A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, Judy, over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I'm thankful for the one-on-one time I get to spend w/ the Blessings this time of year when we make our Christmas cookies. Each child chooses a type of cookie to make w/ me. We made the doughs yesterday & will be baking today. The Saint even used my hand mixer yesterday & did an AWESOME job for a 4 yo!

2) I'm thankful for online Christmas shopping! Matt & I are not big crowd people. Shopping online from home keeps us safe from cold/flu germs & mall shootings.

3) I'm thankful for the joy & dedication of The Archangel in writing a story lately. He & The Prophet have both decided that they would like to write stories. The Prophet is taking his time, but The Archangel has been diligently writing for the past couple of days & already has four chapters completed, as well as a summary.

4) I'm thankful for the creativity of The Princess. She sleeps in a canopy bed that was mine when I was a little girl. Unfortunately, the beams that hold the canopy have rotted & broken. (Well, the bed IS 38 years old, as I got it when I was two!) Undeterred, she has taken ribbons & yarn, strung them around her bed & created her own little string canopy...VERY cute!

5) And following Venerable Solanus Casey's example, I'm thanking God ahead of time on this last one...I'm thankful for the Saint's procedure tomorrow & the pediatric dentist who will be filling his four cavities under sedation. (The Saint will be under sedation, NOT the dentist!)

Holy Spirit Promptings...Yes, They do Exist!

Once again, the Holy Spirit intervenes in my life...I read a similar thought in two different resources this morning. On page 10 of "I Surrender", Judy Dudich says about comparing ourselves to others (something I am VERY guilty of at times), "Rather, He sees each of us as if we were His only child."

Less than 15 minutes before that, I was reading an article in the daily meditation book "The Word Among Us" on seeing God during the Christmas season, as well as Jesus. The author was talking about misconceptions people have about God & the way He sees us. He quoted St. Augustine, "God loves each of us as if there were only one of us to love."

The Holy Spirit is definitely telling me something here!

I think that piggy-backs part of my need to work on #5 of the promises at the end of the first chapter in "I Surrender"...Serve my family as though I am serving the Master. If I treat each of my children & my husband as if they are the only ones I love, they have my full attention. This doesn't diminish the love I have for each one of them.

So, whether I am washing dishes, folding laundry, helping a child w/ a school lesson, or being interrupted for what seems like the umpteenth time, I can be fully in that moment. I can love each family member as if they are the only one I love. It shows them that I am making whatever they need from me at that particular moment more important than whatever I was doing.

On that note...I'm off to start making Christmas cookies w/ the Blessings. Each child has chosen a different cookie & will have me to themselves while we work together. I started this tradition a couple of years ago & they really love the time spent making cookies...just me & one child at a time!

Lovin' My Husband

Join us each week at Judy's blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, to share how wonderful your husband is.

In this day & age, where so many women belittle, complain about, & just plain take their husbands for granted, Judy has created this wonderful meme. Each Tuesday, we celebrate our husbands by choosing three things we love about them. The hardest part of this meme? Narrowing it down to only three things! 

1) Lovin' Matt for bringing home a bar of organic chocolate for me the other day when I'd had a not-so-great day.

2) Lovin' Matt for staying up late w/ me the other night so we could spend some time together & order some Christmas presents online for our Blessings.

3) Lovin' Matt for gushing over the stir-fry I made for dinner on Sunday. I used hormone/antibiotic free chicken, fresh green beans, & fresh pineapple in a teriyaki sauce...YUMMY! He continued to gush over the leftovers on Monday!

Homeschool Blessings

 

I'm so excited to participate in Judy's new meme...Homeschool Blessings. 

Judy says, "It's easy! It's fun! And, it gives you a chance to reflect on the blessings, joys, and adventures of your homeschooling life!

Want to participate, too? Stop by her blog (link above) every Monday, add the above image to your blog post, & share your homeschool blessings & joys. Don't have a blog? No problem...just head over to her blog post each Monday & list your blessings & joys in the comments section.

1) Life skills become part of our schooling. Cooking/baking together helps w/ health, math & science skills. Cleaning & laundry become science experiments when we make our own cleaners. Gardening & yard work, home repairs, decorating, shopping, doctor/dental appts., & so much more can all be made into lessons.

2) I can carry on a conversation out loud w/ myself & not be considered crazy...it's a parent/teacher conference!!!

3) We don't have to spend extra class time making sure everyone knows how to stand in line, raise their hands to speak, ask to use the restroom, or wait for others to finish before moving on to the next subject. 

4) I know I've said this before, but it bears repeating because it is so important...God & prayer ARE allowed in our school!

5) And this last one comes from The Archangel..."No bullies & I don't have to get up early!"

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, Judy, over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I'm thankful the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities treaty DID NOT pass yesterday!

2) I'm thankful for great sales at the grocery store. For the past couple of weeks, our local Kroger has had sweet potatoes for 25 cents a pound & I love their clearance markdowns, esp. on organic & natural foods.

3) I'm thankful my "Bilbo Baggins" bread came out well yesterday! The Saint watched just the beginning of The Lord of the Rings the other day & really wanted some bread like Bilbo had on his table...a round, crusty loaf. I found a recipe to make, but was quite worried when it sat overnight & was still quite sticky & gooey. Thankfully, after adding more flour, it turned out delicious, even it if hadn't risen as much as it should have. (I think the recipe was wrong & I need more yeast than 1/4 t.)

4) I'm thankful for the joy old toys bring to the house! The boys got their old, wooden Thomas the Tank Engine box out of the crawlspace for The Saint to play with. All four of the Blessings have been getting along & building some great tracks around the living room AND they're actually cleaning them up when asked!

5) I'm thankful for the sights & sounds of the Christmas season. I am gradually decorating the house, a little bit each day & we always have Christmas music playing. At work, the activities director put up a beautiful tree in the lobby, to greet visitors when they walk through the door.

Lovin' My Husband

Join us each week at Judy's blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, to share how wonderful your husband is.

In this day & age, where so many women belittle, complain about, & just plain take their husbands for granted, Judy has created this wonderful meme. Each Tuesday, we celebrate our husbands by choosing three things we love about them. The hardest part of this meme? Narrowing it down to only three things! 

1) Lovin' Matt for holding down the fort while I worked all weekend. I picked up extra hours Fri. & Sun., just in time for Christmas shopping.

2) Lovin' Matt for lugging all our Blessings to the auto parts store to pick up a new headlight for the van. He & The Prophet also installed the new headlight...great for father-son bonding & a life skills lesson.

3) Lovin' Matt for making great pizzas for our Blessings on Saturdays when I am at work. He's gotten quite good at making up the dough, which he was a bit hesitant about at first. They're much tastier & healthier than frozen or delivered ones!

Homeschool Blessings

 

I'm so excited to participate in Judy's new meme...Homeschool Blessings. 

Judy says, "It's easy! It's fun! And, it gives you a chance to reflect on the blessings, joys, and adventures of your homeschooling life!

Want to participate, too? Stop by her blog (link above) every Monday, add the above image to your blog post, & share your homeschool blessings & joys. Don't have a blog? No problem...just head over to her blog post each Monday & list your blessings & joys in the comments section.

1) Early Christmas break!!!! This is our last week of school before our break. We will start back after the new year, but in the meantime will be decorating, making cookies, reading Christmas stories, watching Christmas shows, & enjoying the season as a family.

2) Reading good books aloud...In addition to their regular books to read & study, I always have a good book that we're working through as a family. Currently, we are on Five Little Peppers. 

3) Hearing our Blessings share some tidbit of information they've learned in their studies...esp. a blessing when I don't think they've been paying attention or putting forth their best effort.

4) Lately, The Archangel has been working w/ The Saint on his pronunciations, esp. the "k" & "t" sounds which can be difficult for a 4 yo.

5) And this last one comes from The Prophet when asked what blessings come from homeschooling..."NO BULLYING!" (other than normal sibling rivalry, right?)