50 Things I am Grateful for in 2016

The assignment was to set a timer for 15 minutes and write a list of everything I am grateful for in my life or that happened in my life this year.



  1. My husband
  2. My boys
  3. My health
  4. That my grandmother (and last surviving grandparent) is still alive
  5. For my whole family
  6. Our Myrtle Beach vacation and all that we did on it
  7. Watching Alec tackle the most difficult courses at the adventure park
  8. Getting a "new" to me car
  9. Having a wonderful Christmas with the family
  10. Going to the beach so much
  11. Hiking Mount Monadnock (even if I did complain the whole time!)
  12. For my house
  13. Seeing the sunrises and sunsets that are so colorful
  14. Watching the three bald eagles soaring over the lake
  15. Taking family kayak trips
  16. Watching Evan read a chapter book
  17. Figuring out what was upsetting Evan's stomach
  18. That Ian's wrist was NOT fractured this summer like we first thought.
  19. Homeschooling and learning beside my boys
  20. Going on the science boat trip and learning about marine animals
  21. Our trip to Beavertail state park
  22. For new friendships
  23. To be able to throw my boys some memorable birthday parties
  24. Hanging out with friends at the lake over 4th of July weekend
  25. That our cat did not die like we thought he would when he was so sick
  26. For the memories of Great Wolf Lodge
  27. Trick or treating with most of my family this year; it was fun to go out together.
  28. Going to Beardsley zoo
  29. All the wonderful food we eat
  30. Being able to take my boys to the movies in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week
  31. For all the homeschooling families we "click" with and have fun with
  32. Watching my boys form lasting friendships with kids they met in pre-k!
  33. Hosting our egg drop
  34. All our nature walks
  35. Joining our letter boxing group
  36. That Evan can ride a bike and we can go on family bike rides now
  37. Nature and the beauty in the world around us
  38. That it's the end of Dec. and we have yet to see any real snow
  39. For the fun day we had at the mall yesterday!
  40. Watching my boys take turns so nicely with our new video game system
  41. Hearing my boys helping one another out
  42. Watching the boys build complicated kits and Lego sets-- you can see them thinking!
  43. Taking a day trip to Block Island this past summer
  44. Seeing my boys settle in with books each time we visit Barnes and Noble
  45. Our trip to Mystic Aquarium
  46. That when our basement flooded we didn't have to spend money on any repairs!
  47. That my aunt was able to visit us while we were on vacation 
  48. For my new comfy slippers and boots!
  49. That leggings and sweaters are all the rage right now; it's such a comfy trend.
  50. That I finished this list before the timer went off
  51. That my blog seems to appeal to a wide variety of readers and my work is starting to be recognized.  
  52. For the zoo and museum classes my boys are lucky enough to participate in.
  53. For our new internet service provider-- it has made a HUGE difference in blogging
  54. For all the fun arts and crafts projects I get to do with my boys-- and that they'll willingly participate (like these)
  55. For finally finding our groove in homeschooling; balancing hands on fun and field trips with good books and more traditional schooling subjects.
  56. For fires in the fireplace 
  57. For takeout on nights I just can't imagine cooking.

Instructions Straight from
Tales From the Motherland

So, if you’d like to join in, here’s how it works: set a timer for 15 minutes; timing this is critical. Once you start the timer, start your list. The goal is to write 50 things that make you happy, or 50 thing that you feel grateful for. The idea is to not think too hard; just write what comes to mind in the time allotted. You may find that if you use numbered mode, and just type what comes to mind, like me you will have enough time for more than 50. When the timer’s done, stop writing. Finish whatever sentence you’re on, but don’t add more. If you haven’t written 50 things, that’s OK. If you have more than 50 things great; you can’t feel too happy or too grateful! Add the photos, links, instructions, etc after you finish the list––the timer doesn’t matter for getting these details down; it applies to the list only.  Be sure to link back to this post, so that others can find the instructions and join in to.


To join us for this project: 1) Write your post and publish it (please copy and paste the instructions from this post, into yours) 2) Please include a link Dawn’s post 3) Click on the blue frog at the very bottom of this post. 4) That will take you to another window, where you can past the URL to your post. (folks have trouble with this, but it’s not that hard. 5)Follow the prompts, and your post will be added to the Blog Party List.(If you have problems, contact Dawn and she'll help).


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