I have found myself being more negative than I like lately. We have a small (large?) family crisis situation that we are dealing with that is too personal to put out there on the internet, and it’s wearing me down. I have this rule where I will never speak ill of my husband or my children on the internet, even to vent. Once something is out there, it’s out there, and I don’t want to sour anyone’s perceptions of my family because of the way *I* see things. The crisis wouldn’t require me to say anything negative, but it does involve one of my children and would speak about them in a manner that is too personal and sensitive to put into cyberspace. I hope you’ll forgive me for being vague. Perhaps, when we are through to the other side, I may tell his or her story. It may give hope or validation to someone else, but right now, it would merely come off as negative or hopeless. So… through all this rambling, I DO have a point.
It’s time for me to remind myself of all the great things I have, and to focus on that for a while.

I have an amazing husband. He isn’t perfect, no one is, but he is perfect for me. He gets my quirks, he makes me laugh, he handles my explosive emotional outbursts with little anger or frustration. He tries very hard to understand my limitations and not to throw them in my face or make me feel bad for them. He’s a great father to our children. He changes diapers a lot! He plays with the kids constantly, whether it’s giving them piggy back rides or stacking blocks with Charlie. He tries very hard to provide for us, which allows me to be a stay at home mom, and he tries to give us the things we WANT in addition to the things we NEED. I could go on for days, but the point is… I am very lucky. After 8 years together, I am still very much in love.

I have amazing kids. They play well together; they are smart, thoughtful, polite, and oh so well behaved for the most part. We get complimented nearly every time we go out on how well they walk with us, sit still, have table manners, etc. You can see the waitress and manager at a restaurant cringe when we walk in, (more…)