Little Things

[Remember, I am pretty good at laundry, birthing babies, applying lipstick while driving, but photography...not so much.]

I'm thankful for the little things like:

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

with a cold Coke

in front of a cozy fire.

Little things like knowing that I don't have to pack six lunches in the morning because it's pizza day. These little stacks of money are all they need.

A Christmas wreath I made with my Mom.

The little things my kids say that make me laugh.

Rosebud: "Mom, Listen! Moonsand, Moonshoes, and moonscape, isn't that cool, Mom, they all have moon in them!"

Me: "mmmmm...yes, how 'bout that?"

Rosebud: "yeah.." {she walked away with a smile}

The little memories that we will share as a family.

For example, last night I left several baby photos on a side table in my bedroom. I intended to return them to the photo album when I had an extra minute. This afternoon, while tidying up a bit around the house, I picked them up and noticed that someone had drawn little moustaches on the babies with permanent ink. Hmmmm....very interesting. At dinner tonight, we held a court proceeding. I presented the evidence and asked if anyone was interested in confessing. We had lots of giggles and everyone enjoyed looking at the silly photos but no confession. Someone came forward later and fessed up. Their honesty earned them amnesty. Everyone enjoyed a funny moment.

Yep, I am thankful for the little things.

What little things are you thankful for today?

My Little Secret

I have a secret.

I've kept it long enough. It's time for the world to know.

It all started when I reached the end of my rope. You've probably all been there.


WHY DO NONE OF THE SOCKS MATCH!!

Then when we had several children, it became impossible. John's socks, my socks, and the girls socks were everywhere and always needed to be sorted and matched. John and I would sit in the middle of the den floor and work on "The Project"

"I have a thin, pink, medium-sized sock with a small rosette on the ankle." I would say.
John responded, "Nothing like that over here. Do you have any gray athletic socks with Nike on the toe?"

And then...the dilemma...what to do with all the socks that haven't matched up in a couple of weeks. For goodness sake, do you throw them away? That doesn't seem right. Where are the matches anyway? Probably the same place where all my spoons are disappearing to. One day I will discover a jackpot of unmatched socks and cereal spoons.

When boys were added to the family, it took me over the edge. I needed to approach the sock issue from a whole new angle.


Here it is...my secret.

I don't match socks anymore.
There. I said it.

All socks are kept in this community sock bin in our linen closet.
It works beautifully. When we fold the freshly washed laundry, I make a pile of clean socks and put them away, all at once, in this bin. Every morning, each family member makes a trip to the bin and finds two socks that fit their feet. Voila! Simple as that.

One more thing. We only buy white socks. Find two that are approximately the same size and you're good to go.

Our Thanksgiving Tree

To turn our minds toward thankfulness, we have created a Thanksgiving Tree.

I used a simple poster board and traced my hand and arm and John's hand and arm to form the trunk of the tree. Each of the children added branches by tracing their hands.

Each night at dinner we add some leaves. The leaves are cut out of construction paper. Everything is simple and basic. I'm sure some of you could get even more creative and have a real masterpiece. I've learned that I can become paralyzed by perfection. I just used what I have around the house.

The children are enjoying this fun project and I'm blessed to hear their hearts.

Yesterday

I did not post yesterday about what I am thankful for.
So...to get caught up, I'll give a belated gratitude post.
Drumroll, please.

Ready?

Yesterday, I was thankful that I survived the day.

I wish it was inspiring or encouraging or even just hinted at positive.
Nope.
It was a tough day.
Nothing earth-shattering or catastrophic...just hard!

Do you ever have days like that?

Aren't you glad for new, fresh mornings?
Today will be better.

Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
Lamentations3:21-25

Consequences

There are times when consequences are necessary for our children. Unpleasant, I know, but necessary. [Big Sigh]

John and I have discovered that creativity is the key. Also, the importance of matching the consequence to the poor choices they make.

One of the frequently used consequences is hard work. When chores are not done because poor choices are made, the offender will be issued a very unpleasant, additional chore. If you drive by our house and see a kid filling a wheelbarrow with pinecones, you'll know why. If the offense is absolute rebellion you may find that the inside and outside of our trashcans have been scrubbed squeaky clean.

Some of our creative consequences have been:

Losing the privilege of sitting on furniture because he/she was jumping on or abusing it.

"Practicing" walking up and down the stairs, since he/she obviously "forgot" that you shouldn't stomp up them.

"X" number of laps around the house because he/she repeatedly acts out in anger.

You get the idea.
We try to stay positive. I'm not always successful, but I try. Usually, the consequence is beneficial in and of itself. They learn something or accomplish something.

Most parenting books you read will always talk about being consistent. I agree....sometimes.
Sometimes children need grace.
This is the part where we, the parents, have to make good choices. We need to be prayerful and know when to administer consequences and when to extend grace.

There are times when swift consequences speak the loudest to my children but there are other times when knowing they goofed up and receiving undeserved favor speaks even louder.

I'm certain of this because I've experienced it myself.
God's grace to me ....that's what I'm thankful for today!!

Laughter

I'm thankful for laughter.

Our house is full of chuckles, and giggles, and howling and chorkles and hahahas.

My kids are hilarious. Just tonight...

Scooter sniffed one nostril closed without touching it...how do you do that? We laughed.

Triple H sang "We will, we will...Rock you" and then added on something about Cool Whip. We laughed.

Banana was caught in the act of Hip Hop Dancing to a Hannah Montana song. We laughed.

Rosebud was also dancing a little jig with wild hand motions. We laughed.

Bucket put pantyhose on his head and pretended to be a bank robber. We laughed.

Mojo replied to a sibling with the attitude of a 17 year old. We laughed.

Fig ran outside wearing only a NC State tshirt (no diaper). We laughed.

What was funny at your house today?

Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine

The Bridge

I'm thankful for The Ultimate Sacrafice.
Grab a tissue and watch this.
http://www.maximumreferrals.com/bridge