I have to remind myself to be grateful when I'm in the parking lot and it's raining hard. I have to go to the bathroom, and I'm wrestling a one year old into his car seat, and my cart blows away and hits the back of a blue pickup truck five stalls down. I step in a puddle. I do not look dignified. I do not look sane.
The runaway cart incident just sums up a regular shopping trip for me: parking lot chaos, and fussy kids, and getting home and realizing that I forgot to buy what I left the house in the first place for.
I may be one of "those people" who are always running out of toilet paper and Kleenex and other household items. My kids may be a little teeny weeny bit fussy and spoiled...and fussy. You may visit my house and find that I have no napkins and no paper towels, and I'm feeding you spaghetti, but hey, I'll hand you a dish towel (unless they are all dirty) (in which case there are sinks and soaps in the bathroom).
On certain days the whole madness and disorganization of it all makes me feel a little crazy. I try to go somewhere by a certain time, and guess what? Everyone under twenty has removed their shoes AND their socks, and scattered them to the four winds.
On these days, being grateful is leaving the Buzz Lightyear and the dinosaur on Derrick's side of the bed and burying them in a sheet and comforter...because who doesn't like surprises when they go to bed?
Life is full of decisions: cry because you found a rat in the washing machine, or rejoice because it was really a RUBBER rat?
(don't mind Sheldon's face bruise. He was being adventurous with dining room chairs)
(My dog would like to move in with people who are less loud and less in love with swords and laser guns. She is exhausted).
Because life will always have grocery store chaos and there is never enough toilet paper but there always seems to be enough rubber rats:
Craisins.
Chai tea on a rainy day.
Postponed potty training attempts: a break from cleaning floors while pregnant.
Sheldon learning to say "Seat BELT" and "Mommy! I DID IT!"
Sheldon yelling "YELLOW" in my face when I'm putting his "Seat BELT" on. I love random.
Getting ice cream and wearing my winter coat, freezing all the way.
Blankets for when I'm eating ice cream.
Colin Firth. I like the way he talks.
The fast forward feature on our cable, because life is too short to watch lame TV.
Watching my husband do yard work.
A rotten deck that must be removed. I had no love for the deck, and now it's a safety hazard. WIN!
Another dead birch tree. I had no love for the nine thousand trees in our front yard, I wanted to only keep a few. Now the extras might land on someone's car...or head. They must be removed. WIN!
Trips to Home Depot with the boys, watching them follow their daddy around and touch every tool/lock/paintbrush within touching distance.
Paper airplanes. They keep boys occupied for hours and they are easy to acquire.
Quinten asking me to sing, "In the Jungle" for his bedtime song. Thanks. A. Lot.
#308-322 of my gratitude list. Click on the picture below to start your own:
