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!

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.

Happy Birthday, David!

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How did mamma’s little boy get so big so fast?

David has always been a cuddle-bug, although, lately, he just wants to wrestle with me. And, he has always been a mama’s boy. When he first came to live with us, I carried him everywhere. And, there are times I wish I could put him in my pocket and carry him with me now, too. He could help me with my spelling, he gets perfect scores nearly every week. He could provide comic relief, he’s good at that. And maybe some of his energy would rub off on me.

I can hardly believe how big he’s getting. I wrapped up a pair of shoes for him for his birthday (I don’t think he reads my blog, so I figure the secret is safe here) and I think that by next year we’ll be in the same size.

Oh, and the other really cool thing…. for the next 3 days I’m the mom of 2 3 year-olds and 2 7 year-olds 🙂

I’m still running…

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So, here we are. Twenty-five days into the new year (if my math is correct). Are you where you thought you’d be? Have you kept up with all of those “goals”?

I’ve been struggling personally with depression–without the distraction of lots of little people, it becomes a bigger problem. And I was chatting with a friend about it. I was saying that the good news is that tomorrow is a new day.. so, I can always just start over again on whatever journey or plan or goal that I have each new day if one day is ruined for whatever reason. And she reminded me that our days can start whenever we’d like–how cool is that?!? So, if the morning is bad, you can start again that next hour.. lunch or dinner or whenever you like.

You’re the boss applesauce.

I love that!

So, I have to brag on myself a bit.. I have been sticking to my goal of a mile a day. I’ve actually been whooping up on that goal! I’ve already gone 35 miles! This would take me?? I need to get out a map and figure it out. Maybe next month I’ll track my journey on streets and see where I could have gone while I’ve been running on the hamster wheel.

I can’t say that I’ve lost any weight. Well, I guess I could… but that would be a total lie.

But, it is getting easier to do the workout. And I’m moving faster. And I enjoy it. Well, I don’t know if I enjoy the actual time on the treadmill, but I love having done it. I love the sense of accomplishment that I get from that time on the machine. One of my biggest gripes about my “job” is that I never get anything done, there’s always more laundry or another meal… I can finish a workout. And I can be proud of it being done.

I wish I could say that I’m energize for the day ahead afterwards, but that’s not true at this point.

Actually, the last couple days I’ve been really nauseous in the mornings. Yesterday it hit me after the kids finished breakfast. Today I nearly fell over in the shower. Any clue what’s up with that? I’m thinking that it might be the new vitamin that I’ve been taking. Ugh.

Anyhow, I have a feeling that in time, the workouts will give me more than just the fact that I did something. But, I’ll take what I can get for now.

My Thoughts on Our Open Adoption

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Where do I start?

Is it any wonder that I get *nothing* done around the house? I start in one place and end up clicking through blog upon link upon blog. Somehow I ended up reading several blogs on adoption this morning. And I almost feel like I’m the newbie. What do all of those words mean? Is my vocab wrong?

There are “first moms” and “second moms”… what happened to birth and adoptive? Or biological?? Are those offensive now?

In the classes I teach, we call our foster and adoptive families “resource families”. I don’t know that it properly explains anything though.

Recently, I got a letter from the bio-grandma of our boys. I was shocked. It was a good surprise though. I never expected to hear anything from that biological family. We’ve left the door wide open and hope that we can help our boys fill in the blanks when they’re older…

And I am thankful that she wrote. The letter and its contents will be for them in the future, when they are ready (or, when we think they are ready).  I am so glad that she has chosen to stay in their lives, at least in some small way.

I have amazing children. And it’s not all Brian and I parenting that has made them so. They didn’t come from a void (this is one of my famous quotes…). They came from parents and families and cultures that are different from ours.

And I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

I want them to grow and love themselves. I want them to know both who they are and where they came from. And I don’t really know any way to do this other than having an open adoption. I’ll never be able to answer their questions about their biological families. No matter what I do or how hard I try, they will likely have doubts and fears that I won’t be able to fill, only their biological families will be able to fill those voids.

At the same time, I can’t force the relationship either.

We can only open the door, we can’t pull anyone through.

This letter from bio-grandma was the first contact that we’ve had from any bio-family in years.

Sigh.

I don’t know that I’ve really been able to state my thoughts. But, maybe I’ve been able to provide a little food for thought?

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.

Are you ready for some football?

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Sadly, one season has ended. But, it was nice to have a playoff win for the Cowboys…

But, as in the circle of life (and equally important?), with the ending of one season, comes the beginning of another. Our older boys are now football players (well, sort of..). They started flag football this past Saturday.

Honestly, I know next to nothing about this league.

But, as I’ve learned to love the Cowboys, I’m sure I’ll also learn how to be a football mom. The mounting challenge now is how to get both boys to different places for practices at the same time in different locations (all while I’m at work–so I guess it’s really Brian’s challenge). We’ve been able to keep the boys on the same atletic teams up until this point, but I’m so glad that we started football this year. I think that had we waited, they’d be pretty far behind.

Next we’ll decide about a sport to try out for our little guy. So far he’s an expert at whining, pouting, and playing with trucks. Are those skills useful in any specific sports that you know of?

Oh, and as far as the girl child–she was very happily dressed up as Minnie Mouse this weekend as we shuffled the boys around. Are there any sports that involve makeup and dresses?

Good news!

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So, we had court today.

And it was *good* news!!!

Our little guy is now legally free for adoption. There is a chance that an appeal would happen, but it’s a very, very, very small risk.

He’s now been in foster care for two and a half years. And he’s been with us for 27.5 months.

Unfortunately, our wait isn’t over yet.

Next, we’ll get transferred to the adoptions side (should take about a month or so). Then, we will apply for subsidy (another month or two). Then we will wait for the courts (who knows how many months that will be).

But, this is progress.

So, today is a day to celebrate!

One.step.closer.

Another thing that I *used* to do… coupon time!

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So, I’ve been very neglectful of a couple of my SAHM duties.

My personal philosophy is that if I’m not working that part of my “job” is to save money where and when I can. I don’t pay retail! I’ve still been fairly successful at bargain shopping for most things, but I’d definitely not taken care of the groceries. And, our pantry and fridge were showing signs of the neglect. Never before have I had empty shelf space on the door. And my can collection was looking pitiful.

So, today I did my job. I got out the coupons. I had several weeks worth and I somewhat figured out when each of the papers came. And I went to town.

Here’s my success by the numbers:

  • CVS, my total before discounts was $151.33 , total after discounts and coupons was $84.75.. for a total savings of $67.59 or 44% off (and for those of you who know CVS, I have $47 in extra care bucks for my trrip next week)
  • At Fry’s (our local version of Kroger) my total before discounts was $204.66, total after discounts and coupons was $98.58… for a total savings of $106.08 or 53% off

I wish I could say that I did this on my own without any help, and I guess I *could*. But, that would be a lie! I use thegrocerygame.com. It does the hard work for me. It tells me where to find the coupons and when to buy items. I love this site. I’ve been using it for almost a year now and I don’t think that I’ll go back.  It does cost, but it’s not much, under $1 a week for each store that I use (I use CVS & Fry’s, but there are a bunch of other stores you can pick from). If you’re interested, you can do a free trial. Also, if you tell them that I referred you, I can work my way towards earning free months (plug, plug, plug).

I swear, I used to have follow through.

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Really.

And I *used* to be able to remember everything.

Those days are long gone.

Sometimes I miss my sanity, but I think that it’s gone for good.

So, it’s time for me to make good on a couple promises. I have some very cool links that I always promise to send out. So, now I’m just going to pop them on here. Then, I can just create a few more viewers for my blog 🙂

This first one is for the *easiest* little apron. I have only made one (that whole follow through thing), but I am going to make them for Bethany’s preschool class….

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts/dish-towel-apron-667580/

This one should be in high demand for any moms who have girls. I found this a couple years ago, but haven’t used it nearly enough. It’s directions for how to make all sorts of different hair bows. I have made a few of them and had really good results. The only tip that I have that isn’t on here, is to use a beauty supply store to find the best prices on alligator clips.

http://www.girlythingsbows.com/

This link is for directions on how to make a pillowcase dress. I’ve made four of these. They are super easy and very cute!

http://www.everythingsewing.net/pillowcase_dress_how_to.htm

That’s all that I have for now, but I know that I’ve promised these links to at least a couple people.

Happy crafting!

With this ring, I thee wed…

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Marriage is an amazing thing. It’s life changing. It’s a process of loving and growing and compromise.

When people marry they get all sorts of “things”; a new last name, new home, new family. When I married, I gained something else—a football team.

Today, therefore, is important to my marriage.

Go Cowboys!