swellmomma Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 As the days grow shorter and we get further into the school year and things start seeming bleaker I thought it would be nice to have a happy/positive thread. Post the good things that have happened to you lately and we can smile along with you.  For myself this week: I learned that my divorce will be happening sooner rather than later. ds10 began reading his first chapter book with decent fluency. and I got another job (or rather I got my old job, I have been rehired at the afterschool care I previously worked at) meaning my 2 part time jobs still allow me to be home all day homeschooling, but between the 2 bring in enough to remove that burden I had on my shoulders of financial strain. We won't be well off, but we will be okay. While there is ample negative in my life, I am grasping on to these positive things and smiling.So what happy/positive things have been going on in your life? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Ok. Â I'll play. Â Â DS is enjoying school and this week he actually started to do some of his homework independently. Â It is a huge step for him with all his issues. Â Â DD and I are finally getting into a routine that seems to be working. Â We're getting work done and happily. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 My youngest had surgery a few weeks ago and he's starting to heal and we're getting into a new schedule, a schedule which might mean I'm spending less than 6-8 hours a day feeding him and giving him water. Yay me.  Oh, and he's reading much better. The last year has really been a good jump in ability for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 1dd is talking to a mortgage broker today to start the process of buying a house/condo/townhouse. am I terrible for being excited to have her move out?  clean up after herself? take her STUFF!?!? oh, and apparently, 1ds is planning on moving in with her. (we'll see how that works.) I expect my electric bill will go down (though my gas bill may go up now that there will be fewer computers generating heat.)  and now I have easy ideas for Christmas/birthday gifts for the three oldest. housewares, bakeware, pots n pans, knives, etc. even 2dd - who is living in a furnished house - asked for a crockpot for her birthday. (1dd bought her a roaster). two things that get borrowed frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I'm in... Â Our whole family took the week off to refocus on our goals, renew and get caught up before the holiday season is upon us. Â It feels good to have those burdens off our shoulder and everyone working together. Â Â The house is in great shape, working on our holiday plans and everyone is feeling so much more positive! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Nice to read happy news even from people I don't really know.  I have been feeling really stressed and blue and overwhelmed with life but today I made it to the women's Bible study at church and some of the discussion really hit me hard (in a good way).   One woman who is new to the church really had some great things to say and we had a nice talk afterward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 We close on our refinance in the morning, saving us $185 a month. And in January, our health insurance is going down $160 a month. And then in May, when the baby is due, we'll make our last car payment, saving $300 a month. I'm looking forward to not being so tight on money and it's in sight! Â ETA: and I'm already done Christmas shopping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 This may be an odd one but.. I got my period today!! Â I have a 9 month old and have been waiting for my period to return since becoming pregnant with him. Â We practice Natural Family Planning so that time frame between giving birth and it coming back can be quite stressful at time, especially since with the other 2 it came back 4 month postpartum. Â Also, Â we got to spend the weekend in Baltimore with a friend and spend a day at the National Aquarium for free because she works there. Â It was a great break from the same old same old Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 We close on our refinance in the morning, saving us $185 a month. And in January, our health insurance is going down $160 a month. And then in May, when the baby is due, we'll make our last car payment, saving $300 a month. I'm looking forward to not being so tight on money and it's in sight!  ETA: and I'm already done Christmas shopping!   Jealous on the refinance news!!! We have not been able to because of our homes value but I'm planning on trying again in a few months once I get the house back in order since some recent sales in the area have likely helped our homes value.    All that  will be a great financial relief for your family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 My water heater is fixed and I can have hot baths again. Tepid baths make me sad.  Everybody else's good news, big and small, makes me feel buoyant. Keep it coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Jealous on the refinance news!!! We have not been able to because of our homes value but I'm planning on trying again in a few months once I get the house back in order since some recent sales in the area have likely helped our homes value. Â All that will be a great financial relief for your family! Yep, home value is what we've been waiting for. We finally had a string of sales in our neighborhood that pushed the value back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Yesterday I have a brain blistering Migraine. Â Wait . . . this is a good thing . . . I'll get to it!! Â My sweet DH came home from work to not only watch the kids while I went to the Chiropractor and then took a nap, but finished school with them. Â All too often I fall into the trap of taking him for granted, so yesterday was a wonderful reminder of just how blessed I am to be his wife! Â Plus, now the kids see just how nice Mommy is as a teacher after having mean old Daddy who makes them sit still for one day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I am having so much fun exploring Guadalajara. The food is amazing too and it's been so pleasant so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 OK... I finally figured out how to get history and science done on a regular basis. One boy does history and the other does science and the next day we switch. That's working like a charm. We are having some fun with spelling silent letter words by calling the lessons Ghostbusters and focusing on one "ghost" at a time. I have given myself permission to slow down Saxon, even at the risk of not finishing the book by testing time whenever I see that a particular concept really needs to be worked through (if not mastered). Latin vocabulary has improved because I've added a physical component to the review. My bees appear to be set for the winter, and I've decided to add another hive for next year, maybe two if I split Catherine next year or get a wild swarm. My remaining animals appear to be doing well for now. It's been a rough year for me as I've lost three of my cats to old age related diseases, including my favorite who has been with me since college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 update on 1dd's mortgage talk. she qualified for $35K more than she was expecting - so good things.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I know I already replied, but I am now happy that I finally was able to post some photos on my blog. Also, school's going great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 We completed Ancients today and will move on to Rome through the Reformation starting Monday. Â Dh has been working out of town since Monday and will be home tonight. :) Â I ordered a bunch of new clothes for Joy (yet another growth spurt...the child had nothing that fit properly) and they arrived today. She is now doing a fashion show for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 My dd(7) decided she loves to read and has read a bunch of books on her own not during school without being told to. I'm talking Amelia Bedelia type books but I'm very happy about it! Also yesterday my BIL who lives in Mexico stopped by for a visit, and my dh was happy to get to hang out with him for a bit. He was up for a few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Lady Bug started smiling this week! (Sorry, I don't know how to make it smaller....) I get to introduce my daughter to my grandmother/woman who raised me on Monday. Even though she won't remember it on Tuesday, I'm still so happy that all by one of my grandparents will have gotten to meet ALL of my children. (She's the last for us.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Yay, a happy thread :D Â I was able to dig through free A Beka curriculum today donated by a local Private school to our homeschool co-op. I was able to get reading materials, and two different years of spelling with workbooks and teachers guides :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Mae Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013  This thread is a great idea. I hate winter. We get a lot of wet dreary weather which I find hard to live with so good news is always welcome.  My good news is that I got my house insulated today and I had the money to pay for it without a loan. Hopefully we will at least be warmer this winter.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Ok, after false starts, massive under-organization, and general bad attitudes (mostly on my part) I've finally figured out how to get school planned, and done. Â DD discovered one of the secrets to happiness yesterday. By making someone else happy, she felt better about herself, so she was happy. This, in turn, made ME happy. Yay! Â I moved some stuff out of my living room yesterday, and I feel like I can breathe so much easier in here now. Â Happy! Happy! Happy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Hmmm... Well, I'm 'feeling' it more - that 'let's buckle down and LEARN' feeling that I've had sporadically over the last couple of months has sort of settled in at last! We've had a slow start to the school year (taking days off, etc) but I really think we'll be ready to hit the books hard with the breaks we already have coming up in the next few months. Which is good - the weather will be best then for us to stay inside. ;) I am starting a book club, we're going to be doing the list in the Well Educated Mind! I'm so excited. :) If we need a break here and there, we may also do some lighter fare/popular fiction, too. We'll see how it goes. I had an amazing weekend with some ladies from church a couple of weeks ago. It really was a good weekend for me, and solidified me in areas that, up until then, I'd been sort of wishy-washy. I feel like a burden has been lifted since then. I still am amazed when i wake up in the morning and can see immediately - no glasses! LASIK is amazing! though even now (3 weeks later!) I inevitably think I need to take my glasses off before getting into bed, and put them on first thing in the morning. Even when i wore contacts, I never wore them to bed, so this habit is a long standing one (24 years) and will take awhile to break! I'm 20 lbs lighter than I was when 2013 began. I'm not keeping up with running the way I should be or want to be - the later rising sun has thrown a wrench in! I just need to suck it up and go get on the treadmill when I know I'll have no other time to run, and I've been lazy about that this last couple of weeks. But i did sign up for another 5K in December, and Link will be doing their 1 mile run, too. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHomeschoolDad Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I had three scans last week, and all of my tumors are smaller. It's only millimeters, but I'm in a game of millimeters, so I'll take it! My brain is also still clear, which leaves me little excuse for the steady loss of my marble collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMJ Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'm in...  Our whole family took the week off to refocus on our goals, renew and get caught up before the holiday season is upon us.  It feels good to have those burdens off our shoulder and everyone working together.   The house is in great shape, working on our holiday plans and everyone is feeling so much more positive! :)  Last week DH had the week off of work, so we got some projects done around the house (yay, better lighting over our homeschool table!), visited a pumpkin patch, and went to the zoo. Lots of fun all around, and mostly a week off of school.  This week the girls begged and pleaded for Columbus Day off -- okay. We then ended up bug bombing that evening because I realized we had black flies in the house. (Nasty buggies!) As a result, we were spending supper and much of the evening at DH's parents, and so DH was on hand to end the frustration of the phone repair guy who couldn't figure out why FIL still didn't have internet. (Turns out it was something DH changed this weekend for our nephew's Minecraft birthday party.)  As a result of the bug bombing and my insistence that anything that touches food must be either covered, removed, or washed again after, we are having a second week mostly off of school. Because of that we hit a local store's grand reopening today for a break, got some nice clothes for super-cheap before everyone else came in and disorganized the racks, and had lunch at Arby's (a treat for the girls).  Fridays are normally not "class" days for us, but are reserved for other purposes. This week it is homeschool catch-up day, and the girls promised to work long and hard tomorrow. Due to an impromptu talk in the car I have decided it will be a heavy-on-the-science day, with just some of the basic requirement subjects added in. Should be a lot of fun!  October is crazy-hectic for our family due to all of the birthdays. Having this extended break has really cleared my head (didn't realize it was getting foggy), and I feel primed and ready to get back at the school stuff. The girls, too, seem to want to get back into things. Always nice to see!     Oh, and two other nice things: someone posted a picture of her DD11 and the chocolate cat cake DD11 made, which really looks good and like something my two DDs would like to do sometime soon. I need some ideas for the holidays, so this was wonderfully timed!  And some nice person decided to start a happy/positive thread to help us all keep the good stuff in mind. THANKS, OP!  :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Ever since we got our shih tzu, who welcomes us home with warmth and enthusiasm, dh always comes home happy instead of grumpy sometimes. Our three foreign language study has been going well. My sons have been baking cookies and finding new recipes to try. Our church community is very warm and loving. My 9-yr-old grand-niece is finally back in 1st grade after being forced to drop out two years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 So nice to read other people's good news!  Here, dd2 scored 93% on her math test-- she had to double check that it was an A, she has never gotten one before.. But, of course, I heard her tell her older sister that it was a 39.  Gotta love dyslexia! :laugh:  Swimmers had a good meet last weekend.  Ds1 and dh drove 1300 miles safely to check out some colleges. Both were hits!   Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 School has been going well with my oldest - Calvert this year which was quite a change for us. Finally got my books for my middle two & they seem really excited about them - Oak Meadow for them which is also a huge change. Â And my kids just showed me the most hilarious video I've seen in a while. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jofNR_WkoCE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DjofNR_WkoCE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 DD likes the curriculum this year, even going so far to say, "I hate literature, but if I have to do it, this is the best curriculum we've used for it." Coming from Miss Cranky Teenage-Pants, that's high praise! Of course, using Lifepaks makes me twitch, but she's doing very well with them, so there you go.  My boss mentioned at my last quarterly feedback that he's going to discuss a promotion for me with the rest of the managerial staff.  My son finally seems to be getting his life together. He seemed so lost for such a long time, and granted, he's been through some hard times for a long time. I like his gf. She's smart, she's employed, she's independent, she's not an emotional parasite. Ds got his own apartment and loves it. He's doing well at his FT job and is going to school. It's a huge relief. I was really worried about him for a long time.   Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'm going on a mini vacation to the beach with some friends. Dh took the weekend off to stay with the kids!  School has been going very well this year. Our house is so quiet with only two introverted children at home during the day. I've been able to read for myself more this year than I have in (mumble) years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Most happy news of the week here....  Dd's dog's breeder had a litter of 10 puppies and the mom developed an infection and couldn't nurse (and was very sick).  I stayed at her house and stayed up most of the night earlier this week to help with hand feeding.  Next morning I left feeling very discouraged b/c the picture looked pretty bleak and it was getting hard to find enough people to help with the feedings.  The sweetest little female was doing the worst and I wondered how many hours she had left.  Just a few hours later another breeder drove from several states north to bring a surrogate mommy who accepted the puppies and all are thriving on her milk and look so much better.  Even that nice little girl puppy.  Best news all week.  I'm so glad I was able to help in my small way.  Oh...and the puppies' real mom is home recuperating and expected to be just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'm a chemistry/biology tutor and 1 of my chemistry students came it to thank me; she made the 2nd highest grade on her class on a test. Feedback is great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Happy news is indeed great!  My husband was recently accepted into a pretty big research study at Northwestern University in Chicago. They are attempting to re-teach the undamaged part of the brain how to understand and speak in sentences again. It's only open to people who are at a very precise place in their stroke recovery, people who have re-learned a lot of vocabulary but still have difficulty with syntax.  We feel really fortunate to be part of this study. My husband is working so hard at all of this, and things are getting clearer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphus Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I love this thread! Â Oldest Ds has been buckling down and studying math (his nemesis) and wonder of wonders- he is getting it! I'm so proud of him for tackling his weak spots and working to shore them up. He won't be a mathematician, but no longer having to prod and spoon feed him gives me hope he will "make it" math wise. He just finally realized it wasn't going to magically appear in his brain, lol, and required work and study. Â Younger Ds had Nutcracker practice during the day (they know we home school and he has several solo parts) and I so wish he had rehearsal every day! He jumped out of bed to get moving on school because he knew he'd have a short window to finish, and came right home and worked until time for classes, no grumbling. It focuses him so much better to have a tight schedule, he has add and he was not medicated today (due to rehearsal) but still got everything done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Tonight I got to perform one of my all time favorite orchestral works - Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 2. It was glorious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we have four birthdays (kids), as well as Christmas itself to shop for. I purchased the last items for all the kids this morning. Now dh and I just have each other to shop for and we will be done! Â Thank you, Amazon and Rainbow Resource! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 We just got word yesterday that the company DH works for is making improvements to the healthcare plan in order to be more competitive and because the company's demographics are changing to older people with more kids. They will be covering more of the premium and depositing money into the HSA account as well. Our share will go from about $700 to $225/month and we will add dental because they are covering 100% of the premium. :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Dh has a strong possibility for a job offer exactly where we want to be. Â They're talking money now and have agreed to come up to what he wants/needs. Â That has been our big happy this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted October 18, 2013 Author Share Posted October 18, 2013 I spoke with the boss at the afterschool care yesterday, looks like there is a gov't grant I qualify for because I left the field and am now coming back to it so I will be getting this one time grant basically like a bonus. A chunk of bonus money right before xmas is perfect timing.  Apparently my entire household was tired, it is 12:40 pm, I just woke up, oldest and youngest have only been up about 30 minutes, middle 2 are still sleeping, even the dogs were still asleep. It feels good to sleep. Of course now I realized I only have 3 hours to cram an entires day work in before I head to the afterschool care for orientation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houseofkids&pets Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 It makes me happy to read everyone else's happy news. I might use up my quota of "likes" today! Â I'm happy because it is a sunny, crisp autumn day. The leaves are such gorgeous colors right now. And, thankfully, we don't have too many trees, so raking isn't an overwhelming task. Just enough leaves for the kids to make a leaf pile to play in with their puppy. Â It's Friday, so dh gets out of work a little earlier. We always have "Friday night pizza" as a family. Dh works long hours, so I cherish the nights when we all get to be together. Â Ds10 has a baseball game tomorrow and he has made so much progress. His grandparents are coming into town to watch him play. After that, we are hitting the farms to search for the best pumpkins and go on some hay rides. We are all looking forward to it! Â Oh, and after reading the Princess Bride thread, I borrowed the DVD from the library and will be watching it this weekend with dc. Life is good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 So getting my period back after not having it for 18 months has had me rethinking this whole "we're not ready for another kid anytime soon." Â I can't believe I have to put up with this for another 15 years at least (when exactly does one stop having periods? Â I feel like I'm in 6th grade again getting it for the first time!! Â But another good note, Â my 9 month old now says mama aside from when he's fussy and wants me to hold him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 We are having a fun day today because we just adopted two little homeless kittens! One black and one grey. Brought them home, washed them up a bit, gave them food and water and now they are snuggled together snoozing happily. Â Their mother was apparently wild, but came in to someone's back yard to give birth. They think the babies were born Sept 1 (not there the night before, there the next day). They didn't bother the mother so she kept coming back to feed them for about 6 or 7 weeks. But she didn't come back the other day and the babies were crying so the farmer gave them some kitten food and started looking for good homes. Â Baby kitties are so sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 My severely dyslexic 10 year old read a Clifford book with only 2 helps today! Â My book worm dd put her book down and played with her younger brothers without encouragement from me. Â It is a good day indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Last week I got to go on a trip with my hubby. Just us! I've had a little one nursing for so long that I forgot what it was like to be able to leave! It was awesome to spend time together. And my kids had fun with gma and Gpa that week.  My hubby enjoyed it so much that he called a sitter and he's taking me out tomorrow. Ă°Å¸ËœÅ Â I so loved the quiet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in Jax Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 We just moved into a new house after renovating. :) Â DD will graduate from college in May -- a year early. Â Everyone in the family is healthy. Â DH's job is fulfilling. Â Life is good. Â Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inmyopinion Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 I think I found a home for the two foster cats that some crazy lady in another state asked me to foster (through a local rescue) and then she turned pysco and backed out and stuck me with two cats. Â :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 My dh finally got sick of the sickly green, yellow, and cardboard brown walls of our house and promised me he would repaint every room any color I wanted as my Christmas present. He has finished the main areas. My house finally looks and feels fabulous! {just had to add we were not the culprits of the nasty color scheme. It was the previous owner.} Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Congrats everyone! It's really nice to have this uplifting thread. Â We paid off the house this month and lurchsed the trip to Iceland for 2014. The boys are doing very well with their work, and our college visit tripshave been very productive. Â Plus, I love our rocket team and 4H club. These kids are such neat people that it is a privilege to be their mentor. Â After a 12 our day at the quilt store, I was greeted so sweetly by our cocked spaniel who is currently curled up at my side being very sweet and comforting. Â It has been a good week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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