It's the little things

Lately, I've been having a lot of "ahhh" moments. Not to be confused with Oprah's "Ah-ha" moments, of course. I'm not claiming I'm anything like the O. 

Just little things that have made me smile or feel really blessed or just say, "ahhh, life is good." Nothing big or life-changing, but definitely moment-pausing. So, in honor of all the little things in life, here are a couple of my recent "ahhh" moments.

1. Starbucks. Despite the fact that I don't drink coffee, I've been a fan of Starbucks for about five years. (I distinctly remember my very first Chai Tea Latte, courtesy of Aunt Jan on the weekend of Molly's baptism.) But, lately, I've discovered a couple things I never knew. Did you know that you can get a Chai Tea Latte as a frozen drink? Yeah, I discovered that this summer. It's called a Chai Creme Frappucino. And, it is delicious. Then, three weeks ago, I discovered that you can get Starbucks' famous pumpkin spice added to either the Chai Creme Frappcino or my regular Chai Tea Latte. And, if you're like me, you can always get them made with soy. Mmmmmmmm ... heaven, pure heaven, I'm tellin' ya.

2. Compliments from your kid's teacher. I walk to pick Molly up from school, and it just so happens that her teacher is the one who corrals the kindergarteners and makes sure they are all picked up by their parents. I've talked to her several times as I picked Molly up, and she always assures me that Molly is doing great, that she is super well behaved and a great role model for her classmates. The other day, Molly left her jacket at school. (Of course, we figured it out after we were almost all the way home and up the giant hill to our house.) So, we turned back around to go get it. We went into her classroom to find it, and I got a chance to talk to her teacher a little more. She told me that Molly was always right beside her as an excellent role model for all the other kids and that if all her students were like Molly, her job would be a breeze. Then, she said that it was clear she was being raised by great parents. Ahhh, color me proud. Ok, so maybe I never really outgrew trying to be a teacher's pet.

Molly and Mrs. Clutts on back to school night.

3. Smelly Soap. It's turning seasons; becoming fall. Clearly, from number 1, you can tell I love pumpkin. Like, really, really love pumpkin. All things pumpkin. But, I also really like other fall scents. And, nothing can make me as happy as getting new fall-smelling soaps. Last weekend, I went to Bath and Body Works when they were having a huge sale on their soaps. I stocked up. And, now, whenever I wash my hands with the new Fresh-Picked Pomegranate soap, I smile. I'm telling you, it's the little things.

4. Charlotte's singing. So, if you're a regular reader of the blog, you know a couple weeks ago, I asked for suggestions on kids' CDs that wouldn't drive me crazy. I got a lot of suggestions, and several overlapped. Enter, the Laurie Berkner Band. When it's not the "I'm not Perfect" song, which I skip for reasons I detailed here, I love the CD. I just picked up the Best Of CD at Target and couldn't be happier with it. And, the best part, when I hear Charlotte, my used-to-be-practically-mute child, singing along with the songs in the back seat. She especially thinks the "Victor Vito" song is hilarious because it talks about Freddie eating spaghetti. And, in her Little People videos (yes, there are in fact Little People videos, we got them from our neighbor), Freddie is a frog. The thought of a frog eating spaghetti is so funny that every time she hears it, she says, "Freddie? That's so silly!" It makes me smile every. single. time.

Charlotte checking out the newest princess Little People. She said, "I want these!" I told her to put them on her Christmas list. She loves Little People, apparently in video, song or as princesses in Wal-Mart. 

Ahhhh ... I bet you're saying that now that my post is done. It can be so easy to remember the big things and gloss over the little stuff, but with my absolutely atrocious memory, I wanted to take a second to write it down to make sure I remember all the stuff that made me pause and say, "ahhhh."

What kind of stuff makes you say, "ahhh?"