Thankful Thursday

Time to think about all my blessings again!

This week I've been very thankful for the way my kids talk...or "talk" as the case may be. It's such a source of humor and joy for me. I love it when the little guys learn a new word or try to learn a new word, but can't spit it out anywhere near right.

Al loves being tickled and has interpreted my saying, "tickle, tickle, tickle," into "leeko, leeko, leeko!" He also learned the word "down" this week and I love to hear him say "doooooooowwwwwn" or another new one, "sar-lll" (cereal). And I love the way he sticks his lips out when he says his favorite word, "shoe."

Goose is not as into language as Al. He kind of gives off the I'm-too-cool-for-that vibe. The best way to communicate with Goose is to ask him yes or no questions. Questions that can be answered yes will be answered with an "uh" or "mmmm" and a nod of the head. Questions that he wants to answer no to will just be ignored. It's a strange game he plays, trying to get us to ask the right question so he can say yes.

I understand what Jonz is trying to say to me most of the time. "Can I have some milk, please?" is very clear. But sometimes, I have no idea what he's saying. When coloring recently, Jonzy says to me, "That's a monster," pointing to a bunch of circles. After coloring a smaller, similar looking bunch next to the "monster" I said, "Is that a baby monster?"

"No. It's a walkerlay with a squirrel."

..........

It's a what?

This is a funny stage. A stage where 99% of the words that come out of his mouth are distinguishable, but 40% of the content just doesn't make sense! I'm entering a new stage of teaching, trying to figure out how to teach sentence structure to a four year old. It's more complicated than I thought it would be. But getting to teach sentence structure to one and vocabulary to two others is also turning out to be much more fun than I thought it would be. I'm lovin' this mommy business:)

Thankful Thursday

I have much to be thankful for this Thursday.

I am sick.

Sicker than I've been in quite awhile.

I recently got back from a vacation to California and Las Vegas. It was an awesome trip and tons of fun. BUT, I did not take care of myself when we went to the beach. I'm didn't put any sunscreen on my back. Fried crispy. For many a day, I've been dealing with the pains associated with second-degree burning one's skin. To add insult to injury, I had no idea that you could get sick from a sunburn. I'm alternately feverish and freezing, sweating and shivering. My throat is killing me and feels like it might split apart when I cough, my limbs ache, my head aches, my stomach hurts, and I can't sleep. And my back started to peel today, exposing new tender (and still burned) skin beneath it.

It is not fun.

And yet, everything is okay. My mom stayed here the other day to take care of the boys and me. My husband stayed home yesterday to take care of the boys and me. It's been so wonderful to have such awesome help and being able to lay in bed and hope that I'll feel better soon without having to worry about the boys.

This thankful Thursday, I am incredibly grateful for a fantastic husband, who threatens to out do me in the homemaking department. And a wonderful mother, who continues to teach me how to be the best mom.

And sunscreen.

Thankful Thursday. July 16, 2009

I am thankful today to be married. That's a bit too broad so I'll narrow it down for you. Today I am thankful to have a husband who will take charge of whiny kids so that I can get a break.

This marriage business is pretty awesome!

What are you thankful for today?

Late again!

Yes, it's Friday. Yes, the weekly installment of Thankful Thursday was supposed to be posted yesterday. But I have had no internet access for a week (which has been quite nice!) so this Thankful Thursday is a day late and a bit short because I'm uber-dee-doober tired and need to get to bed. I just looked at the clock, technically it's Saturday...so I'm two days late.

I am thankful today for quality soda. The kind that comes in glass bottles. Few things help to unwind so efficiently at the end of a hectic day like a good, cold soda. It's been a day and I'm glad it's over and that I have this little luxury to enjoy before I crash for the evening. Find a comfortable seat and sip a cold one (soda, people!:)) and join in the relaxation.

The cat's out of the bag

Happy Thankful Thursday, wonderfully loyal readers (all four of you:))!!


It's no secret that I have a severely messed up midsection. My skin does not stretch well. After my first pregnancy I had a bit of skin that just couldn't shrink back to normal. No biggie, and easily hidden. However...this last pregnancy I housed two little people inside of me. Not only do I have LOTS of skin that is still too shocked at what it had to endure and won't go back to normal, but I have complete separated stomach muscles. These two things combined lead to a number of problems. My bad posture has become worse now that my stomach muscles can't do as efficient a job of holding me up. My back hurts more often (I didn't know that could happen because of a faulty stomach; it's a completely different side of your body for pity's sake!)


Sadly, the hardest part of this for me has not been the physical aspects, but the vain ones. Yes, what concerns me most is that I have an ugly stomach that the rest of the world can see. This isn't just stretch marks that can be hidden with a shirt or one piece swimming suit. I will forever look four months pregnant, in a saggy sort of way.


In most pants, I muffin top. I know. Eek. I've tried higher cut pants to keep everything "tucked in," but everything comes back out the very first time I sit down or bend over. I'm sorry if this is too much information.


I know I shouldn't let this get to me. I shouldn't be worried about how the rest of the world perceives my stomach. I should be grateful that because of what my stomach went through to get this way I have three wonderful sons. And I am. Really!


I go through stages of acceptance. Some days I feel like I've completely come to terms with my one hundred year old looking stomach that is the consistency of pizza dough; I don't mind it a bit and I wear whatever clothes I want to, whether it shows or not. Most days I feel slightly self conscious and wear looser fitting shirts. But there are the days where I want to look pretty, feminine, womanly, etc. To wear something that makes me look female instead of the same width from shoulder to hips.


And so we come to the point.


To those of you who think that I "look great after having two babies," I confess.


I fake it.


I cheat.


I use one of these:

Call it whatever you like. Shapewear, corset, torture!, etc. I prefer to call it my girdle. I mean, come on, isn't girdle just an awesome word?!

It's really quite good at what it does. I can put it on and suddenly I have a waist again! It doesn't make me skinnier by any means, but it sure does take away that muffin top. It even improves my posture.

But I can't wear it all day. For one thing, my position as mother of three puts me on the move so often that it's just to uncomfortable for everyday wear. It's really not torturous at all. I only have issues when I try to sit down because it becomes a bit tight. If I wear it for more than three or four hours it starts to get uncomfortable. I mean, let's face it. The stomach and ribs were not meant to be all constricted like that. But it's perfect for an evening out, or those days when I just want to go out in public wearing something that is more fitted than a t-shirt.

And so today I am thankful that I have access to a girdle. That because of this little contraption, I can feel less self-conscious on those days when I'm having a harder time accepting my stomach.

What are you thankful for today??