After Wednesday's indignation and in honor of Thanksgiving (I know, it was yesterday.), here are a few things for which I am thankful.
1. My crazy children
Wednesday, my little familia went to a restaurant with my dad. My younger child threw a coffee cup at the wall (because I took her iced tea away after she flapped her fingers around in it for the second time) and broke the handle off. Â A few minutes earlier, she dropped its saucer on the floor and broke that.
Hello, we're the Ziegmonts, and we understand if you never want us to come back.
I feel like every other mother on the planet has a good handle on her children's behavior, and my children make serious mischief everywhere they go.
Nonetheless, I am thankful for their madness because they make my life interesting.
And because I enjoy the pity of strangers.
2. Allie is her own person.
Along the same lines, I am thankful that Allie is her own person with very strong opinions and desires.
She does not take no for an answer.
Ever.
I understand how she feels because I don't take no for an answer either. (Reference yesterday when I finally gave in and then came home and blabbed about the unfairness of it to the whole internet.)
Our mutual control freak tendencies cause some conflict between my child and I.
Nonetheless, I am so thankful that Allie is just like me because no one will ever push her around.
See below where she wouldn't even let her sister push her in the stroller.
She likes to be in control.
3. Warm days in November
I personally don't enjoy being outside. My kids love to be outside, so I take them.
Parenting requires sacrifice.
At least it's been warm enough that I could feel my fingers and toes during our long walks.
4. Sisterly admiration
I hit the sibling lottery with these two kids. They fight rarely, almost always over toys or parental affection. Their mutual adoration reaches a level I did not think possible.
Grace jumped up on Santa's knee, so Allie jumped up on Santa's knee.
When Allie runs around screaming, Grace runs around screaming.
When Grace plays in the river in November, Allie plays in the river in November.
And their mother stopped to take a picture before dragging them out of the cold water.
Don't judge her.
5. Grace is finally dressing herself.
Have you ever heard of learned helplessness? I'm pretty sure that's why Grace is unable to do many things.
Just blame it on her mother.
Thanks to my mother's helper (a teen who comes over to play with the girls while I work), Grace is now able to dress herself in outfits like that little number above.
I may feel the need to tell strangers that she dressed herself, but at least she's doing it without my help.
6. My guy won the election.
Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Don't hate me because I'm a Democrat. We can still be friends.
7. Lunches with Grandma
We've been going out to lunch with my mom a lot lately. I should probably save my pennies and feed the children at home, but I'm not going to.
So that's that.
I took this picture of Grace at Taco Bell after we ran into my mom at the voting booth.
8. Grace is a goofball.
You'd never know it (or maybe you would), but I'm a little uptight about Grace's goofiness. I totally accept her for who she, but I get a little embarrassed when we are in public.
For a long time, Grace would only wear her coat if it was backwards. She wanted the zipper to be in the back. She regularly wears her shoes on the wrong feet on purpose.
She wears stickers on her face. She sticks her tongue out during photos. She chooses crazy outfits and dances crazy dances.
My sister would probably tell you about the green and white striped shirt that I wore backwards when I was in the sixth grade and how I wore mismatched socks all the time on purpose, but I don't know what she would be talking about.
I have no idea where Grace gets this strange behavior.
9. I am home with my children.
I am thankful to be home with my crazy children every. single. day. Even the ones that suck.
Some days, my husband works late, and I am behind in my job, and the dining room floor is crusty, and laundry is piling up all over the place, and the toilet smells bad, and fruit flies buzz in the kitchen, and I am still grateful to be braving the madness at home with my babies.
10. My tacky tablecloth
Remember my tacky tablecloth? Well, I'm thankful for it.
If I didn't have that tacky tablecloth, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting this budding artist paint with reckless abandon.
As you might imagine, when she paints, she paints everything.
And she wants to paint every single day.
At least she gets a bath every day. Unlike her sister who believes herself to be allergic to soap.
 11. My kids feel free to explore their curiosity.
When I saw this (at a pottery studio), I laughed.
I'm not sure exactly what interested her about this toilet. Maybe she'd never seen one that clean before.
Curiosity leads to learning.
Maybe she'll be an engineer some day.
12. I'm not a germophobe.
Obviously.
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