Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful for Christmas break. The end. Okay, I guess it has been over for almost a week now but wow, did I need that! It felt so good to be able to sleep in until 8 AM and not have to get up before my body felt ready to. Here are a few things I am grateful for today:



1. Reading three books over the break! I read Alias Grace, Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Girl with the Pearl Earring. All were between 7-8/10. I have many books on hold at the library and they are mostly marriage-related so a little less exciting but hoping to spend more time reading and less time scrolling my phone.

2. Going to Red Robins for Koen's 10th birthday. He had a free meal and kids eat for $3.99 on Wednesdays so it was under $35 for all of us. He will be going to the Vancouver Giants game with several friends to celebrate his birthday. I ended up not doing the birthday package and just using our BCAA membership to get tickets for $18 and they will have some food there. 

3. Getting multiple dentist visits done over the break. Gary, Kai and Koen are all headed back in a couple weeks for more "fun" but glad we could get a significant amount done. And for dental coverage. For real.  Also, if you are looking for a great one in Langley we go to Logan Creek Dental and I do recommend them.

4. Finally buying Blundstones. My left foot is particularly bad right now with plantar faciitis so it was time to find something supportive other than my Brooks runners with orthotics which I would love to wear daily. I bought the Blundstones at MEC and so far they are quite comfortable. 

5. Affordable bread products! I love McGavins Break Basket Discount Bakery on the Langley Bypass. Ten loaves for $10. They are near expiration so we just freeze them in our upright freezer. Big money saver.

6. Movie night with the boys. We watched "Race" and Hoovey" with the boys over the holidays. They loved having that time with us and I actually enjoyed the movies too–made me cry!

7. A new mattress. We have had the same mattress for 14 years so it was time to get a new one. I LOVED our old mattress but every time Gary moved I would wake up. We decided to go with a Bloom Cloud one from Sleep Country. I wanted to try a foam one but wanted to see what it was like in store. They had a promo with $200 off so we went for it. One week in and we are enjoying it. I love our bed.

8. Tidying Up on Netflix. I read the book years ago and it encouraged me to do a mass declutter and organize the stuff that we kept. We did another major one over the summer. We've done quiet well and the folding part has been my favourite. I watched the series and she is just so sweet and non-judgmental. If you are looking to get going on this, I would encourage you to give it a go.

9. Our new V7 Dyson battery operated vacuum. I like it because it is so lightweight which makes the stairs so easy to do (they were my nemesis!) We bought it during the boxing day sales so it was $100 off. As I get older I'm okay spending money on things that make life easier whereas in the past I would've sucked it up so that we would save money. That said, we are not making any more big expenses as the mattress + Dyson were big ones for us.

10. Gary having a safe trip. He was snow camping at Manning last night with his class. He's super congested (and has basketball practice tonight too!) but at least he's home safe and sound. I definitely enjoy having him around at night for peace of mind (safety) and to help out with one of our kids who has too much energy for my patience level; I usually end up with about 1.7% energy left at 8 PM and he goes to sleep at 9 PM so that last hour...

What is something that you are thankful for today?

Love,
Louise