Thankful Thursday

 Thankful Thursday time! It's been months and nothing has really changed; I never imagined any of this (pandemic for a year)  happening. Let me just share some photos of things that we have been up to...

This week I am thankful for:

1. Subbing. Just 1-2 times a week average works perfect for me. I am on a 0.29 contract this year for work which means I taught full time from September to November and the rest of the year I will substitute teach at my high school only to minimize exposure.

2. Health. Grateful that we have avoided COVID in a place (Surrey, B.C.) where it's been chronically top of the list of cases. I had a mammogram that was suspicious so had a follow up and will have another in a few months. There are crystallizations on my left chest wall that need to be watched (crystallizations can be a precursor to cancer). My thyroid is behaving nicely and as per usual I am trying to keep iron levels up. Nya has been very healthy asthma-wise with only one respiratory illness that she got from Koen at the start of the school year. 

3. Our home. We've done some small updates like hinges, doorknobs, lighting and couches. Next up are our floors! Our current ones are not that old but we went for super cheap ones from Home Depot last time without leveling ahead of time..lesson learned. We're going for an "almond paste" luxury vinyl which should warm it up a bit.

4. Our cat. Our kids are wild for Kinley. We were going to surprise them with a kitten at Christmas but it didn't work out. They beg daily. She is a great comfort for them and a place to express emotions when it may not come easily for some (Kai).

5. Kai is done with orthodontics! I had no idea that I should start saving for braces when the kids were young. Our coverage is just $1500/kid so we had to pay a solid $6000 out of pocket. 

6. Places to explore. Although I am a bit over the Lower Mainland, there are worse places to be "stuck" right now. This hike here was Minnekhada.

7. Paper route for the younger two. We split the route into two so that I go with Nya and Gary goes with Koen. We're done in about 15 minutes and they make about $10/month. Normally with sports this would not work but we do not have much going on.

8. Thrift Store Finds. I bring a box the thrift store every two weeks (purging makes me happy!) and then take a peek inside. I found these Merrell boots for Nya for $10 as and example. I will take all the hand-me-downs and thrift store finds that I can because raising kids isn't cheap, especially when you only have one girl so she's not sharing with a sibling.

9. Rest and Restoration. We spend a lot of time at home. This is best for Koen as school is a lot for him. Knowing that there is really nothing on the schedule other than resting and restoring at home has been really great for him; I don't know if he's ever been happier. That said, he does miss ball hockey and we are hopeful he will be able to play again in the spring.

10. Books! As always, I love the Libby App. Some great reads since January have been: Concrete Rose (prequel to "The Hate U Give", 4/5), The House in the Cerulean Sea (4.5/5), The Glass Hotel (4/5), The Ten Thousand Doors of January (4/5) and The Library at the Edge of the World (3.5/5).

I hope that you are able to find restoration this weekend, friends. Dr. Caroline Leaf says in her podcast "Cleaning up the Mental Mess" podcast 253 "Even if you're resting but not managing your mind correctly during the rest (because you may be shaming yourself for not being someone else's definition of "productive") you are not restoring and may find yourself chronically tired, irritable & depressed. Recognize there is a difference between rest and restoration".

Much love to you all. 

Love, 

Louise