Since much of my life involves walking around circles and picking things up off the floor, feeding six dependents (three fur babies, three of the human variety, plus one husband), cleaning up after six said dependents--and my favorite, laundry-- it's easy to get caught up in all of these every day chores that I like to gripe about.  I'm glad that at least once a year, there is a time when I am reminded to sit and reflect and be thankful for all of the wonder, opportunity, love and good fortune that surrounds me. Here are a few things for which I am grateful this year: My Dog: My dog Bear is well over 12 years old. She'll be 13 in February and I appreciate every day that I have with her. I got her from a local shelter when she was 11 weeks old and I have known her longer than I have known my husband. She is my first baby. Though now she doesn't get as much attention as she or I would like her to get, she's rarely alone because I'm home most of the day. I try to lay on the floor and "spoon" her every night. She's a big dog, 115 pounds, and for a dog her size to have lived this long is rare. I'm very, very thankful she'll be sharing another Thanksgiving with us and I'll be giving her a special turkey dinner of her own. Health Insurance: With the election over and the constant debate about whether or not Americans should be required to have insurance, I have to tell you after the day I had on Sunday, I am mighty thankful that we have it. If this seems a bit out of the blue to you....I'll tell you why: Our precious four-and-a-half year old Kate broke her arm when she took a nasty fall off of our swing set. I spent about three hours in the Emergency Room with her. She needed an IV for pain medication and had to be fully sedated when the bone was re-set. Without health insurance this visit would have cost us well over $1,500 maybe more and right before the holidays too. But most of all, I am so relieved that she's going to be okay. It's so hard to see a child in pain. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="240"]

Photo credit: nirbhao[/caption] My Thirsties: Yes, I am still grateful for my Thirsties Cloth Diapers. With Cooper nearing 21 months and not showing a bit of interest in potty training, we'll be using our cloth diapers for quite a while longer. Every time I ask him if he wants to sit on the potty he says "NO!" If I try to put him on it  anyway he curls up his legs in protest. He often tells me when he's "peeing" or "pooing" but that's about all. Oh, and he did pee on the floor last week and then brought me over to show me where the puddle was. That was helpful because I'm so distracted I may not have noticed it until I stepped in it. So those are three of the many, many things I am thankful for this year. What about you? What are you feeling appreciative of this year? Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!