Thoroughly Thankful Thursday: Waking up early

Happy Thursday! Today I'm thankful for waking up early. Normally Emily and Erin wake up between 7 and 7:30, but today Erin started fussing around 6:00. I woke up and it was still dark, so I figured it was the middle of the night. I was surprised to see that my phone said 6:09 as I got out of bed. After getting both girls up, fed, and changed, I decided to just get showered and dressed myself. We even had pancakes for breakfast! I cleaned out our "pantry" earlier this week, so it was easy to find everything I needed to make them. I love it when chores pay off like that!

It's a lot easier to cook now that I organized our "pantry"!

Dan and I didn't get to bed very early last night, so waking up early wouldn't have been my first choice, but it was actually nice to be up before he started work. Making breakfast was fun too! I haven't made pancakes for quite a while, and I always forget how easy they are. Emily and Erin aren't quite old enough to try them, but they will be soon! I bet they'll love having homemade pancakes for breakfast. I'm not sure I can pull this getting up early off every day (well, other than Saturdays, when I get up at 4 for work) but I'm certainly thankful that it happened today!

Thoroughly Thankful Thursday

This week, I'm thankful for many things. First and foremost, I'm thankful for the wakeup call that gave me a new outlook on life, and helped me to find a new joy in being a wife and mama. I'm thankful for jobs that allow us to go a little beyond just paying the bills and save up for a house of our own. I'm thankful for my family and our cozy life together. I'm thankful for my blog and all you lovely readers. I'm thankful for God and my faith. I'm thankful for my friends and family who help me keep my perspective. I'm thankful for a work schedule that allows me to raise my baby girls, and for the time that Emily and Erin get to spend with their grandmas and their daddy while I'm working. I'm thankful for finally getting to sleep this past week when Emily and Erin started sleeping more at night.

I'm thankful to get to be their mama :)

I can't wait to read what you're thankful for! Link up your post below or share in the comments!

Thoroughly Thankful Thursday, Week 10

This past weekend, our little family traveled to the coast for New Year's. I'm so thankful that we live in this beautiful valley, nestled in between the Oregon Coast and the Cascade Mountains. Even though I doubt they'll have any significant memories of this trip or the two others we've taken this past year, it's still nice to know that we can drive to the ocean in about an hour. We won't have to wait years for the girls to have their first trip to the beach.

The trip was not without its challenges (more on traveling with baby twins in an upcoming post!) but overall, it was a nice, relaxing weekend. We spent the first night in a chain hotel, using up some rewards club points we'd accumulated during our trip to San Francisco a couple of years ago. It was a little crowded once we got everyone and all of our stuff into the room - especially the playpen we'd brought for the girls to sleep in - but we had a nice view of the ocean. Plus, a free room is a free room, right?!

The biggest challenge related to traveling with kids, in my opinion, is trying to keep their routine constant without packing up your entire house. For example, bathing is still a necessity. However, Emily and Erin don't sit up well enough for a regular tub bath. Bringing their bathtub was out of the question, so we improvised by handing them in and out of the shower with me. They got clean and it was quick and easy, although both of them hate the sound of the shower on a good day. Changing diapers can also be a bit challenging - we stuck with disposables for the trip, though we brought along a few of the cloth diaper covers to minimize leaking in the car. While it wasn't nearly as cold at the coast as it gets at home, standing with your back in the wind and rain while trying to change a diaper on the seat of the car is no fun for anyone involved.

The blessings of this trip, therefore, were twofold - we got to spend a lot of quality time as a family; walking on the beach, wandering through the little coastal towns, and riding in the car along the breathtakingly beautiful coastline - but it also made me appreciate anew the ease with which things are done at home. I jumped into my chores with renewed fervor when we got home, doing laundry and getting the babies fed and cleaned up. Everything that normally feels so tedious suddenly felt easy, just because we were doing it at home and not in a hotel room or in the car.

So this week, I'm thankful to be home with my family after our trip. I'm thankful that we have the opportunity to drive just an hour or two and be by the ocean or up in the mountains. I'm thankful that we are able to travel away from home, even if it's not as often as we used to. And most of all, I'm thankful for beginning this year as a family of four, and for how much my life has changed since this time last year! What are you thankful for as we begin 2013? Share in the comments or link your post below - I can't wait to read!

Thoroughly Thankful Thursday, Week 7: It's the Holiday Season

Happy Thursday, all! In case you've been hiding under a rock, perhaps deliberately, for the past few weeks, the holidays are upon us. Thanksgiving is next week, and while some stick firmly to the old tradition of waiting until the day after Thanksgiving to start Christmas preparations - well, let's just say I'm not one of those people.

My taste in Christmas is like my taste in cookbooks - comfortably vintage. I love the images of 1940s and 1950s families kneeling reverently together in church pews, gathered around tastefully decorated Christmas trees in front of the fireplace, and eating Christmas dinner. To me, these idealized pictures represent the perfect marriage of secular and religious traditions. I've heard it said that the 1950s were the golden age of Catholicism in America, and though I'd like to think we're headed towards another, even better one, I can't really argue there. Religion was just an accepted part of day-to-day life, and being Catholic was becoming a more acceptable part of that. Christmas, therefore, was still undeniably a religious holiday, even as the secular elements were becoming more well-defined.

Wondering what all this has to do with thankfulness? Well, this week, I am first and foremost grateful for the opportunity to build Christmas traditions as a family. As Catholic Americans, we have a wide variety of traditions to incorporate and cultivate into our holiday season. While some of these might seem better saved until the girls are old enough to understand, I figure that we can take pictures of them now (and practice to get them just right!) to preserve the memories for years to come. Remembering the true reason for Christmas is foremost in our celebration, and we attend Mass on Christmas Eve and sometimes on Christmas morning as well. We also mark the tradition of Advent as preparation for the celebration of Christ's birth, and the Twelve Days of Christmas leading up to Epiphany, when the three wise men reached the manger where the infant Christ lay. I won't go into more detail about Christmas traditions today, because I am planning a longer post for later, but feel free to share your traditions in the comments along with what you're thankful for!

I'm also very thankful for the opportunity to spend time with my family over the Thanksgiving holiday. I am at a loss as to why the need to shop has so overtaken Thanksgiving day itself. Stores are opening for Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving Day now, leaving employees just a few hours to celebrate with their families. While there will always be those who need to work on holidays (doctors, nurses, firemen, police officers), the majority of establishments could be closed to observe most or all of the holiday. Dan has worked on Thanksgiving Day in the past, and I am very thankful that both of us have the day to spend with Emily and Erin and our families this year. Let's pray that this is the case for more families next year, and we can look back on this as a foolish phase!

Other things I am thankful for this week:

1. God's love, mercy, and all the blessings in our lives, including food, shelter, and warm clothes that fit.

2. The love, support, and companionship of marriage, and the ability to grow continually within marriage to better meet each other's needs.

3. My loving husband.

4. Our beautiful baby daughters, who continue to amaze each day as they grow and learn.

5. The loving support of our family and friends.

6. Those who have served and those who are serving our country, especially those who sacrificed life and limb for the freedoms we so often take for granted.

7. Nice, hot cups of coffee with yummy vanilla creamer.

8. Gainful employment for both Dan and me.

9. A few last sunny fall days.

10. Hot showers (even if I don't get one every day!)

That's my list - what are you thankful for this week? Share below in the comments or write a post of your own for the link-up!

Thoroughly Thankful Thursday, Week 5: Saints, Hurricanes and the Right to Vote

Happy Thursday, everybody! I hope your week is winding down nicely. Today is All Saints' Day and tomorrow is All Souls' Day. Both of these holidays have pretty fascinating tradition behind them. The short version is that today we are honoring those who have achieved sainthood and tomorrow we are remembering those who have left this world. Definitely a whole lot of people to remember in just two days! Our priest suggested keeping one particular saint in mind today, and then those close to us who have left this world tomorrow. In case you're wondering how this ties in, the sacrifices of the saints are worth giving thanks for, so I thought it was an appropriate intro! Who is your patron saint or confirmation saint? Why did you choose them?

Remember that reset button I wrote about? I've been having a bit of a hard time finding it this week. The devastation flooding the television screen has left me grateful for all we have and still have. At the same time, it's so hard to see innocent people who are suffering so much. Such events are called "acts of God" - but why would God do this to a people he loved so much that he gave his only son to save us? Even though we are on the other side of the country, I find myself asking "why?" as often as I am saying "thank you."

The other feeling that has stirred within our family in the last week is one of mild panic, as we realize just how unprepared we are for such a disaster. While true hurricanes don't really hit the Northwest, we have our share of devastating storms, and the season for such weather has just begun. More to the point, we live just about a block from a drainage slough that runs through our town, meaning we live in a flood plain. I suppose one of the few positive aspects of the past week is that we have a sense of urgency when it comes to getting prepared for an emergency - stocking water, food, and emergency supplies, keeping our important papers safe, and having a plan to keep all of us safe as well. Hearing people talk about having prepared for this storm, knowing it was coming well in advance, and still losing almost everything was quite possibly the wakeup call we really needed.

On a completely unrelated note, by this time in the "election season", it can be really hard to muster up a smidgen of gratitude for the right to vote. All of the ads, doorhangers, phone calls, and news spots are nothing more than annoying. Yet, as a very wise man told me a few weeks ago, this right is something you can only fully appreciate when it is taken away. Imagine a government appointed by wealth or birth, or worse, by military might. Imagine having no voice in any political matter, or worse, fearing imprisonment or death for even opening your mouth in regards to politics. Imagine a single person in charge of every political decision, with no representative input whatsoever. The right to vote might seem like a chore, but it is a privilege many have died for and many continue to die for. Filling in a ballot should seem comparatively simple, no matter where you fall on the political spectrum. This has been said more often than you've heard "...and I approved this message" in the last week, but your voice is no less important because you are only one person. Imagine the reality if everyone decided not to vote just because they were only one person. If you're 18 or older, use that voice to express your opinion, whatever it may be!

Now it's your turn. Tell me what you're thankful for! Add a link to your Thoroughly Thankful Thursday post or leave a comment below!

Thoroughly Thankful Thursday Link-Up, Week 4: The Reset Button

Hi everybody! I really can't believe it's Thursday already. I hope you all are having a great week!

The last week or so have been somewhat chaotic around here - I think it kind of comes with the territory; 4-month-old twins and all that. In the midst of this chaos, I've definitely slacked when it comes to being thankful for anything. Some days, it just doesn't feel like there's much to be thankful for. Take Tuesday, for example. We woke up to a freezing cold house. After some investigation, we realized the heater was off and would not turn on for any amount of persuasion. Eighty dollars later, we became acquainted with the reset button. Voilá. Heat. Simple as that. I had imagined I'd feel thankful, but I was just annoyed at the increase in the chaos factor - needing to wrap the babies in blankets for their naps, having to try and find the checkbook to pay the repairman, the fact that he showed up during the one hour I was gone. I could barely muster an ounce of gratitude for the heat.

The truth is, though, that every factor that makes life just a little more chaotic is a blessing. Being married is more complicated than being single; having children is still more hectic. Add jobs, activities, and relationships with others, and you might start to feel like you're stuck in a racquetball court, playing 1-on-20 after you've just dropped your racquet. Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I really don't think it's that far off. Yet all of these things are blessings. They fill our lives with love, and we should be thankful for them - thankful to be so busy.

Being busy feels great, up to a point. It makes us feel important and necessary. But when you get to the point where you just can't handle anything else, it's overwhelming. You just want things to be simple, and you don't really feel blessed to be so busy.

I hit this point last night. I got up to the checkout line, after a frantic trip through WinCo, trying to decide what we would eat for the next week while spending as little as possible and still getting in and out in half an hour. As an aside, this is quite possibly the most stressful way to go grocery shopping, and I absolutely do not recommend it. But back to the story. As I waited for the total to slide my debit card and begin bagging my groceries, it hit me that I was incredibly blessed to be able to pay for our food. Just that. We can afford to feed our family. Sure, money's tight, but we can buy groceries.

Like dominoes, everything else began falling into place. Blessed to have jobs, blessed to have recreation (the volleyball game Dan had last night - my reason for rushing), blessed to have children to snuggle (the reason the groceries still aren't all put away), blessed to have a house, blessed to have things to clutter up that house. Lined up neatly like that, my life felt rich and full instead of hectic and overwhelming. Sometimes all it takes is pushing the reset button. I'm thankful God remembered to include one.

Now it's your turn. What are you thankful for this week? Link up your post or share in the comments!

Thoroughly Thankful Thursday, Week 3

Hey, everybody! The week is really flying by. I know I'm a little late getting this up, but it's still Thursday for 9 more hours here, so here we go!

In case you're joining this for the first time, I thought it'd be fun to take a day each week and share what we're thankful for. It's so easy to just let the days and weeks go by and forget to say thank you. My life is richly blessed, and while I often find myself thinking how I'd like to change things, the truth of the matter is they're pretty good the way they are.

So without further ado, here's my list for the week:

1. Gorgeous fall color. We've only had a couple of really rainy days to knock the leaves down and turn them brown, so all of the trees are bursting into reds and yellows and oranges that aren't seen every year around here.

2. My little family. I can't imagine life without Dan, Emily, and Erin. I love you all so much!

3. The wonderful ladies of #Cathsorority. I don't know where I'd be without you all!

4. Our cute little house and how much better our life is now that we live here.

5. Help from friends and family.

6. The bits of wisdom I gain every day as a mother that make the next day just a little easier.

7. Courage to try new things.

8. Good jobs that allow us to live comfortably and still have family time.

9. God's love and forgiveness.

10. All the ways I've grown as a person since starting this blog, and every one of you lovely readers - I love writing for you, and I hope you enjoy reading as much I enjoy writing!

I can't wait to read what you're thankful for! Link your post or comment below.

Thoroughly Thankful Thursday, Week 2: Link Up!

Hey everybody! It's Thursday again, and you know what that means ... time to share what we're thankful for!

This week, I've been specifically pondering the idea of accepting imperfection, and being thankful to be able to do this. You're probably familiar, especially if you're a sports fan, with the idea of "paralysis by analysis". In a nutshell, this means overthinking your situation. You get so caught up in the idea of what you need to do that you can't "just do it" (and that makes Nike sad...)

This happens an awful lot outside of sports, however. I find myself daily putting off tasks or projects because the moment isn't right or it won't be perfectly done because I don't have enough time. I used to put off making dinner a couple of times a week just because of this idea, and we'd end up going out to eat. I frequently postpone putting the laundry away or really cleaning up the house, because I know I won't have enough time to do it as well as I'd like.

Well, news flash. Dan doesn't care if dinner's perfect. He'd prefer it had fewer vegetables and more main dish (nice try, honey), but he just wants to eat. A house that's sort of clean is better than one that hasn't been cleaned at all. Folded laundry in the basket is just fine, and far preferable to a heap of clean, wrinkly clothes in the dryer. And from my post yesterday, sort of homemade brownies are better than no brownies!

I need to be more thankful for the ability to accept imperfection. It really is a blessing, when it happens. There's a lot more imperfection than perfection in parenting, so I guess I can say I'm really getting a crash course right now! Most of the time, I still catch myself dragging my feet when the task is even slightly optional and I feel like it won't be perfect, but then I try to picture what will happen should I leave it undone. I have this wonderful mental picture of a "laundry monster", made of clothes and towels, storming through our little house...yeah, I know we don't have that many clothes and towels, but this is wonderful mental motivation. Don't ruin it for me! I got all the laundry done (well, four loads washed and dried, some folded) based on this image. Haha.

This week, I'm also thoroughly thankful for:

1. Dan's new working from home arrangement. I admit, I was nervous. We're still a bit crowded, but it's working out really well so far. I love that we don't have to all be out of the house just after 7 every morning. I really, really love that he no longer has to be wearing a dress shirt, slacks, and a tie. And I really, really, really love getting to see him during the day. We also aren't leaving the house to pick him up right as I should be feeding the girls and starting dinner (see #2).

2. The freedom and creativity to try new recipes for dinner. This is saving us a ton of money, because we aren't tempted to get takeout or go out to eat, and we aren't bored either. I've had more time to make dinner now that I don't work full time, simply because I can take advantage of small chunks during the day when I'm home anyway.

3. Making it all the way through Mass IN the sanctuary on Sunday! We sat behind a friend who has an adorable 7 month old boy, and although our three kids weren't exactly quiet, they were all fascinated by each other. So adorable!! This particular parish (the one we'd attended up until the girls were born) shows all of the songs, etc., on a projector screen, so it is much more friendly to parents holding little kids, and there is more space within the sanctuary to sit with carseats, blankets, diaper bags, and still be able to slip out quickly if the need arises. Also, you are outside as soon as you leave, which is always a good thing for my girls when they are upset.

4. My wonderful, loving husband. I am really making an effort to look for the positive in his intent, as Moxie Wife mentioned in her anniversary post yesterday. It can be so easy to look at what I want in the moment and assume he is just out to selfishly squash my happiness. But it's my responsibility to be happy (hey, that was the whole idea behind TTT in the first place!) and coincidentally, he is happier when I'm happy too. So anytime I start to growl inwardly and find myself upset, I think about how lucky I am to be his wife, and how thankful I am for God's gift of him!

5. Getting to work part-time. I'm so thankful I don't have to work full time anymore. Sleep deprivation aside (which hasn't been too bad this week, see below) I miss my babies terribly while I'm at work and they're at home with Grandma or Daddy or at Grandma's house. I know they are happy, and the socialization is great, but I miss them. I really feel for the mamas that work full time and wish they were home with their babies.

6. Luckily, I do enjoy my job, and for this I am also thankful. While I do miss my baby girls, at least I am having fun, and I know it's a positive thing for all four of us that I am still working some.

7. Grandmas that love spending time with their granddaughters. I am so grateful for my mom and Dan's mom loving to watch Emily and Erin while I am at work. I know they are in good, safe hands and they are getting to know their grandmothers, which is a priceless gift. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

8. More sleep. We are starting to find a rhythm during the day and at night. I discovered, quite accidentally, that the girls really prefer to go to bed between 7 and 8, rather than later. They went to bed one night this week at 6:30! I assumed I'd be up around 3, but I was wrong. They do still wake up to eat (or I assume they are hungry, I'm not quite ready to assume otherwise, haha) between 2 and 5, and I feed them in the glider in their room and we all go back to bed. Then we get up between 5:30 and 7. I haven't truly slept all night since probably February of this year, so this once a night thing works for me. They are sleeping while they eat (dream feed, I guess this has a name!) so I'm not worried about their sleep getting interrupted for now. We'll inquire at their 4 month checkup.

9. Rolling over! My sweet, precious Emily is rolling all over the place now, and darling, precious Erin is not far behind her. This means I have to watch them extra closely, but it is so exciting to see her trying to crawl now when she's on her tummy! No more "tummy time" - she does it herself now, and did it for almost an hour yesterday!

10. Baby hair! Erin has enough hair for a little clip-in bow now. She looks so adorable, I can't get over it! Emily is not quite there yet, but that's what headbands are for :)

But enough about me. What are you thankful for this Thursday? Share below in the comments or link up your post here! I can't wait to read your lists!

Add your link:

Introducing Thoroughly Thankful Thursdays!

I had an idea yesterday. I got to thinking about how easy it is to take all of the blessings we have in life for granted. I may be alone in this (but I'm sure I'm not) but how easy is it to call on God when we need help and forget to say "thank you" the rest of the time?

Anyway, I was writing a post in my head while driving home from the grocery store yesterday, and I decided to make a list of all the things I was thankful for. Megan at Positively (Im)perfect gave me the idea of asking you all to link your lists below, or share them in the comments!

So without further ado, here's my list:

1. My loving, handsome, hardworking husband and our beautiful baby girls
2. Our jobs
3. Beautiful fall weather before the rain starts
4. Helpful family that make our lives easier
5. Being able to save money on groceries while still supporting a local business
6. A cute little house to live in while we save up for our own
7. The courage to venture out with my babies, even if it means things take a little longer
8. Wonderful, caring, helpful friends
9. Patience (I'm always praying for more, but I am grateful for what I have!)
10. The Bible app on my phone, which takes away any excuses not to read some every day!
11. All the lovely ladies I've met through blogging, and your kind, encouraging comments that make my day every time!


What are you grateful for? I can't wait to hear!