list 5 things I am grateful for daily

I am grateful….

1. That the roof did not completely blow off.
2. That the fellas came by and removed the fallen tree (one of three) that was blocking the drive.
3. That Mr. Meticulous will be able to fly home tomorrow.
4. That we had water even though we did not have electricity.
5. That it was 50 degrees instead of in the teens.

What a horrid 24 hours….

1. Hair done and eyebrows waxed…I feel goooood.
2. Playdate for youngest son, seemed to go well.
3. Five year old aced his sight word test…way to go. And, yes, he studied this morning with me!
4. Finishing his makeup work in 15 min. increments…no problems.
5. Getting together with friends for one of those cooking party things on Sat….then breakfast with friends on Sunday am. I miss my friends, I feel rather isolated lately.

1. Day off from school. Well, public school. Our kids all went to the preschool and we had a very nice morning together and capped it off with lunch at a neighborhood famiy restaurant (not Burger King!) A man made a huge sweeping announcement in front of everyone….indicating our table of five children….and complimented everyone’s behavior. (Including the adults, guess we kept ourselves in check!)

2. Mr. Meticulous had the day off today. He made dinner and did the dishes. Still in shock.

3. And let me nap for an hour and a half after I came home. He played with the boys and they “worked out” on the exercise equipment.

4. The cleaning person came and my house smelled wonderful when I walked in the door.

5. I am going to get my classwork done tonight. I’m starting to get to a point where I feel comfortable, really comfortable, with the material…and realizing what I need help with, yet finding that I’m “good” at certain things as well. That some of my natural instincts are not completely off.

1. My desk is a horrible mess…but at least I know where everything goes.

2. My kitchen is a horrible mess…but at least I know I can get it clean in an hour.

3. My laundry is all over the place…but I have no problem putting some things in a sack and running them by Goodwill tomorrow. The rest can be washed and put away in a day or two.

4. The boys’ room is driving me crazy….and it can be tidied.

5. I am grateful that I rediscovered this site. I have had an enjoyable morning rereading old entries and catching up with old friends.

1. The garden bed is ready and waiting. I see that cabbages and asparagus and onions, brussel sprouts and broccoli plants are all up for sale. It will be a cinch to put those in right now.

Hmmm….okay. Goal for this week. Oooo…and strawberry plants. Need some of those too.

2. My project is ready and I can’t wait to try it out.

3. I have at least a week’s worth of emergency meals in the freezer from my cooking escapades over the past three weeks. It’s going to be easy to be a lame-o in the kitchen tonight.

4. Husband worked his tail off in the yard yesterday and part of this morning. We all worked yesterday, hauling sticks and branches, digging out the garden, etc….I can’t believe how much better everything looks.

5. My kids have friends, real friends, who missed them when they were gone and whom they missed as well. Playdates galore for this group next week. Count on it.

1. I attended my first parent/teacher conference ever…as a PARENT. It was very neat! I had to laugh inside a little when I saw the box of kleenex handy….I used to keep one nearby too…the tears can really get flowing at these things! Thought I was beyond that but, of course, got a little misty during some parts. I’d like to think I am quite aware of how my son is developing academically (even socially), but the teacher anecdotes are precious. I even got a HUG at the end…she said, “We have all enjoyed your family so much and it is an absolute pleasure to work with you.” I thought that was very sweet and a little surprising! But definitely appreciated.

2. Took five year old to (ugh) McDonald’s before school today. He asked me if the people who worked there got to keep the money we gave them for the food. I said, no. That the money went to a lot of different things…the people’s wages were part of it, but part of it went to maintain the building, part of it went to purchase the food before it was prepared…and part of it went to taxes, which paid for a lot of other things like libraries, schools, police officer jobs, etc…

So, the kid thought hard and then said, “So, when we spend money here it’s a good thing, right? Because it helps so many people.” That is exactly what he said. I thought…yes…
....no…maybe….? I thought, well, well, little boy…you’re turning into a very interesting person.

3. When I went to pick up the three year old today, he was playing in the corner with another boy who comes to our school. They were completely engrossed in a shape sorter and having some sort of conversation. I thought it was neat to watch him “playing” with another child…then realized, they were “working”...doing some kind of analytical thing with the shapes…taking turns…then he saw me, his face lit up like the sun and he yelled MOMMY and ran to grab his coat.

4. Walked out to an unbelieveably sparkling clean car that Mr. M vaccuumed and shampooed for me yesterday. I would kiss him, except he’s out of state.

5. It was, overall, a good day with nice weather. No hassles today.

1. We had another big, wet snow yesterday. Mr. M shoveled/salted the driveway for me last night in the dark, five year old in tow who smiled and said….Mommy, I helped Daddy outside! Both boys rushed into their outdoor things to do the nightly chores with Dad.

2. Looking outside to see my car freshly brushed, scraped and pointed in the right direction. Obviously, my darling did this for me in the cover of am darkness.

3. BOTH BOYS had a dry night last night! Today is the first day I haven’t had to wash sheets in weeks! See this is what happens when you put your foot down and refuse to buy any more night time pull ups!

4. A feeling of somewhat togetherness this morning…although I see they’ve failed to plow our road again for the third day straight. We’ll see if I end up in a ditch or not.

5. Grooming appt. for the dogs scheduled next month. I really like our groomers.

1. Mr. M was able to get us home safely today. Thank goodness he was home when I called.

2. Our neighbors are wonderful and I’m so thankful they’re here to pick up all kinds of slack. Also, glad to meet another neighbor who shared her cell with me in the parking lot as we watched all the other cars slide down the hill.

3. We made it to music class later, and all the mommies had a nice talk.

4. One of the mommies, who I’ve known for a few years, but not well, gathered me into a big hug in the parking lot and said, come home with us and have lentil soup. The kids can play. That was a really nice thing for me today.

5. I’m grateful that I can crank the heat and still crawl under a down comforter. And that the house is clean. That’s huge.

1. Everyone was well enough to trundle off to the state park. The little ones rode bikes around and around the paved areas and Mr. M and I ran after them. Crashed the RC helicopter into a tree, but it can be saved. Overall, very fun and the weather was great.

2. Showed Mr. M a giant wall hanging (catalogue) that might look either really nice or super tacky in the giant space that needs filling….who knows….and he was like yeah, we need something there. Let’s get it. HUH? This is NOT a typical response. Now I have to quick decide if this is really what I want.

3. Watching five year old gather up the courage to ride down a hill on his bike super fast…looks of terror and glee. Love that my husband can convince him it’s okay and that he’ll be alright…I never seem to be able to do that, I wonder why.

4. Three year old actually woke up during nap to USE THE POTTY. Can we really see a future with out pull ups, diapers or the like?

5. Realizing that it’s a three day weekend. Mr. M OFFERED to build a desk and shelving for me (???) and we are all going out to lunch and the movies tomorrow after church.

1. Excellent conference today. We have such awesome parents who are SUPPORTIVE. I really appreciate people who are realistic when it comes to their kids…not defensive, and willing to be patient. Truly, I am finding out more and more that these little tics in behavior are simply developmental in nature and will pass as time goes on. Just consistently enforce the rules and try to find activities that are interesting and appealing to these kids.

2. Tonight is a LOST night. We save it for Fridays, put the kids to bed early, do candles and wine and the laptop in bed. Delicious.

3. Hammered out some more financial/managerial details with partner today. Secured our newest employee, netted an excellent volunteer. I feel professional, organized, and on top of the situation for once!

4. Three year old is WELL. Five year old is NOT…but not puking. I am feeling WELL today and so is Mr. M.

5. I made super good curried chicken with clove rice and spinach salad last night….everyone ate it, loved it and there’s more for dinner tonight!