Ya'll, this is nuts. Fun, but nuts.
And I apologize now for turning this into a travel blog. When 2014 started, it most certainly wasn't my intention to simply take lots of trips and catalog them here. I have never, ever traveled this much in one year!
Enough of that. On to the thankfuls...
1. I am so glad I got to meet Jen and her wonderful family. Surprisingly, it wasn't the least bit awkward to stay for four nights with a family we had never laid eyes on. (I wrote about the trip Cuckoo and I took here.)
2. I got to take Cuckoo trick-or-treating in Florida. It was a beautiful night and warm enough for me to wear shorts. According to Bryan, trick-or-treating in Indiana was miserable. "It's slushing. Not raining. Not snowing. Slushing. Which wouldn't be so bad if the wind wasn't blowing hard enough to blow the slush horizontal, thus making umbrellas useless." I'm thinking we should spend every Halloween in Florida from now on.
3. While we were gone, Bryan and the kids didn't have much at all on the calendar. I had mentioned to Bryan that Saturday would be a great day to have the kids get some cleaning done. He took the hint, and Hot Dog did they deliver!
Photographic evidence sent to me by Bryan:
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| In case you're new here, this is a joke. He has never, ever yelled at anyone for having a messy room. |
4. Most of my boys have a hard time pronouncing the letter R. Star had a bit of speech therapy in 5th grade to correct it. The speech therapist who comes to our school each week is fantastic. Good thing, because Turken is going to be seeing her. Not only does he have trouble with his R sound, but he has a (for lack of a better word) lazy way of talking. The therapist will chat with him to see what is going on, then let me know what she recommends.
5. While I was gone, Bryan managed to get the chicken fence fixed. But of course the chickens were too afraid to step one foot outside. Today the boys and I managed to get all 25 out into the yard, then locked them out for an hour. Hopefully when we open the door tomorrow, they will be more willing to go outside and find some goodies to eat.
6. I am thrilled to bits to see the choices my kids are making in regards to their friends. This week, Giant's friends were really on top of things. A boy in their grade was having a really hard day, and when Giant and his friends found out about it during lunch, two of the boys shared their snacks with him to help him feel better. This was all the encouragement Giant needed to take things one step further. The next day, even the teachers were crying when they saw what Giant had done to help this boy. It is overwhelming to see a group of children show such compassion and kindness. There are a whole bunch of wonderful teens and preteens in this world, and we must remember that when we hear about the awful things a few teens do.
7. For some reason, raspberries were on sale for 50 cents/container. Only two of my kids like raspberries, but they really, really like them. These berries are normally about $3/container, so I bought several.
8. Buttercup had me laughing this week. Let's just say Buttercup is coming into her own, is enjoying high school immensely, and is way more street smart than anyone gives her credit for.
9. Star started a load of laundry before school one day. All on his own. Without anyone telling him to do so. Because he needed school clothes for the next day. Finally!! He has been paying attention these last 13 years!
10. We will finally have time tomorrow (Saturday) to rake Mrs. G's yard. We haven't been out there once yet this year thanks to all my trips to Ohio and Florida. I know she will be happy to see us out there.
Alright People, it's your turn. What happened this week for which you should say "Thanks!"
Have a lovely day!
Your hosts
A Fly on our (Chicken Coop) Wall, Amycake and the Dude, Considerings, Finding Ninee, Getting Literal, I Want Backsies, Mother of Imperfection, Rewritten, Thankful Me, The Wakefield Doctrine
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FRIST?!
ReplyDeleteYes, Ma'am!
Delete1. Good, because, like, ax murderers.
ReplyDelete2. Only if you take me. And I don't have to trick or treat.
3. I can't believe you can see her floor when the room was supposedly messy. She's an amateur!
4. One of my preschoolers told me about trick or treating - she got lots of tandy and it was TOLD!
6. Good for him!
7. Probably been doused with raw sewage, but 50 cents? Worth it! :)
8. I could have told you that about her, peach that she is.
10. Better do it before it snows next week....
1. Ax murderers are bad. Best to avoid them.
Delete2. You are welcome on any trip we take.
3. Ah, that wasn't her usual messy. She had just tidied it a few days before.
4. She was right!
6. Yup.
7. Totally worth it, especially since I wasn't eating them.
8. She is a peach, but we now know she has a funny, manipulative streak in her.
10. Don't even say the s word to me. It's not funny.
Ummmmm. What Dyanne said..... except secrond . Oh...and cool kids! Our chickens are never afraid to leave....sometimes getting them back in is tough!
ReplyDeleteThe last two flocks we've had needed to be forced to go outside. They would sit at the door, but never would make a move to go out unless we forced the issue. We had one flock that preferred to sleep outside in the trees. I did enjoy that. Much easier on the coop and our time. :)
DeleteNice to come back to a straightened up house. Such a touching story about Mrs. G. And what wonderful experience for your children. One of the many reasons they are so awesome is YOU! I'd have bought out the store - I LOVE raspberries.
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to come back and not have to look at all of the cleaning left to do.
DeleteMrs. G is awesome. We just got back from her house. She looks the same, but is no longer allowed to drive. She didn't spend much time with us outside today. It wasn't the best weather.
You are sweet. :)
There were tons and tons of raspberries. Even you couldn't have used all the ones they had. :)
Your husband and kids rock. Yes they do.
ReplyDeleteWe had a busy week here,but it was filled with love and family. That is always a big thank you in my book.
Have a fabulous weekend. :)
I agree completely.
DeleteAny week with love and family is most certainly a week to be grateful. Glad you were able to have that time with them.
Have fun raking. Been doing quite a bit myself, too. I wish fall were a long season like summer or winter (I know, technically, they're all the same length), but then I remember raking.
ReplyDeleteWe did not have much fun, but we got a lot done. :)
DeleteA long fall would be lovely if fall felt more like fall and less like winter.
I love the pictures! That is classic! So much fun stuff!
ReplyDeleteI admit, I was laughing quite hard when I saw the photos. :)
DeleteYou are so sweet. We definitely have our struggles, but we are trying our best to do this parenting and family thing the right way. There are lots of families out there that are good and strong and fun, have no fear. I know lots of them.
ReplyDeleteSmooth would be very nice. Looks like you and your husband had a nice trip, even if it was rainy.
First of all: travelling is awesome! I somehow wished to have a really warm Halloween once, so the girls can wear really cute costumes without the added bulk of fleeces and thermo-leggins. But then again I am really thankful that the weather has been relatively mild every Halloween the last 4 years!
ReplyDeleteDid I ever say that you have awesome kids!! I love street-wise, Lily totally has that trait, and I love it! (ps: we call it "naseweis" in German, meaning nose-wise).
Have a great weekend, Christine!
Traveling is awesome, but it's getting out of hand. It would be better if the whole family was traveling together, but more often than not, it's only some of us traveling at a time.
DeleteWe have not had a mild Halloween for a couple of years. It's pretty darn miserable.
Nose-wise? Huh. I didn't expect any of my kids to be "street-smart" but she is closer to it than I thought. She seems so innocent.
Thanks!
Good stuff, but I'm especially glad your son and you had such a great time together.
ReplyDeleteAnd three cheers for a sweet adjustment to high school!
We did have fun. I love when it's my turn to go on a special trip with one of the kids.
DeleteHigh school is scary at first, but my goodness, the opportunities it provides! I am so grateful that my kids have embraced the experience.
I love your list, Christine. Especially 6, 8, and 9. Made me cry. NO idea why except I do that a lot lately. You have good kids. Isn't it nice to know they've been paying attention and taking in all that goodness you and Bryan teach them?
ReplyDeleteOh, you cried? I get teary, too, thinking about these things, but they're my kids. :)
DeleteSo often I doubt that the kids hear a single word I say or see a single thing I do. It is good to catch glimpses of proof that they have been paying attention. I'm guessing my payoff will come when they are older.
I agree that you should trick or treat in Florida from now on! It is way more fun without the slush. I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed your visit. I know you have to be proud of Giant for helping that young man. It makes your heart swell just a little when you know your kids are making the right choices and helping others. There's too much hurting going on in so I love hearing stories of kids being there for one another. A big high five to Giant. Another high five goes out to Star! Doing laundry? Without being asked? That is awesome!
ReplyDeleteWay, way more fun in Florida.
DeleteOh, I felt like my chest was going to burst when I heard about what Giant's friends had done, and then what he had done the next day. I also love that they are in a school that really encourages such behavior.
I about fell over when I saw Star with that laundry basket. He just grinned and moved on. :)
Sounds like you had great fun with Cuckoo in Florida, and the family really cooperated!! Blessings to Bryan and the children too!
ReplyDeleteWe had a great time, and the family was awesome, taking care of business back at home. Thank you!
Deleteaww (not like the commercial?*)
ReplyDeletetranscontinental trick or treating!! tres coolito (as Cyndi might say**)
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHw0-QaGYVs
** no, actually she wouldn't say that, because she actually speaks Spanish
Hahahahahaha!!!! That commercial cracks me up. I can't believe I didn't think of it when I wrote this!!! No, it wasn't like the commercial. They really did get stuff done.
DeleteYour Spanish comment makes me laugh, too. Just the other day the kids were quizzing each other on their Spanish, helping one of them prepare for a test. Whenever we didn't know an answer, we just added an "ino" or "ito" or some such thing to the English word. :)
So nice that when you go away the house gets cleaned. I always have to warn the guys I'm on my way so that they can scramble and tidy up. Glad you had a great time in Florida!
ReplyDeleteA clean house is a gift way better than any other gift as far as I'm concerned. At least they listen to the warning and get to work. :)
DeleteMe, too! It could have gone horribly wrong. :)
Hurray for clean rooms!
ReplyDeleteMy oldest used to leave off beginning consonants on many words. "Ake" could mean "bake," "cake," "fake,". . . you get the idea. He also would substitute easier sounds for more difficult sounds: "doe-ing to doe" meant "going to go." Speech therapists are amazing!
Way to go, Giant! The world needs more Giants.
What a good mom to buy your children raspberries! I can relate to your 2 raspberry-lovers. I really love raspberries, too. Fifty cents a package is unheard of!
Enjoy your time home before your next great adventure!
Hurray!
DeleteSpeech therapists are amazing, and the one at our school is one of the best, thanks to a great personality.
Thankfully, there are lots of Giants in the world. We could always use more, though.
I have never seen raspberries so cheap. I don't buy them when they are $3, but I would feel super guilty if I wouldn't have purchased them for 50 cents.
I'm trying! But mostly I'm trying to get things done. :)
Your kids are pretty awesome. They clean, they care, they make people happy. They do laundry! BAM! So glad your trip to Florida was fun. I am coming back (to your blog) to read about your trip later this week. Have another thankful week!
ReplyDeleteMan, if I could go out of town and have the hubby supervise the kids cleaning the house while I was gone, it would be like a double vacay for me!!
ReplyDelete