Blogging With a Purpose: 10 Things I Live For

I'm linking up with Becky over at From Mrs. To Mama again this week. 

When I first sat down to start writing this post, I mistook the topic for the week and thought it was "10 Things I Can't Live Without".  I spent more than 35 minutes staring at the computer screen trying to think of things I couldn't live without before I got a clue and checked back over on Becky's blog.

I could only think of 3 things that I can't live without, and not one of them was a materialistic object.  But things I love for?  Well, that list is almost endless.  And so much easier to write about.  So, without further ado and in no particular order, here are 10 things I live for:

My family.  Cheesy, I know, but it's true.  I live for my family.  For my husband, my children, my parents and grandparents, brother and sister, aunts and uncles, cousins.  Some of my best and happiest memories have been spent with my family, and I live for the times when we're all together.

This is a few years old, so the 4 great-grandkids are missing...

My son's smile and my daughter's giggle.  You know how they say things can "light up a room"?  Well, Gerry and Bailey really do.  Whenever Gerry smiles, oh my gosh, it's amazing.  And Bailey's giggles and belly laughs can make even the worst day a million times better.  I live for the moments when I can catch them in unbridled enthusiasm and happiness, and I'll do almost anything to make it happen.

 

Lazy Saturday mornings.  Now that Bailey's dance class is over, we have more time to laze around on Saturday mornings, and I love it.  Scott and I don't set any alarms; we just wait for one or both of the kids to wake us up.  9 times out of 10, all 4 of us end up in our bed together watching tv and slowly waking up.  I'll give G a bottle and he sometimes dozes off in my arms while Bailey watches one of her shows.  Scott will go downstairs and make our breakfast shakes and we'll enjoy them in bed.  Then, when Bailey is ready, she and I will get dressed and take a walk to Wawa for coffee and donuts, and we sit out on the back patio and relax with them for a bit before starting our day.  It's such a wonderful and peaceful way to start my weekend, and I live for those quiet days with my little family. 


My weekend coffee.  Such a trivial and somewhat materialistic thing, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't something that I live for these days.  Since starting our Isagenix program, I've kicked my 3-cup-a-day habit, and I only have one or two cups on weekend mornings as a treat.  I sip it slowly while reading a book outside or putzing around on the computer, and I savor the hell out of it.  I seriously look forward to my weekend coffee.

Beach vacations.  We go every summer and I look forward to it all year.  Seven days at the beach...no work...just family and sun and sand and relaxation.  It's quite possibly the best week I have all year.

That first sip of hot apple cider on a cool autumn afternoon.  Fall is my favorite season...there's something about the crispness in the air, the changing and falling leaves, that is ridiculously calming to me. 


Christmas Eve.  Christmas is just magical to me and always has been.  I could care less about the "gift" aspect of it, but I love the sense of wonderment and awe that comes with the season.  The happiness and kindness and anticipation surrounding the holiday is something that I'll never get tired of.  And now, after having kids of my own, I love to take them out and watch their faces light up when we see houses covered in Christmas lights.

Alone time with my husband.  When the kids are in bed and we can take off our Mommy and Daddy hats and just be Scott and Jess, it's so nice.  Lately, there hasn't been much alone time for us, but we take what we can.  These days, our time together consists of lying in bed after Bailey and Gerry have gone to sleep and catching up on one of the shows we've DVR-ed before passing out for the night.  Sometimes we'll get lucky and both kids will be out cold at an early hour, and then we get more time to catch up and just be together without having to worry about changing a diaper or telling a story or any of the million other things we do as mom and dad throughout the day.  More often than not, though, it's a quick show and a "Love you" before we both fall asleep.  I keep reminding myself "quality over quantity" and that our children won't be this little and "needy" forever.

 Laughter.  For any reason and in any form.  Really, is there anything better than a good belly laugh?  The saying goes "Laughter is good for the soul" and it really, really is.  Watching someone laugh always has a downright pleasant effect on me, and laughing myself always feels good.  And the sound of children's laughter?  Well, there's just nothing better than that.


Hugs from my children.   There is nothing quite as peaceful and smile-inducing than having a child's arms wrapped around you.  Lately, Bailey has taken to running over from wherever she's been playing and throwing her arms around whatever part of my body she can reach the fastest before running back to play.  It lasts less than 2 seconds, but it never fails to amaze me that she stops what she's doing for the sole purpose of showing me a little bit of affection and love.  Gerry, not even six months old, grabs both sides of my face with a giant smile on his and clasps his lips onto my nose or chin.  Sometimes he throws his head into my shoulder or my neck, and it makes me so damn happy.  I know he's not really giving me a hug, but it's his way of showing interest and affection, and I love it all the same.  I live for it.

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Next week:  My Life 5 Years From Now