Thankful Thursday no. 7

Its Thankful Thursday here and I think most would think I'm a complete lunatic for what I am grateful for today. You see, I'm a total Chobani addict. And Target is having a sale. And I had coupons and was able to print even more from their website. Which meant for once my lovely Cho addiction wasn't so expensive. So for once, my hectic grocery trip wasn't so bad. The kiddos and I marched into the the store, straight to the dairy section and loaded the cart with goodness. After that, I strolled though the store happy, knowing I had enough yogurt have some every. single. day. (at least for the next two weeks) even if Monster helps herself too. And the bonus that tickled this mama pink? They had the new flavors. I bought everything except the coffee flavored Bite. That one makes me nervous. I'm sure it will be good but I'm going to have to work up some courage to try it. Tonight I tried the Carmel and Pineapple Bite. Thank you Chobani! I only wish it wasn't so small. I get that it is designed to be a small snack. 100 calories. Oh, don't get me started on the 100 calorie craze. I had to practice a lot of self control not to eat more. I would have, but I wanted to have some later too! And now, I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow to try the pear flavor.

Thankful Thursday no. 6: Slow Cooker

Today I am thankful for my slow cooker. If my it were to stop working I would be at a complete loss as to how to prepare enough meals to keep my family happy. My dad gave mine to me a couple years ago and since then I have used it a lot! I mean 3-4 times a week a lot. In fact I have a pork butt cooking away in it right now. Using it so so simple and pretty hard to mess up. I throw my ingredients in, turn it on, and come back to a delicious meal. I mainly use mine for cooking meats but I have tried potatoes. Lately I have been scouring the internet for less conventional slow cooker uses. Breads, soups, deserts, and the such. I had no idea until recently that you could do so much with it so I am really excited to spread my slow cooker wings.

This is the slow cooker I own. It has been a hard little worker and it's held up through a lot:

Also, if you don't like cleaning your slow cooker, Reynolds makes a liner that works wonders. I have had them leak some but even then the mess is so much easier to clean up!

 

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Thankful Thursday no. 5: SAHM

This week I am thankful that I do not work outside of my home. One of the perks of being a stay at home mom is that I never have to worry about driving on icy roads or in the rain or dark. If the kiddos wake up early and I am feeling like a zombie, I can stay in my jammies all day. Or if they sleep in, I can too! I am here to prepare meals for my family so no one has to rely on "convenient meals". I am always home when Mr. I is off work. While I was also working we rarely got to see each other. But most importantly, I get to spend quality time with Monster and Alien. When Monster was the age Alien is right now I got to spend two days a week with her. The rest of the time I got to wake her up in the morning and put her to bed at night. I can also go grocery shopping whenever I want. I can take the kids to the park or zoo without trying to squeeze it into a busy schedule. These days are so special to me. I really am very lucky.

Thankful Thursday no. 4: Hubby

I was up all night last night, anxiously awaiting Mr. I's return home from work. We got our first snow last night, thank you Winter Storm Draco. The roads were awful and he has a half hour drive (on dry roads). He made it home safely and today is his day off but worrying about him reminded me of how thankful I am for him. I remember the night we met. My sister had set us up and upon seeing him for the first time I ran up and hugged him. (Confession: I may have been a little tipsy). Within a week we were dating, 3 months later we were engaged, and just over a year later married. It won't belong before we see the 6 year anniversary of the night we met. I don't know where I would be without Mr. I. He is the love of my life and my best friend.

Thankful Thursday (on Friday) no. 3: Children

I know my past two Thankful Thursday posts were about family but with the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary I can't stop myself from feeling overwhelmingly thankful for my own two babies. That they are here for me to hug, kiss, and even scold. My heart breaks for the families involved in today's shooting. I can not even begin to imagine the pain they are feeling and my prayers will be with them.

Thankful Thursday no. 2: Family

Today I am thankful for my family in general. My family has traveled back "home" this week to celebrate Christmas. Or something like that. Unfortunately it is more like bouncing around between different family members and just trying to spend a little time with everyone. But Mr. I couldn't get off work any closer to Christmas so we do what we can. Since moving this summer has put more distance our families we do not get to see them often. Therefor I am thankful for every opportunity I get to spend with them.