\\Thankful Thursday Vol. 7//

I'm feeling all sorts of discombobulated with the NaBloPoMo going on, and with the short work week.

That's right. After two weeks off from school, I was granted 2 extra days to stay home with my two main men. The temperatures dipped so long (and the windchills even lower!) that schools across the state of Minnesota were canceled on both Monday and Tuesday.

And so, here I am, marveling in how quickly this week flew by.

I find that it is impossibly easy to get into a rut of negativity. And once you're there, it's hard to climb your way out. Writing down my thankfuls for each week has become a way to stay away from the negative. Feel free to leave your thankfuls in the comments.

This week, I am thankful for...

...two extra days off from school. It was so delightful to stay home with my boys and lay low. It was so cold here that we didn't even leave the house on Monday. On Tuesday, we made the trip to our local community center to play in the pool. Little mister LOVES splashing in the water during bath time. While it took him a good 20 minutes to observe the community center pool, he was splashing and playing and laughing and talking up a storm.

...my observant little boy. We have noticed that, while Kid is an outgoing character, it takes him a little while to warm up. When walking into a room/building/house full of new people, he is a quiet and mellow little boy. Once he warms up, though. Oh man, there is no stopping him! It is so fun to see the characteristics that he has from both his dad and I. I am excited to see what other characteristics and personality traits we start to notice.

...time away from school, period. Don't get me wrong. I love my job. To pieces. It is such a wonderful thing that I get to walk into that room each morning and greet 20 smiling faces. 20 little people that are so excited to learn. 20 munchkins that think I am the coolest thing since sliced bread (can you tell I teach kindergarten?). But time away makes me appreciate it so much more. I teach those 20 buddies all day long. Reading. Writing. Math. Coat zipping. Shoe tying. Working nicely with friends. Playing nicely with everyone. Respect. Responsibility. It's a big job. And it takes a lot of energy. So when I am granted those two weeks for winter break, oh, how wonderful it is. And I know, I know. Parents can get stressed with all of their munchkins at home. It always works both ways.

What are you thankful for this week?