In my blog posts and videos, I talk a lot about the importance of keeping perspective when it comes to the stressors in your life.

I often encourage people (including myself) to stop, and ask themselves…

Will this matter in 5 minutes?
Will this matter in 5 days?
Will this matter in 5 years?

before they react to something.

Seriously, when I feel like I’m about to flip my lid, or get overwhelmed by something that I can’t control, I do my best to go back to these three questions.

It’s amazing how doing so, can literally change the way you perceive a situation.

Lately I’ve also started to focus a lot on gratitude. Honestly guys, when I used to hear people talk about practicing daily gratitude, I thought it was really cheesy.

I’d be like, “yes, we’re all grateful,” and then roll my eyes a bit and move on to the next topic of conversation.

But lately I’ve started to implement daily gratitude into my own life, and it’s been game changing.

A few months back someone on a Podcast I listen to, encouraged listeners to write down five things they are grateful for EVERY SINGLE MORNING before doing anything else. Yes, I thought it was a bit lame, but I figured I am already up at 5am to enjoy my coffee before the chaos of the morning ensues, so why the heck not?

It’s now become part of my daily routine, and is something I highly recommend.

As many of you know, we’re in a challenging season in our lives. We’ve been trying to add to our family for a couple years now, but have been struggling with secondary infertility.

It’s been hard. Really hard. From time to time, I’ve found myself wallowing and in a dark place.

But I’ve found that focusing on all that we have to be grateful for has really helped keep those emotions in check.

Amongst all the extra stressors in our life right now, we do have SO much to be grateful for. Our family is healthy. We have food in our cupboards. We have a roof over our heads and are able to provide our kids with everything that they need!

It seems basic, but it’s a luxury that not everyone has.

Here in Canada, winter is fast approaching, which means there is going to be a LOT of snow. Whether we like it or not, the cold weather is on its way.

Last week I went through our winter bins for all the kids to make sure that everyone has everything they need to stay warm this winter. After the kids tried everything on, I discovered that we needed a few new winter coats. So, I hopped online and placed the order.

Again, not everyone has this luxury.  

Guys, for one in five Canadian families, proper winter clothing has been a luxury they can’t afford (Source: Angus Reid Institute). According to a recent study  by Quaker Canada, more than 1 in 5 Canadian parents have struggled financially to ensure that their child is dressed appropriately for winter.

Parenting can be stressful enough without having to worry if your kids are dressed warm enough for the winter weather.

If that doesn’t help put your stressors into perspective, I don’t know what will. 

When kids don’t have winter coats, they can’t enjoy recess at school or participate in winter activities – it likely affects their physical health, their mental health and their social interactions.

I’m in tears just typing this.

Again, as a mom and a stepmom, I can’t imagine.

That’s why I am so thrilled to partner with Quaker Canada to spread the word about their #JoyOfWarmth program . This year, Quaker Canada has partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs in Canada to provide new winter coats to families in need.

My guess is, that as you’re reading this, you’re looking at your stressors with a whole new perspective, and asking “how can I help?”.

You can help extend the reach of this program and support Canadian families in need during our cold Canadian winter by sharing the hashtag #JoyofWarmth and tagging @QuakerCanada on your public Facebook, Twitter or Instagram posts. For every hashtag used, Quaker will provide a warm bowl of oatmeal to a child in need at Boys and Girls Club locations across the country (up to 100,000 bowls). How amazing it that?!

A healthy breakfast, and a warm winter coat!! Two things that every child deserves, but something not every child has.

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Guys, we all have our struggles, we all have our issues. There are so many things about parenting, step-parenting and life in a blended family that are stressful and trying.

The point of this post is to remind you to keep perspective, focus on what’s truly important. It’s okay to be sad or stressed out, but please don’t fixate on things you can’t control, or things that in the large scheme of life, don’t actually matter.

There are so many more important things that should get our time and attention, like ensuring all the kids in Canada are warm this winter!

DISCLOSURE: This post was created in partnership with Quaker Canada. While I did receive compensation for this post, as always, all opinions are my own!

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