Grateful for School Holidays :)

As I start a new week I am grateful for many things :)  
1.  The fact that I hopefully have my blogging mojo back and can regularly join in on The Grateful Project :)  Held every Monday over at Simoneys blog 2.  Time to clean up my house we had fun last week however my house was very much neglected.  Billy was saying last night that Daniel should help me clean it up as he helped make the mess - toys everywhere in the lounge!!  I normally do get Daniel to help me have a tidy up before bed (during the school term).  We were on holiday though.   3.  All the great weather in the 2nd week of the holidays :)

4.  The fact that the first week of the holidays was the week when my tooth played havoc and I was able to deal with that before Daniel came home from his dads.  (He spent the first week of the holidays with his dad) 5.  The fact that although I lost a very important document - my Kea program planning - I was able to reconstruct the document really quickly last night.   6.  Mostly I am grateful that my goal to give Daniel a F U N week was achieved.  I am grateful that I got to spend this time with him.  I really only get to spend from after school to bed time with him 4 days a week.  The rest of the time hes at school or at his dads for the weekends.  Not that Id have our custody arrangement any different.  I like the fact that I get to take him to school most days and do his homework with him most afternoons.  Id homeschool him if I could though (his father would never allow it).  He doesn't like school

He was awesome with all the walking he did (18.7 kms in 8 days) and exercise he got when he rode his bike in excessive of 4.7 kms in one day.  I love all the learning that took place - what 2 local landmarks were significant for in the early history of New Zealand.  And how one trip to one of these places lead to the other place - an extension of learning.  The new experiences he had:-  discovering new places within our town, I think of the extension we walked at the Estuary, the Maori Pa; the opportunity to go on the newish junior bike track; the fact that he showed courage when he climbed up the climbing wall at school and he pointed out to me yesterday that hed never been on the water slides alone before.  The fact that he felt sick briefly (actually ot the point of throwing up) didnt stop him from experiencing and using a voucher he got at school last term to explore the Aquarium, where again he showed great courage - he wasnt sure about putting in his hand in the exhibits that allowed but tried anyway :)  I also LOVED the playing he did with natural resources :)  

The top two photos in this set are of the Estuary and the Conservation building 

the photo of Daniel with the stick and trig was up Bluff Hill and he was using mathematical skills :)
Lastly I like the way that he can make friends with other kids he doesnt even know :)   
heres to the next holidays :)  I cant wait!!  
     

The Grateful Project

For this post Im linking up with Simone – of ‘Greatfun4kids’ – who has started a new linky, called ‘The Grateful Project’.   Click on the button at the end of the post :)  I found this right when I needed it :)  Thanks to Sarah :)  Today has been good :)  Ill share that in a minute.  Tonight however just before finding this I had a jolly big cry.  

I have a distant cousin in the UK.   She is like a mum to me :)  I call her MaMeg.  She loves me unconditionally :) Shes been very sick since the end of April.  Shes slowly improving.  Shes in a nursing home.  She is hopeful of getting home one day :)  We use to email and Facebook regularly its been hard not having that contact.  Ive sent her letters and cards and have no idea yet whether she got them.  Tonight my sister sent me cellphone number.  Its very hard when we are both estranged from our parents.  I think its been one of the reasons the communication and not knowing whats happening with MaMeg has been very poor.  I emailed her and she emailed me back :)  :)  It was hard to know what to say.  I told her I loved her and was praying for her :)  I hope to send more emails from now on :)  I think I will just tell her things that are going on in my life :)  

Also grateful to MaMegs neighbour who took this photo just 6 hours ago :)

So what else has made today good.

Well, this morning I cleaned up my younger sons playroom and made a 1/4 of the room a place to dry washing.  (He mainly plays in the lounge anyway).  This is one of the sunniest rooms in the house.  Last week I was trying to dry washing in the lounge not so easy.  Then I still had time to clean up my office (boy did it need it!!).  I didnt think I was going to be able to do both rooms but I did :)

This month I am taking part in a facebook photo challenge.  Todays prompt was to take a photo of a street.  So late this afternoon I drove over to the street.  When I got to the road I saw a rabbit who was considering crossing the road.  I parked the car and jumped out and approached it.  It hopped down a driveway so I followed it.  I started door knocking.  No one was at home at any of the houses I tried.  Then the rabbit got the fright of its life when a dog parked at it.  I caught him.  Then across the road I saw a lady and her arrive home.  I asked them if they knew anyone that owned a rabbit.  She didnt.  However we took a closer look at the collar he had round his neck and discovered a name tag and phone number.  She rang it and it seems I had been door knocking in the wrong direction.  The owners lived about 3 doors in the opposite direction to the way I had searching.  They came and got him.  Peanuts was so big and fluffy.  I had a lovely cuddle with him as I relocated his owners :) 

Thanks Simone for this project it helps to focus on the things that make us grateful :)

Grateful

Things Im Grateful For Today

A problem solved while taking my shower this morning - do some of my best thinking there 

A friend at school whom told Daniel I was looking for him 

Thus he was able to put his uniform on before the bell rang 

 - I bring Daniels uniform to school on a Monday
I brought all of it and dont trust his father not to lose bits

Being able to limit the houses I dropped catalogues off to this week
Im going away for the long weekend so needed to take that into consideration and it also looks like Ill be teaching Billy all this week - his reader/writer has had a death in the family 

Being able to do some printing for Wednesdays nights Keas activity easily
trust me this isnt always the way :)

And because it didnt take anywhere as long as I thought it might I was able to gift my remaining meter time to the lady in the car in front of me - she had just arrived as I was leaving so I told her to reserve and take my space :)

The understanding office receptionist at school whom clear things with the headmaster for me

- because I am going away for the weekend and want to dress Daniel in mufti for the day on Friday so his dad wont take the uniform to his house

the office receptionist is a lot cooler in my opinion than Daniels class room teacher this year

My daughter for telling me about Aloe Vera Gel
Its making a world of difference already  :)
-  contrary to what docs might say when you have too much roughage you will get piles brought this certain type of muesli and well need I say more  

Friends who care and love me spending time with Daniel watching TV and playing with the ring tones on my phone before he went to bed tonight - I miss him on the weekends

Billy who washes the dishes each night for me 

An early night :)