Thankful Thursday...Hello Again!

I know, I know.

It has been a while.

My friend Randy asked about it not long ago.

"Thankful Thursday?"

I haven't forgotten.

I think of it actually every Thursday.

All I can say is this time of year, I am in complete survival mode.

The end of school is about as hard (and maybe AS hard but in a different way) than the beginning of school for teachers. So much to do.

In fact, I have been "out" one whole day now and I am STILL not done.  That is after working most of Memorial Day weekend on school stuff.

No pity parties here, just 'splainin my self.

I will admit, thankfulness has been a bit more difficult lately.  Nothing major, just seems like every time we turn around, there is another unexpected expense waiting to be paid.  And just the craziness of life.  And the challenges of parenting.  And the restless spirit of mine confined to the house with these crazy people.  You know, that kind of stuff.

But I think I can find a few things to be thankful for...

• School's out!  Okay, not completely since I still have to finish my classroom. But I am 80 percent of the way done. :)  
• No lunches to pack, homework to check, papers to sign!  For a couple months anyway.
• The alarm is OFF.  I can sleep in every morning if I want. I won't because my body automatically wakes up but I can linger in bed if I want.
• A possible raise.  
• A good end to the year for all four kids.
• Miss Marley.  We went for a hike last weekend (which she LOVES to do).  Unfortunately, when we got home, we realized that Marley's harness had rubbed her raw under her "arms", and she was COVERED with ticks.  For a few days, she was very reclusive. She would hide under the bed, not eat or drink much of anything, just lay there.  Yesterday I was ready to take her to the vet/doggy hospital but they couldn't get her in until Friday.  I came home for lunch feeling defeated; we somehow lured her into eating.  And since then, she has transitioned back to her normal self.  I am still keeping an eye on her though.
• Safety.  Two times now in the past couple of week we have had severe weather in our area.  And thankfully, both times it has passed us (as I write in the midst of one of those storms :).
• T-ball.  Coming to an end.  Don't get me wrong. I love watching my little guy play.  And he really enjoys it.  I am just ready for some lazy evenings.  This is the one time of year we don't have a bunch of activities going on at once (other than some v-ball camps for child 2).  I like the slower pace.
• These cooler days.  It has not been the warmest May. In fact, most days it has been near perfect.  High 70's, low 80's. And once the sun sets, the temps drop even more.  Last night I went for a walk with the girls around the neighborhood. It was perfect out.  Not too hot, not too cold, a nice breeze. I love it!
• A prescription card.  My insurance has decided not to pay for a monthly prescription that one of us uses.  But thankfully that medicine's company is having a "rebate" type of special for the rest of the year so that we pay a minimal amount.  At least until December.  Then I may be selling plasma or something to pay for it... :)
• Time with cousins. My sister's kids are visiting right now. They are staying with my mom but we get to see them every now and then.  My kids want to see them ALL of the time. :)  We try not to overdo it.  But I love that they all have so much fun together.
• A calm dog in the midst of storms. Doesn't faze her at all.
• The imagination of child 4.  He keeps us in stitches (if he doesn't have us crying :).
• The helpfulness of child 3.  She will just decide to unload the dryer and will fold clothes just because.
• The patience of both child 1 and child 2 who have been so helpful with their younger siblings while I have dealt with school things.
• Surprise sweet texts from the hubby during the day
• A fixed ice maker/fridge.  And we figured it out all by ourselves! (with the help of FB friends and Google)

I am sure there is more but I am ready to get a little sleep.

It is good to be back!  Hopefully with the carefree days of summer, I can get here more often. :)

Reba

Expect Nothing...

and you will never be disappointed but you might be pleasantly surprised.

My mom used to say that to me.  A lot.

For good reason.

I tend to plan and think and hold ideas about how things will go.

And they rarely do.

At least how I think they will.

My first years of teaching.

My engagement.

My honeymoon.  (The wedding was actually what I pictured for the most part :)

Motherhood.

Mother's Day.

I really don't try to dream up stuff.

It just happens.

My mind is always going.

And I am a romantic at heart.

Gifts is one of my love languages.

So when I knew Mother's Day was this weekend, I had in my mind how it was going to go.

A hiking trip away, planned by anyone but me :). (We have hiked a lot of the trails here; there are others around the state I am itching to try) With or without kids.

Maybe a new camera.

Instead, yesterday late morning, hubby asks, "Wanna go for a hike today or tomorrow?'

My heart sank.

Don't get me wrong, I like hiking.  It just wasn't a weekend away.  And it wasn't planned.

To top it all off, one child wasn't sure she really wanted to go and seemed to be going just because she felt like she had to. Another one rolled out of bed right before we left and insisted there was no reason to go.  And the ones who did end up in the car with us argued. A lot.

Happy Mother's Day to me.

I actually said at one point, "Let's give up and go home..."

But we didn't.

We drove out to the middle of nowhere.

And we hiked.

And it was nothing like I had pictured for "my weekend".

Nothing at all.

But I was pleasantly surprised.

We had fun.  (A post/tons of pics to come)  One child, after claiming to not be a "girly girl", fell into the mud...right at the beginning of the hike.  Another one, tripping over a tree branch or his own feet, hopped up and said, "I am okay!" and took off running.  Marley pup had a ball.  She is fearless on a hike.  Rocks, water, logs...they don't stop her. Oh, and she can outhike us (even with legs mere inches long) any day.  The kids got along MOST of the time.  In fact, it was one of our better hikes.  We even decided to do one more hike and there were no complaints. I think we got about 4 miles in all together.

It was a beautiful day.  We were surrounded by beautiful scenery. And we saw no snakes.

When we got home, we grabbed some pizza from one of my favorite places.  And devoured it.

This morning, Child 2 brought me breakfast in bed.

Child 3 gave me a beautiful booklet all about me.

I think Child 4 had a gift for me from school; I just haven't seen it yet.  He will think about it in a few days.

We got to have dinner with MY mom and dad which is always a treat.

And then Child 1 bought me a shaved ice.

Oh, and I got a gift certificate for a pedicure. 

Nothing like I had "planned" or expected.

But I was pleasantly surprised.

Maybe those moms know a thing or two after all...

Reba

Wishful Thinking...

I had all intentions of doing a Thankful Thursday post.

I got as far as the title.

Not that I am not thankful...though maybe not as much this week as some weeks.

I just fell asleep.

Besides, I have been more in "wishful" thinking mode recently.

I probably should stick with thankfulness.

I wish...

• that I could wear flip flops. SOOO many cute flip flops.  But, alas, they kill my feet.  I cannot stand for that strap to be between my toes.  So I am in the not as cute slides for the summer, should summer ever arrive.
• sometimes I could just buy food without reading the label or checking a list.
• sometimes we could just have a spontaneous meal out that required no planning on my part.
• I could find more time to blog.  Too many thoughts swirl through my brain endlessly.
• we would have a nice weekend for either hiking or cleaning out the garage.  Hiking sounds more fun.
• I could get "caught" up on life.
• we had a family counselor always on call for the many parenting moments I have where I wonder, "What on earth do I do now?"
• one child would be more humble, another more positive, another softer spoken, and another respectful...
• I could visit some of the waterfalls around Arkansas.
• my tooth would stop hurting...I don't have the time or money for a root canal.
• it felt like spring.
• avocados weren't so high in fat and calories (I know it is a good fat but it is still high cal).
• I could Zumba without having to stop every few minutes to deal with a wayward child.
• I could spend an hour or two snuggling with my parents' new pup.  It is like therapy in a little ball of fur.
• insurance companies were easier to deal with.
• my family was more in tune with my needs and wants (without me having to spell them out). 
• I could figure out how to cook hashbrown potatoes correctly.
• that flour were low calorie.
• my house always smelled like homemade bread.
• I could sleep in.
• people could spell and use "lose" and "loose" correctly.
• I were better about my quiet times.
• our shower wouldn't drip.
• I weren't using heated seats in the month of May.
• my former students knew how much I cared...doesn't matter how old they get.
• my eyesight wasn't changing (for the worse).
• my sister lived closer.
• we could have a big beach vacation all together (parents, sister/family, us).
• I could get caught up on laundry.
• I had a compost pile AND a little garden.
• I had a green thumb.
• that more foods were "natural".
• my attic were organized.
• my snaggletooth children would lose their other front tooth. I love toothless grins.
• I had a swimming pool (which would require a much bigger yard).
• some days that time would speed up...other days I want to stop it.
• I knew why some friendships just end without warning.
• I could sing...on key.
•  I wish I had a normal life.  Please, no comments about "What is normal anyway?"  I grew up living a fairly normal life. The life I have right now is not so normal.  

I am sure I could wish away the night but I must get a little sleep.  (refer to the one above about not being able to sleep in :)

What are you wishing for these days?

Reba