Saturday, October 5, 2013

Ten Things of Thankful: Week 18



So…this week-end I am completely unavailable (try not to cry too much when you don't see any comments from me until next week...I promise I'll get to it, but not as quickly as usual!) I am serving at a Women’s Retreat (The Great Banquet…have you heard of it?); I actually left on Thursday afternoon and will return home Sunday night.

I hope Christine remembers to link me up, but if not and you notice that I’m not linked, please feel free to help a girl out.

And with that, I quickly (well, I wrote it kind of quickly…time being a precious commodity this week and all) but it may not read quickly.

With that, we are off:

1. I am thankful (again) for my steam mop. I’ve written about it at least once, if not more than once. Who wouldn’t be thankful for a steam mop? I guess someone who doesn’t have floors…so I’m thankful for the floors too.

2. I am thankful for Saturday morning cleaning times when everyone pitches in to help…and I am so glad that I am not in a marriage in which my husband expects me to do all the cooking and cleaning and everything around the house, plus shuttle the kids to and fro their activities. And also homeschool the PBA. That arrangement works for some couples and that is fantastic…but it wouldn’t work for this one. Just sayin’.

3. I am thankful that the boys are learning how to clean and be self-sufficient. (They’re not quite ready to be launched, but we are creeping toward the finish line; I know it will be here before I am ready!)

4. I am thankful that I can go away for a week-end and know that all my “boys” will be ok…although it does make me feel like I’m not needed. But I did leave an itinerary for them, as well as a fridge stocked with food and a schedule for each day. (Maybe they are not as self-sufficient as I thought and do kind of need me.)

5. Shock of all shocks…last Saturday night we stopped on the way home from my 12yo's soccer game and picked up some donuts for the next morning. We bought ½ dozen donuts, as did my dad…but my dad’s total was about $1 more than ours. But the men didn’t discover this fact until we were back on the road.

And then to make matters worse, when we got home and opened the bag to put the donuts in a more air-tight container than the wax-paper bag provided by the donut shop, we discovered why our total was less: we only had 5 donuts. And the donut we were missing was one of the two which the 10yo had chosen. We went ahead and told him that night so as to avoid the weeping and gnashing of teeth on Sunday morning, as we were preparing to go to church.

And here’s the thankfulness part: on Sunday morning, my 12yo offered to split one of his two donuts so that each of them would have 1 ½ donuts. WOW! Growth! Maturity! Thoughtfulness! And from my child toward his brother. All kinds of thankful.

6. I am thankful that when I have conversations in my head (or I replay conversations in my head) that Mr. Always Random doesn’t even pay attention and makes no comment. How would he know what’s going on in my head and thus be able to comment? Because sometimes I actually speak out loud or my facial expressions show what I’m thinking. Yes, I will make facial expressions to go along with thoughts I’m having. Apparently I wouldn’t be very good at Poker (or any card game for that matter).

7.  I am thankful for the rainy & overcast day last Sunday, which allowed the slacker in me to kind of laze around and not feel too guilty about it.

8. I am thankful that one day this week, I asked my 12yo to fold some laundry while he was waiting for his brother and I to finish science so that we could all move on together with another subject. He obliged without even so much as an eye-roll. And THEN he proceeded to deliver all the folded laundry to the respective owners and/or locations (napkins to the kitchen, etc…and yes, we use cloth napkins. We are so high-brow.)

 9. I am thankful that my 12yo is at least considering playing basketball. For the past two winters, he has been on the fence and never got off it in time to get signed up. This year, again, he’s on the fence. But here’s the thankfulness part: his brother (you know…the 10yo) has been telling him what a great player he is and how all these other people think he’s great and that he should “totally play”. Wow…it’s kind of like he’s encouraging him…who knew that could happen?

 10. I am thankful that I am finished with this list…I haven’t missed a hop yet and I wasn’t going to let being completely unavailable for 4 days keep me out of the loop.


Have a glorious week-end!

16 comments:

  1. Ack! Don't worry - I found you freezing out here in the margins of the Blogosphere and brought you home into the link-up. I got your back :)

    Sounds like the way your boys are going, you are doing some SERIOUSLY good work on behalf of your DILs - I am very impressed by their willingness to help, their generosity of spirit and the way they pitch in. You are going to be one helluva MIL one day :)

    Hope your woman's retreat weekend goes brilliantly :) Enjoy it.

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    1. I just want to go on record as saying, "I DID NOT FORGET TO LINK HER UP!!" We left the house at 7:30 this morning, which was 30 minutes before her post went live. I did not return home until 3 in the afternoon. I immediately went to my computer to find she was already linked.
      Huh. Do I sound a bit too defensive? :)

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    2. Whatever dude.

      All I know's I saw her post ('her' being your supposed bff) adrift in my blog feed, with no linked-upness, and this glorious post of thankful just stagnating on its own, with no love or affection being shown for it at all.

      *shrugs*



      (that'd be a 'yes', for the record ;) )

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    3. WOW! So...thanks for the link-up, Lizzi. :) I appreciate you finding me in the margins of the blogosphere. :)

      Christine...sorry it was scheduled later than I meant. I knew you'd have soccer on Saturday and meant to make it for earlier. So sorry to cause you undue stress and strife. I know you're my BFF :) No worries...

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  2. cleaning boys and a steam mop? Girl, you got reason to be thankful! Hope you're having a fabulous weekend!

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    1. I know, right? I am a thankful girl!

      Thanks...the week-end was exhausting but I am so glad I went! :)

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  3. Sounds like you have some great men in the making...great job, Mom! I love love love the donut story...really gets to me when kids are able to be other-focused like that.

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    1. Thanks...I don't know that it's all about me, but it did make me happy: wow, they CAN treat one another like human beings! The best part is that my 10yo usually icks his food so the 12yo won't take it. So for the 12yo to offer such grace is truly amazing to me. God can work on hearts...and my boys are proof of that!

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  4. Your sons sound delightful. It's always a bit of a proud mom moment when children are getting along so nicely with each other.

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    1. Yes, because it never happens as often as mom would like! And they are delightful...sometimes. :)

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  5. They are growing up to be such nice almost young men. All sorts of things those boys did to be kind. I'm wondering...Do they read these thankful posts? Perhaps they are trying to see who can be in more of the thankful points? Not saying it's a bad thing. I'm wondering if I should start a little contest at my house. :)
    Hope your retreat is going well. I wish I could have joined you.

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    1. I know...I hadn't thought of that, but maybe you're on to something...maybe it is a secret competition between them. I wouldn't put it past them...I'll have to do some recon on that. Stay tuned!

      Thanks...the week-end was exhausting but I am so glad I went! :) I hope you can go sometime...I think you would LOVE it.

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  6. Okay, you've convinced me I need one of those steam mops! And a family to help me with my cleaning :)

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    1. Yeah they are totally worth it...mine was even better because it was hand-me-down from my grandma. She didn't think it was "steamy" enough. :)

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  7. I am on the outs with my steam mop. It is acting up and not steaming, which is the ONE THING IT WAS SUPPOSED TO DO. Since repair men went the way of the dinosaur, I may be stuck with a $120 sculpture. Not. Happy.

    I cannot tell you how impressed I am that one of your sons offered to share his doughnut with the other son. That would not happen at my house, as everyone here is a doughnut hog. My daughter has been known to lick the ones she claims (and note that I say "ones" as in plural. 6 doughnuts for my family? Pah!). And my son has to weigh whether or not it's worth the risk of her cooties to steal her doughnuts and eat them. Fun times!

    Hope you're enjoying your retreat!

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    1. Sorry to hear about your steam mop...have you tried laying hands on it? Sometimes that works....although it's not always the way God likes to show off, he's done it for me in the past. :)

      Yes, donuts...it's funny you say that because I just replied up above to Lisa that my 10yo usually licks his food so the 12yo won't take it. And then here it was that the 12yo was offering his food to the 10yo. I hope the 10yo was at least a little convicted. Even if he was, he'd never admit it. In fact, he licked his bread at dinner just this evening. So...clearly he's a work in progress. Aren't we all?

      Thanks...the week-end was exhausting but I am so glad I went! :)

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