I am Thankful for.... (some sentimentality and humor)

[momof3inTN]

1. God. Top of my list. He has chosen to bless me with a wonderful family (even my in laws! Yikes, how's that for scary, I love my in laws!) and a wonderful, though, at time, difficult, life. We all have struggles but God has helped see me through some of the really tough times and I know He will always be there for me and never put more on my shoulders than I can handle.

2. My husband. Without him I wouldn't have those 3 beautiful children who are currently trying to put a sweater on a cat (my older two, 9 and 8) or exploring the new wardrobe sent from a friend in the mail (my daughter, 3, is primping in front of a mirror in the greenest outfit I have ever seen... but she loves it!). He is in school full-time (working on his PhD in another state), working and joining the Coast Guard Reserve so that I can stay at home and homeschool our children. Despite the fact that my degree (JD, Law) has a high income potential, he has seen that homeschooling is the way for our family and that I have grown so much as a wife, mother and person by staying at home with our children. It is a struggle sometimes but we have been together for 13 years, married for 11 of those. But we strive to make our marriage a success story, together we work through the hurdles and provide a better life for our family.

3. My children. My children remind me that everyday is a gift and to enjoy every moment. Just the other day I needed a time out. I came into the schoolroom (we homeschool) and listed to my playlist through earphones. My daughter walked in and took one earphone away and started listening. Then my boys came in. I ditched the earphones, put on some music and we all jammed (do they still use that word or am I showing my age?) to the beat. My oldest go on top of a school desk chair, tinker toys as his microphone and starts lip synching to the music. My middle child just stood to the side with "the look." The one that says, "You all are crazy! Do I have to claim that I am part of this family?"

4. My Mom. She has done so much for me through my life. As a single mom I know she had it tough. But watching her struggle has helped me in my own path, my own struggles, my own doubts. I would not be the person I am today but for her and how she raised me. (Love you mom! Don't get too weepy!)

5. Friends. On Cafemom and in real life my friends have helped me through a lot and, I hope, I have been able to help them as well. I know there is always someone waiting with a hug and a smile if I'm ever feeling blue and I hope they know that I am always there for them as well.

6. Love. Enough love to share with others. The random hugs and kisses of my children, the smile when my husband comes home for the first time in a month (or when he was active duty, the first time in 10 months - our longest separation), that wonderful feeling that engulfs my senses when I think about my family or friends and how much I care for them, wondering if they know just how much they have meant to me.

7. Springtime. Watching the flowers bloom and seeing my gardens explode with color is my favorite thing to see! Come on Spring!!!! Come back!

8. Webkinz. Ok, it may sound silly, but that 40 minutes a day (20 per child above the age of 5) when the kids are occupied is a breath of fresh air for me. LOL

9. Fallen Trees. While a pain in the neck when they fall, they help to give us wood to heat our house in the wintertime. Did I mention that I love Springtime? Come on Spring! (Wishful thinking, I still have 3-4 months of the cold weather)

10. Cell Phones. I love having an affordable phone service (though it lacks sometimes in signal quality) so I can talk to my husband regularly as well as family and friends... and without that scary bill at the end of the month ("I had HOW many minutes in long distance calls?????").

11. Pink. Yes, the color pink. Though I, personally, do not like pink very much, it makes shopping for my daughter so much easier. If it is pink, she loves it. I just walk through the store and pick out the affordable items in the color pink and she is happy.

12. Books. Again, for keeping my kids occupied. They love to read. My middle child was struggling with reading for awhile there and we were getting very concerned. But lately, he has taken off! Now when I am helping him with his reading he sits back, gives me the look, and says, "Mommy, I CAN read you know!" Music to my ears! Books also allow me some time to lose myself in a story as well. One of the things my husband and I love to do is read to each other. We pick a book and just start reading, taking turns. It's great fun.

13. Bedtime (for the kids). Yes, even mommy's need a break and when the kids go to bed, I get my time to relax (or work my tail off on yet another of my endless projects, but I'm happy!).

14. Google Earth. See #7 (just adjust from 40 minutes to 1 hour, 30 minutes per child above the age of 5).

15. Long luxurious baths. These are especially nice after #12.

16. Coffee. Ok, the list is now getting out of order, coffee should have been ranked higher than #15. Oh well, I'm not moving it around now. Anyway, coffee... with 3 children I need my daily dose of coffee to get my day started.

17. Date Night! Again, out of order here towards the end. But I love when my husband comes home and we get to have a date night (thanks Mom for watching the kids!). It nice to have that time together without the children interrupted every 2 seconds with some random fact they found on Google Earth or read in the Atlas.

18. A cozy, warm, fire in the wood stove. There is nothing better than a warm fire to keep the house toasty on those long, winter nights. Course I would prefer the warmer air of springtime over the cold of winter. LOL

19. Family time. I look forward to the time before bed when I laugh and play with all three of my children. But after I put the littlest in bed (8 pm), I really enjoy the quality time with my older two. We sit and read together and laugh and talk. It is nice to have that time when I can give them my full attention without a 3 year old barging in.

20. A full pantry. I have this terrible fear of having no food in the house (probably stemming from the early years of marriage when we were both in school and subsisting on ramen and spaghetti). So I love going to my pantry and seeing fully stocked shelves (or, in my case, overstocked shelves and overflowing shelves). It brings a sigh of relief knowing that we will not go hungry and I always have items to share with a friend (or stranger) in need.

There are so many things and people that I am thankful for, not just once a year around Thanksgiving Day, but every minute of everyday. This list is no where near complete, but there is a lot of sentiment and humor in the few that I have mentioned here.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Friends, Family and Cafemom Sisters!