Wednesday
Ta-da! The last day in November. This has been a really good exercise for me. I have found myself thinking through the day about things I am thankful for and how blessed I am.
Today, on this last day of giving thanks (blogging about it anyways), I am thankful for a snow day.
We usually don't benefit from snow days because we're home anyways. No matter what the weather, we can get our school work done. But today was Wednesday and we had Pioneers, our homeschool co-op. But it was canceled! Suddenly we had an extra day at home in front of us.
And I started thinking about how we could do our normal school work and get ahead. But then I read some friends posts on facebook about playing in the snow and I remembered how exciting it was when I was a kid to have an unexpected break in the middle of the week. So I told the kids, "No school today." And their smiles lit up their faces.
They hurried to get their snow gear on and rushed outside. They came in to have hot chocolate at one point and I said, "Go ahead and play video games or watch tv if you want for awhile." And they were flabbergasted. That is not usually allowed until 3:30 around here, even on Saturday. And they happily played (okay, just a couple fights) until lunch and then they went back outside again.
And I enjoyed being a mom and not a teacher today. I cleaned and read and went outside with them and appreciated the snow. It was a beautiful day.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Day 29
Tuesday
Thankful for:
- my last physical therapy appointment! I am so grateful that they were able to correctly diagnose what was causing me pain and correct that and show me how to keep it from happening again but I'm also very glad to be done.
- coloring with my kids. All of us, sitting at the dining room table, with colored pencils and crayons spread out. I still haven't outgrown my love for coloring.
- a warm house that keeps us dry, especially when the weather is less than pleasant. Cold, rainy and windy - I'll just stay inside curled up with a book and take a nap. So thankful for those simple pleasures.
Thankful for:
- my last physical therapy appointment! I am so grateful that they were able to correctly diagnose what was causing me pain and correct that and show me how to keep it from happening again but I'm also very glad to be done.
- coloring with my kids. All of us, sitting at the dining room table, with colored pencils and crayons spread out. I still haven't outgrown my love for coloring.
- a warm house that keeps us dry, especially when the weather is less than pleasant. Cold, rainy and windy - I'll just stay inside curled up with a book and take a nap. So thankful for those simple pleasures.
Day 28
Monday
Today I am thankful for a routine. I love having days off but it's only because of our regular routine that I can truly appreciate the break.
I'm thankful for a doctor who quickly diagnosed some stomach pains that Brendan has been having and had an answer and a solution. He has been having some recurring nausea and occasional vomiting for the past 6 months and this last weekend it was worse and he was not eating much at all. It was good to put a name to it - gastritis - and to know that it will most likely be better after a few weeks on a strong antacid.
I'm thankful I switched the kids from their pediatrician to our family doctor this summer. I have not regretted that decision at all. What used to take about 3 hours now takes 45 minutes and that has been huge to me. I still don't call the doctor unless necessary but I don't dread it like I used to.
Today I am thankful for a routine. I love having days off but it's only because of our regular routine that I can truly appreciate the break.
I'm thankful for a doctor who quickly diagnosed some stomach pains that Brendan has been having and had an answer and a solution. He has been having some recurring nausea and occasional vomiting for the past 6 months and this last weekend it was worse and he was not eating much at all. It was good to put a name to it - gastritis - and to know that it will most likely be better after a few weeks on a strong antacid.
I'm thankful I switched the kids from their pediatrician to our family doctor this summer. I have not regretted that decision at all. What used to take about 3 hours now takes 45 minutes and that has been huge to me. I still don't call the doctor unless necessary but I don't dread it like I used to.
Day 27
Sunday
Thankful for:
- a calm day in the nursery. We have had some doozies so I do not take this lightly.
- getting to work in the nursery with good friends - lots of laughs and lots of help.
- the chance to get to know a young lady from church and talking for almost 2 hours about how to be a wise woman in God's eyes and also what kind of music we like. Could have easily talked longer. Very thankful for this opportunity.
- putting up our Christmas tree and decorations and watching the kids put up ornaments. I only moved a few, honest. Not only are they so pretty to look at, but it makes the season less stressful knowing that part is done and not having to find a time to do that. Now I'm in the mood for making Christmas cookies and snow and planning other fun events.
Thankful for:
- a calm day in the nursery. We have had some doozies so I do not take this lightly.
- getting to work in the nursery with good friends - lots of laughs and lots of help.
- the chance to get to know a young lady from church and talking for almost 2 hours about how to be a wise woman in God's eyes and also what kind of music we like. Could have easily talked longer. Very thankful for this opportunity.
- putting up our Christmas tree and decorations and watching the kids put up ornaments. I only moved a few, honest. Not only are they so pretty to look at, but it makes the season less stressful knowing that part is done and not having to find a time to do that. Now I'm in the mood for making Christmas cookies and snow and planning other fun events.
Day 26
Saturday
Thank you, Lord, for:
- shopping for bargains with my mom and sister. I like to go shopping, I really like finding good deals and I love shopping with others! It was a good morning. :)
- watching a Christmas movie in the afternoon while occasionally drifting off to sleep.
- sleeping in my own bed. I sleep fine at my mom's house but I guess it just fits me better.
Thank you, Lord, for:
- shopping for bargains with my mom and sister. I like to go shopping, I really like finding good deals and I love shopping with others! It was a good morning. :)
- watching a Christmas movie in the afternoon while occasionally drifting off to sleep.
- sleeping in my own bed. I sleep fine at my mom's house but I guess it just fits me better.
Day 25
Friday
- getting to see a movie with my sister and sister-in-law. The 3 of us have never gone out before and we had a lot of fun. I hope we get to do it more often.
- eating pretty much all day
- knowing I still have one more day with my family before saying good-bye
So thankful for all these blessings!
- getting to see a movie with my sister and sister-in-law. The 3 of us have never gone out before and we had a lot of fun. I hope we get to do it more often.
- eating pretty much all day
- knowing I still have one more day with my family before saying good-bye
So thankful for all these blessings!
Day 24
Thursday - the actual day of Thanksgiving
So thankful today for:
- cousins that love to play together
- happy noises like laughter and squeals. Still can cause a headache but I will choose that over crying and fighting any day.
- children old enough to play on their own and can handle missing a nap. Also thankful they still like to take a nap on most days.
- spending quality time with Josh, my brother and his wife at 11:30 at night waiting to get into Target. I'm not a die-hard Black Friday shopper but I liked the idea of going late at night instead of early in the morning. I'm a night owl anyways! My brother, Tony, and his wife, Ashley, are night owls, too, so we kept Josh awake.
So thankful today for:
- cousins that love to play together
- happy noises like laughter and squeals. Still can cause a headache but I will choose that over crying and fighting any day.
- children old enough to play on their own and can handle missing a nap. Also thankful they still like to take a nap on most days.
- spending quality time with Josh, my brother and his wife at 11:30 at night waiting to get into Target. I'm not a die-hard Black Friday shopper but I liked the idea of going late at night instead of early in the morning. I'm a night owl anyways! My brother, Tony, and his wife, Ashley, are night owls, too, so we kept Josh awake.
Day 23
Wednesday
Thank you, Lord, for
- the smell of cranberry bread baking
- packing up to visit family for a long weekend
- one of my favorite restaurants finally coming to Jackson and getting to eat there - hello, Qdoba!
- finishing a week of school in 3 days, which means we can take off some days in the future just because
Thank you, Lord, for
- the smell of cranberry bread baking
- packing up to visit family for a long weekend
- one of my favorite restaurants finally coming to Jackson and getting to eat there - hello, Qdoba!
- finishing a week of school in 3 days, which means we can take off some days in the future just because
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Day 22
Tuesday
Today I am thankful for the gray skies and the drizzly rain. We finished school, the house was clean and I had time to read for a little bit and take a short nap. What could be better on a dreary day?
Also thankful for the chance to get out and do some shopping with a friend. I wasn't sure it was going to work and was prepared to shop by myself but it did work out and it was great to chat and bounce ideas off her and cross things off my shopping list.
Thankful to come home to sink full of clean dishes with the children all snuggled in bed.
Thankful for a holiday weekend soon approaching.
Day 21
Monday
Today I am thankful for a dear aunt who drove over 2 hours to walk through my house and offer some creative insight. My home is somewhat challenging. Our family fits but the lay-out is awkward and I wanted some ideas to make it look more appealing. We are hoping to list our house with a realtor this coming spring and I want to do whatever possible to draw in a buyer. My aunt is not a professional but I have seen her house and her work in my uncle's cabins up north and she is good at thinking outside the box. (This visit may have been the reason for my cleaning frenzy the previous day.)
She had so many ideas I could barely keep up with all of them. It was great to get a vision of how the house could look and how we could show off its advantages while downplaying the negatives. It was also great to know that we had a few months to work on those ideas. I am not excited about listing our house and having to keep it ready for showings. Not excited at all. But the thought of being able to buy a house with 2 bathrooms (3 would be preferred) and bedrooms that I can walk in without bumping my head on the ceiling overshadows any hesitations I have.
So thankful for those who can see things that I can't and who care enough to drive many hours to share this vision with me. Thank you, Aunt Linda!
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