We all know the standard list of things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving: our faith, friends, and families, our kids teachers and coaches, public servants, modern conveniences like running water & electricity, having our needs met through homes, jobs, and ample availability of groceries. We all have much to be thankful for. One of the most eye-rolling repeated phrases my kids know is when I say
"Have an attitude of what?"
"Gratitude" they chime in unison.
So much of our happiness in life is based on what we're grateful for. Some of the not-so-little things I'm grateful for are:
1)How well my kids get along. Whether it's making up rules for a board game, or seeing our youngest son use our oldest son as a recliner, moments where my kids are together and enjoying being together are among my favorites.
2) Watching my husband with our kids, especially reading stories at bedtime, or playing games. (Also watching my husband when he's concentrating...or happy. Or pretty much anytime. I kinda like him.)
3) That my marriage is peaceful and harmonious. That we still have fun together, and like each other, and want to be around each other pretty much all the time.
4) That my in-laws are present, involved with our kids, and all around fabulous.
5) That my own parents are only a couple hours away, and always waiting in the wings when I need them.
6) My amazing network of friends, online and off. I never go a day without a smile or laugh because of them.
With that stated, here are 30 small, maybe silly things I am grateful for.
1) Caribou Coffee in Hy-vee. Eggnog latte with real eggnog anyone?
2) Sunny days on my deck with a book.
3) When a parking space opens up just where I need it.
4) Music, art, and theater. Without them my soul would feel incomplete.
5) Free time.
6) Being caught up on any single chore.
7) Magazines, especially in my bed when I'm half brain-dead.
8) Books as well...an affordable vacation to any world I choose.
9) spontaneous silliness, whether it's a chicken puppet or impromptu face contest
10) cooking- a creative outlet, a way to get information out of teenagers, teaching math and chemistry to elementary kids in sneaky ways, collaborative efforts with my husband, my favorite activity.
11) 24 hour grocery stores.
12) the smells of the seasons, from the first candle in autumn to the chlorine of the pool in summer.
13) Crocs. The most indestructible, comfortable, summer shoe on earth.
14) Dollar Tree. For the things kids lose faster than they blink, like gloves and sparkly barrettes..and necessities like soap and shampoo.
15) Stuffed animals and pillows
16) Gardening
17) nice smelling hair and body stuff
18) Door 2 Door Organics. I love having produce delivered to my house, and how much easier to get kids interested in it because it's "mail".
19) Boiler heat. Our current house has radiators. That means it doesn't dry out in the winter, and feels warmer at a cooler temp on the thermostat.
20) Hardwood floors with fuzzy socks.
22) Ice cream
23) nice pens and notebooks, colored pencils, markers, and crayons
24) sports and games
25) fuzzy blankets, especially on the couch watching tv "sharing" with the kids
26) small inconveniences that save me big problems later.
27) the kindness of strangers
28) the time and ability to volunteer
29) camping
30) improvisation...whether it's duct tape costumes or how to substitute for ingredients, new ways to old things are always fun.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving!
Today has been a bake-and-clean -a-thon for my darling husband...a last minute shopping and recipe checking event for me, and a whole lot of digital for the youngest three. Our teenager is around here somewhere too, but he's pretty good at hiding when he smells housework.
After my second store run though, I had had enough. We turned off the digital and kicked the kids outside. It worked for a little while. There were scooters flying down the sidewalk, neighbor kids to exchange yards with, and leaves and sticks to investigate. Then they got thirsty and came inside, to find dad watching basketball. This is where kid-watching today got entertaining.
Have you ever watched an eight year old play monopoly with a five and six year old? It was an absolute riot. "Mom, what's 500-106?" Yes, let's break the big bills and get all our "change" in ones.
Let's buy houses....Let's abandon the game to play house! Or wrestle. Or play sesame street chess.
"Mom, we need some more games?" (Yes we do. It may be our family christmas thing this year.)
"Mom, look, I made a sling."
"Did you hurt your arm?"
"No, I just wanted to see if I remembered how. Now I'm going to practice using only one hand for the rest of the day...but I put my right hand in the sling because I'm left handed."
With our GF/DF boy at Grandma's we had pizza for dinner.
Then there was the meaningless threats after dinner:
I swear if I hear the "minecraft" version of "dy-no-mite" one more time, that kid is going to be cleaning the baseboards in both the bathrooms.
Who wants to go to bed at seven o clock? (I do!)
Don't even think of touching those pies/rolls tonight or you won't get any tomorrow.
Did you ask to use that? Hmmmm?
Forget it. I'm going to hide at the computer and work on Nano for a while.
I emerge from my November novel writing project and it's soooo quiet.
"Where are the mini-minions? Are they all in bed?"
"yeah." the husband grunts from his computer.
They did get their hugs. Sometimes I'm just too distracted by the urgent to pay attention to the important. My family is what I'm thankful for....not just my baking/cleaning husband, but all of them. So tomorrow we're alll just going to relax and enjoy the day.
Happy thanksgiving!
After my second store run though, I had had enough. We turned off the digital and kicked the kids outside. It worked for a little while. There were scooters flying down the sidewalk, neighbor kids to exchange yards with, and leaves and sticks to investigate. Then they got thirsty and came inside, to find dad watching basketball. This is where kid-watching today got entertaining.
Have you ever watched an eight year old play monopoly with a five and six year old? It was an absolute riot. "Mom, what's 500-106?" Yes, let's break the big bills and get all our "change" in ones.
Let's buy houses....Let's abandon the game to play house! Or wrestle. Or play sesame street chess.
"Mom, we need some more games?" (Yes we do. It may be our family christmas thing this year.)
"Mom, look, I made a sling."
"Did you hurt your arm?"
"No, I just wanted to see if I remembered how. Now I'm going to practice using only one hand for the rest of the day...but I put my right hand in the sling because I'm left handed."
With our GF/DF boy at Grandma's we had pizza for dinner.
Then there was the meaningless threats after dinner:
I swear if I hear the "minecraft" version of "dy-no-mite" one more time, that kid is going to be cleaning the baseboards in both the bathrooms.
Who wants to go to bed at seven o clock? (I do!)
Don't even think of touching those pies/rolls tonight or you won't get any tomorrow.
Did you ask to use that? Hmmmm?
Forget it. I'm going to hide at the computer and work on Nano for a while.
I emerge from my November novel writing project and it's soooo quiet.
"Where are the mini-minions? Are they all in bed?"
"yeah." the husband grunts from his computer.
They did get their hugs. Sometimes I'm just too distracted by the urgent to pay attention to the important. My family is what I'm thankful for....not just my baking/cleaning husband, but all of them. So tomorrow we're alll just going to relax and enjoy the day.
Happy thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Warning: Theology and politics ahead.
The current election cycle has come to an end. At least in my circles, a lot of the controversy has been about social issues like health care and welfare. Now for the most part my ticket was purple as usual. I'm not affiliated with either party and vote according to my personal legal ideals, which are not the same as my personal moral ideals.
However, if there is any one Bible passage I take as a directive on how to live my life, it is this. (I'm using the New King James off Bible Gateway today.)
Luke 10: 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
Love God. Love our neighbor. The story of the good Samaritan follows...and is summed up by who was the neighbor? The one who showed mercy. Jesus replies like Nike. "Just do it."(Luke 10:37)
Mercy seems to be really important to God. It's mentioned 275 times in the Bible.
Another of my favorite verses about mercy is a kid's song too.
Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Mercy is not to be brushed to the side, so sayeth Jesus.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
Yes it does say justice along with mercy, but justice isn't judgement. Most NT references to justice regarding how we treat others refers to seeking relief for the oppressed (like the parable of the widow and the judge.) I feel this passage in James also makes the ordering of our priorities clear.
James 2:13 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
A couple other verses that affect my politics, and are in accord with my view that my legal views and moral views don't have to necessarily be one and the same.
I Corinthians 6
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges.
This verse comes at the end of a long sin laundry list, and how the church should handle others within the church who commit these sins. But then it explicitly states, "don't hold unbelievers to this standard." (paraphrase.)
The bible also says to protect the innocent in multiple places, so I'm not totally liberal. I am kind of rabid where tiny humans are concerned, born or unborn.
So how should we treat unbelievers? See Good Samaritan story above. I feel that the fact that health care and welfare are such huge issues is because the Church has failed. I have failed. Thus the government feels the need to step in. In the end, my duty as a Christian is to make sure people are taken care of.
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”" John 13:35
However, if there is any one Bible passage I take as a directive on how to live my life, it is this. (I'm using the New King James off Bible Gateway today.)
Luke 10: 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’[a] and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”[b]
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.
Love God. Love our neighbor. The story of the good Samaritan follows...and is summed up by who was the neighbor? The one who showed mercy. Jesus replies like Nike. "Just do it."(Luke 10:37)
Mercy seems to be really important to God. It's mentioned 275 times in the Bible.
Another of my favorite verses about mercy is a kid's song too.
Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Mercy is not to be brushed to the side, so sayeth Jesus.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
Yes it does say justice along with mercy, but justice isn't judgement. Most NT references to justice regarding how we treat others refers to seeking relief for the oppressed (like the parable of the widow and the judge.) I feel this passage in James also makes the ordering of our priorities clear.
James 2:13 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
A couple other verses that affect my politics, and are in accord with my view that my legal views and moral views don't have to necessarily be one and the same.
I Corinthians 6
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges.
This verse comes at the end of a long sin laundry list, and how the church should handle others within the church who commit these sins. But then it explicitly states, "don't hold unbelievers to this standard." (paraphrase.)
The bible also says to protect the innocent in multiple places, so I'm not totally liberal. I am kind of rabid where tiny humans are concerned, born or unborn.
So how should we treat unbelievers? See Good Samaritan story above. I feel that the fact that health care and welfare are such huge issues is because the Church has failed. I have failed. Thus the government feels the need to step in. In the end, my duty as a Christian is to make sure people are taken care of.
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”" John 13:35
Monday, November 5, 2012
How did our oldest son's birthday & Halloween slip by?
Eeek! Don't feel too neglected, blog-land...I've just been directing my writing energies in a different direction, Nanowrimo. Today, at this exact second, I am caught up so I get to backtrack to much more important things, like my kids.
First and foremost, we have survived our first official teen year, our oldest child turned 14! He just wanted to have cake and a movie with a couple of friends...so it was an easy birthday year from the parent point of view. Did I mention he wanted to take his friends with to a movie with his family? He hasn't disowned us yet. We must be doing something right.
Once we cleared that hurdle it was on to Halloween. This had to be my biggest cheater Halloween ever. Most of our recycled costumes were in sad-sad shape...stained, holey, missing pieces, sizes no one has worn in a while, so we sprung for new ones this year, except for above mentioned 14 year old. He just recycled his skeleton mask & gloves sitting in our driveway handing out candy...or eating it. Probably both. My costume creativity was spent on the girls. They both wanted to be Hello Kitty. Thing is, the store costumes looked like sized down teen ones...so instead of cute little girl, they looked more like He-lloooo Kitty. That just wasn't going to work. So they each got some new clothes fitting the theme, a set of ears w/ bow I found at Deals!, and a tail. I bought this infinity scarf-muff thingy at K-mart and was going to butcher it into two tails w/ scissors and duct tape. Grandma graciously offered her sewing services instead, and the end result was soooo cute! Or maybe it's just my daughter that's cute, but I'm biased.
Courtesy of K-mart's 1/2 price costumes, our twelve year old was a ninja, our ten year old batman, and our kindie boy spidey.
Even though Si guy is kid # 6, he was kid number one to get me to do anything for a kindergarten party. Sugar-hyped cat herding w/ hovering nervous parents is just not my idea of a good time...so I dropped off my monster fingers for healthy snack, and excused myself to go home and get showered and dressed. Yeah, Halloween was that kind of morning. At least my PJ pants and sweatshirt matched.
I did return to the school in the afternoon for my 4th grade room parent duties. It was, well, an interesting experience. These kids have soooo much energy, and I don't. Maybe it's because there's 16 boys and only 7 girls, or maybe I've been in the 5th & 6th grade rooms a little too long. Movie titles are just too abstract for 4th grade Pictionary. They liked making up the story and the glow-in-the-dark eyeball bouncy balls, so all wasn't lost. One party down, two to go.
We did trick-or-treating differently this year too. E1 & E2 went w/ a gaggle of older kids, so I just had the youngest three. With the wonderful weather, it was probably the longest trick-or-treat treck we've ever taken, and I didn't even have to make meaningless threats after the first block or two. The boys seemed to be having a good time too when we crossed their paths once. I love that we live in a friendly neighborhood with gaggles of kids. Another note. Buy more candy next year. We ran out before eight.
Since Halloween, we've had our oldest's last football game, and Nutcracker rehearsals for E1, and been selling Girl Scout cookies! Anyone want some? Y'all know where to find me. Signing off to take Ms. P to her troop meeting tonight.
First and foremost, we have survived our first official teen year, our oldest child turned 14! He just wanted to have cake and a movie with a couple of friends...so it was an easy birthday year from the parent point of view. Did I mention he wanted to take his friends with to a movie with his family? He hasn't disowned us yet. We must be doing something right.
Once we cleared that hurdle it was on to Halloween. This had to be my biggest cheater Halloween ever. Most of our recycled costumes were in sad-sad shape...stained, holey, missing pieces, sizes no one has worn in a while, so we sprung for new ones this year, except for above mentioned 14 year old. He just recycled his skeleton mask & gloves sitting in our driveway handing out candy...or eating it. Probably both. My costume creativity was spent on the girls. They both wanted to be Hello Kitty. Thing is, the store costumes looked like sized down teen ones...so instead of cute little girl, they looked more like He-lloooo Kitty. That just wasn't going to work. So they each got some new clothes fitting the theme, a set of ears w/ bow I found at Deals!, and a tail. I bought this infinity scarf-muff thingy at K-mart and was going to butcher it into two tails w/ scissors and duct tape. Grandma graciously offered her sewing services instead, and the end result was soooo cute! Or maybe it's just my daughter that's cute, but I'm biased.Courtesy of K-mart's 1/2 price costumes, our twelve year old was a ninja, our ten year old batman, and our kindie boy spidey.
Even though Si guy is kid # 6, he was kid number one to get me to do anything for a kindergarten party. Sugar-hyped cat herding w/ hovering nervous parents is just not my idea of a good time...so I dropped off my monster fingers for healthy snack, and excused myself to go home and get showered and dressed. Yeah, Halloween was that kind of morning. At least my PJ pants and sweatshirt matched.
I did return to the school in the afternoon for my 4th grade room parent duties. It was, well, an interesting experience. These kids have soooo much energy, and I don't. Maybe it's because there's 16 boys and only 7 girls, or maybe I've been in the 5th & 6th grade rooms a little too long. Movie titles are just too abstract for 4th grade Pictionary. They liked making up the story and the glow-in-the-dark eyeball bouncy balls, so all wasn't lost. One party down, two to go.
We did trick-or-treating differently this year too. E1 & E2 went w/ a gaggle of older kids, so I just had the youngest three. With the wonderful weather, it was probably the longest trick-or-treat treck we've ever taken, and I didn't even have to make meaningless threats after the first block or two. The boys seemed to be having a good time too when we crossed their paths once. I love that we live in a friendly neighborhood with gaggles of kids. Another note. Buy more candy next year. We ran out before eight.
Since Halloween, we've had our oldest's last football game, and Nutcracker rehearsals for E1, and been selling Girl Scout cookies! Anyone want some? Y'all know where to find me. Signing off to take Ms. P to her troop meeting tonight.
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