Thankful

I am so thankful, I often take time to stop and remind myself what I have to be thankful for when I am having a hard day.
This year I have a husband home with me. I understand what a blessing that is. I have had many holidays without my soldier.
I am thankful for my children. I thank God that he has blessed me with so many blessings even when the laundry is taller than me and the dishes go unwashed.
This year I am thankful for the new blessings that joined our family. I am thankful that they were allowed to stay with us.
I will never for one minute take for granted the time we have with each other.
This Thanksgiving is so different. Not just because my hero is home or because we have more blessings at our home but because there will be an empty seat at the table. It was painfully obvious when my mother in law pulled in the drive way and the kids screamed for mommal and not poppal. I want him back just for the day. I do not like the sadness; I do not like explaining to my children over and over that he will not be here. Although as much as I miss him today I am grateful that today he is eating what he likes and as much as he likes without fear of his sugar levels. So today I will be there for his wife and for my husband and remind them of the positives that he brought to our lives.
Today I am thankful for my friends who have rallied around me over the last year who and encouraged me when I thought I could not handle any more. Who stood up and made sure we had everything we needed and even what we wanted for the boys when they joined our family.
I am thankful for a mother. A mother who was a single mom raising 2 children with little help from her family. She woke each morning when I knew she tired and wore down. She allowed me to spread my wings and move out when I was ready to.
If I was honest I would tell you that I am a little thankful for this puppy who is laying on me right now. This puppy I said no to, this puppy that wakes me nightly to go out and has accidents in my house. She is worth it in the end but please do not tell anyone I said that.
What are you thankful for this year? Have you taken time to make a list of what you are thankful for?
Pamela

The Muppets

Have you heard? The Muppets are back! Last Saturday morning my family had the honor of seeing a sneak peak. They loved it. They felt special.
Okay, I do not want to give away too many details but it will be hard. First, Mrs. Piggy is amazing and her hair is amazing. I love Mrs. Piggy because I grew up being called Mrs. Piggy.
This movie was great for our family. It really had a great story line that encouraged love for siblings and also how to work together.
I knew going into this movie that there was no worries about what my children would be seen. I so hope this bring back the Muppets.
Pamela

Not me Monday

Not me Monday
It is not me who is not going to beg you, bribe you and harass you to enter my give away right here. I am not desperate to get lots of entries just to make myself feel good.
It is not me who combines Not me Monday with Miscellany Monday. Surely I am able to come up with two blog post on a Monday morning.
First, let me tell you if I posted some of the things I have not done I would be arrested. It has been a crazy week.
I want to know how people get angry and smack their children because last week I smacked a child on the bottom and I was not even mad and this is what happened. I promise this picture does not show how bad it really was. Even the side of my hand bruised. The child on the other hand had no idea why I was putting ice on my hand.
It was not us, meaning my husband and I. who went grocery shopping and ended up leaving a child strapped in a cart alone in an aisle because of lack of communication.
It was not my son who came to me on Tuesday afternoon and thought his sister should stop school to wash his shirt for that evening. It is her month to do laundry. He could not grasp the concept that he had to do his own laundry since he did not get it in the dirty laundry on time.
It was not me who changed a baby on a sidewalk a few weeks ago. We were at a public park having a ceremony and I could not walk away. So I turned away from the crowd and let the diapers fly.
When my daughter realized her sister’s shoes were too big she most certainly did not zip tie them to her feet?
Pamela

Pray for Me Monday

JAMES 5:16
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so
that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and
effective." (NIV) 

PSALMS 116:2
"Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live" (NKJV) 

Welcome to this weeks Pray For Me Mondays with Home Grown Families and Pamela from Troop Petrie.  We are so excited to be working together on this journey!

Basically, PFMM will work like this:

• Pamela and I will write posts on relevant topics and post


• You can link up your own post, comment or e-mail us your prayer requests


• We'll pray for you and hopefully others will, too

Sorry we missed last week~ it's just one of those things.  This is what Pam wrote for last week, so the material is a little dated.

Tiffany {the single one} says:



These last few weeks have been particularly difficult for us.  We have been dealing with sickness, ER visits, sleepless nights and one moody Mama.  Please continue praying for me~ my sanity mostly. 

 

Pam {the married one} says:

 

And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”
(Genesis 33:5 ESV) 

This was a special and wonderful week. My husband only worked three days. So we had a lot of family time. Or should I say a lot of puppy training time.

This week my baby boy turned 15. FIFTEEN, where has the time gone? I remember the night he was born and how sick he was. I remember them struggling to get him to breath. I remember my friend Debbie praying over the situation. I remember him being in the NICU and taking a parenting class with other parents. They were holding their babies and mine was behind us in the NICU.

I remember when he was 2 and not talking. I remember the day the daycare provider finally told me something was not right with him. As in, he was developmentally delayed.
I remember feeling like a failure as a mom. I remember wondering what I did wrong.

It took a lot for me to not feel guilt because he was not reading as early as others. It took a lot for me to see him struggle to make friends for many years. It was hard for me the first time I heard the aspergers name mentioned.

And then I had a friend who told me that he is mine only for a short time.

I think sometimes in the business of parenting we forget that our blessings are only with us for a short time.
Do you take time to enjoy your children?

Today my son and I went to the movies. He made a comment twice that really hurt my feelings (smacked me in the face). He said that it was nice to hear me laugh. It hit me hard that he does not see me laugh as much as he use to. I do not want my children to grow up and take life so seriously. I want them to know that life is good and that you can enjoy it.

This week I pray that you are taking time to enjoy your blessings. Be grateful for the time they wake up in the night because that is one on one time.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
(Matthew 18:10 ESV) 

Take time to realize that they will not always be in your home and encourage them to hide the word in their heart so when they are not with you they still know where to go for help.

Please do not forget about this really fun giveaway I am doing right now.

Make your own scrapbook