It’s been a looooong two weeks or working and people dying. A few days after Krista passed away, another girl I used to work with in my pre-teacher days died at 27 weeks pregnant with her second child – also of a blood clot. Yeesh. So sad. So it’s time to be grateful!

1. My job. Yes, I don’t want to be working but I do have a great job with great hours and I get to work with awesome kids all day. Also I don’t have to drop my kids off until 8 and I pick them up at 3:40, and noon on Fridays. It could be worse. And I have great benefits, a pension and a decent salary.

2. My family. I am so grateful to have two happy & healthy children, a husband who loves me, a mom who is also my friend, in laws & extended families who rock and a few friends who I love like family.

3. Ice cream. I got a cold my first week back to work (snotty little turds) and my sister in law went out & bought me Oreo and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream for my sore throat. I’m not sick anymore, but I’m still savoring a little bit every night!

4. My home. It’s a crappy layout, needs another bedroom upstairs and is on a park that I’m not a fan of, but it’s ours (well, the bank’s, but whatever) and we have so much more than so many others in the world.

5. Our dayhome. The kids absolutely adore their sitter & new friends, and have an awesome time there. I drag them away every day after work!

It’s been a while. This is the “summer of poverty” for us. Holidays all canceled, no new clothes to go back to school (how do you think I’ll look on the first day in maternity capris?) and groceries on the line of credit/Visa until I go back to work, so it’s definitely time to focus on gratitude.

1. Friends. If we wanted to, we could have two free playdates every day. We never have a shortage of people wanting to meet a the spray park, come for coffee, play in our (or their) back yard or just go for a walk.

2. Family. Not only do I come from a great family, but I married into one. My extra super kind & lovely mother in law surprised me with a little stack of cash she’d been setting aside for me so that I can having something new to wear back to work! Now seriously? Who else on earth would be so sweet as to even think of that? She has also driven here from a city two hours away 3 times this week just to see the kids and give me some time to get stuff done and go out with the Big Guy. My mom is coming later this month to do the same thing. Though we have no babysitter in our city per se, between our good friends and our moms we can pretty much go out whenever we need or want to. Which really isn’t very often.

3. The great outdoors. Some of our super awesome friends lent us their trailer at the end of June (and even pulled it to the campground and set it up for us!) so that we could take the kids on their first camping trip. It was SO amazing and we all had a great time. The site was cheap, the exploring was free and the memories are priceless.

4. July fruit. We’re not exactly in orchard country, so we take what we can get for fruit and in July it’s freaking amazing. We’re eating three fruit salads a day and sometimes even that’s not enough.

5. Summer tv. The school-year shows are all over, but since we download all of our tv we still have a crapload of stuff to watch. And there’s True Blood, Big Brother UK, Big Brother US (starting tonight!)…certainly enough to fill our evenings while I snuggle with my laptop across the couch form my husband.

And you? What are you grateful for right now?

1. The weather is Crappy with a capital C here right now, so I’m grateful that we have a warm & loving home for our children. Particularly after watching an old pvr’s Oprah last night about all of the newly homeless families in the US since the beginning of this recession. So heartwrenching.

2. Friends. I am so grateful for my great friends – in particular the one that lives right across the street and brings me treats all the time, took my kids for a few hours this week so I could do errands alone and is just an all round awesome person.

3. The Big Guy. I know I always say how grateful I am for him, but really? I have two friends (acquaintances, really…friends from days gone by with whom I’ve reconnected via Facebook) who have announced impending divorces within the last few weeks due to, likely, cheating. My husband is one of the very few men I know who I could say without a doubt would NEVER do something like that. Even if I was a complete bitch, which I don’t think I am. He doesn’t believe in divorce as an option and thinks men like that are despicable wastes of skin…and we think alike. We would never even joke about something like that. I am SO lucky to be married to my best friend, and don’t think for a moment that I take it for granted. We both know how lucky we are. (I love you! Smooch!)

4. Income. It’s so nice to have a little photography and babysitting income to help with expenses, and I’ve also been selling some baby stuff on Facebook and making a decent amount of money. It’s nice to have some options, and even a little money to spend on a cute little Easter dress for Bella that I found today at Costco. So stinking cute that I can hardly wait for Easter pictures!

5. Hmmmmm…

Oh, I know!

I’m grateful for my full freezer. Though I still spend $600 on groceries this week for the month, much of that was diapers, personal care items and other necessities so we’re saving a lot on food. In January and February we spent over $1000 each month on groceries and I made 2 or 3 meals of everything I cooked. Now we could probably live out of the freezers for a whole month except milk & fresh produce. The pantry is full to overflowing, too. It’s a great feeling!

And you? What’s right with your world today?

1. Having another 5 months to find the perfect caregiver for my babies. It just might take every second of that time.

2. Friends & free toys. I hosted a party for a girl I grew up with who sells Kidsmart today, and it was awesome. Not only did I get to hang out with some beautiful people & great friends (and I got to feed them, which I love to do!) but I get to choose over $100 in free toys for my kids!

3. The Big Guy. He totally rocks. He looked after children all day and then bathed them, looked after a friend’s kid while she ordered a bazillion toys for 2 hours and even cleaned up my supper mess so I could deal with my own ordering (which I haven’t finished…can’t decide…click the link up there and help me choose, k?). He is the greatest man that ever lived, I’m pretty sure.

4. Organic Mountain Bread. I found it at Costco this week and it’s totally awesome! Think paper thin square crepe with only three ingredients – organic flour, water, & salt. For my party today, I spread them with cream cheese & put in fresh organic spinach and some rosemary ham (also from Costco – love that place) and rolled them into sushi. They’re perfect cut into 2″ pieces. Soooo yummy.

5. Big Flames win tonight!

1. Getting the ugly painting bin out of our ensuite bathroom after something like three weeks of waiting for me to paint behind the toilet. Time to move on to the kids’ bathroom and Primo’s room now. After that, all that’s left is the entry way which I’m hiring someone to do once I go back to work since it’s all vaulted and dangerous-like.

2. Discovering that eating a banana helps the Big Guy’s heartburn. Thank you, Dr. Google.

3. Having a great friend right across the street who will bring over anything I need in a pinch when I have too many kids here to run over and get it myself. She’ll also look after said children any time I need her to. She’s an angel.

4. A label printer. What a cool invention!

5. Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies delivered by a great friend who came for coffee this morning. Thanks Cath!

1. Bella hugs. Oh my, those hugs are enough to melt me. The way she tucks her head into my neck and gazes up into my eyes is a memory that I hope will never fade. It’s particularly great after she nurses and relaxes into me with a giggle. She’s such a star.

2. The way Primo runs at me (often breaking my glasses) and gives me a big boisterous hug several times a day.

3. Drawing or reading or building with Primo in the morning when only the two of us are up. It’s great to have one one one time without letting any of life’s distractions take over. (See below.)

4. Transferring Primo to his bed (from behind the door – yes, we’re doing that again) and having him snuggle in to me and then go right back to sleep. And then sleep through the night.

5. Awesome conversations with a two year old:
Primo: “Hawk. Hawk. HAWK…”
Me: “A hawk is a really big bird, kind of like an eagle. They can see VERY well and can even see a mouse from a kilometre away. And then? They swoop down and EAT it!”
Primo: “And then? That’s BEES-GUSTING!”

To My Grown-Up Son or Daughter

My hands were busy through the day.
I didn’t have much time to play
The little games you asked me to
I didn’t have much time for you

I’d wash your clothes; I‘d sew and cook
But when you’d bring your picture book
And ask me, please to share your fun
I’d say ,” A little later, Hon”

I’d tuck you in all safe at night,
And hear your prayers , turnout the light,
Then tiptoe softly to the door,
I wish I’d stayed a minute more.

For life is short and years rush fast,
A little child grows up so fast,
No longer he is at our side,
With precious secrets to confide.

The picture books are put away,
There are no children’s games to play ,
No goodnight kiss , no prayers to hear,
That all belongs to yesteryear.

My hands once busy, now are still
The days are long and hard to fill,
I wish I might go back and do,
The little things you asked me to.

-by Alice E. Chase

This makes me tear up, but so grateful to have children young enough that I still have a lot of years to keep these words of wisdom in mind.

1. Pizza stuffed mushrooms and a great friend to share them with. (see below…recipe courtesy of my head & my hungry belly)

2. Primo’s double bed, making it easier to lie with him for the hours it takes to either get him to sleep in the evening or get him back to sleep in the wee hours. (More on that later…this is just the gratitude part.)

3. Having an easily potty trained two year old. The other two year olds I babysit aren’t trained and that shit is gross.

4. Watching Bella run around the house in her little dress & squeaky shoes chasing her big brother. So freaking cute.

5. Having a wicked good blender. There’s nothing like it.
…
Nicole’s Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms

Large mushrooms, stems removed & hollowed roughly (chop & save for a sauce or stir fry!)
2 cups finely diced pepperoni sticks
1 ½ cups pizza sauce
1 cup whole wheat breadbrumbs (ish – until filling sticks together…)
½ cup grated fresh parm
½ cup grated mozza
Optional – onions, peppers, bacon…what ever you like on pizza

Mix all except mushrooms together in a bowl. This makes enough to stuff a big tray of 16-20 mushrooms and two baggies of filling to freeze for next time.
Grease a square pan with evoo. Stuff filling into mushrooms and arrange rather tightly in pan.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or 400 for 10 minutes if you’re in a rush.

1. Going 24 hours without cleaning up barf or diarrhea. Bella woke up covered in puke or poop every day for almost a week. We think it was a combination of choking on the monstrous amounts of snot and teething. I live a glamorous life. But – it’s over! (for now…small things, like it says above.)

2. Talking to my mom every day, even if it’s just a “What’cha up’ta?” call. There have probably been less than ten days in my life that I haven’t talked to her.

3. Finishing the painting in the living room, dining room & kitchen. Only a year and a half after we moved in. Much cheaper than new furniture and a totally new & modern feel to the room. Who builds a house in 2004 and paints the interior pink, for God’s sake?

4. The sounds of my kids laughing together as they play without adult moderation.

5. Contented purrs from Chloe, our cat who turned 13 earlier this month. I’ve had her since she was 8 weeks old and she gets happier and friendlier as she ages.

Just my kind of challenge…

1. Being close enough to be able to visit my Mom easily this past weekend and make her a birthday dinner. Two hours driving seems far away sometimes, but is easily close enough to go any time I want to.

2. Having the best family ever. It’s nice to spend time with people that you’d choose to spend time with even if they weren’t your relatives.

3. Marrying into the best family ever. Every person-in-law that I have is completely awesome and I DO know how lucky I am.

4. Knowing that, even though we’re completely broke, we get to go on a week’s holiday anywhere we want this summer courtesy of my uber generous mother in law and her husband. (They were the only reason we were able to go to Fairmont last summer, too. They’ve made it a tradition to give us a week of their time share every year apparently.) We could go anywhere in the world but since I’m not working and we’re completely broke, we’re going to choose somewhere within driving
distance in BC again.

5. Having a husband who would rather be with his family than anywhere else, even if somewhere else pays a lot of money. After taking over a month off to hang with us for Christmas, he’s off taking Primo skating this morning and then heading out to do some errands for me. He rocks.