Saturday, July 27, 2013

Ten Things of Thankful: Week 8

Ten Things of Thankful

I am feeling somewhat uninspired on my intro this morning, and though I am usually random in the topics of my posts, I was random in my list as well…kind of.  As one might imagine, much of it has to do with the PBA, which makes sense because we kind of spend a lot of time together.

So…without further ado, I give you my list of thankful for this week:

1.  I am thankful for Spotify. I may be late to this party, as I can tell from my FB newsfeed that many people are and have been using Spotify for a while now. But I just decided to give it a try this week. WOW! It is amazing! And will be so helpful this year as we endeavor to begin a history of rock & roll music appreciation. Beginning in the 1920’s. Believe it or not, some of that music is difficult to find…but not on Spotify! And no, I am not receiving any sort of payment for this endorsement…just in case you were wondering.

2.  I am thankful that I can leave for 45 minutes to run an errand and my boys won’t kill each other. I wasn’t sure I would ever see the day, but this summer I decided (on a lark, actually) that I would try it. And lo and behold…it actually went well. Granted, I always give them a list of things to keep them busy and tell them I expect it to be finished by the time I get back…so that probably helped. And to be fair, I may actually be able to be away longer than the aforementioned 45 minutes, but haven’t been so bold to attempt it. I don’t want to push my luck or tempt fate.

3.  I am thankful that my 10yo has finally noticed that I actually do things on behalf of the family. For example, the other day when I came home from the grocery, I set to work cutting up pineapple (as an aside, it is almost half the price at Aldi  vs Meijer…$1.99 vs $3.49…just saying) and bell peppers). Also as an aside, I do this prep work, of course, so the fruit and veggies are cleaned and cut and ready to eat when I want to eat them. 

Because if they’re not ready to eat when I’m ready to eat them, I will not want to do the work (gravitating toward lazy…don’t judge) and end up shoving some processed junk food into my pie-hole instead. 

Anyway, while I was working on cleaning and cutting up the fruit and veggies, my 10yo was eating lunch and watching tv. I must have been making too much noise (simply an assumption on my part) and caught his attention, at which point he noticed what I was doing and commented: “Wow, you’re really busy!” Well, thanks for noticing, Dude…I’ve only been doing this same shtick every week for years. Anytime you’d like to help, feel free! (I realize I sound snarky here but I was/am thankful that he DID notice…eventually.)

4. I am thankful that I can exercise and try to stay somewhat in shape. And again…that the 10yo kind of noticed.  If at all possible, I don’t want to be a grandma who can only take her grandchildren to the movies…I want to be a grandma who is hiking the Grand Canyon with them.  So this week, we were at the community center; I was working out and the boys had just finished running their laps on the track (I’m making them run at least two miles/day…because I’m mean like that. Otherwise they want to just sit and play video games while I exercise. I figure it’s never too early to get them in the habit of exercise…can I get an “Amen!”? 

Anyway, one day, when I was mid-workout, my 10 came up to me and said, “Wow, you’re really working hard there…I see lots of sweat, especially right there, in your armpits!” (Do you begin to get the sneaking suspicion that he’s jockeying for something?...)

5. I am SO thankful that my 12yo is finally able to go to the Middle School Retreat because even though it is his soccer team’s team camp this week-end, the coach said it was more important for my son to go on the retreat and deepen his relationship with Jesus Christ, than it is for him to be at camp. Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition!

6. And that leads to my next thankfulness item: I am thankful that my 10yo is at camp as well (and no, I am NOT saying I am glad to have him gone…just to be clear!). I love that they have a great community from church…kids their age, leaders who want to invest in their lives and give all their time for an entire week-end (and especially one right at the end of summer, just before school starts) to help these kiddos draw closer to the Lord. So blessed!

7. I am thankful that my 10yo is learning to have some tact…albeit just a bit. He has been spending a bunch of time outside (which is GREAT!) but it’s been in the woods by our house. Which is infested with chiggers and mosquitoes. And he is apparently like his mother in that if he’s in the woods, they make a buffet out of him. He is COVERED in bites. And not just bites…bites that he’s scratched open. Oh yes…quite disgusting. 

So I ended up putting Neosporin on the worst ones, and covering them with Band-aids, just as a reminder NOT to scratch.  

When he was at the orthodontist this week, one of the hygienists commented on all the Band-aids. He told her why they were there…but also went on to say, “And I have bug bites in places you do not even want to know about!” See…while that does not seem tactful, it most assuredly is. In the past he would have told her (and perhaps pointed to) ALL of his bites for her. Trust me: it is progress.

8. OK, I am fully aware that this post seems to be weighed more heavily toward the 10yo. I have to confess that it has been a difficult week for our relationship…he’s been especially challenging, and so I was intentionally trying to think about things relating to him that make me thankful. Because many times this week, I wasn’t thankful for the struggles we were having. And though I’m not sure that I am thankful for the struggles, I am, most definitely, thankful for him (and his brother too…just for the record…let it never be said I’m not thankful for BOTH!!!). 

Even though the 10yo is my little Eddie Haskell, I am thankful for the insincere compliments he gives…because I suspect there is at least a tinge of truth behind it. And if nothing else, it usually makes me laugh.

9. My 12yo especially is my extrovert and LOVES to be around people. It is most unfortunate for him that he lives with three introverts. And before you question my sanity on that, I must explain that introvert vs extrovert has to do with where you “recharge” your battery. The three of us introverts can be around people and be social and all that business, but we need our space and time to be alone to relax and recharge. An extrovert recharges by being around others. So you see the dilemma for me…preserve my sanity or feed my 12yo to overflowing. 

So for the past couple weeks, I have been intentional about having friends over and keeping the 12yo busy with friends. So my #9 item of thankful today is this: I am thankful for the numerous greasy footprints on my floors.  That sounds gross, and it is, but it means that I have had lots of boys running through the house as of late. I would say “little boys”, but truth be told they are all gaining on me, if they haven’t already exceeded my height…and no comments In the Coop…I know that’s not really a huge feat. But these “little boys” do have huge FEET…you should see the size of some of these greasy footprints on my floor. 

And yes, though it is disgusting (and for the record, I steam-mopped again yesterday so they are actually all wiped away at this point), it was a good reminder after they had gone back home that it was filling a need of my 12yo. Too bad it left me feeling slightly twitchy. 

But I have the week-end to recover…the house it too quiet and though I feel I should be, I am not thankful for that. I will be thankful when my chicks are back in the nest tomorrow night.

10. Last but not least, I am thankful for Surprise Parties…not my own but those for other people. Especially people who have basically been given a death sentence and God has seen fit to give them more time than anyone anticipated. I am going to one such party this evening and I am thankful for the opportunity. I just pray that the shock of the “Surprise!” doesn’t give him a heart attack…

On that note: have a fabulous day!

  

10 comments:

  1. This is a gorgeously long and involved list of Ten Things. I hope the surprise party goes really well.

    I love how you're using the list as a tool to challenge your own negativity - that's exactly how it's meant to be used and it pleases me no end that it's happening and so well.

    Good for you on the exercise (for you and the boys) and for the summer camps. All sounds wonderful :) Thanks for sharing the Goodness

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  2. So cool that your son noticed the work you do for the family chopping fruits and veggies! My son is 4 and is still in the "eat." stage. It'll be nice when he notices that somebody makes that food for them. Congrats on being able to leave them alone too - that's huge!

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  3. I totally get you! this bloghop really helps find the positive in the negative, there's always something to be thankful for.

    It's so good that you are trying to exercise and stay in good shape, Good for you!!

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  4. This is a very cool list and I applaud your for looking for extra reasons to be thankful for the 10 yr old when it's been a rough week. That talent will serve you well when he's a teenager and really testing your last nerve! At times when my daughter was a teen I wasn't sure if I was going to kill her or she was going to kill me, but now that she's in her 30's we are the very closest of friends. God works things out in His own time and his own way and blessings come in ways least expected. I am loving the compliments from your son, many kids don't even notice their parents exist, much less do things! :-)

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  5. 2. I always worry that I will come home and find my children have destroyed each other like the Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat.

    3. I LOVE ALDI! I do as much of my shopping there as I possibly can.

    4. Amen!

    5. Yay!

    6. Yay!

    8. I love it that you compare your son to Eddie Haskell. Did you know Leave It To Beaver is currently on Netflix?!

    10. What a nice surprise party!

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  6. am with everyone as this being a very good TTofT List! I like it simply because it (reads to me as) being a description of your life and family and from that identifying the (special) things you are thankful for ...this particular week.
    Very thoughtful approach to (what for me can be difficult) task of sharing the things that are near and dear to you.

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  7. Being able to see the good in a particularly challenging relationship with a child is a great skill. Over the years, I've attended parenting workshops given by parents whose children have reactive attachment disorder. One woman advised to always be able to see the positive--even if it just means sincerely complimenting the child with, "Good breathing!" or, "The ceiling in your bedroom is so clean!"

    Your comment about appreciating BOTH of your boys reminded me of the children's book, "I Love You the Purplest."

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  8. Wow, what an elaborate and awesome list!

    I will have to look into Spotify, too! Believe it or not, I haven't done it yet. But now I will have to look into it.

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  9. Your kids sound entertaining. =)
    Wow, 2 miles a day? That is great!

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  10. The things kids say when they want something. I think it is great you are having a surprise party this week and I hope it doesn't give them a heart attack. And since Allie has been away all week, I am with you in Praising Jesus and Passing the Ammunition (although she isn't at a CCD camp!)

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