January 5, 2012

Lucky

Ever find yourself saying, "my kid doesn't do that yet"?  How bout, "I wish my husband were more like that"?  I have.  I even blogged about it some time ago and vowed that I would stop comparing.  Well guess what?  I haven't.  I've been feeling a little green with envy lately and it's ugly, it doesn't look good on me.
I've been thinking a lot lately, maybe it's this whole New Year, New Me thing, but I have to start looking at the flip side of things.
While someone else may have a toddler that sleeps in till 8 or 9, I have a toddler that sleeps through the night and has since she was about 9ish months. Sure she gets up at 7 {sometimes earlier} but she sleeps for a good 12 hours, straight.  She's down anywhere between 7 and 8 and so sure, at about 7 am she's ready to get up.  She's made progress too, she used to get up at like 6 {sometimes earlier} so 7, I'll take. 
When I see other toddlers are talking up a storm I realize that while Kendall isn't saying a whole lot she is verbal.  She signs too.  She says "dada", "up", "apple", "bubble", "dog", "buh-bye", "daisy", and "mama", she knows all her body parts {even the private ones}, she can recognize animals and knows 5 or 6 animal sounds.  So she's not "behind" by any means, I need to get that out of my head.  I'm going to assume the "early to walk, late to talk" saying is true.
When I see people with amazing sisterly bonds I remember that I have amazing friendships.  I may not have a ton of friends but the ones I have are like sisters.  They are amazing.  They are the type of girls that no matter how long it's been we pick up right where we left off.  We always know about major things, weddings, jobs, babies, new cars, kitchen remodels but it's the little things that we forget about sometimes.  So when we do get together we talk about the little things, for what seems like hours, and it is the best conversation. 
Whenever I really want to be one of those couples that goes out to eat a lot I am reminded how much better a home-cooked meal is.  Kendall will grow up knowing that dinner time is important.  Also it's so much more healthy for us to eat at home.  This way we know exactly what we are eating and we can control those out of control portion sizes.  That beats having someone cook and clean up after me most any day.
When I see or go to someones gorgeous home, and start to think our house could use some sprucing up, I am thankful that we have a home.  It is a nice home.  It is warm and full of "things".  It may not be brand new, it may not be furnished with Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware, but it is a nice home and we love it. 
And then I start to see how easy it is for people who live in urban areas.  They can go to Target because it's a hop, skip and a jump away.  Chipotle is within walking distance.  Parks are plentiful.  I start to miss our old neighborhood. And then I look out the pantry window of our home.  I see nothing for miles, nothing but clouds, trees, sunrises and sunsets, and it is gorgeous.  I wouldn't trade that view for convenience.
It's all about finding a balance.  Maybe that's what this year is about for me.  I think it is. 

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24 comments:

  1. Great post!!! Thanks for reminding me to be thankful for what we do have instead of being envious of others!!!! Happy New Year!

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  2. love this!
    it truly is about balance & finding out what makes you truly happy & not what society deems as *happiness*.

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  3. You have it good, girl!! Trust me! Kp says more then Chloe does....Chloe knows what things are if you say them, but she has no interest in saying them. LOL!! Oh well...is there a saying late to walk, late to talk?? Probably not.

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  4. The grass is always greener on the other side!!!!!

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  5. I've done a lot of gratitude soul searching the past few months. it's so good.

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  6. I love this!! I am guilty and do the same thing sometimes....We all have things we can work on but I always stand back and say that "Everything happens for a reason". Have a good day

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  7. I love this post. I am bad about comparing my daughter to other babies her age and then I start worrying about why she isn't doing this or that yet. It's good to remember that we all feel this way sometimes.

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  8. Great post! We all need to be thankful for what we have! (And we all compare too)
    Just a thought- the other night on Twitter you said you were weaning her off the pacifier. My youngest daughter was horrible with her pacifier and didn't talk at all. As soon as we had the pacifier gone (which took some time due to her hiding them!) she all of a sudden talked so much!

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  9. Great post! I think that we are all guilty of this....at least to some extent. Thanks for putting it in perspective and reminding us to be grateful for all that we do have.

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  10. Great post Shan! I think everyone is guilty of this at some point or another.... I know I am! Great little reminder to be thankful. Thanks girl!

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  11. Refreshing post. :) You are blessed.

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  12. Wonderful post!! It's always great to re-remind yourself of that wonderful things in your life-- we ALL do that from time to time! Kendall is just TOO precious!! :-D

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  13. Shannon, you are dead on with this post. I am the same way. Comparing myself to other people and bloggers. But this year is about reminding myself how blessed I am. And as for that view from your house, Kendall will love that she is growing up around such beauty!

    Thanks for this little reminder to be grateful for what we have. I can always use a nice reminder :)

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  14. Great Post! I often ( I think we all do) get green with envy when I look at how other families live... especially stay at home moms. Especially because I would love for that to be a choice for our family. But then i remind myself all of the things I will be able to offer Kendall by working.

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  15. Well put! It is so hard not to compare your life to others. I struggle with it too.

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  16. Sometimes its the hardest part to try to look at the brighter side of things instead of getting jealous. Thanks for the reminder and the better out look on things!

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  17. Great post. It is so, so, so easy to get sucked into these comparison ... especially in the blogland ... because we only get to see a glimpse of everyone else's life. I find myself green with envy SO often over many of the things you've mentioned here. It's so important to focus on the blessings we have.

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  18. Thanks for posting this! I so needed to read this and tell myself all those things too. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what other people have, we forget that we have great little lives too. The grass isn't always greener, either.

    Thank you! :)

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  19. Ha, did you write this just for me? I definitely feel the same in many aspects. Scared adam is behind, wish I had a sister, live in the country away from everything, etc... It's so true though. For everything there is a bright silver lining and it's so great to be able to realize it!

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  20. aww. You are very lucky!! Dont forget that.
    AND, ITS A FACT- there are 3 levels of develoment and a kid cant be advanced in all 3. I Have been reading a lot about it lately becuase sure, I thought it was pretty cool that Anika was walking by her 9 month bday BUT, I met kids YOUNGER than her saying TONS of words and she is still on one word, maybe 2 if you ask her dad. She REFUSES to clap her hands and kids younger than her do that too. But, there are gross motor skills like walking, fine motor skills and verbal....cant be good at them all. SO, she'll probably be an athlete, not a linguist! :)

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  21. Exactly! It's always good to remember what we do have!

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  22. Such a great attitude to have...I need to think about this myself.

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  23. at least your toddler sleeps all night!

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