Hello! March was a pretty great month for me and I hope it was for you as well. I have lots to be grateful for with Spring on the way, lovely weather, lots of family time, and Zachary’s development flourishing. For the longest time, he didn’t seem to care about speaking. Now, he’s saying tons of new words every day. I think he finally figured out that learning to speak does have benefits and might be worth the effort.

I don’t know about you, but this month flew by. It’s April already! Doesn’t it feel like the year just started?? We’ve just begun the planning for Zachary’s birthday party, which I’ll be sure to post about in a couple of months (hint: lots of Snoopy). Andy is also wrapping up the basement project of installing carpet and laminate that he’s been planning for months. As usual, work has been pretty stressful, so it’s contributed to the things I’m grateful for this month.

Why a monthly grateful living post?

So often we get stuck in the day-to-day hustle and forget to acknowledge what’s really important. If someone were to ask “What’s most important to you?” we would be quick to respond with things like family, friends, being a good person, and so on. Unfortunately, we allow ourselves to get sidetracked a lot and temporarily “forget” our priorities. Unanswered emails clamor for our attention, deadlines and “to-do” lists clutter up our minds and steal our attention. As a way to temporarily silence these outside distractions, I like to look back over the past month and remind myself what is beautiful in my life. I try to identify three things that have happened in the past few weeks that I am grateful for and recognize them. I remind myself that these small moments are what make up my life and have value. And for them, I am grateful.

Let’s get into what I’m grateful for this month…

3 Things I’m Grateful for in March

1. Free Milwaukee Bucks Tickets.
   Over the past few years, we’ve been very fortunate with Andy’s current job and my previous one to get lots of little perks. One of the perks has been the occasional ticket to a sporting event. Andy’s employer has a box at a local venue and this month we were able to go to a Bucks game. Now, I’m not really a sports fan, but I’ve been to Brewers, Green Bay Packers, and Admirals games. However, this was my first basketball game. It was a lot of fun! As a bonus, this past The Bachelor season’s contestant Nick Viall is from around here and he and his new girl (I don’t watch, is she his girlfriend? Fiancee?) were at the game. They made a big half-time spectacle of it and it was sort of the theme for the night. As part of the theme, all of the women got roses when they entered the building that night. It was a great night and we were able to make it a nice date night as we were able to get Nana to babysit!
2. Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee!
   I’m not a huge coffee drinker, but I do like my flavored, sweetened, iced coffees. Dunkin Donuts has a deal from 2-6 where any size is only $1. On days that were particularly stressful, I would stop and grab one for Andy and I. Sometimes, in anticipation of a bad day, he would stop on the way home from work and get them. I’ve said it before, but I’m a stress eater. I know it’s terrible, and I’m trying to break that, but there is something very comforting about a sugary treat at the end of a long day.
3. T-Mobile Tuesdays
   If you’re a T-Mobile customer and you haven’t heard of this, you need to download the app. Every Tuesday, T-Mobile has a freebie for their customers. Every month they have different “themes” and you can get anything from a simple free Wendy’s Frosty to gift cards and tickets for shows and events. It’s pretty awesome. This month, Dunkin Donuts has been partnering with them and giving $2 promo cards, in addition to what you could win when you play the game every Tuesday. For anyone who hasn’t already done the math, this means that on my bad days, those two coffees we picked up only ended up costing us .08! If the sugary treat didn’t make me feel 100% better, getting a great deal definitely topped it off. I hate spending money I don’t have to, but this month has made it super easy to get my coffees and not feel guilty about it!

What are you grateful for last month?

Link up to your own gratitude posts below!

-To your Better Life-

Kira