Today Might Just Be the Day...

What happens in the daily life of the family.. the drama of foster care, the adventures of parenting, & pictures to share with everyone!

Just Keep Swimming

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If you had little ones when Finding Nemo came out, you likely have heard Dorie’s mantra, “Just keep swimming.” Or, if you’re a bit older, you surely know the Little Engine Who Could, “I think I can, I think I can.”

That’s where I am. I’m swimming through a sea of toys and clothes and dirty laundry and clean laundry and somewhere in the middle laundry. There are dirty dishes and clean dishes and dishes that are *supposed* to be clean, but didn’t get checked before they were put up. There are clothes that are too big, clothes that are too small. There are the favorite shoes and the least favorite shoes. And then, there’s the trash.. the little bits and pieces that are always on the ground, the cans that are always full.

I asked my mom awhile ago why she never told me how disgusting kids are, “I didn’t want to discourage you” was her response.

I have to admit, today I am a little discouraged. I’ve really been working hard to just get all of the junk out of my house. I’ve been listing stuff on Craigslist. I’ve been donating to Goodwill. I’ve been pawning stuff off on friends and neighbors :)… But, my house seems to still be full to the gills. And I need to spend as much time getting the dirt out as I have been on all of the stuff.

So, this was my break. My chance to share with the world (or my one blog reader) what it’s like at our house today. It’s a full day. Full of kids and stuff and “to do’s”.

And now I’ll dive back in… Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.

Happy Birthday Big D!

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Arg!

Dan all done up at Farm-a-palloosa.

When you have lottsa kids, you get to celebrate lots!

And I love a good party (as if you didn’t know that already).

Yesterday I met a new friend who is soon to adopt her first foster placements.. they are the same age that D & d were when they were first placed with us. And I think that her oldest even has the same smile that our D used to have.  Maybe his smile is still the same? I don’t know. He’s changed *so* very much. He used to be pretty fearful. And he was way out of control. Now he’s so big and strong and tough. And he’s so smart. He’s always been a great big brother and he’s been that same great big brother to all of the kids who’ve come and gone through our home. He still gets a little uncomfortable if you’re too mushy. And now he blushes and turns away if you dote on him too much. But, he’s fun to dote on and easy to love. And a lot of fun to play with.

****

Well, I started this *before* the big day, but my D has been 8 for a couple weeks now. And we’re all still surviving..

Let me round this out with a couple photos before I post.

Look at how tiny he was!

I’ve got a Brand New Pair of Roller Skates, You’ve got a Brand New Key…

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I don’t know if I have that title right or not. I have to say that that song was before my time. Although, I do know what the key was for. Ha!

Roller skates as a whole are much before my children’s time. I think even roller blades have gone by the way side.

But, yesterday we did some time travel on a very small scale. We went to the roller rink. David was invited to a skating party this past weekend and Daniel was green with envy (it’s not his color in case you were wondering). He lamented on the way home, “I’ve wanted roller skates for my whole entire life.”

I’m not sure that he feels the same now that he’s experienced skating. He spent as much time on the floor as he did upright, but I think that’s the way that it goes when you’re learning how to skate or ski or ride a bike. That’s why you learn when your young. It hurts far less to fall when you’re young. Trust me on that fact! I can barely walk today and standing up isn’t easy and sitting isn’t treating me all that well either. So, without further ado, here are some of my thoughts on my roller skating adventure;

  • I’m totally ready to try out for Roller Derby next year. That is, if grace isn’t a requirement!
  • If you were totally really cool when skating was, too… you’re probably not anymore.. that is, if you’re still skating like a champ to prove it.
  • I’m certain that I didn’t look as smooth as I thought I did. And I’m pretty sure I wasn’t going very fast. But, it feels cool to be on wheels. Hey, maybe that’s why those guys were showing off so much..?
  • It turns out that while Daniel *did* want roller skates for the last 8 years, mere minutes wearing them changed his mind. He now wants roller blades because those are so much easier.

 

As a last note, I’d like to apologize to anyone who was skating at Skateland last night for any physical or mental damage that myself or my children caused. I swear they didn’t mean to cause any minor heart attacks &/or injuries. I promise that they’ll get better in the future…

I’m an Auntie…

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My sister gave birth to her fourth little one yesterday.

Everyone is doing well.

I also have heard that my niece is doing better. She’s now out of the ICU. She’s still weak, but isn’t on the vent anymore. She’s on the feeding tube, still, but is eating on her own, too.

Time for a little good news/bad news…

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Good news- My sister is about to have her fourth child any hour (maybe) now.

Bad news- My brother’s daughter (or niece) is not doing well. She’s been in the ICU for 11 days now. Please keep her in your thoughts/prayers.

Good news- I walked with my kids to the library today.

Bad news- I ate about half of my calories today in cookies.

Good news- I’m nearly done making the purse I started a few days ago.

Bad news- I don’t think I’m going to like the above purse.

Good news- We can afford to buy stuff.

Bad news- I’m so irritated by all of the stuff in our house.

Good news- We have nice clean carpets from having them cleaned yesterday.

Bad news- I have very dirty children who are out to dirty the clean carpet as soon as possible.

Good news- All three of my boys did a very good job picking books that peak their interests; Daniel picked a couple books on monsters; David picked several books on magic; Vinny picked out four books, all with the exact same title, “Trucks”.

Bad news- For some reason, the magic book that David was reading was encouraging him to use glass cups and cut up playing cards–I’m thinking that this book is rated “PG” at least!

Good news- Brian has figured out how to get in and out of his car without a handle.

Bad news- Brian was hit while driving to work yesterday and the handle of his car is now on our kitchen island.

Bliss

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Right now this is about the happiest all four of my kids have been at the exact same time in awhile.

Our four, along with three from across the street, are camped out in our living room. They’re on layers of pillows, with lovies and pillows to spare. It’s the middle of the afternoon, but Brian has blocked the windows so it’s somewhat dark in here.

They’re all mesmerized by the movie Up. And they’re all silently enjoying candy and drinks.

As much as they’re loving it, I think that I’m loving it more. Four happy kids enjoying and relaxing together. What could be better?

Genius

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I am a genius.

(Can I be a genius, if I’m not even sure how to spell it?)

Anyhow, no doubt. I really *am* a genius.

I am here working on my blog while my kids happily play where I can see them. They’re not fighting, they’re not hungry & they’re happy. They should be, after all, we are at the happiest place on earth (McDonald’s).

That is part of why I’m such an intellectual stud.

The real reason is that I finished a sewing project. The nifty & stylish bag that I used to bring my netbook here was made by yours truly! I had searched and searched for a netbook sleeve that I loved. And I found several that I really wanted, but I found them on etsy.com. And they were handmade. And they wanted like $20 minimum. It was hard for me to pay someone else to make something that I could.

So, yesterday I made a trip to my favorite store (JoAnn’s) and got to work. It took about 2 hours total and I had to tear out three or so seams that I didn’t do quite right, but I did it!

My sleeve is machine washable. It has a front pocket, hidden zipper, and padding. And I made it without a clue as to what I was doing!

Pictures may follow (if I can stop gloating long enough to take some…).

Quicky Craft Time

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So, I have a friend who’s started a blog about her crafting ( http://twelvecraftstillchristmas.blogspot.com/).

I have to say that I like to craft, but I kinda do things the cheater way…

So, here’s my version of the crayon roll that I’ve seen all over the place.

I start with a place-mat–you can find them for around $1 and they always have them at the $1 store! I just fold it in thirds… I use a crayon to measure where the folds should be…

Then I sew a ribbon in one of the ends.

Next, sew the pockets for the crayons–again, I use a crayon to check to make sure that they’ll fit. And my method of making this *way* easy is that I pick lined placemats. I don’t have to measure anything & I can actually sew in a straight line!

Afterwards, put the crayons in, roll it up and it’s ready to give.

How easy is that?

It took me under 30 min & that included time to dig out the materials and trim all of the strings, find some crayons and take photos.

Things I love about my little guy

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  • His smile.
  • His blue eyes.
  • His ability to voice his opinion so well.
  • The fact that he is as serious as an adult nearly all the time.
  • The way that he curls up next to me.
  • His utter dependence and his incredible independence.
  • Knowing that I can make him so very happy with just a car from the dollar store.
  • His laugh.