Almost Wordless Wednesday - The Prophet Got Braces & a Palatal Expander

Week One: Spacers on the Back Teeth

Week Two: Brackets & Blue Glue (to control his overbite)

Week Three: Wires & Palatal Expander

What I'm Thankful For

With Thanksgiving just two days away, I thought I would list some of the things I'm thankful for in my life.

1) Above all else, my Lord & Savior - Despite my shortcomings, blindness, stubbornness, self-centeredness, (need I go on?), He is always there waiting for me to return to Him. I find that the days I start in His presence go much smoother...still not perfect, but better than if I just rush into the day w/out Him.

2) Casinodad - I've said it before & will continue saying it, he is a wonderful man. God has placed this loving, caring, patient man in my life. He's a great father to our munchkins & husband to me.

3) The Prophet - At nine years old, he's grown into such a loving young man. Sure, he has his moments (don't all children?), but he cares about his family & will go out of his way to help out at times.

4) The Archangel - This very loving boy has brightened our lives from the beginning.
He, too, has his moments, but he can be very caring, especially to his siblings. He loves to come up & give us hugs out of the blue.

5) The Princess - This little lady, being the only girl, has the voice of an angel. She loves to sing & dance around the house, play w/ her dolls, & do all sorts of girly things. But don't let that fool you...being surrounded by boys, she can be just as rough & tough!

6) The Saint - He's such a happy toddler & is quite the tease. He has this sly grin & knows how to use it w/ his sneaky ways. Put on some music & he starts wiggling to the beat. He loves to discover the world around him, pointing out all that strikes his fancy.

7) My family & friends - There are so many loving, caring people in my life. I am so thankful that God has placed them there.

8) The many friends I've met in the blogging world - We've shared comments on each other's blogs. I've laughed & cried along w/ many of you in your daily adventures.

9) A roof over our heads & food on the table

10) Our new church family - We changed parishes this past summer & have been so welcomed in our new church.

11) Freedom

12) Coffee

13) Chocolate - especially Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, M&M's, & Nutella

14) Good books, good movies, & good music

There is so much to be thankful for, that this is in no way a complete list. If you're making your thankful list on your blog, let me know in the comments. I'd love to read yours!

I hope you & your families have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving! God bless each of you!

Cleaning & Fun Can Go in the Same Sentence After All!

I the following on Faith & Family Live as a reply to one of the posts & thought I'd share it here too!

My oldest three children (9, 6, & 4) occasionally complain that I never play w/ them. I tell them that if I didn’t have so much to do around the house, I’d have more time hoping they will help out a bit more. Today, instead of yelling at them to help out, I had an epiphany…we can play AND clean at the same time. I set the stove timer for a variety of minutes (3 the first time, 2 the next, 4 after that, etc. - I didn’t tell them how long I set it) & we spent that time cleaning up. Once the timer rang, I put on some fun music (Veggie Tales) & we (yes, me included!) danced for a whole song. We did that for about an hour & even though our house is not completed cleaned up, we made a big dent in it! DS #2 decided several times to not dance & continued to wash dishes. We loved the time we were able to spend w/ each other this morning while getting things done & they want to do it more often!

Accomplishments: 1 hour of Phys. Ed. & Music for school, the house gets cleaned, & happy munchkins (& Mom, too!)

Small Successes

"It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that."

1) I went to a combination Tastefully Simple, Pampered Chef, & Lia Sophia party on Sunday & DID NOT PURCHASE A SINGLE THING!!! I was very tempted, but knew we just didn't have the money at this time. It was nice to visit w/ my best friend & some other ladies for a few hours. With our busy schedules, we don't see much of each other.

2) I kept to our meal plan for the last week & a half. Any alterations have just been trading nights for meals.

3) I've been trying to make an effort to avoid yelling at the munchkins. I hate the fact that I'm a "yelling Mom" & have been working at doing better. When I catch the urge to yell, I just close my mouth & put my head in my hands to let the moment pass or I try to talk firmer, yet softer. I'm nowhere near perfect & still find myself yelling at times (like today), but I've been trying...does that count?

So how's your week been? Check out Faith & Family Live's weekly Small Successes.

Small Successes

"It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that."

1) Thanks to my quick reflexes, I avoided a near catastrophic collision on the interstate yesterday. I was just getting on & didn't need to merge, as my lane remained. However, a large tractor trailer decided to cut across two lanes, directly in front of me, to get to the berm. I slammed on my brakes & layed on my horn, but doubt he even heard it. So many thanks are needed in this situation: I was paying attention & able to avoid hitting him, there was no one behind me, & the munchkins were not w/ me. Thank You, God!!!!!

2) Casinodad & I got most of our Christmas shopping done for the munchkins.

3) We stocked up on some food items this past weekend & I even managed to get everything organized on the shelves in the basement. Thankfully, we had cleaned the basement a few weeks ago.

What's your week been like? Anything you'd like to share? Check out Faith & Family Live for more successes & to share your own. Many Blessings to You!!

Small Successes - One Day Late

"It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that."

I didn't get around to posting my successes yesterday. It's been a rough week on the homeschooling & parenting front! Any prayers you can spare would be very welcome & much appreciated!

So, here is what I did manage to succeed at this past week:
1) On Sunday, I spent a few hours w/ my dear college friend, Lawgirl. I went to her apartment first & got to meet her wonderful fiance! Then we went to lunch at a nice little restaurant on her side of town. After lunch we went out for ice cream. They have some of the best, yet odd, flavors of ice cream. I got Goat Cheese w/ Roasted Red Cherries in a waffle cone...VERY GOOD! I tried a few others: Wildberry Lavendar (good, but just a tad too much lavendar), Riesling w/ Poached Pear, Salty Caramel, & another that I can't remember. We ended the afternoon at her apartment watching several episodes of Glee. I had not seen it yet & she's always talking about how good it is. Yes, despite my resolve to not start any new TV series' I got hooked on it too!

2) Survived a week so far w/out our microwave! It finally died on us last week (it was a hand-me-down from my sister who got it when she was first married 12 years ago).

3) I got back into my morning prayer routine. I had gotten away from it for a while & it definitely feels good to be back into it.

Join other wonderful ladies at Faith & Family Live to share "Small Successes" each Thursday. No success is too small or too big.