Best Resource...EVER!!!

You will want to send me chocolates or sweet poetry when I share what I just found.

Go here and see it quickly. I'm in LOVE!

Hat Tip: Mrs. Clarice at Storybook Woods

P.S. If you already know about this awesome resource you can still send me chocolate and poetry. :)

I posted this, November 11, 2005. We adopted our little boy, his brother and the three sisters in April of 2006. To date this is my absolute favorite post about being a foster parent. Its real. I can still feel these emotions every time I read the post. Recently I found out every child in my care that went back to their "loving" homes is now back in the system. Four little children, all with brothers and sisters in other homes, back in the system. Four children the Lord chose to send me, but not let me keep. Believe me I would have kept ever last one of them. For the time they were with me, they were my babies and I guess in a way they always will be.

Ok first of all I love being a foster parent. I love having a house full of children.

The system stinks and I know that...believe me... I KNOW that. Sometimes they take children who should not be taken. Sometimes they leave children when they should be taken. Sometimes they give parents too many chances. Sometimes they don't give parents enough chances.

The children who have come into our home have come because or abuse, neglect, unsafe home conditions, and one because mom would not get rid of the boyfriend.

I have had one little guy in my care for 1.5 years. He has been in care for two years. He came in at 6 months old. Do the math and you know I'm his mommy, hubby is his daddy. End of story. We are supposed to start termination of parental rights with him next week. It could take one day for the judge to sign the order and then a 30 day appeal process. It could take one month to years! His mom has done nothing to try to get him back this year. It should not take this long.

I have three little girls that we will soon be adopting.They have been in care for 3 years. Their mother took off about a year ago and never came back. It still took 6 months to get her rights terminated.

I had two little girls with me for awhile. Sweet as could be. When they came into care with their two month old baby brother they were severely neglected. When CPS picked the children up there was no food in the house and the baby had tea in his bottle. The children were in our care for one month, the baby was at another foster home we did not have room. They were sent to live with grandparents even though CPS said that the grandparents were at the house and knew the state the children lived in and did not recommended the relative placement. Six months later the baby now 9 months old had not gained any weight and the girls were also showing failure to thrive. They are back in the system and probably going up for adoption. Oh, how I long for a fifteen passenger van. That's the only thing stopping me from making the call. They will probably be separated for adoption. Not many people will take three children. All this transpired over a year.

I had a little boy for awhile who was one of four. His older brother was five and could not talk, ate everything in sight, and could not sleep in a bed. He had to sleep on the floor. His older sister was three. She'd been run over by a truck at 18 months of age and had none of the surgeries she needed that could have saved her sight, allowed her to have a normal mouth full of teethe, or straightened bones that would help her grow. CPS put all of the children back with the mother ( they were taken from her ex husband) even though she left them in a dangerous environment and obviously medically neglected her daughter. They left the three year old in care in a medical foster home so she could continue medical treatments.

"How do you do it?" I'm always asked this question. I do it because... well because somebody has to. I do it with a sense of humor. Do any of the stories above make you laugh? NOPE. But there are things in the day to day life of dealing with the system that you learn to laugh at.

Its not funny when a child hordes food, but you laugh when you see the imaginative places they have hidden it.

Its not funny when the biological mother of a child complains to you about the baby snatchers coming to her house and how she did nothing wrong even though the child came into your home covered in bruises or other emotional scars that you cant just kiss away, but you have to laugh the way she is whining to you. She obviously thinks you are going to believe she is the victim!

Is it funny when a bio misses her third court appearance because she is "sick". No, but you learn to laugh when the General Magistrate looks around the room and says, "Well that's convenient. Make sure we send her a get well card!"

So you learn to laugh. Unfortunately, you learn to make some new friends. Other foster parents who will laugh with you because otherwise people are going to think you are strange. :) We laugh, we pray and we hope. That's our secret.

I have done a lot of posts on being a foster parent. I want other people to be foster parents. Especially Christians. I want people to love these children unconditionally. I don't want to think I have to save them all. I want to think that there are others out there like me who just want to win the lottery so they can buy a couple of buses and a big house with a lot of land.

I decided to give you guys reality here. I wanted you to know that sometimes they will call you at 10:30pm to take a child for a day or two, leave him with you for a month, and then one day out of the blue call and say you have half an hour to get him ready because he is going home. Your husband and your children in school wont even be able to tell him goodbye. You wont be able to understand why, despite the horror stories you have heard from his worker, his Guardian Ad Litem, and his assessment worker, he is going back to the hell he came from.

I want you to know that sometimes they will come and take the sweetest little blond curly headed girl home only to put her back in care six months later with a haunted look in her eyes, that was not there when she left your house.

I want you to know that you will have some workers who care more about getting their papers signed than about listening to your concerns or answering questions about the children.

I want you to know that it is worth every hassle you go through. Every scream of frustration that leaves your mouth. Every tear you cry! There is nothing in life quiet as fulfilling as to know that you could be the love and support and encouragement that a child might never have had. That you can be a child's safe harbor even if only for a little while.

To teach a child the Jesus loves him and will never leave him is a gift in and of itself. To teach that to a child that will find himself alone and hurting again and again..is a miracle. Thank you God for giving me this privilege!

Fosterparents.com is the best place for resources on how you can become a foster parent that I have found. I will add some more foster parent links after I go through my files to see what I have.

History and Science

Why oh why can't I seem to get History and Science down???
I received Biblioplan in the mail and I think I will like it but we can't start it until we get the spine book. For us it will either be Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedia of World History and/or Story of The World Volume 1. Want to hear something hilarious (not really) I thought I would not need SOTW and gave it and my activity book away to a friend. Her daughter loves it so there is no way I can ask for it back.
*Banging Head Ferociously* I might not buy the textbook just the CD this time. I do think I will look into getting the activity book again though. I thought I'd already ordered the Usborne book, but I have not. I have to wait until Thursday or Friday to get it.
As for science I still have not purchased anything to use there. I know (I think) what I want, but I have to buy a little at a time. I'm going to start with the DVDs I mentioned in this post. Then I will start purchasing the books.
I really should have been in our second year history and science cycle.
Should I even discuss Latin????? We are on Chapter 2 in Prima Latina. We technically "started" it 4 or 5 months ago.
Same with Bible. I have not even started it.
I know why. I'm starved for time right now. I plan on blogging about it soon, but there are raw spots I'm not ready to pick at right now.
I'm sorry if I have seemed whiny and depressed lately. Its my season for it I guess. I think it helps sometimes to see the grungier side of homeschool life. I know something I struggle with is keeping up with the "Ubers", you know the uber homeschool family. LOL.
Oh well the baby is ready to go night night whether he thinks so or not. :)

Fosterparent Q and A

This post is from August 27, 2005. Someone left me a comment with the following questions and I answered them to the best of my ability.

Enjoy!

I have tried to make this pretty, but for some reason blogger does not want to cooperate. Im sorry for the way it looks.

How many kids of your own do you have and how many foster kids?

All the children I have right now (5) are foster children. We should begin the adoption process on our three girls sometime next month and then it could take MONTHS to finish it. As far as children of our own we pray everyday that God would open my womb. We have faith that He one day will... kinda funny story. The state of Florida says you can only have five children in your home as a foster parent. (Sometimes they make exceptions as you saw) Hubby and I were discussing it one day and wondering maybe if we were not supposed to adopt our five children from the state and then God would give us our own biological children. We know we would love to have a big family so we are kinda wondering if that is God's plan because like I said before we both firmly believe that the day will come when I have my own baby.

How do you give the foster kids the sense of stability/permenancy that they deserve and need even though they and you know they will be moving on again?

PRAYER! The minute the child comes through our door we pray pray pray over them. Claim them as our own and cover them with protection. One thing you dont know is what kind of evil these children have attached to them. We just start at the beginning and pray it all off of them. No we dont wail and scream and shake the child. We simply hold him and claim him as our own. My husband claims fatherhood over the child which puts him in the spiritual leader seat. We believe that as long as that child is with us God recognizes us as his parents. We also have a policy that we will keep the child until they go back to thier parents. NO matter how difficult. Now of course we would have to reevaluate this policy if a child entered our home who was a threat to any other children already in our care. We also accept each child as our own for however long he is here. We take them on trips, to family outings, out to eat... whatever we are doing. Now this might sound like common sense but believe it or not some foster children spend more time away from thier foster family then they do with them.

How long do you typically have foster kids?

Well in the year and 3 months we have been doing this we have had our 2 year old for one year and 3 months. We had two little girls from Labor day til the middle of October. We have had our two girls since the middle of October. We got a little boy the Friday before Mother's day and he is still here probably will be til after the first of the year. We got another two year old right before the fourth of July and he went home this week. We got our other little girl in the middle of July and will be adopting her. So out of 8 children so far we have only had three leave us and they were only here for about a month.

Do they get along well with your own kids?

We dont have children of our own but I will tell you I am amazed at how well all the different children get along. They basically behave like siblings. Fighting one minute defending to the death the next. They are all rather bossy but seem to handle each other well.

How do you assure that your own kids' needs are met while meeting the special challenges associated with many foster kids?

Honestly, we have not had hardly any special challenges. I believe that prayer has kept us from some of the tragic stories you hear about these foster children. Believe me when I say all of these children in my home right now have every right to be bitter, resentful, distrustful.. but they are not. They are happy well adjusted little people. Just like anyone else's children. They get into trouble like other's children as well. They are by no means perfect but I have not seen any behavior that is not typical for another child thier age. I have had someone at almost every agency we have worked with remark that my children do not resembe typical foster children. All I can tell you is that God is the authority over our children. We establish that day one by giving the child to God. We also use consistantcy. Consistant love, consistant discipline, consistant expectations. The children THRIVE on consistency. Its like I tell most people about my eight year old who is my biggest challange to date behavior wise... she has had eight year of inconsistant harsh discipline. With one month of consistant loving discipline I alread see changes in her. Such as true repentance when she does wrong and a heart seeking after God.I love being a mommy no matter whose children they are. All of my children but one call me mommy and the one who doesnt came from a very loving home where his mom made some mistakes.

God gives us strength patience and perserverance when we think we cant take one more step. We are so blessed to be the parents to these children and if we had our way we would NEVER stop fostering. I hope I answered all of your questions. I hope others would feel free to ask questions about fostering. There is a lot of stuff not understood. One thing is sure though we need good solid Christian homes to foster. Too many times these children are put in a godless home where they are given the basics but do not get hugs and I love yous. One goal I have for each child in my care is that they leave my home knowing the words to Jesus Loves Me. If they can sing that song then they can understand that they are never alone and that Jesus always loves them.

A Snippet.

A snippet of a post from August 5, 2005 answering a question about fostercare.

*****************************************************************************

I would love to know how you and your husband got involved in adopting foster kids.

Anna, when we first started the foster care process we had to take foster/adopt classes. The classes were the same for everyone. We did not go into this to just adopt because you can get a wider range of kids if you start out fostering. Of course adoptive foster parents have more of a chance of actually getting children placed with them that are either already at the stage of TPR (Termination of Parental Rights) or very close to it. With being foster parents first we generally have to wait for TPR and even deal with the children going back to their Biological parents. We went in knowing this and deciding that if God would grant us any of these children we would take them. My mom gets a little perturbed when we tell her that another child in our home will be going up for adoption. She has told me many times that I cant adopt them all... not sure why though! :) The three girls we will be adopting came to us in the middle of trying to get TPRd. They'd been in states care for a year and a half and mom had left the state. I have one little guy right now who was taken at 6 months of age. The next 6 months of his life were spent in two-three different foster homes. Then at one year of age he came to me and has been with me ever since. He will be 2.5 in October and will have been in care for 2 years (with me for 1.5 years). Supposedly if a child has been in care for 18 months out of 22 months he is to be placed for permanancy (basically TPR or send him back) this is almost never the case as the state bends over backwards to give children back to thier bios. Understandable Im sure but if a mom cant do what the state has asked her to do after two years... well.. that should be the end of it. She obviously does not really care about getting her child back. Its a hard road but we love the children and really feel as if we are doing what God has called us to do. As far as birth order.. the classes suggest you take no children older than your oldest biological child. A lot of people only take children younger than their youngest. We did not have this problem as we had no children of our own but now we have to be a little more careful taking placements. So far the only birth order problem we have found is when we got our other two year old a few weeks ago our two year old A had many problems adjusting! He just flat did not like E and made sure he knew it by hitting, snatching, biting, pushing and yelling at him.I hope this answers your question. If I can be of any more help please let me know! That goes for anyone who has any questions about foster care. We need good Christian homes to raise up these children and at least give them a foundation.

I Am A Wife and Mother

Here is a post from Feb 2005. I had just started blogging. This details some of the beginning of our foster care journey.

I am a wife to a wonderful godly man. We met on the internet at ChristianMatchmaker.com about 6 years ago next month. We have been married for four years. He is my Mr. Steady and I love him for it. About two and a half years ago I decided I wanted to be a foster parent. He grinned and agreed. My Mr. Steady. We worked on paperwork and classes and homestudies for about 4 months and we were ready to go. Unfortunatly due to high turnover at the agency, lost paperwork, privitization, and just plain incompetance it took us a year and a half to get licensed. The day after we got licensed we got a little boy. He was 13 months old when we got him, he is now 22 months old. He has blond hair and blue eyes and because of confidentiality I will have to call him A on the blog. He is so smart and happy and friendly. We could not have asked for a better child. We almost got to adopt him but things happen and now his parents are working on their case plan. They still have about 6 months - a year to go so you never know what will happen. We might still get to adopt him. Its all in God's hands. In September of 2004 we got two little girls. They were sisters, 1 and 2. The one year old had little blond curls and was always smiling and wanting to be held. She was an angel. The 2 year old had brown hair and the most amazing blue eyes. She was so very very smart it was amazing. They went to live with their grandparents in October. The day they left I called placement and said I needed them to fill the two beds that were just vacated. Sure enough I got a phone call for three little girls. I could only take two so they brought me the younger two. K is 4 almost 5 and has blond hair (almost frosted looking the kind people pay good money for) she is so incredibly beautiful. T is 3 years old and has light brown hair and blue eyes and a smile that would knock you down. She is so cute! Their sister K is 7 almost 8 and has brown hair and dark brown eyes. She is so pretty. She lives in a different foster home right now because we dont have room in our car for her. We are praying daily for a minivan. The girls will probably go up for adoption sometime this year we so would like to adopt them but have not even mentioned it because we have not been able to move the older girl over yet. They will have to be adopted together. I would not have it any other way. I tell you all that because I want you to know how happy I am. Since I was 4 years old I always knew I wanted a lot of children. I think when I was 11 I decided 10 would be a good number. I always knew I wanted to marry my prince charming and on December 15, 2000 I did. I desperately want a baby of my own to hold but God has not blessed us there yet. He has however given me many children and I believe the promise of many more. I love being a wife and mommy but I always have to remember that first I am a child of God. You see my God is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5) He wants me to put NOTHING ahead of Him. I have to remember that as I rush around in the morning forgetting prayer and Bible reading. My husband can not come before God and neither can my precious precious children. Another thing I need to remember, and I learned this before I even got married, my husband is number 2! Not my children. Not my friends. Not my church. Not my family. And most assuredly not myself. I heeded the teaching of older wiser women in the Lord who chastened me to always put my husband before my children. You see one day your children will be grown and gone and you will still be looking across the dinner table at the man you married. Don't let that man be a stranger. The Bible tells us that woman was made for her husband (1 Corinthians 11:9). Not for her children. Please dont neglect your children. God does not want that either. Titus 2:4 tells us we are to love our children. But neither should you neglect your husband for your children. Im trying to think of an example and I asked Prince Charming, "What is something I do to make you feel like you are a higher priority than the children?" His response, "Everything you do." Any doubt why I love this man?? :) Ok here is a small one. Say your child asks to have spaghetti for dinner and hubby asks for meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and fresh baked bread. You would rather cook one pot spaghetti! Come on admit it...... ;) But you should cook the BIG meal hubby wants. Its just the right thing to do. But do have spaghetti one night soon for your child. My third priority is my children. Those three little angels who sometimes try every bit of patience I have. Last week in particular seemed to be a trying week. Because we are foster parents we have people in and out of our house all the time to see the children. The house was a wreck, the baby was sick, and I was on the phone with the girl's Guardians Ad Litem ( two of the sweetest people in the world) who wanted to come out and visit. So K and I ran around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get at least the living room and the foyer looking decent. We did and I even had time to sit down and breathe before they came. Everything went great. The baby and I had many issues this past week though. He was sick and very whiny and wanted to be held. Now here is something about me that a lot of people might not know, when we take those spiritual gifts tests I always come in lowest on M-E-R-C-Y. My little guy obviously did not know that. For his safety and my sanity he spent a lot of time sleeping while he was sick... :) Im not a completly awful mommy I did hold him a lot but when I just could not take it anymore he ended up in bed where he promptly went to sleep. So it was all good. I believe that being a mommy is a special calling. I always feel like I am somehow missing something and striving to be a better mother. I know that I know that I know that I want my little ones to have a spiritual foundation and I strive every day to bring that about. They are fascinated with God and Jesus and enjoy just sitting down and flipping through their Bibles. The girls enjoy looking at the Bible so much they each got their very own for Christmas. We have nightly Bible reading and prayer as a family and the girls are in the Cubbies program with AWANA and we go over the Bible stories in thier Cubby books every morning. I have also found a Protestant catechism that I want to start the 4 year old girl and possible my three year old girl on. I also do the majority of the discipline since I am home all day with them. Prince Charming has delegated this duty to me and I strive to do a good job so that he can always trust in me. (Proverbs 31:11) I have a verse printed on my heart and when I look at my children I whisper this verse to myself. 3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. This is what I desire for my children. That they walk in truth. Well that is a little about me and my family. I hope that you will tell me about your families and what you are doing. I am always looking for wisdom for my role as a wife and a mother

Im an adoptive mom.

I have been thinking about something off and on lately. I will gladly tell anyone that Im an adoptive mom. I think its even mentioned in my profile. I was wondering the other day if it sounds like bragging. I dont want it to. You see, I share that Im an adoptive mom because I want to encourage others. Our road was long and hard. I like to say I was in labor for 3 long years. However, it was worth ever miserable step. It was worth every delay. It was worth every time someone said to me, "wait". I want desperatly to do it all again. I willingly and openly tell people our adoption story because I want them to see God's hand in everything. My children and I talk about it at times and I tell them what a great testimony they have to share. I want them to be excited about adoption. My three girls talk all the time about the kids they want to adopt when they grow up. They know their momma hopes to add to our family again through adoption. I wish more Christians would take up the task.
I dont claim the title of adoptive mom proudly. I claim it humbly. I know that God was the author of the whole thing. I know I had nothing to do but be His willing servant. But I do claim the title. I claim it boldly. I claim it loudly. I claim it for all to hear and to be willing to come forth with questions.
In the next few days I will be reposting some of the blogs I put up about our adoption/fostcare experience. I hope to spark an interest in some that will lead to good homes for these lost children.

Be Blessed.

Domestic Engineer

Mrs. Kate wrote a great post about our "job" as wife and mother and homemaker. Take a few minutes to slide over and read it for yourself. She has a great list of things we should be looking out for on our "job"!

God Does Exist

I just got this in an email from a friend of mine. It was really great and I had to share.

This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen. It's an explanation other people will understand: A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists." "Why do you say that?" asked the customer. "Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things." The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkept. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist." "How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber, and I just worked on you!" "No," the customer exclaimed, "barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside!" "Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me," the barber replied. "Exactly," affirmed the customer, "that's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

One Long Season

Prepare for a rather... whiny post.....

It seems like things have just happened lately. I dont know. First the whole thing with my mom and the runaway. Then I had strep throat. Then my cousin had her accident. Then we ran out of money, literally. Now, my cousin's accident has made a huge dent in our extended family. Accusations, lies, deception, and... the list goes on. I guess you dont really know people until crisis hits.
Also I just cant seem to get it together. I seem to always be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Last week for instance something told me our co-op started at 11. I showed up at 11 with plans to meet my mom and pick up something while the kids were there and be back in time for second hour. Co-op starts at 10. Yeah that was embarassing, but that has just been my life lately.
Im so disorganized and forgetful. I know I just need to get back into a routine of some sort. We have added a few extra activities to our menu this past month and I know thats part of the problem. I just have to work it all out. I cut back on some extra activities as well. I am gone from the house for the most part two whole days a week. Some might think thats excessive, but we are investing in activities that are important to our family. I really need to get to a place where Tuesdays and Wednesdays have minimal housework and schoolwork. That would mean I need to really be on the ball Monday, Thursday and Friday.
Anyways, just wanted to document this chaos so in a few months when God has calmed me down some , I can see it and laugh.
I try to keep my joy and smile. Some days its hard. Im not trying to be fake when I smile and laugh about life in general. I just believe in fake it til you make it. Believe me if I let this past month really be a barometer for my emotions I would be one sick puppy. LOL. Probably curled up in the fetal position, sucking my thumb. But I believe that if I "pretend" to be joyful and try to find the funny, I will find the joy.
I hope that makes some sort of sense. Im not faking it as much as trying to get through it. :)

Inspirational Blogs VI

I have been very remiss in my blogging duties. With good reason I promise. I have been busy with school and homemaking and just life in general. So without further ado here are some more blogs that just INSPIRE me!

A Second Generation of Homeschooling: I love, love, love this blog. Not only is Mrs. Lisa a homeschooler she is an adoptive mommy. (Special place in my heart) She always finds the best homeschooling/family articles and posts them. I don't think I have ever stopped by there and not learned something of value. Chocked full of great information be sure to check it out.


Fish In My Hair: Laugh. Out. Loud. funny. I go here every day just to laugh. She is not preachy, but she has a beautiful spirit. She loves her children and they all sound like they have a great time as a family. Mrs. T.C is quiet popular in the blog world, known for her great posts and sense of humor.


Clothesline Alley: This trip to the clothesline is always fun. Mrs. Brigham brings insightful posts and great advice into her writing. She is a young wife and mother and has a beautiful baby girl. I like to see what she is up to every few days or so, because I am always sure to walk away with something new.

Clark Chatter: Another homeschooling, adoptive mommy blog. I like to read about her struggles with some of her adopted children, because I can nod my head. There is just something about having someone to agree with who has been there and done that. LOL. Mrs. Ginger takes her job as wife and mother seriously and I'm thankful for it as I learn so much. She also has great pictures of her kids on the blog so swing on over and check it out.

Musings of the Dings: One of my new all time favorite blogs. I know, I know I'm starting to sound repetitive, but Mr. and Mrs. Ding really do have the greatest information. They are homeschooling parents and I get really excited when I get to head over to their blog. I'm always printing something to read later or reading it out loud to hubby. I got some of my "free" preschool ideas from them. I also learned how to be a bit more patient while asking the children questions. Set your timer if you head over there because this is one of those blogs you could get lost in.

Well ladies there you go! I hope you are enjoying some of these hidden treasures I have been sharing. Some probably wonder do I sit at my computer all day and read blogs. LOL.
No, I read as many as I can during my computer time and then the next day pick up where I left off. Of course I have a few that I HAVE to check every day.
I like to read about what others are doing. Most of time when I'm done reading I will feel refreshed and ready to pick up the rest of the day. Its nice to have a "visit" with these ladies through their blogs.

Coming Up

I have been trying to get my house and schooling caught up from last week's illness. It's been rough, but things are looking brighter.
My cousin had surgery today and it went really well. A lot will depend on her therapy now. Fortunately we were able to get her therapy over here where we live, so that will be a huge blessing. Her family in West Florida is unstable at best. Here she has aunts, grandparents, cousins, and our churches have all offered to help out and support her. My mom is due home on Saturday so I will know a lot more then.
Tomorrow I want to do another Inspiring Blogs post.
Hopefully this weekend I will have some more pictures of the kids to share.
I have some homeschooling updates, I would like to write about.
Plenty of stuff out there for me to journal, just not enough time.
Anyways, just wanted to check in and say hello and thanks for all your prayers.

Be Blessed!

I Remember

This is the post I posted last year. It pretty much sums it all up for me.

Remembering September 11.

Another Prayer Request

Is it me or is the drama in my life amped up all of a sudden???

Sunday I received a phone call that my cousin's 16 year old daughter had a diving accident. I dont know all the details but I know she could not feel her legs. We have heard three different stories. My uncle, her grandfather, says that she fractured her vertebrate, but has some mobility and feeling in her legs. My cousin, her mother, says she will never walk again and her father is in denial. My uncle's ex-wife, her grandmother, says the Drs. still dont know they are running test and pumping drugs into her body to try and stabilize her spine better. They will know more this afternoon. I should pause here to say none of the above are very reliable. My mom and her sister drove over to West Florida today where my cousin is. I will know more for sure once they get there.
Please remember her in prayer as well as her family.

Thanks!

She's the mom. The big, bad mom. The Bounty Hunter.

This is my mom..... .....the Bounty Hunter

This is an awful picture of her. She is cute and charming. The only other pictures I had of her were so unbelievably unflattering I could not bear to post them.
A lady from church got a phone call last Monday that our fugitive was in an extended stay hotel. My mom drove her little Ford right on out there and waited patiently. Finally she saw the girl round the corner. Mom followed her in her car around the corner and parked right in front of her room. She then called the police who came and arrested the girl.
Yay Mom!

But what makes her a true "Dog the Bounty Hunter" marvel.

She went by the jail yesterday to visit the girl and tell her she will still be there for her emotionally. She wont let her live with her or support her financially, but she will listen to her and pray for her.

I bet ya'll wish she was your mom!

The Worst

The worst part about this illness is having to stay away from the kids and not being able to hold my baby. I can smile at him and talk to him from across the room but I dont dare get near him. *Sigh* The kids all know Im sick and that its very contagious so thats why I cant cuddle with them, the baby has no idea why I have not held him in like 4 days. Thats a super duper long time to me!

Off for the rest of the week.

Remember that itchy throat from Monday. Now its strep throat. I went to the Dr. today. I will probably not blog again this week.
Please remember a friend of a friend in your prayers. His children were in an awful car accident in South Carolina over the weekend and his 16 year old daughter was killed. Her 14 year old brother has to have a spinal fusion which is a steel rod in his back which will limit his movements severly. The 17 year old son is doing pretty good and hopes to be released on Friday. Their mother and her boyfriend was burned badly when the truck they were in exploded.
Please just lift this family up to God in prayer.

Be Blessed!

Getting Creative

Ok, so because of an unexpected expense we have very, very little money for the next two weeks. Time to turn to the pantry for meal.
Saturday Dinner
I had some cooked lasagna noodles.
I had tomato sauce
I had seasonings to turn the tomato sauce into spaghetti sauce
I had cheddar cheese, but no mozzerella or parmesean.
I'd seen a recipe in a magazine that used cream cheese and sour cream.
I had cream cheese and plain yogurt (which we use in place of sour cream)
I did not have any meat thawed, but I did have some beans.
I cooked the beans and spaghetti sauce together.
I mixed two packages of cream chees with a couple of cups of plain yogurt and mixed in the cheddar.
I made it up like lasagna and my family loved it! It was very rich so everyone was full with one helping.
Sunday breakfast
We usually eat this at church. Our church has Panera rolls every Sunday morning so its a treat for the kids.
Sunday Lunch
We get to bring home leftover Parnera bread, so I grabbed a couple of loaves and we had egg salad sandwhiches.
I had eggs.
I had mayonaise.
I had dijon mustard.
I had seasonings.
The kids loved the sandwhices.
Sunday dinner
Had the leftover lasagna and bread.
Monday breakfast
I always have a good supply of oatmeal.

I will let you know what we had for lunch and dinner later. Im still not 100% sure what that will be.
I woke up feeling achy and with a sore throat. Im going to take some garlic and vitamin C and see how that works out. I will probably also drink some Thera Flu just to get me through today. Fortunatly, hubby is home today and will probably help out.
As for the other drama in my life some people from church got a lead on what hotel the girl is staying at, so they are there now staking it out.

Have a blessed Labor Day.

What a great idea!

I have nothing to say to this. The title of my post is HIGHLY SARCASTIC!

Kid Nation

Kid Nation

Personally, I think the state should remove these children from thier money seeking parents. Who would sell thier child??????????? Thats what I think this was. A get rich scheme for the parents. The first thing that would have stopped me is.... well the whole stupid thing! Not being able to contact your child for 40 days! What?! Signing a release that if your 8 year old contacted a STD you could not hold CBS liable! WHAT??? Signing another release that says if your child is injured or died you cant hold CBS liable! What?!?!?! Talk about throwing your children to the wolves!
DISGUSTING!

Inspirational Blogs V

Here is the latest edition of blogs that inspire me. :)

All Things Feminine: Another blog by my friend Mrs. Kate. She based this blog on Philipians 4:8 and it is lovely, true, just, pure, honest, of good report, and full of virtue. I love visiting here with a cold glass of tea.

Content To Wait: This blog is my friend Miss Leigh. A lovely, single, young woman who I just adore. She always leaves me encouraging comments here. I love that she is open and honest when she makes mistakes and is always willing to learn from them. She also has a great sense of humor. She talks candidly about the challenges of being single and godly.

Life in Slow Motion: Doesn't the name just want to make you slow down and relax. This blog belongs to a fairly new bride. A young lady named Mrs. Laura. She is someone I have enjoyed from my Beautiful Womanhood message board as well as her blog. She is also a musician and I love reading about her music. She keeps trying to pick it back up and I so hope she does. It sounds like it is a real passion for her.

Count It All Joy: I dont think I have talked about my dear friend Mrs. Barbara. She is such a great influence in my life. She has 7 beautiful children and often when I read her blog I am sure to say, "I want to be like Mrs. Barbara when I grow up!" LOL She is a serious prayer warrior. I know whenever I have something I need prayer for she will jump right in and pray. She has some really great pictures on her blog as well.

Im going to stop here and leave you with these blogs. I just noticed they were all ladies from my message board at Beautiful Womanhood. I have been a member of that message board since January 2004. WOW. I have met some really awesome people there. We have laughed and cried together. Shared joys and sorrows, triumphs and failures. Its a great community.

Some of the other ladies I have used in inspirational blogs are members as well.

Bethgem

Pearls

Pleasant View Schoolhouse

Michigan Momma

Kate's other blog Cottage on A Hill

Im sure there were some others as well. Read through these blogs though and see how blessed I really am! I have all these wonderful women that are willing to shower me with advice and love.

Enjoy!
Be Blessed!

I wanted to post my update for Projects and Goals for August on September 1 and here I am! WooHoo!

Take cinnamon every day - this is supposed to help in regulating blood sugar. This has been helping a lot. My blood sugar actually dropped almost 100mg within a few weeks of starting this. Of course Im also on medication, but the Dr was impressed with how well I seem to be doing.

Finish Cleaning and organizing the Master bedroom, bath, and closet. I have one corner of the Master Bedroom to finish. I will then move to the bath and closet which should only take me about a week. Our bedroom was filled with junk. I contemplated taking before pictures but, I was to embarassed. LOL. This project is something I can only work on a little at a time between maintaining the rest of the house and raising my children so its going a little slower. But there is definate progress.

Get our playroom closet setup. We did not get the shelves up so this never happened. Im hoping that since we have a long weekend this weekend we can really buckle down and get this done.

Start planning for Christmas- the kids and I are making most of the gifts so I want to make sure we have plenty of time. Karly and I got the pattern and the test fabric for our first project. We are going to start working on it this week. I have planned the other projects and will begin collecting supplies in the next few weeks. So we can get started.

Pay off our car - we only owe a little over $1,000 dollars and we have an extra paycheck this month. WOOHOO. Unfortunatly this money went to something else. Something unexpected. Its ok. It just means I have to make 2-3 more car payments instead of one big one.


Sort boys and girls clothes and minimize. Another big project that has to be done on a few different days. I was not able to get to it this time. Im going to try to do it in September to get ready to pull out the cooler weather clothes in October.

Plan meals and do prepwork ahead of time. I did not do good here at all. I really need to work on planning our meals better. I will say that I am almost the proud new owner of Nourishing Traditions. It should arrive any day now. I have also been really researching some sites that have great information. But I will save that for another post.


There you have it boys and girls. All in all Im pretty pleased with the progress I made in August. Considering the wild and crazy month it turned into I think I accomplished a lot. LOL.

I have some great plans for September. Maybe it will be a little calmer. :)

Be Blessed