Giving Thanks

Some days it's hard to find things to be thankful for. The very idea of giving thanks for something means recognizing that you have something others might not. If I give thanks for the roof over my head, it generally means that someone else out there is not as fortunate. When I think of it like that, I have very little NOT to be thankful for.


Today was a particularly challenging day on the home front. Kids would not/could not do anything for themselves and they met everyone of my suggestions on how to entertain themselves with an argument or a whine about why they couldn't do what I suggested. Especially on their own. It's days like this when I want to scream and pull my hair out. It's on days like this when I remember that going to work at an office was much much easier than this. But then today as I was about to reach my boiling point and when I was about to lock both of them in separate rooms for an undetermined amount of time; I thought about this another way: I'm thankful that I have 2 energetic healthy kids who WANT me around to play with them. I know this won't always be the case. One of these days, having mom around will not be welcomed or appreciated. I need to be thankful for these moments now. Even if it means I don't get a moment for myself, I have skinned knees from racing cars along the floor, and my coloring skills are continuously honed.


And just when I think I cannot possibly answer another question about how fast a rocket goes into space, or where that police car is going, or why is this apple green and not red; I think about parents who have children who can't speak, or about those that are going through an illness. This makes me thankful that my kids have curiosity and a voice in which to express it. I'll gladly answer these questions as long as they are asking. No matter how many answers I have make up along the way.


As cliche as it sounds, I am thankful for the roof over my head, the food in my belly, and the friends and family that have remained close throughout the years. I may complain about the clutter that fills my tiny house and wish that I had more space, but I know that I have a home and many others cannot say the same. I may complain that I burn dinner 6 out of 7 nights a week, but I have food to feed my family and we never go hungry. And even though I don't see my friends and family as often as I'd like, I know that I have the best of both and I'm grateful for them every single day.



Thanksgiving may be just a season...but the blessing that we have throughout our lives last a lifetime.

Patience...does it exist anymore?

I love this photo...I took it while we were on vacation this fall in Whistler. It reminds me of a cozy day, one in which I would like to be curled up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book. Slow, relaxed...and pretty much the exact opposite of every day of my life.

I've been trying reeeaaalllyyy hard to instill the virtue of patience on my children. Especially Zach. He really has none. And I mean none. He wants something and he wants it now. Yesterday, in fact. And he usually asks for and expects about 7 things at once. Literally tonight he asked me if we could print out pictures of cars, look up photos of airplanes, change the ink in the printer so that his pictures will print, and play cars. All in a matter of 3 minutes. I heard myself saying: "I can only do one thing at a time...you need to be patient!"

Then I thought about it. Does he need to be patient? I mean, does that even exist anymore? We live in a world where we are expected to do 17 things at once. And we are proud of it! Every resume you read cites "multi-tasking" as a top strength. When was the last time you actually waited for anything? I think that doctors offices are the only places still in existence that still require people to wait. Alexis and I were almost run over at the grocery store yesterday by some impatient man who could not wait for me to load the groceries and kid in the car before he wheeled into the spot right next to me (nor could he pull into the WIDE OPEN spot about 40 feet away).

Most of the time I'm grateful for the tools and technology that allow me to be reachable at all times. Without those, I would not be able to stay home with my kids and work from home on my terms. I need to be able to get my job done from anywhere at anytime in order to make my little arrangement work. If I had to wait, or was unreachable, or had to go into an office...this gig would be up. For that I'm grateful. But it does make me question, how am I supposed to teach my kids the virtue of patience when we live in a world where it no longer exists?

So that's where this blog went

Yeah, I pretty much forgot I started this silly thing. I clicked on my own name (don't act like I'm the only one who does this...) after commenting on a friends blog (Alli's Equilbrium...it's an amazing read, by an amazing friend. Check it out. Both of you.) and there it was. Funny, I remember starting it after I quit my "real" job and thinking I would have so much to say and all the time in the world to say it. That worked out.

So here I am. Committing again. For the 3rd time. Third time is a charm, right? I can't promise award winning writing or compelling and thought provoking material, but I can shoot for a good laugh now and again. In honor of getting this thing off the ground (yet again), I'm dedicating this (fairly lame) entry to good friends. Not sure where I would be without them. Cheers.