Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

My days start earlier and end later these days. Coming home from the grocery store at 10:00 p.m. is not how I planned today, but that’s how it went. *sigh* Yes, my days are very busy, but I get to enjoy them with my children.

I am truly blessed!

In this on-going Counting my Blessings series, I periodically reflect on all the amazing opportunities and privileges I have in this journey of using time wisely.

Continuing from last month’s post highlighting my end-of-summer blessings, I present the start of the school year edition:

103. Great school. Just so thankful for all those who teach, protect, and encourage my children as they learn their place in life and how to act responsibly.

104. Reliable transportation. With the amount of time I spend in the van, I am so thankful for the confidence in knowing that when I turn the key, the van will start and carry us to our destination.

105. Fantastic teachers. My kids have teachers that are perfect for them. My daughter’s teacher is very nurturing which is exactly what my daughter needs. My son’s teacher is fun, creative, and challenging which is exactly what my son needs.

106. Approachable administration. When issues arise, our administration welcomes feedback which allows problems to get addressed before escalating.

107. Great friends. With the constant questions and meeting needs all day, I crave adult conversation. Knowing I need the social contact, Paul takes the kids while I attend a mom’s group. I love it and really appreciate the time away with my friends.

108. My buddy. When the going gets tough and I need to talk out an issue, my buddy listens. We share our struggles and pains while encouraging each other on this journey to glorifying God, loving our husbands, caring for our children, and living life to its potential. My buddy loves me for who I am, not for what I do or say. Wow, I appreciate her so much!

109. Using Time Wisely readers. Each of you is a blessing. Even when I get behind on posts, you wait patiently and come back. How fortunate I am to interact with you.

As I count my blessings from the start of the school year, I joy in these gifts. When I get overwhelmed or discouraged, I count my blessings which puts my issues into perspective.

Whatever situation you may find yourself, there is ALWAYS someone who would love to be in your shoes. In using time wisely, redirect your focus from what you don’t have to all that you have received while counting your blessings.

Question: For what are you thankful today?

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

As I discover a new routine and work through new challenges, I choose to set aside my To Do list, pause, and count my blessings. This on-going series posting periodically is medicine for my soul.

While in the midst of changing diapers, laundry, school runs, and meals, I forget how far I’ve come. Taking a moment to reflect and count my blessings cheers me for I am truly blessed.

Not quite sure how is it that I forgot how tired I would be after the first day of school, but I was depleted of energy last night. Though dealing with the school supplies, the picture taking, and the gifts is busy, the emotional tug between wanting to keep my children home and releasing them to learn was exhausting. For me, the emotional tiredness is more difficult to overcome than the physical soreness.

After posting a beginning of the summer Counting My Blessings article and squeezing in another post a little past the halfway mark, I continue to count these end-of-summer blessings:

90. Fantastic pediatrician practice. Not to bore you with details, but we switched practices. Oh my, I should have made this change long ago. Our new office files the claims accurately and completely the first time which saves me money, energy, and time! What a huge blessing in addition to the wonderful services provided at my daughter’s well-child visit.

91. Clean bill of health. Realizing how fortunate I am to have three healthy children, I know families who travel from appointment to appointment day after day searching for relief for their children. As my daughter received her annual physical this summer, I am grateful for her clean bill of health.

92. Quick rescue from water park lifeguard. On one of our many visits to the water park, we arrived as everyone cleared the pools. A little guy had wandered back to the pool as his grandmother ordered lunch. The preschooler had removed his life jacket and ended up floating face-first in the water. The immediate rescue from the lifeguard resulted in the child breathing without needing resuscitation. It was a scary time, but filled with lots of teachable moments from water safety, rescue personnel, and medical equipment.

93. Water park passes. So thankful we purchased our annual passes through a daily deal site. We enjoyed our times at the water park and look forward to returning in May.

94. Summer reading prizes. Though the prize package through our local library this year changed from last year, we made the most out of our prizes. I was especially thankful for the baseball tickets that we put to good use.

95. Rook Night. When Paul and I were dating, we spent many evenings hanging out with our friends playing Rook (a card game). The game is full of strategy, and we jump at the chance to play as often as possible. For some summer fun, we hosted a Rook Night at our home and enjoyed playing until the wee hours of the morning.

96. Long family vacation. Holding off our vacation until my mom retired pushed our time away to the very end of summer. We have enjoyed having her with us for the month and will miss her when she leaves this weekend.

97. Family. My children got to meet and reunite with many of my relatives. I’m so thankful I got to spend time with my Great Aunt Bonnie, who passed away a week after we returned home. On our last visit with her, my Great Aunt showcased her beautiful birds. I am so thankful my Aunt Bonnie made the visit memorable because my children remember her.

98. Olympic Games. Loved watching the Olympics and hearing my children choose their favorites. My son looked for “USA” or uniforms in red, white, and blue. My older daughter wanted to know what language each player spoke. She wanted to root for anyone who spoke English and all the gymnasts. I loved watching Misty and Kerri win another gold in sand volleyball, Michael Phelps winning over and over and over again, and listening to the behind the scenes dedication of the athletes.

Funny Olympic Story: In watching the sand volleyball tournaments, I had seen two prior matches where the players wore warmer clothing due to the lower temperatures during the evening hours in London.

The first daytime match I watched, the USA was playing Brazil. The USA players were wearing long-sleeved shirts with bikini bottoms while the Brazilian players wore a long-sleeved white shirt with their bikini over it. Their top had BRA written across the top. I made the comment to Paul, “Did they (the Brazilian team) really need to indicate which item was the bra?” After snickering, Paul reminded me that BRA was short for Brazil. 😉

99. Annual membership. Investing in annual memberships for frequently-visited establishments stretches our dollars and provides hours of fun. Between our zoo, botanical gardens, science museum, and recreational district memberships, we save hundreds of dollars for all the visits we get from our passes, including the awesome reciprocal benefits.

100. Nap time. When the rains came down and we cut our visit short at the zoo, we returned to my mom’s house for lunch and a wonderful nap. That nap was more needed than I realized.

101. Cheap airline flight. Though Paul had the time to take, he really needed to get back to work. Since the kids and I stayed in Florida longer than a week, Paul flew back while we remained to play. In keeping an eye on flights, we snagged a $40 flight (taking no baggage) back for Paul. He carried his laptop bag for his personal item.

I drove back with the kids and my mom a week later. The inexpensive flight allowed our family to break up our trip on the way down. We stayed in a hotel with a hot tub and swimming pool. It was so nice relaxing after the long drive with the warm water melting away the tension in my shoulders. 🙂

102. Safe trip. Our van received a tune-up and continues to operate well. Our trip was smooth and without incident. I am so thankful for a reliable vehicle that makes traveling fun and comfortable. Blessed to drive a minivan.

With our summer activities coming to a close, I have so much gratitude for these gifts. In counting my blessings, my heart is encouraged, my problems seem small, and my face wears a smile.

Whatever situation you may find yourself, there is ALWAYS someone who would love to be in your shoes. In using time wisely, redirect your focus from what you don’t have to all that you have received while counting your blessings.

Question: For what are you thankful today?

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

I have looked forward to writing this post all day. With my children home this summer, we are having a blast.

Last summer, I was adjusting to having them all home after my son was in school. But this summer, I feel like a pro and really enjoying all the activities.

My last Counting My Blessings update posted at the beginning of the summer. Now that we are past the middle of the summer, I am counting these blessings:

78. Air conditioning! We came home to a warm house one Sunday afternoon. Thinking that we did not set the thermostat correctly after entertaining the night before, we reset the settings and took a nap. When we awakened, the house was still hot.

79. Purchasing the A/C warranty. After investigating the outdoor unit, Paul concluded that the problem was with the air conditioner, not the programmable thermostat. Going to our warranty file, I found our extended warranty for the air conditioner. Though the $800 payment 5 years ago was hard to swallow, I knew we made the right choice when I made the call.

80. Quick service. The HVAC technician returned my call and came out to inspect our system. He found that our capacitor swelled and prevented the system from regulating the temperature. After going to meet his boss for the part, he returned to swap the new part with the old.

81. Relaxing in comfort. Within the hour, our house had cooled off. I was left with a copy of the receipt for $395, covered 100% by our warranty. As our warranty still has another year and a half before expiring and we have used it twice now, the $800 protection offers peace of mind and immediate service.

82. Family outings. With Paul’s schedule different during summer hours, we venture out together on his weekday off. My children think that every time we stop by QT (convenience store) that we are getting ice cream. Although at 49¢ each, we usually indulge. 😉

83. Gas stations that stay open late. On our last family outing to North Carolina, we left our destination around 9:00 p.m. About two-thirds of the way home, our low gas indicator light with sound effect reminded us that we needed gasoline. Though close to home, we were still far from the city. About 2 miles down the mountain road, we found a little gas station that was open. Praise the Lord! We pumped 5 gallons at the hefty price of $3.09 per gallon. We made it home and refilled at one of the cheaper $2.89 per gallon stores.

84. Awesome daily deals. After watching the deals, I found the annual membership at our recreational district drop below half price. Snagging 4 of those memberships, the kids and I are enjoying unlimited visits to the water parks and inflatable zone. My daughter and I will go ice skating one of these days.

85. Friends. We have enjoyed meeting friends at the water park and the library for fun activities.

86. Library performances. Our library system hosted many performances this summer. My favorite performer was Eric Litwin, the bestselling author of the Pete the Cat series.

87. Time to relax at home. After cleaning for a day or two, I get really tired. Just resting and watching a movie is a nice change of pace.

88. Downstairs cleaned. Our entire downstairs is still nice and clean. I need to do a quick dust, water the plants, and clean the bathroom. But, the little maintenance is a welcome change to the disaster with which I began the summer. I’m making headway upstairs but taking time to enjoy the activities and snag the back-to-school deals.

89. Sleeping in. As a night owl, the early mornings kill me after burning the midnight oil. Though I still like to rise early on busy days, I am enjoying sleeping in on these lazy days of summer.

As the summer continues to fly by, I love the opportunity to stop and think about the many opportunities given to me. In counting my blessings, my heart is full of gratitude knowing the privilege I have to stay at home (or with my children since we are on the run so often).

Whatever situation you may find yourself, there is ALWAYS someone who would love to be in your shoes. In using time wisely, smile, focus on the opportunities available, and count your blessings.

Question: For what are you thankful today?