A Year of Gratitude: Day 347 (late)

Today I am grateful I was able to help my mom out today.  She does so much for me and our family, and it was nice to be able to help her out for a change.

Have a wonderful night!

That's What They Said: Sweet Honesty

Amalia:  (to Bryson after he came in from mowing smelling like grass and gas)  You smell like punishment!


Me:  Baylor, how did you do on your lunch today?  Did you eat everything?
Baylor:  You'll have to look and see.
Me:  Baylor ... can you just tell me?
Baylor:  Okay.  I didn't drink any of my water.
Me:  Oh, okay.  Are you thirsty?
Baylor:  Yeah.
(I handed him his water bottle, and he drank as quickly as he could.)
Baylor:  Mommy, you should make me a shirt that says "Thirstiest Man Alive", and I can wear it on days I don't drink my water at school.



Amalia:  Mommy, this is the Dragon King.  (gestures to an imaginary person next to her)
Me:  Oh, yeah?
Amalia:  (smiling)  Yeah, he wants to marry me!  (turns to imaginary Dragon King)  I will love you and take care of you for-ev-er!  (then leans in for a kiss)



Baylor:  Mommy, Mollie got a gold medal.
Me:  That's nice, dearie.
Baylor:  Yeah, I gave her a gold medal in footsie games.

A Year of Gratitude: Day 346 (so late)

Today I am grateful that Baylor didn't put up too much of a fight when I asked him to do his homework.  And he finished his homework in a pretty timely manner.  Unfortunately for him, he decided to doodle on his homework to the point that some of it was illegible, so I made him do it over again.  (He only had to write three words - things that made him think of fall - so don't feel too bad for him.)

Yay, for little victories!

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 345 (late, as usual)

Today I am grateful for a little bit of perspective and optimism.  Recently my eyes decided to rebel on me again (this first happened right after I turned 30); they have gotten so dry I can no longer wear my contact (at least for the time being), and I have to use heavy-duty eye drops and this weird eye goop at night.  Incredibly near-sighted, I absolutely cannot go without wearing glasses.

So where's the silver lining?

Well, not having to put in my contacts in the morning and take them out again at night saves me a few minutes of time.  And those few minutes start to add up after a while; it means getting going quicker and getting to bed earlier, and quite frankly I need all the help I can get.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 344 (late, late, late)

Today I am grateful I was able to get so much laundry done.  Only the kids stuff got folded, but just having everything clean means less for me to do tomorrow and that's always a good thing.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 343 (late ... shocker)

Today I am grateful for how my first time volunteering in Baylor's classroom went.  I first brought the idea up to him about a week ago, and at that point he was pretty excited to have me come and work for a little while in his classroom.  Fast forward to last night at dinner time and he was totally against it; the thought of me being in his classroom made him cry and he told me he didn't want me there.  I had a feeling this would happen - he's not a fan of seeing people or things out of context and can get pretty upset by it - so we talked about it some and then shelved it for the night.  Sadly this morning he was still unhappy that I would be visiting his class today.  I told him, in all honesty, that I was a little nervous to come to his class and meet all those new kids, and while that seemed to soften his stance a bit he still didn't want me there.

I warned his teacher of his feelings on the topic and ended up going to volunteer during reading workshop anyway.  When I first walked in he didn't see me, but as I became engrossed in listening to what his teacher was saying and how she was teaching them about learning to read I heard the beginnings of a familiar sob; poor Baylor had noticed me and was starting to cry in the middle of his classmates.  After she got the kids going a bit, she went over and talked to Baylor who emphasized that he didn't want to see me or talk to me, even shoving his thumbs in his ears and putting his hands up as blinders next to his eyes to make sure I was completely ignored.

Doing my best to let my little guy have his space, I went from classmate to classmate and listened to them "read" to me as best they could; some were better than others to be sure, and it was fascinating to see the wide range of abilities at this age.  Toward the end of their "read to self" time, I was listening to one of Baylor's classmates when I heard a weird slapping noise not far from me.  I looked up and over my shoulder to see Baylor smiling at me through a bookcase!  I motioned to him that I was going to keep listening to his little friend, and when he slapped his book again to get my attention he smiled at me and gave me a warm wave.

The rest of the time there was much more relaxed for me; I didn't have to worry about Baylor's reaction to seeing me because he had already become okay with me being there and meeting his classmates.  I think, by the end, he was even happy I was there.

And beyond Baylor being happy to have me there, which was awesome enough as it was, I got to meet the kids in his class (including his little "best buddy"), see how the class works, and get a glimpse at what he does during his days when he's away from me.

For all that and more, I am incredibly grateful.  And hey, I get to do it again next week!

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 342

Today I am grateful that, while I didn't accomplish everything on my list, I got a decent amount done today.  I really want to write more, but I can't keep my eyes open to do so.

Off to bed to rest this weary head.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 341

Today I am grateful that I'm learning when to say when.  I have tons of stuff to do around the house right now, most of it sitting out, staring me in the face.  But I know that I need some sleep ... okay, I desperately need TONS of sleep, but I'll take what I can get.  And what I can get is now, going to bed a little earlier so the morning won't seem so harsh.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 340 (a day late)

Today I am grateful that my sink is clean.  Sparkling clean, in fact.  The rest of the house is, well, not nearly as clean or neat and tidy.  But my sink is clean and the dishes are done.  And sometimes that just has to be enough.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 339

Today I am grateful to have my car back in working order.  The battery has been replaced, the oil has been changed, and now things are running semi-smoothly again.  Just like usual.

Have a wonderful night!