Lovely weather

My 5 yr old dictated a thank you letter to me today on one of his new pirate notelets :) It was to one of his friends at school who I'll call Bob. He was thanking Bob for various things; primarily the fact that Bob 'lets' him play in his car after school most days, but also for the things Bob sometimes makes for him in school and the present Bob gave him for his birthday. Bob had a bit of a meltdown yesterday when we had to leave prior to any car interior action...

We added to our wall of gratitude today. My 2 yr old had thanked me for a Stringy Cheese earlier so I put that for him (who was asleep when we were doing it anyway). Josh's thankfulness today was for a car to drive to work in, me tidying the house and his work email now working on his mobile (to me that doesn't sound good but it will be useful for him when he's away on business!), and my 5 yr old said a few such as the programme about the sea that he watched with Josh the other day, the craft box he got for Christmas (he LOVES making things! Today it was shields and decorative boomerangs..). He was also thankful for hot chocolate and chocolate (who isn't?!) :)

I'm thankful today for a relativey calm playdough-making session with my 2 yr old which he, later joined by his brother, had creative fun with :) 5 yr old made it into "worm and slug pie" and spent ages decorating it. It's now in an airtight container in the fridge. Hopefully this'll last longer than yesterday's.. I'm thankful for the new batch of biscuits I made today, this time with currants in (much better!), and for the ridiculously simple recipe I make them from which I got on a cooking course for 2 yr olds that I went on with my now 5 yr old with my now 2 yr old crawling around us :) I'm thankful that my 5 yr old enjoyed his first Friday in school (spent mainly playing, cutting and sticking, and also being introduced to the fun world of computers..) and that Fridays there are half days. For the lovely mild afternoon that we spent in the sunny park across the road from school with some of the other familes :) And for my 2 yr old's early nap that he had today that allowed me to tidy the house with plenty of time left to spend with him once he woke (which did include hoovering and washing up!) :) I'm also thankful for an amazing builder friend in Liverpool who's been replacing our hall floor over the last couple of days and I know he will have done an excellent job in our absence. For getting my bridesmaid dress in the post for April and having a lovely phonecall with the bride-to-be who lives in Liverpool (I got to try the dress on while 2 yr old was asleep this am!). For Rauld Dahl books enjoyed by adults and children alike :) For affectionately lively children and for a much needed prolongued and meaningful hug with a mum at school :)

2 yr old didn't eat tea today (omlette); I really hope he sleeps...

The day after yesterday

Today I'm thankful for a good night's sleep last night as was anticipated yesterday! 2 yr old woke up at 5am but managed not to get up til after 6 which feels acceptable, and the main thing is the chunk of unbroken sleep preceeding 5am. I must start being sensible and going to bed earlier again though, but I do like my me time, and it is important too, for sanity, which everyone benefits from!

This morning I did an on-the-spot "Are you thankful for anything right now?" question in the car and 5 yr old immediately replied 'school' which is always encouraging! - especially as we hadn't been talking about it so he wasn't just saying whatever was topical :)

I'm thankful for a fun, extended playtime in the rain and the exuberant singing all the school spontaneously did together in it! For radiators. For the leafy park across the road from school that the kids go to play in most days at lunchtime. For my mum looking after my 2 yr old on Thursday mornings, in such a fun, loving way, and for him feeling so comfortable going off with her. For relationships that transcend differences. For story-reading with my 2 yr old snuggled on my knee this afternoon. For a tidy house. For finally remembering to put the bins out ready for bin day (the first time in about a month! - 'overflowing' isn't even close!). For cheap wholesome easy meals like baked potatoes with cheese and cherry tomatoes. For cosy dressing gowns and my North Face body warmer which I pretty much live in; how did I live without it??! And for the free bag my 5 yr old got with his Cbeebies magazine Christmas present, which is just right for his packed lunch and snack, and he really likes it :)

Bargain!

I did my food shopping today. It came to £105. It cost me £10... I'm thankful to my parents for giving us their Nectar points!! Included in the shop today was pirate-themed kids thank you notes which my 5 yr old is excited about using for any spontaneous thank you letters he feels like writing :) I'm thankful for that enthusiasm too, and the inspiring notes!

I'm also thankful today for making lovely playdough successfully and it being played with by both boys for a decent amount of time (until 2 yr old pulled an open tin of tuna off the side and mushed it into it..) For a nice conversation after school with 5 yr old's friend's dad. That my car didn't run out of petrol before I made it to the petrol station.. That Wednesdays are so much fun in school for my big boy coz he does craft and art all morning and dancing in the afternoon, all of which he loves :) That my toddler ate lots this evening and should therefore sleep better tonight. We must have had all of about 3 hours last night due to a rumbly tumbly after pears apparently being the only acceptable sustenance from about 4:30pm yesterday. I'm thankful for the biscuits I've made that we can munch on this evening. And I'm thankful that our friend from school is having us all round for a play tomorrow :)

How do I keep thinking up new titles for very similar posts???!

Today I'm thankful for the little buddies my 5 yr old has at his little school, and for the fun he had with the one who came round for a play afterwards today. They made a castle from our junk modelling box, played with the new marble run, and also with the Nerf gun and a target they made (though 2 yr old's head was also used as such... They involved him very well in everything else though...) I'm thankful for cheese and bread which see us through many an ill-planned day! For memory-making torential rain on the way to school this morning when we couldn't see in front of us! For being stretched and moulded by challenges and for being encouraged and edified by understanding people. For the fact that the smell of dirty, damp laundry is starting to be counterbalanced by the smell of clean laundry in our bedroom. For playing with my son and his reception class and toddlers most of the morning and part of the afternoon :) For a walk in the dark up the lane with my 5 yr old having survived the 'hazel' (as his friend called the hail - I said "Ooh, can you hear something at the window?" and he ran to look out and exclaimed excitedly, "It's hazel!" Had me wondering for a moment..). For being reunited and catching up with the other families in our school after the Christmas break, and for my children sleeping well last night, which will have helped my eldest with being back today, and also helped me - I felt awake all day - bonus! For getting lots of housework done while my little one had a nap, and for chatting with him sitting on the side while I did the washing up after he'd woken, and he was getting into everything in the cupboards up on the side. And for my Christmas present from my husband which I finally got today! - 'How Clean Is Your House' series 1 & 2!! (I did ask for it :) )

Aww, lots to be thankful for - who'd have thought! How lovely :)

Today

Our first round of thankfulness went down well at tea time today :) We have a few little bits of paper stuck on the window with things we're grateful for :) It looks a bit messy but it's a good mess! I've tried this before, without sticking the notes up, but never really stuck to it (no pun intended!) but, now that it's an official goal that I've written down and everything, I think I'll be more intentional in doing it longterm :) Among other things my 5 yr old was thankful for food, snow, Christmas, toys, and Father Christmas.. My husband was thankful for a free computer (thanks to my sister and her husband who have just moved to America and left it behind!), and my 2 yr old said thank you when I gave him some pear so I'll add that to the notes later!

Today I'm thankful for my old school friend, Caroline Murdoch, moving back to Sheffield a couple of months before me. I'm thankful that, although meeting up has proved kinda tricky, that she had us round for her one yr old's birthday party this afternoon :) I bearly (sp?!) managed to speak to anyone for keeping my 5 yr old occupied who was wanting stories read to him, but it was nice to feel welcome, see friends, make (loose) arrangements to get together without kids so conversation might actually be had, and just to have somewhere to take the kids! I'm thankful that my family all ate the dinner I cooked, and that Caroline provided the lunch! I'm thankful for Josh and my 5 yr old having fun writing a story together in bed just now, about a 'beautiful farm'. For a nice little card-making session with the kids earlier. And I'm thankful that my 2 yr old is sleeping through the evenings so I can go read my book now without interruption!

Thanks

Today I'm thankful for parents who are great with the children and very generous with their food! We went round spontaneously today and ate a lot, then were later sent home with a lot more thanks to surplus left-overs from their new year's eve party last night which out-did ours! I'm also thankful for clean, dry clothes and children laughing so hard you can't hear them when we're blowing raspberries on them or their Grandpa's tickling them and holding them upside down :) And I'm thankful for good friends, always :)

Gratitude

I've decided to try and get to my blog at least once a week (ideally everyday but that's not realistic!) to log whatever springs to mind that I'm thankful for. This is something I've decided to encourage in my kids and family this year, so I figured I should do it myself too! It will also serve as a little record for me :)

So my new year family goals include hoping to remember to:

Ask the kids each day at random moments what they're thankful for in that moment.

At least once a week to hopefully manage to, while the family all happen to be together (eg tea time), write down/draw things that each of us feel thankful for that day, and stick these up to help us remember life's blessings amidst any trials.

Ask the kids at bedtime if they can think of 3 good things that happened to them or that they did that day, hoping that this will help them slow down and dwell on positive experiences as well as talking through those less-so.

Keep a box of thank you cards out as an invitation to give thanks to someone when they've done something for us that's gone un-thanked, thus helping the kids express what they feel thankful for (they'll have to dictate to me!)

So today I'm thankful for a houseful of new friends in our new city. For a house that's practically in a park. For a supportive and loving family. For holding a 5lb baby who is in good hands. For sponateous bread and butter pudding-making, inspired by my 5 yr old's 'concoction'. For children that are generally happy to eat healthy food. For the Holy Experience blog that inspired my family gratitude stuff. For Lauren Mallon who introduced me to said blog.. And for Aldi!

Happy new year; here's to choosing to think about "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—anything that is excellent or praiseworthy" (The Bible). 2012: a year of cultivating gratitude whatever comes our way!