30 Days of Thankful 2013 | Share your Thanks and Enter to Win a $10 Starbucks Giftcard

Here’s an ongoing list of all the things I am thankful for.  I’m adding one each day.  Leave a comment on the post to be entered to win a $10 Starbucks giftcard!  (giveaway details below…)

The first thing that I am thankful for makes everything else I’m thankful possible….

1.  I am most thankful for my relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  For without Him, and His sacrifice, I would have nothing to truly be thankful for.

2.  The second thing I am thankful is my mother.  She was the closest thing to an angel I’ll ever know this side of heaven.  She’s the one responsible for the relationship I have with Christ.  And she’s the reason that I am who am I today.  I miss her terribly- 5o is just too young to leave this earth – but I am grateful that she was able to teach me everything I needed to know about being a Christian, a good person, a mother, and a wife  in the 24 short years that she got to be my mom.  And I’m thankful that I listened most of the time…..

3.  I am thankful for my husband.  For the past 12+ years we’ve progressed from a blind date to high school sweethearts to husband and wife to mom and dad.  It’s been quite a journey but I’m thankful we’ve made it!  So many of our peers, others our age, others that met/married young like we did, they did not make it this far.  I’m glad we’re still by each others side.

4. I am so very, very thankful for the miracle that I didn’t think we were going to get.  And that’s my son.  My precious, beautiful, loving, amazing, inspiring, adorable, smart, energetic, little boy.   The last five years have been a privilege, a joy, a battle, a triumph, a thrill, a struggle and an adventure. They have been exciting, exhausting, exhilarating and emotional.   I wouldn’t change a single moment of it! I ♥ being mom to my little “Bug”.

5.  I am thankful for all my family.  My dad who is always there for his “little girl”.  (specifically today, since he’s coming over to fix our broken dryer!)  My step-mom who has been a great addition to our family.  My terrific big brother and my amazing sister-in-law who is the mother of my FOUR beautiful nieces and ONE adorable nephew + another one on the way!

6. Today I’m thankful for good in-laws.  They are hard to come by but my husband’s dad and step-mom are good to us and good to Bug.  For two straight seasons, they’ve been to every one of his soccer games except one.  They take us out to lunch after every game.  They drop everything and come over to babysit when we need them too and last night they treated us to a trip to the carnival.  They love their grandson and don’t mind the hour round-trip drive to come see him regularly and be a part of his life.

7.  I am thankful for my “day job” as a preschool teacher.  That I’m able to spend four mornings a week getting to be a kid!  Not many people get to go to work and “play” but I do.  I love children.  I love watching them learn and grow and laugh.

8.  I am thankful for my “nights and weekends job” – this blog!  I’m thankful that it has allowed me to fulfill a dream of not having to work 40 hours a week outside the home (2 years ago I cut back to 16 hours a week at my “day job” at the preschool).  I’m thankful that I’ve been able to take the last 2 summers off to spend with my so.  I’m thankful that working on Fridays is  no longer getting up at 6:30am and working from 7:30-5:30.  It’s now sitting on the couch in my pajamas and blogging while watching my son build his LEGO creations.

9.  I’m thankful for YOU!  (Yes, you!)  I am thankful for every person reading this right now.  You’re the reason this blog is successful!!

10. I am thankful for our home that Hubs and I were able to purchase shortly after we were married.  We are blessed to have a place to call home that is comfortable, affordable and ours.

11.  Veteran’s Day – you don’t have to look far to find something to be thankful for today!  I’m thankful for all veterans and active military for all they have done for our country.  We’re celebrating today by spending the day with our favorite veteran – my Dad.

12.   I am thankful that my husband has a good, steady, secure job.  After almost 2 years of job uncertainty and bouncing through a few jobs, finally, he found where he needs to be.

13.  Today I am thankful for sunshine and fall days.  It was a beautiful day.  :)

14. I am thankful for coupons!  And no, I’m not being silly.  Coupons have allowed me to carry my family through tight times, connect with other people, make new friends and be a better steward of the money God has blessed my family with.

15.  Today I am thankful for the little things that we so often take for granted.  A warm coat, decent shoes, clean clothes, running water, things that too many people don’t have.  A comfortable bed, a bathroom and a hot shower.  I really could go on.  I thought this morning as I was waking up, how many things I touch/use in the first 10 minutes after I get up each day that some people don’t have access too in their entire life.  Electricity that powers my alarm clock.  My cell phone that I reach for as soon as my feet it the floor.  Slippers, in case it’s cold when my feet hit that floor.  Remember the little things today.

16.  Today I am thankful for good health.  Bug had his 5 year check up yesterday and he is perfect.  None of us have any real health issues and other than his well-visit yesterday, Bug hasn’t been to the doctor all year!   We’ve all been remarkably well this year.  And for that I am thankful!

17. Today, I am thankful for my church.  I am thankful that I have the freedom to go to church.  I am thankful for a place to worship and a place that teaches my son, even as young as he is, the word of God.

18.  Today I am thankful to be able to give back through couponing.  Yesterday at church, we dropped off our NINE Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes.  I shop all year long for these boxes so I spend very little.  I fill them with cheap or free items I find.  I let Bug help more this year.  We went to Dollar Tree and he got to pick out a stuffed animal for each box and balls for the boy boxes.  I took a lot of explaining (often repeating the same concepts over and over) for him to understand what we were doing.  It was hard for him to understand that kids around the world don’t have the same comforts, blessings and toys that he does.  And he thought all our boxes were going to one child.  I had to explain to him that the kids would only be getting ONE box and it would be the ONLY present they got for Christmas.  Bless his heart, he couldn’t understand why we couldn’t send bigger toys or more than one box to each child.  So thankful for his sweet, caring heart!  (I know, I know, that’s two thankfuls in one day….but if you’ve ever packed a shoebox for the OCC program, you’ll be reminded of LOTS of things you have to be thankful for!)

19.  Today I am thankful for friends.  I have had several conversations through out the day today with friends.  I’m thankful for each and every one of them.  The friends in my life come from so many different walks of life, I met them in many different ways and we’re all friends for different reasons.  Which is the way friendship should be.  Each friend you have, you have for a different reason.  They bring something to your life that you’re lacking and you contribute something to their life they are lacking.

20.  Today I am thankful for the privilege of living in America.  Despite our faults and the downward spiral the nation is taking, it’s still the greatest country to live in.  And I can only hope and pray that things will turn upward soon.

21.  Today I am thankful that the weekend is coming.  LOL

22. Today my thankful is geared towards OCC again.  This afternoon I volunteered at our church, which is a drop off site for OCC boxes.  I spent 2 hours unloading boxes that people dropped off and packing them in cartons to be loaded up and sent off to Atlanta to one of the distribution centers.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to help!  It’s a privilege to be a small part of this HUGE ministry.  And the thought that each one of the hundreds (literally, HUNDREDS) of boxes I had my hands on today will go all around the world to needy children.

23.  Today I am thankful (again) for good in laws.   (see #6)  I know I’m cheating by repeating myself but my in-laws took us to Toys R Us and let my little guy run amok picking toys for Christmas.  Then they went back through and loaded up a cart of what seemed like everything he said he wanted.  Christmas is going to be tight for us this year and this was such a blessing for them to be willing to “spoil” him like this.

24.  Today I am thankful for the magic of Christmas!  We took Bug to see Santa at Bass Pro Shops.  We rode the carousel, made a craft, and of course, got a picture with Santa.  Bug is SO excited.  It’s so fun to watch Christmas through the eyes of a child!

25.  Today I am thankful for free wi-fi at Chick-fil-A.  :)  Bug is playing and I’m working.

26.  Today I am thankful for a Christian environment to work in.  Today we had a special chapel service and a Thanksgiving feast for our students and their families.  It’s one of my favorite things at work every year, second only to Christmas party day.

27.  I am thankful for time with friends, for both me and Bug.  We had a play day at my best friend’s house and her son is Bug’s best friend too.  It was a good day.

28.  Today I am thankful for Thanksgiving!  For good food, family time and many, many blessings!

29.  Today I’m thankful for shopping!  I’m thankful to have the means to get out and purchase our (modest!) Christmas gifts in one big trip and be done so I can relax and enjoy the rest of the season without worrying about getting the perfect gift.

30.  Today I am thankful for memories, both past and those that are being made.  This is a time of year that I reflect a lot on the memories of my mom and what holidays were like when she was around.  And I treasure the memories I’m making with my son.  It’s a bittersweet time of year and I’m thankful I have the sweet memories to remember.

What are you thankful for today?

Leave a comment below telling us what you are thankful for.  At the end of the month I will randomly select one commenter to WIN a $10 Starbucks giftcard.

Please read carefully:
ONE Comment per person per day.  Duplicate comments will be deleted
You do not have to comment every day to qualify but each day is an extra entry.
Your comment is your entry.  You can comment every day for a total of 30 entries.   Please make your comments relevant to the post.  Post one thing you are thankful for.
U.S. entries only.
Post will be closed to new comments on 11:59pm cst 11/30/13.

Giveaway is not sponsored buy or affiliated with Starbucks.  I have personally purchased the prize for this giveaway.

Good luck!