Small Successes Thursday

1)  I cleaned my oven.  (One of my "amazing dinner creations" had leaked out of the pan a while ago and I was tired of setting off the smoke alarm every evening.)

2)  My son was not showing much interest in school work, but yesterday he actually asked if we could do some!!!

3)  I have been getting my "daily prayer time" in and I notice the difference.  I pray to continue to persevere as this makes all things in life better.

4)  I found time to pump some milk!!  (This is huge as I rarely take any time off to myself - without the nursling.  And I REALLY want to give Daddy a chance to bond more with her and feedings tend to facilitate that bonding well.)

5)  I set up our little "kid pool" and the kids LOVE IT!  This year we did a snapset pool and I am VERY pleased with it so far.  It is deep enough to be fun, but not too deep to worry about the young ones.  And it does not have to be aired up EVERY TIME I want to fill it.

6)  We have begun "homeschool" and it is fairly informal right now and we are definitely not "on schedule" but just beginning is kinda scary and now I have at least taken the first step.  We can adjust as needed and hopefully by August we will be well in motion with what works.

Feel free to join me celebrating the little things.  Head on over to Catholic Mom and sign up!

Small Successes

It has been a whiney day for me (or perhaps a whiney last couple of weeks!)  Then, I stumbled upon my friend, Monica's post about small successes and realized that focusing on the positive might help some.  So, here ya go. . .

1)  I believe I have "calmed down" significantly lately, as the past couple weeks I was getting "overly agitated" with mild pregnancy annoyances and such.  I am much calmer and at peace with things now.

2) I am proud of myself for listening to my body and adapting my schedule and priorities to suite (aka lots less physical activity and more times for rest).  This may sound silly, but for someone "addicted" to getting my daily exercise, it has been a challenge.  I especially feel guilty taking the car to pick up the boys from school on such nice days (when it is about 5 blocks to walk), but it is what it is.  That walk now is long and hot and I often feel miserable afterward - not up to cooking lunch or "tidying up" so I take the car and am able to do the rest of my afternoon chores.

3) I have made SIGNIFICANT strides in my homeschool preparation (as if I really know what to prepare for :)  And the end is definitely in sight.  In fact, I could easily start with the planning and prep work I have done so far (as I'm sure I will change my mind about some things anyhow, so doing too much now is silly anyhow - as it could end up being a waste of my time).  We are set to start in June with a "light schedule" - just to get the kids introduced to the concept of what I have in mind.  I think it will nicely compliment the summer activities we are signed up for (Tumbling class, Kids Yoga, swimming) by giving the kids something to "think about" and a chance to "rest" each day with our "book work" and activities.

4) I'm not sure if this is a success, but I am IN LOVE with these new knitting needles I got.  Seriously, they make me want to knit like crazy!!  Unfortunately, this silly baby hat is a challenge and a half as I have never knit in the round before, but just picking up the needles and messing with the soft yarn makes me happy - even if I never finish it and/or it ends up looking frightful (most likely :)

5) I have been really trying to begin my day with a short early morning prayer time (not easy when just getting the kids up in time for school is a challenge) and I like to think it is helping me focus more - and it does a good job of whetting my appetite for more prayer throughout the day.

6) I have done a pretty good job of keeping up with the mail lately.  I think it might be a little nesting instinct helping, but I'll take what I can get if it keeps the clutter away!

To join in the small success fun, check out Catholic Mom.

Small Successes Thursday

Thursday is the day to stop and count our blessings and recognize the small victories in every day life that might get lost otherwise, in the business of daily life. Here are my small successes for this week.

1. I cleaned out the basement closet - which consisted of re-arranging the back porch (as that is where a lot of that stuff needed to go), re-arranging two sets of shelves (one in Paul's room and one in the work-out/laundry room - hey, that stuff has to go somewhere!), and going through/organizing three large containers of extended kitchen items that I just don't have room for in my actual kitchen.

2. I finally took a picture of Rebekah in her school uniform. Instead of a "First Day of School" picture, we have a "17th Day of School" picture. But hey, maybe I will have started a tradition that we could continue. Who knows? :)

3. The holy water font I bought back in college (that would only be about 7 years ago - since I graduated) has finally been "placed"and stocked with holy water.

I was also pretty proud of placing it right by the doorway to the kitchen (on the wall beside our table) since the kids like to bless themselves as we begin our meal prayer. And Rebekah's recent artwork from school seemed to fit right in with the theme (the Hail Mary above and the other picture is Mary giving the Rosary to St Dominic).

Unfortunately, not everyone is crazy about my "brilliant" placement of the font as my hubby already sent it flying once. Maybe I should have put it on the OTHER side of the light switch - or the other side of the door. (But then I would have to reach across to use my right hand which I thought would be awkward. . . )

In any case, there you have it. To share your small victories, head over to Chocolate for Your Brain for details.

Small Successes

1. Way back in May my daughter convinced me we needed to have a flower garden. I have never really tried to grow anything before. Occasionally my mom would bring us flowers and they would die because we forgot to water them. Well, I decided to try - even though I really know very little about this kind of stuff - and I can honestly say I really did not expect to actually grow anything other than weeds or grass, but here is our first flower blooming that started as just an ity-bitty little seed. (Don't worry, I watered them right after this picture.)

2. I finally found a piano teacher (after planning to for about a year now) and had my first "adult" lesson (as technically I had a year of lessons in 3rd grade). I forgot how much I LOVE playing the piano!!

3. I had some major paperwork things looming over my head and I actually managed to get them all done (one was almost a month late, but hey, it is done now at least).

Feel free to chime in with your successes. For details, check here.

Small Successes

It is that time again when I take stock of how things are going and look at the positive. So here are our successes for this week.

1) Survived two weeks of swim lessons - got everyone there on time - wrangled the younger kiddos - all went well.

2) Got the spare room cleaned up. It is amazing how things get out of hand so easily when stuff comes in and starts getting piled where it does not belong, but I have gotten it back under control (for now).

3) I have been doing better at keeping myself calm and letting things that normally would have me all upset, slip past (not all, of course, but some and that is a start).

Feel free to join in our weekly reflection by checking out the rules here.

Small Successes

It is easy to get overwhelmed with the "never-completing" to-do list, so I'm taking a minute here to focus on the positive. To join me and/or see what others are up to, check out Faith and Family Life. Now, without further ado. . .

1. I went to daily Mass this morning with my two youngest kiddos.

2. I got all the kids' and my appointments scheduled (as in doctor, dentist, etc) and got the list to my #1 babysitter (my mom :) so she has plenty of advance notice.

3. I am back into the exercise routine after being briefly interrupted for a mini-vacation - and oh, my body is "feeling it."

Small Successes

1. Got the cookie money problem figured out!!!!! (And it was the bank's fault, too!!)

2. Just found out I am down about 4 sizes (was not sure until I tried on clothes today).

3. Put God FIRST today (as in, said Morning Prayer over going back to sleep and/or going right to working out).

Celebrate success with us by checking out the Faith and Family website.

Small Successes

1. Cooked with lots of veggies tonight that I normally avoid because no one likes them but me. In any case, I did not make anyone else eat them and I enjoyed them - immensely!

2. Wrangled the kiddos by myself this evening with no self-pity and everything went almost picture-book perfect (well, as close to perfect as it gets around here). Even the baby cooperated to let me read THREE bedtime books (which normally he would NEVER allow - not even one). I really enjoyed my time with the older kids as normally my hubby puts them to bed while I nurse the baby.

3. Took some time for myself this evening - doing fiction reading just for fun and a bit of yoga that I never seem to find time for because I don't count it as an actual work-out, but it is too in-depth to do with the kiddos running around.

Look here for more information on participating in Small Successes Thursdays.

Small Successes

1) Survived the stressful, unplanned, head-spinning trip to Wichita and back (thankfully the Father-in-law is ok now).

2) Paul is sleeping longer at night. He has been consistently waking up only once (unless you count the 5am waking up - but I consider that my alarm as I just stay up and exercise after re-settling him).

[Of course, we just messed his schedule all up with the recent travel and different sleeping accommodations but I'm still hopeful we can get back on track.]

3) Managed to eat somewhat healthy while traveling (I brilliantly took a bag full of apples and oranges to much while my hubby munched on cookies, crackers, candy, etc from the gas station.) Although I did not lose any weight for a couple days, I have at least maintained my current status, rather than gaining.

If you want to join in the fun of celebrating the small successes in life, click here for more details.

Small Successes

1) Took three kids, aged 3 and under, to the doctor on Tuesday (two to see the doc and one because he goes where I go) and received a compliment for being so patient with my children.

2) Mopped the floors today. (Sounds like nothing, but the floors were getting VERY bad and our regular routine has flown out the window with me and the kids not feeling so well this week.)

3) Took the time to let my kids play outside on the playground today - which included pushing two of them on the swings for at least 10 min (would have been longer but Paul started to fuss and try to eat the rubber pieces - yuck).

Join me in sharing your successes on the Faith and Family Life website.

Small Successes

1) I have become a regular at weekly adoration. I can't always make at exactly the same time as the baby is not quite consistent on his bedtime, but I have made it a priority and so far so good. It has also been so helpful to have a supportive husband that understands how important this is to me and to us.

2) I have recently been complimented on how well my kids listen and I credit this to reading lots of books to them. My 5-year-old scored in the top 10% for listening at school and my 2-year-old will sit and listen to a fairly lengthy book (not typical 2-year-old behavior) with great interest. Plus I just enjoy the heck out of sitting on the couch, snuggling with all the kiddos as they are enraptured with my every word. I think our favorites are Dr Seuss books. I love rhyme.

3) I have started realizing that some of my motivation for doing some things is jealousy. Now I am aware of it and have gotten over it so that dark cloud no longer lingers over my day or gets in the way of true friendship.

To participate in Small Successes, click here for details.

Small Successes

1) Daily Mass this morning with all the kids. (Rebekah was supposed to go with her class but there was a mix up). In any case we all survived.

2) Came to the conclusion that I really don't like heavily processed food - and would choose my own cooking creations (for everything from meals to snacks and desserts) over all else. (Seems like a small thing but I never really thought this day would come.)

3) Avoided a melt-down with my son by taking the time to calmly answer him (for the 5,763 time - same question mind you), rather than getting angry.

Join the Small Success fun at the Faith and Family website.