It's The Little Things

I've been trying to put together some posts of things we are all grateful for this year like I did a couple of years ago, and we have a great list of many things, but I've been attempting to get the boys to think more specific. Beyond, "the earth," "our house," "my school," etc. Not that those aren't great things to feel thankful for, but I was hoping to capture more about who they are right now and what, specifically, is most important to them at this stage. We'll see how my plan for the post (or posts) come out.

Because of those posts being on my mind, though, today thoughts of gratitude and what that means just seemed to be swimming close to my consciousness, so that everything that happened to me today seemed to inspire a quick thought that either said, "I am so grateful for that" or "not so thankful, just grumpy." It made me realize that amid the everyday, the common and the routine, we must find the little things that we embrace with gratitude. Finding those things can turn just a day into a great day.

GRATITUDE: The day started off nice and slowly. Tommy had been awake off and on through the night because he now has the nasty cold that Luke was sporting last week, so I was extra tired this morning and it was nice to sleep a bit longer than the norm. Zach and Ben got up nice and quietly, leaving me to doze away until 8am. Josh rolled out of bed around 9:15, Luke joined us at 9:45 and Tommy slumbered until 10:15. Ahhhh.... I had taken advantage of the quietness of the morning and gathered the laundry together for washing, and then took some time on the computer to look up some brining recipes because I am going to give that a try this year on our Turkey.

GRUMP: When 9:45 rolled around and I was busy with getting Luke his breakfast, Zach asked if he could play on the computer. I replied, "Sorry, but you guys are done with screen time for the day. You played a lot this morning." And the peace was destroyed. "But I've only been playing for half an hour! I only played from 8:30 until 9!" "No, you just came up about 15 minutes ago, at 9:30. That's an hour. It's easy for you to lose track of the time when you are playing video games. I know, the same thing happens to me on the computer." "No, it was 9 when we came up! I know it!" "Sorry, but look, I even have these recipes I printed with a time stamp of 9:25, and you were still down there when I went to grab them off the printer." Unfortunately, that concrete evidence was not sufficient for my almost 10-year-old who is stubborn as a burro when he is certain, even if he's wrong. Tears and stomping followed.

GRATITUDE: But boys don't dwell for too long, and by the time we had to leave to run Thanksgiving dinner shopping errands...all six of us...eeeeek!..he was over it. We found what we needed at Costco, had a yummy lunch that included sharing a table with friends that we had run into in the pizza/hotdog line. And while we were walking toward the receipt line Zach, Ben and Josh were walking with their arms around each others shoulders.

GRUMP: Shopping went well, the kids were behaving fantastic. {relief} But I still got the, "Are these boys ALL yours?" And, "Wow! You've got your hands full!" And, "All boys? No girls? I can't even handle my {insert number smaller than 5} boys." Those comments really bother me. Especially when people say them in front of my boys. Those comments imply that the boys are obnoxious just by the mere fact that they are boys and that girls are obviously preferred by everyone, including their poor mother who clearly only had five children so she could keep trying for a girl. Which may be true for some people, but it is most emphatically NOT true for me. I LOVE each of my FIVE boys and never, ever, have I wished one away for a girl. Plus, trust me, I've known plenty of obnoxious girls in my life.

GRATITUDE: Just after we arrived home, Luke smashed his fingers in the door to the garage. When Luke gets hurt, even a little teensy hurt, which this wasn't because his finger turned a lovely shade of plum so I am sure it was really painful, there is much loud screaming, tears aplenty, and it lasts a LONG time. As I was digging in my pocket for a kleenex (because unfortunately I have the nasty cold too) I found my ticket stub to Harry Potter. In the midst of the crisis, that glimpse of a good memory from earlier this week brought a little warm flood to my heart and dampened the stress of the moment.

GRUMP: After an hour of unsuccessfully trying to get a sick, restless, coughing Tommy to go down for a late afternoon nap, the skin on my cheek was sticking to itself, by what I am sure was booger glue.

GRATITUDE: I had warm laundry, fresh from the dryer, to fold on a cold, windy afternoon.

GRUMP: I had to go down to fetch Josh from the neighbor's house after clearly telling him he could not go there because they have no TV regulation and Josh has no self-control. "But we were just coloring, Mom!" "Yes, it doesn't matter what you were doing, Josh. I am glad you were just coloring, but I told you you could not go there at all."

GRATITUDE: Five little words--Creamy Potato and Leek Soup

GRUMP: The neighbor kids came over to our house since Josh was banned from leaving the house, you know the ones, they're the ones that make my boys seem to bicker more and treat each other with less respect. After a lot of "you guys need to include everyone in that game" and "we don't talk to each other like that in this house" I sent the neighbors home. Then it took my kids a really long time to clean up the house, having to send them back to re-do spots that were ignored, forgotten or dumped on multiple times.

GRATITUDE: Tommy figured out how to use his walking push toy tonight and was SO very proud of himself. His face was all grins and joy. He'd stop to clap for himself, and look at us expectantly for our applause, and then walk some more. It was the best entertainment I've had in a good long while.

And once your eyes are open to it, it keeps coming.

GRATITUDE: Adam has the next five days home, free from work. I remembered to get Kleenex with lotion at the store. Tomorrow is pie making day! Zach was really happy about his new quilted flannel shirt. Luke wanted an extra lullaby at bedtime. And the list goes on....

Willie Nelson said, "When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around." That's kind of how the day went for me. Noticing the little things about today that were great, among the things that could have really made the day a grumpy one, they made all the difference. I really love this time of year, when gratitude is so present. I hope to carry it on, beyond Thanksgiving.