Credit: psd, Flickr

With  our first anniversary this month, we’ve been reflective about the past year of chambanamoms.com. Combine that with the holiday season and this seemed like the right time to bring back one of our favorite features, which was suggested to us by a reader. “Thankful Thursday” is your opportunity to muse on what you’re thankful for, big or small. It could be a random act of kindness, or just a simple item that makes your life easier, happier, or more fulfilled.

Each Thursday from now through Christmas, we’ll be asking you what you’re thankful for. And we’ll also tell you about a way that you can help families in our community this holiday season. Here’s a unique opportunity to expose children to the arts: donate to Tickets for Kids and help sponsor a child to see a holiday favorite, the Champaign Urbana Ballet’s presentation of the Nutcracker at Krannert Center for Performing Arts. TFK gives Nutcracker ballet tickets to elementary and pre-school students who are defined by their schools as “at risk” because of financial difficulties and/or hearing, speech or physical disabilities. You can donate to Tickets for Kids online or visit Cakes on Walnut, which will be collecting donations for Tickets for Kids through the end of November.

It’s been an emotional week for us. We’re feeling extra thankful on this Thankful Thursday, thankful for all of our readers, sponsors, the Champaign-Urbana community at large. Also a huge thank you goes out to all the friends and family who have supported us through the past year.

What are you thankful for today? Tell us, we want to know.

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Credit: psd, Flickr

With the countdown to our anniversary, we’ve been reflective about the past year of chambanamoms.com. This seems like the right time to bring back one of our favorite features, which was suggested to us by a reader. “Thankful Thursday” is your opportunity to muse on what you’re thankful for, big or small. It could be a random act of kindness, or just a simple item that makes your life easier, happier, or more fulfilled.

Each Thursday from now through Christmas, we’ll be asking you what you’re thankful for. And we’ll also tell you about a way that you can help families in our community. Here’s an easy one: head over Saturday to Lincoln Square Mall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the second annual Holiday Helping for the Hungry, an expo featuring local vendors and holiday shopping. Admission is a donation of five nonperishable food items (or $5) to the Eastern Illinois Foodbank.

It’s also been awhile since we counted our blessings here on chambanamoms, but we’re feeling extra thankful on this Thankful Thursday.

What are you thankful for today? Freshly baked bread, or your fireplace? Drama-free playdates?  Tell us, we want to know.

Related posts:

1. ‘Tis The Season to Give: Opportunities to Do Good In Chambana

Credit: psd, Flickr

This time next week, we’ll be on our way to Nashville for a conference to learn more about how to offer you the best possible content here on chambanamoms.com.

It’s been awhile since either one of us has been away from our children and husbands, especially for business. But we’re both so grateful for the opportunity to grow — and for the fact that if it weren’t for all of our terrific readers we’d have no reason to go grab a little sun down south.

It’s also been awhile since we counted our blessings here on chamabanmoms, but we’re feeling extra thankful on this Thankful Thursday.

Amy is grateful for the fact that she is able to work and still spend time with her children, which is a choice she knows so many women do not have.

Laura is thankful for her family this week, for making accomodations that will let her travel to Blissdom!

What are you thankful for on this chilly Thursday? The sunshine? Cheese danish? A free wifi hot spot? Do tell!

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Credit: psd, Flickr

Like everyone else, we are glued to the continuing and relentlessly sad coverage of the earthquake in Haiti. We ache for those abroad who are suffering, and for those here in the US waiting for word from loved ones.

Watching the terrible news from that country makes us extra grateful for the bountiful blessings we have, and we invite you to do the same on this Thankful Thursday.

Laura is thankful that the world is opening their hearts to the people of Haiti. Amy is thankful for the health of her husband and children, and for the soft and comfortable bed she sleeps in each night.

What are you thankful for? Whatever it is, big or small, share it with us, won’t you?

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Credit: Kevin Dooley, Flickr

It’s Christmas Eve and we’ve finished all our shopping, trimmed the tree and made all the cookies — or at least, we got as much done as any mom or dad can manage at the busiest time of the year.

Now we have time to take a deep breath, and in the spirit of the season we’re counting our blessings here at chambanamoms.com, and we invite you to do the same for our weekly Thankful Thursday.

Laura is thankful for everyone who made me or anyone in my family smile this year — that’s a whole lot of you out there! This has been a wonderful year for our family.

Amy is grateful for the robust health of her children, for her husband, who supports all of her endeavors, large and small, and for the great blessing of having enough food to eat and a comfortable roof over her head.

And we are both grateful for all of you, who come here to support our work at chambanamoms.com.

What are you thankful for on this Christmas Eve? Your children? Your spouse? Figgy pudding? Please share!

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There is so much to be done between now and the holidays, it’s overwhelming. Are you staying up till all hours wrapping gifts, baking, getting your house ready? Not sure what the kids are going to do for the next two weeks? Or are you getting dragged to another party you don’t really want to go to? Sometimes the holidays feel like another *major* chore, and it’s hard to feel joy.

But we’re still counting our blessings here at chambanamoms.com, and we invite you to do the same for our weekly Thankful Thursday.

Laura is thankful to have a husband who asks for a new soap dispenser for Hanukkah. He cracks me up.

What are you grateful for this December Thursday? $2 latte day? Your kids’ holiday concerts? Double-sided tape? Tell us, Chambana minds want to know.

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Credit: psd, Flickr

When we went to bed last night, the winds, they were a-screaming, folks. It was c-c-c-cold out there, babies. When the weather is this bad it’s easy to grouse and moan about the snow and the rain and did I mention the wind? According to the good people on WILL, we had “tropical storm force winds” yesterday, without the benefit of the “tropical.”

But we’re still counting our blessings here at chambanamoms.com, and we invite you to do the same for our weekly Thankful Thursday.

Amy is grateful for her wonderful babysitter, Joanna, who makes it so easy for her to work without worrying about who is taking care of Emmie and Henry.

Laura is thankful to have a mother-in-law with whom I enjoy spending time. She drove several hours to visit us this week and help take care of our little one.

What are you grateful for this December Thursday? Your Wet Swiffer? Your woolly mittens? Holiday cookies? Tell us, Chambana minds want to know.

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Credit: psd, Flickr

One of our lovely readers (you know who you are) suggested that in addition to our regular feature, Sound Off Monday!, we feature a post every week where we share what we’re thankful for:

Why not a Thankful Thursday where we can post thoughts of gratitude? Acknowledge random acts of kindness from a stranger or appreciation for the little joys in life, like waterproof mascara and resealable cookie packaging?

We couldn’t agree more. So let’s kick off our inaugural Thankful Thursday post, shall we? Laura is thankful for the people of this community who are so generous of their time. Like the man who came to her house today and probably saved her $7,000.

Amy is thankful for the stranger who put a quarter in her parking meter this week, preventing her from getting yet another parking ticket from the city of Urbana.

What are you thankful for today? A warm scarf? Cream in your coffee? The twinkle in your child’s eye? Tell us, we want to know.

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