Grateful

Things I Am Grateful For Real Zest: "My gratitude journey started with the realization that my emotions and my depression were my CHOICE. I was choosing to wallow in the mud instead of dancing in the rain…yes, it sounds cliche’, but it’s so true. Once you really start being grateful for every little thing, your life will change and I guarantee you will be able to choose joy when you “should” be choosing despair."

This is from my friend Sarah Colligan's blog. For over a year now she's been sharing "Gratitudes" with the world via facebook and was recently asked to share at Real Zest.
I'd read some of Sarah's postings about things she'd grateful for, but honestly, sometimes I was wallowing so much that even reading about someone else's thankfulness was more than I could take. Sorry, Sarah, but it's true, sometimes I would see your note and cringe. Oh, great, I would think to myself, what super silly thing will she be happy about today? Dandelions? Really? What's next? Mosquitoes?

But last week, it seemed like this was something the Holy Spirit was kinda screaming in my ear: Quit whining! Be thankful! So, I've decided to take Sarah's advice (which matches up with the Holy Spirit pretty well on this!) and be thankful. Thus, I'm making a list of 7 things I'm thankful for. Here goes.

1. The Swimming Pool  Yesterday was the last day of the outdoor pool season here in town. That means it's FREE admission day! The kids and I took advantage of this and spent a lovely 3 1/2 hours basking in the sun with a variety of friends. To top it off, my youngest was watched by a friend for the first 2 hours, so the rest of us got to stay much longer than we would have otherwise! Thanks, Jill!

2. Home schooling  We home school. It's a lot of work and I'll be honest there are times when I think it would be sooooo much easier to just ship the kids off during the day. But I know that I am so blessed to have them with me all day and to know that I am the main influence of their worldview. Plus, we don't have to get up quite so early as if we went to public school.

3. Huggies  I have a 7 month old. He is amazing. But he is also a poop machine. I'm glad for disposable diapers that I can simply toss rather than wash. (I know it's not eco-friendly, but please, just let me have this one. I recycle religiously and don't use very many paper towels.)

4. Electricity  Just imagine being a pioneer in Kansas without it. We're talking 110 in the shade last week! Thank you, God, for the man who invented air conditioning!

5. Our County Library System  We have one of the best library systems in the state, if not the region. They have state of the art facilities and you can borrow everything from DVDs to cake pans with no late fees. Seriously, no late fees! How awesome is that? Plus, our Tuesday morning story time starts in September. Good times for kids and mommies!

6. Costumes  My kids love dressing up. I love the post-Halloween costume isles. We have an entire cedar chest dedicated to dress-up and imaginative play things. I love that it is one of the most used things in our home.

7. Tech Free Tuesdays  A couple of weeks ago I implemented "Tech Free Tuesdays." That means no screen time for any of us. That's right, no TV, DVDs, Wii, fb, email or Nintendo DS at the Crutchfields on Tuesdays. This week, my husband even participated. He wasn't happy about it, but he did it. Thanks, Vance!