30 Days of Thanks 2013

It's November and you know what that means! Time to count our blessings ... 

 Day 1: I am thankful for my husband. He is a hard worker, who loves his children and makes me laugh everyday. I love him more then the day we got married. I am blessed to have him.

Day 2 of the Month of Gratitude: I am thankful for my mom. She did an amazing job as a homeschooling, hardworking, single mom. Now she lives with us and is an awesome grandma and partner in crime. Thanks Mom for being you.

Day 3 of Gratitude: I am thankful for a great group of women to meet with to keep our homeschool co-op going. Tonight was the committee meeting to decide on the next semester and its amazing how many decisions we can make in 4 hours! I am blessed to have my kids in such an efficient, fun group!

Day 4:  Even after 2 days of no sleep and cuddling a fussy, whiny baby I am still so thankful for my Fiona. She is a bright penny and my snugglebug and there would have been a huge hole in our family without her.

Day 5 of Gratitude: After steak, baked potatoes, mac and cheese, and homemade bread for dinner I am thankful for good food to eat! Even when times are tough we always have yummy food on our table.

Day 6: I am thankful for my sister. I got to talk to her today - which feels like a rare occurrence now that she lives in Florida - and it was wonderful. My sister is awesome and the most fun person to be around and I miss seeing her face!   

Day 7: I am thankful for my oldest child, Claire. She may be getting a little big for her britches lately, but she is funny, observant, smart and an awesome helper. She is getting so grown up and I treasure these times (most of the time!).


Day 8: I am thankful for books. I have traveled to many amazing places via books and I love that I have a whole box of new "doorways" in my living room tonight!

Day 9: I am thankful for my middle child, my Chandler. I am so glad I had a son - they are so different from girls! This morning Chandler climbed in bed and snuggled with me and said, "Look Mom I can sing a Christmas song with my nose!" and proceed to sniff out "Jingle Bells" for me. Love that little guy.

Day 10 of Gratitude: I am thankful for beautiful fall days with my family.

Day 11: I am thankful for all of our veterans. Especially those in my life like my mom (Air Force), my Poppy (Navy), and my Uncle Eddie (Air Force). Thank you!

Day 12: I am so thankful for the opportunity to homeschool my children. Even on hectic days like today full of schoolwork, a library trip and P.E. fun at the gym I still love it.

Day 13:   Today I am thankful for a warm fire on a cold day!

Day 14: I'm so grateful for a wonderful homeschool co-op for my children. We have 34 families this year and my children loved coming to class every week. We all work hard at it and it shows!

Day 15: I am thankful for a wonderful women's Bible Study. It is so nice to have "mommy friends" some of whom are having the same struggles and others who are there for advice and encouragement. Last night instead of our usual monthly meeting we went to Asheville to hear a speaker and even though I ended up queasy from carsickness I had a wonderful time.

Day 16: I am thankful for our house. It needs work, but it's ours and I love it's charm.

Day 17 of Gratitude: I am thankful for my June Moms. When I was home on maternity leave with Claire I picked up the computer and found the Babycenter community. In my daughter's "birth club" I found over a hundred women with babies the same age as mine and in the next 7 years we have gone through board changes, dramas, more births, hospitalizations, divorces and celebrations with these ladies and even though I have never met any of them face to face they are some of my closest friends!

Day 18: I am thankful for unexpected surprises.

Day 19 of Gratitude: I am thankful for my best friend, Anna. We have known each other since 7th grade and even when we lose touch for a few years we are all caught back up in 30 minutes and it's like no time ever left. I love that her daughter is the same age as mine and she gets to be Auntie Anna for my kids.

Day 20: I am thankful for my vehicle. It runs like a workhorse and fits us all and it is exactly what we need.

Day 21 of Gratitude: Today I am thankful for "enough" money. Bills paid, necessities taken care of and fun little trips to Chik-Fil-A all budgeted in. 

Day 22: Today I am thankful for my chickens and my first green egg laid by my Easter Egger hens today! 

Day 23 & 24: I am grateful for the training on hospitality and throwing a meal together for added guests and that thanks has to go to my mom and my grandmother. Grandma trained us both and that's because my grandma is awesome. I don't know who I would have ended up being without her.

Day 25: I am thankful for the Internet. How else would I see all my friends?

Day 26:  Fiona slept from 9pm to 6am last night. That is definitely my thankful post for the day!

Day 27:  Today I am thankful for the joy on my children's faces when they saw the snow outside!

On Thanksgiving Day I am thankful for my family. We are fun, quirky, silly, and in our own way boring but I love nothing more then gathering around a table loaded with food and coffee with those people.

Day 29:  Today I am thankful for the Greenway. I am so glad we have a beautiful, safe place to take the kids and the dog for a walk!

Day 30:  I am thankful for the life attitude my family has taught me.  Times get hard or things get complicated, but you just put a smile on your face (or at least a grimace) and shoulder on.  The bad times always pass ...

30 Days of Thanks 2012

Every year I try to do a 30 days of thanks.  I post on Facebook something I am grateful for everyday.  It helps me focus on all the pluses and joys of my life.  Something we all need to do more often.

My list for 2012:

Day 1 of Gratitude:  I am thankful for my daughter. She may talk non-stop and be full of opinions - especially when it comes to bossing her brother - but she is kind and compassionate and loves to help. She is growing so fast and I love that she still loves to cuddle. She is an awesome big sister and I can't wait to see her with her new sister.

Day 2 of Gratitude: I am thankful for my son. He is in the middle of the horrific 3s, but he is still a cuddly little guy who adores having time with me or his Daddy. He's clever and silly and I am so proud of how well his is doing after a rough start in life and a year of therapies. He loves "doing school" and playing with his sister. I can't wait to see what kind of big brother he will be!

Day 3:  I am so thankful for my husband. He works so hard for us - even on Saturday - and he is a wonderful father and husband. The kids shriek and run out the door at him when he gets home every evening and he always has time for play or a snuggle when he is home with them. After 10 years of marriage I can honestly say I think I love him more now then ever. Always marry a man who makes you laugh! :)

Day 4 of Gratitude: I am so grateful for this little life growing inside of me. Even when she wakes me in the middle of the night for a dance party. :)

Day 5: Today I am thankful for a full pantry. We've had some hard times the last few winters and now I feel more secure having plenty of food in the house. We will always have meals!

Day 6 of Gratitude: I am thankful that I live in a country with the freedom to elect our leaders and voice our opinion. And I am grateful that we are allowed keep those opinions to ourselves if we so choose and merely show up at the polls to do our part.

Day 7:   Today I am thankful for a roaring fire and a cup of tea on a cold, rainy day.

Day 8 of Gratitude:  Today I am thankful for a wonderful homeschool co-op.  Lovely families and interesting topics and my children love it.  Even Chandler who has a hard time warming up every week gets excited when I say it's co-op day and  tells me how much fun he had playing on the way home.  I feel privileged to be a part of it!

Day 9 of Gratitude: Today I am thankful for my mom. She did an amazing job raising us as a homeschooling, single mom - yes that was complicated! She's a military veteran and went back to school in her 30s as a single mom to 3 children and graduated with a 4.0 average. We combined households with her this year and even though we were all nervous I think it has worked well. The kids love having grandma around (even when she is strict with them) and having someone who enjoys cooking and doing laundry as been awesome! ;) Daddy laughs how much alike my mom and I are - it's a good thing he loves her! I love you Mom. Thank you for everything you do for us!

Day 10: Today I am grateful for random acts of kindness and good people who give action to their Christianity. I came home from grocery shopping to find about a 1/2 cord of wood neatly stacked in my driveway and a note on the door from a local church telling us to have a great day. :) And I don't even go to that church! What a blessing!

Day 11: Grateful to all of our veterans near and wide. Thank you for all you have done for us and our country. Especially my mom, Uncle and Poppy!

Day 12 of Gratitude: I am thankful for the money for necessities. There may not be any more after that, but we always have what we need.

Day 13: I am thankful for libraries. Everyone in this house is obsessed with books and I can't imagine what kind of book budget we would have if we had to buy them all! It's an amazing system!

Day 14 of Gratitude: I am thankful for finding a midwife I trust. After having to change OB offices in the middle of my pregnancy I was afraid I would have a hard time but God gave me exactly the right person to walk into the office to calm my fears.

Day 15: After spending 2 hours on the phone with my grandma this afternoon I am thankful for her. I love being able to chitchat with such an amazing woman. She half raised me while my mom was working when I was a child and I have so many wonderful memories of us together - throwing cherry blossoms in the air to make it rain pink flowers, having tea parties and the awesome crafts she would put together. I love that she gets to play with my children and Claire (her namesake) and Chandler adore her as much as I do.

Day 16: I am thankful for how healthy my children are. Yes, we get our share of colds and drippy noses, but they almost never have anything serious enough that they have to go to the doctor. Chandler has a fit every year at his well-check because these strange people want to touch him. They each have been on antibiotics one time in their lives and for Chandler that was in the NICU! I pray that they stay this healthy and sturdy through their lives!

Day 17 of Gratitude: Today I am thankful for my chickens and a husband who takes his day off to work on the awesome coop and run for me. I can't wait until we have fresh farm eggs from the cute little things. You would be surprised how much fun chickens are to watch. They come running when they see me in the morning - of course I am the food lady - but they don't mind being petted or picked up and the kids love how friendly they are!

Day 18: Today I am grateful for a cozy, nice house. Sometimes it feels a little tight and Daddy and I have lots of ideas for improvement but we are very lucky to have 4 good walls, a strong roof and a nice big yard for the kids to play in.

Day 19: I an grateful for my local homeschool ladies. I love our monthly mom support meetings, our chitchat during the kid's weekly co-op and the ladies who meet for bible study once a month. I am so glad to have like-minded women to spend time with and enjoy an adult conversation!

Day 20: I am thankful for the internet. So many of my friends live there! ;) I would never have met my awesome June Moms without the internet. Between finding homeschool curriculum, entertainment, keeping in touch with friends and family, encouragement and finding information I don't know how we every did without it!

Day 21 of Gratitude: I am grateful that I am able to stay home and homeschool our children. It's not an easy job by any means and it involves sacrifices on all our parts, but we know it is what we need to do and I am so thankful to have a husband who works hard to make it happen.

Day 22 of Gratitude: On Thanksgiving Day I am thankful for my family. We are a weird bunch with a bunch of individual quirks but there is nothing better then sitting around the table after a big family dinner drinking coffee and solving the world's problems or more likely discussing the difference and significance of Star Wars vs. Star Trek or Firefly or Doctor Who or Battlestar Galactica while attempting to fit at least one small bit of each dessert in our stomachs. ;)

Day 23: I am thankful for leftovers. I have awesome goodies in my fridge. I might just nosh all day long!

Day 24: Today I am thankful for music. Where would we be as a human race if we could not express our emotions in such a powerful way?

Day 25: Today I am trying to be grateful for heartburn and all my pregnancy aches and pains. It means I have a healthy, active little munchkin inside of me.

Day 26 of Gratitude: I am incredibly grateful for books and the written word. So much knowledge just sits there waiting for us to see it! So many great minds write down their thoughts and ideas and left them for others. To be able to see and experience the world without leaving your couch - to be places that are no longer there and never will be again. I can't think of a better gift.

Day 27: I am thankful for 2 steady, reliable vehicles for us - that are ALMOST paid off!

Day 28: I am thankful for nesting energy and ambition! Even if it only last an hour or two these little bursts are really making a difference on the mess and clutter in my house!

Day 29: I am thankful for my life. There are difficult parts - but it is pretty darn great overall.

Day 30 of Gratitude: On the last day of November I just have to say that I am thankful for children who love to snuggle. :)

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.