December 13, 2011 Thankful List

Daniel cleaned the living room! I can see my floor again. It is December 13th and we have no decorations up yet. I usually am excited, bake cookies with the kids, plan fun stuff to do, we love crafts and such. This year I believe the gloomies have taken residence in me and have not the faintest clue of how to evict them.

I have been praying a lot. I decided that maybe I should list as many things that I can think of that I am thankful for.

December 13, 2011 Thankful List

1. God loves me unconditionally

2. He sent His Son to save me

3. He has much grace for me

4.  My husband loves me

5.  My husband has a job

6.  Most of my children are caring people and hard workers.

7.  A lawyer may be able to help us keep our home. We have lived here for 15 years.

8.  We have a decent sized wood stove, so we can keep our house warm.

9.  I have had some great nurses caring for me, who actually seem to care and are not just doing their job.

10. My teeth aren’t hurting.

11. I still have morning sickness but I am able to keep down food now.

12. I can feel baby moving around.

13. My children are fed well.

14. We have relatively fresh filtered water to drink.

15. I have a great group of friends with my local Classical Conversations. They are definitely a God inspired group. I literally would not know what to do without them.

16. I have some great internet friends, some whom I have met and some who I have not met , but would love to meet one day!

17. We own our minivan, no payments and it runs.

18. My husband makes more than minimum wage.

19. My husband works so close to home that he rides his bike and I get to keep the van. I don’t have to get up early to take him to work or wake up early to pick him up from work or all of the crazy schedule stuff I have done this year for his temp jobs.

20. I  love planning meals, cleaning house and taking care of my family in general.

21. Daniel cleaned my living room without me asking or offering bribes or rewards.

22. I have the best mother-in-law and father-in-law. They are hard working, down to earth, just really good people.

23. My regular internal medicine doctor really listens. He heard my stomach pains and is the only doctor who felt I should be tested for celiacs. My other doctors said I just had to live forever with my IBS symptoms. This year is the first year when I have actually felt “Alive” physically.

24. Glasses. Without them my vision is poor. I am very thankful for my glasses.

25. My old Canon camera. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. It takes excellent pictures to be so old.

October 28,2011 Ramblings

Working on returning to blogging and other things that I find relaxing and comforting. I don’t know how to adjust to this new schedule yet. It is taking me awhile to catch up on housework. Seems like I barely maintain, let alone catch up. I am learning to let go of my perfectionism these days. Listening more to God and my body and resting. I did get up at 330am to do dishes that one of my children did not do last night. I noticed all the lights on last night and got up to turn the off. I am trying to lower all

of our bills but it seems to be a lone venture. Our power bill has been crazy expensive and I feel we are wasting resources that we currently do not have.

Our water bill has also become exorbitantly expensive so I feel we must have our utility company check for water leaks as soon as possible.

Classical Conversations has been wonderful for my boys and I. Last year this time I was quite stressed and feeling a failure as a homeschooling parent. I met a wonderful group of ladies. It was such a God match. I could not have planned it better myself. We all have a love for God and an overwhelming desire to please HIM and do HIS will, regardless of what is happening around us. I feel so blessed that God has sent me to them and them to me. Most of my self doubt in the homeschooling department has left. We give one another accountability and fellowship of common minds.

I would like to start a Challenge group for my boys. I am not sure if that is too much for me yet or not. I have gotten better at saying no, when, at one time, I used to take on too much. I need to find out what the title of Director of Challenge group entails and also figure out which or if I am interested in being a Challenge tutor. I am trying to work “catch up” with my older boys. I want to teach their level stuff but also give them Foundations learning too. All of it make so much sense and is so important. My eldest son is not interested at all in Latin. People fail to realize the roots can teach us the meanings of so many English words and helps you learn any other foreign language much much easier.