Thanksvember

It is Thanksvember again!!!!  In case you forgot what that is you post something on your FB wall each day in November. Except I do it here.

Day 1: Husband. Cody is a pretty BA guy. He provides for us however he can and he takes risks. Starting your own business takes some serious balls.

Day 2: Kids. Our children are my world. Sometimes our world makes me crabby and have a stuffy nose, but usually it is just sunshine and rainbows and unicorns.....more about the unicorns later.

Day 3: Hot tea. Mild obsession, mmmmmm...maybe? Okay, yes! I love hot tea in fruit flavors- but not cherry, bluck! There 8th something do relaxing about a nice warm cup of tea and a good book.

Just a little after Thanksgiving

A couple of years ago I tried to do this thing called Every Day for a Year or ED4AY. My cousin did it on Facebook where she took a picture every day for a year.

That didn't work out so good for me because I tried to make a blog post every day for a year.

I lasted 4 days.

I then tried last year to do "Thanksvember". This is where I would post every few days and do the "What am I thankful for today" thing. Also a fail, I did not attempt to repeat.

So this year I did a "Thanksvember" redo - I decided to find something every day to be thankful for and pray about it on the way to school/work or in the shower if there was no work.

I found the last part to be hardest because if there is not work and no where for me to go - why would I shower? What happens on days where I don't need a shower?

Yeah, I am one of those people that don't shower every day - whats it to ya? I don't need to, I always smell like roses. Okay, not always, but if I am just cleaning house and playing with the little people play set with Carly I am NOT dirty enough to shower. Water conservation aka - lazy!

Back to the point of this - I was successful in this endeavor. I did find something each day, it wasn't hard at all. I am much better at saying thank you than asking for help. I blame it on the Cope/Ralstin combo of genetics. 

Those days when there was no work or shower, remembering was usually bed time and Carly would say her nightly prayer "Thank you Lord for a good day, Amen" and I would silently in my head say "Shit! I forgot to pray for something I am thankful for!" yes, sometimes I curse when I am in Jesus mode - I am me, Jesus and God know I curse all the time, no use pretending to be something I am not when I pray. I imagine them giving me a  frowny face as Peter writes on a sheet saying "She'll account for that one later." Does it deter me, yes, have I cut way back, yes, am I cured...hell heck no.

I am almost always thankful for something trivial.
*Thank you for a sound sleep last night
*Thank you for Cody having a job
*Thank you for there being enough french fries for tator tot casserole last night after I told Carly we were having it and then forgot we ate all the tator tots.
*Thank you for a cloudy morning so I don't have to drive in to the sun
*Thank you for making that deer stay on the side of the road

I think those are the best things to be thankful for because they help you to see that there are a lot of things going right in your life. If you focus only on the bad then all you see is the bad.

So a little past Thanksgiving I am still going to do "Thanksvember", and maybe I will do "Thankscember" also.

Thankful November Part 3

First - this was supposed to post on the 20th..not sure why it didn't. Sorry!

Knock Knock

Who's there?

It's me!

Me who?

You forgot about me already?

Time for the third installment of "Thankful November"

November 14 - I am thankful for my car. It gets us where we need to be safely and without worry. It has high mpg and is very comfy. I have driven cars that were not so good (I miss you Milliemobile) like windows don't roll down (oh yeah, like the time you go pulled over and had to open the door to talk to the officer who proceeded to laugh but still gave you a ticket...nice guy!), no heat, be sure to check the oil before you go ANYWHERE kind of cars. So today I am thankful that we have transportation that is not sketchy.

November 15- I am thankful for my co-workers. They bring joy to my day and are a source of assistance. While I sometimes wish for a quiet lunchtime having them all in my room is funny and loud and it is nice to have some adult interaction midway through the day.

November 16- I am thankful for my student aid. She is a great senior and has a fun sense of humor. As an FCCLA officer she has been doing lots of work for me this year and our chapter is running quite smoothly.

November 17- I am thankful for our dog Maggie. She is Carly's friend and pillow. She hears Carly stir before we do and she lays beside her whenever she can. Carly likes to hug Mags goodbye before we leave for school, just like she does with Daddy. I am so happy my girl has this furry friend, even if she does call her Baggie.

November 18- I am thankful for friends with skills today. Especially my friend Jessie who does some BA photography work. She took family pictures for us and it was great, there were some beautiful shots of our little family. Earlier in the day Carly decided to only take a 20 minute nap and then get all squirrely and combative after the outdoor photos but hey...Jessie has a sweet play kitchen in her studio and all Carly wanted to do was play with the cool new toys. So the second part of our real fun day was shot to hell - we are going to try again on Wednesday. That's the beauty of having your friends do stuff for you, you make them do it again and they don't complain because you are friends and you have a really cute kid that thinks "Essie" is the bees knees. Who uses old cliches like that...I do, deal.

November 19- I am thankful for running water and a sense of humor. Carly pooped in the bathtub AGAIN and this time I was surprised because she didn't get all silent and stop splashing or start grunting she just yelled "Done mama!" so I went in the bathroom and was surprised and said "Oh Damnit!" real loud...like real real loud and sort of exclamationy. Carly then, of course, looked at the poop and repeated "Oh damnit, oh damnit...ohhhh damNIT" over and over and over. I had to leave the bathroom I was laughing too hard. you left your kid in the bathtub not once but two times, the second with some poo in there with her? You are a horrible mother. Don't get all judgey on me...I was in the hallway the whole time, BESIDE the DOOR. She's a shy bather. Anyways the "oh damnits" got more and more destressed and that made me laugh harder and harder, like cry down my legs hard. So I fished out the poop, let the water out, rinsed the baby, cleaned the tub, rewashed the baby and then had a glass of wine. Drinking and poor parenting....tisk tisk.

November 20- I am thankful for vacations. I like my job and my students but sometimes it is nice to not think about it for a bit. I go home each day and do some laundry, wash dishes, feed my family and then grade papers or plan for tomorrow...so work doesn't stay at work. It is nice to have a job but also nice to have a break.

Thankful part 1

November 1 - I am thankful for our family they are pretty great to us, this past year and a half would have been much harder with out all of them.

November 2 - I am thankful for my bestie Kel who knows me all too well and still loves me. She is a fantastic person and a great listener, especially on long drives when a person is super sleepy and on the way to school.

November 3 - I am thankful for my mom who bought me a stainless steel Sunbeam mixer because I wanted it and we were at an auction and she was kicking major but in the auction....she also got a set of ladies golf clubs which my step dad called me to inform "Your mom bought this golf bag and clubs for $35 and it has $30 worth of balls in it, she keeps opening pockets and balls keep rolling out and she found some shoes and gloves and deodorant, she made so much money today" Yep, my mom...deal finder and keeper of the used deodorant from an auction - okay, maybe not keeper.

November 4 - I am thankful for a husband who understands when I am at my wits end and entertains out daughter all day so I can write a crazy long paper for my masters classes. He is the light of my world and a fantastic father and husband who on occasion does the dishes and bought a new vacuum because he didn't like vacuuming with the old one!