Samantha Pierce

Today I am thankful for/that: Chubby baby cheeks and chubby baby knees. Toothless baby smiles. Baking weather. Apple picking season. A good home cooked meal. Freedom. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: Soap and water, as mom says, it washes away everything but sin. The blood of Christ to wash away the sin. That about covers it for this week. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: Isaiah seems to be getting the hang of the whole toileting business. Most of the time anyway. Apple picking season is just around the corner. Quiet nights. The late summer evening chorus of crickets and katydids. Good times at the beach. Discovering two new West Indian eateries in the city. Now to find the time to go sample their wares. What are you thankful for?

I haven't done one of these in a long while but this interaction was just too good for me pass on sharing. The scene, the local super Wegmans, the cheese case way in the back. I'm coming upon hubby and the kids after leaving them to their own devices while I changed the baby in the bathroom at the front of the store. I find Ethan fervently kicking on of the free standing refrigeration units while hubby peruses the yogurt and cheese selections in another unit. I take his arm and pull him away. Me: Why are you kicking the cheese case? Ethan: I'm trying to break my leg so I can ride in the cart! While I cover my face in disbelief, and to keep him from seeing me laughing, he resumes kicking the refrigeration unit. Hubby spent the rest of the trip taking him off on "missions" to get groceries to keep him from trying (ineffectively) to hurt himself so that he could ride in the shopping cart. Aside from retelling the story I'm still speechless.

Today I am thankful for/that: Another chance to get it right. Kind words of encouragement. Thoughtful friends. Little helpers who are finally getting the hang of helping! Ibuprofen in all of its many fever and pain reducing forms. Small mercies like the cover of the half full gallon jug of orange juice staying on when I dropped the jug and it bounced off of the fridge and landed upside down before falling on its side. A foot rub courtesy of my little helpers. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: When I ask myself what day it is I usually remember. Now if only I could remember to ask myself what day it is on a regular basis. Being able to sleep on my stomach again. Ibuprofen. Sunshine. A little rain. All the other stuff I have forgotten to be thankful for. I have more blessings than I know, more than I know I know. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: Sleep, such as it is. The helping hands of friends and family. Anti-itch cream. Sunshine. Flowers with bees buzzing and butterflies flitting about. The smell of fresh lavender in the sun. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: Ice. Ice machines. Refrigeration. Ice cream. Popsicles, freezer pops and the like. What are you thankful for?

I'm a day off again but still thankful. Today I am thankful for/that: Caspian Simon I can sleep on my stomach again. Sleep, such as it is. Sunshine. Home. A multitude of helping hands. Modern medicine and health care professionals. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: Summer time! We made it through the first day of summer vacation. The house is still mostly clean and the laundry mostly caught up on. Yeah me! Sisters who go on shopping sprees when they find a clearance sale resulting in boxes of goodies turning up on my doorstep. What are you thankful for?

This, BP Oil Spill: Against Gov. Jindal's Wishes, Crude-Sucking Barges Stopped by Coast Guard: 59 Days Into Oil Crisis, Gulf Coast Governors Say Feds Are Failing Them , is ridiculous and inexcusable. People are starting to notice this stuff, More Incompetence… Crude-Sucking Barges Ordered By Gov. Jindal Shut Down By Feds Bureaucracy Standing In The Way Of Oil Spill Clean Up Efforts

I don't need to add anything more. He says it all for himself just fine. Via Wizbang .

Today I am thankful for/that: Another year of life. Laughter. A good night's sleep. Friends. Books. Sticky, slimy little kid kisses. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: The kind of creativity that can take a piece of construction paper, a pencil, two coins, and a pair of dice and make an entertaining and educational game for a kid. I think you missed your calling dude. Warm sunshine. Frolicking in the evening sunshine around the pond. I don't have the kind of allergies that would make me want to claw my eyes out at this time of year. Sleep! I actually got some last night. The prayers or faithful men and women. The helping hands that you never get to see or know about. What are you thankful for?

I remember reciting the times tables in school when I was little, before I came to the States. Reciting things out loud over and over was a big part of learning things in that time and place. These days I spend a lot of time talking to myself. Turns out that that's actually the way to go. Talking Out Loud Improves Memory Retention Via Althouse .

Today I am thankful for/that: The hot water bottle. Helping hands, big and little. Warm sunshine. Backyard picnics. Modern medicine. Freedom. What are you thankful for?

Put out by Arizona's law regarding suspected illegal immigrants? Take it out on a high school girls' basketball team in Illinois! Highland Park basketball team trip to Arizona scrapped What do a bunch of teenage girls from Illinois playing basketball have to do with this law? Seriously? If some district official wants to take a stand on what's going on in another state use your own life and your own time. Go ahead and inconvenience yourself to do it if you want. Don't go messing with the lives of a bunch of kids to spread your political message. It's funny that Assistant Superintendent Suzan Hebson, who seems to be responsible for this decision, is claiming "safety concerns." Isn't that one of the reasons why Arizona passed the law in the first place? All the drug violence, kidnappings and so on along the boarder were getting a bit much for them so they decided to take some steps. Presumably this district official felt that Arizona was safe enough befo...

I've fallen off the wagon a bit in the past few weeks but hopefully I'm back on for a while. So today I am thankful for/that: I remembered to be thankful. Modern medicine. Seriously, how did people live before antibiotics and the various over the counter medicines we use when we get sick? How many of us wouldn't be here if it weren't for the innovations of modern medicine? I shudder to think of it. "Here mom, let me help." Even if the help is more trouble than it's worth it's the thought that counts. Sunshine. Flowers. Friends. Endurance. Patience. Second chances. Laughter. What are you thankful for?

Today I am thankful for/that: The unstoppable forward march of spring. Hope. This too shall pass. Helping hands. The IRS isn't after me, not yet anyway. Those who wish to be stumbling blocks will get trampled. What are you thankful for?

I've been reading up on the Tennessee woman who adopted a child from Russian and then after a few months sent him back. I'm having a hard time understand why anyone would think that this was acceptable behavior. Fury as U.S. woman adopts Russian boy, 7, then sends him back alone with note saying: 'I don't want him anymore' Tenn. Mom Sends Adopted Son Back To Russia Adoption Freeze Urged After Boy, 7, Returned With Letter Torry Hansen, 33 claims, in the letter that she sent with the boy and through her mother in the media, that the child has mental health issues that she was not made aware of and was not prepared to deal with. News flash lady, and anyone else who thinks they can return-to-sender a child, the same thing is true of biological children. Despite an unrealistic wish for perfect children no one under any circumstances is guaranteed a perfect worry free problem free child. When biological parents do something like this it is called abandonment. When you ado...