Thankful Thursday

Good morning! I love Thursday mornings only because this semester I have the morning off to get all the things done (laundry, cleaning, errands)–so nice to have alone time. I love October and the fall leaves; I wish the beauty of fall remained all through November.

I've been thinking a lot about my lifestyle...I am a very productive, efficient and passionate person and to some it comes across as stressed (as I've been told). I am actually not stressed, I'm just balancing full days with kids and a job and I'm not worried about it. I don't want anyone to think that I'm not enjoying my life, I truly am. Is it busy? Yes. Am I always running here or there? Yes. Do I take time for myself each and every day? Yes (6-7 am). I wonder if we saw a productive, efficient and passionate man if they would be told the same thing? Anyway, on to my thankfulness for the week.

 Here are the things I am grateful for this week:



1. This crew. It was nice to have downtime together this weekend. I am struggling big time with the whole transition through puberty but as I've learned, it's a stage/phase and we are all learning and growing and we just do the best we can.

2. Chocolate. I discovered this bar in Holland and couldn't find it here. My dad and Joanne just got back from Holland and brought me a couple. Now I don't want to eat them because once they are gone, they're gone! Ha.

3. Sisters. No one truly understands what our family dynamics are like (loss of my mom etc) unless they're actually in it so I'm glad we have each other. We are all quite different but are going through this parenting thing together and I'm grateful. I do feel heard and mostly known by them all. I do wish someone *really* got me (like, to my core--I'm an open book) and I think at this point it is Gary but my sisters are close behind.

4. Thrift store finds. I got these basketball shoes for Koen for $14.95. Now to find a pair in size 10 for Kai! I love secondhand finds because it just saves so much money. Would I pay over $100 for shoes that they will wear for 6 months? Nope! Love that it's good for my wallet and the earth. 

5. Voting. I'm grateful for the freedom we have to vote but man is it stressful. I'm a type one and want to make the perfect decision but there just isn't in this case. I find it so overwhelming. I wish I loved the process more but I was just glad to get it done. Next year I need someone to tell me what to do.

6. Fall leaves. So life-giving. I love it. My walks each day may be full of rain but it doesn't matter because the leaves are there. My ulcer is still not great. When I was playing hockey this week I had to miss my last shift because it felt like a giant cramp and I didn't want to make anything worse. Gary and I have been going for morning walks instead of runs because running on an empty stomach hurts right now. Still glad to have our mornings together before the kids get up as it makes our mornings a lot more relaxing.

7. Books to read. This is our current one for book club. I'm reading it on my phone as I find it much easier to get through an e-book as I always have it with me!

8. Bottle fund! Kai is collecting for his grade 8 five-day sailing trip in May. It costs the students $600 so he's trying to raise $200 via bottles. There are also other fundraisers like meat and coupon books etc coming up. Kai and I go for walks together to collect them and some people have graciously donated as well! He's up to $80 so far!  *NOTE: I DO WANT TO DO A FULL POST ON THIS BUT PLEASE RECYCLE YOUR FLEXIBLE PLASTICS AT THE DEPOT! (Chip bags, cereal bags, avocado nets etc)*

9. Students donating blood. I'm so proud of them! I won't post pictures but I took some of my grade 12's to donate for the first time. It can be scary but they did so wonderfully.

All right, that is it. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend (if you're in Canada) and that can always find something to be grateful for.

Love,
Louise