Money Talk

Let's talk money! We are making a plan and new budget to get out of debt before the end of 2o12....I know...it's a LONG term goal...but we are in a lot of debt! So, I think I will try to devote Friday's to thinking about ways to save, budget, and keep on track. I am frugal by nature and love a good deal...so I will be re-visiting my old ways of saving and trying to think of new ways. I must say I fell into the world of convenience while adjusting to my all the sudden large family last year! We went from 2 kids to 7 kids in a year~ that was a BIG change! We are all settled, adopted, homeschooled....now is the time to take our finances seriously and be good stewards of all the Lord has blessed with! We are going to make our budget tomorrow...but I have a few ideas in my head for saving some money already!

~ Make more SIMPLE meals...like tonight was spaghetti,meatballs, garlic bread...we don't need so much variety all the time!

~ Serve more natural and filling foods...we will eat less if we eat more filling foods, not chips and junk.

~ Drink water all day except for one drink of juice and one drink of milk.

~ work on making sure lights are off when we are not using them.

~ Try creative things to make new outfits with clothes we already have....this will be especially for the little ones who share clothes.

~ Make sure we wait 4 days before buying anything we don't NEED....during the 4 day period we need to see if we can make do without it or figure out another way to do the job (so to speak)

~ make homemade snacks...like a slice of toast...something SIMPLE...not pre-packaged stuff!

~ Eat the portion size that's correct! We always eat WAY too much!

~ Don't even "thrift shop" for fun! Only when there is a NEED!!

~ Save one of my babysitting paychecks for Christmas shopping for next year

Those are just a few of the things I should be doing...and am excited about doing!

Another thing I am wondering is what is an appropriate food budget for a family of 9...we are all home all day (except hubby, but I pack his meals...so he eats our boughten food) and I babysit 2 children all day....What is your food budget?

2010

We had a very big year! 2010 was a great year for most things. We got to adopt 5 beautiful kids, we have everyone home for school now, which was a big adjustment...we went from 2 being schooled to 7...as we do "pre-school"..., we had a few hard on your heart foster care placements, we got to know many people in our church family, we teach Sunday school, we went through very hard times this year with the children we adopted but while still in foster care, we watched the kids siblings be moved around, I got a tubal reversal and then a uterine infection, and much more! It has been the most emotional year we have EVER had! Many, many, many ups and downs this year. There were times we thought the boys (the ones we adopted) were going to have to live with their grandparents, who were not appropriate...so we fought and fought for them and what was in their best interest....we had to split up the sibling group of girls we had...there were 4 sisters (we adopted only 3)....we tried SO hard to make it work for all 4...but the oldest sister was SO mean and abusive, we didn't tell the county we wanted her removed, they told us...and a month later she molested a boy close to the same age as my special needs son....we were so sad for her. To say the least, this year has been full of growing times! We are so thankful! God is good all the time....
I pray this next year to come will be full of fun and new things! There are a few things stirring already...so we shall see what God will do. Happy New Year!

Too Funny!!

This is what we found after lunch....the dog is VERY old...we can't believe he did it! We served meatloaf ....it must have smelled good! LOL

Regular Life

I am SO looking forward to getting back to "regular" life! I love the time we just had during November and December, but I am ready for our slow way of life to return! We are not busy people, we are always doing something....but usually at home...and it just seems normal to us. We are not a family who likes to run about and go lots of places and spend lots of money. It seems that's all we have done the past two month...with holidays and the adoption/adoption party...it has been hectic to say the least!! This week will be spent getting things cleaned up from Christmas, the tree and decorations put away...getting out my household planner and making new schedules as our old ones will not work now that all the kids are finally home (one was in public school until the adoption) and we have taken on another child to babysit. It feels so refreshing to look at things with a clear head and know that our slow way of living can be resumed! I look forward to every moment of it! :0)

Merry Christmas!

Just popping in to Wish you all a Merry Christmas!!

Romance

I really do think I have the best hubby ever! We are struggling greatly with one of our adopted children...she is grieving her lost family, and is acting out in a BIG way! Rob and I have been praying and trying to do what is best for her...it feels like we are living in a whirlwind...I don't know how else to describe it...the days fly by...everything is rushed as we are trying to deal with my heartbroken child. Yesterday, my loving man was the perfect picture of romance. I am always teaching my girls about real romance, as I DO NOT believe in the ushy-gushy romance...it's not real life...I feel a woman will never find contentment in her marriage if she holds a real guy up to the expectations she reads about or sees in movies...it's not REAL! Some people have told me that I am crushing girlhood dreams by teaching this to my girls...I don't agree. Life is not ushy-gushy...mine is full of dirty diapers, dirty dishes, runny noses, and smelly animals! That's not ushy-gushy...and after having all of that....all day....I don't even want ushy-gushy! Back to my point...about my amazing husband...When he got home from work, I needed to run to the post office and then to a friends house..quickly. He ended up calling me at my friends house (he tried my cell..twice... I left it in the van, he hates that) to see if I was OK...I told him I was and we were just visiting...he told me to take my time and he would fix dinner and to stay and eat dinner with my friend and her family. Of course, I didn't...I rushed home with a full heart and made my family dinner. Then after dinner, we played with the kids, I bathed them all and tucked them in...then my oldest foster daughter called..I talked to her for a long time...my husband waits...patiently...on the couch, even though he had a plan for me...he waited...patiently. That's true love. After my phone call, he put my coat on me...wrapped a prayer shawl around my head and neck to keep me warm...he asked me to put on my chore boots ( they are SMELLY) and gave me ONE glove. Take a minute to picture this...here I am...an ugly green chore coat, a prayer shawl around my head...poopy boots, and one glove. This is not ushy-gushy, but my heart has melted at this point. He takes me outside, and he also has just one glove on...he holds my ungloved hand in his coat pocket with his ungloved hand...and takes me on a walk in our pasture. He ministers to me...shares his heart for God, shares with me what and where he feels God is leading him to teach/train me...he is so gentle and soft with me and his correction. I love this man and would follow him anywhere. This is true romance. another mental picture, just for those who may still think romance only happens in the bedroom, or some spectacular ushy-gushy way...here we are...two exhausted parents, in chore gear, smelly...because of chore gear, in a poopy pasture...and the only smooching going on was from big, slobbery, animal noses! Marriage is such a blessing and a joy...I can't believe I get to be with my husband until I (or he) dies to go be with the Lord...I love this man!

It's Right

I always feel like we take up too much room, are too loud, and bug others when we go out in our town. Our town is very small and the places we go are pretty small. I always feel like we are a side show as there don't seem to be many large families around. Honestly, I don't know anyone else with 7 living children...one of my friends has 7, but only 6 are living...and 2 of those are grown and married...I have another friend with 5, and a few with 4...I'm sure there are large families in the area, just none that I know of. Anyway... I always feel like we are taking up too much space so to speak...and am on edge when we are out. Rob took us to one of our favorite places to eat after church on Sunday as a surprise! And this time...just like every other time...God helped me see things clearly! (Almost) every time we go out, people ask us questions about our size...EVERYTIME....I honestly think I can count on one hand the times that it didn't come up! In small towns, people talk to you...it's neat :0) Sometimes I get sick of it, but then God gets a hold of me...and lets me know that these are the PERFECT times to bring glory to Him with my words. Yesterday at the restaurant two different families came up to us to talk to us about our kids! They both complimented their behavior and one lady even came right out and said..."I'll bet they are home schooled"....I was floored...and checking to see if they indeed looked really dorky or something that would make them stick out....then again...God said "HEY!!!"....this lady said that because they were an example for Christ...sitting there...big ones with little ones...all mixed together...It was so neat to get to speak of my Lord to people....people who wanted to talk to us because we look different....maybe it's not just the size...maybe they see us as approachable...maybe they can see the Light of Christ in our family?? I will always, from this day forward, thank God for those moments!

Busy Weekend...and a Question For You

I'll start with the question...so you;ll have time to think of a brilliant answer before the end of this post..hehehehe! Ok...I can not seem to come up with a good, kid friendly craft for my babysitting kids to make for their parents for Christmas! I have searched, and thought...I am coming up BLANK! HELP! Any good ideas....cheap and easy would be best!? Thank You!!

This is the busiest weekend of the whole year for us...Today we have a Christmas party at Rob's mother's house with all of his step sisters and their kids...then we have a Christmas party at Rob's dad's house with all of the step siblings and their kids in the afternoon/evening. In the middle of that is dress rehearsal for the church Christmas play! This morning before we go I have baking to do for tomorrow. Tomorrow we have church and Sunday school, the kids will be handing out cute dishes of the baked goods that I am making this morning. Then when we come home, we will build a ginger bread house, and bake some more...then we will go back to church for the Christmas play (this is my Christmas gift from my daughter, I don't watch any rehearsals or even let her talk to me about the play! ) After the play will be fellowship time with finger foods in the gym. After that when we get home I need to put together trays of goodies as a gift for the families we babysit for. BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! Hopefully all can be done with a good attitude and a joyful spirit...after all it is all done in the name of the Lord! Hope you have a great weekend!!

Hand Picked Gifts

We all feel special when we receive a hand picked gift, rather than some pre-packaged deal that you could pick up anywhere, right? This is not a new concept...I already knew this...but it hit me like a TON of Bricks yesterday and was instantly dropped to my knees in thanksgiving... God handpicked this life for ME! WOW! We all "know" this...but man oh man, did it become REAL in my heart yesterday! I just am amazed at Him...and all He is...He picked these kids, this husband, this home, this life, for ME...Talk about feeling special! Not that...my head is big, I'm so great, kind of special...a humbled beyond words kind of special. I am SO unworthy of all He has given to me. It's incredible to me....that He will work in spite of me...I don't deserve His grace and love...but it's mine...free for the taking....I look around me...I have the BEST husband... God picked him for me, we have been together since the first time we saw each other...literally, so I believe in love at first sight...because of God. I see 7 little faces snuggled on the couch watching shows...He gave me two before I was even saved, and living a life of TOTAL sin...then when I was barren he gave me 5 children to adopt...without even asking...what a gift...it was God. I could go on and on about the blessings He has given me!! I know this sounded like a bunch of "mish-mash"...LOL...but my heart is so full, it might burst! God's greatness is HUGE and I am so thankful to know Him, and to have received His handpicked gifts!

Just Like A "Real" Mommy!

This is my daughter, Kate. she's too cute for her own good! She often dresses herself up like this, pushes a baby stroller, and is usually lugging around a purse half her size...saying "Look, I'm just like a real mommy!" She must need glasses!! This is NOT the mommy she sees....here...in this house~ I never walk around in full princess gear, pushing a stroller, carrying a magic wand~ But it got me thinking, what kind of mommy do the kids REALLY see? Do they see a mommy who is frazzled and tired? Do they see a mommy who can't hide her emotions when she's upset? Do they see a mommy who loves her home and her family? Do they see a mommy who puts God first in her life? I have no clue what they see! Kids are so forgiving...and adaptable. I have had kids get in trouble all day and then when I put them to bed and kiss them...they say to me.."Mommy, this was the best day ever!" (Kyara does this all the time!)LOL...I love my kids SO incredibly much, I think I owe it to them to really dig into the Word, pray, and see what kind of mommy they deserve to see everyday.

So Hurt!

Right now I am absolutely crushed. I am so sick of people treating my 5 adopted kids as if they are not "my own" kids! So many family members are making them feel as if they are not "really" part of our "family". One said to me.." All 7 kids will have the same number of gifts at Christmas, but I won't spend the same on "them" as I do the 2 birth kids."!! WHAT! Another family member wanted to just give plastic gift cards to the adopted kids and a gift to the "real" kids (their words)! WHAT!! and the last straw just broke...I just got word that my own brother and his wife are also segregating my adopted kids...and wanted to give the 5 nieces and nephews born into the family a nice and special gift, while they give the adopted kids a piece of plastic! It is not about gifts...I could care less if my kids get any gifts at all...I would actually prefer they don't! Especially since it is causing such problems! What kind of person could look at these beautiful orphaned kids as lowly...not good enough for equal treatment! These 5 kids, you know the "others", these are the ones who were nearly starved to death, raped, beaten, ridiculed, and abandoned....they should be the ones who get the special gifts...just for surviving their circumstances!! I'll tell you another thing...these people in my "family" have said to me....they said "These kids have never had a big Christmas before, so they won't know the difference!" I am SHOCKED at the mindset of these ignorant people, and since they are my family, my heart is totally broken. How am I going to realistically explain this to the 10 and under crew about the visable difference in their treatment...from people they love and who claim to love them?? One grandma still can't even say all their names right! They have been here for years! People are the most important thing...hearts...I wish I knew what to do...how to handle this...the tears just won't stop flowing...the kids see my heart broken...When did CHRISTmas turn into this mess? All I want is to rejoice in the birth of my Lord...not feel like this. Any suggestions on how to handle this would be greatly appreciated!

Mommy's Sick Bed

I am not feeling well. I am not down and out, just a little sick. I went to lay down yesterday at lunch break, I REALLY needed a rest as we were having company for dinner and dessert and before that I was going grocery shopping. So, I get them all sat down and started with lunch...I announce I am going to go lay in my bed and that their oldest sister was "in Charge"! I get all snuggled in with my box of tissues, close my eyes, and here a pitter patter and then "I wuz you, mom....SO much!"...and in climbs my little man...then 5 minutes later here comes another...and another...my sick bed was getting full of kids! Needless to say, I got no extra rest at lunch break...LOL...But God got me through the day and gave me a good night of rest...and a bed full of kids!

Pantry & Something Funny!

I have been busy around the house this last week! So far, I have completely cleaned out the girl's room, the boy's room, the upstairs hallway/play area, the pantry, and the TOY BOX! Oh...a closet and the old frig too. It feels good to have things getting back to their normal order....it's not perfect or pretty...but functionable! I call myself the "comfort queen"... I go for comfortable/functionalbe things over fashionable things...that's just me :0) I like things to look nice, and pretty...but am not very good at doing it, nor do I want to spend a lot of time or money on things like that...it is not important to Rob, so I can't justify the time or money spent in that area. I feel blessed to have a big pantry full of food to eat! I am thinking about "food storage" so that we have more on hand... so I don't have to make a big shopping trip weekly. As it is now, if I go a day or two over the weekly trip we start to run out of things. This doesn't really work for us, as life can be crazy and I may not be able to get to the store weekly! Anyway....this is my pantry...God has blessed us with much!

OK...for the funny...at least funny to me...my 3 yr old still jabbers a bit...and my oldest daughter made cupcakes for dessert last night...and colton was calling them "buttcakes"....LOL...he was TRYING to say "CUPcake"....but each time we had him try it would come out "buttcake"....he couldn't figure out why we were all laughing, because to him..he said it right! LOL...kids keep ya young at heart, I guess!

Oh My...What a Weekend!

Oh My! That's what I have to say about our weekend! It was chalked full of highs and lows! I'll start with Friday night...Rob and I went up to watch TV and visit in our room while a few bigs stayed downstairs to watch a movie...no big deal. I get up around 4:00 a.m. to let the dog out and find our freezer (the small one, on the frig) wide open! Our second to the oldest daughter left it open... ALL NIGHT! What a mess! All the food in there was ruined...and I was MAD! So, we cleaned it all up, talked with her...end of story. We get all the kids around the table as Daddy had a big surprise planned for the family! He drew pictures for clues and the kids got to guess what we were going to go do! We were going to go ride the "Santa Express"....in the theme of the "Polar Express"....we went on an hour train ride! The kids got tickets, free hot cocoa and cookies, a gift...it was AWESOME! We took them to lunch at McDonald's play place...life was good! Especially since we got a major discount on the tickets!! The kids ate candy canes and sang Christmas carols all the way home :0) Then the "REAL" fun begins! We walk in to find our frig was completely broken! It was not working at all! We called the repair man, a trusted friend, and he said it would cost at least $500 to fix it, and since it was old anyway, Rob decided to buy a new one. The decision came after hours of fretting, struggling to try to fix the old one, getting all the food we could put other places...clearing out an overstuffed closet to get to the back of the old frig...not fun...at..all!!! So, $900 later...we had a good and long talk about responsibility with the kids! The big ones were wide eyed and understood what had happened...while the Little's were just jazzed about getting a new frig. We go to bed. We wake up to a hill covered in ice! I teach Sunday School, so we were going to church...icy roads or not...we get ready and go...church was OK...not major issues except one little had a big sneeze "blow out" and I had no tissues with me! YUCK! But it was OK! After church we have a fellowship time of coffee and a snack...great...I say to my crew that it was time to go to Sunday School...3 of them take of RUNNING out of the gym and into the parking lot! So, off we go for a group time out! Then the actual teaching of Sunday School was AMAZING! I LOVE my class...it is such a blessing! But where was my husband?? After class he came to me and said that someone gave us a substantial amount of money to buy a new stove....what?? What a blessing...God is so good! The next second he was in the church office talking with a heartbroken person....then went to pick up another one of our kids from their class...and went to hug these two twin girls...we LOVE them so much...but sadly, most people see these kids (there are 4 kids all together in this sibling group) as bad kids....but their life is so sad...anyway, he scoops them up in his strong arms for hugs and kisses, and they melt into tears. How sad. They were having a bad day...there life is one of the saddest stories ever. Rob was crushed. Like so crushed he couldn't breathe....near tears himself...CRUSHED. So, we leave...we were supposed to go pick up the little girl we babysit for a sleepover and a Christmas party with grandma & grandpa...we couldn't get there due to the icy roads...we tried and tried to get there...but were slipping and sliding all over the place!! We couldn't pick her up. We went home had the party...it was fun. I finally got to talk to her mom and found out she sat all afternoon in her pretty little penguin dress and pigtails...she was sad...we were sad. Long story short...we ended up getting her later in the afternoon...it was all good...lots of ups and downs...God is good...ALL THE TIME. This weekend gave us lots to do, think about, and pray about!!

Meet The "Littles"

These are the "Littles"....they are the little people in our family. Their ages are 3,4,5, and 6. They keep our house full of mischief, laughter, and fun! They do EVERYTHING together...and are often referred together as a group....hence being called the "Littles":0) I love that God blessed us with children like this, one right after the other! I pray any future pregnancies will be this way! There is always a party as far as they are concerned! There is always someone to play with, someone to talk to, someone to snuggle with! I pray that as they grow they will be best friends and understand just how special it is for them to have brothers and sister so close to their own age. In this picture the "Littles" are watching a Christmas movie together and eating popcorn :0) Another funny thing that just came to mind was this...people ask me all the time how I find time to have "one on one" time with each child...first of all, I don't really think this is a great idea...it works out that way sometimes, to have just one child, but we believe in doing things TOGETHER, anyways....if you try to do something with just one of the "Littles"...alone....they are devastated! They can't wait to get back with the "guys"! My kids actually ENJOY being TOGETHER as a FAMILY! Crazy idea...lol....

Let Them Help

I feel it is so important to let the children help decorate for the holidays...it helps them feel as if they are part of making it special! I have been in some homes that looked as if they fell out of a magazine, and for a moment, I was (and still am) jealous! It lasts only a moment...because as you look around, you feel like you couldn't touch a thing or it might break, you feel uneasy with your children even being there, they might mess it up...etc. This does not set the tone of an inviting home, to me. What I prefer is to look around my house, as it is now, and see the little messes made in the spirit of Christmas, like the "train track" one of the boys built around the base of the tree, the nativity my son set up on his desk, it's set up backwards! I see homemade ornaments on my tree....I think there is only ONE bulb on the tree! I see lots of art work made by the kiddos, I see the HUGE candy advent calender, I see LOTS of books about the birth of Jesus, I see my windows painted by small hands...with drippy and smeary paint, I see a garland of paper gingerbread men strung across my dining room doorway for all to see! I pray the people who enter my home this Christmas season will feel comfortable, and feel the love of Jesus, not feel like they need to concentrate on not breathing as they might mess something up! Merry Christmas....Merry Memories! :)

Little Girl's Room

As I said yesterday, things have kind of fallen to shambles around here...and I aim to fix it! LOL...I don't mind kid messes one bit...but this was more the kind of cleaning that I needed to do...picking up toys can be done quickly by the kids :0) So, this is the little girl's room. It was pretty trashed as you can see! Our home needs some decorating help, but it works....we are warm and dry!! I scrubbed the walls, did cob webs, washed beds, and cleaned under beds, dressers, toys/books, and cleaned the floor. Looks a bit better now!

Princesses do Laundry!

Even princesses do laundry! She has no maid...so she happily helps with the wash! LOL...too cute! I am hoping to make more time for such things during the next few weeks. The wrapping is almost done...I just have a few things left to wrap, so I am going to take the hour I was spending wrapping and do some deep cleaning. I am going to start with the bedrooms and upstairs. During the time of getting ready for the adoption, doing the adoption, having the flu and strep throat go through, the house work has been let go a bit. We are still keeping things up OK, just not the greatest...LOL...Things have kind of been tossed here and there...so it's time to get to work!!

Christmas Decorations

I thought I would share pictures of some of our Christmas decorations. We didn't put up as much as some years. I think I like to keep things simple. We don't have much extra space, so this works for us. I do have more decorations out than what is seen in these pictures though. Things are coming along as far as Christmas goes. I just have 2 more small things to buy the next time I'm at the store. They are not for my own children so it won't matter if they are with me when I buy them :0) I have a few more days of wrapping and then that should be done! I am looking forward to having a bit of free time in the afternoon to do some cleaning and organizing to get things ready for all the new things the kids will get for Christmas. It's a good chance to keep things cleared out! We have most of our get togethers scheduled and on the calender, so that makes it nice! I am having a hard time coordinating some of Ashley's activities and the parties. I think she will miss the get together with her grandparents this weekend as she will be with the church putting on a play for a nursing home. I am going to have her do this instead as I think she needs to learn to serve others...and this is a great opportunity to do so. I am trying to make this as stress free as possible!!

Preschool Activities...

We needed a revamp of our preschool activities as winter has set in and the kids aren't playing outside as much. I like them to have things to do...so they don't run wild and kill each other! LOL

1. cutting and pasting
2. art box...this has magazines to cut and paste and odds & ends
3. baby care...baby bath, crib, swing, bottles...etc..
4. play dough
5. pudding bags...put pudding in a gallon zip lock and they write on it with their finger
6. grocery store
7. books
8. blocks
9. an educational movie about community helpers and a sheet for example
10. kitchen
11. water in a big oblong tub...put boats and measuring cups.
12. coloring
13. number and letter games I made from ideas found online :0)
14. bingo dot art
15. play Dr.
16. play "school" using unwanted homeschooling items I already have.
17. restaurant...I printed off pretend menus...some will be servers, others will be diners
18. "office"...with fake computers and phones...they will "dress up"

I have most of these items on hand, others I do not and will need to buy...I hope this helps keep little hands busy while we are cooped up for the winter!

Full Freezer...Thanks to God!

The Lord has provided much for us this year in the way of food! We have been blessed with people giving us groceries (an older lady that can't get things used up before they spoil), people have given us beef, pork, and gave us the deer they shot...as well as what hubby has shot. He was blessed with shooting another doe on Friday! Saturday we put away 4 deer. Our freezer is full...and we are set for the year! It's nice to now know we don't have to worry about buying meat for a whole year! I will probably buy some pork, fish, and chicken as the budget allows....but it would not be necessary if we didn't have the money for some reason. I am a happy lady, for sure!

Candy Calender

Each year my husband makes a candy calender for the kids to count down to Christmas! This goes along with our December surprises! The kids LOVE it...we have done it since the oldest was little...so they look forward to it all year long! The usually start talking about it in the summer! We glues on over 200 pieces of candy this year!

Soggy Toast

Soggy toast is one of our families frugal favorites! My husband grew up eating it, and so my kids have always eaten it. I personally do not enjoy soggy toast...but you may! First, you heat milk and butter in a pan, and then dunk in toast until it's soggy! We add salt and pepper to the milk and butter. It's a hot and cheap meal that the kids LOVE! It's also nice to eat when you have a soar throat...and we have several with strep throat right now...so it was perfect! This breakfast is also easy enough for children to make on their own :0)

A Very Blessed Hunting Season!

We have surely had a very blessed hunting season! I am VERY ready for it to be over as we have been at it since the first Saturday in October. My own husband has only got to shoot one deer, but we have been blessed with 4 others! We generally put 7 deer in the freezer every year, but we had some leftover from last year...so even if Rob doesn't shoot anymore, that should be enough. We are so thankful for the provision...God meets our needs everyday, I love to see what and how He does! This weekend will be full of all the gross stuff that goes into taking care of the deer to put into the freezer :0)

Anger...why??

James 1:19-20
" My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for mans anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."


Aren't they beautiful? How could I be so angry? I don't know. It seems like I am a snapping turtle lately! Over-reacting to small things, snapping at the children, being irritable. Not good. I am now seeing this overflow into the lives of my kids! They are all in trouble, hurting each other, yelling at each other. This is not how I want my house to run. I'm not sure if it's the stress from the Holidays, the tight budget, tons of school work, sick kids and sick hubby and I....it doesn't matter one bit....this is wrong. God got a hold of my heart yesterday, and it felt so good to dig into the word and see what He had to say about anger. I am praying today will be much different. I only get the privilege to raise these kids for a short time, I am wasting it. He blessed me with 5 children to adopt, am I acting grateful? He blessed me with a warm home, and I whine it's too small, He blessed me with some money for Christmas gifts, and I worry it's not enough, He blessed me with my children being home schooled, I whine it's too hard and there's no time for it all....you get the picture. I am in a bad spot right now...or should I say, WAS in a bad spot. God really worked in my heart...I am so thankful for these convictions I have right now...this is a growing time, and a time to rejoice! God is in control, and I don't need to try to pretend I am!

Proverbs 14:16-28
Ecclesiastes 7:9
Proverbs 16:32

Pajama Party!

We had a pajama party last week in school! It was a BLAST! All the children got to stay in their pj's all day! We read books, sang songs, made cupcakes, made a craft, and did our regular school in our pj's :0) I think it's good to mix things up a bit for the kids. When we are home, I often forget about trying to do fun school related things and we just do regular life...which is fun too...but it's nice to have a mixed up school day once in a while too!

December Fun!!

For every day in December I made up a small card, and on the card has a special thing to do that day! These are simple and free things to do...easy enough that I know I'll do them...but special enough the kids will love them :0) Here's my list:
1. Welcome to December talk, new song to learn, and a piece of candy
2. Decorate paper gingerbread men to hang up (I hope to make a garland)
3. Drink hot cocoa
4. Make decorations to hang on your bedroom door
5. Introduce the candy calender
6. Christmas movie at rest time
7. Window painting
8. Make Christmas pictures to mail to Unlce Bill
9. Christmas book at story time
10. Snowman craft
11. Listen to Christmas music
12. Dinner with grandma and grandpa (we already had this planned)
13. Eat candy canes
14. Make Christmas pictures to mail to Uncle Jeff
15. Christmas photo shoot (will use these as gifts later)
16. Deliver cookies to a family
17. Make Christmas gifts for teachers
18. Family Christmas parties
19. The Christmas plat at church
20. Make a gift for someone
21. Write to Santa
22. Christmas computer game
23. Make Santa cookies
24. Party at Aunt Jen's & read the Christmas story from the Bible before bed & family prayer time
25. Christmas!!!
We will do most of these during our morning circle time, that way they will be sure to get done! These are easy enough to do...and fun!

Our Adoption Party

We had a great time at our adoption party. I'm glad it's over, but also glad we did it! We had a great turn out. All together there were probably about 60 people there :0) The kids had a GREAT time! They ate SO much food, thankfully none of them got sick. They ran around with their friends beating each other up with balloons, and playing tag. It was nice to see them have such a good time. We got lots of nice gifts, and got to see how much support we have from family and our church family. I LOVE my church family. I feel so blessed to be a part of my church, they are great people!! Now it's over, we can settle in as a regular family. Life is good!

Shopping Trip

I went shopping with my sister on Saturday....we left home at 5:00 a.m. and didn't return until 11:00 p.m.!! We shopped the whole time! We got to the stores at 6:00 a.m.....and shopped until 10:00 p.m.! We didn't even stop to get anything to eat....we ate finally at 10:00 p.m. on the way home! What a LONG day! It was fun, and I got most of my shopping done. I spent that many hours and didn't even get it all done...LOL...That's a lot of shopping! I'm glad to say that I have stayed on my budget. Things have been shifted around, but the lump sum I was planning on spending was met. I still have about $100 left to spend and that should be about what I need. Maybe a bit more, not much though! Now for all the wrapping!!!

Busy Weekend!

WOW! We sure are having a busy weekend! Yesterday was very nice and relaxing...but we got stuff done. We decorated the house and the tree for Christmas. Today has been busy with getting things ready for the adoption party on Sunday. We went down and decorated today. We didn't do much, but it will do. The rest of the day will be spent baking, making lists, getting last things around, and getting ready for the BIG ALL DAY shopping trip tomorrow with my sister :0) Lots to do!!

Frugal Things Make Work!

We went to my SIL's house on Sunday for Thanksgiving, we had a great time! She had cleared out the space where she kept all of her homeschooling books, and had LOTS to give away. So, I took a good long look....and came away with a big bag and a big box of goodies! She also gave us a big set of wooden cubbies!! I just need to figure out how to get them home from her house, she lives 2 hours away! While there we got to skin and cut up a deer that my FIL shot! YEAH!!! Oh...she also gave me a few things to use as Christmas gifts....they were really nice and in perfect condition...so I was happy!
Here's the work part.....and please don't get me wrong...I LOVE frugal things, and GLADLY accept the work....it's just funny to me to see how much work came from these things...LOL
For all the books she gave me I had to totally clear off tow shelves that run the length of the room. One of the shelves held all of Ashley's clothes. We went through each item and got rid of an entire garbage bag, and saved a WalMart bag full for her younger sister to use later. That created work....I then had to make space in the family closet for Ashley's clothes. NOT and easy job! That led me to going through 8 other people things and sorting all of those clothes. WE got rid of a few bags and got many items to put away for younger siblings. Now I need to buy $50 worth of bins to store all of the "too small" clothes in order to make room for the free books! Ok...there's more....in clearing and sorting all of the clothes and using the bins that used to hold Ashley's clothes I had enough bins to label and sort all the books my SIL gave me, great! But now I need to sort all of MY homeschool books, that are upstairs, to put into the labeled bins. That is a lot of work! Still more....Cyle is home now, so we needed more space, and I need to make space for the new cubbies that my SIL, so I am iin the process of trading desk spaces. I won't bore you with the details, but it's a lot of sorting and moving. I need to sort a dresser that holds my fabric and move it to Colton's room, and clear of another small set of shelves to make room for the cubbies. WOW! All of that came from a box of free books! LOL. I'm thankful for it as now we are even more decluttered and organized! Oh...and we had to grind, bag, and freeze the deer meat. We enjoy doing it, we are so very grateful for the meat. We have now put 63 bags of meat in the freezer! I guess my point is this...if you are willing to do a little work, you can save a bunch of money by accepting other people cast offs :0) Most everything we have, someone has given us. We appreciate and enjoy this very much. With raising 7 kids, we don't have a lot of extra money, but we do have the ability to do hard work...and we like it!

Pizza For Thanksgiving!

We have already had 2 Thanksgiving dinners, so on Thursday we are eating homemade pizza! Strange, huh? I'm happy with that. I cook meals almost like a thanksgiving dinner every night! We don't eat as many dishes at one meal as you would at Thanksgiving, but the same foods...I make stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce....etc...throughout the year, so I am happy to have something easy to make :0) We will read stories, watch the parade, and take naps...I can hardly wait!

Should we compare?

We went to my SIL's house yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a great time! We were feeling some better. BUT...we had kids throwing up before we got out of her drive way for the LONG 2 hour van ride home! EEK!
Anyway....I was thinking about something. I always feel a mix of defeat and inspiration when leaving someones house that is so neat an organized. Strange...how can I feel both of those things at once?? The first feeling I get is the inspiration. My SIL's house is always so organized....she's not a big decorator or has a fancy house, it's small and simple. Yet, she has it so put together. She has everything in totes with labels, bookshelves organized, and everything else in a neat order. This makes me feel like I can't wait to get home to get started on my own simple little house. Then after I walk into my door....this is when the other emotion sets in....defeat! My SIL only has two children, 10 and 17, and her 17 yr old's boyfriend stays with them so he can work at a BIG farm by their house (he lives 3 hrs away) but he's 20. I have 7 kids from 3-10 living here and I babysit two other 4 yr olds! My house is NEVER going to look like hers!! Why should I even kill myself by comparing? I walked into a clean house and within 15 mins. it looked like a bomb went off...we had kids throwing up, kids in time-out, a fire to build as it was only 55 degrees in the house...animals to care for, diapers to change, and a van full of stuff to bring in! What makes my mind think I could organize a bookshelf with books in order by topic and seasonal and have the KIDS USE this bookshelf and still keep it perfect like hers? What makes me think 7 small children will keep all the little parts to their toys organized and with the toy it should go with and in the correct container?? What makes me think I WANT to live like this?? It works for her because her kids are older and they are busier and not home as much as we are...there are a million reason that her home can stay like that....and it's GREAT for her! Yes, I would love my home to be neatly organized....but guess what, it's NOT! and it's OK!! I would have to make everyone miserable to keep my home like this, so I will try a bit harder after Christmas to keep things more organized, and sorted....like the attic, so I know where things are, and my homeschool books.....they don't touch those...that's ALL Me...and I can do better, but I need to accept this lot in life and not feel defected by someone else's life...Insoiration is good...and needed at times...defeat is not...:0)

We Did It....we are ONE big, happy FAMILY!

It was an interesting time, to say the least! We were all SO excited on Friday!! We sent everyone off to be with kisses and giggles, practicing their new names :0) Then at 10:30 I got SICK!!! I mean REALLY SICK....I threw up until it was time to leave for the adoption, and that's not it...Ashley started throwing up at 2:00 am, and was sick even at the adoption (all over the hallway on the way to the restroom, poor kid!) and in the van Kyara got sick! But we weren't missing this day for the world...so we got dressed and went. What a fun day! There were 8 kids adopted that day. And it was nice, they had people speak...there was a commissioner, the Judge, and a few others. They had a man who had been adopted as a child speak. It was just a happy day! I have been to court many times to testify and fight for my two boys, so it was awesome to go and have it be such a happy day! I have never seen the judge so happy!! After all the adoptions we all went to a different room in the courthouse and they (the workers of the courthouse and the county) had a HUGE party set up for the kids with cupcakes and pizza!! The judge himself gave each adopted child a gift! What a special thing! It was unfortunate that I spent a great deal of time with my sick children in the van, outside, or in the bathroom. But, I had a lot of GREAT helpers! As you can see from the picture above with all the kids sitting in a row, we brought a lot of people with us! We had my sister's family, my husbands cousin's family, 2 sets of grandparents, and a friend and her kids! They all stepped in and helped Rob take care of all the kids when I couldn't be there to help. I pray someday the size of my own family will be the size of all those kids on the bench! We shall see what God does. Either way...I am one blessed momma!

Oh...we were all still sick yesterday....today..so far so good! We are going to head out for a trip to my SIL for Thanksgiving! God willing.

Touched

I am so touched by the outpouring of love from people concerning this adoption! I feel extremely blessed to have such wonderful people in my life! We have so many well wishes from people, baked goods, money and other things. I went down to the township building to pay for the rental of the community center for our adoption party and someone had already paid the rental fee for us! How nice! TONS of people have offered to help out with the party we are having...a friend and her daughter (4yrs old :0) ) stopped by tonight because they were praying for us today and made our family a cake on a birthday platter...to clelebrate our adoption tomorrow. We have lots of friends and family coming to the court house with us tomorrow...it's just nice to know people love us and our kids so much! God has blessed us more than we could ever deserve. I can hardly believe that tomorrow afternoon we will all be coming home with the same last name!! I'm giddy!! LOL

One More Day!

One more day until Adoption Day! I can hardly wait! It will be so nice to have all the people living here all have the last name...to be legally bind ed as a FAMILY....we can finally make the choices for all the kids....we are almost done! It's a dream come true! I fell so blessed that God saw us fit as parents for these amazing kids...it blesses me to tears. It also amazes me how He will work in spite of ME...I...Kim....and NOT worthy of such wonderful gifts, but yet here they are...and going to be my children forever...incredible.
The adoption will be so fun! We have invited about 17 people to join us at the court house. The county workers are throwing a pizza party for all the families after the adoptions are done. There are 8 children being adopted that day. 5 of them are by us. and the other three are being adopted one per family. My family are all going to wear coordinating outfits. The girls will wear a pink shirt under a white sweater and the boys will all wear tan or brown sweaters/shirts...and all of us are wearing dark bottoms...I think hubby is the only one who will wear navy pants, we will all wear black. I wanted to buy new matching outfits for all of us, but we couldn't afford it. So, we did the best we could with what we already have on hand. The kids will also get a adoption certificate, a gift from the county and we will get our picture taken with the judge. It Will be awesome!
On a sad note, in the paper yesterday it had one of the kids' birth father's name, offence, and charges (jail)....AGAIN! I'm so glad they don't have to live like that ever again!

My Homeschooling Day!

We LOVE homeschooling our kids! I thought it would be fun to post about a typical day of homeschooling at my house :0)

We do an online charter school, all the books and computers are free...they even pay for your Internet! We are really enjoying this school. Before this year we just did traditional homeschooling and liked that too. I just felt like I needed the support and I also couldn't afford the school books for all these kids!

Anyway....we wake up early and the kids watch shows and visit until the little girl I babysit gets here around 7:40 a.m. Then we eat breakfast at 8:00. Before we eat we always sing "This Is The Day" together and pray :0) After we eat we all do chores and meet for "circle time" at 9:00...during circle time we sing LOTS of songs from my full size Scholastic Flip Chart...we talk about whatever topic the preschoolers are doing...like we are doing the 5 senses right now...then we do our pledges to the Christian Flag and the pledge to the Bible, and devotions. After that we split off....littles go and play in the playroom upstairs, and I sit and work with my kindergartner...while bigs do independent work (they work until 11:00 a.m. or so)...my kindergartner is done around 10:30 for a break and then I sit with the preschoolers for their lessons. We all break at 11:30 for play and lunch. After lunch we clean up, littles nap/rest and I then sit down and work with the 3rd graders...5th grader is working on her own. At about 2:30 the 3rd graders are done and I sit with the 5th grader for her subjects she wants help with. After that I finish with the kindergartner as her rest time is over. After school we have animal chores, dinner to make, showers to take, and playing with Daddy! Our days are full...but we make time for fun! Sometimes we take time off in the morning to go play with another family, and then we will make up our work Saturday morning. We also do fun things like do experiments, read books, the girls do hair and nails...play outside...hunt...We feel so blessed to be able to be home all together!!

Homemade Christmas!

The budget is really tight for Christmas this year, so I am making a whole bunch of gifts for the little kids and a few for the older kids. It's seems like my little kids are easily pleased with homemade things....my older kids would be too if I could figure out what to make them! LOL
As for the littles...here's a list of some of what I am making.
Bean Bag Toss...made out of a diaper box and other materials I already have... FREE
Clothes Pin Drop....made out of a coffee can and clothes pins...FREE
Polly Pocket Houses...made out of boxes and other recycled materials...ALMOST FREE
Embroidered pillow cases for all 7...$1 each
Mod Podge'd note books for all 7...$1 each
Princess Wands....for 3 little girls...Almost Free
American Girl Sled....from an old wooden decoration, painted to look new....FREE
Dog House and New Dog...made from box and used stuffed animal...Almost Free
Barn and animals....made from box...will buy animal...so CHEAP
Stitcheries....FREE
That's all I can think of right now. Soon I will take pictures and share! I spend about an hour in the morning working on the gifts while the kids are still asleep! Then I wrap as I go...the bigs play a game with the littles and I go wrap! I am getting excited about Christmas!!

Faith...or the lack of faith

Well, yesterday was interesting....I was just going along with my day...teaching science...and the phone rings. I answer, and it is our lawyer for the adoptions....my heart sinks....what does he want?? He was calling to tell me that he couldn't get a hold of my case worker, he had been leaving voice mails, and that we are missing a paper that was necessary for the adoption of the two boys...they had everything for the three girls, but not the boys! I thought my heart was going to stop beating. I must have looked awful because my kids all stopped with their school work and just sat in silence....staring at me....all I could think about was not getting to adopt the boys on Saturday! So, I called the county office and left a hundred messages with people who may be able to help us. At this point, I was truly feeling like I was going to throw up, my chest was hurting, my stomach was in a tight knot of burning pain...I mean serious mental stuff going on....so, I called a few people to pray...I was still having all the physical side effects from this awful news when Rob gets home from work. He walked into the house and took one look at me and came rushing to my side wondering what was wrong... I told him and he just smiled and said "it's OK"... I was shocked by his comment, and upset that he was not joining me in my sinful pity party! I asked him how in the world he could say "it's OK"?? He just looked at me with those big brown eyes and said "They'll either figure it out or they won't, it's not the end of the world...the kids are all healthy, alive, and will eventually be adopted. God is with us, and knows what's best."....I was picking my jaw up off the floor...and the steam was blowing out of my ears...thinking ....what is wrong with this man! Then the big question came...he asked me..."where's your faith?"....I about fell over...but what I needed to do was fall to me knees and ask for forgiveness from my Father. Why do I always fall so short in trusting Him. I KNOW His ways are best...that He will work all out according to His good and perfect plan....but I also know that sometimes His plan does not meet up with MY plan! There, I said it....I am weak in my faith. I get things in my head, and make plans, and then get really pushy when they don't play out as I think they should. I KNOW this is wrong...I KNOW God is good...always...but I need to have faith in the fact that all that is true for ME...not just to say it...but to live it. So, as I am working and praying through all of this lack of faith in myself...the phone rings...the county took care of it...it will all be OK...and I got to grow! WOW...God is such an amazing teacher!

Seat Anyone??

Don't mind the mess behind the car seats...that's the mud room and it tends to get messy...Rob ditches his hunting gear in that room too!
anyway...the church used our big van to take the kids somewhere...so I had my kids clean out our van so there would be room for the kids to sit! It just made me laugh to see how many car seats we had in there! LOL....

Too Much To Do!!

Oh, how I wish I felt like this guy! But...I don't! I am so stressed out my stomach hurts! This is not good and I need to hand all of my anxiety over to the Lord. I have SO much to plan and do in the next 3 weeks it makes me sick to think about it. We are having Thanksgiving here tomorrow, the adoption is next Saturday...so we are finishing up all the loose ends for the adoption, we are going away for a Thanksgiving dinner the next day, the next Friday I go to the hall and decorate for the adoption party, the next day is shopping all day, the next day is the adoption party...I also need to take care of getting the adopted kids all new stuff like SS cards and such. Then there is Christmas....with a family to shop for and wrap for...this is a BIG job. I also need to keep up with school and teaching Sunday School. There will be hunting and babysitting...It is ALL fine, and WILL BE all fine, I am just looking too far ahead! The Bible tells us not to borrow tomorrows trouble and that is just what I am doing! Things always work out and get done...this will all get done. So, for the next 2 months...and this is BIG for me... I am not going to read for pleasure! This will almost kill me, but it's for the best. I get sucked in and read for ever when that time should be spent being pro-active...speaking of which....I'm now moving on to the things on my list to do!!

Frugal and Yummy Breakfast!

I just thought to post how we make great tasting eggs...fast! We often make our scrambled eggs in the microwave! I simply crack 18 eggs into a large bowl sprayed with pam add a splash of milk and some salt & pepper...microwave 3 minutes and stir...3 minutes ans stir....then I add pieces of meat and cheese...3 minutes and stir...they are usually done by then. During this easy for me cooking time I have plenty of time to make all the toast we need for 9 people and juice! This is one of our favorite breakfast foods...this also is a nice one to make along with french toast as the cooking time is so easy, it allows for the time needed to make french toast without feeling like your zipping around the kitchen like a crazy woman! LOL

Who Is Really Doing All the Work?

Just ask the little man and he'll tell ya! He really thought he was doing a number working with Daddy! Too cute! My husband has SO much patience, it amazes me!! He was shoveling our ditches with an injured back and with the constant "help" of a 3 year old BOY! We are blessed, huh!