* A friend who took Silas and Devon to John's Incredible Pizza for a few hours on Friday.
* Enough rosemary in our yard that I could put a bunch of free cuttings on the curb.
* Leftover pizza from an event being sent home with us and seeing the little Ws faces when they realized they'd get to eat it for lunch the next day.
* Tim being treated to a game of golf on Friday by a guy he knew in high school, someone he only recently reconnected with when the guy pumped gas for him.
* Two hours of gorgeous weather, time spent sitting in a park, organizing some school stuff, and reading a book.
* Devon's first time being the only little W invited to a birthday party.
* Friends who have been giving us fresh eggs every week.
* A family picture session that was fun and almost free.
* A quick resolution to a hit and run that one of our cars was the victim of.
* A friend ordering a marriage book for me so that I could join a group of friends who are reading and discussing it together.
* September - warm days, cool nights, leaves starting to change colors, life slowing down a little.
* All the people who have responded enthusiastically, both online and in person, when Naomi has showed them her latest trick.
* An evening with friends we haven't seen since last Halloween and hadn't hung out with for several months before that.
* Being asked by a woman I'd just met, "Oh, your Devon's mom?" Then having her tell me that her sons had a hard time connecting with other kids when they started coming to our church and that Devon was the kid they'd repeatedly told her was their first friend there.
* Tim subbing two days this week.
* Older women who challenge me to do the right thing.
* An evening doing yardwork.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
WE ARE AWARE. FULLY AWARE.
You, along with any human old enough to know that it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month (and some who are too young to know understand there's a whole month dedicated to the disease), are already aware of breast cancer. Fully aware.
What you may not be aware of is how difficult October is for many of those who have battled or are currently battling the disease.
Pink is everywhere in October. Absolutely everywhere. On clothing, writing utensils, jewelry, half the food on grocery store shelves, signs hanging on business windows, ads in magazines and newspapers, and more. Additionally, there are endless pictures and quotes posted online, some meant to be serious, informative, and/or inspirational and others using the justification of awareness to be crude, sexually suggestive, and/or tacky.
Now imagine that you're seeing all that pink while currently bald, bloated or underweight, tired, and/or throwing up on a regular basis because of breast cancer. Imagine that you're hearing people's juvenile attempts at breast humor while your bra is filled with one or two fake breasts, ones that were put there because your real ones were surgically removed in an attempt to save or extend your life. Or maybe you hear the jokes while having neither real nor prosthetic breasts, but with incisions that are healing from a recent mastectomy. Imagine that you're reading all those posts on Facebook while wondering if your cancer that's currently in remission is going to come back, if you'll live long enough to raise your kids.
Not fun. It's one veeeeeery long month of having your disease shoved in your face. True, the vast majority of it is well-intentioned, but it's still hard.
Given the fact that my mom died of breast cancer in her 30s, I'm completely supportive of making sure people know the risks for breast cancer, what they can do to catch the disease early, and honoring those who have walked the disease's gnarly road. I will never say people should stop being aware (although I don't think we could be unaware if we wanted to).
What I am saying is that it would be better to schedule a mammogram and remind your friends to do the same than to wear a pink ribbon on your shirt, to bring a week's worth of groceries to a family where the wife is going through chemo or radiation than to share a breast cancer related quote on Facebook, to send a note of encouragement to a woman who just had a mastectomy and is really struggling with feeling unfeminine than to come up with a witty (at best) or crude (at worst) remark about saving breasts.
Awareness is worthless. Doing something with your awareness is what matters.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
9/27/12 THANKFUL THURSDAY
I'm thankful that our yard attracts a lot of birds.
What's something that you're thankful for?
What's something that you're thankful for?
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
9/26/12 FORMING FAMILIES - WHERE MY HEART IS
As many of you know, we have wanted to foster or adopt for a long time, but, for various reasons, the timing has never been right. It's hard for me. Really hard. It's discouraging to have your heart be so strongly drawn to something that you think about it every day, yet never feel the peace of knowing it's time to take the plunge.
I've wondered why God would give me such a strong desire for years and years and years, while never having it work out. I realize my life's not over and it could very well be that we'll foster or adopt at some point down the road. But maybe not. Maybe it will always be an unfulfilled desire. I don't know.
What I do know is this. There are countless children in need of a family, whether for a weekend, a year, a decade, or forever.
Now, let me step back for a minute. Several months ago, Tad, one of our church's associate pastors, was teaching from I Chronicles 17 and I've been thinking about his words ever since.
In I Chronicles 17 David expresses a desire to build a temple for the ark of the covenant. Pretty noble desire, don't you think? Yet God makes it very clear that David is not the person for the job.
David could have thrown a real fit about that, pointing out that he was only trying to do the right thing. He could have become bitter, angry that his desire to do something good was never going to be fulfilled. He could have found a way to build the temple anyway, doing the right thing at the wrong time. However, as I always say, the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.
He didn't do any of those things, though. Instead he expressed thanks for the ways God was blessing him, he praised and showed reverence for the things he'd seen God do, and he showed trust in God's words.
Then, if you skip ahead to I Chronicles 22, you'll see that he got busy. While he accepted that he was not the person to build the temple, he did not let that stop him from having the good desire of a temple being built get put into action. David used his administrative abilities to coordinate building efforts, his financial means to provide supplies, and his words to challenge and encourage his son, the man who would build the temple.
Here are a couple things I wrote in my notes that day.
* It's not bad when God says "no" to our good desires. Sometimes our passions don't come to fruition.
* We may not be able to do the thing we desire, but we can still support those who can do it.
* If God says "no" to the desires of our heart, then we need to accept that. Holding on and insisting that we get to pursue that dream is just fighting God. Letting go, however, frees up to do whatever God has ready for us.
* What would happen if we were all willing to do what we were able to do?
Wow.
I sat through the whole teaching feeling like I had a big target on my forehead. Know that feeling?
That brings me to today. I don't feel like I've heard a "no" about fostering or adopting, but I certainly haven't heard a "yes". So, we wait. But I don't want to turn the lack of a "yes" into walking away from the fact that there are so many children in need of a family. Or, as a Christian, to ignore the fact that I (and you, if you're a Christian) am called to care for orphans (and I consider foster kids to be temporary orphans).
So, what do I do? Sometimes I deliver meals to families who have just brought their adopted child home. Sometimes I host baby showers for adoptive families. Sometimes I participate in fundraisers for adoptive families. Sometimes I donate clothes to foster families.
Today I'm going to start doing something else. I'm going to help make you aware of children in need of families, families in need of financial support, organizations that support adoption, etc. through periodic blog posts.
Some people have a desire to adopt, but lack the money to complete the process. Others have the money, but don't have the ability to add to their family in that way. Some have the means and ability, but are naive about the need. Others have a desire, but lack non-monetary resources, such as nearby medical care for special needs children. Some have the money, desire, and ability, but would need respite care. The list goes on, but you get the idea.
Today, for the first post, I'm going to show you a neat video about a friend of mine, a video that was posted yesterday morning.
*** I tried to embed the video, but it's not working. So, for now, I'll just link you to it. It's only a couple minutes long and I encourage you to watch it. ***
Want to know something awesome? Their adoption was fully funded 25 hours after this video was posted. Fully funded! That's what I'm talking about, folks. Families being formed because one family wanted to grow through adoption, one person used their skills to make a video, and several people had the means to help with the finances. Not everyone could bring Tara's child home, but many were able to use their skills and resources to help those who were right for the job. I love it!
I've wondered why God would give me such a strong desire for years and years and years, while never having it work out. I realize my life's not over and it could very well be that we'll foster or adopt at some point down the road. But maybe not. Maybe it will always be an unfulfilled desire. I don't know.
What I do know is this. There are countless children in need of a family, whether for a weekend, a year, a decade, or forever.
Now, let me step back for a minute. Several months ago, Tad, one of our church's associate pastors, was teaching from I Chronicles 17 and I've been thinking about his words ever since.
In I Chronicles 17 David expresses a desire to build a temple for the ark of the covenant. Pretty noble desire, don't you think? Yet God makes it very clear that David is not the person for the job.
David could have thrown a real fit about that, pointing out that he was only trying to do the right thing. He could have become bitter, angry that his desire to do something good was never going to be fulfilled. He could have found a way to build the temple anyway, doing the right thing at the wrong time. However, as I always say, the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.
He didn't do any of those things, though. Instead he expressed thanks for the ways God was blessing him, he praised and showed reverence for the things he'd seen God do, and he showed trust in God's words.
Then, if you skip ahead to I Chronicles 22, you'll see that he got busy. While he accepted that he was not the person to build the temple, he did not let that stop him from having the good desire of a temple being built get put into action. David used his administrative abilities to coordinate building efforts, his financial means to provide supplies, and his words to challenge and encourage his son, the man who would build the temple.
Here are a couple things I wrote in my notes that day.
* It's not bad when God says "no" to our good desires. Sometimes our passions don't come to fruition.
* We may not be able to do the thing we desire, but we can still support those who can do it.
* If God says "no" to the desires of our heart, then we need to accept that. Holding on and insisting that we get to pursue that dream is just fighting God. Letting go, however, frees up to do whatever God has ready for us.
* What would happen if we were all willing to do what we were able to do?
Wow.
I sat through the whole teaching feeling like I had a big target on my forehead. Know that feeling?
That brings me to today. I don't feel like I've heard a "no" about fostering or adopting, but I certainly haven't heard a "yes". So, we wait. But I don't want to turn the lack of a "yes" into walking away from the fact that there are so many children in need of a family. Or, as a Christian, to ignore the fact that I (and you, if you're a Christian) am called to care for orphans (and I consider foster kids to be temporary orphans).
So, what do I do? Sometimes I deliver meals to families who have just brought their adopted child home. Sometimes I host baby showers for adoptive families. Sometimes I participate in fundraisers for adoptive families. Sometimes I donate clothes to foster families.
Today I'm going to start doing something else. I'm going to help make you aware of children in need of families, families in need of financial support, organizations that support adoption, etc. through periodic blog posts.
Some people have a desire to adopt, but lack the money to complete the process. Others have the money, but don't have the ability to add to their family in that way. Some have the means and ability, but are naive about the need. Others have a desire, but lack non-monetary resources, such as nearby medical care for special needs children. Some have the money, desire, and ability, but would need respite care. The list goes on, but you get the idea.
Today, for the first post, I'm going to show you a neat video about a friend of mine, a video that was posted yesterday morning.
*** I tried to embed the video, but it's not working. So, for now, I'll just link you to it. It's only a couple minutes long and I encourage you to watch it. ***
Want to know something awesome? Their adoption was fully funded 25 hours after this video was posted. Fully funded! That's what I'm talking about, folks. Families being formed because one family wanted to grow through adoption, one person used their skills to make a video, and several people had the means to help with the finances. Not everyone could bring Tara's child home, but many were able to use their skills and resources to help those who were right for the job. I love it!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
SCHOOL CHOICES
I am very thankful to live in a time and place with a wide variety of choices in how our children are educated.
I think it's wonderful when parents are able to pursue the choice that most appeals to them.
I appreciate the people who realize that education is not "one size fits all" and are happy when another family discovers the choice that's best for them, even if it's different than their own.
I have respect for the families who cheerfully pursue the educational choice that's not their preference, yet is the one that reality demands they choose.
I applaud the parents who choose to educate their kids at home, in whatever way it works for them, while continuing to care for kids younger than school age and running a household.
I'm thankful for the people who give hours of their time to help out in classrooms, simultaneously relieving an often over-extended teacher and developing relationships with the students.
I admire the people who take time out of their regular schedule, whether individually or as a group, to raise money and gather donations to make sure all students have backpacks, clothing that fits, and school supplies.
I'm thankful for people who spend less time criticizing various educational choices and more time investing themselves in the schools and homes surrounding them .
I applaud the public and private school teachers who work their tails off, often without the support they desperately need or the pay that others with the same level of education and responsibilities are earning, to give kids a good education.
I'm thankful we live in a country where every single child is granted the opportunity to be educated.
That's all.
I think it's wonderful when parents are able to pursue the choice that most appeals to them.
I appreciate the people who realize that education is not "one size fits all" and are happy when another family discovers the choice that's best for them, even if it's different than their own.
I have respect for the families who cheerfully pursue the educational choice that's not their preference, yet is the one that reality demands they choose.
I applaud the parents who choose to educate their kids at home, in whatever way it works for them, while continuing to care for kids younger than school age and running a household.
I'm thankful for the people who give hours of their time to help out in classrooms, simultaneously relieving an often over-extended teacher and developing relationships with the students.
I admire the people who take time out of their regular schedule, whether individually or as a group, to raise money and gather donations to make sure all students have backpacks, clothing that fits, and school supplies.
I'm thankful for people who spend less time criticizing various educational choices and more time investing themselves in the schools and homes surrounding them .
I applaud the public and private school teachers who work their tails off, often without the support they desperately need or the pay that others with the same level of education and responsibilities are earning, to give kids a good education.
I'm thankful we live in a country where every single child is granted the opportunity to be educated.
That's all.
Friday, September 21, 2012
FEELING CHATTY TONIGHT
One W is sleeping, two Ws are out of the house, and two Ws are watching a movie. This W is sitting in a quiet house with a computer on her lap. Seems like the right time for a blog post!
Sonlight - At this point, we've always and only used Sonlight for school. I've had a code for new customers to use that gives them $5.00 off their first order if it's $50.00 or more, but no one has ever used it until recently. I gave it to someone from church and they used it, but today I got notification about someone else who had used it. Someone I don't know. Random, but I'm glad they got the discount.
I know $5.00 isn't much when you're buying curriculum, but every little bit helps! If you're interested, then you can click here or go to the link in my sidebar to be taken to the registration page with my referral code automatically added in. If you're already a Sonlight user, then be sure to share your referral code with friends who are going to be making their first Sonlight purchase.
Me - I am still using My Fitness Pal and making sure I get some form of exercise each day. Usually I go on a stroller-pushing walk, but I've also spent some time swimming (we had a season pass that ended today), tried jumping rope (that just about killed me on my first try, so I cut back, but it hurts my shins), jumping jacks, push ups, etc. I don't feel like my shape has changed at all, but I know I'm taking better care of myself. A handful of people mentioned that it could be a diastasis, but I'm not sure if it's that or just plain old fat.
I've also set a weeknight bedtime of 10:00 for myself and set my alarm for about 15 minutes before the little Ws usually wake up in the morning. I'm slowly working on having more self-discipline, an area of my life that is in desperate need of improvement.
School - I like to get four to six weeks of school completed during the summer. We completed two. Just two, but we're cruising along and it will be fine. My biggest struggle right now is getting language arts done. I'd love for a genie to appear at my door and just take care of that with the big boys. Alas, I need to figure out how to keep that on track.
I was telling someone tonight that we take homeschooling one kid and one year at a time, but that the early years were the most important to me. I never established when the early years ended, but Silas will be in middle school next year. Pretty sure his early years are over. I have no idea what we'll do next year, but it's crazy how fast those years with Silas flew by.
Home - I am realizing how much more I love homemaking than homeschooling. Efficiently running a household is mindless for me and I enjoy it. Unfortunately, I tend to slack on everything when I feel like there's too much on my plate, which is counter-productive because the incomplete tasks stress me out and then I bark at everyone. It's the perfectionist coping mechanism - if you can't do it all well, then don't do any of it at all. Not very wise. Productivity and a clean house make me happy, so it's time to crack down and manage my time better.
Granny - My grandma, whom many of you have met over the years, moved out of state about a year and a half ago. With the exception of a year or so in California, she's lived as close as the same apartment complex to as far as three hours away from us for about ten years. Needless to say, she was a regular part of our life. She loves me, but I think she loves Tim even more. And the kids? They're loved even more than Tim. In fact, Naomi wailed uncontrollably for hours when she had to say goodbye to Granny. It was horrid.
Anyway, if you know me at all, then you know I am not a phone talker, but I try to call Granny every week. Sometimes I miss, but I'm making an effort. It's hard, though. Her memory is failing and it's becoming more difficult for me to think of things to talk about. She pretty much worshipped the ground Naomi walked on, but now refers to her as "the girl". I don't remember the last time she called any of our kids by name. My birthday? This was the first year of my life that she didn't remember it... or the other Ws', for that matter. She refers to my mom as "Mike's sister" or "my daughter", but never as "your mom". I don't think she makes that connection anymore.
But she keeps our pictures on her mirror and tells me about them every time we talk. I love that.
I don't even know why I'm telling you this. It's just hard. Not as hard as caring for her, but still hard.
Storage - Silas called me into the bathroom today to show me something he discovered. A drawer. We've lived here almost a year and never realized there was a drawer at the bottom of that bathroom cabinet. It's like a secret hideaway and I'm delighted to have extra storage space in that room.
Tim - He's taking classes once a week, landed a two day subbing job in the beginning of October, and was offered a few days of work from a friend. I'm thankful for the upcoming work, regardless of whether or not it's teaching! He's still doing the Take Shape For Life program and is getting pretty close to his goal weight. People generally have to lose a ton of weight before I notice, but I saw a difference in him several days ago.
He's actually decided to become a health coach with TSFL and just opened up his website a couple days ago, though I think he's holding off on posting his picture until he's reached his goal weight. He has a degree in health promotion and fitness management, so he's pretty excited to use that background with the TSFL program.
And we'll stop there. I have more on my mind, but I've probably chatted enough for one blog post. Have a great weekend!!
Sonlight - At this point, we've always and only used Sonlight for school. I've had a code for new customers to use that gives them $5.00 off their first order if it's $50.00 or more, but no one has ever used it until recently. I gave it to someone from church and they used it, but today I got notification about someone else who had used it. Someone I don't know. Random, but I'm glad they got the discount.
I know $5.00 isn't much when you're buying curriculum, but every little bit helps! If you're interested, then you can click here or go to the link in my sidebar to be taken to the registration page with my referral code automatically added in. If you're already a Sonlight user, then be sure to share your referral code with friends who are going to be making their first Sonlight purchase.
Me - I am still using My Fitness Pal and making sure I get some form of exercise each day. Usually I go on a stroller-pushing walk, but I've also spent some time swimming (we had a season pass that ended today), tried jumping rope (that just about killed me on my first try, so I cut back, but it hurts my shins), jumping jacks, push ups, etc. I don't feel like my shape has changed at all, but I know I'm taking better care of myself. A handful of people mentioned that it could be a diastasis, but I'm not sure if it's that or just plain old fat.
I've also set a weeknight bedtime of 10:00 for myself and set my alarm for about 15 minutes before the little Ws usually wake up in the morning. I'm slowly working on having more self-discipline, an area of my life that is in desperate need of improvement.
School - I like to get four to six weeks of school completed during the summer. We completed two. Just two, but we're cruising along and it will be fine. My biggest struggle right now is getting language arts done. I'd love for a genie to appear at my door and just take care of that with the big boys. Alas, I need to figure out how to keep that on track.
I was telling someone tonight that we take homeschooling one kid and one year at a time, but that the early years were the most important to me. I never established when the early years ended, but Silas will be in middle school next year. Pretty sure his early years are over. I have no idea what we'll do next year, but it's crazy how fast those years with Silas flew by.
Home - I am realizing how much more I love homemaking than homeschooling. Efficiently running a household is mindless for me and I enjoy it. Unfortunately, I tend to slack on everything when I feel like there's too much on my plate, which is counter-productive because the incomplete tasks stress me out and then I bark at everyone. It's the perfectionist coping mechanism - if you can't do it all well, then don't do any of it at all. Not very wise. Productivity and a clean house make me happy, so it's time to crack down and manage my time better.
Granny - My grandma, whom many of you have met over the years, moved out of state about a year and a half ago. With the exception of a year or so in California, she's lived as close as the same apartment complex to as far as three hours away from us for about ten years. Needless to say, she was a regular part of our life. She loves me, but I think she loves Tim even more. And the kids? They're loved even more than Tim. In fact, Naomi wailed uncontrollably for hours when she had to say goodbye to Granny. It was horrid.
Anyway, if you know me at all, then you know I am not a phone talker, but I try to call Granny every week. Sometimes I miss, but I'm making an effort. It's hard, though. Her memory is failing and it's becoming more difficult for me to think of things to talk about. She pretty much worshipped the ground Naomi walked on, but now refers to her as "the girl". I don't remember the last time she called any of our kids by name. My birthday? This was the first year of my life that she didn't remember it... or the other Ws', for that matter. She refers to my mom as "Mike's sister" or "my daughter", but never as "your mom". I don't think she makes that connection anymore.
But she keeps our pictures on her mirror and tells me about them every time we talk. I love that.
I don't even know why I'm telling you this. It's just hard. Not as hard as caring for her, but still hard.
Storage - Silas called me into the bathroom today to show me something he discovered. A drawer. We've lived here almost a year and never realized there was a drawer at the bottom of that bathroom cabinet. It's like a secret hideaway and I'm delighted to have extra storage space in that room.
Tim - He's taking classes once a week, landed a two day subbing job in the beginning of October, and was offered a few days of work from a friend. I'm thankful for the upcoming work, regardless of whether or not it's teaching! He's still doing the Take Shape For Life program and is getting pretty close to his goal weight. People generally have to lose a ton of weight before I notice, but I saw a difference in him several days ago.
He's actually decided to become a health coach with TSFL and just opened up his website a couple days ago, though I think he's holding off on posting his picture until he's reached his goal weight. He has a degree in health promotion and fitness management, so he's pretty excited to use that background with the TSFL program.
And we'll stop there. I have more on my mind, but I've probably chatted enough for one blog post. Have a great weekend!!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
9/20/12 THANKFUL THURSDAY
I'm thankful for a morning spent with Naomi as she tries on two giant bags of clothes from a friend.
What's something that you're thankful for?
What's something that you're thankful for?
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