Is it really this simple? It's all about perspective

So, this week I started my coaching with Lonnie and Pamela Crim.  Monday night I talked with Lonnie and the thing that struck me the most was he said, in regards to me grumbling a bit about "having" to clean my kids car seats which are long overdue a cleaning, "Jennifer it's all about your perspective.  You need to change your perspective.  Do you know how many mamas would LOVE to be able to clean their babies car seats.  What about all the women whose children are sick and in the hospital." And then my mind went to or what about all the women who are struggling to even get pregnant.  You can betcha I will never grumble again or say I have to clean my kids car seats.  Now my week has been rough and tumble a bit.  I was completely out of commission on Tuesday with a chest cold and didn't get home until Wednesday.  I was still feeling pretty rough then too.  Long story short I haven't gotten to clean the car seats because I have needed to use them.  The covers have to hang dry so they take a while to dry.  But I can guarantee you Sunday we aren't going anywhere and I am going to clean those car seats like it's nobody's business.  I am so thankful to have my two beautiful children to put in those car seats, the car to put the seats in, the funds to pay for the car and the seats and the gas to drive the car down the road.  And as life has a way of doing, I got another lesson in perspective yesterday.  My cousin Bonnie and my Aunt Rhonda came for a visit.  Bonnie was oogling and googling over different things about my house.  And it made me laugh because you see, when I went to Bonnie's I did the same thing.  I oogled and google over the fact that hers was newer construction, mine was built in 1979.  And her furniture was newer and looked like it belongs in her house.  I used to feel that mine looked off because I had picked it out to match a entirely different house.  She oogled and googled over my "vintage" light fixtures and design.  Which again makes me giggle because often times my husband and I grumble over the fact that it's not new construction, the real master bedroom has a tiny closet, and a myriad of other things that we find to be imperfections.  But that's not what Bonnie saw.  You see Bonnie fell in love the instant she drove in the driveway.  She said it was the most beautiful house she had ever seen.  She drooled over my white kitchen cabinets (my 1979 made cabinets which I painted and put new handles on, which my husband and I constantly talk about replacing) she loved the really cool see through fireplace (which has always driven me crazy because it makes it hard to arrange furniture) and she even loved the old brick hearth.  And you know what is even funnier to me is that the kitchen table with chairs from a different table, her and her mom just both loved, and let me tell you now seriously those mismatched (dirty) chairs and table have made me hesitate to invite people over....oh my how embarassing is that to admit.  So, the long and short of it is...I have changed my perspective...I do have the coolest house ever!  I have a house that was built by my husband's grandpa.  It's imperfectly perfect because it is a non-traditional design with a floorplan that you're sure to never find again.  2100 square feet spread out on three levels.  A master bedroom on the main floor with a tiny closet perfect for Griffin.  Which leaves us upstairs with Sydney, which is perfect because Sydney comes to sleep with us every night at some point, so she doesn't have to climb stairs.  Perfect because Griffin will never be the kind of kid that wants to crawl in bed with mom and dad.  A kitchen filled with cabinets that his grandpa made by hand that has deep indentations and scratches on them on the doors that Rob's grandma used a lot that came from her wedding ring.  A counter built for her that's built to her 5'1" frame (I'm 5'9") that is the perfect place to pull up stools to and let the kids eat.  A house that was built so sturdy the basement is as dry as the Arizona desert with plenty of wall space to display my kids pictures.  A house that is a home to my beautiful family that was full of a wonderful history already before we ever started making our own here.  It really is amazing what a shift in perspective can do for you.  It has totally change my view on almost everything including food.  Food is fuel.  Food is not a reward.  and because of that shift in perspective I have lost 11 lbs since attending the Smokin Hot Mama Retreat the first weekend in October.  Wooooo hoooooo!!!  I'll end this post with Lonnie's example that I will never forget.  He shared with me that maybe I was watching the 3D movie of my life without the 3D glasses.  You see you can watch a 3D movie without the glasses and you are still watching the same movie as everyone else in the theater, but how much cooler is it when you wear the glasses.   So my glasses are ON!!!