Every Monday, my wife and I will take this time to reflect through all the weekly struggles, frustrations, screaming children, unplanned expenses, surprise bills, disappointing date nights, speeding tickets, challenging co-workers, and whatever else the week throws our way to highlight what we're both grateful for. 

So this Monday, September 18th, 2017, I'm grateful for:

HIM

1. my big brother's retirement from the US ARMY after 22 years of service and three tours to Iraq. He recently moved back to central Texas from Maryland and while I'm sure he's going to feel a bit disoriented until he decides what's next in his life the good news is...there's no hurry. He's freaking RETIRED! Salute to a career in service to our Nation. I'm very proud of him.

2. CRUSHING our recent business trip to Oklahoma. Our goal was to bring in $100K of new revenue for the week by working with local business owners. We ended up putting over $600K in new revenue in our pipeline. In short, we're going to blow through our goal, and at the same time we were able to build revenue for dozens of business owners right in their own backyard. 

3. my wife's randomness and consistency. Many people don't know this, but my wife aims to murder me almost every single day. Anytime throughout the day if I'm within arms reach of her, I might be the victim of a well timed flat-handed faux ninja slice direct to my throat. If her hand connects with with my jugular before I'm able to ninja block her, she'll proudly proclaim me dead...assassinated for the day. Just ponder on what kind of mental lifestyle that is for me to live with every single day. What kind of anticipation I need to be in tuned with on a DAILY basis to prevent being murdered under my own roof. At the same time, she's paid all the bills in the house since the day we married over 12 years ago. Every month, every budget, every bill, for years. Hella consistent. Both in her household management system, and her murder tactics. 

HER

1. Mom’s night in. Saturday night for the first time in what felt like 5 years, I got to have some much needed girl time with some other mamas.  A mama friend who wanted to christen her new home theater invited a few of over for a movie, wine, popcorn and chocolate. Yaaaaaassss!! While I had every intention to scurry home around 10 or 10:30 because the she babe’s sleep schedule is still unpredictable. After checking in with the hubs regarding her status, I decided to stay a little longer and chance it.  I arrived home about an hour later and she was still asleep! As a matter of fact, she slept an additional hour beyond that.  I may have danced a jig or two.  Life felt normal again even if for only a few hours.

2. A MIL that truly wants to help. I hear stories across the interwebs within the various mom groups I’m in about horrible in laws.  Thank God that is not the case with our family!! My mother-in-law has been living with us part time since last summer (she lives in Thailand for a few months as well). While here, she helps cook, she watches the she babe when I run errands or head to the gym and helps with some of the cleaning.  I’ve been tackling parts of our home that have been severely neglected and spending more one one one time with the boy even if its just a quick trip to the store.  I’m also trying to utilize this time to help build our little piece of the internet as well as my own little side business. It’s been good.  I don’t know what I’m going to do once she leaves. 

3. Sleeping in on Sundays. Years ago when we were just parents to one kiddo, the hubs and I instituted a weekend sleep in schedule for ourselves.  He took Saturday and I of course Sunday.  The awake parent would be in charge of the kiddo while the other slept however long they chose to sleep.  We would even trade days if we needed to for based on the plans either of us had going on during a particular weekend.  It was freakin’ fantastic!!  When my MIL was here last year while preggo, we got to sleep in BOTH days!! But when the little lady arrived and the MIL had gone home to Thailand for a few months, that all went out the window.  Nobody was sleeping in and it was terrible.  But within the last month, month and half we’ve brought it back and its been great.  We’ve even kept our same days. But how do you ask considering the she babe is still a boob monster?  I wake up to feed her when she wakes up and then promptly pass back out again only to rise to feed her once more a couple hours later or to actually get up. So technically its not sleeping in but I’ll take it!

Well that's us. Your turn. What are you grateful for this week?