What are my successes for today? For the past year, before I go to bed at night, this is the question I ask myself? What have I done today that I am most proud or happy about? And you know what? It’s not as easy as it sounds. We often focus on what is not working in our lives and forget that we accomplished in our day, even if those accomplishments are small.

For example, just writing this blog post and letting others read it is a success for me. Getting dressed first thing in the morning is another success (I work from home, so often my PJs are my outfit of the day).

Another success is taking my granddaughter to school on Thursday mornings and spending that quality time, just her and I. That is the best part of my Thursdays. She shares with me her thoughts or reads to me the stories she writes (is she trying to follow Grandma’s footsteps here?) Other times we have some deep conversations such as “Why do kids bully others?” “Why do parents get a divorce?” “What is it like to die?”

Those are the moments that I treasure the most because they are memorable and tender. Taylor will be turning 9 this summer and I know that when she will be a teenager, she may not want to spend that much time with Grandma.

I also know that she is at an influential age, a time when she is asking many questions and seeking answers, sometimes from her peers and (fearfully for me) the internet. Along with her parents, I want Taylor to know that I am there for her, to answer those questions, that taking that 20 to 30 minutes in the morning to be with her can make a world of difference. And that is one of my biggest success of the day.

Claudette Chenevert also known as “The Stepmom Coach” provides advice, support and guidance to women who are entering the “Instant Family” realm, feeling overwhelmed, misunderstood and isolated.

She is the author of a very popular minibuk called “Words of Hope, Inspiration and Wisdom for Stepmoms” and has also co-authored the book “Celebrating Moms and Motherhood”. Claudette is an active participant on many Facebook groups and has her fan page at http://www.facebook.com/ClaudetteChenevert.StepmomCoach .

For more on how to transition from Surviving to THRIVING, one STEP at a time, go to http://www.stepmomcoach.com and sign up for the FREE audio “The 3 Biggest Mistakes Stepfamilies Make”