Thankful through the Blog Year

I’m thankful for this blog, and the wonderful bloggers who’s lives I enter slightly to commiserate, inspire and fellowship with, quicker than pen pals.  I even got to host a Carnival of Homeschooling this year.  And for comments, I love comments!

I’m thankful that sometimes we get outside and the kids appreciate creation (and burn off their wild energy!) That K likes being outside.

That we managed to give B a birthday party this year without undue stress.

That M is beginning to understand mathematics, at least to verbalize and apply concepts. And Hop scotch them. And talk about them at odd moments.
For days when both advances and discouragements happen.

For New England leaves, and kind, visiting friends.

For B’s skills as a sibling entertainer and reader.  In 4th grade, it looked like it would NEVER happen, until I went to China, and while I was gone, B read the first 4 Harry Potter books.  Before that it was easy readers with lots of white space around the print.

That K knows where food comes from.
And (sort of) how to pick it.

For DH and my extended family that help me find good curriculum, and make tools.  For teachers from my past who’s lessons I remember.  For DH, again, who took care of me, and had the grace to tell me he didn’t know how I do it, when I was off my feet for foot surgery.  And that we got to say goodbye so nicely to Uncle P and Aunt B before they headed back to Brazil.  That we live near my Mom.  That DH gave me time to sew.  And my inspirational mother in law. And DH again, who gave me a night out.  Alone.  Without children.  That we do Christmas decorations at my Mom’s house, where K can’t eat them. For the quilts my Mother in Law made for the boys.  That my Mom teaches B his Latin – I just couldn’t add one more subject for me to learn along with the kids, my brain would have exploded.

For funny K, my cuddly, sleepless toddler, who loves to snuggle, nurse, and explore.  She makes me laugh so much, I’m very rich to get to have a toddler again, I sort of thought I’d be done mothering little babies and toddlers by now, but I’m glad I’m not.  And her cute love of shoes and purses.

That my foot surgery went well, and that consequently my back and hip feel better (the leg bone connected to the…)

That homeschooling gets me to read the books I didn’t get to when I was my kid’s age.

For my church, where we dedicated K to the Lord this year.

For the new sidewalk by our house, and the resulting week of big equipment entertainment.

For the discovery that I was more organized than I thought I was.

For progress on making our apartment into a tidy, neat, functional home. 
For our big workshop room.  That my flower garden is getting neater.  That the boy’s room has curtains (unlike my kitchen)  For the transformation in our apartment due to our friend K’s gift of 7 bookshelves.  For the beautiful quilts My Mother in law made for the boys.  That those shelves of K’s fulfilled a "oh someday we will save up for these and what a difference it will make" dream.

For field trip days with my Wonderful Cousins in Cambridge.
For wonderful opportunities that fall into our laps. For the Boston Children’s Museum.  For finding out historical fellow homeschoolers.

For C, the amazing lady at co-op.
That I’m getting used to some of the strenuous aspects of co-op-ing, and learning from them.  That the research class yielded good fruit for my students.  For the Expo where the boys could celebrate their accomplishments.

For a wonderful time at Cousin B’s wedding.

And staying at Aunt S and Uncle E’s house on the way home.

That M’s Jr FIRST Lego League club finished well.  And they did enjoy themselves…sometimes.

That I managed to surprise DH this year at Valentines Day.

For good curriculum, like the Story of the World. And SWR.  And ones that homeschoolers made up themselves and shared.

For used books.

That the "boring" time waiting for B to finish his flute lesson has become a time to hang out with M and K, playing outside and reading aloud.

That B’s Lego Tournement went well.  (They even got a trophy)

For the funny things M says.  For the funny things DH says.  For the funny things my kids and I do.

And finally, that the worst trouble my kids got into while I was compiling this list was that K took an (open?) jar of olives and made milk soup with them, while B and M read Hank the Cowdog aloud- it was supposed to be a few minutes while I took a bath, but I got carried away.

Thank you Lord, your mercies endure forever.