Complaint Cure - take 1

I have a cousin who does a wonderful thing on her blog. Each Thursday, she has a "Thankful Thursday" entry where she tells what she has to be thankful for. Because I love to read her thankful tidbits, my "Complaint Cure" will be a takeoff of her "Thankful Thursday".

One thing we've always tried to do as parents is to instill an attitude of thankfulness in our children. We often have days when they get rather cranky and begin to whine. One of our tried and true cures is to play a little game with them. We begin by saying something like, "I'm thankful for our house. What are you thankful for?" The child then has to come up with something and the game takes off. It only takes a few rounds before the kids get really into and start trying to out-do mom and dad with their creative answers. Needless to say, our children soon forget why they were whining and are soon laughing and ready to go play.

I've found that I often have to play this little game with myself. Too frequently I find myself cranky and whining. I forget to be thankful for the many ways in which God provides and even blesses beyond what I need or want! So, to that end, I will be writing a "complaint cure" entry each week. I hope to do this on Sundays or Mondays in order to get the week started off right. I'm hoping that if I begin my week by focusing on God's goodness, I will be less likely to complain throughout the week.

This week I'm thankful for ...
... beautiful sunsets even while the rain falls
... milkshakes and sprite
... time shopping with just Abby - a little special girl time. :)
... hospitable and flexible family and friends
... the faithful preaching of God's Word each and every Sunday
... a husband who thinks I'm great even after 10 years of marriage
... a husband who is beyond GREAT!!
... a roof over my head and the comfort of a sweater
... the ability to homeschool
... thunder
... a relatively fast computer
... friends to chat with during soccer
... digital cameras
... the adorable things that toddlers say
... the beauty of creation that I see every single day
... our flag and all that it stands for
... those who do mission work in far away places
... beautiful dishes
... the ability to drive cars and get here and there quickly whenever I want
... grace

Here's wishing you a week full of thankfulness and minimal complaining!