Monday, Monday

It's Monday morning in our home. All the telltale signs are there. The laundry I put off over the weekend is piled to precarious heights in the hall. Because our home doesn't have a laundry room per se, it has a laundry closet. A closet that is just inside the entrance from the garage. This is a serious flaw in a home otherwise designed to accommodate a pack of kids. Inevitably everyone comes in through the garage and has to navigate baskets and piles to reach the rest of the house. And on Monday it's the worst. A veritable obstacle course requiring weaving and jumping and wading. Sometimes while holding your nose. It could be a new Olympic event. I'd win.

Allison woke up surly and whining about not wanting to go to school. This has happened every Monday since school began.

I overslept a bit because my Sunday afternoon nap kept me from falling asleep last night. You would think I would learn about those Sunday naps. But each time I have the opportunity to climb into my bed on a Sunday afternoon, I succumb. The luxury of that rare daytime sleeping winning out every time against the inevitable night-time wakefulness. I'm so weak.

There are no groceries in the house. Not even milk.

There is a list on the desk of 5 places I have to call today to make appointments.

It's Monday.

And yet, I refuse to give in to my typical Monday melancholies. Because I have much to be grateful for on this way-too-warm-for-freakin-October morning.

1. I went and had dinner and girl-talk on Friday night with 3 friends who have known me since I was a child myself. We laughed, reminisced about first loves, and pondered the mysteries of our great big God. I just have to say, I have the best friends ever. I'd be lost without them. And besides, there was chocolate cake. I'm just sayin.
2. Ben pooped on the potty of his own accord. There was potty-dancing and singing and extravagant rewards. Because really, is there a bigger day for the mother of a 3.5 year old than when you get to stop cleaning poop out of his underoos? I think not.
3. Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back at Starbucks. And nothing says autumn like an orange $5 cup of coffee.
4. I won a Praise Baby DVD from Bloggy Givaways. Do y'all (yes it's true. I say y'all. For real.) know about this fabulous site? They give stuff away, like every day. Just for leaving comments. I put it in my Google Reader and when I am interested I pop on in and follow the instructions. And I finally won something. Which I just knew I would eventually. And then I did my WOO-HOO-I-just-won-something-dance (which is totally different from my potty-dance by the way). And I can't win again for another month, so I don't mind sharing my secret with you.
5. Clara started saying "Hi" to everyone she meets. And it's just too cute for words. She says "Hhhaaaahh" all drawn out and dramatic. Because she's southern too you see. And social. And quite proud of herself.
6. Open play at Gymboree from 1-4 on Mondays. Enough said.

So now, my question is: What are you thankful for this Monday morning? Or, ahem, Tuesday morning, since it took me an entire day to write this because of my new blogging time restrictions.

Discipline stinks.