Ten Things of Thankful – Couldn’t Help Myself Edition
I couldn’t help myself.
Over the last couple of months, I’ve become so accustomed to looking for the positive moments in my weeks, that I couldn’t help but sit down on Friday night and start my TToT list.
But there’s no TToT linkup for an entire fortnight. Everybody has holiday things to do and that’s wonderful. But it is also sad because the TToT weekend linkup is just so extraordinary.
As a rule, I have a hard time just accepting the rules about things. So I decided to do my TToT anyway. My motivation wasn’t really about not following the rules; it was more about the fact that I had all these things to be thankful for and nowhere to go with them.
I am thankful that it is finally Christmas break! Does this really need explanation?
I am pretty happy that my position as a teacher allows for such things as snow days and holiday breaks off at the same time as my Kidzilla. Not all parents have that opportunity and it’s really not a bad thing.
Did I mention snow days? There isn’t a teacher on the planet who isn’t thankful for the occasional snow day. Even if it means you have to make it up somewhere else, there is something to be said for not having to go out and brave the elements in the cold, dark days of winter.
Kidzilla had a wonderful time being Student of the Week at school this week. She took her Fab Dad to school with her on Friday for parents’ day. This adds up to a couple of items for which I am thankful. First, that one of us was able to go. Sure, the reason the Hub was able to go in the first place is that he’s still going to school and working on this career change. But if the positive side is that he is available to go to school with Kidzilla for a parents’ day, I’m OK with that. He took his saxophone and played a few holiday tunes for the Kindergarten class and, as Zilla reported, “He was the hit of the school.”
I am thankful beyond measure that Zilla and her Fab Dad have such a great relationship. Not every kid has that and I am so grateful that they do. It’s a tough call to say who adores the other more.
Earlier this week, we secured a Christmas gift for Zilla that I know will absolutely delight her. She mentioned it with great enthusiasm and I know she will be completely surprised to find it under the tree Christmas morning – especially since she has such a simple wish list to begin with. So I’m pretty thankful to have procured precisely the right gift. I am also very thankful to have a guy like the Fab Hub who is willing to go out in the freezing cold and visit about four or five different stores to acquire precisely the right gift. And let’s be frank – the Fab Hub is Jewish, so this isn’t even his ballgame. But Zilla and I are so lucky to have a Fab Hub/Dad who is willing to celebrate with us and do all that he can to make our holiday wonderful.
On the subject of the Fab Hub, I would be remiss not to be thankful for the fact that he is tolerating my cleaning/organizing rampage project with only mild irritation and not outright animosity. He may not be Mr. Clean, but at least he’s supportive of my need to whip this place into shape.
I have to include thanks for a colleague here this week. Someone stopped me the other morning and told me they have been thinking of me a lot lately and praying for me as well. I can’t begin to imagine why she was or why she felt moved to say it. But it meant a lot and has prompted a lot of thinking on my part.
I think I speak safely for both of when I say that the Fab Hub and I are very thankful that Zilla seems to be making progress in the school behavior department. We’re seeing some positive results on the school assignments that are coming home, her daily behavior report papers, and her overall demeanor at home. This is a huge challenge for all of us and progress is progress. Baby steps are still steps. And we probably should also include an expression of thankfulness for the entire team of people that Zilla has working with and for her from family to school personnel and more. It really does take a village. Or in this case, perhaps an entire county.
I am thankful for the Fab Hub’s shoulder the other night. I had a quickie cry over something or other – can’t remember quite what – and I literally did it on his shoulder and he let me.
That feels like ten, so I’m going to go catch up on some other projects.
Check out the cool Renegade TToT Lizzi made for this week – I just knew I wasn’t the only one who wouldn’t be able to go without being thankful this winter fortnight. Or needing to be thankful. Either way, there is power in this thing. Join us, won’t you?
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Indeed not, my dear. I think this was perhaps even more necessary than the usual ones! Christmas heightens ‘stuff’ for a lot of people, both good and bad ‘stuff’. And it’s awesome to have this kind of outlet.
I’m so glad that Fab Hub’s flexibility and state of employ has allowed him to be more flexible and there for Zilla. There have been times over the past two years when I have been so, SO grateful for my non-earning, lazy-ass-student status, because it’s meant I could be there for my family and for Husby when I’ve been needed.
Glad he was able to be a shoulder for you to cry on.
And SO glad you broke the rules even before you knew about the linkie 😀
Heh – it’s what I do. 🙂
Sounds like such a wonderful relationship between father and daughter. My hubby is out with daughter Christmas shopping tonight. So I am home alone like Clark. He is shopping for me though. I love having his shoulder to cry on too. Merry Christmas and I wish you lots of joy this week. 😉
Hi, Mary! Thanks for coming by.
They really have a great thing going – they have so much fun together.
Hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with happiness! 🙂
so lets add one more quality to those of us who participate in this here bloghop here, does not seem to follow directions and (apparently) pretty comfortable breaking rules….sound about right?
I got a kick out of how many of us actually got, like a decent amount of the way into writing our Posts only to remember the hiatus…an decided to Post anyway.
which totally sounds like a Secret Rule (like maybe 7.3 or even 7.9) “…it is permissible to break rules provided other people of like spirit do the same, *without prior collaboration*
pretty cool hop our Mz Lizzi has created, no?
Sounds like a good Secret Rule to me! And it is a very cool hop, Clark – filled with people of like spirit who clearly think that way whether there’s supposed to be a link-up or not. I like. 🙂
I want a dad like that! And yes “rulebreakers rule!”
He really is the best.
Rulebreakers rule…that’s awesome, Zoe! 🙂
“The hit of the school” – that is cute. It’s so nice to know that our kids can be proud of us, too.
I hope Zilla always stays that proud of him.
I’m thankfull for the fact that you are such a rebel! And for Christmas break.
Hah – funny! Yes, I’m glad I was a rebel, too – it was good to do the list. And Christmas break is a well-needed respite.
Cracked up about the lifelong difficulty with rules! It is part of our bond! And isn’t it interesting how many people who are not great at rule following go into education where they spend their day enforcing rules? Punishment for our sin of disobedience perhaps?!
Please share with Fab Hub that I absolutely swooned at the thought of a little girl’s daddy playing his guitar for her classmates. I bet she felt like a star!
Haha – too true. I’ve often heard it said that teachers make the worst students. Probably a lot true!
Zilla thought it was just great to have her dad there “rocking out” as she said. Fab Hub said she could barely contain herself (but somehow managed to keep it together and not get herself in trouble.) And those are the things she’ll remember forever.
Lisa, a little rebellion every now and then makes life more interesting. Enjoy your break.
So it seems! I’ll try to remember that when it’s my daughter doing the rebelling… 🙂
Being a little bit of a renegade completes life, indeed! It’s good that you’ve got such a strong relationship with dad. Have a wonderful holiday break, and thanks for linking up with us! Merry Xmas!
Someone else said something very similar – guess breaking the rules isn’t always such a bad thing!
This is a wonderful link-up! And happy holidays to you, too! 🙂
He played Christmas tunes with his sax? The kids at school had to have loved that! And I find it wonderful. He really is a supportive dad and husband if, as a Jewish man, he has learned to even play Christmas music.
It makes me smile to see how many people missed the hop and did a list anyway. Wonderful thing we have going here.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
He played Christmas tunes on his sax, yes. And the kids absolutely loved it – so I’m told. I couldn’t be there, but I’m so glad he was there. He’s incredibly supportive – of both of us. Not only did he play Christmas tunes, he even took on-the-spot requests! That’s pretty gutsy.
It is a wonderful thing – tells me we have started a pattern of thinking that has become habit.
Merry Christmas to you, too! 🙂
Enjoyed reading your list. And love hearing about dads who are there for their kids. My husband was like that, too. And now that the kids are grown, he’s repeating it with the grandkids. I love watching him play with them.
Thanks, Patty. He’s a great dad, no doubt about it! Dads are important to kids, but SO important to little girls. I sometimes wonder if he has any idea how much of an impact he is making on Kidzilla’s life.
SO many renegades this weekend! All week long, I was thinking I am going to write one anyway…then, I found that I wasn’t the only one thinking that. Ends up though, that I had less time than I had anticipated & then when I had to the time to write a post, I was TOO TIRED. *sigh* But, I hope to link up sometime soon (even if it’s not the weekend anymore).
I love your list! Snow days and finding just the exact right gift for someone– both awesome!
I think Lizzi has the Renegade link live until after the holiday – link up when you find time!
I think I am more excited to give Zilla this gift than anything – she is going to be so surprised!
Have a lovely holiday! 🙂