Thankful Thursday, When I Don't Really Want To.

It was one of those days today. You know, the kind I talked about last week, where I really just need to reset and start fresh. Nothing terribly bad happened, but we woke up late, and the day just kind of stayed at a high frustration level from there. I got home at 5pm and felt like it had been a super unproductive day. Oh, and while I was driving home I remembered it was Thursday and I needed to write this tonight. Hopefully by the time I'm done I'll realize why I NEEDED to write it :)
This week I am thankful for:

1. Sadie snuggles. She can be a handful, but when she snuggles me, she wraps her hands around the back of my neck and pulls me close as she buries her face right in the dip between my collarbone and neck. She usually softly hums while she does it too. It is the sweetest thing, and it never fails to make me slow down for a second and breathe it all in.

2. Myka's sense of focus. This one has been a bit of a struggle for me this week. The thing about myka is that she can be polar opposite with focus, depending on the day. Many times she is in her own Little world and doesn't even hear what I say, let alone obey. I'll send her to clean her room and she goofs around for an hour instead. BUT....sometimes she goes into Super Myka mode and is the most helpful, sweet kid there is. This week during one of those times, she filled the entire woodbox herself, and another, she cleaned her room almost better than I would, complete with mopping the floor. I'm learning how to bring a bit of balance to how we do things, and I know she is too. I love seeing how proud she looks when she does something completely and does it well :)

3. Watching Danica turn 5. It never gets easier to watch your children grow up, but at the same time, it's really exciting. She has such a fun personality and says the most adorable things. We had a really fun party for her birthday, and almost all of her friends came to help her celebrate!

4. Salted caramel biscotti and coffee. There's some days where I can't even fight it, lol. I mean, why would I?

5. My customers. We all know that the oilpatch is going through a slow time right now. I expected my sales for LLB to follow accordingly, but to my surprise, January was busier than I expected. I'm especially humbled by the amount of local business I'm still getting. I know my products aren't cheap, and it blows me away when local families still support my business in that way. I'm so honored by it all!

6. The girls' school phys ed program. We are blessed to have the girls go to a pretty great little school. One thing I've really come to appreciate is the principle. He is very active and outdoorsy, and he teaches most of the gym classes. He doesn't do boring stuff either. This month the girls have learned some judo, and cross country skiing.
Today Addison woke up really sore from skiing this week, so I wrote her a note to excuse her from gym, and she didn't even use it. That's how awesome their gym class is :) I'm very thankful for that! I think it's super important for kids to get lots of physical activity mixed in with the academic side of school.

7. My mom's new job! She got a great new job last week, and I am so proud of her. I was proud of her before too. I don't want to get into her personal life on here, but I will say that she deserves any recognition she is getting now. Love you mom :)

8. The chance to get my hair cut today. It was so nice to get to go kid free and visit with my friend/hairdresser for as long as I did :)

9. God's grace when I feel overwhelmed. I feel that way more than I would like to admit. When things pile up in my life, I tend to get very anxious and completely lose focus. God says, "come to me, all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." But to be honest, most days I don't feel worthy of that. I feel like I need to just suck it up and push on....but when I do that without going to God first, things suffer. My family suffers because I get unbearable, I'm sure. When I try and push through everything that is overwhelming me by my own power, I end up screaming at people and ugly crying.
Ok, that's really personal, and I'm embarrassed by it, but it's true. It is a constant discipline to learn to take it to God, but when I do, I'm left with peace, a bit more patience, and focus (probably my biggest weakness). Why I don't automatically default to that is a mystery. But it's a promise i definitely need to grab hold of and use more often!!

10. Sweet, sweet sleep. Did I say that last week? I don't remember, but lately our days have been so full of tasks, noise, and general hulabaloo, that by the time bedtime comes I am more than happy to enjoy the peace and quiet of the night.

Speaking of which, That's where I'm heading now. Have a great night and a great week!!