Lazy day

Gratitude is riches, complaint is poverty. ~ Doris Day

As mentioned on Friday, Bennett went to Sam's house after school. While there they made plans for a sleep over last night! Bennett is continually thankful for his friends (Sam, Cam, & Fritz) and he is particularly thankful that he got to go on a sleepover. They played hours of Fortnight, watched 3 of the 4 Hunger Games movies and made lots of memories. When Chris picked him up this morning he smelled like blueberry waffles! He's wishing he could do that every Saturday/Sunday!! I am thankful he took a 3 1/2 hour nap this afternoon. I'm sure fun was had, but he was crabby this afternoon. At one point he got mad at me because I said he couldn't arrange another hang out with his friends 2 hours after he had just spent the last 18 hours with them. He went to his room to pout and ended up falling asleep.

I spent a lot of my day today reading two of my book club books and I am thankful have the time to do that. I definitely could have cleaned the bathroom or organized the shelves downstairs, but some leisure time was needed and appreciated! I got the book (Less by Andrew Sean Greer) for ClitsNotes done and got a huge start on the one (The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin) for BonBons and Books. Because of a scheduling conflict last week I have both this week!

Continuing on the theme of a lazy Sunday, Harrison is thankful for the day off. He didn't have to meet with his study group today and this was the first Sunday he didn't have soccer. He spent the day doing some homework, playing some Xbox and generally just lazing around.

Welcome to the weekend

Each day I am thankful for nights that turn into mornings, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality, and likes that turned into love.

Today brought the last day of birthday celebrations for me. Claudia and Annabelle picked me up around 9:00 and we went and got coffee and then got our nails done. It was a great birthday present! I really can't be more thankful to have them in my life. It was a relaxing morning and it made me wish we could do it every Saturday morning!

Bennett is thankful for Get Air. He is planning to spend the night at Sam's this evening with Cam and Fritz, but the boys just couldn't wait to start the fun. Harrison is a fan of Get Air as well and so we loaded into the car and headed out. We met Fritz, Cam, Sam, Veda, Maggie, & Frances at the trampoline park and they jumped for an hour and a half. I left (Fritz's dad, Nate stayed) and did a little birthday shopping for Harrison so it turned out to be a successful afternoon for me too!

Harrison got asked to babysit for the Lorentzen's again and he very excited to do so. He loves those kids and because of the way I have taken care of them all their lives, it seems like they are even closer than cousins. He is very thankful that he is old enough to be able to babysit them on his own. And I know Claudia and Andy are thankful for him!

Because both of our kids we out of the house, Chris and I decided to do a last minute dinner date. We had a Louie's Wine Dive gift certificate that we have been wanting to use. I have been there lots of times with friends but Chris had never been so he's thankful to have checked that off his list. We had a nice time and the food was great. Chris thought our dinner portions were a little small (I had short ribs and he had chicken and dumplings) but it wasn't that big of a deal until the waitress brought me my dessert. The dessert was massive and actually made us laugh out loud. It was absolutely delicious and we could not get it all eaten.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding 😋

TGIF

We must find the time to stop and thank the the people who make a difference in our lives. ~ John F. Kennedy

I am continually grateful for those who work on elections. And currently, the top of that list includes the officials and volunteers that are working in Florida, Georgia and Arizona. Of course I want the final counts to be in the democrats favor (Stacey Abrams is a badass, Andrew Gilliam is amazing and Rick Scott needs to fall off the radar...) but I also truly believe that in races that are this close, they should do everything they can to get it right. And after weeks of attack ads, constant news coverage and assaults on my mailbox I just want this to be over. But there are really good people out there still working to make the system work and I am thankful. I aspire to be able to volunteer my time someday if needed.

Harrison is in a Language Arts class this year that has assigned some really tough and great books. They are currently reading and analyzing Fahrenheit 451. He loves it and has taken notice that he really enjoys the dystopian novel genre. He has 6 or 7 of them on his birthday/Christmas list! While discussing the book this morning, he said he was very thankful that we live in a world with books because it is weird and scary to read about a place that not only doesn't place value on books but also seeks to destroy them.

Bennett is thankful to have been able to go hang out at another friends house this afternoon/evening. He even ended up staying late and having pizza for dinner. I am thankful he has such a great group to surround himself with.

Christopher is thankful that it is Friday, Let's get this weekend started - first order of business - PIZZA!

Thirsty Thursday

If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share. ~ W. Clement Stone

Bennett has been waiting for 2 weeks to miss school today! He is a member Leaders of the Pride and this is a club at middle school that works on bringing school spirit and pride to all of their classmates. To be in the club, students need to demonstrate leadership in all areas and get signatures from all of their teachers and their parents to prove that they do the work everyday to be an exemplary student. Today this club got the opportunity to go to the Iowa Wild hockey game during school hours. They left on a bus at 9:00 and the game started at 10:30. From the pictures and videos that Bennett took it seems like they had a 'wild' time and he was very thankful to be able to go with his friends and get a day away from school. On a side note, the transition from the year-round calendar in elementary school to the tradition calendar has been fairly seamless, but this was a reminder that everyone needs a random break every once in awhile.

Harrison and I went winter coat shopping this evening. He has two giant winter coats so it really is being a bit privileged to think that he needs another one, but the truth is, neither of these coats fit in his locker! Definitely a first world problem to have... but we are going to donate one or both of his other coats to the Callanan Closet next week and we will both feel good about that. There are lots of kids/families at his school that have 'one use bias.' This is when you think that it is unnecessary to own things that only have one use. Why buy a coat when I can buy a blanket that I can wear as a coat, use as bedding and also use as a table cloth, etc.  This way of thinking is not wrong, especially when you have a very limited income. I'm very thankful that we are able to donate to the boys schools in lots of different ways and I am super thankful that my children are growing up knowing that people come from all walks of life and with that brings different perspectives on what is important. He didn't come home with a new coat as $220+ is out of our price range but we did get a good idea of his size and what style he likes. I found a coat on ll bean.com and it was 25% off. Bonus!!

After coat shopping we hit Target and Fresh Thyme. He knew we were getting honey crisp apples ($.99 a lb! Bonus!) at Fresh Thyme so he threw some caramel dip in the cart. I rarely say yes to that kind of thing, but it felt like a good treat for us all after dinner. He is thankful that I said yes and for the apples. Honey Crisp are also usually too expensive so it's a real treat when we can find them on sale.

Christopher is thankful for tater tots! I made a large pork roast at the beginning of the week and we have been switching up the sides all week to accompany the roast for dinner. Tonight was sweet potato fries for me and tater tots for the boys.

P.S. It's Thirsty Thursday - aka - water the plants day in the Neipert household! 😜

Wisconsin

I love hearing old songs I used to love. They're like memories you can always go back to.

I am thankful for Pandora music. I have several stations programed into the app and I stream them through my tv on Apple TV. One of my favorite stations is Throwback Dance Party. But tonight I was listening to The Beastie Boys Radio. I love listening to The Beastie Boys. I was never their biggest fan - I didn't love them nor hate them - just not always my thing. But, Kara adored and revered them. So it seems like we were always listening to them. And now, whenever I hear a particular song I am transported back in time to when my bestie and I were together, laughing and just being in the moment. The above quote could not be more true and more loved.

Harrison traveled to Plattville, Wisconsin (University of Wisconsin-Platteville) today for a math competition with 134 other students from around the metro. He seemed pretty excited, but the timing was a little bad. He had already missed most of Tuesday to go to honor band and now he missed the whole day today for this. Missing school isn't in the top 5 of Harrison's favorite activities. He gets a little stressed about being 'off schedule.' Regardless, he said that he had a good time but I could tell that he didn't have the experience he was hoping for. They had to take an individual test and he only got 1 out of 10. His friends all got 2, 3, or 4 correct. Harrison's personality is such that he doesn't have to be number one at everything, but coming in last is not an option he is fond of. I guess this can be said for most people, but he was pretty disappointed. At one point, dropping his accelerated math class was brought up. 😳 I know this is all part of his process, and honestly, it was and is part of mine, I just wish I was better at helping him through it. For the team competition, his group came out top of their bus. There was some redemption in that! And even though his trip wasn't as successful as he thought it would be he was still thankful for math. Thank goodness!

Christopher is thankful to get the last of the chili for his lunch. It's our 3rd pot of chili in the last 5 weeks or so. It's such a fall/winter staple and thankfully we all love it!

Bennett is thankful that he was able to step and help someone at school today. He said it was a small thing, but someone sitting next to him in art class needed a marker and had asked a friend to borrow one. The friend didn't act like much of a friend and Bennett offered his marker for the classmate to use. I am proud of Bennett. He has always been shy and especially when I am around. I would love to be a fly on the wall to see him in his 'natural environment!'

Tuneful Tuesday

Be thankful for the music-makers -- the people who lift their voices in joy. They make our world a more joyful, less silent place. 

Harrison is thankful for band. Today he spent 7 hours rehearsing for SCIBA Honor Band. This is the South Central Iowa Band Association and it's a pretty big deal. They had to try out in October and only 2 8th graders from Callanan Middle School made the band. And Harrison was the only one that made the top (blue) band. To say we are proud is an understatement. He said that he had a great day, made some new friends and learned a new musical interval called a tritone. They performed 4 songs for us and I actually got chills and teared up a bit when they played The Bonsai Tree by Julie Giroux. It was such a moving piece. I am thankful for their conductor this evening. Her name is Jennifer Williams (assistant director of bands at Ankeny High) and when she went through past selections of Blue Honor Band music, she noticed that the band had never played a piece by a woman composer. So she four pieces composed by four different women. Women supporting and fighting for women. YES!

Christopher is focused on the weather lately. He was very thankful that it was snowing in Minnesota and not Iowa. I think he is being premature in his thankfulness as we are forecasted to get an inch and a half by Friday. Boooooooo.

Bennett spent the afternoon at Fritz' house and even forgot about having to go to Harrison's band performance. He asked if he could stay until 6:45. Uh, no. That's missing dinner so even if we didn't have plans... tweens... But he is thankful for his friendships and the ability to go to his friends houses after school. I'll be honest, the extra 2 1/2 hours of quiet, alone time in the house was amazing!

Manic Monday

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough. ~ Melody Beattle

Slow news day in the Neipert household. I made meatloaf and baked potatoes for dinner so you could say that the day was amazing just because of... Mmmmm... meatloaf. Chris is thankful for Meatloaf Monday. And leftover Tuesday.

Bennett is thankful for Frances. She has been spending a lot more time inside as the weather has been cold and rainy off and on the last couple weeks. Which means extra cuddles for us all. And, I have seen a mouse in house on two separate occasions. Traps have been set and Frances knows it's here. She sits and stares at one of the registers and we also see her sitting and staring at the cabinets in the kitchen. Having an old house means having the occasional mouse. But, ick. Kill the mouse, kitty. Kill the mouse.

Harrison is thankful for having the chance to go to a school where he feels valued. Today was scheduling day for the 2019 - 2020 school year. FRESHMAN YEAR. Omg, I'm going to lose my mind. How is this happening?? Anyway, during directed study (fancy name for study hall) a junior came in and answered the students questions. Harrison really appreciated the fact that he came out and really paid attention to each question they had. So cool.

I'm thankful for my boys. They are sitting at the table with me and that are working on birthday cards for little Harrison. He turns one tomorrow and these cards are sure to be keepers. Bennett is working on a pencil portrait of little Harrison and my Harrison is doing one of his famous acrostic poems. Love, love.

Sunday Funday

When a person doesn't have gratitude, something is missing from his or her humanity. ~ Elie Wiesel

Planning for this week has been a little more interesting than most. Harrison misses two consecutive days of school and one of those days takes him out of state. With the weather changing there is the added stress of having enough clothing without overburdening him with TOO MUCH STUFF! And Bennett misses a day of school as well. Busy tween/teens.

Bennett is thankful for breakfast at Smokey Row this morning. And frankly, he should be! HA! Harrison & I were getting ready to go to Smokey Row - him to do homework and me to plan for the week when Bennett said "I want to go too!" Now, this is understandable, but not really what we were planning for. Bennett didn't want to bring his book, he had no homework and was basically just there for the food. He has a long habit of wanting to tag along anywhere there is going to be food. (That's an insider tip on how to become his best friend.) He said he still wanted to go and that he would bicycle home. I wasn't super hip on this as it was cold and rainy. But he got all layer up and told me he would be fine and blah blah blah, I conceded. The one thing he forgot was gloves. Chris said when he got home, he couldn't even feel his hands. Lesson learned for him. And he also got a bubble bath out of the deal. Pampered babe. Breakfast out and a spa day. My kind of Sunday. I didn't get a picture of the spoiled one, but I did get a couple studious photos of the teenager. If I could just freeze time...

Saw me with the camera

Analysis of Fahrenheit 451

Harrison had his last soccer game of the season today. They lost 3 -1 to a very tough (and overly aggressive) Knoxville team but it was really fun to watch them play. This is the first year Harrison has played with this coach, Mark Hollister, but he has been playing with 5 of the guys for over 4 years (two of them for 6 years). He is thankful to be part of such a fun group.

Northwest U16

Bennett & I watched the game from the comfort of my warm van and I am very thankful for that. It was cloudy, 41 degrees and very windy. Chris sat out on the sidelines for the first half (40 minutes) and then came into the van to warm up. He never went back out!

Election Day for the midterms is coming up on Tuesday and Chris is thankful for the opportunity to vote (out the Republicans) and also for the constant ads to stop. They are non-stop this year. They always are, but when it comes down to crunch time and you have seen the adds over and over already, it really is enough to make you pull out your hair. It takes a lot of deep breathing and remembering to be thankful that we even have the opportunity to vote.

Bohemian Rhapsody

The more you are in a state of gratitude, the more you will attract things to be grateful for.  ~ Walt Disney

A full on cold and rainy day for Des Moines today. Thankfully, we had a movie planned for the afternoon and "YEAH" cleaning for the morning. I promised Harrison that once we got the general house chores done we would get his room deep cleaned and rearranged. A few weeks ago, my parents brought up a 'new to Bennett' bed frame so Bennett's room was deep cleaned and rearranged and ever since, Harrison has wanted his room done. It feels so good to get a room really clean and after it's been rearranged it looks almost new. Harrison is really happy with it and thankful for my help. While Harrison and I were attending to his room, Bennett got his drawing case out and worked on a pencil drawing of a koala. He is thankful for his drawing time and his drawing case.

After lunch, Harrison went to the mall with some of his friends. This was his first 'trip to the mall' and it cracked Chris and I up because it is just such a teenager thing to do. We will see if this becomes a thing or not. Another thing that Harrison was thankful for was the Chick-Fil-A that he got while at the mall. That is a place that we usually steer clear of for moral and political reasons, but I do agree with Harrison - "They have great chicken!"

Chris, Bennett and I headed to Old Navy - Bennett was in need of some jeans that did not have giant holes in the knees. We were lucky to get him outfitted with a couple pairs but we were unlucky to have to stand in the checkout line for 20 minutes. Boy there were a ton of people shopping today!

The movie that we choose to see was Bohemian Rhapsody. It is the 'based on the true story' story of Queen and specifically, Freddie Mercury. It was hard not to love the movie. The music is obviously spectacular and the story was sad but wonderfully told. I think they took some liberties with how some of the narrative went, but that's the movies. Overall, it was great and we would highly recommend it to anyone. Christopher and I were both thankful that we got to see it and that it was on the ok side of PG-13 for Bennett to see. It's nice to expand our family movie outings beyond the cartoons!

Friday

The best team isn't the team with the best players, but the team that plays the best together.

The forecast was spot on as we woke up to rainy skies this morning. And most of the day has been cloudy. It totally feels like soup weather which is why there was a big pot of chili on the stove this evening!

Being an Iowa State Alum, I often get promotional offers via email. A couple of months ago, I received an email stating that Naz Mitrou-Long would be playing for his team (Salt Lake City Stars) when they came to Wells Fargo to play our local Iowa Wolves. We got tickets because 'IT'S NAZ!" and I asked our friends, The Seitz's to join us as well. Jamie wasn't able to attend but Scott and 3 of their kids (Ella, Cam & Maggie) joined us. Since it is the season home opener for the Wolves there was extra excitement at the game. They had 3 different dance teams perform during the quarter breaks and at half time Sergey and Sasha of America's Got Talent fame performed. They are a crazy acrobatic father/daughter duo who are amazing. It was a fun show to watch for sure. Bennett (going to the game), Harrison (Dippin Dots) & Chris' (funnel cake) thankfulness all came from the game tonight. A good time was had by all!!

Dippin' Dots all around

Cam getting a noogie from Alpha

Alpha, Cam & Bennett

The big bummer of the night was that Naz wasn't there. Sad, sad face. In his defense, he has put in a lot of hard work and got called up to the Utah Jazz so congrats to him! That is also where Georges Niang plays so they are teammates once more. Last year when we went to see this game, Niang was there and that was amazing. It's just really fun being a Cyclone and celebrating the athletes that are making it in the big time. This game was fun as well, but the joy of watching a Cyclone alum was definitely missing. I don't love G-League basketball. College hoops is my go to for a great game (of course that doesn't include how wrong I feels the NCAA treats players, but that is a whole different conversation). G-League games often seem like individual showboating to get noticed for that big NBA call up. And I understand that but, it doesn't always make for the great of basketball. Tonights game was pretty good though. The Wolves got their bums handed to them by a talented Stars team, but ya can't win em all.

My thankfulness comes from one of my littles today. Harrison Booth is almost 1 and he is just learning to walk. In the last couple of days he has made some real strides (pun intended). It is so cute to watch the way he side steps, gives up, tries again, etc. I am so thankful that I get to see him work through this next step of his life. It makes me want to go find a couple of videos of H & B taking their first steps. #weekendgoals

Thankful

Be happy for what you have while working for what you want.  ~ Helen Keller

I continue to be thankful everyday for the people and joy around me. Honestly, the political climate is really wearing and everyday some new challenge arises that both shocks me and makes me sad. I am extra thankful to again be doing my thankfulness blog this year because it will be a daily reminder of what we can all be thankful for and it can bring hope to my soul. Maybe I can keep the blogging up all year... maybe.

Today was supposed to be a full day as it started early and was supposed to end late. Harrison had to be at school early for Jazz Band and then Bennett had swim from 6:45 - 7:45. Harrison also had study group for math at his friend, Ella's so he was there after school until 6:15pm. He is thankful for math because it is useful in everyday life. I'm not sure the math he is currently doing is useful to anyone, but I am proud of him and he loves it so onward to more math I no longer understand. I had a hair appointment at 4:20pm and it lasted until 7:00pm and then I did the grocery run. So Chris had drop off and pick up duties as well as dinner duties (let's be honest - I had dinner ready for them). But their night ended a little bit earlier because the Roosevelt pool sprung a leak and they are currently trying to get that under control.

Bennett is thankful for Halloween. I mean - look at that guy. What's not to be thankful for??

Skittles Pox

Des Moines has a tradition of Beggar's Night and there are two very unique attributes to this tradition. Number one - trick-or-treating is done on October 30th. Always. This is because in 1938 the city received a record number (550) of vandalism calls and they said enough! The idea was that October 30th would be set aside for children to go door to door trick-or-treating, but only if they had a trick or funny they could share with the person handing out the candy. Thus became the 2nd part of the tradition in Des Moines - What is your trick-or-treat joke? This year, Bennett's was 'Why did the bird go to the hospital? It needed a tweetment.' The jokes are always real knee-slappers!

Chris is thankful for the weather we have been having the last couple weeks. It has been pretty glorious. I think that we have had the house open after 10:30am everyday. It's cool and crisp in the morning and evening but the middle part of the day has been sunny and 62 degrees. Pretty sure that ends today though. Rain and highs in the low 50's are what's in store for the next few days and then highs stay in the upper 40's for awhile. Time to make some more soup!