new blog

I started a new blog that better reflects where I am in life :0)

www.kim-frugalmomofmany.blogspot.com

My Flesh

My flesh is so strong and my faith so weak at times....sometimes I still get selfish and bitter....mostly when sleep is involved! Here's how it all played out...Sat. night, around 3:30 my 3yr old woke me up by poking me and telling me the monster in his room "made-ed" him sick....I thought he was being a silly 3 yr old & I put him back to bed. An hour later he woke up and was suffering from his asthma and had a high fever! 3 more kids woke up sick with fever and headaches. The day was long...Rob & I didn't feel well either. That night (Sunday) was awful! I was up 2 times with Savannah....2 times with Kate, 1 time with Ty, and about a hundred times with Colton, and up with the dog. Not to mention all the times I just checked on them all. I am their mom...this is my God given job. At this point I was starting to get REALLY tired and REALLY grumpy....especially at that big guy snoring next to me! Was any of this my husbands fault? No! Was it his fault he didn't hear any of this "action" through the night? No! Could I have simply woken him up to ask for some help? Yes! He would have done so gladly. But instead....I fed my flesh. I got mad, and selfish, and greedy....God got a hold of me though :0) He is faithful! As I laid there (everyone settled in for the night at about 4:00 am, and I get up for the day at 4:30 am!) I looked at the love of my life and God helped my heart soften to my situation...and I was no longer angry....tired, yes....angry, no! I realized I love that my kids want ME when they are sick...my heart would be twice as broken and hurt if they wanted anyone else! I am blessed to be young and able to go with little sleep. It took all of that just to see what God was showing me....

My kids are all better now...and we are all caught up on our sleep! Life is normal again :0)

Mommy Moments

Mommy moments....ahh....there are many! I LOVE being a mommy, it's the best thing I have ever been a part of! I feel so blessed to have 7 great kids so far. God is good! With that being said...I thought I would give you a glimpse into my "mommy moments".....my real life.

The things I say the most are:

1. I love you

2. great job!

3. good morning....did you pee your pants? always said in the same breath....always fearing the answer!

4. Did that come from your nose?

5. Go wash your hands....don't touch anything on your way to the sink!

6. What are you eating and where did you find it? Oh...spit it out....NOW!

7. Ash, Ty, Vanna, Kyara, Cyle, Kate...I mean COLTON! Sad, but true, I cannot remember my own children's names. The one who's name I am trying to remember and say just stands there watching all their siblings come out of the woodwork to see what I want...while they patiently wait for me to remember their name.

8. Get out of the garden

9. Can I pray with you?

10. Come give your mama a big hug! Always said with a smile!

Some of the crazy things I do during my "mommy moments" are:

1. forgetting to do a headcount until we are 10 minutes away from home...then we turn around and get missing oldest child...

2. forget to ask if everyone has shoes on until we are well on our way....I think this is a ploy for them to get new shoes!

3. One time we had a man from church over for dinner and we sat down, prayed, and began our meals...a few minutes passed and we realized we forgot to give the man a plate of food!

4. standing next to any given child, having a conversation, and then yell thier name for them to come to you...yup, they are standing right next to me already...why in the world can't I remember these people! LOL....just kidding...I know very well who they are....lol

5. We sing before we eat breakfast....we sing "This is the day"

6. We love to have our children pray for our meals, not just Daddy

7. We don't "do" any youth programs at church....well, we do the Christmas play and Sunday School....but that's it.

8. We all cram in ONE small tent when we camp....children wake up ontop of each other...sometimes with a foot in thier face or an elbow in their eye....makes em' closer, right?

9. We give lots & lots of hugs at our house

10. It's nothing to find us running around our yard acting like goobers with our kids....life is FAR too short to be serious all the time!

Hope you enjoyed a small glimpse into my life as a mommy...I cherish each of these moments...what are some of yours?

How It Went Down & a Sad Story With A Happy Ending

Ok...so thanks to you all for your tips on grocery shopping!! Here's what i did...I made complete lists of what we eat for all meals...like, meatloaf, homemade bread & beans....I listed meals for all 3 meals, snacks & desserts. I picked a menu from my list, and made a grocery list from my menu! Simple & effective! I got no weird stuff...just stuff that was actually needed for the week! I tried really hard to think of everything we had going on through the week, when we were going to have company, be busy, have a vet appt...things like that. I set a budget...I did go over a bit...but I was still happy! Each week will get easier, I'm sure! So...now I know what meals I am going to make & I don't have to annoy my family with the QUESTION...you know the one, "what should we have for dinner???"! I even planned snacks! I'm sure this is second nature to some for you...but like I said before...it has been a thorn in my side for 13 years!

Now for the sad story....

the cat pictured above was Ty's beloved cat, Nala. She was a stray cat that found us 7 years ago. She and Ty were BEST friends! I have honestly never seen a human/animal relationship like the one they had. Yesterday morning at 5:15 I was walking out to the car with Rob and we were actually talking about how much the cat loved Ty, because we saw the cat across the road. Keep in mind, we live way out in the sticks, every one's animals roam freely. Well, as soon as we said that a truck went whizzing by and hit the cat...killing it. It was so sad. Ty was DEVASTATED. Long story short...we got a number from my MIL of an old lady who had a kitten dropped off at her trailer in town and she had to get rid of it. We called and went to see it. She is so cute and SMALL, She can't even be 6 weeks old. Her name is Ally and she is the newest member of our family! She's so sweet and we love her. We are really missing Nala, but this has helped the kids some.

Another bit of sad news....I have had my dog, Casey, for 14 years...he is starting to loose his functions. We are going to the vet tonight to see what can be done for him. We are hoping he will be able to take a pill to control his bladder, but we need to check on his overall health. Please pray for us today, he goes to the vet at 3:30.

There always seems to be so much going on....but I feel so blessed to be able to see God's Hand in it all. I watched yesterday as God put amazing people and events into ty's life yesterday to just encompass him in love....like this, the McDonalds cashier couldn't find the toy Ty wanted with his Mighty Kids meal (grandma & grandpa ttok him to lunch) so he bought him a hot fudge sundae from his own pocket! God's grace is amazing....all the time.

My Current Issue

Ok.... my current issue is this....where and how to buy my groceries! I had been doing my food shopping at Sam's Club & I LOVE it. BUT...it's an hour away, and a HUGE inconvenience to get there...even doing "click & pull", and since they don't have everything I need, I'm still forced to go to Walmart through each week. I feel like I don't have any "control" or organization in the food department as of late. I think a lot has to do with Ashley starting to prepare a lot of foods and meals...so she may use something that I had bought for another reason, and then we end up with random things in the pantry! My pantry is big and has lots of shelves, it's not beautiful, but very functional...so I have room, that's not the issue.

So, what am I going to do? Today I organized & cleaned the pantry...put like things in labeled bins...that was fun! I am even having a bin for ingredients that are "saved" for something I want to make. I have a bin for "lunch extras", "snacks", & much more! I am thrilled! But, as thrilled as I am with the pantry, I still have to keep it full....which means food shopping. Where shall I go? What type of plan will I have? How much should I budget a week? (I have never had a food budget, but think I want to) Should I menu plan? I have some different ideas floating around my head....this issue has been a thorn in my side for 13 years! What do you do?? PLEASE help me! LOL

What's Been Going On Around Here

We had some pretty wicked storms a few weeks ago, which left us with trees to cut up and brush to drag (through shin deep wet manure, I might add! UGH) and fences to repair. The storm also fried tons of our electronics....including our computer. We have now fixed the computer and are back up and running. Other than that...we have just been busy living life :0) Summer fun!

The boys have had fun fishing with an older neighbor man. He calls and says "I wanna take the boy fishing"...and then we figure our which boy that would be! LOL....they have a great time of fellowship!!

Playing hide and seek.....you'll never see them hiding....in plain sight....in the hay! LOLJust being silly! Life is just too much fun to be serious all the time, right!

Making and eating yummy treats....and then texting daddy the pictures to make him jealous....heheheHaving dance parties!

Life is good! I'm not sure how much I will be posting anymore...it's been on my heart for a while. I'm just praying and waiting for direction. Time suckers, I must be careful about time suckers...these kiddos deserve my full attention...and hey, who would want to be stuck to a computer while all this fun was happening?? Not me! Go enjoy your day & have some fun!

Vacation

This is my youngest son on the way home from vacation! I accidentally posted the pics backwards! oops!

This is "Miles the Monster"....he lives at the race track in Dover, De....known as the "Monster Mile". It is a mile long track, and they race at pretty high speeds. The race was so awesome! We were even on tv! The people and fans were so incredible...they were appropriate and considerate of our large family. LOTS of people were looking out for the kids and made kind comments. One lady even said she was sorry for swearing in front of the kids! Another lady came up and gave them all bags of chips cause they were being so good...and the man behind us told them all he couldn't believe how well behaved they were during the 5 hour race. The guy beside us was even hanging out with colton and was letting him lean on him during the race....great people. We had awesome weather...our guy stunk~ LOL

Ryan Newman's car on pit road....Go #39~~

We took them to the beach...it was chilly...but it was their first time....amazing!

And the campground where we stayed....Jellystone Park! So super cool and fun! Our cabin was right next to Yogi the Bear's cabin! How lucky for us!! We went on hayrides with Yogi, exercised with Yogi, played basketball with Yogi and much more! The kids had a blast at the park and made new friends! We did too! It was a great vacation! God protected us and provided for us....couldn't ask for more! I could go on and on with "funny stories" about silly stuff the kids did...but I would be here all day....we had that much fun!

Frugal & From the Heart

Mother's Day and Rob's birthday fall on the same day this year... :0) I have been really working hard at making things MUCH more simple and frugal around here, so I thought of some frugal gifts that come from the heart to give on these special days...

Rob's B-day:
* kids will write and sing him a song
* We will make him a chocolate mayo cake w/ peanut butter icing...his FAVORITE!
* kids will make him cards
* I will clean his car
* we will make a video having each person state reasons why we love and appreciate him...we will watch it on the computer together, saving the money on a dvd...
* we will have a cook out for mother's day and his b-day together!

Mother's Day for my mom & my MIL
* kids will make cards
* I am going to paint a small flower pot (we have it) and have kids put their fingerprints around the rim in bright colors...we will create a Mother's Day poem and put it in the pot.
* the kids will bake something
* I will take a picture of all the kids together and print, laminate and put a magnet on the back
* I am going to put scrapbook paper in a frame and print some scripture to add to it.

For my Mother's Day
( Yes, I am planing my own day as my husband has a lot on his plate right now...and it's not his "thing"...he would spend money, and I don't want anything...just my family...but the kids will want to do something...my oldest daughter will head all of this up)
*kids make cards
*clean my can
*go for a nice drive to look for deer
*make fuse-a-bead crafts
* and the cook-out

All of these things INVOLVE the kids DOING things...not just going to the store with money and picking something out. These gifts will cost us nothing...but love and thoughtfulness :0)
I am looking forward to gearing our lives toward a more simple way of living...not everything needs to come from a store to be special!

Random Facts

I thought it would be kind of fun to get to know you all a bit better and share a few things about myself as well :0)
Random Facts About Me
1. I have blond hair and green eyes

2. I have 7 children

3. I believe in Jesus!

4. I hardly ever go to bed without my cheeks hurting from laughing so hard at my super funny husband!

5. I am plump, and don't care nearly as much as I should about that.

6. I love to ride around with my family and look for deer...we do this almost every night.

7. A goal of mine is to join actively in the fight against abortion

8. I REALLY want to adopt more kids through the foster care system

9. My favorite season is fall...or maybe winter.

10. I'm not sure if I'm going to can anything this year...gasp!

These are just random facts about me...please share about yourselves :0) Have a blessed day in the Lord!

When Daddy's Home!

When Daddy's home, what do we do??? We have a water fight inside the house, of course! Have I ever mentioned that I have the funnest husband EVER!

Portfolio

The end of school is upon us, and we are thankful :0) We love school, but this has been a crazy year! We have adopted 5 kids and did the first half of the school year with an online charter school, coming home for the second half of the school year. we enjoyed each of these things, but there was more change in this year than we are used to! LOL
At the end of each school year my state requires that every student from 3rd grade and up have an evaluation done and have a portfolio made. This is quite and undertaking and takes a bit of time. For those of you who may not know what a home school portfolio is let me explain :0) Pa state law required a portfolio containing samples of the childs work throughout the year, and other documents that are required; like a log and booklists.
I thought I would share how I put mine together :0) I have only 3 students who are required to have a portfolio made..5th grade and (2) 3rd graders. Here is a list of what I include in mine.
Math~ we use Teaching Textbooks, so I just print off and include their grade sheet..as well as 5 extras, like math worksheets or games.

English~ 8 writing samples that very in length and topic
5 grammar sheets
8 spelling tests
booklist

History~ 12-18 pages of notes

Science~ 12-18 pages of notes

Art, Music, Gym...~ I just do a simple write up on what we covered in each and include some samples of art.

Field Trip list and write up of each one

Geography~ I include maps and a write up of what ws covered.

Pa History~ I include any worksheets or essays

Civics~ write up

Safety & Health~ about 5 samples and write up

I also include as many pictures as I can...the pictures range from school things to the kids being silly. I always make sure I take lots of pictures throughout the school year! I make these up scrapbook style, so they are special.

I include my list of objectives and affadavids...and any other necessary paperwork

I include any lapbooks or other large assignments that would be interesting and show what we were covering, many subjects can be covered at one time using this style of learning!

I have created a checklist that I use to keep on track throughout the school year. I just simply know what my evaluator wants to have and through the year I keep those things in mind. As I come across a great paper to include in the portfolio I simply slip it into a folder marked portfolio and the childs name...then I immediately go to my own folder and put a checkmark next to the item that was put away. this way I always know what I have and what is still needed. I find this way to be MUCH more organized and simple than ways I did before! One year I threw all the papers into a box and had to sort through each and every paper at the end of the school year to make a portfolio! It took FOREVER and I was STRESSED to the max! this way there is little to no stress at all!! When the end of the year comes along, I just grab my folder, a binder, and page protectors...and within a few hours I am done! I know moms who stay up late and get very worked up when this time of year rolls around as they have not kept track of their days (log)...have no booklist, or papers! EEK! At the end of the year I am also ready for the next school year...I will also hand in all papers necessary for next year so we are going to be all set...books bought & plan made! Summer is for summer... not mom at the computer trying to plan next school year...I want to be in the garden and pool with my kids :0)

*** Spell check wouldn't work...be sweet...forgive any errors you may find! Thanks :0)

In the mind of a 4 yr old

Today at breakfast my 4 yr old daughter announced this... " I don't want to go to Hell of college either!" LOL....I LOVE that she is already having eternal thoughts....but college choices are bit far off, don't ya think?? hehe!!

The things we don't talk about

I am in a really bad spot right now...and am asking any who may read this to pray for me. There are many things people don't "talk" about...one thing for me is my oldest adopted daughter. Her name is Savannah. I love her with every part of my heart, but it's not enough. She has RAD (reactive attachment disorder)...she cannot attach to anyone, and is full of rage..and I am her main target. She hates me as much as I love her. Kids with RAD can't love...it hurts them to love. They can't trust...they hate. they have been hurt too much...never loved the right way. She destroys things, throws fits, and is as mean as the day is long. She will sabotage everything we try to do...just to do it. I KNOW she is hurting and want to help her. We have done therapy galore, and it seems to have been exhausted...not many people know about this or what to do about it. I have researched this disorder and it seems every story I have read has taken years to recover. Some famous people with RAD are; Adolph Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Edgar Allen Poe, Jeffery Dahmer, and Ted Bundy....and Helen Keller. Only one of those got help. Savannah has taken things to a "new level" toady...and the truth of the matter...you know...the things we don't talk about...is I am SCARED out of my wits! I am terrified that someday she'll kill us all when we sleep...I am scared that if I have another baby, she'll kill it or hurt it...I'm scared she's going to burn my house down someday, I'm sacred that she'll end up in jail for stealing or murder, I'm sacred that she'll never be able to feel real love, I'm scared for the people who try to love her, I am scared she will keep all the walls up around her heart and never let us, her family, in. I'm scared that she'll want to go be with her VERY dangerous and dysfunctional birth family if she ever ran away..would they hurt her or even kill her? Will she hurt herself? Will she ever accept Jesus? I feel SO alone...my bones hurt. I cry out to God..MANY, MANY times a day. This is MY lot..I know. We have been chosen to help and love Savannah...and we want to, we just don't know what to do??We have been trained...we have been foster parents for 8 years...we even won and award before...kids we have had were recognized and given plaques for the most changed life...what are we doing wrong? Is her damage just too much? With out Jesus, she'll never be able to pull herself out of this awful place. We are all right there with her. I'm not saying I'm spending my days walking around depressed or freaking out...not at all. I DO find joy in Jesus...in my salvation. these are all the things that creep up...the things I don't talk about. I have talked with my friends, but nobody gets it. what I wouldn't give to just have someone give me an answer...I know God has the answer, I must just not be hearing it. I just wanted to share this...this is raw and real...and I am praying that if any other parent of adopted kids is going through this they know they are not alone...this is a very real and very scary thing to live with...we are more than willing to do so, for the sake of my child and for God's glory...but that doesn't make it easy... thanks for the prayers.

My crazy life!

Our life seems to never be "normal"....lol...these beautiful young ladies have new roommates! Ducks moved into their barn! LOL...the horses are not impressed, I'm sure! LOL...I have no clue who's ducks they are, they are tame, white ducks. They are not afraid of people at all. The hens hate them and are squawking at them all the time...the ducks don't care one bit. Another funny thing, the dog doesn't care about the ducks! LOL...I wonder what's next!

What Does She See?

This is my oldest child, Ashley. She is an amazing girl...full of love and compassion for others. She is on fire for the Lord and wants to dig into His Word to learn more & more. A true gift from God. But lately, I notice she is watching me...I mean really watching me. What does she see? I can tell what she is seeing by what is happening in her life. I see many of the bad habits she has gotten from watching me. She is starting to develop an unhealthy relationship with food. This is all me. She sometimes says some of the things I say when I am exasperated...nothing horrible, just little prhases or common grumbles. I also see some of the things manifesting that I have tried, with much prayer, to instill into her life. She has a great prayer life...and is comfortable praying out loud in front of people or with a friend. She DOES NOT gossip, and will turn away from it when her peers are doing so. (I have seen that one with my own eyes). She has a heart for children who need special help and wants to adopt because of all that we as a family has gone through. The part that has got me really thinking and being very careful is I see her watching with wonder. She is watching how I interact with Rob. She was watching us embrace in the kitchen the other day...I turned around and there she sat...just watching. No expression, just watching. I have a child who has serious mental health issues and can be very frustrating to deal with, when an issue arises, I find her watching me. She has been trying to mimic how I sit and eat at the table, I don't mean mimic in the preschool way, she's floundering and trying to figure out how to do this "young lady" thing. She even answers the phone the same way I do. My point is, she is always watching me. What am I teaching and showing her? I now see that everything I do...even if I think she's not watching...matters to her. God has been laying it on my heart lately how important my job is as mom. This is new territory for me, as she is my oldest child. When they are little, you teach them and care for them, you clean them and train them in manners...and when they get bigger it seems to have changed a bit. It's like she's asking me to show her, not just tell her. I feel blessed and challenged with this awesome responsibility, and with God's help, will try my best to be up for it! I know I will fail, but God will pick up the pieces. I need and want to be prayerful about all of this...because she is watching.

Super Cool Fun!

I posted before about our vacation plans to Dover, De. for the NASCAR race....We will be gone for 4 days, and I don't want to miss that much school..so I decided we are going to make this super cool and educational! I am creating a ton of great information on NASCAR, such as; NASCAR history, famous people in NASCAR, Christians in NASCAR, NASCAR terms, NASCAR safety, our favorite drivers and their stats, the history of the racetrack we are going to, and of course we are FEATURING Ryan Newman!! We are his #1 fans I'm sure...lol...We are going to make either a cool folder for all of our info or make a lapbook. We are also going to use this trip as geography too...lots of great stuff! at the track we will also get to see the engines and safety devices used as they are on display. I am so excited I can barely stand myself...lol...

sorry

sorry the last post is all smooshed together?? Not sure why??

Today's Thoughts

I am doing lots of learning today and wanted to share what's on my mind! Fact : when you are 3 and you wear dinosaur pants and roar really loud...you are REALLY a true life dinosaur! Watch Out: It gives you a head ache and a heart attack...when things are quiet and then out of the blue you hear a dinosaur...it's a bit scary! Learning: have Rob bring ear plugs home from work...or hide the dinosaur pants! fact: Did you know when you are the "hider" in hide and seek, all you have to do is stand still and close your eyes....shhh....nobody will see you! Learning: that does NOT work...you will be found first EVERY SINGLE TIME...and you'll cry too! Question: when you are 3 and pee your pants, why do you think nobody will notice?? Watch Out: you must be always watchful...as the "pee pants kid" REALLY does not think anyone will notice, he may just plop down on the couch before you DO notice! YIKES! Maybe he should take lessons from the astronaut...hehehe... Learning: remind 3 year old to go potty before he goes out to play! Life is FULL of fun and learning...laughter and some scary moments too! they are all a gift from God! Have a great day in the Lord!!

Zip Lock Bags & God

As I was making monkey bread for breakfast this morning, I was shaking the biscuit pieces with cinnamon & sugar in a zip lock bag. I found myself thinking and chuckling about how glad I was that I trusted this zip lock bag or else I would have a real mess on my hands! That led me to think about all the other things I put my "trust" in...my vacuum, my computer, my van, my phone, my checkbook, my church, my friends...the list goes on and on...I had to evaluate where I was with God....do I trust Him more than a zip lock bag? you bet I do! The tricky part is putting things into perspective...and to not lean on the "things" that I "trust" during my daily life more than I lean on my Lord....He must be forefront in my mind...hmmm...something to think about for me today :0)

Sweet!

Today is a great day to be sweet to our husbands, is it not? :0) I am going to try to think of three sweet things to do for hubby today! I thank God everyday for hubby and pray for him lots and lots...but I want the "do" something more! Join me...do three sweet things for your loving man today and let us know what they are! 1. Got up at 4:30 am and made him his lunch for work...the sweet part was this...I went out in the snow in my pj's, wearing manure boots (it's all I could locate..lol..I mean it was 4:30!) and started his car so it would be toasty warm! 2. I am going to send him a sweet text in a few minutes telling him how much I APPRECIATE him and how much I RESPECT the man God has grown him to be. 3. And lastly, I am going to just LISTEN to him talk about work...without interruption...I am going to ask questions even though I know NOTHING about robotics or tube mills...( rob makes corrugated tubing with robotic tube mills)...we are going on a date tonight...so he will be able to control the conversation...for once..hehehe! :0) I love my man more than anything and am so blessed and thankful to God for him! Go bless your man...and have fun with it!!