Somewhere along the way in becoming a stay-at-home mom, it became really easy to be in a negative frame of mind.

Just to be clear, I LOVE being a stay-at-home mom, wife and homemaker.

I just didn’t live a life of gratitude, and that leads one down the path of complaining and resentment.

Starting these Multitude Monday posts and reading those of others has changed all of that.

As I talked to a friend at church yesterday, we discussed the difficult task of starting to count your blessings. Of course, the first few are easy – family, friends, salvation, a home, a bed, and so on – but once you get past those “obvious blessings,” then you REALLY have to start looking for them.

But just looking for them isn’t always good enough either. The art of counting your blessings really needs to involve a lifestyle change – looking at life in a different light. In the light of God’s blessings to us.

After months of counting, it’s not so hard to make this list every Monday. I appreciate the little things more. Annoyances and interruptions become opportunities to serve and bless and love.

And this week at MOPS, we blessed one another, first making Blessings Boxes…

And then, writing notes of gratitude and blessing to one another, to fill those boxes…

Our hope: for each woman to keep her box on her dresser, read the sweet, encouraging cards from other women, and add their own blessings to the box to remember when times get rough…

So, to add to this new lifestyle, I will be keeping slips of paper by this box to jot down my own blessings throughout the days and weeks and add to this box, because I don’t want to miss a single one.

And on that note, the blessings of this week…

241. Reese’s Pieces.

242. Watching nature documentaries with the boys.

243. Snowy evening at home.

244. 99 cent clothing sale at Goodwill!

245. A fabulous new haircut and color!

246. Three hours chatting with my dear friend while getting that cut and color.

247. Discovering new possibilities for the year ahead.

248. Wonderful girlfriends.

249. Children who ask lots of questions.

250. Sobe Life Water.

251. Getting a bunch of items hand-washed that have been sitting around for months!

252. Warm brownie sundaes. With Reese’s Pieces.

253. Plans for events falling into place.

254. Freshly waxed eyebrows.

255. Learning new things along with the boys.

256. It’s almost March!!!

257. Frozen Yoplait Whips.

258. That the hubby got sick on the weekend so he was able to rest.

259. “Oh how He loves us.”

260. “My soul finds rest in God alone, my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation. he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” -Psalm 62:1-2 (Our Seeds Family Worship verse of the week!)