Thankful Thursday

Once again plans have changed.  A sick little one meant a cancelled visit which meant trying to keep my kids healthy while taking care of a sick and whiny child while Gary worked.  We skipped the zoo and beach and instead went to the clinic with four kids and as many electronic devices that I could pack in my purse. Not my favourite start to summer.  However, I know this is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things it's just not how I wanted to spend my day yesterday. I don't like that I feel frustrated that there is just so much beyond our control right now. Obviously I really need to focus on the positives along with my venting so here we go–I'm especially excited about #10 as today is his first day home.

This week I am thankful for:

Our New Backyard and Trampoline

I love our home yet I've always struggled with our backyard. I grew up on an acreage with a Christmas tree farm, forest, chickens and goats, and dirt bikes–so much room to play and explore. When Gary and I bought our house ten years ago we were just thankful to get a brand new home!  We didn't think far down the line about what kind of yard our kids would have (I'm not sure why not?!) and were happy about the many parks nearby.  I'm so glad we bought when we did because there is no way we could afford our home now on a single income.

Instead of moving we always try to make our home work for our family.  About a month ago, the boys and I went to a Springfree Trampoline party and I was sold.  I was ready for an upgrade from our Little Tykes 7' round trampoline and I wanted something safe and durable.  My boys can be rough and we are also foster parents which means I want the safest trampoline out there.

Five Quotes That Have Altered My Way of Thinking

I love reading and enjoy learning from other people's experiences.  Quotes are a fantastic way to speak into various aspects of my life.  I don't have many memorized but there are some specific ones that have changed my perspective and opened my eyes.

From parenting to marriage to self-worth, there are so many lessons to be learned as we grow and our situations change.  Here are five quotes that have altered my way of thinking:

Thankful Thursday

Zoinks. What a crazy week.  I finally recovered energy-wise from my surgery and then I got laryngitis.  For a person who needs physical activity and has a desire to talk everything out, this has been a doozy.  That said, still something to be thankful for.

This week I am thankful for:

I Love My Paper Calendar and Change Is Hard

I love my paper calendar. A lot.  I like having my days, weeks, and months laid out.  I can see what I need to do to prepare for what is coming up, what countdowns we should be celebrating, and holidays we can look forward to. I do know, from life experience, that plans change.  I got an autoimmune disease and so the return-to-work-date came and passed while I remained home.  We hoped to have our kids two years apart but that was not to be.  There was a struggle getting pregnant with child number two and the experience of not being chosen as adoptive parents and a miscarriage leading to child number three.  

When You Just Want Your Mom

I received 55% on my calculus exam and felt the great relief in passing and never needing to take it again yet the burden of not meeting my goal and feeling like a failure. I returned to my dorm room to talk it out on the phone with my mom. She listened and encouraged which allowed me to process. For almost every paper and exam I knew where to go to debrief – with the person who truly seemed to care about these details: my mom.

Five Things We Will Do to Celebrate Father's Day

This weekend is Father's Day! I wish I could say that I was getting up early to make breakfast in bed but I am pretty certain that will not happen as Gary is almost always up before me these days.   I  know these celebratory days can be hard for some, but for me, I will take the time to be grateful when I can–which includes Father's Day. How will we celebrate?

Thankful Thursday

Okay, this week is one where I really need to practice gratitude.  We've got a lot going on with each child from illness (Nya's respiratory systems for the 1,000th time!) to skill-building to hockey playoffs to transitioning, and this mama, who is still recovering from last week's surgery, is exhausted!

This week I am thankful for:

Do You Have an Explosive Child?

Does your child lay on the ground and scream or get aggressive when you say it's time to turn the TV or Wii off? Is your child impulsive–not thinking about possible consequences?   Do you often hear an immediate "No!" without any processing of what you have said?  Does your child struggle with a shift in routine?  Do rewards and punishments have little affect on their behavior? I recently read The Explosive Child by Dr. Ross Greene and would recommend it to anyone that is feeling lost in parenting an explosive child.

Savour or Devour: Netflix Series Binge Scale

I love when Gary and I can find a series to watch together as we usually end up watching an episode or two almost five nights a week! The only one we tried that I couldn't get into was House of Cards.  Netflix looked at their global viewing data evaluating how long it took for members to finish the first season of a series.  The results found the top shows to savour (less than 2 hours at a time) and devour (greater than 2 hours); I was curious to see if we fell in line with the majority! 

We don't watch irreverent comedies (Arrested Development, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt etc) but on the savor end of the scale we have gone through the following series: Homeland, Narcos, Marvel's Daredevil, and Better Call Saul (so, apparently we like a little violence?!)  It's true, we usually would watch 1-2 episodes maximum.  On the devour end of the scale we have gone through Prison Break, Breaking Bad and Suits.  I wouldn't say we watch more than 2 hours at a time ever but I don't think we ever stopped at one episode!  I'm not sure where Friday Night Lights fits in regards to genre but that is another one that we enjoyed and savoured.

Which series are you watching now?  This is what Nya is all about...

Love, 

Louise

{I am part of the Netflix Stream Team and I love it.  Opinions are my own!}

Every Role Can Teach You Something Valuable

From a young age I was inspired by The Babysitter's Club and wanted to have my own spending money, so I did what I read about–I babysat.  I would work every weekend for my $4-$5 an hour and felt such independence by being able to contribute to my university fund (my parent's rule was that 50% had to go in the bank), donate some to church, and have a wallet full of money to spend if I wished.  It was my first job and like every one I had after that, I learned something from it that contributed to who I am today.

Thankful Thursday

Practicing gratitude time!  This week I am thankful for:

Looking After Mum

{On Sundays guest writers share their personal stories.  My hope, and theirs, is that we will be able to consider someone else's perspective and therefore understand one another more. Also, it is a place for support so that if you are journeying this road, you will know you are not alone. This intimate piece shares some heartfelt and important advice for those that are caring for family and friends. I am so thankful to Emily for sharing this here. }  

Thankful Thursday

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Practicing gratitude, yo.  Here we go!

The Stress and Success of Family Photos

I have many memories of my dad setting the timer on the camera and running to get into the photo just in time for the camera to take a photo of his backside. Repeatedly.  He videotaped most of our childhood–even waking us up at 2 AM pretending it was time to get to school.  He's a sentimental pest.  Although I'm not a pest (I married one), I have definitely inherited the desire to capture photos of my family.