Thankful... that November is over

Well, it’s November 30^th and my intention to post about my thankfulness each day clearly did not go further than intent.  Complete failure to execute… at least in writing.

Actually, if I am being honest, I am very thankful that November is over.  I have looked forward to its end since darn close to the beginning of the month.  The first was a good day, but after that, there was a downward spiral and I struggled a lot to feel thankful this month.   It shouldn’t ever be hard to find things to be thankful for IF one chooses to have that perspective.  Generally, I am one to find good in every day and take a moment to feel thankful, even if only for a moment.  But, in November, I found a lot to gripe about. A lot.  (Just ask my mom… she heard most of it!) 

I was thankful, don’t get me wrong.  I am always thankful for the obvious “big ticket” things that are most important in life.  And there were fleeting moments throughout a handful of days where I felt thankful and was very conscious of my gratefulness.  On the 1^st of November, Gracie had her best day of school so far (she later trumped that “best day” near the end of the month).  On the 5^th, she pottied on the toilet for the first time ever… and it was at school.  Let me say that again... it totally bears repeating... Gracie pottied on the potty for the first time. EVER!  She has now gone a handful more times.  We've been sitting her on the toilet for years.  She loves sitting there and knows how to use the toilet paper and will even help flush.  But she'd never gone at home.  This milestone is HUGE in the world of Gracie!  But, after that day, she missed an entire week due to her nurse being ill and three additional days in the month due to her own health.  That was a bummer.   

Gavin is growing and changing at the speed of light and doing so many entirely adorable things that I can’t help but smile when I think about them.  Like his dancing - - I am so thankful that baby boy will dance the second music starts… even if it’s just one of us dropping a beat for him.  He starts grooving and I smile.  That's easy to be thankful for. 

I was super thankful for plans in the middle of the month with my sisters in CHARGE.  But then, Preston had a nasty stomach flu that caused him to miss the last day of school before Thanksgiving, and thus, miss his Thanksgiving feast.  He was so bummed.  I was bummed for him.  I was also bummed that he threw up for three days and was out of sorts for five.  And, I was less than thankful for the three times I washed every piece of linen in his bedroom… including pillows, which, incidentally, take so long to dry I could have done four more loads during that time.  Anyway, poor little dude felt 100% better by Thanksgiving.  But, by then, the wonderful weekend plans we had were blown to smithereens and, I am not going to lie, I was so disappointed (and exhausted) that I cried about it.

I was very thankful to that my mom and Jim came down on Thanksgiving and spent the day with us.  My mom cooked and John got home from work in time to enjoy dinner with us.  Then the following day, Gavin and John got sick - - the same nasty bug Preston had.  Gavin got it worse… way worse.  He narrowly missed a hospitalization this past Monday due to four days of awful stomach stuff that left him bordering on dehydration and down almost a pound.  He just got his appetite back today… I was thankful for that.  But he also still has a very upset tummy and a bilateral ear infection.

With all the “ick” I am exhausted.  And, even though I don't get much sleep, I haven't been able to get myself to sit down in the middle of the night and deal with the pile of paperwork that sits on my desk.  I am sure there are things in that pile that should be done already.  It nags at me every time I pass by.  Even more nagging,  I am behind on the blog (which is self-inflicted pressure, not anyone else’s… but it’s how I keep pictures and life stuff sorted.  It is the only “scrapbooking” I do for our family and I can guarantee if I don’t keep up with it, I will never go back and do it “someday when I have time”) and I haven’t even written Gavin’s “9 month” post.  I did manage to take his pics  on the 16th in between Preston being sick and I jotted down some things about his ninth month, but, once again, complete failure to execute.  I will have to backdate the post and hope I get it done before he is ten months.

The list of stuff that I griped about this month is long...  the status of our garage was near the top of that list.  It’s small and very full.  (We are bordering on needing an intervention from the show “Hoarders” quite frankly!)  I am trying to get into the Christmas spirit and motivated to decorate (for the kids… because otherwise I’d boycott this year!  I still don’t feel settled from our move.) I have been whining about feeling overwhelmed about decorating for Christmas when I still haven’t finished hanging pictures and Gavin’s room is still just a thrown together mess.  You get the drift.  I complained and whined about a lot of things.  My house looks like it was ransacked five seconds after I get it straightened back up.  I clean the kitchen and, no joke, two minutes later there is stuff all over every counter top.  I am not sure how it happens.  But, it always does and I managed to gripe about it this month. A lot. 

Then a friend posted this on facebook. 

It was then that I remembered that I am always able (or should be able) to find little things here and there for which I am thankful, even on the rough days.  The kids could have been worse.  At least I am fortunate enough to have a washer and dryer to accommodate Preston’s bedding and wash it at home instead of dragging it all to the laundromat.  I am thankful to have a garage full of crap to complain about in the first place.  It’s all perspective and how we choose to spin it.  Sometimes, I just need to be reminded. 

Still... I am thankful that it will be December in less than an hour!