Thursday Thirteen

Some random observations on 10 days with a son, daughter-in-law, 3 kids waiting for the birth of a new baby........

1. Old people CAN make the adjustment from a king size bed to a double bed pushed against the wall.

2. I can still sing "I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map,I'm the map.....in fact, I wish I could stop singing it already.

3. Kudos to my DIL for devising a morning hassle-free dressing system for her 5 year old. She organizes outfits on hangers then ties them together with a sign showing each day of the week. She plans the week's wardrobe in advance and keeps the outfits in a locked closet so there is no 5 year old reorganizing (genius!) Each morning the closet is opened for the appropriate day's outfit. There was nothing easier than getting Olivia dressed for school each morning!

4. Laundry! I'd forgotten how it doubles in volume every few hours, just like yeast bread!

5. They don't make car seats to accommodate a 3 year old wearing a "puffy" jacket.

6. Packing a gluten free lunch is a challenge but it sure makes for some interesting lunches!

7. A 3 year old boy can eat a bowl of cereal, a banana, an orange, yogurt, cheese, juice and pudding for breakfast and say that he is still hungry.

8. It is impossible for 3 kids between 10 and 3 to whisper (inside voices????)between 5:00am and 8:00 am so Grandpa can sleep.

9. Kids really do not like to have their hair brushed.

10. Balloons and stickers are Grandma's best friends.

11. Root veggie chips! Thank you Trader Joe! A new way to get veggies into Grandpa!

12. ANYTHING can be recycled into a craft. Just ask 5 year old Olivia.

13. Washers and dryers still eat socks.

Thursday Thirteen: My Husband, My Hero

 

 
This is the month when giving thanks is on our minds. Having almost lost my husband more than once in the past thirteen years, I am grateful for every single day that he is still with us. He is my hero and here are my top thirteen reasons why.
 
1. He is a survivor. He survived rheumatic fever as an infant, polio as a child, 3 heart attacks before he was 50 and a stroke before he was 60.
 
2. He doesn't know the meaning of "can't." In between his childhood ailments and his adult illnesses, he played baseball, hockey, college and professional football. He even ran the Marine Corp Marathon when he was 40.
 
3. He never, never gives up. No matter what life throws at him, he is always positive. His first words after his stroke were, "I love you." His next sentence, although it took 3 days to compose and several minutes and some coaching to voice, was, "It's going to be alright."
 
4. He is a funny man. He loves to make people laugh. Nowadays he doesn't tell the jokes but he will still appreciate and laugh at yours.
 
5. I came into his life as a package deal, complete with three sons. He has loved them, helped to raise them, disciplined them, guided them, supported them in the good times and not so good times, and has always, always been there for them.
 
6. He is driven. Probably a little too driven at times, but that determination is now what enables him to deal with his disablilites on a daily basis. It's what got him walking after his stroke. It's what got him out on the golf course again with a one-arm golf swing. It's what gets him going every single day.
 
7. He is a supporter to those around him, whether it be me, our children, friends or neighbors, he always encourages those around him to succeed.
 
8. Not a day goes by, probably not more than a couple of hours, that he doesn't tell me how much he loves me and appreciates me.
 
9. He is the designated dishwasher loader/unloader in the family. And if I ask him, he will also do floors :)
 
10. Since his stroke in 2004, he had tried unsuccessfully to read a book - until this summer when he read the New Testament. He worked at it every single day and was as excited as a child who had mastered riding his first bicycle when he finished.
 
11. He loves life. Although much different than it was or than he expected it would ever be, he is content.
 
12. He notices and appreciates the details. Coffee and freshly baked muffins, a drive around the island, a walk on the beach, he takes pleasure in the small things that others often take for granted.
 
13. Last, but not in any way the least, he loves the Lord. And he knows the Lord loves him.
 
 

Thursday Thirteen: Things I Can Live Without

 
Not intended to be a culling of possessions,though that would make another good Thursday Thirteen, these are things that I would never miss if they disappeared from my world.
 
Election campaign commercials - does anybody really listen to these?
 
Mosquitos
 
Recorded telemarketing messages
 
Live telemarketers
 
Spiders
 
Road litter
 
Weeds...why do they thrive uninvited while we must cultivate vegetables and flowers?
 
Junk mail
 
Hockey...sorry, still too much of a blood sport for me
 
Snow...OK, it's pretty at first but then it's just cold and a pain to deal with
 
Rude people
 
ED commercials...really, do we need this all over tv?
 
Plastic packaging complete with 25 twist ties that requires surgical tools to open
 
Any objections?
 

Thursday Thirteen

 
Thirteen things your children need to hear you say. Some are obvious, some not so easy, all are important.
 
1. I love you
 
2. God loves you
 
3. I'm proud of you
 
4. You can do it
 
5. Don't give up
 
6. Please
 
7. Thank you
 
8. Pardon me (banish "huh" - just my litle pet peeve!)
 
9. I need a hug
 
10. What do you think you should do?
 
11. You're a good person
 
12. I'm sorry
 
13. No
 
What would you add to the list?
 

Thursday Thirteen: Things I like about Fall

 
Fall may not officially be here but it seems to me that once school starts up, Fall is on our doorstep. This Thursday Thirteen is what I love about this season.
 
1. The humidity breaks, the temperatures drop and the sky is blue.
 
2. The nights are cooler too. We can open the windows and throw a blanket on the bed.
 
3. The leaves turn into a jewel box of color, universally appreciated. Who doesn't love a drive through the countryside just to admire the autumn leaves?
 
4. Pumpkins! Large, small, au naturale or carved into jack-o-lanterns, in fields or on front porches, pumpkins are great!
 
5. Apples! Pick your own or buy them at a roadside farm stand, the first apples of the season are crisp and juicy and everyone knows, apple pies are the best!
 
6. Sweater weather. We can put away the summer clothes and bringout the sweaters. There's only a short period before the snow flies when you can just grab a sweater as you run out the door and know it will be enough.
 
7. Halloween, whether you go all out for this strange holiday or just hand out candy (or hide in your house with the lights off) there is an excitement that is contagious when children don their costumes and believe, just for a night, that you don't recognize them.
 
8. Along with Halloween comes leftover candy, the best part of that holiday!
 
9. Not raking the leaves. I don't mean not to rake them, I mean it is not something I like to do! Raking leaves is greatly overestimated. Those leaves fall for over a month and just when you think you've raked them all, more will appear.
 
10. Comfort food. We always celebrate barbecue season when it arrives, but, man, it's good to have a hot bowl of homemade soup again and that first pot roast with roasted root veggies makes my mouth water!
 
11. Lighting the first fire of the year in the fireplace. Enough said.
 
12. Thanksgiving. Although I think the Canadians got the timing better, it is still good to take time to reflect upon our many blessings, even though that sometimes is overshadowed by consuming excessive amounts of food and football.
 
13. Listening to that little voice in the dark recesses of my brain saying, "Christmas is coming...better start getting ready now!"