Focusing on Gratitude for November 2016

I’m focusing on gratitude as I set goals for November 2016.

October was a fun and busy month in our house! I flew to Florida with the kids, where we enjoyed wonderful visits with my parents and sister. I helped over 100 children at my kids’ school do this fun ghost Halloween science experiment. I also picked up some freelance work. The income is wonderful to have, and I love that it is work I can do nearly entirely from home. However, it means I am busier than ever.

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How Did I Do With October Goals?

Enjoying time with family

Enjoying time with family was easy! My kids added yet another college campus to their “we have been here” list when we spent an afternoon with my sister at her school, Florida State University. If you haven’t taken your kids to visit a university yet, you need to! College campuses tend to be very kid-friendly, and often have interesting sculptures and free museums.

My sister’s dog and cat both live with my parents, and my children LOVED spending time with animals. We are hoping to get a dog when we move out of our condo and into a house. This will probably happen in about a year. As you can tell from the photo above, I am partial to cats, but dogs seem more allergy-friendly.

Spending time outdoors

We spent a lot of time outside, both in Florida and back home. I took the kids kayaking in Florida, and we visited some fascinating sites that I will be writing about soon.

Educational goals

I finished reading Between the World and Me, and I recommend it to anyone wanting to think more about race relations in the United States. My other book for October, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, was one I had read in sixth grade. My fifth grader, Emma, was reading it for school. This is a pretty intense read, and I was glad Emma could discuss it with me. I hadn’t realized that this book is the fourth in an eight-book series. The series is based on stories about author Mildred D. Taylor’s own family.

Now I want to track down the rest of the series. Here are all eight books in order:

• The Land
• The Well: David’s Story
• Song of the Trees
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
• Mississippi Bridge
• Let the Circle Be Unbroken
• The Friendship
• The Road to Memphis

This ordering is based on the chronological order of the books, rather than the order in which they were published. Have you read any of these books?

Sewing Goals

I didn’t work on Lily’s quilt at all in October! There was one day where I started to work on it, but I had to put it away and haven’t pulled it out again since! I did finish about half of the advent calendar panel I am making. My sister-in-law and I each have the same panel, and we are sewing them together. We need to find a day in November to finish this project!

Focusing on Gratitude for November 2016

November is a wonderful month to slow down wherever possible and focus on what we have. Here are my November goals:

• Work on Lily’s quilt top. Focus on learning.
• Finish the advent calendar. Focus on learning. 
• Enjoy cool fall weather. Focus on mindful living and gratitude.
• Create a gratitude activity with the kids. Focus on mindful living and gratitude.

And I am going to stop right there!

Will you be focusing on gratitude in November? What are you hoping to accomplish this month?

MaryAnne Kochenderfer

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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.