Be thankful!

We were watching The Real Housewives of Atlanta while I was making bows, and I realized there is one word that I cannot stand...Haters! The definition of a hater, for those who don't know, is someone who talks about you and "hates" on you, generally because they are jealous. If you watch RHOA, you know that Nene thinks she has a ton of haters. Lol! The funny thing, is that Teresa Guidice on RHONJ also thinks everyone is a hater. One thing that I have noticed, is that those people who claim to have a lot of haters, are usually the ones that are the most insecure and unhappy with their lives. Why else would you constantly talk about how many haters you have? Wouldn't you be more concerned with the quality of the friends that you do have?

And then there are those girls who talk about haters 24/7, and we all know a few of them. You just want to tell them, "No, you don't have haters. I am not your hater, she is not your hater, the dog is not your hater, etc. People just DON'T LIKE YOU! It's not because anyone is jealous of what you have, it's because you're stupid!" I just can't imagine constantly focusing on whether or not I have haters. Can you?

I think about all of the people that I truly dislike, and am thankful that I am not a hater to any of them. It's true...I just don't like them. I have too much in my life to be thankful for, to worry about being jealous of what other people have, or pretend to have. It's not worth it. Do I dislike you because you are a snot? Yes. Do your parenting skills suck? Yes. Are you mean to your so-called friends? Yes. There's nothing to hate on.

So, I got to thinking of all of the things that I am so thankful for. 

First and foremost, my family! I have a great husband who would do anything for Addison and I. He is no longer in the military because he couldn't imagine missing out on so much of Addison's life. I agree...no job is worth not being with your kids for extended periods of time. Addison is seriously amazing. When I was first pregnant, I wanted a boy. Then, when everyone reminded me that girls stick around when they get married and boys go off with their wife's family, I realized that is not what I wanted. It's great to have a girl as your first-born child, because the bond will always be there!

Of course my parents have helped us with so much, especially our house. If it weren't for my dad being able to fix everything, our house would look like a dump! They love Addison so much, and I am so happy that they are in her life.

I am thankful that we were able to buy our house on our own, without any help from anyone. So many people are stuck renting in CA because of the cost of home prices. I am so happy that we were able to move to a home that is in an amazing city (2nd safest in the U.S.), with the best school district in the county, while still being within driving distance to Carlos' school and work! It is the perfect size for us, which is great since I know we won't feel the need to move any time soon. Of course, there is nothing wrong with renting (we rented for 2.5 years), but when you have kids, it's so important to give them a home that is truly their own.

I am thankful that we all have good health. Do I wish we all had Addison's immune system? Yes! That girl was never sick as a baby, including no fevers. I never in a million years would have expected that, but I am so thankful that I never had to worry about her being sick! I can't imagine what it would be like to constantly worry about your childs' health. So scary.

I am thankful that we will both be able to tell Addison that we have college degrees. It is something that every parent wants for their children, and if you can model it, they won't expect anything less for themselves. Even now, Addison will take her Mickey laptop and when you ask what she's doing, she tells you she's doing her homework!

And of course, I am so blessed by my awesome friends. I don't get to see them every day, or even every month for that matter, but it's great to know that I have a good group of friends that I can text, call, or email at a moments notice and they will be there for me.

I am happy to be able to say that I truly enjoy spending time with my husband and daughter. I know so many people who work all day, and then choose to go off and spend alone-time, time out with their friends, etc. I can't imagine only having a few hours to spend with your child every day, and then choosing to spend it with someone else, or even by myself. Of course, I am also blessed to be able to stay home with Addison!

Whew, this was longer than I expected, and of course, I could go on and  on and on about everything that I am thankful for and why you should focus on who/what you have in your life to truly make you happy, rather than worrying about other people. And of course, if you are one who "hates" on everyone, is constantly jealous, or thinks that others' accomplishments are bragging, then you probably need to change something within yourself.