Last week my older kids started their homeschool year.
It was quite the blur of a week.
Not only did we have something going on every day- soccer practice, soccer game, orthodontist appointment, doctor appointment, team meeting for foster care/adoption, hair appointment.... But my husband also was on night shift for half of the week!
I also did about an hour of school with our youngest, who will start public school later this month.
I am sitting here and typing and literally not remembering much of last week except that I feel like I didn't see my husband more than an hour total Weds-Fri.
Since my older kids are both in high school, they are very good at getting their work done independently.
My oldest, who is in 11th grade, is finishing up his Algebra 2 as well as studying Chemistry, and is looking forward to Russian History next semester.
My 9th grader is finishing up Algebra 1 and starting Geometry, as well as studying Physical Science.
Both kids are also taking US History, Russian, Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace (for high schoolers) and will be writing research papers.
It should be an interesting year, that's for sure!
And so today we start another week where we have something(s) going on every afternoon- doctor appointments, soccer practice, soccer games, etc... This will be our life for the next 2 months so I better get used to it!
While it's busy, it's nothing new. In 2 weeks when our youngest starts public school, that's when things will get CRAZY! I don't know how we'll get homework done AND have any kind of time where he'll be able to see his dad for any length of time. It won't happen on Saturdays as my husband works practically all of them from now until the end of November. We'll definitely have to be deliberate and creative. It's only for a season and we'll get through!
Monday, August 13, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
What Are You Willing To Do?
Another one of my friends is adopting!
April and her family are in the beginning stages of adopting 2 siblings from Ukraine. They are filling out their paperwork and getting their physicals, fingerprints and homestudy done.
But the hardest part of this journey could just be in the funding of the adoption... This adoption will cost them at least $30,000!
I'm sure some of you wonder why they would spend that much money to adopt... Let me tell you, if you meet an orphan who so desperately wants and needs a home and you have a home... You will do whatever you need to do to bring those children home!
Not every family can adopt... If you are a family with a heart for orphans, but you are not able to adopt, you have the privilege of helping April and her family adopt 2 from Ukraine!
April and her family are in the beginning stages of adopting 2 siblings from Ukraine. They are filling out their paperwork and getting their physicals, fingerprints and homestudy done.
But the hardest part of this journey could just be in the funding of the adoption... This adoption will cost them at least $30,000!
I'm sure some of you wonder why they would spend that much money to adopt... Let me tell you, if you meet an orphan who so desperately wants and needs a home and you have a home... You will do whatever you need to do to bring those children home!
Not every family can adopt... If you are a family with a heart for orphans, but you are not able to adopt, you have the privilege of helping April and her family adopt 2 from Ukraine!
Here is the link to their donations page:
If you are able to give, that is greatly appreciated.
If you are able to link this to Facebook or send in an email to some friends who might be able to give, that is also needed.
I have seen an outpouring of support from my friends (who have never met April!) as they are donating items to the online auction April is having to raise money for the adoption.
Let's help bring these children home to their forever family!
ANY amount, large or small, is welcome!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Vacation!
We have been fortunate this summer to take three trips, all with free lodging! That's how I love to travel! ;) Actually, it's what allows us to travel! As a single income family on a government salary, there's simply not enough at the end of the month to save for Disney or a week at the beach.
So in June, our family of 4 traveled to Charleston, SC to visit with our family friends for about 5 days.
Then in July, our new family of 5 spent 2 days at a beach a few hours away and were able to stay in a house for free! That was SO much better than cramming into a small hotel room! :)
Just last week, we spent 5 days at a friend's house in the mountains. Ahhh, how I LOVE the mountains! There was less humidity and the weather was cooler. We slept late, slept with the windows open (and were even too chilly a few nights!), went on some short hikes and watched the Olympics.
There were 2 highlights of the trip... The first was tubing down the river! This river is pretty shallow in most points and all you have to do is sit in your tube and let the current drift you a few miles back to your car. It was so nice!
The second highlight was getting to visit with friends of ours who were staying with family about 30 minutes away. So after a 30 minute drive up and down and around, we were able to roast hot dogs and marshmallows with our friends.
There were also 2 lowlights on this trip... The first happened over our first night when a 23 year old deputy in the next county was murdered in the line of duty. His wife is due any time with their first child. Thankfully, another deputy on the call was able to shoot and kill the murderer. It sounds weird to say "thankfully" because that man also has a family left behind, but that can be the price you pay for murdering Law Enforcement.....
The second lowlight was that our oldest came down with a high fever on our last night of vacation. A few days later it was gone and we're glad it didn't interfere with our trip and that it was nothing more than a virus.
So, yes, we did take several trips this summer, but we needed that last trip as a family of four and we needed that first trip as a family of 5. Plus, we wanted to take "W" to the beach for the first time. It was all good bonding time as well as time to kick back and relax and take some time away from appointments, housework and work. It was needed because we are entering the "busy" season around our house... Where into our "normal" life we add homeschool, soccer games, public school, off duty work for my husband which will take him out of the house an additional 7 Saturdays beyond the 7 he's already working between now and the end of November. We needed that family time because it will be scarce by the end of August when "W" starts school.
So maybe when things get busy and stressful these coming months, I can remember the beauty of the waterfall we hiked too, as pictured below...
So in June, our family of 4 traveled to Charleston, SC to visit with our family friends for about 5 days.
Then in July, our new family of 5 spent 2 days at a beach a few hours away and were able to stay in a house for free! That was SO much better than cramming into a small hotel room! :)
Just last week, we spent 5 days at a friend's house in the mountains. Ahhh, how I LOVE the mountains! There was less humidity and the weather was cooler. We slept late, slept with the windows open (and were even too chilly a few nights!), went on some short hikes and watched the Olympics.
There were 2 highlights of the trip... The first was tubing down the river! This river is pretty shallow in most points and all you have to do is sit in your tube and let the current drift you a few miles back to your car. It was so nice!
The second highlight was getting to visit with friends of ours who were staying with family about 30 minutes away. So after a 30 minute drive up and down and around, we were able to roast hot dogs and marshmallows with our friends.
There were also 2 lowlights on this trip... The first happened over our first night when a 23 year old deputy in the next county was murdered in the line of duty. His wife is due any time with their first child. Thankfully, another deputy on the call was able to shoot and kill the murderer. It sounds weird to say "thankfully" because that man also has a family left behind, but that can be the price you pay for murdering Law Enforcement.....
The second lowlight was that our oldest came down with a high fever on our last night of vacation. A few days later it was gone and we're glad it didn't interfere with our trip and that it was nothing more than a virus.
So, yes, we did take several trips this summer, but we needed that last trip as a family of four and we needed that first trip as a family of 5. Plus, we wanted to take "W" to the beach for the first time. It was all good bonding time as well as time to kick back and relax and take some time away from appointments, housework and work. It was needed because we are entering the "busy" season around our house... Where into our "normal" life we add homeschool, soccer games, public school, off duty work for my husband which will take him out of the house an additional 7 Saturdays beyond the 7 he's already working between now and the end of November. We needed that family time because it will be scarce by the end of August when "W" starts school.
So maybe when things get busy and stressful these coming months, I can remember the beauty of the waterfall we hiked too, as pictured below...
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Testing, Testing...
Sure enough, we have been tested!
After about 3 weeks of all of us getting used to our new family of 5, we finally saw it. An entire day of testing!
I won't go into specifics on it, but none of it was horrible, it just was constant. It was as if he was saying "Let's just see how much of it they can take and STILL love me!"
Thankfully, my husband was home from work and he was able to take care of it. There are rules we have to follow on how we can and can't discipline and we do follow them. Time Out and removal of privileges is working well and in reading back through his bio, it has also worked well in the past. We also talk with him about proper behavior and why he needs to listen and obey.
We are all realizing just how much patience we will need to have during this adjustment period. What I think is funny, is that I seem to be fairly patient and I would consider myself one of the least patient people in the family! Perhaps it's because I've read and re-read enough of his history to understand his limitations. I am constantly reminding my older children that they will have to be patient and will have to explain things many, many times...
We are making a few adjustments to our night time schedule to allow the older kids some time to re-group. Bedtime for "W" has been moved earlier and this has worked well for all these last few days. Now that he's eating and sleeping well, he needs to catch up on all the sleep he's lost in the past few years and he hasn't fought us at all (yet?) on this new bedtime.
"W" does like us reading his Day By Day Bible to him each night. I have enjoyed my Read Through the Bible in a Year plan and his Bible goes through the entire Bible, but in a format that is easy for kids to understand. It keeps Truth intact while allowing for kids to follow along well. I think we'll be reading this Bible over and over again through the years!
After about 3 weeks of all of us getting used to our new family of 5, we finally saw it. An entire day of testing!
I won't go into specifics on it, but none of it was horrible, it just was constant. It was as if he was saying "Let's just see how much of it they can take and STILL love me!"
Thankfully, my husband was home from work and he was able to take care of it. There are rules we have to follow on how we can and can't discipline and we do follow them. Time Out and removal of privileges is working well and in reading back through his bio, it has also worked well in the past. We also talk with him about proper behavior and why he needs to listen and obey.
We are all realizing just how much patience we will need to have during this adjustment period. What I think is funny, is that I seem to be fairly patient and I would consider myself one of the least patient people in the family! Perhaps it's because I've read and re-read enough of his history to understand his limitations. I am constantly reminding my older children that they will have to be patient and will have to explain things many, many times...
We are making a few adjustments to our night time schedule to allow the older kids some time to re-group. Bedtime for "W" has been moved earlier and this has worked well for all these last few days. Now that he's eating and sleeping well, he needs to catch up on all the sleep he's lost in the past few years and he hasn't fought us at all (yet?) on this new bedtime.
"W" does like us reading his Day By Day Bible to him each night. I have enjoyed my Read Through the Bible in a Year plan and his Bible goes through the entire Bible, but in a format that is easy for kids to understand. It keeps Truth intact while allowing for kids to follow along well. I think we'll be reading this Bible over and over again through the years!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Spoiled....
I have a friend who is on a two week mission trip to Uganda. He is experiencing something that is not seen in churches here in America. When he described it on a Facebook status, it caught my attention:
My friend followed up the above statement with another one...one which I agree with 100%:
Can I even imagine spending six hours in church, not listening to our awesome praise band, but in hearing preaching from the Bible without complaint?!
Honestly, I can't imagine it...
When was the last time I spent 6 hours listening to a preacher, reading my Bible, truly studying it's words, spending time in prayer?
Sure, we're busy.... There ARE things we have to get done... But the point is that we would probably gladly spend 6 hours:
As I was writing this, I was thinking of all the ways I am spoiled... There are MANY ways!
I am challenging myself, and anyone reading this, to really take a look at how time is spent in the coming week. Take a look and see if there is anything you need to give up or get rid of in order to spend more time in prayer and Bible study, learning more of who God is and what He expects from you.
This doesn't mean we never have fun, never read a book, never go places. It might mean we read less, watch less tv, spend more time studying the Bible, spend time mentoring a young Christian (this will challenge you to study your Bible more!)... It might involve repenting to God for our prideful and selfish attitudes... It might even mean turning to God for His free gift of salvation...
Do you think you are spoiled? Could you stand in the heat for 6 hours and then ask for more?
"We taught for 6 hours straight and they begged for one more teaching. It was hot and crowded and most people stood and yet they wanted more. You can't get Americans to sit still and listen for 30 minutes without looking at their watch. Help us, Lord!"
It made me think about how I view my church experience.
- Do I want the worship to entertain ME or am I really listening to the words and singing them to God?
- Do I look for topical or surface sermons that I can shake my head in agreement to or do I want the preaching to be deep, even if it's not entertaining to me?
- Am I looking at my watch after the preaching has reached it's 20 minute mark because I'm ready to move on to the next thing?
- Do I really want MORE or am I just saying that because it's the "right" thing?
- Can I even comprehend
sittingstanding for 6 hours, without complaining... and then wanting MORE?!
My friend followed up the above statement with another one...one which I agree with 100%:
"America has a big problem and it's called spoiled."
How true that is, especially in my own life.
Can I even imagine spending six hours in church, not listening to our awesome praise band, but in hearing preaching from the Bible without complaint?!
Honestly, I can't imagine it...
When was the last time I spent 6 hours listening to a preacher, reading my Bible, truly studying it's words, spending time in prayer?
Sure, we're busy.... There ARE things we have to get done... But the point is that we would probably gladly spend 6 hours:
- Playing golf
- Watching our favorite sport
- Shopping
- Spending time with friends
- Planning our next vacation
- Researching a cause dear to us
- Reading the latest bestseller...
As I was writing this, I was thinking of all the ways I am spoiled... There are MANY ways!
I am challenging myself, and anyone reading this, to really take a look at how time is spent in the coming week. Take a look and see if there is anything you need to give up or get rid of in order to spend more time in prayer and Bible study, learning more of who God is and what He expects from you.
This doesn't mean we never have fun, never read a book, never go places. It might mean we read less, watch less tv, spend more time studying the Bible, spend time mentoring a young Christian (this will challenge you to study your Bible more!)... It might involve repenting to God for our prideful and selfish attitudes... It might even mean turning to God for His free gift of salvation...
Do you think you are spoiled? Could you stand in the heat for 6 hours and then ask for more?
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
A Rollercoaster Week!
I can't believe we survived last week!
Thankfully, "W" continues to adjust well into our family...
Here's a brief look at some of the craziness that happened within the first 3 days of last week:
In the midst of the crazy moments, there were just as many times of wonderful!
So, last week really had MORE wonderful than it had crazy...
Looking forward to the coming weeks of wonderful and crazy!
Thankfully, "W" continues to adjust well into our family...
Here's a brief look at some of the craziness that happened within the first 3 days of last week:
- My husband was on night shift... Which is normally hard... But he had to start work at 6pm, which means I needed to have dinner ready by 5pm.
- My son had two nights of soccer practice... Which started at 5pm...
- "W" had an appointment that kept us two towns away at the moment that my husband needed dinner AND my son needed to be at soccer!
- Knowing the schedule for the coming 2-3 weeks would also be very busy, I was determined to get the house cleaned... I just was hardly home for two days in a row so it was virtually impossible to do...
- I forgot to put dinner in the Crock Pot on that same night, so there was not hot meal for my husband to eat before he left for work.
- The AC unit in our upstairs bonus room stopped working over that weekend, so add a visit from the repair man in to an already crazy day!
- I tried to register "W" at his school and was told that since the school year had technically started the day before, I would need to drive 45 minutes away to register him... I'm still trying to figure out when we can add THAT in to the schedule!
- On the first night my husband didn't have to work, he had a meeting at church that was longer than I expected, which meant he was gone for over 2 hours when we all had seriously not seen him for much more than an hour total over the previous 72 hours.
In the midst of the crazy moments, there were just as many times of wonderful!
- My husband is so low key that not only did he not mind eating a slice of 3 day old pizza and a hot dog leftover from lunch for his dinner when I forgot to make it, BUT he also cleaned our bathroom for me while I took "W" to his appointment! All after working all night and sleeping through the noise we were all trying so hard NOT to make!
- My friend and her husband went out of their way to transport my son BOTH WAYS for one of his soccer practices since both my husband and I were unavailable.
- The bonus room losing AC was the best case scenario since it is an optional room for us.
- My husband sleeps so well on night shift that he didn't hear us trying not to make noise!
- My daughter and her friend made dinner for us on the night I forgot about the Crock Pot... Mac and Cheese and Strawberry Smoothies never tasted SO good!
- We were able to go on a tour of "W's" new school and he seems to be really excited, although I'm still not thrilled about spending 3+ hours getting him enrolled sometime this month.
- "W" was invited to a birthday party of a boy he knows from church and had a wonderful time with his new friend at the pool!
- Our family of 5 was able to spend 2 days at the beach... Thinking we'd cram into a hotel room... But ending up being able to spend the night in a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house with a pool and hot tub... FOR FREE! It was 15 minutes from the beach and "W" LOVES the ocean! I think we'll go back next summer, maybe even for the week!
- "W" continues to adjust well into our family, bonding well with us all. He is starting to test us some, but it's nothing unexpected or all that bad.
So, last week really had MORE wonderful than it had crazy...
Looking forward to the coming weeks of wonderful and crazy!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Facebook "Break"
After several days on vacation with only Facebook access from my phone (and poor coverage so I really wasn't on much)... And with a long list of stuff to do the following week... And some much needed family time as we grew to a family of five...
I decided it was time for a break from Facebook...
It wasn't a complete break, just a serious cutback.
When I am home, it is SO easy to have Facebook up on the laptop. But then I find myself lacking in self control and wasting countless hours on there. This is one major reason I REFUSE to get on Pinterest... For me, it's just another way to waste time!
So, I had to have some accountability and semi-drastic measures.
Our Wi-Fi has very good internet security and parental controls (Open DNS- research it and give it a try- it's FREE!). We have 2 teenagers, so internet security is a MUST! I don't know if it's growing up in NY or having an LEO husband, but I'm over cautious when it comes to the internet. That's why I don't post my husband or kids' names on my blog and why my Facebook page is tightly secure (or so I hope...). My kids don't have Facebook and neither does my husband. Sure, some might see that as being a "helicopter" parent, but I see it as keeping them from a lot of stuff they don't need to see quite yet. Before they leave the house, they can have Facebook, but not when they're 14 and 16. I don't care if your teens have a Facebook page, just PLEASE make sure their page is secure! I can't tell you the teens that I am not friends with but I can see everything on their page! If I can, then the pervert can too! Protect your kids on the internet!
But back to the point....
I asked my husband to block Facebook on our Wi-Fi for the last week of June and he did. Because my smartphone internet access runs off of Wi-Fi when we're home (to save my data plan), I didn't have Facebook access from my phone unless I turned Wi-Fi off. Yes, I did that sometimes and I checked Facebook while I was out of the house, but I can tell you the time I spent on it was much reduced.
And I have to say I survived and enjoyed it too!
So, my husband and I have a deal...
When he's off of work, he'll block Facebook in Wi-Fi...
When he's working, I'll pick 1 or 2 days/nights that he will unblock it.
I'll still have limited access on my phone.
This plan will help me with the amount of time I spend on Facebook and the computer in general, and during a time when I need to focus my time elsewhere.
Hopefully I'll learn some self control on my own, but until then, I like this plan!
I decided it was time for a break from Facebook...
It wasn't a complete break, just a serious cutback.
When I am home, it is SO easy to have Facebook up on the laptop. But then I find myself lacking in self control and wasting countless hours on there. This is one major reason I REFUSE to get on Pinterest... For me, it's just another way to waste time!
So, I had to have some accountability and semi-drastic measures.
Our Wi-Fi has very good internet security and parental controls (Open DNS- research it and give it a try- it's FREE!). We have 2 teenagers, so internet security is a MUST! I don't know if it's growing up in NY or having an LEO husband, but I'm over cautious when it comes to the internet. That's why I don't post my husband or kids' names on my blog and why my Facebook page is tightly secure (or so I hope...). My kids don't have Facebook and neither does my husband. Sure, some might see that as being a "helicopter" parent, but I see it as keeping them from a lot of stuff they don't need to see quite yet. Before they leave the house, they can have Facebook, but not when they're 14 and 16. I don't care if your teens have a Facebook page, just PLEASE make sure their page is secure! I can't tell you the teens that I am not friends with but I can see everything on their page! If I can, then the pervert can too! Protect your kids on the internet!
But back to the point....
I asked my husband to block Facebook on our Wi-Fi for the last week of June and he did. Because my smartphone internet access runs off of Wi-Fi when we're home (to save my data plan), I didn't have Facebook access from my phone unless I turned Wi-Fi off. Yes, I did that sometimes and I checked Facebook while I was out of the house, but I can tell you the time I spent on it was much reduced.
And I have to say I survived and enjoyed it too!
So, my husband and I have a deal...
When he's off of work, he'll block Facebook in Wi-Fi...
When he's working, I'll pick 1 or 2 days/nights that he will unblock it.
I'll still have limited access on my phone.
This plan will help me with the amount of time I spend on Facebook and the computer in general, and during a time when I need to focus my time elsewhere.
Hopefully I'll learn some self control on my own, but until then, I like this plan!
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