The weather is doing this……..

...which is just no fun at all.  The rain is back, keeping us indoors and in general driving us a bit stir-crazy.  It wouldn't be that bad if we hadn't had colds over the past weekend that kept us indoors as well.  So we're all feeling a bit cooped up around here, and with little ones…well, you know how it goes.

   So when you find yourself fixating on what you cannot do, like playing in the sun and getting lots of fresh air, you get in a funk.  And when you get in a funk, the laundry seems to multiply, the kids' whining seems to rise 3 pitches in volume and the walls close in and you start to go crazy.   When you go crazy you ship your children off to grandma's and lock yourself in the closet and eat paper.  Don't lock yourself in the closet and eat paper….count your blessings.


I'm thankful that seasons have an end.

I'm thankful for my planner, adding some order to my scattered life.

I'm grateful for Ginger, Charlotte's adorable little handmade baby from Nicole.


   I'm grateful for my growth chart and chalkboard wall, scribbles from little ones, and a verse that I cling to. (Inspired by The Chalk Shop)


I'm grateful for tulips, bringing a little bit of spring indoors, when it's not nice enough to go outside.

  I'm grateful for my "picture window" (literally) and all of the joy it brings me to see so many family and friends in one place.


  I'm grateful for my polka dot wall, the quiet time of nap time, words from our wedding on a lamp shade, and a coffee mug from my brother that looks just like a camera lens.


   And of course I'm extremely grateful for both of our girls, but I need to brag on my older one a little bit today.  Jocelyn has been potty trained for quite a long time now, but we still were doing diapers at nap time and at night and suddenly it dawned on me….I don't want to be doing this anymore and I don't have to.  I know, I know, genius revelations can strike at any time.


   And so I put her in panties before nap time one day, and decided to just put all my eggs in one basket and hope for the best.  No plastic mattress cover, no plastic pantie cover….just told her to keep them dry and put her to bed.  And you know what? She did! And she did that night too, and the next night, and the next, and all the nap times in between as well.  I never dreamed it would be as easy as sitting your 3-yr-old down and having a talk with them about it, and it actually working.  I wish I had tried it MONTHS ago.  Now granted, I am not taking credit for this progress, as it was most likely just a result of her being ready.  But still, I'm just thrilled that it has gone this smoothly and I am very, very grateful.

Happy Wednesday, everyone.  What are you thankful for today?