Thankful Thursday Blog Hop

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I have a LOT to be thankful for, so I decided to start just making a list of 10 things every Thursday. That way, on days like today that make me want to scream and shout- and NOT in a good way- I can force myself to calm down and relax and think of at least 10 reasons why I'm actually NOT cursed by God to live in a miserable existence.

I'm kidding! I don't think that.

Usually.

So, here are the rules- well, not RULES, persay. They're more like GUIDELINES:

1. Don't follow me unless you really want to. I don't want this to be purely about getting new followers- I'd really like to see people flooding the internet with "Thankful" posts. If you'd like me to follow YOU, though, let me know.

2. I'd love it if you posted the button. It would give me warm fuzzies.

3. You can link up blogs, facebook and twitter accounts - just be sure to specify what each link is.

4. Hop around and find blogs that you enjoy. Be sure to tell them you are following them from Thankful Thursdays Blog Hop so they can follow you back!

And #5 and most importantly, HAVE FUN.

And now, once again, here it goes- my list of 10.

1. I'm thankful for an 11 year old that -I was told by his teachers last night- isn't working up to his potential. At least they KNOW he's not working up to his potential and they aren't accepting that he's a dolt that enjoys doing the bare minimum to get by. That means there's hope, right? I mean, at least he hasn't hit the maximum amount of intelligence that God allowed him.

2. I'm thankful that Nicholas is screaming. It means he has lungs, and I've read that those are important. I'd say that I heard that was important, but I can't really hear anything other than blaring screams.

3. I'm thankful for an inquisitive 5 year old that wondered what would happen if he threw his tacos on the ground- would they bounce or would they stick? You HAVE to be thankful for a child who loves science.

4. I'm thankful for clean carpets. The fact that those clean carpets are in dirty rooms make the rooms, well, ok, I'm just thankful I don't have to clean carpets along with everything else.

5. I'm thankful I don't have a second car and I have to walk to pick up Jacob from kindergarten- it gives me time to myself and I can listen to music that doesn't make me want to scratch my ears off.

6. I'm thankful I didn't die of heat stroke picking up Jacob from kindergarten today.

7. Have mentioned yet how thankful I am for coffee? Yeah- because I am.

8. I'm thankful that my basil plant has survived as long as it has. If you've read anything about me, you know that I PROBABLY shouldn't be given the permission to care for anything living... well, plants at least. My thumb is black and my plants USUALLY attempt herbicide long before now. Maybe this is a turning point?

9. I'm thankful I have a sense of humor.

10. I'm thankful my husband is thankful for ME, because that means that he hasn't run away and THAT means, in a few hours, I'll have a partner... so I can escape and go to Alli's.

Thankful Thursday Blog Hop #5

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I have a LOT to be thankful for, so I decided to start just making a list of 10 things every Thursday. That way, on days like today that make me want to scream and shout- and NOT in a good way- I can force myself to calm down and relax and think of at least 10 reasons why I'm actually NOT cursed by God to live in a miserable existence.

I'm kidding! I don't think that.

Usually.

So, here it goes- my list of 10.

1. Coffee. Yes, its numero uno on my list because my kids are being mean and my husband has left me to go to work. The lucky devil. Coffee will never leave me, though.
2. My kids. Even though they make me search the internet to see if it actually IS legal to sell them via Craigslist, I love them.
3. My husband. He turned 31 yesterday and on his birthday, he decided to help me with the kids, make dinner, and -most importantly- didn't run screaming when the kids chose to turn into demons.
4. Earplugs. Never underestimate the power of good, quality earplugs.
5. Bedtime- theirs, not mine.
6. Blogging. Without a place to vent my frustrations with The Natural Disasters, I might possibly burst.
7. Cake. My thighs aren't thankful for this one, but I haven't really heard them complain about it, either, so who cares what they think?
8. PJs. I can't wear them right now -we're heading to a place soon where you APPARENTLY need to be dressed- but I'm looking forward to the moment when I can put on my soft PJs.
9. Locks. You know- the kind that keep children out. None of those namby pamby ones that only need a small screwdriver to do the job, either. Nope. I like a nice lock that the kids can't figure out... because they're smart. Like the raptors in Jurassic Park.
10. Wine. A nice merlot- even a crisp white. Heck, even a bottle of Two Buck Chuck will do nicely. Ask yourself this: after a couple of glasses, will it make me see my kids as sweet creatures that I don't want to sell on the black market? If your answer is 'yes', then I want it in my glass.

So, here are the rules- well, not RULES, persay. They're more like GUIDELINES:

1. Don't follow me unless you really want to. I don't want this to be purely about getting new followers- I'd really like to see people flooding the internet with "Thankful" posts. If you'd like me to follow YOU, though, let me know.

2. Please post the button somewhere in your entry- beginning, end- doesn't matter. It'll help to grow the hop. Also, I'm planning on using new co-hosts for the hop in the future, and to be considered, you must have the button up. If you post the button and would like to be considered for co-host duty, send me an email @ asoto0703@gmail.com

3. You can link up blogs, facebook and twitter accounts - just be sure to specify what each link is.

4. Hop around and find blogs that you enjoy. Be sure to tell them you are following them from Thankful Thursdays Blog Hop so they can follow you back!

And #5 and most importantly, HAVE FUN.

Coffee does, too, count as a food group!

As I sit here in the wee afternoon hours, eyes drooping, body beginning to collapse from complete exhaustion, I'm staring at my coffee maker with longing. I'm typing with one hand while holding the tiny dictator with another, so I'm praying that by using “the Force”, I can start another pot. The phrase “If you don't succeed, try, try again” comes to mind, but Jacob is staring at me, asking me why I'm making faces and squinting at the kitchen, so I should probably get up and practice my one handed coffee making skills and leave the Jedi tricks to Luke Skywalker.

My gramma would disapprove. She has told me more than once that I need to wean myself off of my black liquid of love and acceptance, but I'm not a quitter. I know that I love coffee more than a normal person should, and in all honesty, I've been drinking it so long that it doesn't REALLY have an effect on me anymore- so why am I trying to get all “Jedi Master” on my Black and Decker? Because, if nothing else, my mind has started to associate coffee with mental clarity. Plus, it keeps my hands busy so that I don't end up trying to strangle my adorable children when they start imitating the wild apes on the Animal Planet.

I used to refer to my love of coffee as an addiction and coffee as my drug of choice ; used to, that is, until the day that Cameron went to his first grade teacher and told her that his mommy was addicted to drugs. Mental note: kids listen to everything, they repeat everything, but they don't stop for explanations. It took some doing, but I'm pretty sure that I was able to convince her that I didn't need to go to rehab. I probably didn't help the situation, though, when I jokingly went into a small rant about the health benefits of coffee and how, really, the USDA should include coffee as a main staple for nutritional completeness. APPARENTLY, pointing out how a single cup of coffee can be everything from a serving of protein to a serving of fruit (depending on what area you're lacking in at the time), makes you look like a lunatic.

Whatever.

I'm going to go now and make a pot of probiotics.