Thanksgiving Week - Thank God it was Friday

I know it's Saturday but this list is really for yesterday.  We had such a wonderful day-after Thanksgiving thanksgiving meal. By the time everyone left I was very thankful but very tired, hence this delayed post. My list for yesterday:

• the family - my husband's and mine, beautiful, faith-filled and one (united).
• that college student (Hi Kelsey!) - speaking of family she made the long drive to and from college just to be with us.
• this house - that I truly have a love-hate relationship with.  But at Thanksgiving I can truly appreciate that it can hold this big family. With furniture moved out and around we are able to fit 3 long tables, a kids table and a round table to hold a feast for 28 people. Yesterday I loved this house.
• a break and a haircut - in the midst of a busy morning I was actually able to find time to quickly run to the salon and get a badly-needed haircut.  I was in danger of growing a mullet and it had to be clipped.  Yup I love my hair, whatever is left of it
• food - overflowing, delicious and a testament to God's generous bounty.  For this we are truly thankful.
• sleep - we slept late and woke up late

May the rest of your Thanksgiving weekend be truly blessed.

Thanksgiving Week - Thursday Crunchtime

Today is the day - Happy Thanksgiving!  Most of you are probably in trytophan heaven at this time.  As for me, I'm still in cleaning mode, our Thanksgiving dinner isn't until tomorrow (to best accommodate everyone's schedules).  Before I start whining about how tired I am let me start my thankful list:

• over-abundance -as I muddle through the last details of cleaning and pondering that what's taking me forever to finish cleaning is that we have STUFF.  No, not stuffing, we have that too but I'm talking about a load of crapola. So I was able to fill two big garbage bags of clothes to give away. With five children and about 500 (labeled) boxes of tupperware filled with clothes, I am thinking the Lord better give me another girl because 250 boxes of those are girl clothes!  Can you tell I was trying to clean the basement?
• the basement - why be thankful for the basement? Because it's a huge space to keep a lot of STUFF!
• a friend (Hi Jocelyn!)- who is providing a turkey for dinner tomorrow.  Her husband was kind enough to bring it to our house. So we are serving two turkeys to feed the 5,000 (okay we're NOT that big of a family).
• surrender - that which corresponds to the virtue of humility.  As the aspiring perfectionist, I was hoping to scrub the whole house down to perfection (I even cleaned the basement, NOT on my chore list!) Then my body complained, then the kids got tired of four days of cleaning, then I noticed that to really get my house cleaned to perfection I have to basically gut it, rebuild and keep my children outside at all times.  Since it's not on the chore list, not on the budget and for fear of  Children's Services the idea had to be nixed. So I'm done with cleaning. What I don't clean you are allowed to ignore.  Any mean comment about dirt, dust and grime in my house falls under the sin of perfectionism.
• laughter - because that my friends is the secret to surviving this life.
  

May you all wake up from the food coma in time to beat those Black Friday crazies

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thanksgiving Week - An Evening of Thanks

In comparison to these past few days of preparation, today wasn't too busy. Here's installment no. 3 of my thankful for list:

• the sun - compared to these past few days of rain (of which  I was thankful for yesterday), the sun did peek out today.  It was a nice break from the damp and dim.  As to be expected, it called my children's name and off they went to play outdoors most of today.

• neighborhood friends - the safe kind, the kind that you're not scared about being be a bad influence on your children.  We're very fortunate to live in this neighborhood (of boys!) The parents aren't so bad either (Hi Jenny!)
  

• adult neighborhood friends - it's so cool that I can send my kids to the neighbors to borrow stuff (cocoa powder, lawn leaf bags, vanilla..)  I am fairly friendly with most of the people on my street and it's nice to be able to stop for a nice conversation with adults every so often.  It doesn't hurt that they all seem to have no problem with the homeschooling thing.
  

• my homeschool girlfriends - even the ones I don't see as often.  We are all truly sisters in Christ and that common bond of faith is a source of comfort and strength when I feel ill-equipped for the "battle".  These prayerful, joyful and faith-filled women have taught me so much.
  

• the Eucharist - from the Greek "eucharistia", meaning "thanksgiving".  Source and summit of the Christian life, it sure is mine and that's all I have to say about that.
  

Happy Eve of Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Week - Gratituesday

Installment no. 2 of what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving week:

• rain - because I get things done when the outdoors isn't calling our name
• a small kitchen - took me about 3 hours to deep clean, not done yet, but I can't imagine what it's like to clean a bigger one (and how long it takes!) With an aspiring chef in my 8-year old, the kitchen is always caked with flour, sugar and butter.
• manual work - because our bodies are made to move. The mental work involved is also gratifying, a time to converse with God and praise Him that thus far I am in good health. Praying for so many who I know are suffering illnesses that are physically debilitating.
• music - Christmas carols to be exact, it just makes all these preparations more fun.
• that baby - who likes to sit on my lap and give me kisses as I sit on the floor while scrubbing something.  A welcome distraction and reminder that my children are my primary vocation.  In another (more stressed) universe, I would have been quick to give him a toy and put up a gate between us so I can get work done.  But now I am putty in my children's hands, they come first, their affection is more important than that dust bunny.
• Murphy's oil soap - cleaned everything in sight, from the kitchen cabinets to the floor. 
• pancake - because it's easy enough for my older two to make without my supervision.  That was lunch and I'm so proud of them.
• naptime - because after a long day like this and a perfect rainy day to match, it's the perfect thing to do.

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Thanksgiving Week - So far, so good Monday

Thanksgiving is a busy holiday for us, having the glorious honor to host dinner at our home.  Here's my thankful list before I get all stressed out mid-week:

• that 10-year old boy who started "dragging" me to daily Mass, even that 6:30AM one in that far-away church in Worthington (it is far away when we have to get up at 5:30!)  I should also say we don't go there everyday, just once a week, the rest of the time we go to the church behind our house and it's NOT at 6:30
  
• that 10-year old boy who, in the absence of kneelers, kneels before receiving Communion.  Not a profound bow but a pious genuflection. He told me once that he just couldn't help himself, "I just have to do it". Me thinks the Holy Spirit and him are becoming fast friends.  He's also one to stay kneeling during Adoration, after telling him he can sit he said "it's okay mom, I really enjoy talking to Jesus this way".  Did I tell you I love this child?  I have a lot to learn from him.
• vinegar and washing soda - the new cleaning love of my life, for carpets.  I've always used vinegar but today I decided to add washing soda with fantastic results.  The vinegar smell is absent and the carpet is clean. I love a clean carpet.
• crossed-out lines on the chore list - it means I'm accomplishing something and there should be no reason for me to stress out (we'll re-visit that in a couple of days
• pot-luck style Thanksgiving dinner - yup, that's how we've been doing it for a few years.  We provide the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes, the rest of the family fills in what's missing.  I'm thankful for this set-up every year, it doesn't put the burden on one family. 
• the Blessed Mother - after all it is the feast of her Presentation today.  I've recently started praying the Memorare as my "centering prayer" (no not that heretical kind!) to ground me in the truth that my vocation as mother needs constant aid. 

Happy Thanksgiving Week!