It’s been a week.

How’s THAT for descriptive writing?

I can just FEEL how you are right there with me, with just those four words.

No? Need more?

I’m wiped.

Overtime for work, combined with week two back to school complete with STILL tearful morning farewell’s + after school schedule starting + meet the teacher + farewell potlucks (I made THIS!) + my husband out-of-town so just me with the kids this weekend + kiddy birthday party + planning my kiddy’s birthday party and despite best laid plans I’m exhausted and nowhere near through my (actual, original, not just “stay afloat”) to do list.

But these are the weeks where pauses to focus on the good are (ARGH! – you’ll get that later) the MOST important, so here it is: for Lizzi and her co-hosts, my Ten Things of Thankful from this week.

I’m thankful for my Ontario Early Year’s Toy Lending Library and specifically this colour maze (Thankful #1). I took my girls to a drop in play group a while back and my 4-year-old played with, and loved, this toy, so I put it on hold. We got a call to come get it about three weeks ago and she’s been playing with it pretty much daily ever since. Given she’s a bit behind on fine motor and writing, I figure this is pretty much the most awesome toy ever.

I’m thankful that my brother found a job (Thankful #2). I wish it was in Ottawa, but I’m excited for him and his family as they set out on their new adventure and, well, go West.

I’m thankful for my mother and for the resumption of girls’ swim nights. (Thankful #3). In what I’m hoping is a brilliant coordinating move on my part, I signed my eldest up again for swimming lessons.  From 6:30-7:00 pm on Wednesdays. Right before open swim starts. I bring my youngest and my mother; we cheer on the lesson; and then all go for open swim after. This week I took my eldest to the deep end so she could play on the Tarzan rope and swim about in a life jacket – building kicking endurance as she went – while my mom played with my 2-year-old in the shallow end. We now have a standing Wednesday night swim date. And I think this should work.

I’m thankful for a smooth transition from crib to big girl bed this week for my youngest (Thankful #4). Dufresne Furniture delivered (most of the bed) on Tuesday and the transition went great. It was a bit hard to know we have truly moved on from crib stage of life, but great to see how excited my youngest was for her new bed and bedroom set.

I’m thankful for friends with trucks (Thankful #5). My husband’s best friend came by Thursday to move the crib set temporarily over to my parent’s basement while we figure out what to do with it (as there is no room to store it at our house).

I’m thankful for social media stuff that makes me smile and gives me random moments of levity during otherwise stressful weeks (Thankful #6). This week I got a continual kick out of my random Rise of the Guardians Tooth Fairy Pin that has now been re-pinned over 50 times:

And my eldest was SUPER EXCITED to discovered me surfing Not A Punk Rocker’s Hello Kitty Board.

Her favourite so far is the backpack… But if you can find a Hello Kitty Mermaid you just might win her over for life.

I’m thankful for thoughtful and helpful children (Thankful #7). This morning both my daughters were DETERMINED to help me with the laundry. Given our washer and dryer are vertically stacked this involved a lot of lifting of preschoolers on my part but I figure this bodes well for future helping and I really haven’t been to the gym much recently so, well, every little bit, right?

I’m thankful for Netflix and Winx Club (Thankful #8). It’s something about fairies. And my 4-year-old loves it. I haven’t looked too closely for fear of having to take a stand about not watching it. Because …  it kept both my girls busy two nights while I had to get work done … about five feet from the TV where our computer is located because we don’t have a separate home office. I could block out the show; the girls were enthralled; I’m not kidding myself that it was quality TV, but it got the “keep them occupied” job done.

I’m thankful for my gym which includes playcare (Thankful #9). This morning, after a bit of work-work; then laundry; then making salad for a potluck; I was ready for a run. We went to the gym and playcare entertained the girls for an hour and a half while I ran; showered alone and caught up on some email. Heavenly.

I’m thankful for fun with my girls (Thankful #10). We recently rented Disney’s Pirate Fairy. The movie was pretty forgettable (in my opinion, not my daughters), but the extras had this incredibly awesome short that has us all speaking in pirate! ARRRGH.

So there’s my list.

And you know what’s great? I was going to end this list with the Beatles “I’m So Tired“, but by the time I finished reflecting on the good, I didn’t feel like it anymore, so you got Fairies snarling.

I think that’s a better space, from a mental health perspective if not a “quality of music” one, don’t you?

What are you thankful for this week? Link up and join in the happy!