Thankfulness Post #15

This thankfulness post is to the kindness of two strangers.  I got stuck on about 2 inches of ice this morning in, thankfully, a fairly empty parking lot.  I knew after I pulled in I should have backed in, but it was already too late.  When I couldn't get out a guy across the lot came over and asked to get in the driver seat.  I trusted him and he tried to get my van out.  It wouldn't budge, with or without traction control.  It's just no match for solid ice.  Then a guy with a big ole diesel pickup came over with a chain and pulled my van out.  Between the two of them I got to leave.  Poor Jaemin was totally freaked out by having a stranger in the driver seat of his van, but I didn't want to get him out because it was so bitterly cold.  The guy in the driver seat had a good sense of humor about it.

Thank you to two kind strangers today.

Thankfulness Post #14

I'm SO thankful Brian cleaned the house last night while Chelsi and Kaelin and I had girls night.  I would have been even more exhausted tonight if he hadn't!  Now I just have to finish the cookies, make bulgogi and finish laundry tomorrow.

Thankfulness #13

Like I said in my post, just before this.  We had to have an electrician come out because the night before Thanksgiving our electric fireplace smelled when Brian turned it on and he realized it had melted the plug and surge protector.  For safety's sake, I wanted it checked out.  I'm so thankful he didn't think it was anything major.  He said there was really no damage and rewired a new outlet.  He said it could have been lightning from the storms that night or it could have just been a bad plug end cap that came with the fireplace.  He told us to replace it and it should be fine.  We got off cheaper than I thought too.  I had no idea how much an electrician goes for nowadays.  But, happy it didn't break the bank.

Thankfulness Reminder #12

I'm sitting here watching the Hallmark movie 'November Christmas'.  While I don't think it's a true story, it could really be anyone's life.  I'm so thankful I don't have a child gravely ill and having to watch them go.  I always pray my children outlive me and Brian.  I pray they are held safe by God.  So when people ask why I wasn't scared when Cole had his first surgery or if I'm scared about the next, I'm really not right now.  I try very hard to remind myself that there are people in harder positions than we are in.  We're lucky to live where he can have treatment, we're lucky it's nothing worse.  We're lucky he's done better than they ever expected and the expectations of the previous surgical procedure.  As long as we're all together, I will be thankful for our health. and pray He keeps us together even longer.

Thankfulness Reminder #11

I'm a little late on this, but it's been busy.  We had a yummy Thanksgiving.  I enjoy the food more and more each year.  It's amazing that as you get older you start liking all of the stuff you thought was so gross when you were younger.  We had everything you could imagine at my aunts.  Everyone brings something to go with the turkey and ham and it's so good every time.

We did something different this year.  My uncle had everyone go around and say what they were thankful for.  I thought it was great to hear my kids say things.  I mean if I made them do that at home they wouldn't take it seriously, but there they did it because everyone else did.  They were thankful for family and life and that was so great to hear.  We're lucky.  Not a lot of families still celebrate holidays together anymore.  So many get separated by distance or feuds.  We still get together with my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandma; along with my sister, mom and stepdad.  The kids have this familiar placed tradition every year to run around with cousins, play with new babies, play games and cards, talk and eat together.

There is NO better tradition than this.  Family trumps everything in my mind and being together is important.

Thankfulness Reminder #10

Thankful that I made a very stupid mistake on a Christmas present and it worked out to my advantage.  I ordered my new nephew (only niece or nephew on my side) his first Christmas presents and had them shipped to NY.  Well, right after that I ordered my kids a sand and water table.  I was super excited about getting this for Jaemin and Chelsi.  Great fun/outdoor activity  But, I failed to notice that it still had the NY shipping address on it and well, their gift was delivered to my brother's house.  It was too late to change the location by the time I noticed.  So, I called the store and they said I needed to go ahead and reorder without waiting for it to be returned so I could get the same discount I got last week (expired) and get it by Christmas.  So I did.  It ended up being on sale this week and I got the discount.  So, it wasn't too bad of a deal and the other one has been returned.  AND I've already got all the Christmas presents I have so far....wrapped!

Thankfulness Reminder #9

Simply, I now have some time to watch to of my gifts paint me some pretty pictures for my fridge and get to enjoy giving little man a scrub down after he, more or less, paints himself instead.

Thankfulness Reminder #8

So I'm slightly behind on posting almost daily.  Almost daily seems to be like every other day, not every few.  And it's not because I have nothing to be thankful for; big or small.  I just haven't had time. 

I'm thankful Brian took today off to paint our hallway that hasn't been painted in 15 years.  Boy did it need it after 13 years of kids dragging their hands down the hall and us wiping it clean leaving just the paper on the drywall underneath.  And the corners.....they have paint and you can no longer see the metal corner.  So wonderful! 

Thankfulness Reminder #6

I know that as time goes on this is going to get harder and harder.  Not that I can't find things to be thankful for, but finding them several times per week.  I mean....I always remind myself how thankful I am for the kids, etc., but not for the little things that happen or how they happen.  Of course, sometimes, I just don't realize how thankful I am for something until I see the reason why it happened.  Does that make sense?

So, tonight I'm thankful that no matter how badly Cole and Kaelin get along...and trust me they do NOT get along......he 'can' do what's right and big brotherly when she really needs him.  He rescued her tonight and I'm thankful.  He chalked it up to boredom, but he saw her being bullied in a subdued way, but still rescued her. 

Lisa

Thankfulness Reminder #5

So, after having the 3 younger kids line up for the lotion rub down, I realized that Jaemin's is getting better, Kaelin just has dryness on her face, but Chelsi's eczema is getting worse for the Winter.  So what am I thankful for today, you ask?  I'm thankful Jaemin has his eczema flare ups during the summer while Chelsi's is in the Winter.  So, YAY....at least they're not at the same time.  They are to the point that they're hard to reign in sometimes, so this is a VERY good thing!

Lisa

Thankfulness Reminder #4

Tonight, I'm just simply thankful our church dinner is over!  No more worrying about my pies or bread in the freezer and geez my feet are tired.  But, boy that food was YU U UMMY!

Lisa

Thankfulness Reminder #3

I remind myself that even on, what I consider, a bad day I need to post the things I'm thankful for.  At almost any given moment in my life I can find some small thing to be thankful for.  This is what I always hold onto and a lot of what has gotten me through the bad things that can happen in life.  So, even though today is not the greatest day for one of our children and in return, for me either, I make myself look for something.

Today, I'm thankful that we have an extra $40 cash (from aluminum recycling) that we can now afford to take the kids out to eat sometime in the next month or so.  We rarely go out to eat because it's hard to validate spending that kind of money on food for a family our size.  But, it is still an enjoyable thing to do for them and us, so since we got it we will use it.  Now, to debate on where to go.

Thankfulness Reminder #2

I'm totally thankful that tonight Jaemin is already asleep because he has his 'unsnipped' paci and likes going to bed again.  Nevermind that he still crawled over the footboard at midnight last night to get in bed with me....it was still better than it had been....and I'll take it!  Totally gives up the paci to sleep with mommy though.  MIL says it's because I'm his security when he's in bed with me.  Maybe she didn't mean it that way, but I totally took it as a sweet comment!

Lisa

Thankful Reminder #1

I decided tonight that I'm going to try to post one thing.  Just one thing as often as I can about something I'm thankful for.  Not the usual, I'm thankful for my family, etc., though that might be thrown in from time-to-time depending on how I feel.  I want to reflect on small things.  Small things we all take for granted and need to remind ourselves to be thankful for.  We all find ourselves in the wo is me mood from time-to-time and this is something I do to help myself during those times anyways.  So, no matter what it is your thankful for, big or small, find something almost daily to be thankful for and remind yourself that life is good.

Today, I'm thankful that Brian has uniforms for work so that we can a) cut down on laundry and b) cut down on clothing costs.  I was reminded of this as I threw in 2 more loads tonight.....it's a daily fight here.

Lisa