What a Thursday

It's crazy snowing here today.

It takes ten-ish minutes to get to school. This morning it took me half an hour to get there and half an hour to get back home. I left early to go pick up my kindergartners, and when I got them I signed out my third grader, too. No way was I going to chance that drive a third time!

So we're all home and "cozy" for the storm.

The boys had a tremendous snowball fight in the backyard.

All three of them are eating the gingerbread houses they made at school. I think the sticky fingers might just drive me insane.

I've shoveled the driveway three times already today and the sidewalk once (thanks to the awesome neighbor who came through with their snowblower!). There's already another couple inches out there and I should think about going out again.

My baby is taking a nap. He's one year old now. I hardly know what to make of how quickly he's growing up.

I should be cleaning.

The weekends never get here fast enough.

Christmas is getting here way too quickly. But I'm looking forward to it...if I can just finish getting ready for it.

I currently have a love/hate relationship with my house.

And to the point- I am thankful for our Christmas tree. It's ten or eleven feet tall. It's not too wide at the base. It's gorgeous and beautiful and amazing and festive.

I love it.

What are you thankful for today?

"On December five and twenty..."

They say that writing is good for the soul.

Journaling is therapeutic and helps a person to work through their emotions. Writing out thoughts and seeing them on paper helps a mind to see things more clearly and better understand thoughts, emotions, reactions, etc.

So why is it that any time I've tried to sit down and write out my thoughts in the last months, that I don't like what comes out? What comes out doesn't feel like me, doesn't feel true to my core, doesn't feel productive or edifying...and you know me (or maybe you don't), if it's not edifying, I am not a big fan.

I refuse to believe that I am what I have written and deleted in the past months.

Cuz I'm not.

Yet I sit down to write and feel like I just start going in circles. It's insanely frustrating.

Every once in a while, something good and clarifying comes out of my efforts. But for the most part...circles, circles, circles.

Which may account for my lack of activity here.

Missed me?

No?

Well, who needs you!

I'm going somewhere different this Thankful Thursday.

I'm going to pat myself on the back and talk about me, me, me, and how awesome I am.

Historically, I haven't taken compliments well. But I think I'm doing a swell job improving being able to recognize truth in compliments and accept them gratefully.

So today I'm going to run right past tooting my own horn, and blast some long, loud notes. It may seem self-centered, but since I never do this and I'm only really repeating things other people have told me- it's alright, right?

And who can't use a good pep talk in the mirror every so often?

I am ridiculously optimistic. Pollyanna ain't got nothin' on me.
I am 50 times more charitable and Christian than I was 15 years ago, even five years ago. My first reactions may not always be thus, but usually I am on to more charitable thoughts in mere moments.
I am one of the strongest women I know. No joke.
I may not have a ton of friends, but with the ones I make I am true blue. And so are they!
I am a good mom. I love my boys and I work hard to establish and maintain boundaries that will help them grow up awesome and happy.
I am a stellar wife.
I am wise and intelligent. Not as quick-witted as I wish, but who likes a triple threat anyway?
I make really cute kids.
I have super awesome taste in the arts.

Yeah. That's enough horn blasting for now, I think.

What about you?

What about yourself are you thankful for?