Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Listen for the POP!!!
Tonight I did something that I have never done in my life. I canned. Granted, I watched my mom can all sorts of everything when I was growing up, and even helped her I'm sure. But "helping" as a kid and doing it all on your own as a grown up are two COMPLETELY different things I've come to learn! :) I remember thinking my mom was crazy for going to all that work when we could have just bought it, but I think I am beginning to understand. It's not just about the money, although the savings are pretty rewarding. It's no secret that homemade just tastes so much better, but it's more than that. It's the satisfaction of opening the freezer and seeing that homemade applesauce or wanting to make burritos and knowing that you have your own homemade salsa waiting in a jar on a shelf! And that's exactly what I did tonight. However, I did NOT do it all on my own. I may have called my mom more than once (or twice) and my awesome neighbor Sharon came over to help me with some chopping and doing the actual canning. I was SO glad for her knowledge, because me trying to do this on my own would NOT have worked!! :) I was literally nervous as we got started...like butterflies in my stomach nervous. Then once we got going, I was seriously grinning like an idiot as I watched the jars line up, full of salsa! And then I started listening for the pop. I never really understood how exciting they are! For those of you that don't know, the "pop" is a good thing. It means your jars have sealed. I was listening for those pops like you wouldn't believe, and when they finally started coming, I felt like I had won something! LOL! I was SO excited, I just couldn't stop smiling! So Sharon, thank you SO much for all your wonderful help and advice and Mom, I take back every thought I had growing up that would were crazy when you would tell us all how many jars popped. I am going to be that mom too I think! :) And now, I am going to go to bed. That was the other thing I didn't realize growing up. This stuff is hard work! :)
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Real Love
Today I want to use my space to wish two very special people a very special Happy Anniversary. My parents are the most "in love" people I have ever seen. Not in a mushy, gross, showy kind of way but in a best-friend kind of love. Growing up there were plenty of times that I would be grossed out and roll my eyes, but what kid doesn't? :) But at the same time, there were times that I would walk into the kitchen and see them just standing there talking with their arms around each other or the living room and see Mom sitting on Dad's lap in the rocking chair. My mom ALWAYS stopped what she was doing when my dad got home from work to give him a kiss, and she probably still does. I know without a shadow of a doubt that my dad would sacrifice his life for my mom. This is probably going to embarrass him (sorry Dad!) but being with him while my mom had her surgery when she had breast cancer and then watching him take care of her afterwards just solidified it. And she of course was worried about him worrying about her. :) The love he has for her, that they have for each other, is an amazing, wonderful, rare thing. What a wonderful gift to give to a child-the knowledge that her parents love each other no matter what. So Thank You Mom and Dad, for giving me a wonderful example of what real love looks like, and for making it easy to find my perfect man by using your example. I love you guys and wish you so many more happy years together!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Those Little Moments
Has it really been November since I last blogged? Oh my word...time flies when you are having fun (or something like that..... :))! So many little everyday things have happened, and I wanted to blog all of them, but time just slips away so fast and before I know it, it's been 6 months since I last blogged!
Last night, a sweet moment occurred, and since this blog is supposed to be things that I want to remember, I knew this was one I HAD to write down. It was bed time, and in the spirit of being honest, not my favorite time of day. It was also bath night, which means the kids have to come in a bit earlier from outside, which makes NONE of them happy. We managed however, and everyone was bathed and in clean jammies. Books had been read and everyone was doing their best to come up with reasons to stay up and pulling out all their best stalling techniques. Claire was pretending she was scared of the thunder, except she's not AND it wasn't really even storming so she could hear much thunder. They are getting creative with their stalling techniques. I laid in the girls' bed for a bit and we chatted and made weird shadow shapes on the wall. Too often, I just can't wait to get them into bed so I can have a little bit of break, so I am trying to slow bedtime down and spend a little time just chilling with them. This has happened for a grand total of 2 days, so we'll see how it goes in the long run. ANYWAY, I got Darren settled in his bed with his flashlight and books, and went to tuck in Kai. He had had his bath and was so snuggly in his fire truck jammies and his pluggy snuggling with his blankys. I went to go cover him up and he patted his pillow and said "Mommy sleep? Mommy sleep Kai bed?" Now, normally, I just say no but last night he just looked so cute and hopeful, that I just had to say yes. I crawled in and laid by him. His little body snuggled up next to me, and he was so warm and smelled so good. That smell that is so distinctly baby. Baby wash, baby lotion mixed with a little bit of boy and a little bit of sleep. I wish I could bottle it and save it forever. I laid by him just for a couple minutes and then gave him and kiss and told him I loved him, and for the first time, he, all of his own accord, said "I love you Mommy!" My heart squeezed and it almost brought a tear to my eyes. He's SUCH a little turkey-stubborn and determined and it's so easy to get frustrated when I feel like all I do is tell him no and give him spankings all day, but then little things like the first "I Love you Mommy" randomly slip out and it makes it all worth it. Yeah, I guess I can do this another day! :) This morning, of course, he is back to his life goal of turning all my hair gray in the next year, and being his crazy wild self, but the little boost was just what this momma needed. :)
Hope you have a blessed, wonderful, crazy, "I Love You Mommy" Day! :)
Last night, a sweet moment occurred, and since this blog is supposed to be things that I want to remember, I knew this was one I HAD to write down. It was bed time, and in the spirit of being honest, not my favorite time of day. It was also bath night, which means the kids have to come in a bit earlier from outside, which makes NONE of them happy. We managed however, and everyone was bathed and in clean jammies. Books had been read and everyone was doing their best to come up with reasons to stay up and pulling out all their best stalling techniques. Claire was pretending she was scared of the thunder, except she's not AND it wasn't really even storming so she could hear much thunder. They are getting creative with their stalling techniques. I laid in the girls' bed for a bit and we chatted and made weird shadow shapes on the wall. Too often, I just can't wait to get them into bed so I can have a little bit of break, so I am trying to slow bedtime down and spend a little time just chilling with them. This has happened for a grand total of 2 days, so we'll see how it goes in the long run. ANYWAY, I got Darren settled in his bed with his flashlight and books, and went to tuck in Kai. He had had his bath and was so snuggly in his fire truck jammies and his pluggy snuggling with his blankys. I went to go cover him up and he patted his pillow and said "Mommy sleep? Mommy sleep Kai bed?" Now, normally, I just say no but last night he just looked so cute and hopeful, that I just had to say yes. I crawled in and laid by him. His little body snuggled up next to me, and he was so warm and smelled so good. That smell that is so distinctly baby. Baby wash, baby lotion mixed with a little bit of boy and a little bit of sleep. I wish I could bottle it and save it forever. I laid by him just for a couple minutes and then gave him and kiss and told him I loved him, and for the first time, he, all of his own accord, said "I love you Mommy!" My heart squeezed and it almost brought a tear to my eyes. He's SUCH a little turkey-stubborn and determined and it's so easy to get frustrated when I feel like all I do is tell him no and give him spankings all day, but then little things like the first "I Love you Mommy" randomly slip out and it makes it all worth it. Yeah, I guess I can do this another day! :) This morning, of course, he is back to his life goal of turning all my hair gray in the next year, and being his crazy wild self, but the little boost was just what this momma needed. :)
Hope you have a blessed, wonderful, crazy, "I Love You Mommy" Day! :)
Update on the life of the Brandt's! :)
Not sure why this didn't get published...so it's out of date, but you can read it anyway! :)
My Goodness! Checked out my blog tonight and realized my last post was in NOVEMBER! Waaaayyy too long, but I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles! :) I don't feel like going to bed tonight even though I really need to, so blogging is a good excuse to not go to bed right?!? :) I thought I would just fill everyone in on our lives these days. Nothing too exciting, but you don't have to read it if you don't want to! LOL! :)
Sam: For those of you that haven't seen him in a while, you might need to look twice. The man is about half his size! Ok, maybe not half, but 90 lbs less! He really looks AMAZING! No real gimmicks or fad diets. Just some good ol' willpower, calorie counting, and exercise! I told him he needs to stop losing weight because we can't afford to buy him new clothes all the time! :) He is planning on doing a Tough Mudder sometime this summer-crazy fool! :) I know this may be a little TMI, but hey, it's my blog, so tough. :) Back before Sam and I were dating and even when we started dating, I have to admit, the first thing I noticed were his VERY blue eyes and his MUSCLES! Guess I just have a thing for buff arms! :) Those muscles got hidden for a bit, but now they are back, and I really like them. :)
Me: Unfortunately, I cannot say for myself that I have lost 90 lbs...or 20 lbs...or 10 lbs...or...nevermind...you get it. I wish I had an ounce of the determination that Sam has, but I guess I just love food! However, I am doing much better choosing healthier options (most of the time) and hitting the gym at least 5 days a week. Sam and I are doing a boot camp class together at 5:30 am on Mon and Fri and I LOVE it! It's definitely tough, but I feel so good when I get done. I don't sweat easily as a rule, but that class makes me sweat! :) I'm too scared to weigh myself because after the first month of doing the best I could, I lost a grand total of ONE LOUSY STINKIN' POUND!!! GGGRRRRRRR! Sam says the time of day, etc that I weighed myself wasn't the same and that makes a difference, but still! So we just keep plugging away and pretending that the next time I step on the scale it will be 10 lbs lighter...yeah right. I am doing the C25K thing so I am really hoping to run at least one 5k this summer. I also signed up with my crazy husband for something called a "Hard Charge". It's like a 4.5 mile race with obstacles...mud, barbed wire, fire, etc. I can't believe I am actually doing it, but in a crazy sort of way, I am excited just to see if I can do it and prove to myself that I can. Thankfully we are getting a pretty good team, so I just tell the guys if I can't do it, part of their challenge will be to carry me over all the obstacles. Plus, it's just a fun run and not actually a "race" so that takes a lot of the pressure off too.
On the homefront, I really love snow and being snowed in, but I am REALLY ready for spring/summer. If for no other reason than I am SICK of socks and shoes...hurry up flip flop weather! :)
Ellie: Loving school, just finished her 3 or 4th Boxcar Children book, which I am very much enjoying reading with her as well. She has very eclectic taste in her books, so we just get a little of everything when we go to the library! :) HATING school lunch-which I'm not so sure I blame her. Some of that food sounds awful. I know they are trying to make things healthier, but I'm not so sure that making it taste bad is helping matters. She would come home SO crabby until Mommy finally clued in that she wasn't getting enough to eat because she's so picky. Plus she HATES it when they have to put stuff on her tray that she doesn't like. She just can't handle it. So, while it's kind of a pain for me every morning to pack her lunch, I have definitely noticed a change and I think she is feeling better too. Still my little fashionista and still LOVES to perform for whoever will watch her! :)
Darren: In training to be a ninja. He told me this afternoon that he "has some really awesome ninja moves Mom. You better watch me". They were pretty amazing, let me tell ya! He loves school, and is really well, much to my surprise. Not that I thought he was stupid, but just that I didn't think he would care and be too spacy. He's still pretty spacey, but has grown intellectually this year by leaps and bounds. It's amazing to witness his progress and hear him be SO proud when he shows me what he knows. Super Kudos to his teachers-they really do an amazing job! He's super pumped for it to get nice out so he can get back to practicing his baseball. Santa brought him a football and a tee that his mean ol' Mom won't let him use in the living room, so he's ready to break that in as well. He is a FIERCE protector of those he loves.
**Ok deviation here for a SUPER CUTE story...
A couple weeks ago, Sam had to go to Texas for a few days. I hate it when he leaves, but we always seem to manage. I made mention to Darren, kind of off handedly, that now that Daddy was gone, he was the man of the house! From that moment on, he was in protector mode. CUTEST. THING. EVER!!! He carried his nerf gun around, fully loaded. I didn't really think too much of it until he told me that if any bad guys came to our house, he was going to shoot that "nerf shooter" at their eye and when the suction thing got stuck in their eye, he would pull it out with their eye, and then they wouldn't be able to see so we could get out and I could call the police while he was doing that. Apparently the constant repetition of me saying "please do not shoot that thing at people's faces-you could really hurt their eyes" really did sink in! :) Anyway, for those several days, he was always packin'. For the most part, it was the nerf gun, but he did switch it up from time to time with a water gun, so I always felt very safe. :) I didn't realize until later how serious he was and how much he had taken my off handed comment to heart. Sam had gotten home, and I was tucking Darren in when I commented about how he should go right to sleep because he looked so tired! Seriously-he just looked absolutely bushed-more tired than I think I have ever seen him. Not crabby tired, just weary tired. He looked at me and said "Yeah, I'm 'dis glad that Daddy is home. I sure am tired of being the man of the house"! At that moment, I realized that all that time, he was in a fierce protector mode. I had smiled and thought it was cute how he was "protecting" me but in his little 5 year old mind, he was DEAD SERIOUS! He was the MAN of the HOUSE and he was going to protect all of us from any bad guys. My heart just kind of swelled with love. My skinny scrawny little 5 year old had worn himself out to exhaustion protecting his momma and his sisters and little brother while his daddy was gone. I also realized how awesome it was for him to recognize that now that his daddy was home, he was off duty and the trust he had that Daddy could handle it and he could just rest made my heart happy too. I'm a lucky girl that's for sure.
Ok, well...I think you are going to have to wait for the rest of the update! :)I'm ready for bed now, and I have to be up bright and early to hit the gym before the yahoos start to get up! We are heading to Iowa City tomorrow for a check up for Kai, so I probably should get SOME sleep so I can be cohearant with his drs! :)
Night All! :)
My Goodness! Checked out my blog tonight and realized my last post was in NOVEMBER! Waaaayyy too long, but I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles! :) I don't feel like going to bed tonight even though I really need to, so blogging is a good excuse to not go to bed right?!? :) I thought I would just fill everyone in on our lives these days. Nothing too exciting, but you don't have to read it if you don't want to! LOL! :)
Sam: For those of you that haven't seen him in a while, you might need to look twice. The man is about half his size! Ok, maybe not half, but 90 lbs less! He really looks AMAZING! No real gimmicks or fad diets. Just some good ol' willpower, calorie counting, and exercise! I told him he needs to stop losing weight because we can't afford to buy him new clothes all the time! :) He is planning on doing a Tough Mudder sometime this summer-crazy fool! :) I know this may be a little TMI, but hey, it's my blog, so tough. :) Back before Sam and I were dating and even when we started dating, I have to admit, the first thing I noticed were his VERY blue eyes and his MUSCLES! Guess I just have a thing for buff arms! :) Those muscles got hidden for a bit, but now they are back, and I really like them. :)
Me: Unfortunately, I cannot say for myself that I have lost 90 lbs...or 20 lbs...or 10 lbs...or...nevermind...you get it. I wish I had an ounce of the determination that Sam has, but I guess I just love food! However, I am doing much better choosing healthier options (most of the time) and hitting the gym at least 5 days a week. Sam and I are doing a boot camp class together at 5:30 am on Mon and Fri and I LOVE it! It's definitely tough, but I feel so good when I get done. I don't sweat easily as a rule, but that class makes me sweat! :) I'm too scared to weigh myself because after the first month of doing the best I could, I lost a grand total of ONE LOUSY STINKIN' POUND!!! GGGRRRRRRR! Sam says the time of day, etc that I weighed myself wasn't the same and that makes a difference, but still! So we just keep plugging away and pretending that the next time I step on the scale it will be 10 lbs lighter...yeah right. I am doing the C25K thing so I am really hoping to run at least one 5k this summer. I also signed up with my crazy husband for something called a "Hard Charge". It's like a 4.5 mile race with obstacles...mud, barbed wire, fire, etc. I can't believe I am actually doing it, but in a crazy sort of way, I am excited just to see if I can do it and prove to myself that I can. Thankfully we are getting a pretty good team, so I just tell the guys if I can't do it, part of their challenge will be to carry me over all the obstacles. Plus, it's just a fun run and not actually a "race" so that takes a lot of the pressure off too.
On the homefront, I really love snow and being snowed in, but I am REALLY ready for spring/summer. If for no other reason than I am SICK of socks and shoes...hurry up flip flop weather! :)
Ellie: Loving school, just finished her 3 or 4th Boxcar Children book, which I am very much enjoying reading with her as well. She has very eclectic taste in her books, so we just get a little of everything when we go to the library! :) HATING school lunch-which I'm not so sure I blame her. Some of that food sounds awful. I know they are trying to make things healthier, but I'm not so sure that making it taste bad is helping matters. She would come home SO crabby until Mommy finally clued in that she wasn't getting enough to eat because she's so picky. Plus she HATES it when they have to put stuff on her tray that she doesn't like. She just can't handle it. So, while it's kind of a pain for me every morning to pack her lunch, I have definitely noticed a change and I think she is feeling better too. Still my little fashionista and still LOVES to perform for whoever will watch her! :)
Darren: In training to be a ninja. He told me this afternoon that he "has some really awesome ninja moves Mom. You better watch me". They were pretty amazing, let me tell ya! He loves school, and is really well, much to my surprise. Not that I thought he was stupid, but just that I didn't think he would care and be too spacy. He's still pretty spacey, but has grown intellectually this year by leaps and bounds. It's amazing to witness his progress and hear him be SO proud when he shows me what he knows. Super Kudos to his teachers-they really do an amazing job! He's super pumped for it to get nice out so he can get back to practicing his baseball. Santa brought him a football and a tee that his mean ol' Mom won't let him use in the living room, so he's ready to break that in as well. He is a FIERCE protector of those he loves.
**Ok deviation here for a SUPER CUTE story...
A couple weeks ago, Sam had to go to Texas for a few days. I hate it when he leaves, but we always seem to manage. I made mention to Darren, kind of off handedly, that now that Daddy was gone, he was the man of the house! From that moment on, he was in protector mode. CUTEST. THING. EVER!!! He carried his nerf gun around, fully loaded. I didn't really think too much of it until he told me that if any bad guys came to our house, he was going to shoot that "nerf shooter" at their eye and when the suction thing got stuck in their eye, he would pull it out with their eye, and then they wouldn't be able to see so we could get out and I could call the police while he was doing that. Apparently the constant repetition of me saying "please do not shoot that thing at people's faces-you could really hurt their eyes" really did sink in! :) Anyway, for those several days, he was always packin'. For the most part, it was the nerf gun, but he did switch it up from time to time with a water gun, so I always felt very safe. :) I didn't realize until later how serious he was and how much he had taken my off handed comment to heart. Sam had gotten home, and I was tucking Darren in when I commented about how he should go right to sleep because he looked so tired! Seriously-he just looked absolutely bushed-more tired than I think I have ever seen him. Not crabby tired, just weary tired. He looked at me and said "Yeah, I'm 'dis glad that Daddy is home. I sure am tired of being the man of the house"! At that moment, I realized that all that time, he was in a fierce protector mode. I had smiled and thought it was cute how he was "protecting" me but in his little 5 year old mind, he was DEAD SERIOUS! He was the MAN of the HOUSE and he was going to protect all of us from any bad guys. My heart just kind of swelled with love. My skinny scrawny little 5 year old had worn himself out to exhaustion protecting his momma and his sisters and little brother while his daddy was gone. I also realized how awesome it was for him to recognize that now that his daddy was home, he was off duty and the trust he had that Daddy could handle it and he could just rest made my heart happy too. I'm a lucky girl that's for sure.
Ok, well...I think you are going to have to wait for the rest of the update! :)I'm ready for bed now, and I have to be up bright and early to hit the gym before the yahoos start to get up! We are heading to Iowa City tomorrow for a check up for Kai, so I probably should get SOME sleep so I can be cohearant with his drs! :)
Night All! :)
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Today Let Me Appreciate
So if you saw my post on FB last night, you will know it wasn't my brightest day. It was Sam's birthday and I wanted it to be a perfect relaxing night. I was going to have the kids showered, the house cleaned up, supper ready to go, and a cake-frosted and decorated by the kids- for dessert when he walked in the door. Instead, what actually transpired was about as polar opposite of the above scenario as possible. I was just starting supper, no cake at all-let alone one frosted and decorated, the house was a WRECK and the kids were whiny and fighting. Laundry was piled up, everything was a disaster, and so was I. Sorry honey-Happy Birthday to you! :( Sam wasn't the least bit fazed and just went on as normal, but I love birthdays and wanted to make his special, even if it really wasn't that big of a deal to him. He does so much for us and in my head, this was how I was going to show him how much I appreciate all he does and what a great dad he is.
AND to top it all off, Kai was being an absolute BEAST all day yesterday. He was whining, biting or crying pretty much all day. When he wasn't doing one of those things, he was hanging on my legs and fussing. We were ready for lunch and the kids had turned off the tv, but Kai wanted it on apparently. He climbed on the tv stand and tried to turn it back on (which he can totally do...*SIGH*). Darren tried to get him off the stand to bring him in for lunch, but Kai was hanging on the top of the tv and pulled it over, off the stand, onto the floor and crash-our tv is shot. The screen is broken and completely unwatchable. Oh my word.....I wanted to run out of the house screaming. Seriously. I really did. The kids knew they were in so much trouble and all 3 of them just looked at me with HUGE eyes. I didn't freak out-I just told them to go sit down and eat their lunch and tried to take lots of deep breaths in the meantime.
I wanted to bawl. We have been doing really good about trying to stay in our budget, even though it's squeaking. We have been doing good, but it's Christmas! I know my kids don't need a single things and it's about memories, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas and watching how happy they are when Santa brings them the perfect gift. My commission checks from Initials have been paying for Christmas so far, and that helps us to stay on budget in other places, and everything seemed to be going good, and then BAM! (literally....) this happens. I know that TV is definitely NOT a priority and not even a need, but my mornings seem to go so much smoother when Kai has his juice and his blanky and watches "go go go" in the little chair while I am getting the other kids ready. This morning? Not so smooth :) but we managed and everyone made it to school at their appropriate times. :)
Ok, so now you know how my day went. I am not whining (ok, I was, but not anymore-I'm just telling you now) but seriously...it was a STRESSFUL day. This morning, not so much better-crabby fussy teething monster. Finally decided that we were going to go pick up Arby's for lunch, got D to school, put Kai down for a much needed nap, got Claire situated playing quietly, and sat down to chill for a bit. I was looking thru Facebook and saw this blog post at "Hands Free Mama". I literally cried as I was reading it. I know for sure that this was one of those times when God let me see exactly what I needed to at the exactly the right time. I shared the link to the blog post and the poem "Today Let Me Appreciate". It's so very true and so often I lose sight of it.
This is the part where the tears really started to flow:
Today let me appreciate the gifts in the mundane, ordinary moments that are graciously given to me. Because even though it’s far from perfect … and sometimes it’s messy and hard … this is my life.
And for this anything-but-small miracle that is my life … I am thankful.
AND to top it all off, Kai was being an absolute BEAST all day yesterday. He was whining, biting or crying pretty much all day. When he wasn't doing one of those things, he was hanging on my legs and fussing. We were ready for lunch and the kids had turned off the tv, but Kai wanted it on apparently. He climbed on the tv stand and tried to turn it back on (which he can totally do...*SIGH*). Darren tried to get him off the stand to bring him in for lunch, but Kai was hanging on the top of the tv and pulled it over, off the stand, onto the floor and crash-our tv is shot. The screen is broken and completely unwatchable. Oh my word.....I wanted to run out of the house screaming. Seriously. I really did. The kids knew they were in so much trouble and all 3 of them just looked at me with HUGE eyes. I didn't freak out-I just told them to go sit down and eat their lunch and tried to take lots of deep breaths in the meantime.
I wanted to bawl. We have been doing really good about trying to stay in our budget, even though it's squeaking. We have been doing good, but it's Christmas! I know my kids don't need a single things and it's about memories, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas and watching how happy they are when Santa brings them the perfect gift. My commission checks from Initials have been paying for Christmas so far, and that helps us to stay on budget in other places, and everything seemed to be going good, and then BAM! (literally....) this happens. I know that TV is definitely NOT a priority and not even a need, but my mornings seem to go so much smoother when Kai has his juice and his blanky and watches "go go go" in the little chair while I am getting the other kids ready. This morning? Not so smooth :) but we managed and everyone made it to school at their appropriate times. :)
Ok, so now you know how my day went. I am not whining (ok, I was, but not anymore-I'm just telling you now) but seriously...it was a STRESSFUL day. This morning, not so much better-crabby fussy teething monster. Finally decided that we were going to go pick up Arby's for lunch, got D to school, put Kai down for a much needed nap, got Claire situated playing quietly, and sat down to chill for a bit. I was looking thru Facebook and saw this blog post at "Hands Free Mama". I literally cried as I was reading it. I know for sure that this was one of those times when God let me see exactly what I needed to at the exactly the right time. I shared the link to the blog post and the poem "Today Let Me Appreciate". It's so very true and so often I lose sight of it.
This is the part where the tears really started to flow:
Today let me appreciate the gifts in the mundane, ordinary moments that are graciously given to me. Because even though it’s far from perfect … and sometimes it’s messy and hard … this is my life.
And for this anything-but-small miracle that is my life … I am thankful.
Maybe you are having a tough day too or maybe not. Maybe we all just need a good reminder to be thankful for all the little things that add up to really big things.
So for now, I am going to go snuggle with my kids, rock with my grouchy baby, keep the motrin coming and be ok with frozen pizza for dinner and be thankful for all the little things. Thanks Lord, I needed that~
Thursday, November 8, 2012
November Thankfulness Day 8:
Day 8: Today I am so thankful that my kids do not get out of school every day at 12:20. They did today and they were driving me crazy fighting non stop about completely ridiculous things and changing their clothes 6 million times and running around outside in their swimming suits and Darren was punching people and Ellie was bawling about everything and their fighting woke Kai up from his nap and THEN Claire wet her pants....dear friends. *sigh*
Oh right...we are being THANKFUL, not whining....right.
Day 8: Today I am so Thankful for my wonderful neighbors! Our home is surrounded by wonderful people. They help me run my kids to school if I need them too, they let us sit with them at the top of the bleachers right on the 50 yard line for one of the biggest football games of the season AND share their really warm blanket with us AND buy us popcorn, they invite my kids over when their grandkids visit or send the grandkids to play in our yard since we seem to have a gazillion toys. They (ok I mostly call Sharon but I know the other would too if I called them) willingly send over whatever ingredients I seem to be missing for what I am making which happens way too frequently. They bring us over food after surgery and keep up on Kai and Claire and their medical issues. They turn on their porch lights on Halloween even tho they hardly get any other kids.
I know that there are lots of eyes on my kiddos-watching them play, etc. That might bother some people, but not me. I love it. I love that my kids can make people happy just by going about their little people business. I love the protection that is there and how they watch out for my kids. I love it when the neighbors call me to tell me that my little daughter just locked her big brother in the trunk of her daddy's car and then left (true story...that really happened-so much for that mom of the year award!) I love waving as we drive past, chats by the mailbox or backyard or street or wherever we happen to be. I love the feeling of belonging here. Thanks neighbors! We love you! :)
PS Reason 6 million why we love our neighbors: When "Santa" finds a really great gift at a really great price, he can store it in Sharon's garage where little eyes don't find it!
Oh right...we are being THANKFUL, not whining....right.
Day 8: Today I am so Thankful for my wonderful neighbors! Our home is surrounded by wonderful people. They help me run my kids to school if I need them too, they let us sit with them at the top of the bleachers right on the 50 yard line for one of the biggest football games of the season AND share their really warm blanket with us AND buy us popcorn, they invite my kids over when their grandkids visit or send the grandkids to play in our yard since we seem to have a gazillion toys. They (ok I mostly call Sharon but I know the other would too if I called them) willingly send over whatever ingredients I seem to be missing for what I am making which happens way too frequently. They bring us over food after surgery and keep up on Kai and Claire and their medical issues. They turn on their porch lights on Halloween even tho they hardly get any other kids.
I know that there are lots of eyes on my kiddos-watching them play, etc. That might bother some people, but not me. I love it. I love that my kids can make people happy just by going about their little people business. I love the protection that is there and how they watch out for my kids. I love it when the neighbors call me to tell me that my little daughter just locked her big brother in the trunk of her daddy's car and then left (true story...that really happened-so much for that mom of the year award!) I love waving as we drive past, chats by the mailbox or backyard or street or wherever we happen to be. I love the feeling of belonging here. Thanks neighbors! We love you! :)
PS Reason 6 million why we love our neighbors: When "Santa" finds a really great gift at a really great price, he can store it in Sharon's garage where little eyes don't find it!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
November Thankful Days 1-7
So, as usual, I am late with joining the whole Thankful Challenge thing for November, but decided to do all 7 days on here! I think I will do all of my days on here so I have them to look back on thru the year and be thankful all year long!
Day 1: I am so Thankful that I know The One who holds my future and that all of my sins are covered by His blood! Not sure how I would have made it thru this last year without my faith that there is a plan and His plan is always better than mine.
Day 2: I am so Thankful EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. that I get to be married to my very best friend and there is no one I would rather go thru life's struggles and the daily grind with than Sam. He is an amazing father, and is the calm and logic to my crazy. We balance each other and while there are times that it definitely drives me absolutely insane, I rely on his calmness and logical thinking so much. I tend to be an emotional thinker and he is a logical thinker, so it works. Its amazing to me that God, before time began, created us for each other and where I am weak he is strong, and where he struggles, I have strengths. I see it every day and it's just another reminder of the amazing love of our Creator.
Day 3: I am so Thankful for my Ellie Girl. I think of all my kids she is the most like me, and because of that, there are times that we butt heads, but every day she makes me smile. She is my little performer and wants to be a cheerleader like her mom. She loves all things girly and is trying to grow up a little too fast for mommy's heart. She is an AMAZING big sister and the bond between her and Kai is very evident. She is very responsible and helpful (when she wants to be!) and I rely on her a lot to help with the littler kids. She is a smart little cookie and has been reading to her siblings lately. It absolutely MELTS my heart to see them all crowded around her on the couch listening intently while she read them a book or to see her and Kai snuggled in a chair and see her pointing at pictures in his books and him responding. Her and Claire have a new thing that they think is secret where after I put them to bed Claire snuggles over by Ellie and El will read her a book. They think they are so sneaky but what they don't realize is that Mom is the one that put that nightlight there in the first place! :)
Day 4: I am so Thankful for my Dude. He is SO very protective of his siblings and I truly believe he would fight to the death for any one of them. He can push the girls buttons like no other, but the second he hears about someone else messing with them or hurting their feelings, he is ready to battle! He is having to learn to play by himself now that little sis is in preschool too, so that's a work in progress, but he is trying! :) He loves to be Moms helper and is my garbage-taker-outer and laundry-hauler-downer. The kid can eat like you would not believe, and I'm not sure how we are going to keep food in the house when he is a teenager if he eats like this now! He's still skinny as a rail, and I'm not sure where all the food goes-I think he has a hollow leg. He is ALL boy and loves teaching his little brother how to play "ball" and play with tractors.
Day 5: I am so Thankful for my Claire Bear. Oh my...how does one descibe Claire? She makes me smile every.single.day with her thoughts on life. She is ADAMANT that she is NOT little, she is BIG! She is very go with the flow and can play with anyone and everyone. She is amazing at playing by herself when the other kids are at school and LOVE LOVE LOVES her kitchen. She will play with it for hours. She loves to help me cook and things like that and has decided that emptying the silverware drawer is her job. She teaches me patience and how to view life thru the eyes of a 3-ALMOST 4 Mom!-year old. She goes to school 3 days a week and absolutely LOVES it. Loves her teachers, loves the kitchen at school, loves the projects, loves that she is learning to write her name like big kids-just LOVES it! I am thankful that she does and hope she never loses that love for learning.
Day 6: I am so Thankful for my Mr. Man! At the current moment, he is having a very whiny morning, but hey, we all have those at times, even when we are 32! :) Through all of the medical issues this year, I have learned so much about patience and learning to wait on the Lord. Of course, I would so much rather that he DIDN'T have the issues that he has, but I KNOW that I have learned faith like I never would have had he not had the issues he does and for that I am thinkful. I love his happy smile, his obvious adoration of his big brother and sisters, how he gives squeezy hugs and slobbery, smacky kisses. I love how he loves things that roar (dinosaurs, lions, tigers, sheep :)) and making all the animal noises. I love how I know exactly what he wants and how I know his language-it's definitely ones of the perks of motherhood! :) I love morning-after-bath sleepy snuggles and how he smells SO good. I love how he runs and is in a hurry to get everywhere. He definitely has his brother's facination with all things sports and his newest word is "kick" and he'll kick anything he can find that even remotely resembles a ball. He would live outside and has learned to yell "DADDY" and run to Sam when he gets home from work and squeeze his legs. I love watching him wave out the big window in the living room at random people driving by. I am just so thankful that he makes our family complete! :)
Day 7: I am so Thankful for my home. It is incredibly small for 6 people, that's for sure, and I would LOVE to have something bigger, but this home is ours and we are doing it with no help from anyone. I love how we have made changes to make it ours. I love how Sam and I can dream about the somedays that will hopefully come and our plans for the future.But it's more than that. More than just the physical house, I love our home. My hope is that people can come over and just chill and relax. I hope my home is a welcoming place. I love our location and our neighbors and the fact that they watch out for my kiddos. I love our little garden and the sandbox and the swingset and watching my kids learn to ride their bikes on the street. I am thankful that we have someplace warm in the winter and cool in the summer, a place of haven and retreat from the crazy world around us. And I really love my attached garage in the winter....:)
Day 1: I am so Thankful that I know The One who holds my future and that all of my sins are covered by His blood! Not sure how I would have made it thru this last year without my faith that there is a plan and His plan is always better than mine.
Day 2: I am so Thankful EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. that I get to be married to my very best friend and there is no one I would rather go thru life's struggles and the daily grind with than Sam. He is an amazing father, and is the calm and logic to my crazy. We balance each other and while there are times that it definitely drives me absolutely insane, I rely on his calmness and logical thinking so much. I tend to be an emotional thinker and he is a logical thinker, so it works. Its amazing to me that God, before time began, created us for each other and where I am weak he is strong, and where he struggles, I have strengths. I see it every day and it's just another reminder of the amazing love of our Creator.
Day 3: I am so Thankful for my Ellie Girl. I think of all my kids she is the most like me, and because of that, there are times that we butt heads, but every day she makes me smile. She is my little performer and wants to be a cheerleader like her mom. She loves all things girly and is trying to grow up a little too fast for mommy's heart. She is an AMAZING big sister and the bond between her and Kai is very evident. She is very responsible and helpful (when she wants to be!) and I rely on her a lot to help with the littler kids. She is a smart little cookie and has been reading to her siblings lately. It absolutely MELTS my heart to see them all crowded around her on the couch listening intently while she read them a book or to see her and Kai snuggled in a chair and see her pointing at pictures in his books and him responding. Her and Claire have a new thing that they think is secret where after I put them to bed Claire snuggles over by Ellie and El will read her a book. They think they are so sneaky but what they don't realize is that Mom is the one that put that nightlight there in the first place! :)
Day 4: I am so Thankful for my Dude. He is SO very protective of his siblings and I truly believe he would fight to the death for any one of them. He can push the girls buttons like no other, but the second he hears about someone else messing with them or hurting their feelings, he is ready to battle! He is having to learn to play by himself now that little sis is in preschool too, so that's a work in progress, but he is trying! :) He loves to be Moms helper and is my garbage-taker-outer and laundry-hauler-downer. The kid can eat like you would not believe, and I'm not sure how we are going to keep food in the house when he is a teenager if he eats like this now! He's still skinny as a rail, and I'm not sure where all the food goes-I think he has a hollow leg. He is ALL boy and loves teaching his little brother how to play "ball" and play with tractors.
Day 5: I am so Thankful for my Claire Bear. Oh my...how does one descibe Claire? She makes me smile every.single.day with her thoughts on life. She is ADAMANT that she is NOT little, she is BIG! She is very go with the flow and can play with anyone and everyone. She is amazing at playing by herself when the other kids are at school and LOVE LOVE LOVES her kitchen. She will play with it for hours. She loves to help me cook and things like that and has decided that emptying the silverware drawer is her job. She teaches me patience and how to view life thru the eyes of a 3-ALMOST 4 Mom!-year old. She goes to school 3 days a week and absolutely LOVES it. Loves her teachers, loves the kitchen at school, loves the projects, loves that she is learning to write her name like big kids-just LOVES it! I am thankful that she does and hope she never loses that love for learning.
Day 6: I am so Thankful for my Mr. Man! At the current moment, he is having a very whiny morning, but hey, we all have those at times, even when we are 32! :) Through all of the medical issues this year, I have learned so much about patience and learning to wait on the Lord. Of course, I would so much rather that he DIDN'T have the issues that he has, but I KNOW that I have learned faith like I never would have had he not had the issues he does and for that I am thinkful. I love his happy smile, his obvious adoration of his big brother and sisters, how he gives squeezy hugs and slobbery, smacky kisses. I love how he loves things that roar (dinosaurs, lions, tigers, sheep :)) and making all the animal noises. I love how I know exactly what he wants and how I know his language-it's definitely ones of the perks of motherhood! :) I love morning-after-bath sleepy snuggles and how he smells SO good. I love how he runs and is in a hurry to get everywhere. He definitely has his brother's facination with all things sports and his newest word is "kick" and he'll kick anything he can find that even remotely resembles a ball. He would live outside and has learned to yell "DADDY" and run to Sam when he gets home from work and squeeze his legs. I love watching him wave out the big window in the living room at random people driving by. I am just so thankful that he makes our family complete! :)
Day 7: I am so Thankful for my home. It is incredibly small for 6 people, that's for sure, and I would LOVE to have something bigger, but this home is ours and we are doing it with no help from anyone. I love how we have made changes to make it ours. I love how Sam and I can dream about the somedays that will hopefully come and our plans for the future.But it's more than that. More than just the physical house, I love our home. My hope is that people can come over and just chill and relax. I hope my home is a welcoming place. I love our location and our neighbors and the fact that they watch out for my kiddos. I love our little garden and the sandbox and the swingset and watching my kids learn to ride their bikes on the street. I am thankful that we have someplace warm in the winter and cool in the summer, a place of haven and retreat from the crazy world around us. And I really love my attached garage in the winter....:)
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