Tap tap tap.....Hey, is this thing on?

I feel like I got to the back of my closet and found a poor, shriveled up, dusty blog.


I have been inspired back to my blog to do a thirty day gratitude challenge by a sweet mama friend . Gratitude may be the solution to what ills so many of us during this cold stretch of New England winter. I don't mean a false optimism or a Pollyannaish attitude that refuses to feel sadness. In the midst of it all...the good, bad, and ugly, clinging to a spirit of gratitude for what is right and good just might get me through the days that I want to hide under a blanket and come out once spring has arrived.


So, today's exercise in gratitude almost sounds like a back handed gratitude compliment. But truly I have to say my knees nearly buckled in gratitude.


Our little family mama car with 60,000 miles on it has been smelling like gasoline when at a stand still. I couldn't see anything clearly leaking, but it was stinky stinky fumy.


Anyway, I took the car in with my two kids and the shuttle guy drove us back to our house. Part one of the gratitude was that I didn't have to sit in a hot airless room with my two kids while they worked on the car! Then, the shuttle had built in car seats!! Score! I didn't have to pull out reinstall, and then pull out, reinstall car seats again! I pretty much think car seat installation is one of the inner layers of hell. The question I always have is: What exactly am I supposed to be doing with my two kids under 4 with all the car seat movement? Do I let them run wild in the parking lot? Do I restrain them in the front seats of the car? It is a mystery to me, and I am so pleased I didn't have to find out in the process of doing it, yesterday.


Well....what we thought were hoses leaking a little is actually a cracked head gasket. OY! However, this $2,200 job is only going to cost us $100 because weary back 4 years ago when we bought the car we purchased the extra warranty.


I am so grateful.