Thankful Thursday: Welcome Home!

I was so happy to have my husband and kiddos come home that I made it special for them.

To make sure it all went well, I set it all up (except for the food) two whole days before!

I love my husband and our children. They are the most important and precious people I have the honor of being loved by. Knowing my children are back home, where they belong, and safe is everything to me. 

Thankful Thursday - Attitude Adjustment

I've been in a bit of a tizzy with all of this school stuff up in the air. Will Motor Mouth go to public, private or virtual school? I have all these scenarios of if this happens, then that but if that happens, then this, floating in my head.

I get so this or that in my head and then I am reminded of Matthew 6:34 where it says: "So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble."

Alright. I won't be anxious. Instead, I'm going to give THANKS!! We have been blessed with so much. I really should not dwell on the one thing that is working itself out.

A Thankful Heart

1. Mini Me was accepted into a great Montessori school.

2. We do not have to pay for Mini Me's Montessori preschool education. This is major because many of the Chicago Public School preschools have become tuition based this year.

3. J has a job. In this economy, that is to be thankful for. Moreover, J loves his job (most of the time) and works with a team of incredible staffers at our church.

4. This past year, the number of people in J's industry who have become aware of his work has increased dramatically and that is a good thing.

5. Chicago's Park District and Public Library systems are incredible assets to the city and have enhanced our lives, enabling us to experience the city and participate in activities that would have been difficult to get into, or extremely costly.

I know I say this all the time, but we really love Chicago. I LOVE this city. Thank you, God, for bringing us here.

Thankful Thursday - Mutti

It is said you can increase your happiness

 25% by being THANKFUL.

I call my mom, Mutti. 

It is German for mom/mommy. 

I'm really grateful for my Mutti, 

because she is so SMART! 

My Mutti taught me some classic real life lessons, just by living her life. Mom shaved 10 years off their mortgage by calling the banks, checking rates - every week for months. When the rates dipped low, she informed her bank she would be switching her mortgage to another lender. Her bank matched the rate and waived fees. That's typical of my Mutti!! 

The plan this week, was to cancel our home phone service and return 2/3 cable boxes. It's a recession, you know. The home service was going to double at the end of our introductory period. On Monday, I called and told our service provider we are scheduled to have our phone disconnected Tuesday, but I saw a commercial offering the same service for less. They gave me the introductory rate for 6 more months AND I'm getting our extra cable boxes for only 99 cents/month! I didn't even ask for the last part but that works. We'll keep 'em now. Thanks, for the lesson, Mutti!!

I learned from the best. She's also the one who taught me how to sock away money, resulting in us having a down payment for our first home. 

My mom rocks!! 

I'm very grateful for her. 

Today and every day.

But shhh...Don't tell her about this blog entry. She thinks I'm an ungrateful child. Let's keep it that way. LOL!!

Thankful Thursday - Obvious Choice

For Thankful Thursday this week, I'm going with the obvious choice: my husband, J.

Have you heard the saying, "I kissed a lot of toads before I found my prince"? I haven't kissed that many, but enough to know the supreme value of my husband.

J is creative. He has creativity pouring out of every fiber of his being. He is the essence of creativity. As such, I benefit because the stuff he comes up with is like no one I know. Things he does around the house, things he does for parties and family times. J's gifts and talents enhance our lives.

Like the time he made this elaborate fabric draping for over our bed. He built in 2 pin lights (1 for each of us) on separate dimmer switches. This was so I could read in bed at night. Who does that?

There are so many sweet, thoughtful things J does. Things you wouldn't think of. Like last summer when I got really sick and was tossing my cookies every hour. He put a blanket wrapped in thick towels on the floor around the commode for me to be comfortable. Who does that??

On the mornings I don't manage to get out of bed and shower before the kids wake up, he gets the kids their milk and handles the morning routine so I can have my alone time. He is always thinking of ways to get me time to myself. In Tulsa, J would take the kids to the mall - a place I hate and they love. In Chicago, J can be seen taking the kids to a museum, or for fun on Michigan Ave. My kids love shopping, thanks to their daddy.

J is a good man. The Bible says, "He who finds a good wife has found a good thing..." Well, I have found a good man. I have found a good thing. Now, I just need to treat him like the treasure he is!!

Thankful Thursday - MIL

I KNOW. It's only Wednesday. 

Well, I got my American Idol days messed up. I thought the first night of shows was last night. It's tonight. So I'm switching my entries around. 

Over at The Mommy Project, she says you can be 25% happier if you are thankful. I'm very thankful because I have the BEST mother-in-law. Some people hate their MIL's, so I know how blessed and fortunate I am to have this incredible woman in my life. 

1. We are friends.

My MIL and I became friends when J and I were best friends. Our friendship continued long distance. In fact, she manipulated the situation for J and I to reunite. Okay, manipulate is a strong word, but it's fun thinking about how her eyebrow just raised when she read that word. Hahaha.

2. Make everyday special

DonnaMomma taught me to use the expensive dishes everyday, on the people I love. She gave all 3 of us girls Henn Workshop dishes. We knew it was awesome, but none of us really realized how amazing this gift was until we had to start replacing pieces her sons (son-in-law) broke. I am VERY thankful for our dish set.

3. Live in your whole home

DonnaMomma's living room and dining room are just that - for living and dining. I grew up not allowed to go into our formal living and dining rooms, except when company came over. Her house is ginormous, so she could easily set these rooms aside. But every room in her house is used for living and life.

4. Great mom

My MIL raised a great son and a wonderful husband. For this, I am VERY thankful. She instilled some amazing values in him and fostered his talents. My husband and his mom have such a good relationship, which makes my life that much more wonderful.

5. Great grandmother

I am so thankful for all the times my MIL cared for our son and daughter. At the time, when our son would spend the weekend over there, I knew we were really, really lucky. These days, we are very fortunate they travel to visit us as often as they do.

Come on. You had to know I was going to use this picture of her. It's such a stark contrast to who she is. Sort of. Her husband traveled a lot for work, which meant she had to do some man things around the house. If the horses got out, she was the one in the rain, fixing a fence. When a snake came close to the house, near her daughter, she got a shovel and killed it. So while my MIL really IS a little, sweet, gentle woman, there is a strength within her. And that is what this photo represents to me.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday - Chicago Peeps

My dear friend at The Mommy Project (say a prayer for her, she's having a baby tomorrow) read where regularly noting things for which you are grateful actually increases your level of happiness by 25%. 

This week, I have much to be thankful for...

Cre8tve Chaos & his Peeps that rescued me. 

Monday evening, as I was getting ready to do client errands, the car wouldn't start. J came down and showed me how to jiggle the battery connectors. I said we could get the kids ready, pick up the part, and if there was another problem, J would be there to rescue me, instead of being 6 miles across town. J said I would be fine. I left. The vehicle wouldn't start when I was alone. I needed help, so I called Cre8ve Chaos. Then I managed to lock our only set of keys inside. While waiting to be overcharged for locksmithing, I sat in a warm car with Cre8ve Chaos and his Peeps.

Jackson Crum

Our pastor is so awesome. He didn't talk about the election (pre or post) from the pulpit. No one knew who he was voting for. Even though he didn't vote for Obama, he opened his church to the neighborhood for the Inauguration. As a result, I was able to witness history with my husband and son.

Westloop SnB

A group of knitters I met through Ravelry.com. Last night was my very first night. We share a love for yarn and live within a mile of each other. Let's see, there's ProgrammerB, InvestorB, and OprahB.  OprahB lives across from Harpo Studio, in the building Oprah redid the balconies.

My Mechanic

My husband can fix a car. People don't know this about J. They see the artsy, creative stuff, and know he doesn't watch football - or any sports. They know J decorates, but they don't know he can fix a car better than most jocks.

I wouldn't plan on The Mommy Project having a Thankful Thursday post. Like I said, she's having a baby tomorrow. Only she doesn't feel really ready. This is her last baby, so she wants to keep this one safe and warm a little longer. I'm really thankful The Mommy Project was able to carry this baby to term and both are healthy. It was touch and go there for awhile. I'm thankful in advance for the safe delivery of Baby K and a perfect healing for The Mommy Project.

Thankful Thursday - Job

I am thankful for Thanksgiving. I have been looking for a part-time job that would enable me to work around J's hours. It has been difficult to do. Then the economy tanked. And I thought for sure I was never going to find anything. 

MAM, my writing instructor and I struck up a bit of a friendship. One day, while reading her blog/site (she's famous, check her out on Wikipedia here), I read that she couldn't get it all done and maintain a great relationship with her partner (bit of a paraphrase). I offered to be her personal assistant. And she took me up on it!! It works out to be about 5 hrs/week. I enjoy it, but I needed a few more hours!

We were invited to MAM's for Thanksgiving dinner. There, I met DL who was looking for a personal / research assistant. He suggested I send my resume to his admin assistant. I did. Last week, we met at a coffee shop for an interview. Yesterday, I received an email from him with a job offer. 

This job is a minimum / average of 10 hrs/week. I can do most of that from home, and I can still do work for MAM. It is everything I asked for and more.

I am soooooo thankful for Thanksgiving. 

And MAM. And DL. 

Please head over to The Mommy Project where my dear friend from childhood has a weekly Thankful Thursday posting. She found some statistic saying that being thankful makes you 25% happier.  

Now, she's pregnant (got a mommy project in the oven, so to speak) and has been busy with gingerbread cookies this week, so I'm linking to her last week's

Thankful Thursday blog entry. 

Give her some slack - I'm really thankful for her.

Thankful Thursday - Momma Style

Mini Me

Mini Me is so fiercely independent. She is stubborn as sin. Two traits that will be the best thing that ever happened to her if we can nurture her properly. 

She is so huggable. For the first 10 months of Mini Me's life, she was not huggable. We rocked Motor Mouth to sleep every night. I held him and sang to him, and loved on him so much I was looking forward to another baby to hold and cuddle. Not Mini Me. From the time we left the hospital, she wanted to be swaddled tight, not be held, and cry herself to sleep. She would cry hardest when I sang to her. The rocking chair was a dust collector. I gave it to my sister-in-law.

In January 2007, Mini Me got really sick. She wanted to be held. I wasn't happy that she was sick, but I was secretly loving it. She wanted to be held!!  I could cuddle with my girl! I prayed for her to get better, and literally begged God to keep the cuddliness. 

It worked!! She's cuddly now. 

I'm thankful for my healthy, cuddly, strong-willed baby girl who holds a mirror to my imperfections and makes me strive to be a better person and a better mother. 

Motor Mouth

Motor Mouth is my special boy. When he was a baby, he was so calm and peaceful. He was a calming influence in my life. I loved going into his room and rocking him, or rolling around on the floor, or playing with him.  I think I spent more time in his room the first 3 years, than I did anywhere else.

Today, Motor Mouth challenges me on every thing, every day. He gives new meaning to the term 'strong-willed'. But he is so smart and so funny. He's my diplomat. My deep thinker. My artist. I pray I will be the mother he needs in order for him to grow up to be a strong leader and independent thinker who pursues his passions with zeal.

My Mom

She's a whole thankful entry on her own. But right now, I'm most thankful for her buying this Eiffel Tower for Mini Me for Christmas. It's huge!! And was on sale 1/2 off today.

What are you thankful for this week?

Go here to participate - I gotta link to last week's entry because I'm not sure she'll remember this week. See, last Thursday, The Mommy Project FORGOT to post until after 4 pm - even though she watched the Thanksgiving Parade!! Let it slide because she's pregnant so she has mommy brain and she's my old, old, old friend, so she's, well, senile. But I love her and she's someone special to me that I'm pretty thankful for - her and her adult braces.

Thankful Thursday - Thanksgiving Kickoff

I've been meaning to do a 'Thankful Thursday' edition since my dear, OLD, OLD, OLD (and preggo, might I add) friend, at The Mommy Project started doing these about a month ago. Each week, I've thought about what I am thankful for, but have kept it to myself, sadly. I keep nothing to myself so what gives, eh?

Anyway, it's the American Thanksgiving - not to be confused with the Canadian Thanksgiving - and I thought it appropriately cheesy to start my 

Thankful Thursday on Thanksgiving.

Time Zones

I live in the Central Time Zone, making me a full hour YOUNGER than my Canadian friends and family, the majority of whom live in the Eastern Time Zone.

Being Canadian

Canada has all the benefits of America, except the whole world loves us.

My Husband 

I know, I know, I know. But he makes my dreams come true. Even the tiny, little ones no one really knows about. Like the calla lilly picture he gave me - calla lilly is my fav flower. And the matching watches he gave us for our wedding present, or the pearl necklace he also gave for my wedding present. These were things I had wanted for years, but never dared tell a soul. There were other things. But fast forward to the loft in downtown Chicago. I love where we live. Dream come true. And I not only went to the Oprah Show, I was strongly considered to be a guest on the show. All of this not possible without my husband. I really must be nicer to him. I think he deserves that at least.

MAM 

My writing instructor and now, friend. And employer. MAM has been the biggest, most positive influence on my life since moving to Chicago. While she doesn't realize it, she is the person, outside of J that I am closest to these days. MAM has been so encouraging and free with her time and resources to get me going/started on projects. When she hired me to be her personal assistant, it restored my faith in myself as marketable and of value. We are even having dinner at her home this Thanksgiving Day.

My Small Group 

My Small Peeps as I call them. Normally, we meet on a Thursday evening - but not tonight as it it Turkey Day. They are a great group of people that I look forward to getting to know. They do stuff outside of group and pull me in to that. I find myself getting really insular these days, so to have my Small Peeps pulling on me is nice.

Orange Juice

I LOVE orange juice. My kids don't care for it, so I seldom have it in the house, unless we have overnight guests. My entire career as a computer consultant, I drank a bottle of orange juice every day. 7 years. I love the stuff. Really, I think I don't buy it because I know if I did, I would drink it all and it is so high in sugar, that wouldn't be a good idea.

Widney Woman - You forgot to say you are thankful for your kids. I didn't forget. On a deep level, I'm always thankful for them, but not at this moment. They are pissing me off right now.

What are you thankful for?

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