Thankfully It's Friday

The last two weeks have been a challenge, which has totally warped the things I find myself being thankful for. I was not going to waste my time trying to find a bright side to any of the BS that life has been throwing my way, however, since it is Friday and my sense of humor seems to be returning, here we go:

~ Nobody, that I am aware of anyway, noticed that I looked like a battered wife earlier this week. Don't worry, my arm did not break when I fell down the steps in my sock feet and briefly passed out when I tried to get up, however, I had one hell of an ugly bruise and negative x-rays. A few days later, a bamboo that Holly and I were trying to cut back snapped and cracked me in the other elbow, which left a lovely bruise, and then scratched up my wrist. I can still type, thankfully.

~ It was not until I bent way over at the end of my driveway with my back side facing the street that I remembered (due to the cold air) that the pajama pants I was wearing had a big rip in the butt. Thankfully, I was wearing underwear (and Evyn's bus had already pulled away).

~ I'm thankful I survived Evyn's second bout of the stomach bug, AKA the plague, earlier this week. No one else got it! Thank you GOD!

~ The little fire I accidentally and unknowingly set on the Jenn-Air grill Wednesday did not burn the whole kitchen - it just melted the metal grill cooking surface while scaring the shit out of the kids and I. Ya know those silicone baking dishes? Yeah, they will burn to a crisp if the conditions are just right, like if the towel it is sitting on is on fire too. Thank goodness Evyn came to tell me about the silicone muffin pan burning since I set the stage for the fire and then left the kitchen to do something else really quickly. Thank goodness Evyn has some sense because I certainly don't.

~ I'm thankful that all of Reed's talk about screwing things lately has everything to do with his tools, or an object that looks like it could be a tool, and is not an early sign that we are raising a sexual predator.

~ There was a time a few years when I wanted my kids home with me, exploring and playing with me but after the recent three day break from school due to snow and then Evyn's plague which kept her out of school for two more days, I am sooooo thankful for school. I would surely be completely insane if these two were home e.v.e.r.y. s.i.n.g.l.e. d.a.y. A lot of this has to do with the fact that I work a lot more now than I did back then and my patience is constantly being challenged due to what feels like constant bickering between my two lovely, lively children. I am so thankful to have possibly found a teenager to come and swim and play with Beavis and Butthead this summer on my busy workdays so that I can try to hold on to my sanity.

Two more things:

~ Reed learned to ride a 2 wheel bike. Bu-bye training wheels. He worked on and off all day last Sunday until he was completely and totally self-sufficient. Holly has another notch in her belt - she has now taught all three of her kids to ride a bike. :)

~ This week is 20 weeks of pregnancy for Ashley - halfway there!!

Huh?

You know you are in for it when your four year old son says (while standing behind me with a Wii remote in his hand): "Mommy, can I screw my nut in your bottom"? Lord help me!

Snow!

It snowed. It has been fun but now I'm done. The kids are on day three of no school, which is probably the real reason why I am done. I must admit, though, the snow has been fun. It has been so much fun that one exhausted little man developed an attitude yesterday when I demanded he join us for story time lunch in the kitchen. He decided to pout at the bar and fell asleep petting Blue, the cat while sitting Indian style on the bar stool. I will file this one away in the 'bribery' folder right next to the picture of him at 7 months old dressed as a cherub for his first Valentine's Day.