It'a hard to believe that November is here. At Mommy's Block Party, we've been preparing for the holidays since July. Usually, at this point in the year, I am so happy to finally be able to match what I'm working on with the actual season. When you work in marketing, retail, product development, entertainment (and other professions, too), you're always having to think about projects and events that will happen months into the future, and it can make you lose sight of the reason for all of the planning and prep. This is my story and song every October - December, and this year, I'm done with feeling like I'm dragging myself through the actual holiday season.

'Working on 30+ projects at a time always has me in a bit of a tizzy. Checking emails simultaneously as I work on writing, pitches, proposals, responses, status updates, engagements, participate in group chats for Influencers, and try to keep it all straight. My family life often suffers because I am constantly working, and while it all looks like a fun, maybe even glamorous lifestyle, it's incredibly stressful, and often emotionally draining. What you see on social media is often my very best- and the other 85% that you don't see isn't always so wonderful.

That's just the reality of life sometimes- we're working too hard, and we're too easily accessible, so we never know when to stop communicating. We no longer respect one another's home life and private time, and waiting for an answer due to personal circumstances seems out of the question.

This November, I'll be busier than any other time of the year. I'm bracing myself for an incredibly busy, yet wonderful holiday season. It's a joy to connect our MBP audience with wonderful brands, products, services & gift ideas, and we wouldn't have it any other way. At the same time, I'm going to re-focus this month and hone in on remembering to be thankful... to express gratitude and be a good example for my kids, so they'll grow up with thankful hearts and helping hands.

Make a Gratitude Tree with Your Family this November!

For the month of November, I'm keeping a daily gratitude journal. It's just something for me- so I can jot down one thing per day that I am thankful for. (Thank you, God- for my job, thank you, God, for my family, thank you, God, for my friendships...). I don't have to share it on social media for it to mean something. In fact, I find that it's more meaningful if I don't. 

We'll follow suit at home with our Gratitude Tree. Each year, we gather twigs and sticks from our neighborhood and place them in a large vase. We add leaves and other beautiful seasonal decor pieces, to make it a focal point in our dining room,. When we gather for family dinner each night in November, everyone takes a small tag and writes one thing or person that they're thankful for and hangs it from a branch. By the end of the month, we enjoy reading back through all of the wonderful ways we've been blessed and give thanks to God.

Will you stop and think about the ways you've been blessed? The every day and the mundane can surely get us down, and it's easy to forget our blessings. Take stock and put your blessings on display this November. It makes a world of difference in my heart and attitude when I'm over-stressed by the commercialism of the holidays, and I guarantee that it can do the same for you.

So tell me, what are you thankful for?