"God has two dwellings:

. . . one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart." -Izaak Walton

1. Benadryl working quickly on Thomas
2. Thomas being such a sweet soul in spite of his incessant itching
3. a day away from the ordinary
4. shopping with Melissa and unexpectedly finding some things that fit
   
5. Jeff being so sweet and being able to give me some time away
6. finding a salad that I could eat with minor changes at the Yardhouse
7. prayers with Christian and Clara
8. rocking with Thomas and the sweet baby noises he made
9. the knowledge that we have a Dr's appt on Tuesday. He's gotten so bad I dont know what to do on my own.
10. falling asleep while I'm typing. Oh, dear sweet sleep!
    

"Lord grant me the patience to endure . . .

. . . my blessings!!" (needlepoint from Aunt Paula's house). That statement epitomizes being a stay at home mom to 3 little "blessings". I'm so thankful today for:

1. my muscles aching, because it means my efforts in exercising are working
2. Clara's nose no longer producing a snot-festival
   
3. red raspberries I bought at the grocery store
4. good friends and long phone conversations
   
5. the 2 minutes I closed my eyes as I pretended to be a slain dinosaur
6. having Jeff home, even if he is sick
   
7. finding a few more things I can eat. Hurray for Fritos and guacamole!
   
8. Thomas' sweetest demeanor in spite of his itchiness. The kid doesn't even squirm or fuss when I cut his fingernails.
   
9. those silly 25 things list on FB
   
10. a beautiful day outside
    

"God must love ordinary people;

. . . he made so many of them!" -Abraham Lincoln. I'm thankful for ordinary people, ordinary days, and:

1. having a nearly uninterrupted workout this morning
   
2. immediately apologizing to Christian after yelling at him this morning
3. playing the Silly Faces game with Christian & Clara instead of doing something I felt I needed to do
4. the reminder of how blessed I am to be in a wonderful marriage with a loving husband
5. Clara's angelic face as she slept during naptime
6. friend's calling to check on me
   
7. Clara making me laugh by saying the marker that she couldn't find the top for has a "noody top"
8. keeping calm most of the day in spite of an environment perfect for a storm
   
9. Thomas rash on his scalp looking a lot better
10. Jeff coming home tonight

"Find something to be thankful for every day . . .

. . . even if it's just for the ability to inhale and exhale" (Heather Nations' in "Nobody likes change - but God says it's for my own good!"). Today, I am thankful for:

1. the cool morning
2. Christian staying an extra 20 minutes in reading rest on his own!
   
3. naptime so I can refocus and refresh
4. Christian running around the house yelling "Praise Jesus!"
   
5. not completely losing my patience helping Christian with a craft for school
6. that Christian wanted to play with Clara outside
7. that once again I'm forced to stay off sweets. Sweets and I have a love hate relationship.
8. taking it in stride when Clara pooped all over the floor
9. not losing it AT ALL when Christian had a huge screaming fit which included name calling, and threats of sticking me to the wall with peanut butter (LOL), but instead talking to him with love
10. Clara not getting out of her bed once tonight
    

I'm not particularly clever . . .

. . . as a writer, at least. But, I'm hoping this blog will serve me as a battlefield against post-partum depression and the often seemingly mundane and monotonous existence that can be that of a stay at home mom. In actuality I am so very blessed and I irritate myself that I can feel burdened instead of grateful. Here's an opportunity for perspective!

So, that being said, today I am thankful for:

1. Thomas not being miserable despite the fact that he looked like he should be.
2. Thomas seeing the allergist without having to wait and we were able to find that he is allergic to dairy & eggs.
3. finding the time to sew a button on my pants.
   
4. hearing Thomas stop crying and looking to see that it's because Clara started rubbing his back.
5. overhearing Christian call Clara "sweetheart".
6. Clara coming into my bedroom at 5:40am because it gave me the motivation to exercise.
7. Clara reciting parts of the catachism on her own . . . she is listening!
8. eating fresh strawberries & blueberries in January!
9. wearing a smaller pant size without being too muffin-topish.
10. staying even tempered. Well, at least until bedtime.