Joys 42 through 51

42. I forgot to add this to my last list - a play date with a neighbor. I had a lot of fun getting to know her better.

43. My organizing friend, Tara, came over to my house for the first time this past week, even though I've known her for a couple of years now. Her house is beautiful and nice and neat and organized. After leaving her home the first time I visited her, I was so inspired to remove a lot of my clutter. She came and helped me get some ideas and be creative about organizing toys and kid clutter.  Even though I have removed a lot of toy clutter already, she helped me get rid of a bag full of toys.  I also had literally 20+ coloring books.  Coloring books are cheap and easy to give away (as most of them were received as a gift) and I felt guilty and wasteful to chunk them with only one or two pages colored.  Princess is our artist, but she prefers to draw.  Anyhow we removed almost a whole drawer-full and pared them down to only 6 (3 for each child).  Based on those small changes, I was able to move a kid book shelf into our playroom as well as the arts and crafts supplies.  I really think doing more of this will help me be a more efficient homemaker being able to focus more on the details of cleaning instead of getting hung up on shuffling big items back to their place.  Our time together and the effects brought me great joy.  An organized home is a peaceful home, right?

44.  Baking oatmeal chocolate chip cookies to give as gifts.  I love to bake and the children helped me, and we all had a good time together, so it was baking at its best.  Joy!


45.  Every time one of my children goes to the bathroom all by themselves, I experience great joy!  You all know potty training was a little traumatic for me.  And believe it or not, I find joy in accidents, not that I have to clean up an accident, but that I accept them.  (God granted me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.)

46.  Spending time in our new improved playroom playing and enjoying the children.

47.  Today started off a little stressful.  I was disappointed that Daniel and I were the only ones able to see Speed Racer perform at school.  I guess one responsibility of a mom is to organize grandparents too, and I haven't quite accepted or caught on to this idea yet.  I used to have to help keep co-workers on task for our mutual goal, so I should be able to do the same at home with grandparents.  I guess it seems hard enough to corral kids, not to mention grandparents too.  That disappointment combined with a whiny Speed Racer and a clingy baby equaled stress.  Then I left my camera at home and didn't get his picture after his performance.  But there was joy at getting to see him sing.  Joy in his sweet little face as he scanned the audience and looked for a familiar face and then found mine and Daniel's.  Joy when he saw us walk into his classroom for his party.  Joy as he told me about his new book he received.  Joy was there, but I definitely had to diligently look for it.

48.  To add to the stress of the day, Princess got angry with herself in the car on the way home from school because a sticker would not peel of the page.  I made her go to her room to cool off, and then we enjoyed decorating a bag she had made at school with the stickers she had received.

49.  The benefit to cold, wet, rainy days is time to chill out, refocus and let the stress melt away, snuggle up together, watch Christmas movies, and play with our nativity set.

50.  Tonight, weather permitting, dinner will be cooked for me at church, and it will be a steak and baked potato.  I am already anticipating the joy I will receive at the great service of dinner being already prepared and the yumminess of steak which we rarely enjoy at home.

hmmm, will I make it to 100 before Christmas.  Gotta blog my joys more often.

51.  oh, yes, yesterday, I received a sweet joy.  I went to Target to purchase some storage boxes.  The cashier loved talking to my baby.  Speed Racer takes his sweet time in stores, and he had been testing my patience but had obeyed when it came time to leave.  I was rather quiet as a result, but the cashier smiled, talked to DoodleBug, and wished me a Happy Holidays.  I hesitated and then wished her a Merry Christmas.  Her face lit up.  What seemed like something simple - a few kind words, blessed her.  I could tell because she said, "THANK YOU! Merry Christmas to you as well!"  Joy!