things I am thankful for: the not-so-obvious list

Note that base of shower is now different. 
They also added a granite piece when you
step in.  I was ready to tell the kids to just
 dump a bucket of water over their heads in their
bathroom.  I stopped caring.  I just wanted
 them OUT OF MY BATHROOM! 
Besides, when Tank uses our shower
he manages to get so much water on the
 floor one would think that he had
attempted the bucket variety shower.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Before I share my thoughts with you, let me assure you this list is my secondary list.  I am truly thankful for my kids, my husband, friends, family, health, yadda, yadda, yadda . . .

I am also thankful for the little things.  The things that I don't really realize until they slap me in the face:

#1.  Having a kids' bathroom shower functioning after a 10 week repair that was supposed to last 3 days.  Thank you, crappiest of contractors, for reminding us of just how happy we are that the kids have their own bathroom.  Thank you for allowing us to trip over their towels and deal with their clepto tendencies as they 'borrowed' hair products, razors, and previously-used-byCoach-or-me towels from right off of our towel rack in our master bathroom.  Thank goodness that they have no more excuses to leave their towels pel-mel all over the house because they can once again utilize their own shower.  I mean, not that they will use their assigned towel rod.  It is so much easier to forget to bring your clothes to the bathroom and then race to your bedroom in a wet towel that you promptly toss on your carpeted bedroom floor.

#2.  We believe that only one of our children seem to suffer from laundry-related dysfunction.  Maybe Tank's laundry nonsense is a genetic disorder that skips like 5 generations, but we have never heard of a kid who would bother to wrap laundry (clean or dirty) in a spare comforter and hide it in a different bedroom behind a college sibling's unused bed rather than put the damn laundry away.  Imagine the pandemonium if all 6 kids operated like this.

#3.  A few days after Thanksgiving Curly will dance in the Midwest championships for Irish dancing and my nervous system can relax again for a few months.  It will help if I avoid misplacing the most important dancing bag in a cab the day of the competition.  (If I pull this off, it will be just one more thing to be thankful for!)

And this is the space behind the cedar
 chest in the study.  I was looking for my
camera charger, and all I found
was evidence that my kids are pigs.

#4.  Putting my mind at ease . . . while I might worry a bit about whether or not Lad is going to mature, I am super excited that he seems to be pulling things off that I would never dream of . . . for example:  he may struggle to keep money in his checking account, but then why should this be a big concern if he manages to score a free plane ticket from legendary Rudy of Notre Dame to visit ND for a weekend?  The kid is making connections and engaging people.  And he doesn't feel compelled to tell me about his adventures that will undoubtedly cause me a great deal of anxiety.

I just discovered this today. 
What is it, you ask . . . well, it is
behind the end table
in my living room.
 A room used for reading
 and music practice,
 and APPARENTLY
for Tank's snacking.

A candy wrapper randomly
 left on the piano.

#5.  Halloween candy has almost been completely consumed.  In other words, I am hoping that by Christmas I will be done finding candy wrappers in odd places where the kids (OK, mainly Tank) hide them all over the house.

Oh, so thankful.  Now, off to finish packing for the dancing competition held in Louisville.  I have many plans in place so that I don't get sleepy on the long drive.  Here's hoping that they work!