The Day I Was Grateful for Freedom

My friend teaches in the UAE.  She posted this link on her facebook page.  I scanned it and am so grateful I don't have to be stealth about my freedoms.  I am grateful to live in this country, flawed as it is.  I see how women are suppressed in other lands and am so glad that if our government even considered doing anything remotely like they do across the ocean, there would be a civil uprising like you have never seen in the history of the world.  I once tried on a burka and couldn't wait to get it off.  I'm not claustrophobic, but being in the full length black gown and headdress with only my eyes visible, I felt oppressed.  I am grateful that my boys are taught that women and men are equal.

So, here's to equality.

Here's to freedom.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Dad

This is my Dad.  He's 81 today (this picture is only a few years old - looks pretty good, huh?).  This man means to world to me and I hope he has a wonderful birthday.  He has really made me the person I am today (you hear that, Dad, I'm so stubborn because of you :) ).  He not the perfect dad, but he's the perfect dad for me and I'm so glad my mom found him.  I still think about what my dad would think of the decisions I make and I want to please him even though I know he'll always be proud of me.

So, here's to my great example.

Here's to a great year.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Safety

No.2 was jolted awake a couple nights ago during a huge, and close, thunder storm.  He'd been okay with thunder before, but this one was just too close I guess.  Well, we had another storm tonight (hello, Spring).  Mr. took this picture as I was already in bed.  He said No.2 stayed, shivering, behind his arm for about an hour while the storm went over our house.

Mr. just continued to assure No.2 that he was safe and allowed him to bury his face in Mr.'s sleeve.

So, here's to comforting.

Here's to safety.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.  (or in this case, a Better Daddy He)

The Day I Was Grateful for Sleep

No.2 was just so sweet snuggled up to his "Bacon" tonight, I couldn't help but take a picture.  He'll be down to join us in a few hours and my sleep will be interrupted like it has been almost every night for the last 2 and a half years, but I will give up those seconds of sleep to cuddle my little man like he does his Bacon.

So, here's to silent nights.

Here's to soft cuddles.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Jam

No.1 thought Friday was Mother's Day because of the Muffins with Mom at school.  That morning he brought me one piece of bread, spread with the jam he made, and a heart cut our of the center.  I thanked him for it and told him Mother's Day was actually Sunday.  He told me he had a plan:  since he brought me one piece Friday, he would bring me two Saturday, and three Sunday.  He stuck to his plan.  I love this boy.  He really is giving and thoughtful.  He oftentimes teaches me more about selflessness than I could ever teach him. Yes, the strawberry freezer jam gave me a sugar jolt each morning, but I loved every bite.

So, here's to sweet boys.

Here's to heart-y bread.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Restaurants

Because tomorrow is Mother's Day, I had my boys take me out to dinner tonight.  I have learned that among all the things I need to teach my boys (husband included), I need to teach them how to treat their mother/wife.  We tried a new place, sort of a dive on the outside, but well reviewed and it was pretty good.  I loved the special drink the waiter made for the boys.  I am just glad I didn't have to cook.  I've really been craving pasta and this Italian restaurant hit the spot.

So, here's to no cooking.

Here's to letting my boys pamper me.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Muffins

No.1's teacher, independent from the other 1st grade teachers, held a special Mother's Day Muffins with Mom in her classroom.  She had a beautiful spread of delicious (and huge) muffins, fruit, and juice.  All the children made paper flowers, a thumbprint necklace, and a hand print flower for their moms.  (No.1 wouldn't give me a good smile.)

It was a sweet morning.  This is why we love his teacher so much.

So, here's to moms.

Here's to sweet memories.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Books

Well, I'm grateful No.2 wanted to read, but not so grateful to put all 150+ books away on his shelves.  Still, I'm glad he loves book so much.  I'm not a great example of reading for my boys.  Not that I don't enjoy a good book now and again, but I'm always doing things, I don't make time to read that often so my boys don't see me reading.  I have some friends who's kid's noses are always stuck in a book, but so are their parent's.  I love the idea of being a book family, but I fear that if it ever happened, our house would fall apart.  Still, I know I need to have my children see me reading more often.  I read to them daily, and they enjoy that, but they also need to see that you can have good quiet time alone with a book, too.

So, here's to more turned pages.

Here's to making time to read.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Greateful for Pens

I already shared that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week.  When thinking of gifts to make, I tried to stay away from Pinterest as I'm sure all the other student's moms were on that site looking for ideas.  I was pretty proud of myself for this one.  :)  Simple, useful, and sort of clever.  I'm sure someone else has also thought of this, but it was new to me.  Anyway, I love Sharpies and use them a lot in scrapbooking and just around the house in general.  I hope No.1's teacher's will get some use out of these colorful pens.

So, here's to making things permanent.

Here's to using my brain.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Teachers

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week.  No.1 has 2 teachers (classroom and gifted) so I/we made little gifts to hand out each day.  I was a teacher and I know how wonderful it is to be recognized.  I hope his teachers enjoy their gifts.

Mon:  Cowboy Cookie Mix in a Jar
Tues: Extra Gum
Wed:  Sharpie Pens
Thurs:  Strawberry Jam (No.1 is making it)
 Fri:  Tic-Tac's and a special crayon melt and card for his classroom teacher

I like getting No.1 involved with these sorts of things.  It teaches gratitude.  I am grateful for No.1's teachers and that No.1 is so excited to give them gifts each day.

So, here's to showing gratitude.

Here's to our teachers.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Scissors

This morning, I called Mr. and left a message on his phone that I was taking No.2 to get a hair cut and not to freak out when he got home.  Mr. wants to keep No.2's hair long and shaggy.  When No.2 had cute curls, it made sense and was cute, but his curls are all but completely gone now and I'm tired of constantly brushing his hair out of his eyes.  So, I took No.2 to the hair salon (paid $20, but it's worth it because I have no idea how to cut his hair - it's full of calics), and I told the lady to do what she thought best.  She did a wonderful job and my little baby was transformed into a little boy.  Sure, I miss the baby look, but he'll be 3 in a few months.  It was time. 

So, here's to growing up.

Here's to little boy cuts.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Plans

Our banisters on our front steps are falling apart (Mr. says the builder didn't use treated wood).  We've been pretty diligent at priming and painting yearly, but last year we realized the whole thing just needs to be replaced.  Yesterday, after all our work was done, we went to Lowe's and priced wood vs. pvc.  Today, Mr. made a decision:  wood.  It will be cheaper and match the rails along the porch.  So, now we have a plan.  We can budget and prepare the steps and hopefully we will have new railings by the end of June.

So, here's to making plans.

Here's to following through.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Helpers

"Saturday is a special day..."  These boys were excited to get down and dirty with Mr. in preparing Mr.'s tomato and pepper pots.  I had errands to run for church and left the guys to it.  Sure, they got in the way sometimes, but that they were willing to and wanted to help outweighed the little intrusions.  When I got home, all the pots were ready for planting.

I am grateful we have a garden (the pots and a bit plot in the backyard).  I grew up with a garden and know it helped teach me the value of hard work.  I see too many kids who have no responsibilities and they consequently have a gimme-gimme attitude.  I hope that through giving my little helpers chores and having them help in the garden each year, they will become hard workers.

So, here's to helping hands.

Here's to fruits of our labors.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Parking Lots

No.2 decided to turn my kitchen, right below my sink, into a parking lot for his trucks.  I stepped over and around them as I cleaned up the kitchen.  I couldn't help but smile at it all, though.  I love that No.2 is imaginative.  I read a friends post about her son being to smart to play make-believe.  But I'm so glad my boys are smart enough to play make-believe.

So, here's to pretending.

Here's to playing along.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for May

Happy May Day!  It's here.  There's no doubt about it.  It's Spring.  I love this time of year.  Planting gardens, green grass and tress, sunshine, playing outside.  I hope I can muster the energy to do all the things Spring begs us to do (future No.3 is really giving me a run for my money).  Still, I'm grateful for every moment of Spring!

So, here's to energizing weather.

Here's to drinking in the sunshine.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Keys

For weeks these keys have been missing.  I actually publicly sort of suggested No.2 might have thrown them away (he has a bad habit of throwing thing away and my last memory of my keys was him playing with them).  But, today Mr. and I took apart No.1's loft bed (he and No.2 kept jumping off the top) so it just lies on the floor and I found these keys behind No.1's dresser.  I don't know how they got there.  I could have left them on the dresser and they fell behind, the boys could have been using the flashlight on the house key to look for/at things.  I don't know.  All I know is that I'm so grateful for finding them.

So, here's to public apologies (I apologized on facebook).

Here's to finding what was lost.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Umbrellas

I bought a few new umbrellas the other day and No.2 has, for some reason, adopted this one as his.  As we were out running errands, he insisted on using it (it was rainy).  It's just funny that he has taken such a liking to this particular umbrella.  I'll oblige.  Why not.  Pick your battles, right :)

So, here's to oversided umbrellas.

Here's to shelter from the rain.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Brothers

These two ended up in our bed Sunday morning.  I looked at the picture today and noticed No.1 was sleeping on No.2's arm.  They had been cuddling.  (They're wincing because the flash is waking them up.)  I love that these two do, for the most part, get along.  I hope that I can nurture that bond by teaching them to care for one another, for each other's things, to respect each other, to learn from each other, to teach each other, and many other things.

So, here's to brotherhood.

Here's to cultivating it.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Planning

No.2 cracks me up.  He insisted he wear this bow tie to bed in order to be ready for church in the morning.  He's not wearing that tie to church, I already have a different outfit picked out, but I loved that he wanted to wear a tie. 

I guess I remember No.1 being easy to dress, but as he's gotten older, he's started to express views and opinions on his attire.  If I had my way, he'd wear cute, preppy button up collared shirts with nice jeans or pants everyday.  But he prefers jeans and t-shirts.  He's good about wearing a tie to church, but he's not always happy about it. 

Something that helps us out, though is planning outfits for the week.  I don't plan No.2's clothes yet, but No.1 and I put his clothes out and put them in a hanging shelf in his closet.  It saves time in the morning and stifles any potential I-do-want-to-wear-that's.  Mostly, now that he's older and I need to start relinquishing some of my motherly fashion desires, No.1 gets his way, but I love when I can sneak in a couple of my collared shirt choices.

So, here's to planning ahead.

Here's to letting others do some of the planning.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.

The Day I Was Grateful for Sparring

No.1 is not aggressive in karate, but today that changed.  He was on the attack.  I hope this continues.  He's very much a follower and I see how kids take advantage of that.  I can't step in a cover for him all the time because he does need to stand up for himself and his things.  So, I hope karate has a positive affect on him.  I'm not saying he should kick and punch when others try to bully him, there are other ways to handle that - at first, but I do want him to be able to speak up.  Mr. and I talk with No.1 after bullying episodes, we encourage him to speak up and not follow when others are doing wrong.  I just hope he really gets it one day.

So, here's to defending yourself and your stuff.

Here's to being brave.

And here's to a Better Mommy Me.