Today I am Grateful for...

1. waking up & getting up early.
2. time for myself this morning.
3. feeling good, centered & self-directed.
4. coffee w/ creamer.
5. Mark taking Morgan to his meet, even though I wanted to go but couldn't.
6. a clean (for the most part) and (mostly) warm house.
7. my ability to make money or start my own business.
8. my Yahoo! email, Facebook and Blogger.
9. a quiet house
10. blessings from friends & family AND strangers that seem to just ~happen~.

Today

1. Summer
2. Almost commitment free today (only have to clean the boys gym tonight!)
3. Blogging
4. Payday was Friday
5. Kids aren't fighting too much today
6. Everyone is healthy
7. Feeling pretty good
8. Our pool, even though I still can't rid it of the water mold
9. Ceiling fans
10. An inkling of motivation, hehe

10 Days Later...

1. Sunshine!!!- It is back finally!


2. Summer schedules in place- gymnastics, day camp (yes, only one camp, and only for 3 days), cleaning, etc.


3. My Garden- The tomatos are in the ground at least!


4. Free evenings- to catch up on the house, yard and projects (oh, and the LAUNDRY, although I am begining to think that there is nothing more certain in life than death, taxes, and piles of laundry to put away!).


5. Did I mention SUN & WARMTH?


6. Paid bills- That is, nothing to be shut off in the next two weeks, hehe.


7. Backyard Pool- Give me two more weeks on that one and it will be on my holy Cr@p! list(no, I don't actually have one).


8. My drive/ambition/motivation to get things done.


9. How independent our family of 6 is- we don't count on anyone but ourselves & our little family in the day to day/weekly/monthly/holidays/trips/etc. Been there, done that, been disappointed. We are pretty sure of ourselves on our own now, thank goodness!


10. Extended family- But at a distance (figuratively & literally).

Today's Easy Day

1. Cereal- cuz I don't have to make it.
2. Media- cuz I am tired and it give the kids something to do and I can sit at the computer and feel like I am accomplishing something!
3. Coffee- yes, I fell off the wagon, in a big way, and am really ready for the caffeine IV right now.
4. Blinds/Curtains- to hide the inside of my house, it is messy at this moment.
5. Money- cuz sometimes fast food is the only thing you can muster up, and without money, well, it's peanut butter & crackers again! (Subway rules!).
6. Breathing- cuz I feel like I am doing something at least!
7. Clean laundry piles- cuz I know I can just grab something and throw it on, and it's clean!
8. Mark's schedule- cuz he can come home early at times and then HE can cook, hehe.
9. Afternoon Caffeine- the quicker picker upper.
10. And of course- IT'S FRIDAY!!!

Our Yard

1. The kids sandbox- they can play for 3+ hours in it.
2. Planting things around the yard- Adding to the landscape.
3. Our veggie boxes- teaching the kids about growing our own food, how it tastes, and how rewarding it is, also how relaxing it is for me to pull weeds (and trying not to swear at the cats because they *won't* stop using them as a litter box!!! ICK!).
4. The trees around the yard- the evergreens, fruit & nut trees, and the flowering and non-flowering shade trees.
5. How big our yard is- .37th of an acre...biggest yard we have ever had the pleasure (and non-pleasure at times) of caring for.
6. The fence around the yard- so our kids & cats are safe and more secure.
7. Green grass (even if it has weeds!)- because we have had rocks as back yards before, and sometimes NO backyards.
8. A covered patio- to protect us from the rain and too much sun in the hot summer, and a nice place for us to eat, the kids to play and the cats to hang.
9. A covered carport- all of the above AND a place to store our bikes, freezer and get out of the car dry!
10. Our above-ground pool- the pain it is to keep the darn thing up, but the joy the kids get in the summer is worth it (most of the time).

Today

1. Getting to the Park to be with other Moms & Kids
2. Mothers varying wisdoms to share
3. Brandy's bathroom!
4. My boys...and how caring they actually are
5. Mark for talking and talking and talking, even when we are uncomfortable
6. Sam for telling me the truth when I needed to hear it
7. For having some $ in the bank (even if VERY little)
8. Wendy's $1 menu
9. SUNSHINE
10. Keeping my cool under stress several times today

Today

1. Friday
2. Pay Day
3. Our first relaxed "work around the house" weekend in a long time.
4. It's Spring!
5. Getting my house clean & organized one room a day! (been living in CHAOS for a while)
6. Health
7. Dinner at home, and healthy!
8. Feel good
9. Mark
10. Kids

Today

1. Home day
2. Feeling pretty good
3. Healthy family
4. Money in the bank
5. The internet (yahoogroup & blogging regarding health...what a relief to have!)
6. Mark
7. Got a shower today!
8. Did I mention feeling pretty good?
9. Media shut off again (except for educational shows, and limited at that).
10. My coffee press

A LONG & HEALTHY Life

1. To live long.
2. To be strong.
3. To be here for my kids, as long as I can into ollllddddd age (seeing great-great grandchildren?).
4. To celebrate AT LEAST my 50th Wedding Anniversary.
5. To watch the worlds changes.
6. To develop into a deeply spritual being.
7. To travel.
8. To help people all over the world.
9. To build a homestead on some land.
10. To see myself bloom over time, in every way.

Exercise- After a Workout

1. My body feels more alive
2. My body feels more limber & flexible
3. My body feels stronger
4. My body feels healthier
5. My mind feels clearer
6. My emotions are more balanced
7. I get reading time
8. I get "me" time
9. I boost my immune system
10. I get my circulation going, healing physical hurts

Today

1. I am healthy for the most part
2. Mark is coming home for lunch
3. The sun keeps poking through the clouds
4. I went to the gym last night and feel good from it still
5. I had a slim-fast shake this morning
6. I am not feeling depressed today
7. My house is less thrashed than usual
8. Biggest Loser is on tonight
9. I love my blogs
10. My kids put up with me

Bend

1. Sun
2. Red Dirt
3. Lots of outdoor activities
4. Trader Joe's
5. High Desert
6. Sage
7. Family
8. Hot summers
9. Lots of water sports
10. Closer to Santa Cruz

Oprah

1. Her book club.
2. Her philanthropy- challenges & solutions, and how I can help in this world.
3. Her TV show- for balancing entertainment with serious matters, for laughter & tears.
4. Her web site- for a nice place to start changing ME
5. Her connections- Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Dr. Schmooly, Suze Orman, among others.
6. Her powerful woman-ness.- what a superb role model!
7. Her business owner/company running prowess.
8. How great a teacher/mentor she is around the world.
9. Her passion & inspiration.
10. For being born!

The Basics of Life

1. A house (with a huge yard, a carport, a cement driveway, a fence around the house and almost enough space for all 6 us).
2. Electricity (because some people in the US- and world- still have no electricity!).
3. Water- running, heated & fairly unpolluted (because in some places in the world, women have to walk miles to/from the well, river, etc . to get water and then heat it up, or boil it to clean it).
4. A washer & a dryer (because in some places in the world, women are scrubbing their families worn out clothes at the polluted river and/or boiling them and then hanging them to dry near their dusty home).
5. Natural gas (because some women have to chop a lot of wood every morning to heat up their stoves to heat their home, do laundry, and cook...before they go to work).
6. Technology (because we can use a cell, the computer/net, turn on cable and see the world at our finger tips, and some people are feeling isolated and have no options to do that).
7. Food in my large pantry & deep freezer (because somewhere in the world, dirt cookies are making people sick, a handful of rice isn't quite enough, and somewhere in the US a family has to share a package of dry crackers for a meal- I know, we've done it!).
8. A working car (because somewhere in the world, many actually, people have to walk miles and miles to get to health care, food, water, work, hauling heavy loads).
9. A good husband with a great job (because somewhere in the US, a family is wondering how they are going to find work, and have to make less, far less, than they can survive on).
10. Health insurance (GROUP that is) (because even though I have health issues that are too much money for us to afford, it is FAR, FAR less than I would have to pay out of pocket).
11. Being a Homemaker (for far too many reasons to list...it will have to be my list tomorrow!).
12. For living in the U.S.A. (because even though we aren't perfect, we are honestly safer, happier, and better taken care of than MANY countries in the world. there is no utopia out there, and I would rather live here than, say, the Middle East, Russia, China, parts of Africa, etc.).

Unitarian Universalist Church

1. The diversity of the congregation.
2. I have friends there, finally!
3. The kids program.
4. The sermon isn't about God or Jesus, but about PEOPLE, spirituality AND great teachings from all spiritual/religious backgrounds.
5. The 7 UU Principals.
6. CUUPS- Covenant of UU Pagans
7. How beautiful the building is.
8. Coffee (yeah, I know I quit...but this is the one day a week I like to indulge, for now).
9. Our UU Homeschooling Co-op (yet to be named).
10. No pressure.

Gymnastics & Wrestling

1. The physical strength the kids acquire.
2. The flexibility the kids keep and get more of throughout their life.
3. The physical & body skills they develop.
4. The discipline & coaching they receive, shaping their minds in a positive way.
5. Working as a team AND an individual at the same time.
6. Self-confidence & positive self-image.
7. Travel!
8. Social skills in a wide variety of settings and different people.
9. Competitive spirits- with a love of winning, love of learning, love of encouraging others to do their best and a good attitude when lost (or low scores), with the ability to pull themselves up and know they will do better, through hard work, the next time.
10. Skills Math, physics, reading and goal setting.

Today

1. It isn't raining & the sun just may come out.
2. I am less cranky than yesterday (however it is still early for that one to surface much).
3. Everyone woke up earlier, which means bedtime earlier tonight!
4. I am learning much from "A New Earth", despite my ego trying not to.
5. My mind, body & spirit feel pretty good today.
6. We are home ALL day, no gymnastics!
7. IT IS FRIDAY, need I say more on that one?
8. I feel inspiration welling up inside me again (after a long, cranky, depressed week).
9. We have food in the house.
10. I am able to do this list without anyone yelling, fighting or hanging on me.

Mark

1. How he helps with housework & cooking


2. His commitment & loyalty


3. His sensitivity


4. His intellegence


5. His questions, answers & analizing help when I need it (a lot of the time!)


6. How much he puts up with me!


7. How hard he works


8. How he plays with & loves his children


9. Our long talks (a few a day!)


10. His encouragement & support