days 37 through 39...

I'm coming to the end of my Lenten project of recording things I'm thankful for and I'm slacking on my last few days.  I have no good excuse for being three days behind, I just am.  I'm excited to be going to see family this weekend to celebrate Easter, we've been home for the last 3 weekends (which is so unlike us) so it is time for a little trip away.  I of course have a page long list of things I need to get packed and get ready, but in true Amber fashion I am procrastinating  and probably won't do it until tomorrow.  Bob had softball tonight so it has been just me and the kids all day, and while they have been pretty good (and even went to bed fairly easily tonight) I just have no energy to do anything extra.  Normally I'd have the dishes done and laundry put away but instead I'm sitting on the couch writing a blog post, watching a rerun of Grey's and reading a book (well not simultaneously...but you know).  Anyway, enough rambling...I'm hoping to have some pictures soon, I haven't taken my camera out for a long time, but this weekend...I promise!  Here is my thankful list for the last 3 days. 

day 37 (Tuesday 4/19)...

• no bedtime fights
• catching up on DVR
• leftovers for dinner (so I didn't have to cook)
• a short day at work
• a quiet night at home with the hubby

day 38 (Wednesday 4/20)...

• wearing a new dress (trying to will it to be spring)
• kids in good moods when I picked them up
• kids belly laughs while playing
• getting an advance reader copy of a book in the mail
• pizza for dinner (I didn't have to cook! I really like to cook normally, I just wasn't into it this week)

day 39 (Thursday 4/21)...

• a night with no bedtime fight
• watching American Idol with my girl
• kids picking up the toys without me yelling
• a long nap from Bryce
• a dinner with everyone ate and no one complained about (YAY!)

36 days and counting...

We've been struggling with sleep around here lately.  Bryce is still awake right now (and it has been at least this late for the last week or so) and he'll be up by 6 in the morning.  He's even cutting his naps from a normal 3ish  hours a day to 1 or less.  I don't know what to do.  I'm sure part of the struggle at night is that we have never really established a bedtime routine, but there has to be more to it than that.  Bryce has been out of his crib for a while and he can take down the gate himself...so we have no way to keep him in his room, he is a stubborn, stubborn boy!  Onto my thankful list for the day and then off to bed. 

• hearing the kids laugh while playing with daddy
• that everyone was happy with leftovers tonight so I didn't have to cook
• the cute smile Bryce has and the way he can make me smile even when I'm upset with him
• the sweet girl Brianna is
• how funny the kids are...they always keep me laughing just when I need it most

thankful day 35...

Whew...Sunday night already.  It was a good, quiet weekend and after the week we had it was much needed.  I'm trying to get mentally prepared for the week ahead but the impending weather (read: expected snow) is really bumming me out.  Although I'm completely looking forward to family time this coming weekend for Easter!  I know at some point I need to get back to writing about more than the things I'm thankful for but for now, that is about the extent of the thoughts I can put together.  So, to end my weekend, I give thanks...

• planning a weekend get-away with my mom and sister
• librarything and its member giveaways (I've won 6 ebooks over the last month...yay for free books!)
• a clean kitchen so I can go to bed guilt free and not have to deal with it in the morning
• a fairly calm week ahead (at least as far as I can see!)
• a weekend with lots of good family time and lots of smiles and laughs

I hope you all have a great week ahead and take the time to think about the things you are thankful for...it really does change your perspective on things. Much love.

day 34...

Today was a great day (aside from the weather...what the heck....isn't it supposed to be spring??  Did Mother Nature not get the memo?).  Everyone in this house is in some stage of illness, it stinks.  Bob went to the doctor today and is now on antibiotics, Brianna is still battling her cold, Bryce I think is finally on the upswing of his croup/cough/wheezing and I woke up with a sore throat.  Needless to say it was a good day to stay inside and try to recuperate!  All things considered though it was a really good day at home with the family!

• a game of candyland
• a game of chutes and ladders
• chili and fresh baked bread (the good thing that came out of this yucky weather!)
• a family movie with a bowl of popcorn
• a good book

day 32 and 33...

I am seriously still trying to get back on track from this week.  It is amazing how easily I get derailed.  So, here is a quick list of the things I'm thankful for.

• Bob and Nancy for taking Brianna on Wednesday and bringing her home yesterday
• a good nap from Bryce today
• it is finally Friday
• a chance to sleep in tomorrow morning
• a weekend with no real plans
• Bryce is feeling better and coughing a lot less
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows (part 1) out today
• April 15th is just another day for me (instead of it being a big deal..tax day)
• 2 canoe trips scheduled for this summer...dates are on the calendar
• kids tucked away in bed

day 30 and 31 (hospital version)

The last 2 days have been a complete mishmash of time.  I've slept for about 4 hours in the past 48, spent 5 hours in the ER and 8ish hours at the hospital pediatric short stay with Bryce.  I am tired, my brain is mush, but I am thankful my baby is feeling better (honestly you'd never know he had just gotten out of the hospital the way he is bouncing around here.  Mommy feels like the walking dead and he acts like he could run a marathon...go figure!)  The long and short of it is this...The kids were at Bob and Nancy’s yesterday because I had to work and they usually stay Tuesday night because I work Wednesday morning at a different job.  Bob and Nancy called to say that Bryce had started croupy coughing and asked if we could meet them to drop off the nebulizer.  Bob and I were eating dinner when they called again to say that Bryce was coughing a lot and was pretty miserable so we decided to pick the kids up and bring them home and I would stay home from work today.  We got him home, sat in the steam with him and gave him a nebulizer treatment.  He sounded pretty bad and we had already scheduled a doctors appointment for this morning so he fell asleep and we were just going to wait it out until morning.  He woke up about 11:00 and sounded much worse so we decided to take him to the ER.  I got to the ER and the lady behind the desk was doing something and then she stopped mid-sentence, looked at me and said “is that him?” she could hear him breathing from about 15 feet away.  His oxygen level and his heart rate were fine but he sounded awful, we were back in a room pretty much immediately after his name was entered into the computer.  We didn’t even sit in a waiting room.  He had 2 doses of steroids via nebulizer (not sure what they both were but one was basically adrenaline), an oral steroid, a chest x-ray, and a cool mist treatment.  About 3am they decided they were going to admit him for observation.  About 5am we got up to a room on the pediatric short stay floor.  The ER doctor told us we’d probably be home before lunch, the pediatrician on the floor said we’d probably be home mid-afternoon and the next doctor said we should probably be discharged today and shouldn’t probably have to stay overnight.  We ended up being discharged at 1:30 this afternoon.  Bryce is doing much better and running around like a crazy person.

So with that...my thankful list for the last 2 days!

day 30

• a productive day at work
• dinner out with my hubby
• in-laws bringing our sick kid home
• employer who is sweet and understanding that my kids always come first
• prompt attention in the ER

day 31

• an amazing ER nurse named Kevin
• an equally amazing respiratory therapist named Megan
• Deanna a sweet nurse in the pediatric short stay floor
• the overall amazing care Bryce was given
• to be home and able to sleep in my own bed tonight (hopefully)

On that note I think it is about time for this mama to head to bed. 

day 29...

It has been a long day, due to the fact that the kids got up super early and I got only about 4 hours of sleep last night...yuck.  But it has had some redeeming qualities. I hope you are all feeling as blessed and thankful tonight as I am.

• monthly work is done and billed, it is always nice to have that done
• the kids played together nicely all morning so I could finish my work
• for my mother-in-law, Nancy (Happy Birthday!)
• a family walk after dinner
• a stop at the park during the walk that didn't end up in whining or crying when it was time to leave

It truly is the little things in life that get you through.

sunday thanks (day 28)...

It was a gorgeous day out today.  We spend a good part of the morning outside, the kids riding bikes and driving the jeep, Bob working and me laying in the grass reading.  Pretty much my idea of a perfect Sunday.
We had a good weekend at home and I'm sad to see another weekend come to an end.  In addition to helping me appreciate the good things in life this little project has also helped me write (almost) everyday.  I guess I just need a "fall-back" project on those occasions where I can't think of anything to write, then maybe I won't go weeks without updating.  Without further ado, here are my Sunday thanks...

1. more beautiful weather to be outside, it just improves my mood tenfold
2. the guilt free clothes shopping I got to do thanks to a gift card for my birthday (thanks Bob and Nancy)
3. the little bit of additional shopping I did with only a little guilt :)
4. a project that I am doing and sending to my little cousin at her school
5. a Sunday at home with my family

On an additional note...the niece of a dear friend of mine was born today at 28 weeks.  Please keep their entire family in your prayers so that this sweet little girl stays strong and thrives and is home where she belongs as soon as possible.

thankful day 27...

It is way past my bedtime so short and sweet tonight.

1. when Bryce gets his cup out of the refrigerator he ALWAYS gets Brianna's hers as well and takes it to her
2. 2 showings today
3. a fun couple of hours spent at the library during said showings
4. a beautiful day to play outside
5. a family dinner (with the Carroll clan) and a fun (albeit chaotic) game of LIFE

thankful day 26...

Today (Friday) was a rough day...I struggled...I was angry...I was tired....but in the end I was also thankful.

1. watching Bryce do the "we did it" dance (the song at the end of Dora) HILARIOUS!
2. kids playing together (seriously is there anything that makes a mom happier than her kids playing together nicely?)
3. naptime (even though it was only an hour)
4. winning 3 ebooks in a giveaway
5. a bowl of icecream and a book to finish out the day

thankful day 25...

Are you all tired of my thankful posts yet?  :)  I will admit some days I have a hard time thinking of things to be thankful for, not because I don't have a lot to be thankful for but because my memory is not very good and by the end of the day pretty much stops working altogether.  I really just need to write things down throughout the day but..um...remember what I said about my memory...yeah it doesn't work much during the day either!  I realize some of the things I'm thankful for each day seem trivial and even silly, but I am trying very hard to appreciate the little things.  This wouldn't be a very effective project if everyday I said I was thankful for my family, our health, the roof over our head, our friends and the food on our table.  Don't get me wrong...I am so very thankful for those things and they are the things that I thank God for everyday.  So, this project is mostly about things that make me smile throughout the day or make my life a tiny bit easier.  (I'm not sure I really had to explain all of that but I guess I just wanted to write more than my list today!)  Without further ado...

1. my wireless on my computer has been working lately (it makes life just a little bit easier)
2. bryce stayed in bed when I put him to bed last night (although he didn't go to sleep until 2 hrs later)
3. taco night (there is never a fight about eating when it is taco night)
4. 3 house showings this week!
5. thunderstorms (I love thunderstorms and it is a telltale sign of spring for me)

thankful day 24 (in pictures...and maybe a few words)...

It has been a while since I've put up any pictures so I thought I'd do my thankful post tonight in pictures. (sorry they aren't the greatest photos, but hopefully they are good enough to convey why I'm thankful).

 beautiful birthday flowers

 yummy birthday cheesecake (we finally got to eat)

a new book

 sleeping beauty

  a not so sleeping prince

thankful day 23...

1. that my in-laws could take the kids early today so I could rest and try to kick this bug
2. that my employer is flexible and is letting me switch my day this week
3. that I was sick and home so I could quickly pick up the house for a showing today
4. that I got 2 uninterrupted hours to read at the library today
5. that I am feeling just about back to normal

thankful day 22 (the birthday edition...a day late)...

My thankful post for yesterday got sidelined because I somehow managed to pick up a stomach bug and spent the good part of my birthday laying on the couch willing myself not to get sick and praying for the moment when Bob got home from work.  Not exactly how I wanted the day to go.  But, even with the illness I am still so extrememly thankful for so many things...here are my top 5 for yesterday.

1. coming down the stairs and hearing Bryce say "MOMMY...IT IS YOUR BIRTHDAY!!"
2. the kids snuggling and cuddling with me throughout the day
3. my thoughtful daughter who drug her daddy out because she wanted to get me a special present
4. my wonderful husband who got me chicken noodle soup (even if I didn't eat it until today)
5. that God has truly blessed my 31 years on this earth

thankful day 21...

1. Bryce twirling my hair while laying by me this morning
2. the kids coloring at the table while we make out our meal and grocery lists
3. having a meal plan for the rest of the month
4. Bob grocery shopping
5. a nap

thankful day 20...

1. fairly well behaved kids at a birthday party
2. watching a movie with Brianna
3. hearing Brianna giggle (it is impossible not to smile)
4. watching Brianna hold her brother's hand and help him during the birthday party
5. my wireless is working on my computer again (for now :))

thankful day 19...

1. family movie night
2. watching the kids play wii together today
3. getting to bed early tonight
4. the weekend being here
5. my nice, warm, comfy bed (can you tell I'm tired tonight?)

a modern witch...

Lauren is a successful realtor in Chicago and is living a pretty calm and normal life until one day she is online ordering groceries and gets pulled into a chat room for witches.  Amused, although admittedly a little unnerved by this turn of events Lauren chalks the whole experience up to a strange fluke on the web.  Little does she know this encounter in the chat room will soon change her life forever.  A Modern Witch is a sweet, funny and heartfelt story of modern day witches.  I completely enjoyed this book (evidenced by the fact that I had to force myself to stop reading at 2am this morning, which I only fleetingly regretted as one kid was up at 5:30)  Check it out!

I received A Modern Witch by Debora Geary as a LibraryThing Member Giveaway.