Grateful for Clean Clothes

The last few days have been rough, emotionally, for me.

I couldn't understand what was "wrong"?  I was doing my best, every day, but still . . . 

SOMETHING WAS MISSING!

I thought maybe it was my daily workouts that I was missing? 

Or maybe I was STILL not getting enough sleep?

 But NO!!!!!  I just couldn't figure it out. . .

What was missing?

 

A DAILY DOSE of GRATITUDE!!

I haven't been blogging lately because I thought I had "too much to do" that blogging was a splurge on my time.  But "not blogging" has taken a HUGE PIECE of JOY out of my life.  When I blog, I make sure to mention something that I am grateful for.  Because that has been missing, I have only been thinking of the negative, the stress, the worry in my daily life. . . and boy can that weigh someone down.

I love this little thought . . .

 

 I LOVE this idea!  I am not big on vinyl lettering, but I MUST have this on my family wall!

So, what does this have to do with Clean Clothes?

Well, we had NONE today.  

L threw a MONSTER TEMPER-TANTRUM because she had no shorts to wear to "friend preschool" this morning, making her 15 minutes late.  Poor E has been re-wearing shorts all week.  And let's just say that G needs more of a selection to choose from because the last two days, he has come upstairs wearing a blue shirt with blue shorts (he calls it the Blue Ninja).  Not something I want my child wearing to Kindergarten.

I really had EVERY INTENTION of washing them on Monday, but I just didn't have the energy.  Yesterday was a zoo, prepping for the Relief Society Activity that night.  And today, well . . . I was up so late the last two nights that my body NEEDED a 3 hour nap.

  So ... instead of doing laundry (thankful I don't have to do it this way!) and a million other things this afternoon, I slept.

But that left my kids without clothes for ANOTHER day.  Fortunately, E kindly reminded me at 10:00 p.m. that he needed shorts tomorrow for school.  I looked at the time, groaned a bit, and started a load of wash.  But just as the wash was starting, I LOOKED UP!!

On top of the washing machine was a pair of E's shorts that I had air dried to make sure an oil stain had truly been removed.  All I needed to do was iron them and lay them out for E.  It was a blessing.  I still washed a load for the other kids, and put them in the dryer before bed.  But I did not want to wake up tomorrow morning, scrounge through the dryer for a pair of shorts and iron them at 7 a.m.

This was a blessing for me and something I felt grateful for.

It really is the little things in life that make a difference!

Even though today was a difficult day for me, I get to end it on a good note!

Because I chose to be grateful for something!

Pictures without a link from Microsoft Publisher 2007

Happy Birthday Daddy!

In TRUE Wardle fashion, I am a day late in wishing my sweet Dad a VERY

I love you Dad!
(He just turned 61 - so proud!)

You are someone I can turn to,

when life is kicking me down.  

Someone I can vent to,

but then encourages me to see things from another perspective.

Someone I can celebrate life's victories with,

but who can also support me in life's trials.

Someone who LOVES my kids just the way they are,

and someone who can see that they are doing just fine!

(even when I am convinced they are not.)

Someone I can be honest with

and who will be honest right back.

Someone who loves me and let's me love him right back!

Dad's 50th Birthday - September 2001 (E had just turned 1)

 I love you Dad!  Thanks for being my dad.  Thanks for teaching me about forgiveness and to love people for who they are, not who we want them to be.  Thanks for marrying someone who has taught us about love, by word and example.  And thank you for showing us what love in marriage can be.  Thank you for supporting the "high bangs" and NEVER cutting them off in the middle of the night (like you said you would).

 

(HOLY COW!!  Why didn't you do it??  It had to be love!)

But most of all . . . 

THANKS FOR BEING YOU!

 Your daughter,

Wendi

Balloon and I love you Dad - Microsoft Publisher 2007

Share your beliefs!!

I LOVE this tiny message ~ sharing your beliefs.  It inspired me to do this as well!  Let's fill this world with our joy!  

Salt Lake Olympus Stake Women: Sharing Your Beliefs

Need help with your job? With handling / juggling your family? This will help!

Salt Lake Olympus Stake Women: Nancy Baird's Message:      One of the young returned  missionaries from our mission in Puerto Rico is now in construction management in one of the southern state...

I am FINALLY feeling better!

I am STARTING to feel MUCH BETTER!  

Microsoft Publisher 2007

"HURRAH!!"

I HONESTLY started to believe I "had something" because I have never felt SO EXHAUSTED for such a long period of time (10 days).  But looking back now, I can see why I felt so tired, actually exhausted.  

I was sad.

WHY?

Well, I FINALLY figured it out this morning (after a normal night's sleep)!  I am sad because I feel like I am LOSING MY OLDEST SON!  Silly, I know, but it really is only a matter of time now, before he is on his own.  He is 12 and I only have half of those years left to be with him.  It really hits you when they leave elementary school and start junior high.

Beside E going to junior high now, I am REALLY going to miss E going to the kids elementary school.  Life felt safe with him there.  I guess I have really come to depend on him and trust him to be there to watch over K.  And now with G being there too, who is going to be there to keep the little ones safe, or lend them a helping hand or share that amazing smile of his? 

 

Just look at that kid!  Who could ever say no to a face like that?

 I am truly going to miss seeing him at the elementary school.  It was actually painful to walk the halls knowing E wasn't in some classroom, somewhere, adding joy to all those around him.  He will NEVER be in the same school as the other 3, ever again! OUCH!  This really hurts!

He is growing SO FAST!  This is the first time that I have felt this ache, like my heart is breaking - DEEP INSIDE!  I ache to think that it will all be over soon.  

I actually think the real exhaustion started the night we came home from Costa Rica.  Our flight was delayed and we didn't arrive until HOURS after we had planned to.  As I was carrying L down the escalator, I noticed a HUGE CROWD of people, holding signs, balloons and wearing HUGE SMILES on their faces.  I realized that I had seen a few missionaries on the first plane, the broken one.

I then thought of how long these people had waited to see their return missionaries come home today and I . . . started to cry.  (I still cry when I think of it).  Those families had not only waited 2 years to see their sons come home but they had to postpone their joy another 4 hours on top of that.  The anticipation in the airport was thick.  I couldn't imagine what those missionaries must have been feeling.  But my heart KNEW what the mothers were feeling.

I just stood there and cried, like only a mother does when touched by moments that are so DEEP, so RICH that they impact you forever!

My kids asked, "What is wrong Mom?  Why are you crying?"  I felt embarrassed at first but then I turned it into a teaching moment.  I shared with the kids how happy I was for the families to have their missionaries come home.  But I also pointed out how hard that must have been for the missionaries to have had to delay their return home another 4 hours, after being gone for 2 years, not 25 days!

But even through that HUGE SPEECH, I caught a glimpse in E's eyes and I KNEW that I too was going to have to wait for him to come home one day, very soon!  I TOO would be waiting for him at an airport, longing to hold him in my arms and welcome him safely home.  And it was just around the corner!

I couldn't take the thought.  These emotions were all too new for me.  So I decided to just push them aside.  But I guess I couldn't.  Because I have been a mess, subconsciously, ever since.

So, I hope that now I know what has been holding me back, that I will find a new level of energy in my life and a NEW FOCUS too.  I have been blessed to SEE, the last 10 days, that my time as a mother is SHORT!  TOO SHORT!  I have already let too many opportunities to hold, hug and love my kids go by.  I desire to NOT let that happen anymore!

I have felt this desire grow for some time and I am TRULY GRATEFUL for it and KNOW where it comes from.  My Heavenly Father!  I am grateful that my prayers are being heard and that my heart is beginning to soften.  I am FINALLY CHOOSING MY FAMILY before others, for the FIRST TIME!  It feels awkward, like a new pair of shoes, but I am going for it and pray that I can break into this new way of living easily and with very few blisters.

I am so thankful I have this blog!  It gives me a place to share my heart, my feelings, my beliefs, my ups and downs and my love of life.  It also helps me find a positive way to redirect my thoughts and to make them into actions.  I not only FEEL the changes that are happening because of this blog but I can SEE them too!  I hope that by sharing these experiences openly with you, that they are creating a positive impact in your life as well.  Thank you so much for reading!

All my love,