40 Minutes.

It rarely happens. 40 minutes to myself.  Nowhere to go, no one to drop off or pick up.  Just me.  And I chose to use that time to get a pedicure.
Today I'm thankful for the small yet precious time to myself.  And pretty toes to boot.  Well, maybe not pretty since the polish is black.  More rock and roll!

Pink Clouds.

Me:  Chase, come eat your dinner, I tell him for the third time.
Chase:  But Mommy, come look at these pink clouds!  Pink is my favorite color! 

Sometimes, in my frustration that my kids won't do what I tell them to do, I forget that they may be actually doing something much more important, like admiring the January sunset, clouds glowing and lighting up the world with a hazy pink color. 

Today, I am thankful that I have someone to make me stop and notice lovely pink clouds.  And that pink is Chase's favorite color. 

Vintage Theater Seats.

I just bought this row of vintage theater seats off Craigslist.  They're perfect for the kids to sit in and watch TV in our kitchen.  They love them, I love them!  
I've only purchased a handful of things from Craigslist but every time I've met the most interesting people and come away with a perfect household item.  Yay for Craigslist and yay for vintage anything!  
Today, I'm grateful for my new theater seats and Craigslist.  

Words.

Lucas is counting now and loves numbers.  His articulation is poor but still, you can understand he's counting to 10!  
Today, I am grateful for Lucas's growing vocabulary and verbal expression.

Snow Day.

We haven't had a full week of school since mid-December.  Jeez, I don't know if we've had more than five days of school total, between holidays and snow and sick days.  And today, yet another snow day.  Our family does better when we're in a routine and everyone goes about their business.  Being stuck in the house is usually not how we thrive.

This morning Chase greeted me wearing his hat, coat and boots but no underwear or pants, "I'm ready to go play in the snow now."  It reminded me that although the snow disrupts our schedule, maybe that's okay.  Snow is magical to children.  

Today, I'm thankful for the excitement snow brings to children.  And that ours is melting quickly.  

8:00 p.m. Knitting.

I'm making a bath mat.  Kind of boring, I know.  But to sit in this chair and do something rhythmic and monotonous, the kids in bed, is something I look forward to daily.


It would probably be a lot easier to write a blog about the daily struggles and complaints.  The reason I'm writing this is to try to remove myself from those easy thoughts and challenge myself to live a life of gratitude.  I don't come by gratitude naturally. 


Everyone who said three children would be a lot was right.  Three kids under the age of five.  One with special needs, one with an extremely strong-will and an infant.  I'm not the crafty mom.  I'm not the mom who bakes or makes chicken pot pies or who keeps up with the laundry.  I'm definitely not the mom that's going to make you wonder "how does she do all that?".  I'm just the mom who is doing the best I can.  I'm not going to tell you I love my job.  I love my kids.  But my job is the most difficult thing I've ever done.


So, here's to knitting a bath mat when the house is quiet and my feet are propped.  Today, I'm thankful for knitting.

Meal Swap.

Each week, two friends and I make enough food for all three families and then exchange.  I make a large amount of whatever I'm making and get two meals my friends have made.  That means there are two fewer meals I have to think about and prepare.  It makes the week easier. It makes life easier.  


Today, I'm grateful for meal swap.  


Recipe:
Chipotle Sloppy Jens


Ingredients
Cooking spray

• 2 1/2  cups  presliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 1  (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1  pound  ground sirloin
• 1/2  cup  prechopped green bell pepper
• 2  tablespoons  tomato paste
• 1  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1  (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 5  (1 1/2-ounce) hamburger buns, toasted

Preparation

1. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; cover and cook 8 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; set aside.

2. Remove 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can; set aside. Remove 1 chipotle chile from can; chop and set aside. Reserve remaining chiles and adobo sauce for another use.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add bell pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in chopped chipotle chile, adobo sauce, tomato paste, and next 3 ingredients (through tomato sauce); cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon 1/2 cup beef mixture over bottom half of each bun, and top evenly with onions and top half of bun.

Plate with pickle chips and a simple slaw.

Little Girl in a Pink Tutu.

I was apprehensive about having a girl.  Having already had two boys, I felt that was my duty in life...to raise boys.  I was afraid of raging mother/teenage-daughter fights and issues that seem so beyond me now.  This little girl has blessed me immensely and shown me a different kind of love, one I have never felt.  A love that glows and grows and amazes me in every way.

We played dress-up for the first time today and she wore a pink tutu.  Today I am grateful for my little girl in the pink tutu.

Scarlet.

Today I am grateful for our almost 17 year old border collie, Scarlet.  Her health problems are mounting and we feel the end is near.  What a faithful friend she's been.  Through college, many moves and through the birth of our three children, Scarlet has been here for us in this crazy journey of life.  

Today I am grateful for Scarlet.