Wallowing, Giving Back, and Blue

Last night, I wanted to wallow. I wanted to cry and whine and feel sorry for myself because there was just SO much laundry to fold and the dishes were dirty and the counters weren't clean even though I'd already cleaned them three times that day. I wanted to just sit and be miserable. So I did. And I was. I even pulled up my blog and started to write a post about my sad, sad messy house - I whined, I wallowed, I complained.

Then I reread my own words, scolded myself for being a selfish ninny and deleted the entire thing. I know we all feel it - housework and children and housework, and responsibilities and yes, more housework can wear on us and stress us out and make us feel crazy. And sometimes days are bad days and it's okay to complain a little. But I don't like wallowing. It doesn't accomplish much. You can wallow and whine and complain, and oh look. All that stuff that's making you nuts still needs to be done. The truth is, we all have things to be grateful for. Laundry means clean clothes to wear and a shiny machine to wash them in. Dirty dishes mean a kitchen full of food. Clutter and mess mean happy children and a busy home.

And so, this Thanksgiving, I am celebrating this work that I do and remembering that I do it because my life is richly blessed and full of God's bounty.

And now, a few items of business:

I'd like to tell you about a wonderful new website that I truly believe is worth your time. It's called GiveBack. It's a website that helps you do just that - give back to charities that you choose. How does it work? You set up a foundation and fill it with funds through your own donations, AND through online shopping with a variety of retailers (there are over 400... that covers just about everything, doesn't it?) who will donate a percentage of what you spend (up to 15%) to YOUR foundation account, at no extra cost to you. So you spend money on things you were planning to buy anyway, and you get a little money back. Here a little, there a little, and one intense Christmas shopping session later, you have a little pocket of money in your foundation that you can donate to any charity that is registered within the United States. Brilliant, yes? Watch this to learn a little more. It explains it much better than I can:

I just signed up myself. It was simple, quick and absolutely free. AND, I got five dollars deposited into my foundation account just for signing up. It's tough when you are raising kids to feel like there is ever any extra to support those causes you  might really care about. This is a great way to give a little, and encourage retailers to give a little too.*

Finally, if you haven't done so, don't forget to leave a comment on Sunday's Servicemen Sunday post. It highlighted the family of a fellow blogger who is all kinds of awesome. Read their story, and leave some comment love. They deserve it. Servicemen Sunday: Joel 

And now, finally for real: I got a dog. I KNOW! I've been dying to tell you, but I haven't gotten a good picture yet, and didn't want to tell you until I could SHOW you. He's so very sweet. His name is Blue... Black Lab, 2 years old, already housetrained, awesome with kids, and calm. So very calm! We've had him a week and he is absolutely part of the family. He sleeps upstairs with the kids, only getting up when the baby cries. Then he comes and stands at my bedroom door looking worried until I go and get her. Guys, he's such a sweet dog. He has my heart, completely.

*I learned about Give Back through One2One Networks and will be entered into a prize drawing for blogging about it. But I won't win. And really, I would have blogged about this website even without a prize drawing. Cause I think it's all kinds of awesome. So now you know, yo.