in my life if you asked me what kind of music I liked I would have said, "ehh, I don't really like music." The problem was I had fell out of love with the radio. Listening to whole albums and Pandora has awakened my interest in music. I have varied music interests ranging from RnB to classical.
This year, I have decided that although I don't celebrate Christmas I will listen to Christmas Carols. Specifically those sung by Black artists like Nat King Cole, Eartha Kitt, the Jackson 5 and other Motown artists. I started my Pandora station and have been thoroughly enjoying it. 🎶🎶

Day 22 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 22 of 30 days of Gratitude: today I'm grateful for an abundance of delicious food and family and friends to share it.

Day 20 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 20 of 30 days of Gratitude: Today I am grateful for my midwife, Racha Tahani Lawler.   Yesterday you celebrated your birthday. I hope you played as hard as you work, beautiful. She has been called to help women birth babies. Thank you for opening TheCommunity BirthCenter in the hood to make midwifery care accessible to women of color.  

Day 21 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 21 of 30 days of Gratitude: I am grateful for my doula. A doula is a person that is present during labor and delivery for the family for support. The duties can vary tremendously. They can remind you of the birth plan, offer relaxation techniques, suggest a change in position, give a massage, offer water, babysit an older sibling, make a meal, give dad a break, etc...
My doula was an invaluable member of my birth team. She sat with me for what seems like hours just breathing. It was so difficult to just focus on my breath but having someone breathing with me helped me focus. She offered me sips if water out a straw, genius. She even captured a few sweet photographs of the process.
My doulas duties actually began before conception. In her candlelit yoga class I set the intention. I asked for my son to come into existence. I let him know we were ready for him to join our family.
I love you Angelica. Thank you for being my yoga teacher and doula for my VBAC.

Day 19 of 30 days of Gratitude

Today I want to express my gratitude for YouTube. The natural hair vloggers with their product reviews, and tutorials have revolutionized how I handle my hair. How I wish it was around in 2001 when I decided to forgo the perm and find out what my "natural hair texture was like. I had been straightening my hair since I was 5 so I didn't know how to care for it. I didn't really begin to learn until I discovered the natural hair community on YT. 

Then as I was preparing to birth my second child I either read a birth story or watched a birth on YT every night near the end. Preparing to birth a baby after I'd been led to believe my body had failed at the task once was mentally challenging.  Those birth stories/videos were re-assuring. 

Now I am in love with the web series. I especially love the African American ones from IssaRae and BlackandSexytv. But I don't discriminate and enjoy k-town as well.  Thanks YouTube for making videos so easily accessible.  

Day 18 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 18 of 30 days of gratitude: today I am grateful for kind words. Words have power. Positive words stay with me a long time. I will replay them over and over in my head. Sometimes it is hard for me to accept kind words because I am not accustomed to receiving them. Recently, I have noticed that most people I meet and want to connect with use loving speech freely. That is a trait I admire and hope to attain. After this gratitude challenge I going on a loving speech challenge where I will give a compliment to at least one person each day.

Day 17 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 17 of 30 days of Gratitude: today I am thankful for crunchy leaves. The sensation of stepping on a crunchy leaf is indescribable. We love going for walks and discovering crunchy leaves on our path.  One day I'll visit the New England area during fall and be surrounded with red, orange, and yellow leaves falling to the ground just waiting to be stepped on by us. 

Day 15 of 30

Today I am grateful for all of the goodness that is Trader Joe's.

Day 16 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 16 of 30 days of Gratitude: I am grateful for patio seating. With a boisterous 5 1/2 month old, I began dreading going out to eat. Although his squeals, screeches, and screams are wonderful to me, most restaurant patrons would be...annoyed to say the least. Patio seating to the rescue. I get to dine on yummy food and he gets to make as much noise as he wants. Win, win. Appearantly other parents already got the memo because the patio was filled with other families nursing, walking, and enjoying their babies too. 

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Day 14 of 30 days of Gratitude

Today I am grateful for my successful breastfeeding relationship with my son. We are almost 6 months into it. I was determined to have a successful breastfeeding relationship with the baby so I secured a team of support before I even delivered, a breastfeeding class, WIC lactation educator, and family support.  

The class I took was class by Soulfood for your Baby. It started by looking at African Americans historical relationship with breastfeeding as wet nurses. Next they covered techniques using cute brown baby dolls.  Finally we covered tips on life as a breastfeeding mom: the early days, going back to work, eating and  exercise,  the occasional glass of wine, we even got a resource for what meds are safe for breastfeeding moms. I would recommend this class to any mom of color that is committed to breastfeeding. 

The lactation educator at my local WIC officer has been invaluable. She is available by phone for any concern or issue I may have. And if she isn't available, she has backup. I didn't realize how attached I was to her until we hit a bump  in the road and she was out of the office for a month. She knows me and I value personal relationships. The other educator didn't understand how big a step it was going to that first yoga class. 

No one in my immediate family has breastfed so I didn't grow up seeing a healthy breastfeeding relationship. With Kalia I tried but hit a wall.  WIC had sent a lactation consultant to my home to observe a feeding but of course she nursed like a champ. At that point I tried calling everyone I knew that had breastfed and asked if we could spend the day with them. I needed someone to watch a couple feedings but no one was available. Our breastfeeding relationship ended shortly after that. Then uncles partner breastfed my two little cousins. I recruited her to be my part of my breastfeeding team. She is a text away, always ready to answer my questions and give practical advice. 

Thank you team here's to at least six more months.  

Day 13 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 13 of 30 days of Gratitude: Today I am grateful that I have a partner to share the responsibilities and joys of parenting. 

Day 12 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 12 of 30 days of Gratitude: today I am grateful for cuddle time with my babies. Time goes by so fast I am treasuring these precious moments. 

Day 11 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 11 of 30 days of Gratitude: Today I am grateful for our Veterans.  I am also thankful for the men and women that are currently serving in the military. The military life can be difficult on families from deployments to relocating. My heart especially goes out to the veterans that are re-entering society after serving a tour-of-duty. May the United States learn to serve the people that risk their lives in order to serve the United States. ❤

Day 10 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 10 of 30 days of Gratitude: Today I am grateful for all the people that are no longer a part of my life. I am grateful for what our relationships have taught me and the lessons I have learned. You have opened up space for some wonderful new people to enter my life and you will always hold a special place in my heart.

Days 8 and 9 of 30 days of Gratitude

Today I am grateful for Fun Friday. It is a tradition that began with my daughters kindergarten teacher and spilled over into our home-life. We look forward to this day and it begins as soon as we wake up. After-school she had a play date with our neighbor.  Tonight we will watch Kitchen Nightmares and Shark Tank as a family. My daughter gets to stay up as long as she wants. And her dad will probably bring some treats home for her. These are the things of which memories are made. I remember my own fun Fridays growing up. Every Friday my aunt picked me up school and took me to either Chuck E Cheese or a McDonalds play-place.  

I hope everyone had a fun  Friday.   

Day 7 of 30 days of Gratitude

Day 7 of 30 days of Gratitude: today I am thankful for my Auntie Wanda. She always offers an ear when I need to vent. She usually gives an encouraging word, shows compassion for my situation, reminds me of my true self and ALWAYS tells a funny story. As I've gotten older and my friends have gotten fewer it is family that has proven true.  I'm  grateful for our relationship. 

Day 6 of 30 days of Gratitude

Today I am grateful to live in the United States of America. Specifically in the state of California with our direct initiative process. After thoroughly reading my election ballot I made thoughtful decisions on all of the initiatives. Around 5 o'clock this evening we, my husband and two children, walked to our polling place. Although the room was small, air-conditioner free, and full of people we waited no longer than 5 minutes in line. When we reached the front I simply gave my name, signed to authenticate my identity and was handed a ballot. 

I remember going with my grandmother to vote as a child. My daughter will remember going to the polling place with her parents and little brother. Hopefully, she'll take her own children someday.  

Voting is a right I don't take for granted. I voted!

Day 5 of 30 days of Gratitude

Today I am grateful for coffee. Before kids I was a tea drinker. After one child, I was still a proud tea drinker having only the occasional cup of joe.  Between having two kids and writing a thesis I am now a proud coffee drinker. This is a special time of year for me. Starbucks has their holiday drinks and I am head over heals about the Gingerbread Latte. If I could I'd have one cup a day. It'd cost a small fortune but would be SO worth it. 

Day 4 of 30 days of Gratitude

Today I am grateful for the Internet. How do you spell Cervidil? What is a burpee? Is Gideon from Criminal Minds the actor that played the villain in Elmo in Grouchland? What is a recipe for cooking eggplant? What is the nutritional value of Tilapia?(surprisingly very little) The possibilities are endless. I find it especially helpful  when my daughter wants to play 50 questions. 

Hello my name is Jasmine and  I am addicted to the Internet. The love affair began shortly after I realized there is little that can NOT be done online. Practically every business has a website. Not feeling well, what are your symptoms honey? Let me check with Dr. Google. Since I got an iPhone, the addiction has gotten worse. Now there is an App for nearly everything. I know you can't believe everything you find online and that too much information can be a bad thing so it is a double edged sword. But ask me anything and i'll get you an answer. 

Day 3 of 30 days of Gratitude

Today I give gratitude to my husband. I decided I would write about my husband earlier today. Then we had a disagreement and I changed my mind. I took a look at my list of things to write about and there it was...husband listed TWICE.  So here it goes. In our family my husband is the provider. He works hard to provide the necessities and a few extras for his family. He is not sitting behind a desk so often his body pays the price. Thank you for suffering through backaches, a sore neck, and tired legs all for the sake of your family. You are a rare breed to you I give thanks. 

Day 2 of 30 days of gratitude

Today I am grateful for my neighbors. A bit over 5 years ago I moved into my neighborhood.  I declared to my new husband, "We are not here to make friends." Well...when we moved up the block it was our neighbors we would miss most. We are not just friends, our kids call each other cousins and go to the same school. We share carpooling responsibilities: we do the drop off and they do the pick up. We always cover for each other when needed.  I am grateful to them today because when my husband had to be at work before the kids started school, the neighbors dropped them off. When I realized I didn't have the baby's car seat and needed to go somewhere, who did I call? The neighbors. Thank you neighbors, we love you. 

Day 1 of 30 Days of Gratitude

Today I am grateful that I have a car that takes me around town to run errands. Living in LA, where a car is a necessity, I am grateful to have one. With my car I am able to take my kids to school, run to the bank, and go to the grocery store. All in one morning. 

It is in my car that I can escape. Just last night I bundled up my son, got in my car, drove thru Starbucks, jammed to my Beatles Pandora station and ended up at Trader Joe's. On the way home I got to see the huge rising moon and knew all was right in my world. Thank you car for transporting me. 

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