Today's grateful will also be a summary of the last couple days.
Today I am grateful for my children.
Are they perfect? No. But neither am I. I guess that's where they get it from. :-)
The last couple days, my family has had a yard sale where we are trying to get rid of (and make a little money doing it) the stuff the previous owner left in the house when she moved out. The kids have been real troopers helping us sort through things, set things out, and move things (on two different days no less). It has also meant a strange sleep and meal schedule for the family for the last couple days. Yet, my kids haven't complained.
To top all that off, yesterday started out pretty rough. We "opened" at 9:30 but didn't get our first customer till 11. That is so out of the ordinary for where we used to live in VA. In fact, in VA we would have had people trying to come into our yard at 7AM (even though signs said 9) hoping they could score a deal as we were setting everything up. With all the disappointment that this could have brought, my kids handled it surprisingly well. Needless to say we didn't make that much money yesterday. After the yard sale, I went to show a house to someone and I had 30 minutes to get ready to go to church and write an offer on the house I'd just seen. My kids were instrumental in making sure we were only a couple minutes late to church rather than very late.
Today, we set up our signs in a few different places and considering where we live we had quite the stream of people. We also got to meet most of our neighbors for the first time which was nice. While all of this was going on, my kids were not only excited (they sold a few of their old toys), but they were very helpful when needed (for example when one family came in and bought 3 tables worth of Christmas decorations all at once and we needed to get everything boxed up).
Needless to say, the last couple days have shown what my kids are made of, and I really like what I see. One proud Mama here.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Grattitude Challenge - Day 3
My husband.
He is smart. He makes me laugh. He lives up to his nickname (for those that don't know it - MacGyver) which I think it very sexy. He is becoming quite the chef. And I love how hard he works to make money and or to help around the house.
He is just plain awesome!
He is smart. He makes me laugh. He lives up to his nickname (for those that don't know it - MacGyver) which I think it very sexy. He is becoming quite the chef. And I love how hard he works to make money and or to help around the house.
He is just plain awesome!
Friday, November 2, 2012
Gratitude Challenge - Day 2
God's care and provision in my life.
Although my life has not always been easy I can honestly say I have always been able to see God's presence in my life. Perhaps not during the trial I was facing (my fault for not looking hard enough) but certainly when it was all over.
Today was another example of that. Today I meet with my tough client for the inspection of their hopefully new house. Things went well so we are certainly moving forward. Hopefully I will have money to buy some Christmas presents soon.
Although my life has not always been easy I can honestly say I have always been able to see God's presence in my life. Perhaps not during the trial I was facing (my fault for not looking hard enough) but certainly when it was all over.
Today was another example of that. Today I meet with my tough client for the inspection of their hopefully new house. Things went well so we are certainly moving forward. Hopefully I will have money to buy some Christmas presents soon.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Gratitude Challenge - Day 1
Health.
Today my son had his annual check up and my daughter had hers last week. It was confirmed by their new doctor that they are both tall and thin and healthy.
These trips to the doctor also reminded me that this time last year we were dealing with a recurring illness for my daughter which I think we have finally been able to defeat. It took a lot of research and a physician who would listen, but I think we are on the up side.
Today my son had his annual check up and my daughter had hers last week. It was confirmed by their new doctor that they are both tall and thin and healthy.
These trips to the doctor also reminded me that this time last year we were dealing with a recurring illness for my daughter which I think we have finally been able to defeat. It took a lot of research and a physician who would listen, but I think we are on the up side.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Things that Make you Go Hmmmmm...
My Facebook friends are probably aware that I have been having a rough week at work. I've been called a liar and been threatened with a lawsuit for the supposed lie. Anyone who knows me knows I don't lie. In fact, growing up, lying was punished more severely than anything else I can remember. Although I know I didn't lie and I know they don't have a case, it still hurts that someone accused me.
This year we signed our kids up to participate in 2 group classes. One was science and the other was also a bit science related but was based around Lego's or K'Nex. This week it was decided the science class was going to be cancelled for the rest of the year. Apparently a few of the families who were participating just couldn't make it anymore and we couldn't hold the class with the few people remaining. The group is still going to try to get together once a month but it's going to be a bit more laid back. A part of me is sad and another part of me is happy because my schedule only seems to be getting busier.
This week I ended up teaching my daughter's Lego class and my husband ended up teaching our son's K'Nex class. I've taught the Lego class last year so it wasn't that big of a deal. Technically it was the second time my husband filled in for the K'Nex teacher, but it was the first time he actually taught the lesson rather than just helping the kids build something with K'Nex. Not only did he enjoy himself, but the kids he taught enjoyed the class too.
My husband is also in the process of figuring out the feasibility of teaching a class starting in January about building and programming robots. They wouldn't be competing with other schools or groups like some of the robotics groups out there, but this would be the first step toward that (we hope).
One night this week, my daughter and I were reading a book. I read a page and then I had her read a couple pages. Then my son volunteered to read! Not only was that a surprise in and of itself, but his reading has improved. I know he's been reading in his room at night and I was hoping it would help his reading improve. It was nice to actually witness it.
I don't know what's going on, but my husband is really getting into the whole stay-at-home Dad thing. He's been enjoying the time with the kids. He's volunteering to teach their classes if needed. He enjoys cooking and he's getting good at it too. He's even getting to the point where cleaning is becoming part of his routine.
A little over a week ago we let my daughter's hamster go free. It was a hard decision to make, but his brother (from the same litter) passed away suddenly a few months ago and the remaining hamster seemed to be getting sick. He had a growth on his neck that kept getting bigger and bigger. He only cost $5 so taking him to the vet just wasn't in the cards. We though about putting him out of his misery but no one was willing to do it and no one wanted to watch him slowly die. So my daughter decided to let him go in a secluded and safe area in the back yard so that he could live out whatever life he had left in the wild. We have seen no sign of him since and that's particularly important since we have an outdoor cat that likes to leave us presents. In fact, the first few days after we let the hamster go, part of my morning routine was to check the present location before the kids might stumble across something.
I think the lack of small furry things has finally hit us. We got a call from a woman who runs a cat rescue the other day asking if we would be willing to take a litter of kittens. Being the suckers that we are, we said yes. They will be joining our family this coming week.
This year we signed our kids up to participate in 2 group classes. One was science and the other was also a bit science related but was based around Lego's or K'Nex. This week it was decided the science class was going to be cancelled for the rest of the year. Apparently a few of the families who were participating just couldn't make it anymore and we couldn't hold the class with the few people remaining. The group is still going to try to get together once a month but it's going to be a bit more laid back. A part of me is sad and another part of me is happy because my schedule only seems to be getting busier.
This week I ended up teaching my daughter's Lego class and my husband ended up teaching our son's K'Nex class. I've taught the Lego class last year so it wasn't that big of a deal. Technically it was the second time my husband filled in for the K'Nex teacher, but it was the first time he actually taught the lesson rather than just helping the kids build something with K'Nex. Not only did he enjoy himself, but the kids he taught enjoyed the class too.
My husband is also in the process of figuring out the feasibility of teaching a class starting in January about building and programming robots. They wouldn't be competing with other schools or groups like some of the robotics groups out there, but this would be the first step toward that (we hope).
One night this week, my daughter and I were reading a book. I read a page and then I had her read a couple pages. Then my son volunteered to read! Not only was that a surprise in and of itself, but his reading has improved. I know he's been reading in his room at night and I was hoping it would help his reading improve. It was nice to actually witness it.
I don't know what's going on, but my husband is really getting into the whole stay-at-home Dad thing. He's been enjoying the time with the kids. He's volunteering to teach their classes if needed. He enjoys cooking and he's getting good at it too. He's even getting to the point where cleaning is becoming part of his routine.
A little over a week ago we let my daughter's hamster go free. It was a hard decision to make, but his brother (from the same litter) passed away suddenly a few months ago and the remaining hamster seemed to be getting sick. He had a growth on his neck that kept getting bigger and bigger. He only cost $5 so taking him to the vet just wasn't in the cards. We though about putting him out of his misery but no one was willing to do it and no one wanted to watch him slowly die. So my daughter decided to let him go in a secluded and safe area in the back yard so that he could live out whatever life he had left in the wild. We have seen no sign of him since and that's particularly important since we have an outdoor cat that likes to leave us presents. In fact, the first few days after we let the hamster go, part of my morning routine was to check the present location before the kids might stumble across something.
I think the lack of small furry things has finally hit us. We got a call from a woman who runs a cat rescue the other day asking if we would be willing to take a litter of kittens. Being the suckers that we are, we said yes. They will be joining our family this coming week.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Gonna Take Some Getting Used To
Today is Sunday, but it doesn't feel that way to me. Why? Because we aren't going to church. Why? Because we went last night.
We recently decided to join a life group (aka, small group or Bible study) at our church and it happens to meet on Saturday evening right after the Saturday night church service. So we decided to try the Saturday night service yesterday.
It truly was a lot like the Sunday morning service we've been going to with one exception. There were fewer people there. And for my family, that's a good thing. You see, the main reason we joined the life group was because the church is so big it's easy to get lost amongst everyone. Don't get me wrong, there were still quite a few people there, but the difference was noticeable. Especially for my kids. They've never liked big crowds and church is no exception.
In fact, till we found this church, my kids would give us a hard time when it was time to drop them off. The fact that there were 50+ kids at drop off didn't seem to matter at this church because at drop off there is a bounce house in the gym. Last night with only about 20 kids, drop off was a breeze.
The other thing I noticed... my kids remembered more of their lesson. The lesson discussed wasn't something that I would consider that memorable (it wasn't any of the typical stories we read our kids so they didn't have that memory to fall back on). My theory is that fewer kids leads to fewer distractions and that leads to better concentration.
As odd as it may feel for a while, I think I may enjoy going to church on Saturday evening. Except for the fact that we don't get to have dinner till 7:30 at the earliest. Now to start planning one meal a week that I can have ready when we get home.
We recently decided to join a life group (aka, small group or Bible study) at our church and it happens to meet on Saturday evening right after the Saturday night church service. So we decided to try the Saturday night service yesterday.
It truly was a lot like the Sunday morning service we've been going to with one exception. There were fewer people there. And for my family, that's a good thing. You see, the main reason we joined the life group was because the church is so big it's easy to get lost amongst everyone. Don't get me wrong, there were still quite a few people there, but the difference was noticeable. Especially for my kids. They've never liked big crowds and church is no exception.
In fact, till we found this church, my kids would give us a hard time when it was time to drop them off. The fact that there were 50+ kids at drop off didn't seem to matter at this church because at drop off there is a bounce house in the gym. Last night with only about 20 kids, drop off was a breeze.
The other thing I noticed... my kids remembered more of their lesson. The lesson discussed wasn't something that I would consider that memorable (it wasn't any of the typical stories we read our kids so they didn't have that memory to fall back on). My theory is that fewer kids leads to fewer distractions and that leads to better concentration.
As odd as it may feel for a while, I think I may enjoy going to church on Saturday evening. Except for the fact that we don't get to have dinner till 7:30 at the earliest. Now to start planning one meal a week that I can have ready when we get home.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Working Hard For the Money
The hectic, non-stop pace that I endured over the weekend hasn't really stopped. Luckily most of the busy, has been work I can do at home. Being able to read to my daughter at bedtime today was the first time in many days and boy did I relish it. Not to mention the cuddle time I got with my son. That's probably been months because he's getting to old. Maybe Mommy being gone some makes it more ok. Whatever the case, I'll take it.
What do I have going on right now? I have been working on hashing out a sales deal since Sunday evening. I hope that wraps up tomorrow. I've also been showing 3 other eager buyers homes on a very regular basis. We were in the process of getting a contract together when I found out the seller had just accepted an offer. I have another buyer that wants to buy a property if only they can get the financing in order before someone else scoops it up (there were other people there when we were looking at it today and they seemed just as interested).
Add to that, trying to get regular stuff done around the house such as grocery shopping, laundry, and keeping up with the kids. Oh, and I worked in my pineapple garden for a couple hours (boy did it need to be weeded).
And hubby has been pretty busy lately too. He's obviously stepping up (and waking up) to watch the kids when I have to go out in the middle of the day. This is a big thing especially since he's been working at night lately for one of his clients. He's also been very dedicated when it comes to going to the kids homeschool classes. He's also been working on helping the kids with there handwriting and math.
What do I have going on right now? I have been working on hashing out a sales deal since Sunday evening. I hope that wraps up tomorrow. I've also been showing 3 other eager buyers homes on a very regular basis. We were in the process of getting a contract together when I found out the seller had just accepted an offer. I have another buyer that wants to buy a property if only they can get the financing in order before someone else scoops it up (there were other people there when we were looking at it today and they seemed just as interested).
Add to that, trying to get regular stuff done around the house such as grocery shopping, laundry, and keeping up with the kids. Oh, and I worked in my pineapple garden for a couple hours (boy did it need to be weeded).
And hubby has been pretty busy lately too. He's obviously stepping up (and waking up) to watch the kids when I have to go out in the middle of the day. This is a big thing especially since he's been working at night lately for one of his clients. He's also been very dedicated when it comes to going to the kids homeschool classes. He's also been working on helping the kids with there handwriting and math.
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