30 Days of Thanks 2011

This month I did the 30 Days of Thanks on Facebook by posting something new I was thankful for each day.  It's a nice reminder of all the little things we should be grateful for everyday.  You have to pace yourself though - it gets a little hard after a week or two!

#1 I am grateful for our cozy little house on a cold morning!

#2 I am grateful for my family. We are always there to help each other out and we actually like each other! :)

#3 I am grateful for my handsome, hardworking husband. He's such a good daddy and my best friend!

#4 Today I am grateful for a paycheck and the money to get necessities.

#5 I am grateful for my daughter. Claire is sweet, kind, smart and very silly. She's a beautiful girl and we love having her in our lives, even if she is rather bossy! :)

#6 I am thankful for my son. Chandler is my snuggle-bug. He's so loving and smart and silly even when he is trying to establish his 2 year old independence! ;)
  
#7  Today I am grateful for my mother. She has been a wonderful mom and role model, I love spending time with her and I always know I can rely on her. My kids adore seeing her and I love that she has become such a wonderful grandma (or nah-ra as Chandler says)! I love you Mom!
  
#8  I am thankful for my sturdy van. It might be a total mom-mobile, but I can fit anything in it and it's dependable!

#9 Today I am grateful for the chance to spend an afternoon with my husband! Never thought I would be grateful that material didn't come in! 

#10 Today I am thankful for everyone who was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Thank you for helping preserve our freedoms. I am grateful for all our veterans but especially my grandfather, uncle and my mom!

#11 Just got back from a wonderful wedding. The thing I'm thankful for today? Love. I wish you every happiness David and GG!

#12 Today I am thankful for caffeine! Nicholas went back to the wedding after dinner to hang out with his friends last night and I ended up staying up too late watching a chick flick. ;)

#13 Today I am thankful for sleep and a husband who occasionally lets me sleep in. He got up with Chandler at 7am this morning and I didn't roll out of bed until 10:30! I feel wonderful.

#14 I am grateful for the opportunity to stay home and homeschool my kids. Every time Claire "gets" it the look of excitement on her face makes up for any sacrifices we have made.

#15 I am thankful for a full pantry. Even when times are tough and we only have a few dollars in the bank I never have to worry about feeding my children. We always have plenty!
  
#16 Daddy is home from work today due to the rain so today I am thankful for laughter, giggles and snuggles. I adore look on my children's faces when they realize that Daddy is home in the morning.
  
#17 I am thankful that my daughter gets the opportunity to be in a wonderful homeschool co-op. It's full of information and crafts and is casual so no one minds when the kids interrupt or wander off to ask their moms something. They have been learning about the solar system and Claire talks about it all the time!
  
#18  Today I am thankful for my grandmother. She is amazing. When my mom came home after her divorce she came home with 2 year old me and Grandma and I were a team while Mom worked. I have may wonderful memories of dancing under flower petals, eating sandwiches made into pinwheels, and getting to have tea parties with her fine china. Now I am blessed to watch her be an awesome great-grandmother to my children. Claire adores her Grandma Claire and loves getting to do crafts at her house. I am very lucky to have my grandma! :)

#19 Today I am thankful for books. They have taken me more places then I ever could have dreamed of alone and always gave me a place to escape when things were hard and I needed a time out. They may be an addiction, but at least it's one that opens my boundaries. ;)
  
#20  Sick today - I am grateful for hot tea and honey, pineapple juice and a wonderful husband who takes care of me.

#21  Today I am grateful for the rain that feeds the earth and provides us with a dark, rainy day to spend in the house.
  
#22  I'm grateful for my sister. She may be 9 1/2 years younger then me, but we still have an awesome time together. She helps keep me young and keeps me informed of the things those "whippersnappers" are doing! ;) Seriously, I love how happy and fun and loving she is and I think she is growing into an awesome person. And my kids adore their Aunt Annie!

 #23  I am grateful for a strong immune system. I rarely get sick and when I do it usually knocks me down for a day or two and then it's gone. I'm lucky to come from good, healthy peasant stock.

#23 part 2  I have two things to be thankful for today. My wonderful, best Anna. We've known each other since 7th grade and no matter what or where life takes us even if it's been years since we last talked we can always pick right back up like no time ever passed (except for a little catchup!). Our girls are 4 months apart in age and get along really well. I went over to her house today and we made had fun making soap while the girls played and her oldest boy (7 tomorrow!) played with Chandler. So fun!

#24  Today I am grateful for being born in this wonderful country. I am so blessed to live somewhere where even though we are "lower income" we have a warm, snug house, nice clothes, shoes, TWO vehicles, plenty of food and even a television and computer! We are very rich. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
  
#25  I am thankful that I am not a Black Friday kind of girl. I dropped Claire off at my grandma's house this morning. They are going to make a Christmas village out of milk cartons and then Chandler and I wandered around Kmart and we did pick up one Christmas gift for Claire and Christmas pajamas for the kids. Then we came home and he's taking a nap. So glad to have a quiet day!
  
#26  It might be silly, but I'm thankful for my pets. I have had 10 cats (Mira, Copernicus, Athena, Little Bit, Ares, Amelia, Pearl, Bonnie, Han and Malcolm) and 1 dog (a miniature dachshund named Lessa) come into my life since I moved out of the house at 17. Some had to be re-homed for various reasons (Mira, Ares, Bonnie and Lessa), some passed away (Copernicus, Little Bit, Amelia and Han) and some are still here, but they all give and gave me love and companionship and now my children get to experience that as well. I'm happy to have our furry friends in our lives.

#27  Today I am grateful for my washer and dryer. We do a lot of laundry in this house and having machines that help me are the only way I keep up. Now if someone would just invent a folding machine ....
  
#28  Today I am thankful for the Internet. As a SAHM I don't know how I would get to talk to everyone otherwise! I have made some awesome friends on here, some I haven't even met in person yet, but we're all close and here for each other. It's an amazing thing.
  
#29  I am thankful for electricity. It really is an amazing thing ...

#30  I am grateful to see what good friends my kids are. They fight, but they love each other. When they are without each other they are both upset and ask for each other and give big hugs when they are back together.

My kids show me joy

I have a cold.  I'm miserable.  My head is stuffed and my throat hurts.

Yesterday was our town Christmas parade.  Daddy took the kids by himself because I looked pathetic and didn't feel up for it.  After they left I started thinking about them watching the parade and me not being there.  I almost started to cry (and I'm going to blame that on being sick).  So I called my Mom and asked her to take me down to the parade.  I just couldn't miss seeing my kids enjoy everything and I'm glad I did. Seeing them jumping up and down and clapping at every tiny, small town float going by was a delight.  Seeing Chandler dancing and wiggling his butt to every Christmas carol and Claire shriek every time a person on a float tossed her candy made it completely worth it.  The joy they got out of a blow up rhinoceros, a dog wearing antlers and a girl on roller skates makes you stop.  Christmas is all about being a child.  It's about the wonder of the little things.  The presents are just the candles on the cake.  It's the lights and the hot chocolate and the snow and being with your loving family that is the cake and the icing.  Experience it.


And now I'm going back to my hot tea with honey and tissues and hopefully I will feel better tomorrow. 

Quiting? Or is it moving on?

Claire has told me she doesn't want to go to ballet anymore.  She's gone to 11 lessons so far - I counted.  She says it makes her tired and then she sits down on the floor and then she gets yelled at.  She showed me how she does the steps (she apparently tries to put a little of her own style in) and then she is told it's wrong.  She told me she just wants to dance at home.

Now the debate.  If I let her quit am I setting her up to quit anything if/when it gets hard?  Or have I let her try something new and she decided it wasn't for her?  Can a 5 year old decide this?  Or is she young enough that we can try again later?  Would I stifle something if I force her to continue?  Or should I give her the freedom to decide her own direction?  What if she quits and then asks to go to ballet next month?  Why is parenting so hard?

Sigh.

I told him ...

My husband is so proud of himself right now.  His coworker just had his first child a few months ago.  He was sharing with him the difficulties they are having and Daddy gave him advice.  His coworker's wife talked to their doctor and the doctor told them to do exactly what Daddy suggested!  I keep telling him he's a good daddy!  :)

This was Halloween, Halloween, Halloween ...

Just had to show off my Sleeping Beauty and 3-eyed Monster!  They had lots of fun and thought Mom approved candy was awesome!  We doled out two pieces each that night and one each everyday until they stopped asking.  :)