Otis Sidekicks

Thankful Poem Thankful for noise, because it means children are in the house. Thankful for needing to budget, it makes the treats more meaningful. Thankful for cold to remind me of the beauty of all the seasons and the warmth of a roaring fire.  Thankful for too much to eat, when I know how many go without. Thankful for family fights, with out the fights we would not have the humor of our token ice breakers.  Thankful for mess, I de stress cleaning.  Thankful for mess, it means creativity, good food and make believe. Thankful for scratched floors, it means chairs were dragged to make a fort. Thankful for my husband's cracked hands, it means he has been working hard to support us. Thankful for my softer hands in means hours of hands coated in vaseline inside kitchen gloves scrubbing off the nourishment from the night before. Thankful for hours of laundry, I always wanted a big family. Thankful for crazed ...

There were really hard moments last week. We had talked about, in my Nehemiah Bible Study, the gift of difficulty to gain both perspective and gratitude. Sometimes I wish there were an easier way to re set the outlook! I had totally messed up my practice drop off times. Wrong child to wrong gym and then back across town for the next, forgetting to plug the croc pot IN and being totally out of bread or any usable starch for a back up plan! The worst part, was snapping the head off the WRONG child. One just happened to be in the laundry path (trying to clean up a bedding accident moments before a sleepy one needed to hit slumber). Others had been uncharacteristically sassy or rude in the midst of the chaos but this one was just simply THERE. Oh the regret in the moment. And then trying to be calm and let the day go in order to rectify the night. I managed to check in with many of the kids before bed, but not all. There was not a happy ending or a bow tied neatly around the day but we...

Today as we celebrate Veterans day, I wanted to talk to the kids about both what it means to serve and how we can help our troops. Having family serve in the military can be a source of fear and pride. The kids do not have immediate family abroad but have heard from their Grandfathers and family friends about both war and leadership serving in the armed forces. We made a list of what WE could do from home. ~The kids' school has a program to send care packages to the troops. Shop, Ship and Share has lists of helpful things to buy and send to the troops. We got beef jerky, sunflower seeds and baby wipes for the kids to bring in to school for the program. Many locations participate, google to find locally! http://www.minnesotanationalguard.org/press_room/e-zine/articles/index.php?item=4518 ~ http://www.operationgratitude.com Check out for more ideas and programs happening to support our troops. ~Sending Halloween Candy to the troops, google the closest locations. We found a...