Thursday, April 10, 2008

Thursday Thanks Tank #35



Here are a few of the things I am thankful for this week:

John: My brother-in-law had a birthday yesterday. I am thankful he is a part of my family. I am thankful for him and how he loves my sister.

My Home: After about 7 months of a house without decorations, I am finally getting decorated. We have been rearranging and hanging pictures. The house feels more like our home now.

Trash pickup: Okay, this is a funny one to be thankful for – especially since our trash gets loudly collected at 6 a.m. Well, I was thinking about being thankful as I was emptying my trash yesterday. I imagined what I would have to do if we didn't have trash pick-up.

My Kitchen Counter: This week I have been winning the clutter fight with my most prominent kitchen counter. It feels wonderful. It is amazing how a little thing like keeping a counter clean can energize me.

Encouraging Books: I am reading “Love and Respect” by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs right now. It is thought provoking and encouraging.

Craft day: A few weeks back I was struggling to feel sufficient as a stay-at-home mom. It can be a constant struggle for me. The struggle is something like this: I stay home to be with my kids but my house work is often more than I can handle. I never finish the housework (always working on it) so I get frustrated about not spending quality time with my kids during the stay-at-home time. SO- a few weeks ago I instituted “Terrific Thursdays”. On those days I spend time baking with the kids or doing a craft with them. The day has been changed and my kids never called it Terrific Thursday- they call it “Craft Day.” That’s the long explanation of Craft Day. I am thankful for Craft Day b/c it has improved my contentment and because of the joy the kids get from it.

Washing Machine: I am not a laundry lover. I have to do laundry constantly. It occurred to me yesterday that life would be a lot harder without my washing machine. I can’t even think about that very long. So, I am very thankful for my machine.

Potty Training Going Well: This week I am very thankful for Thomas’s progress in the potty training department. He is waking me up at least once a night to go potty but I don’t mind at all. It is so wonderful to see him making progress in this area.

Faith and Prayer: I am thankful for my faith. I am thankful for the power of prayer. I am thankful for how prayer changes my outlook. I am thankful that I have confidence in prayer.

These are a few of the ways I am thankful this week. What are you thankful for? Take time today to think about it.

3 comments:

John and Carrie said...

Awesome thank tank list!
I like your idea of a craft day. I'm struggling with that now that Sarah is down to one nap a day. Matt and I used to have fun with crafts when Sarah had her morning nap. Now, I'm trying to figure out how to do it with him while she is awake (sometime she likes to eat the crayons.....therefore I definitely don't want to get other craft stuff out with her...)
Thanks for being thankful for my John. I wish we all lived closer so you could really know him better.
I love you JA. I am thankful for you!...and right now for both children sleeping during their nap time. :-)

Kimberly said...

Anah saw a picture of train tracks yesterday and wanted to know when we were going to go back to Oregon. We can't wait to come for another visit and see your newly decorated home!
Your craft day is so amazing and yet just not quite inspiring enough. Let's not mention it to the girls. They'd pester me for months! =}

Kristi said...

I am glad to see that someone else shares the struggle between chores and children. I love the craft day idea and hope to intstitute it myself. I have wanted to start a breakfast date with Ryan and Chase individually at least once a month, but I can't seem to ever make the time for it. I just don't seem to get enough one-on-one time with each of them. Perhaps I will JUST DO IT this week with Ryan. Thanks for the reminder and inspiration!