Every once in a while I need a little lesson in gratitude.

When the kids are screaming, the living room is torn apart, the sink is piled high with last night’s dishes, I don’t want to go in the bathroom because my husband smooshed a cockroach on the wall and I don’t want to clean it up but I also don’t want to look at it, the fridge is empty and there’s nothing to eat–you get the point–it’s easy to sit on the sofa and feel sorry for myself.

This morning is an eat-my-feelings one. I already made fantastic apple cinnamon muffins but they’re healthy and they’re not quite eat-my-feelings worthy, so I’ll have to come up with something better while the kids are napping this afternoon.

Until then, I have a much better way to handle my feelings and that is my little lesson in gratitude.

I need to count my blessings.

Ten of them, to be exact, and specifically related to my husband because that man is awesome and if my marriage isn’t in place then nothing will be. I praise Jesus that he brought that handsome lover into my life. When I’m feeling defeated and discouraged and drained, I will instead remember these ten sweet ways my husband has cherished me:

1. He kills the cockroaches. Even if he’s just walked through the door and settled down for the first time all day, he’ll get back up to kill the 4mm tiny cockroach crawling up the kitchen cabinets because 4mm of cockroach is 16mm of cockroach splatter and I’m not cleaning that up. It’s science.
2. At the end of the weekend, he’ll still turn on crazy music and do the dishes while I dry and he’ll do it joyfully. It’s only a million times better than doing the dishes on my own the next morning.
3. On Sunday night we went to T.J.Maxx to find him some new winter clothes because he doesn’t have anything nice. We walked in with a budget and we walked away without anything for him and a gorgeous new cashmere sweater and green top for me. He spent his winter clothes money on me because giving makes him happier than receiving.
4. Afterwards, we stopped at Publix to pick up something for dinner and when he saw the Teavana Earl Grey I’ve been drooling over for weeks, he immediately threw it in the cart for us. It’s a little thing but actually it’s also a big thing with how tight our budget is.
   
5. He’s given up his precious alone time at the end of the evening to hang out in bed with me and debate the safety of conventional milk. If you know me, you know I’m borderline conspiracy theorist when it comes to conventional “healthy things” so him spending two hours talking to me about milk at 11pm might sound totally lame to you but that’s true love for me.
6. Also at T.J.Maxx, he trusted my judgement and allowed me to get a backpack for our toddler with a strap I can hold so he has some freedom of movement during our cross-country plane trip next week. This is very controversial for us and his trust in my judgement really shows how he cherishes me.
7. Next week, the kids and I are flying to Colorado for the rest of the month to help my parents with their home remodel. The only reason I’m going is because when I flippantly mentioned the idea to my husband, thinking it was completely unrealistic, he told us to go. He is giving up almost three weeks and Thanksgiving with us so that the kids and I can do something I love and spend some time with our family.
8. He tags me in funny Facebook posts. It might sound ridiculous, but I run my business off social media and so consistency is important for me! He helps me stay consistent by sharing funny posts on my wall and it’s really thoughtful and lets me know he’s thinking of me through the day.
9. At the end of an exhausting day, he never expects more. If I need help, he will cook dinner. He will take care of the kids so I can go out and get an hour to myself. He doesn’t expect a perfect meal and a spotless house by 5pm every night but he does appreciate the times it happens.
10. He lets me choose. He lets me choose dinner, the movie, the restaurant, the color of the sofa, the home decor, his clothes, where we shop. He does it because it’s important to me and he cares and I love that about him. I can be a lot and he never treats me like too much.

Today, if you’re struggling with gratitude, write down your list of ten. 10 things you’re thankful for, 10 reasons your kids are awesome, 10 ways God has blessed you–anything.

Just write and watch how your attitude changes instantly.

I no longer need to eat my feelings and I’ll probably still finish an entire chocolate bar during nap time but only because I really like chocolate. So, yes, the morning might be chaos but I have a million things to be thankful for.

Way #11 my husband has cherished me? He is the one who encourages me to make these lists and him nudging me towards gratitude changes everything on days like this one.

What are 10 blessings in your life today?

10 ways my husband has cherished me has an original post from when we were long distance for almost a year because it turns out, this lesson is gratitude is not new.