This has been such a weird week – Sunday my truck didn’t want to start so hubby charged the battery & Monday it worked great. Yesterday & today, not so much – in fact, not at all. Yesterday my Dad had a new tire somehow go flat tire – the tires aren’t even a full month old yet. It was just weird. Today my Mom’s car got hit in the parking lot where she works – it will need some work done to it. Hubby is suddenly, understandably nervous about driving his car! LOL Despite all of that there is good news:

Today I Am Grateful:

1) That my best friend is enjoying the blessing of her first child!! She and her husband welcomed their son, Nathaniael, Monday night a little after 11 PM (after pretty much 24 hours of labor). Mom & baby are doing well over-all.

2) That I will be starting my new job this coming Saturday! I am looking forward to it so much!! I feel like I did back when I first got my EMT License – ready to help people and make a difference in their lives. I haven’t worked a full time job since 2006 when I stepped off my ambulance for the last time.

3) That my oldest is really beginning to love reading as much as I do! Right now, in 3rd grade, he’s honestly reading 3 different books at once – just like his mom! LOL

4) To be back here finally. As grateful as I was to be back at the beginning of the year, I needed the break I took for a number of reasons. I came back and read many of the posts often, but just didn’t have it in me to post for a little while.

5) That I am slowly finding the rhythm of who I am once again. I know I’ll be doing a lot of growing this year – and I feel that it will all be positive growing too.

Never forget that the body is the temple of the soul. ~ Dr. Oz

It is finally Friday – TGIF

Today I Am Grateful:

1) For my Dad who came to pick up the boys for school this morning – keeping me from having to deal with the ice, slush and snow right away.

2) That while he was here he did both a little shoveling as well as cleaned off my truck – Thank You Dad ♥

3) For the boys both having a good week at school – I’m always grateful when they are in good moods when the go to and come home from school

4) That we all enjoyed a simple and yummy dinner tonight- meatballs, gravy & home fried potatoes – Thank You Baby!

5) For chocolate – because sometimes, chocolate fixes everything even if only for a few moments

Yeah, catchy title right? LOL Just couldn’t think of anything today.

Today I Am Grateful:

1) That with as much pain as I was in early this morning, the boys did finally make it to school. It sure hurt to drive today :-(

2) For my Dad, who on his way home from the gym, offered to pick up my youngest for me so I wouldn’t have to – THANK YOU DAD!! That helped a lot because I was able to keep the pain relieving cream on my hands longer.

3) That said youngest, when he got home, was willing to curl up with Mommy in her room to watch one of his favorite movies. He knew Mommy was hurting today & gladly cuddled to try to help me feel better :-)

4) For hubby making it home at a decent hour today & taking care of our youngest as well as going to pick up our oldest when he got out of school – all while letting me sleep in the bedroom. My body heals best when I sleep and boy did I sleep today…

5) That a friend of ours, who had a really rough day, had a better ending to her day than it began. I’m also grateful for the lengths my hubby went to to help her as much as he could – from phone calls to just about ready to go look for someone for her – because he is a good man & we do think of these people as our friends. They have helped us in the past & today, for what was going on, helping any way we could was the least we could do.

(Too tired to look for a quote tonight, so I’m going to post my favorite doodle from Crystal again)

Hubby was off today be we still had a lot of work to try to accomplish.

Today I Am Grateful:

1) that the boys got to school today *right* *on* *time*!! Hooray!! That was a great start to the day

2) for phone calls being made & returned today – not our favorite thing to do sometimes but necessary

3) that we’ve got just about everything we need to finally get our taxes done hopefully very soon

4) for bank deposits, no matter how small, that slowly add up to bills being paid little by little

5) that I was able to help a few of my classmates study tonight – I like helping other people find their way :-)

Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers ~ Garth Brooks

Today was a surprisingly good day!

Today I Am Grateful:

1) That I didn’t wake up anywhere near as sore as I’d feared after all that walking yesterday at the zoo – only my shoulders ached a little and even that went away as I got up & moving

2) For a feel-good solid hour of strength training at the gym today

3) That the boys each had a good day at school today after the long weekend

4) For finally getting back to school tonight to work on some of my hands-on techniques – it felt so nice to be back, and it was fun!

5) That I was able to be there for my best friend tonight when she really needed an ear to bend & a shoulder to lean on for a little while – helping her was totally worth this list being “late” tonight

I’m a little tired to find a good quote for tonight so instead I’m going to have fun & post something that I miss seeing with our lists (drawn by Crystal Belle P): 

The boys had the day off from school for President’s Day today. Daddy had to work the early part of the day but he was home around noon. That’s when the day started :-)

Today I Am Grateful:

1) That the boys managed to sleep in till 9 AM today! LOL 30 minutes longer than the whole weekend!

2) For some Free Admission passes we had for Brookfield Zoo – they expire at the end of this month so today was the perfect day to go

3) That the weather turned out pretty decent over all – we were drizzled on a few times while at the zoo but not too badly and the temp was around 50 degrees the whole time with just enough breeze to feel good & not chill you

4) For knowing my Dad will be renewing the membership to Brookfield Zoo soon – especially if we’re going to register for the Zoo Run Run 5K that will be held in the Zoo in September :-) I still can’t get over how much we’re both looking forward to it :-D

5) That I walked the equivalent of a 5K while at the Zoo today – over 7,000 steps!! I’m a little sore but so happy to have had a fun day today ♥ (Fun Fact:  A 5K is exactly 3.10685596 miles – that comes out to be 3 miles, 564 feet & 2.4 inches)

We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals. ~ Immanuel Kant

Today was a simple, sweet Sunday at home. Even the boys behaved overall for the better part of the day. Thank Heaven for that gem! :-)

Today I Am Grateful:

1) That I was able to sleep in till about 8:30 AM again today. Hey, it’s about an hour & a half later than during the week – I’ll take it!

2) For the boys getting along pretty much all day – either playing games together or letting the other one be while they did their own thing

3) That hubby had a longer day at work finally – I know he’s tired & still not quiet used to the 5:30 AM wake up time, but, they’d cut his hours real short last week and right now every penny helps

4) For quiet time spent reading – I woke up in kind of a sour mood but getting to just sit and read for awhile helped me change my mindset

5) That the boys snuggled up in bed with me for a little while today and we picked some of our favorite “My Little Pony” episodes to re-watch – I still love hearing them giggle at their favorite parts

Persistence is probably the single most common quality of high achievers. They simply refuse to give up. They longer you hang in there, the greater the chance that something will happen in your favor. No matter how hard it seems, the longer you persist the more likely your success. ~ Jack Canfield

Today was a very sleepy day. The boys slept in till about 8:30 or so, but then they were wide awake full steam ahead! LOL Mommy took a little longer and still felt a little sleepy all day.

Today I Am Grateful:

1) That I was able to sleep in till about 8:30 this weekend. The last few weekends the boys have been up earlier! LOL

2) For getting some of the things around the house taken care of. There is of course still more to do (isn’t there always?) but it always feels good to check off some things on that never-ending To Do List

3) That my new-to-me Homedics Paraffin Wax machine works well & is cleaning up nicely! Wanted to be sure it was all clean & sanitary before adding the new wax to it

4) For all the little things in my life that are slowly adding up to the one big thing that will really help turn things for the better here

5) That I haven’t given up yet – on myself, on beating my R.A., or on finding & getting that just-right-for-me job – my time is coming, and it’s coming soon!

For tonight’s quote I wanted to share the lyrics from a little ditty from the series “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” – I love Pinkie Pie, she always sees the bright side in everything and the best in everyone. I’m sharing the lyrics (copyright info & all) as well – enjoy & sing along if you dare to let your inner child play!

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic – Face Your Fears (Laughter Song) By Pinkie Pie

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is a TV series developed in 2010 by Lauren Faust.
This is one of the songs in the show called “Face Your Fears”, also known as “Laughter Song” which is sung by Pinkie Pie.
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LYRICS:

When I was a little filly and the sun was going dooooooown.

The darkness and the shadows they would always make me frooooooooown.

I’d hide under my pillow from what I thought I saw, but Granny Pie said that wasn’t the way to deal with fears at aaaaalllllll.

She said, Pinkie you gotta stand up tall, learn to face your fears, you’ll see that they can’t hurt you just laugh to make them disappeeeeear.

HA, HA, HA!

Sooooooo, giggle at the ghosty.
Guffaw at the grossly.
Crack up at the creepy.
Woof it up with the weepy.
Chortle at the cooky.
Snortle at the spooky.

And to tell that big ol’ scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you than he’s got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna HAHHAHAAHAHA.

Laaaauuuuuuugh!

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All video content is owned by @Hasbro and @Hub Television Networks. I DO NOT own it and/or take credit for it.

Thank Goodness It’s Friday!! Whew!!

Today I Am Grateful:

1) That my boys had another good day at school today – Will even brought home a “Great Job!” slip from Art class today & that’s usually a place he struggles

2) That my oldest is actually happy & excited about his new-to-him twin size bed. It was a pass along from family and just in time

3) For two good days at the gym with my Dad – yesterday I walked & did 3 weight machines, today I rode the exercise bike & did 3 other weight machines. I’m feeling better & a little stronger from it little by little – Thank You Dad!!

4) For good friends who look out for you & help you when you least expect it – a friend from massage school was at a Grand Opening of a new Goodwill store & she scored a really amazing Homedics Paraffin Wax Machine for me for just $5!! The same machine on Amazon costs $160!! It’s a blessing in so many ways! Thanks Janet!

5) That it’s finally Friday night & time for bed! Good Night & Sweet Dreams!!

“[Saint Anthony] said, in his solitude, he sometimes encountered devils who looked like angels, and other times he found angels who looked like devils. When asked how he could tell the difference, the saint said that you can only tell which is which by the way you feel after the creature has left your company.” ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, “Eat, Pray, Love“