Friday, January 15, 2016

Thankful Time! Week 135

Heeeeelloooooooooo Friday!

It has been one whirlwind of a week my friends!

1. Andy Grammer helps me keep my energy level up to get it all done. My new favorite song...



2. Last Sunday winter finally caught up with us. We had some nasty snow and ice. Did I stay home? No way! I made Phoenix get himself behind the wheel for a lesson on driving on slippery, icy roads and what to do when things go wrong. He did very well, so we let him drive to school and activities the next day. He managed to keep himself and his passengers (siblings) safe.

3. The stray cat that showed up over the summer is still here. I figured if he/she didn't run when the winter hit, he/she'd be ours. Guess who's still hanging around. I took the cat to the vet this week, found out he is a boy who is already neutered (Woohoo!), and accepted his award for best cat ever. He didn't even flinch when they manhandled him into a prone position to draw blood and administer shots. From what I hear, this is almost unheard of for a cat.



4. On Thursday, Turken had his First Reconciliation. He was as precious as could be leading up to it. He was a bit nervous about forgetting something, so he wrote down the sins he wanted to confess. (He had the paper in his pocket and actually pulled it out to read in the confessional.) Before heading to church, we had a great big bowl of ice cream at the very appropriate Pinocchio's. (Get it? Pinocchio's nose-growth? 'Cause he lied? Which is a common little kid sin???)



5. I got to cuddle another adorable, tiny baby for a couple of hours this week. She even took a nap on my chest while her mother and I had a great chat. Oh how I love to cuddle a sleeping baby!

6. After a conversation with my mom about how my sister-in-law cooks using a pressure cooker quite often, on a day when I was really rushed to get dinner ready but didn't have any meat thawed, I decided to give it a try. I didn't blow up the house or burn the bottom of the pot too badly and the meet was delicious. I will definitely use it again.

7. Also on Thursday night, Phoenix had a volleyball scrimmage at a facility to which he had never been. He printed directions before leaving, but once in the right area, he could not find the place. He tried to call me, but I was at church with Turken. When I came out 15 minutes later, he still hadn't found it, but he had contacted his coach, who said he was very close. Twenty minutes later, as I was pulling in the driveway, he called again, still unable to find the facility. All I can say is thank God for Google Maps. I was able to pull up the area where he was and see exactly what he was seeing (except he was seeing it at night). I was able to direct him straight to it. (While the directions he had were correct, they (and his coach) failed to mention that it was in the very back of a huge industrial park, about a quarter of a mile from the road.) Poor kid had spent 2 and a quarter hours getting to a place that should have only taken him 45 minutes to reach. His ride home was completely uneventful.

I've been doing a whole lot of praying for that kid this week.

8. I'm going to state right here, (which is probably jinxing myself but I'm doing it anyway) that the teen years are going very well. Before I had teens, I heard the warnings and the grumbles about how hard the teen years are. I believed them, for no other reason than I know what I was like as a teen. I'm happy to say, my teens have been pretty easy on me thus far.

9. I rarely include him on this list, but it's not for lack of appreciation. Bryan should be on this list each and every week. He washes the dishes every night. He holds my hand whenever we actually get to sit next to each other (like at church or kids' games). He does whatever he can to make my life easier. And he makes me laugh each and every day. Many days it's a full on belly laugh that makes my stomach hurt and my eyes cry.

10. Kids are exhausting a lot of the time. Much of the exhaustion comes from the constant noise. So much noise. The singing, the bickering, the questions. Oh the questions. Especially from Cuckoo. That kid never, ever stops talking and asking questions. Sometimes I really want to tune him out, but I know that if I do, I'll miss some gems of observations and twists of thought. For example, today he was asking about a man who was panhandling on the corner. The man had one of his pants legs rolled up to show that he had an artificial leg. Cuckoo saw it, of course, and asked about it.

We had a little discussion about what it was, why he had one, and how it worked. I thought we were done. Moving on to another topic. And then he came out with the reason adults should do their best to never, ever tune kids out.

"How does he attach it to his foot?"

It may be Friday, but the whirlwind will continue. In the morning, I will be heading off with three kids for a 3-day volleyball tournament in Chicago. I'll be doing my best to getting around to all of you who link up with us. Reading about what makes people happy always gives my mood a boost.

Have a lovely day!


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31 comments:

  1. Lucky your adopted cat is already fixed. Wish mine was, but he isn't.
    Enjoy Chicago.

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  2. congratulations Turken! Congrats on the one cat in a million... and wow...that is one obnoxious song! sorry... Have a great week!

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    1. We really lucked out with the cat.
      Ha! Sorry it wasn't your cup of tea. :)

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  3. Love your new favorite video. That was fun and he took that fine car through some huge loops. It's a wonder it didn't need a new set of tires. Great video.

    I'm happy you have a new cat and yes, he's yours. They pick us, not the other way around.

    I love your kids. And yes they are loud and self absorbed, and... They grow up really fast too.

    Have a fabulous day and weekend. ☺

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    1. I do enjoy that song. The video isn't what I expected, but I like it! Cracks me up that you thought about the tires.

      This cat most certainly picked us! Now, if only the kids could agree on a name...

      Those early days, when a day was sooooo long, I never could have imagined how fast time would go as they got older, no matter how many times I heard it.

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  4. Great song!!! Very upbeat...how can you not feel motivated! :D

    Congratulations to Turken!

    I remember our high school cooking teacher putting the fear of God into us when we had to use a pressure cooker. Scarred to this day.

    Wow...I admire Phoenix (and you) for hanging in there trying to find the venue. Did he get there in time to play???

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    1. I know! Tell Ivy. :)

      Ha! What did she say??? What did you cook?

      He did get to play, thank goodness. He was half an hour late for a 2 hour practice.

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  5. 2 words: 'Yow!'*
    cool with the 'hey! lets practice driving in ice and snow' truly one of things that, as a new driver, it has to be experienced first...hopefully not on the road on your way somewhere, rather in the near empty mall parking lot.
    sounds like a good week


    *why no, I will never get tired of that joke. lol

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    1. I must say, teaching a teen to drive is scary. Teaching a teen to drive in the snow and ice is terrifying. But like you said, it just has to be experienced in order to figure it out.

      It was. :)

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  6. He wrote down his sins? Oh my heart....that list must have been so small. That is so precious. My son has his in the spring. We are attending classes for it right now.
    I think it's awesome that you took a driving lesson on the slippery roads! Truly. What a way to learn. We got hit with snow too and ice but now it's raining. Weird eh? Now it's a sloshy mess!
    Kids are exhausting and I think you're right about the noise! At least mine has graduated to playing solely with Legos and they don't make noises...however if you step on one!!!!

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    1. I didn't read it, but yes, the list was quite short.
      Oh that slush is awful. Still slippery, but not nearly as pretty as snow or ice.
      Those suckers hurt like the dickens, but it's worth it if it means some quiet time. Maybe?

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  7. I remember reading my long list of confession my very first even though I had read it over and over to practice and memorized it. :)
    from TToT http://www.36hourworkweek.com/2016/01/Beauty-cold.html

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    1. Really?? That's awesome! I don't remember my First Reconciliation at all.

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  8. what a great song --- now i like it too thanks for sharing....poor kid getting lost and all, at least he kept his head and got there safe and didn't panic...and if he did it that would be okay too...

    teenagers ....nuf said ikts scary stuff out there i'm nervous...

    first reconciliation is a biggie the list was a good idea enjoy Chicago have a great weekend.

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    1. You are welcome! :)
      He was close to a panic, but thankfully he kept his head enough to pull over to call. Several times. I know the frustration, as I've been in the same position before.

      There are a lot of scary things going on with teens. We parents gotta be diligent!

      It is a biggie. And a bit scary for the kids until they do it and know how good it is.

      We had a great weekend. Thanks!

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  9. 1 - Not that mad keen on the song but I do like the car :)

    2 - Well done to Phoenix for coping with the icy conditions and keeping his passengers safe.

    3 - What an adorable cat - I'm glad he's staying around, I hope he's got somewhere nice and warm to curl up when it's cold.

    7 - Poor Phoenix driving round and round looking for the venue - next birthday/Christmas present a satnav maybe?

    9 - Having a partner who makes your life easier is great, having one who makes you laugh every day is even better - my ex was like that.

    10 - I just love Cuckoo's logic - that was a perfectly sensible question :)
    I remember when I was a kid, maybe only about two years old, asking my mom why her nose wasn't in the centre of her forehead. Her answer was that God made us to have our noses in the middle of our faces, but my childish logic had decided that the forehead was a wasted space so that's where a nose should be :)

    By the way, the rain finally stopped on Thursday :) It went very cold yesterday and today we have snow, it's been falling steadily since late afternoon :(

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    1. 1. Well, at least there was something to like for you. :)
      2. I am quite happy with the defensive driving he is doing.
      3. It is a cute cat, I'll give you that. He has a couple of barns he's partial to, each with little cozy spots to curl up and stay warm.
      7. We have one in the car! I guess no one ever told him it was in there. Oops.
      9. I can't imagine life with someone who doesn't make me laugh.
      10. Ha! It was sensible. We adults sometimes forget that. Perhaps our noses are where they are so when we have colds, the snot doesn't run into our eyes. ;)

      Yay for no rain! Oh, but snow! Good grief, you all are getting slammed with precipitation. I hope you get a long run of blue skies soon.

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  10. I love using my electric pressure cooker! I'm glad you got brave (the on-the-stove models are a bit scary, I think).

    Raising teenagers is an interesting experience, but it isn't all doom and gloom. I'm glad you are finding the joy in it!

    Your conversation with Phoenix reminds me of one I had with my youngest daughter this week, trying to give her directions over the phone on how to walk from our hotel to Disneyland. She did finally get there (and in less time than it took poor Phoenix!) Hurray for google maps!

    Cuckoo, as always, makes me laugh. Good question! My mom likes to tell the story of the time when I was 2 or 3 years old and was walking downtown with my mom. Apparently I turned to her and announced, "Some people's heads come off." My mom was perplexed, until she realized that we had just passed a wig shop. In the window were mannequin heads displaying the wigs.

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    1. My mom and sister-in-law have electric ones. I do not. It's a stovetop version for me. Still awesome, though. I cooked two whole chickens, totaling 10 pounds, yesterday in only 15 minutes.

      It is a wild ride, for sure, but there are so many positives to those teens.

      While a map is handy, Google maps, with the actual visuals of the road and surrounding area, was exactly what we needed. Love it!

      It was a good, unexpected question. :) Hahaha!!! I do love working with little kids, for exactly these reasons.

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  11. You always have the greatest thankfuls. The foot question.....HILARIOUS. Hope the tournament went well and that your family has a great week ☺☺

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    1. Thanks, Diana! It took me several minutes to stop laughing long enough to answer him. :)

      The tournament went very well. We actually had more wins than losses, which we've never done before!

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  12. I love that you laugh every day, with Bryan. I love that you pray so diligently. I love that your teens are proving to be sources of far less aggro than you thought, and I love that the younger ones are still providing the hilarity and great moments of reading I've enjoyed for so many years now.

    Hope Chicago is good for you all :)

    (Tiny babies sleeping on your chest is pretty much one of the best feelings ever, I think :) )

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    1. I agree with all of that love. :)

      It was!

      It doesn't get much better, for sure.

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  13. Replies
    1. Very toe-tapping and happy! What's not to like?

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  14. I never heard of or heard Andy Grammer before. Great song!

    Love the name of the ice cream place, so appropriate for the day.

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    1. He's my new favorite singer. Glad I could introduce him to you.

      I thought so, too. :)

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  15. I love reading your posts, and talk about a belly laugh.... That is what I did when I read Cuckoo's final question? I even shared it with my husband. Like you, I found that the teen years were the easier years of parenting. I'd heard a lot of stories about how hard they were, but that wasn't our experience. What a frustrating situation Phoenix had in trying to find the entrance to the building. Cell phones and Google Maps and prayer save the day once again. What a mellow, trusting cat you have!

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    1. Thank you, Pat. I laughed for a good long time after that conversation. Still giggle when I think of it. :)

      While there are moments, parenting teens has been mostly good fun.

      It was very frustrating. In days before technology, I would have just headed home and missed practice.

      The cat is shockingly calm. Perfect cat for our family!

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  16. Aww...hooray for Turken! That's exciting. Zilla has First Reconciliation at the end of this month. Pinocchio's - that is awesome! Does Turkey feel holier? My uncles always used to ask us that after we received sacraments for the first time. They were silly boys...now wonderful men.
    That is indeed the best cat in the world. When our three go, we do everybody at the same time. It's insane, I know, but the aftermath here when one comes home smelling like the vet and the others don't? No way. So a three-for-all it is. Two of ours are ridiculously ill-behaved at the vet and the other loves everyone to death.
    I'm with you on the tune-out thing. Zilla speaks non-stop from the moment she wakes up in the morning until ten minutes after she goes to sleep. I am often tempted to go into "uh-huh, that's nice" mode but missing one of those winner utterances would be sad.

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