tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358501412024-03-07T12:31:19.888-06:00Reflections of a Wife and MommyBrandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.comBlogger208125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-81545334987728331922015-07-19T10:08:00.000-05:002015-07-19T10:10:08.807-05:00RefocusA friend posted a comment on one my Facebook posts that succinctly summarized something that I've been pondering for a while. He said "<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">I would be messier, care less that every thing is just right and focus more on the kids." I've been trying to figure out how to be less concerned with things that don't matter in the long run, and more concerned with the things that do. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR_Kta3CW7mFyf4cTacgHayQtGs0TIQ2STNDpufChP81pu7Tkid" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="Image result for little house on the prairie" border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR_Kta3CW7mFyf4cTacgHayQtGs0TIQ2STNDpufChP81pu7Tkid" /></span></a><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">My default is to focus on appearances...how my house looks, how my kids behave in public, how I'm </span></span><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">perceived</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;"> by those outside of my family. But that isn't really what I desire to focus on. So, speaking specifically about my family, how can I be more intentional? The reality is that apart from schooling them, I spend a proportionally small amount of my time just </span></span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">being</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;"> with them. So then I ask myself if this is just some cultural fad. Do we need to spend X amount of time on the floor with our kids so that they are well adjusted? Do our kids need scheduled play time with us? </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">For perspective, I look back though history and how families have functioned. I think in large part, little </span></span><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">bitty</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;"> kids were at their mother's side. Not </span></span><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">necessarily</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;"> playing games with her, but near her, maybe playing independently on the ground, talking to her, and mother was never distracted by text messages or Facebook or a telephone call (just by washing or cooking or mending).</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">School age kids (or often just boys) either went to school somewhere or were tutored at home by a slave or a hired tutor. I doubt that many mothers were spending money and time to purchase the best curriculum and spending 5-6 hours of her day teaching math to her large family. She was most likely too busy with her household duties, with buying and selling, most of which the girls were helping her with. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ-_JpAFztWXimScXcONizufGH34mTusYd6qmpJKEn1-tjhCtN7" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="Image result for father reading to children" border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ-_JpAFztWXimScXcONizufGH34mTusYd6qmpJKEn1-tjhCtN7" /></span></a><span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">I think older boys, if they weren't being formally schooled in some way, were probably with their fathers, either helping with any manual labor or watching as deals were struck and business was carried out. As soon as they were big enough and old enough to help, they were right in the thick of it. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 16.0799999237061px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dads didn't sit in front of computer all day in offices where kids are frowned upon. This was back when children wanted to become like their parents. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">Then, at the end of every day, there were no cartoons to babysit the kids while things got done around the house. Parents weren't up until midnight finishing household chores or checking their twitter feed. No one was </span></span><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">sitting</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;"> at the </span></span><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">dinner</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;"> table checking </span></span><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">Facebook</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">. The end of the day would arrive and the family was together. Maybe playing music, listening to father or mother read a book, or just everyone relaxing in their own way before going to bed. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">There weren't alarm clocks to get everyone up after their 6 hours of sleep. People more often woke up on their own when the morning came. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">For Judeo-Christian history, </span></span><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">families</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;"> always had a least one day of the week to just be together. To worship as a family and then relax, maybe playing games or just enjoying each other. They didn't have to schedule family times or save up for months, or even years, to go on family vacations. Depending on the time/culture, a trip to visit extended family </span></span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">was </i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">vacation! </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">All that is very nostalgic, right? So...what can I learn from history? I'm certainly glad that I'm living when and where I'm living. I'm glad that dysentery and polio won't kill or cripple my children. I'm thankful for conveniences and more time to do things other than housework (like volunteer at the orphanage) and I LOVE being my children's school teacher. At this point, I don't like my other options for schooling, anyway. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">But are all of the things that we've lost unavoidable? Can we get any of that back with easy changes or even just by being intentional? </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">Generally, we can start by getting off the phones/laptops/tablets. Getting off of Facebook and twitter and instagram. We can start by turning off the TV. We can share music together and books together. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">We can invite our kids to participate in the few chores that we do, like mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, growing a little garden, sewing, mending, cooking dinner, washing the dishes, folding laundry. I don't mean just getting the kids a chore chart, but a "come and sit with me and help me fold these towels." </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">Maybe we figure out how to apply the Sabbath (or the Lord's Day) where we unplug and just be together without an agenda or a to-do list, and without having to be entertained. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">Is this all unrealistic or too old-fashioned</span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">? Is it unnecessary?</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">After pondering this and discussing it with Brandon, we have decided to make a few small but intentional changes:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">1. We are going to try to bring the children (probably one at a time) with us when we run errands, to have them participate in the process. Like teaching them about filling out the deposit slip at the bank, or the process of putting gas in the car. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">2. Personally, I am going to unplug more. I'm going to (for the most part) get off of facebook, pinterest, and netflix. Those things don't add value to my day, and they use up time, which right now is my most valuable resource.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">3. We are going to nix the movies for FFN (family fun night) and do other things instead like building forts, reading chapter books aloud, and having game night. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8;"><span style="line-height: 16.0799999237061px;">4. We are going to focus on unplugging and being together on Sunday afternoons. Not each of us doing our own thing.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, what is working with your family and what isn't? Are you up for any changes? Share your thoughts with us!</span>Brandon and jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411762547508966296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-58744575531819929602014-07-24T08:49:00.003-05:002014-07-24T08:51:31.233-05:00The Politics of AdoptionI want to tell you about how some of my faith has been restored. Maybe it will restore some of yours as well. I'm not talking about faith in the Almighty. That faith hasn't needed to be restored. He has kept me and will continue to keep me. I'm talking about faith in the US government, and in the way this process, this representative democracy, works.<br />
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I hated politics. I really hated the idea of politicians. I didn't want to hear about republicans or democrats, or any of that. I didn't see the US government as anything but people wanting more and more power. But then something happened.<br />
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For much of our adoption, I felt that the US government made adopting internationally more difficult, not easier. I was frustrated at how long things took, how little information they would give us, and when the suspension on exit letters hit, how little they seemed willing to help us. I was very disillusioned! What I'd pictured in my head of how it should be, just wasn't panning out. I felt foolish for ever feeling like the US "had my back" so to speak. <br />
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And then something changed. In all that feeling helpless, I was invited by other adoptive moms to join a conference call with Kelly Dempsey, from <a href="https://bothendsburning.org/" target="_blank">Both Ends Burning</a> (BEB). (Click on the link to find out all about them...they are amazing!) What followed is truly remarkable.<br />
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BEB asked us to reach out to all members of congress, letting them know about the exit letter suspension.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">We did it.</u><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div>
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We called, and e-mailed, and many of you called, and e-mailed.<br />
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Then BEB organized a petition asking members of Congress to get involved in the lifting of the suspension. In a matter of <i>days, </i>we had over 100,000 letters sent to our legislative branch! Letters that you help send. <br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">You did it.</span></u></b></div>
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And you know the amazing part? Congress, both the House and the Senate, responded! With the help of BEB, they authored a bipartisan letter addressed to the President and Prime Minister of the DRC, respectfully asking them resolve this crisis, and give exit letters to children already legally adopted in DRC. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>They did it.</u></b></span></div>
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Then we organized a DC trip, for as many as could make it, to go and speak personally with our members of Congress, showing them our faces, our tears, speaking on behalf of the literally hundreds of children who can't speak for themselves. And you know what? For the most part, everyone<i> listened</i> to us! They looked us in the eye and heard our pleas, and many began trying to find creative solutions. We met with the staffers from the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, and with the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. We were finally being heard. We held a candlelight vigil on the capital lawn, and many of you lit candles all over the country in support of us. Michelle Chin, Texas Sen. Cornyn's legislative assistant (one super smart, SUPER busy lady) came and stood for an hour and listened and prayed with us. We sat in on the House Foreign Affairs Committee meeting, holding photos of our children, and watched as these men and women, who's job it is to manage the laws of our great nation, voted to take <a href="https://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-resolution/588/text" target="_blank">House Resolution 588, on Adoptions from the DRC</a> to the floor of the house where it later passed uncontested. Oh, <i>my</i>. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="text-decoration: underline;">We did it.</b> <b style="text-decoration: underline;">You did it.</b> <b style="text-decoration: underline;">They did it.</b></span></div>
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Since we've been home, the Senate passed a similar resolution. Dr. Jill Biden visited the DRC and met a couple of adoptive families who were there. BEB and key members of Congress circulated a letter to President Obama, asking him to bring this issue up with DRC President Kabila directly. Again we called, and called, and e-mailed, and many of you called, and e-mailed, and 167 members of Congress signed this letter! The House Foreign Affairs Committee held a<a href="http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/50171132" target="_blank"> hearing about international adoptions</a> where our very own Kelly Dempsey and others were invited to testify. This is AMAZING! Again,</div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"> </span><b style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline;">We did it.</b><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"> </span><b style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline;">You did it.</b><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"> </span><b style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline;">They did it.</b></div>
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And then yesterday, we had a national White House Call In event, where so many people flooded the lines of the White House, leaving message after message, asking President Obama to take this issue on personally. Even my own children called! I've heard from so many of you who called. </div>
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People, we CAN make a difference. We have been making a difference. We will make a difference. I have never been more proud to be an American. Our Representatives and Senators have heard from us, and they are actually <u>representing</u> us! They are taking on the Department of State for us! (This is where the US side of the problem has been.) They are listening to us! This is how it is <i>supposed</i> to work! Watching the men and women of the United States Congress at work, seeing them take on the issues of their constituents, and making it their own, has restored my faith. My faith that the giant, beastly, powerful government of the United States of America, completely entrenched in red tape, works. It actually <i>works</i>. And it works because of the people who are there on the Hill, the representatives, the senators, the staffers, all of them. And they will continue to work! And we will, also. And, Lord willing, so will you! <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>All of us, we will get it done.</u></b></span></div>
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Note: since Congress got involved, 19 American children have come home. this isn't enough, and we must keep fighting, but that is 19 children who are now safe in their parents' arms. We praise God for those lives. Also, although all of us have been working so hard, it is God in Heaven who is going to solve this. Thankfully, He often uses our efforts and the efforts of those in power, such as our Congress. So above all, we appeal to the true Ruler of the Universe! </div>
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Oh, and click on all those links for some awesome info!</div>
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Brandon and jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411762547508966296noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-39967742304496865232014-06-12T08:31:00.000-05:002014-06-12T08:31:27.841-05:00Adopting Faith and Facing GiantsOh, my. We really need some faith. <br />
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All of us live and work by faith to some degree. We stop at red lights and then go when it turns green, because we have a measure of faith that the other traffic will stop. When a police car flashes the blue and red lights behind us, we pull over, because we have a measure of faith that the police officer is indeed a good guy, and won't hurt us. But this is natural faith. In this adoption process, that natural faith is simply not enough. God is calling me to a <i><u><b>super</b></u></i>natural faith. <br />
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Our pastor preached on this last Sunday and I wanted to process it more and share it with you. When it was time for the Israelites to enter the promised land (the first time), Moses and all the people were standing on a high place, overlooking the land. (See Deuteronomy 1:19-21). They looked out and Moses said that this is the land "which the Lord our God is giving us....Go up and take possession of it." <br />
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Lets be clear on something. The command to go and take possession of the land meant, "go and fight and take the land from the people who are there." God was going to empower them, fight for them, do the heavy lifting so to speak, but they still had their job to do. They had to <b><i>go</i></b>, <b><i>walking</i></b> in faith. <br />
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At the end of that passage, Moses says "Do not be afraid or discouraged." Why would he need to say that? Because what was in front of them could strike fear and discouragement in their hearts. If they didn't have faith. <br />
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Then, all the people wanted to go and scout out the land before they went into it. That seemed like a good idea to Moses (v.23). I mean, who wouldn't want to get a good look at what the future entails. Who wouldn't want to see which hills they would have to climb, or which river they would have to cross? But, what happened? Even though they saw the "good land" in verse 25, the people, based on <i>apparent</i> circumstances (giant men, fortified cities, etc) became afraid. They refused to walk in faith. <br />
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After all the miracles they had seen, after the plagues, the sparing of their firstborn, the parting of the sea, the destruction of Pharaoh's army...verse 32 of chapter 1 says "But in spite of this you did not trust the Lord your God." Side note: more information does not always have a positive affect on our faith. <br />
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We are at this point in our adoption journey. We are looking out over where we are supposed to go, and we see giants and fortifications. Governments and laws and men who refuse to help and sickness for our son. We see no natural way that this is going to happen. And we have seen the miracles that God has done to bring us to this point. We are at a crossroads...we will choose faith, or will we choose fear? <br />
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Moses chose faith, the Israelites chose fear. And then, when they saw the consequences of that, they decided to fight! The problem was, that their faith at that point wasn't in God, but in their presumption, and they went ahead in their own power and were completely defeated. You see, faith isn't simply "going" and "doing", but it is dependence and obedience. In trusting, not in any natural method, but in the Lord. <br />
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Hebrews 11:27 says that Moses "persevered as one who sees Him who is invisible." Often times we want faith, but we aren't face to face with our God. Moses chose faith because he was face to face with God. For me to choose faith, I must trust HIM. I trust Him because I know Him. I know Him by learning about Him, choosing to obey Him, and experiencing His trustworthiness. The more I am face to face with Him, the easier choosing faith becomes. In Moses's mind, the land was already theirs! God had already given it to them! <br />
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Joseph is already ours. The Lord has already given him to us. We really don't know what is ahead. From the little scouting that we've been able to do, things look pretty scary. Pretty impossible. But God is saying to us "don't be afraid or discouraged!" And we must choose to put our faith, not in some natural method to get our son home, but in God! <br />
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With all the news coming from the Department of States, from the embassy, from people on the ground in the DRC, from the adoption agency, it is very easy to be blown all over the place. One minute ecstatic and hopeful, one minute in total despair. But our feet are firmly planted. We are firmly planted by faith. We will not doubt. We will not be blown around. Because our God is a firm foundation! And HE will NOT be moved! <br />
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Our faith is in a sovereign God, not in the outcome. <br />
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If you've read this far, it would be worth it to read a little further. Here is a quote from a book called <u>Trusting God</u> by Jerry Bridges: "We can learn God's will for our character intellectually through reading and studying the Scriptures - and we should do that. That is where change begins as our minds are renewed. But real change - down in the depth of our souls - is produced as the tenets of Scripture are worked out in real life. This usually involves adversity. We may admire and even desire the character trait of patience, but we will never learn patience until we have been treated unjustly and learn experientially to "suffer long" (the meaning of patience) the one who treats us unjustly."Brandon and jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411762547508966296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-52672512484032727932014-03-30T22:22:00.001-05:002014-03-30T22:24:42.272-05:00I Hate Toys...So I Did Something DrasticOk, I really don't hate toys. I actually like toys a whole lot! I like the idea of my kids having cool stuff and getting to play with neat things. I hate cleaning up toys. I've actually <a href="http://wife-and-mommy.blogspot.com/2013/02/toy-storage-help.html" target="_blank">blogged about this before</a>, because toys and the small parts and the things all over the place drive me crazy. <br />
<br />
During our boot camp, I noticed that cleaning up large messes is hard for children. Obvious, right? But seriously, when there are a lot of toys, there is a large mess. At least in my house. EVERY time a kid comes to my house to play, all the toys get dumped out, a couple get played with, and we have to either battle with our kids for a couple of hours to get it all cleaned up, or I end up taking 40 minutes of my time to clean it up myself. <br />
<br />
And then I did something drastic: I read a <a href="http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2012/09/14/why-i-took-all-my-kids-toys-away-why-they-wont-get-them-back/" target="_blank">blog</a>.<span id="goog_544149053"></span><span id="goog_544149054"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><br />
<br />
And then I did something else drastic. I took almost all of my children's toys out of their rooms. <br />
<br />
First, let me show you the pile of things that we took out. I am going to show it to you from a couple of different angles so you get a really good idea of how much my children had stored away in closets, under beds, in boxes, on shelves. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHBBH7NUD8usGYqOUgdzpslsVcoHHaprtGtf8x816dl3F-0JkRVw4-rWXb7TXvniLrccceh_MEMFStvbasxTQSAOiua1WCBGwEZQm7iWbYRwad2dZoSAWSfSLkaJnklsMJxljmQ/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHBBH7NUD8usGYqOUgdzpslsVcoHHaprtGtf8x816dl3F-0JkRVw4-rWXb7TXvniLrccceh_MEMFStvbasxTQSAOiua1WCBGwEZQm7iWbYRwad2dZoSAWSfSLkaJnklsMJxljmQ/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="241" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
This is really sickening for me. No wonder my kids act spoiled! No wonder they have a hard time cleaning up! I would, too, if I had all that stuff to deal with! This is a problem 8 years and 3 children in the making. We are not crazy toy buyers! We pretty much limit toys to birthdays and Christmas, and Brandon and I usually only get them a few things! And then there are birthday parties, and grandparents. (Thank you, Grandparents, for always thinking of my kids and being so generous with them! I'm not complaining!)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrZsRIU-WuoJzKjnaW3r_uLeia7QBYFwPwG3ellKc77JUX-gpasaXdLuxm-GgHSNkcAUtUVIhDj0nIrWecDYR9GbLVkyGLiJKssf-3emeulusCRsaZ1EI-vn0EyfHUYdIHysI1g/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrZsRIU-WuoJzKjnaW3r_uLeia7QBYFwPwG3ellKc77JUX-gpasaXdLuxm-GgHSNkcAUtUVIhDj0nIrWecDYR9GbLVkyGLiJKssf-3emeulusCRsaZ1EI-vn0EyfHUYdIHysI1g/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="241" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;">There is a train table under there which<br />
gives the pile some height. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQ_takq85ft6kh_AhE7UGvDz8bcIWFWhLPLfiOGc6wmlZmOw4ssaO5cZfjUcd8W3Z-Yn8gEgAwbPteQtELr6jWH8sVKJwkS1vhFdLYTs9tnbWYjko_WYaNThTfXEVuttlwkFpKA/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQ_takq85ft6kh_AhE7UGvDz8bcIWFWhLPLfiOGc6wmlZmOw4ssaO5cZfjUcd8W3Z-Yn8gEgAwbPteQtELr6jWH8sVKJwkS1vhFdLYTs9tnbWYjko_WYaNThTfXEVuttlwkFpKA/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="241" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
But, enough of all that stuff. Its depressing. The good news is that my kids are TOTALLY ok with how we have changed things up! Let me tell you what we told them: We are taking things out of their rooms so that they have an easier time cleaning up. That's it. They were all for it. They helped me!<br />
<br />
So, I took some after photos today after we had some dear friends (with children) over last night. This is messy for them, now. I did not clean up their rooms before I took these photos. Basically, since we did this on Saturday morning, cleaning up their rooms has been a total breeze! Plus, my kids played for like 4 hours with their friends in their rooms with the few toys that we left, and they were FINE! And they were creative! And didn't make a ginormous mess!<br />
<br />
So here are the after photos:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgev6uwp32d11mkuzyH1tArze8DyRj4n7-oL70ylIqIEFrL5dkL4r6yqa-XmWQlkC8Ff5Og6wSxx8S7tNY694wJya-_3Bv9X_nPkI4UHyN2a3NS3ac9AT5CSDY8N6uKr5YVUnXasw/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgev6uwp32d11mkuzyH1tArze8DyRj4n7-oL70ylIqIEFrL5dkL4r6yqa-XmWQlkC8Ff5Og6wSxx8S7tNY694wJya-_3Bv9X_nPkI4UHyN2a3NS3ac9AT5CSDY8N6uKr5YVUnXasw/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9azuAUR3WlBi8QtiBqLj7I8M6g38J7rbB8gTEx-qSH-lZTl0PkE954xfPDY52-6UXofRNdS4Nnk6FpqpujwycD_IzUV0SXmjM5YmTW3rqAEEOHLv-TnQ4M1xNnyIxIHIdxte4A/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9azuAUR3WlBi8QtiBqLj7I8M6g38J7rbB8gTEx-qSH-lZTl0PkE954xfPDY52-6UXofRNdS4Nnk6FpqpujwycD_IzUV0SXmjM5YmTW3rqAEEOHLv-TnQ4M1xNnyIxIHIdxte4A/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry this is blurry...but you get the idea</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sF-paEEG7ERMRBCIVDLC-S_k6PN5VgmJFKVXe4WFx3ebDR5RBsqE35Y45hmiw5cgv9VuLapIbGxMz-PuAnSMEo1MoGc7VJadpzjfY46sGclkeONjsqOisuH3NhzyssgkrBLu0Q/s1600/IMG_0196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sF-paEEG7ERMRBCIVDLC-S_k6PN5VgmJFKVXe4WFx3ebDR5RBsqE35Y45hmiw5cgv9VuLapIbGxMz-PuAnSMEo1MoGc7VJadpzjfY46sGclkeONjsqOisuH3NhzyssgkrBLu0Q/s1600/IMG_0196.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYPehr1s4GELedZNhCo7DBJ3ovUrljI4lgFW3j2cbsIrP6gGnV2A2xfaUXtlCjEaIC6yyNxxwOD27ydkwleVMmHR9E5J2L_HP-yXrtY972RUR57KvMw1Ys9ZTLy7D4tChIAhFgA/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYPehr1s4GELedZNhCo7DBJ3ovUrljI4lgFW3j2cbsIrP6gGnV2A2xfaUXtlCjEaIC6yyNxxwOD27ydkwleVMmHR9E5J2L_HP-yXrtY972RUR57KvMw1Ys9ZTLy7D4tChIAhFgA/s1600/photo+4.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that HUGE mess! hehe</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_dg_1Fdw15MWZqJhUOhs4sALpj_1n23eHZ3jP16F36ltK9Es6HckDeMHjy6q2TVgYtPuxTncYnKsnmJ62Xu4UaXdqGElnkTyrav1x5kcBhJFwl5z7AhSEiIwS1FMTKeDUHV0Qw/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_dg_1Fdw15MWZqJhUOhs4sALpj_1n23eHZ3jP16F36ltK9Es6HckDeMHjy6q2TVgYtPuxTncYnKsnmJ62Xu4UaXdqGElnkTyrav1x5kcBhJFwl5z7AhSEiIwS1FMTKeDUHV0Qw/s1600/photo+5.JPG" height="224" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beds were made, but then there was a nap.</td></tr>
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What am I going to do with all of this stuff? This week I am going to work, sorting it into piles of things to keep (in boxes high on shelves for the kids to request to play with), things that the kids agree to sell, and things that the kids agree to give away. The money that they make selling their toys will be their money, so I'm hoping that motivates them to get rid of things that might otherwise keep. <br />
<br />
The next problem is this: How are we going to keep this from happening again? Well, we are making a no toy gift policy. We are explaining this to the grandparents. For birthdays, Christmas, etc, they can either receive money, or excursions, or events, but not toys. Any toys they themselves plan for and buy, are the only ones I want. And I hope to keep a "one in, one out" process going.<br />
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Our weekly mission (an extension of our Boot Camp) is to keep a focus on our morning routine: Get up, make bed, get dressed, pick up the floor. They have been doing it for the most part, but I am still having to remind. That will stop this week. :) <br />
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The only thing left to write is that I am super excited about this step in our little journey. I wanted to post more details about the results of the Scott Family Responsible Child Boot Camp, but I thought this was more pressing. I'll get to that, I'm sure. <br />
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By the way, if you want to receive the blogs I write in your e-mail, just use the little "Subscribe via e-mail" box on the right. I won't spam you, I promise! <br />
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Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-27220107939017953812014-03-28T09:40:00.000-05:002014-03-28T09:40:23.106-05:00The Scott Family Responsible Child Boot Camp: Day 5We are almost finished with our boot camp. This doesn't mean that we are finished training. It means that next week we will start normal school, and we will lessen our training to a weekly goal. This week wasn't at all what I expected, but we have seen some incredible results. I will post more on that tomorrow. <br />
<br />
Today, we have LittleK with us all day. LittleK normally goes to preschool (in order to learn Spanish) 3 mornings a week to a WONDERFUL Montessori school where he washes his own dishes, cuts tomatoes with a real knife, and a host of other things. So he has missed out on a lot of the training that we have done. So, today I will be using the older children to help me train him. I think that will be very effective, as that little guy sometimes listens better to his siblings than to me! <br />
<br />
We did NOT play the <b>Quiet Game </b>as much as I wanted, so the big kids can only sit still for 5 minutes (at least as far as we've tested) and LittleK needs WAY more practice with that, so today, we will being doing that. <br />
<br />
<b>Code Word Calling </b>has been SUPER effective, but the problem is that I sometimes forget to use the code word. I need as much practice with that as the kids to. So, we will set up several artificial <b>Code Word Callings</b>, so that they can practice stopping whatever they are doing to come right away. I sort of feel dorky yelling "CHEETAH" off the balcony at my children, but then again, they really respond well to it, so who cares. Plus, I don't have much of a voice because of this cold. <br />
<br />
Meal times are going much better with manners (at least with the older two), but I don't think practicing outside of meal times will help much, so we are just going to be super on them when we sit down to eat. <br />
<br />
I never made it outside yesterday to practice speaking with adults because I took a nap instead (we're going to blame it on the cold), but we had a dinner guest last night and the kids did really well. After that, I know we need to work on the <b>Interrupting Game </b>A LOT, but not just with hand signals, also with just practicing listening. I have never met a child who NEVER interrupts, so I think this is a long term goal. <br />
<br />
A comment on an earlier post this week talked about a little script that this particular family uses to remind of obedience (that isn't nagging) and I love it! We have done something similar in the past, but this one is longer, and I tried it yesterday and it seems to give the kid some time to think through his response. We changed it up a tiny bit to fit us, but basically it goes like this:<br />
<br />
When a child isn't obeying, or is complaining, or ignoring, etc)<br />
<br />
Me: What is obeying?<br />
Kid: Doing what you say, when you say it, with a respectful attitude.<br />
<br />
Me: When do we obey?<br />
Kid: First time.<br />
<br />
Me: How do we obey?<br />
Kid: Without complaint<br />
<br />
Me: What do choices have?<br />
Kid: Consequences<br />
<br />
Me: What do good choices have?<br />
Kid: Good consequences<br />
<br />
(and I've been leaving it at that, even though I taught them "What do bad choices have?" "Bad consequences", but I am assuming that they will make a good choice, which goes a long way toward how they will act!)<br />
<br />
Anyway, we are going to be adding this, as it also calms me down when I start getting frustrated with disobedience. I have a script which we have taught in advance.<br />
<br />
Let me say this: We do not believe that children should be controlled by their parents. We have come to this after a lot of trial and error with our kids, a lot of reading books, being instructed by other parents, and by taking parenting classes. We are not "obey simply because I said so" people for the most part. We do believe in choices and consequences and discipline, but not in an authoritarian sense. Hence the training. We are doing this to create habits and associations. We've only been doing this parenting thing for 8 years, so we have a lot to learn, but in those 8 years we've learned that, at least with a couple of our kids, expecting immediate obedience with no dissent at all times followed by a harsh discipline (spanking, solitary confinement, etc) doesn't work all that well. And the goal isn't to have perfectly little obedient children. The goal is to have self controlled, wise, Jesus loving, understanding adults. This is contrary to much of the Christian parenting we've observed/been taught, but with our "method" if you can call it that, we feel like we are teaching our children to understand how to offer dissent respectfully, how to reason through actions, how to create habits, and how to treat real authority. Please know that I am NOT claiming to be an expert, and we are probably doing something "wrong," but God's grace is bigger than our parenting mistakes! Haha!<br />
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And one thing I've learned over the last 8 years: <b>There is no one right way to raise children.</b> I know wonderful adults who were spanked, wonderful adults who were not. I know wonderful adults who's parents used time outs, and ones who's parents wouldn't dream of isolating their children. What I've learned is that discipline is love and that the Word of God offers little in terms of methodology, and a ton in terms of motivation. :) <b>So, walk in grace, parents, and love your children well! And know that the Father and Creator of the Universe is with you, guiding you and giving all wisdom! </b><br />
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And <b><u>"<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical." James 3:17</span></u></b>Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-87451980056233617962014-03-27T08:10:00.001-05:002014-03-27T08:10:57.891-05:00The Scott Family Responsible Child Boot Camp: Day 4Yesterday was MUCH better! I have discovered something about myself during this. I am a little lazy! I never would have said that about myself before. I mean, I can ALWAYS act lazy at any given time, but I've always considered myself a very hard worker. But, I'm sort of having a hard time sticking to the plan everyday, because, well, I'm a little lazy. That, and a little bored. Plus, LittleK is in preschool in the mornings, and he needs the training more than anyone, and he's missing most of it. I'm going to have to remedy that. <br />
<br />
Here are some specifics: So yesterday we did the <b>Messy Scavenger</b> hunt. That went super well, and we talked about how easy it is to get a job done when we just focus and work hard for a short time. I gave them a blow pop at the end. Then, a little bit later I asked them to pick up a mess, and GirlM asked for a blow pop as a reward! Backfire! Augh! This is why I generally don't like rewards for expected behavior. <br />
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Then, there was a small mess last night that I asked BoyD to clean up, and I could tell he really had no plan to do it, so I asked, "Do you think you've had enough training to get this done, or do we need to do some more?" He just nodded and immediately went to work. This is MAJOR improvement!<br />
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We had some friends stop by yesterday to take BoyD to baseball, and he had the opportunity to greet the man. His first reaction was to be shy and walk away and ignore, but when prompted, he turned around, looked the man in the eye, and gave some mumbled response because he wasn't sure what to say. He then came into the kitchen and asked "What would have been a good thing to say?" That tells me he is trying, and that we need more practice with all that. <br />
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So, here is today's plan of action. I'm REALLY going to try hard to stick to it:<br />
This morning before LittleK goes to school:<b> Code Word Calling, </b>and<b> "TIME TO GO" </b><br />
Breakfasts are difficult when he goes to school, so I'm gonna do my best to enforce bottoms in chairs, napkins in laps, etc. If it doesn't really go well, then we will practice when I get home from taking the little one. <br />
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I've discovered another problem that we have, and that is coming in the house after we've been gone. The children tend to scatter to the far ends of the house and we end up hollering a lot to get everyone back together. So, at least with the older kids, we are going to practice like 10 times, getting out of the car, and following some set of instructions when they get in the house. "Walk straight in and wash hands and sit at the table." "Walk straight in and sit on the couch." "Walk straight in and head upstairs to your bedrooms." <br />
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We are going to play the <b>Quiet Game</b> for 6, 7, 8 minutes (we're a little behind on that one)<br />
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Around lunch time, we're going to walk around the block and visit a couple of friends and practice greeting and speaking with adults. <br />
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We need to have another<b> Messy Scavenger </b>with <b>LittleK</b> around, as well as several rounds of the <b>Interrupting game</b>. My littlest one has a REALLY hard time waiting if he wants to talk to me or ask me a question. I think practicing when he isn't <i>dying </i>to tell me something, might help give him some tools to keep him from getting so frustrated. <br />
<br />
I've pinpointed some of the reasons that I've struggled with this training in the past. When I am totally "there" and involved with the kids, there with body, mind, spirit, focused on them, it works better (seems obvious, right), but if I'm distracted, talking on the phone, answering an e-mail, visiting with a friend, trying to clean my room, ANYTHING that has my attention, they kids feel like they don't have to obey. They aren't motivated to do what we've practiced. They know I'm not going to notice immediately if they get distracted or just ignore me. I'm not sure how to remedy this. Any thoughts on this are welcome. <br />
<br />
Ok, to see descriptions of each of the games that we are playing, see the <a href="http://wife-and-mommy.blogspot.com/2014/03/scott-family-responsible-child-boot_24.html" target="_blank">post from Day 1. </a>Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-11115854239343959772014-03-26T05:30:00.000-05:002014-03-26T05:30:03.926-05:00Scott Family Responsible Child Boot Camp: Day 3<a href="http://wife-and-mommy.blogspot.com/2014/03/scott-family-responsible-child-boot_25.html" target="_blank">Yesterday</a>, the Scott Family Responsible Child Boot Camp was more like a torture camp.<br />
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It was a disaster. I mean, we did very little of the fun, sweet, cute games that I had planned, and I did a lot of getting frustrated and yelling. So, I get the bad mom award for the day! I ended up trying to get some "work" done around the house. For some closure for me, I wanted to get the crib out of the boys' room, seeing as BabyJ won't be coming home to us until he is over 2. That was probably too emotional of a chore for me to do. Also, we are having a bazaar at church to raise money to put in a nursery, and we are supposed to take stuff to donate for them to sell. I thought, for boot camp, I'll just put the kids to work helping me sort though stuff, etc! Bad idea number two. The kids were WAY more interested in playing with the stuff that I was trying to get rid of. By the time the afternoon rolled around, I was irritated, and the kids were, too. BoyD had to rehang up his pants on hangers like 4 times because he would just stop working and sit there and stare into space. So, I would take all the pants he had hung up so far and take them back off, saying he needed practice. Boy, the games from Day 1 worked so much better. <br />
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But, God is so gracious and His mercies are new every morning and I get to start over today! I got to tie some strings with my kiddos last night and apologize for yelling at my daughter when she kept trying to pack "goodie" bags with (what I consider) trash for street children. I kept telling her that we don't know any street children, and even if we did, they wouldn't want old wipes and chewed up toys in an old bottle carrier! Oh, the shame. Now, let me say that even though her heart is SUPER big and she was trying super hard to be thoughtful, I had told her to throw that stuff away! Ok...I digress. There is no excuse for ever yelling at my kids...unless they are about to run in front of a car or something...but that wasn't what was going on. Oh, how I wish I was that mother that never yelled at her kids. Is there such a mother? Maybe I don't want to know. <br />
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Anyway, to get back on task, I am sticking with the plan today. We are going back to <a href="http://wife-and-mommy.blogspot.com/2014/03/scott-family-responsible-child-boot_24.html" target="_blank">Day 1</a>. I am adding in a lesson on how to put books on a bookshelf. We are going to be practicing that.<br />
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I only had to remind one kid one time to hang up a towel, and one other kid to flush. After each offense, we just sang our song and practiced some more. When I am focused on the training the kids do so much better. If I get distracted and start doing something else, they are off as well and it is hard to bring them back. <br />
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So, LittleK is feeling better, and I'm just tired, but today is full of the Lords favor and blessing and presence. I am going to walk in that! Have a great day!Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-24803647645414225802014-03-25T05:30:00.000-05:002014-03-25T05:30:02.081-05:00Scott Family Responsible Child Boot Camp: Day 2Well, <a href="http://wife-and-mommy.blogspot.com/2014/03/scott-family-responsible-child-boot_24.html" target="_blank">Day 1</a> of the <a href="http://wife-and-mommy.blogspot.com/2014/03/scott-family-responsible-child-boot.html" target="_blank">Scott Family Responsible Child Boot Camp</a> went much better than I expected. We didn't get to everything because LittleK and I are both sort of sick. Well, LittleK is very sick with throat infection (we actually took him to the doctor) and I am sick with a cold or something that makes me feel pretty crappy, but not bad enough to stay in bed. Plus, we had a surprise visitor which was so much fun, but sort of threw us off our schedule. And, it gave the kids excellent practice with polite greetings! Those kind of interruptions aren't all that unusual for us anyway. <br />
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So, all that to say, the kids were very helpful, enjoyed the games, and generally had great attitudes about everything. I even had kids washing clothes (extra work) without me asking. I was a little lazy this afternoon seeing as I felt pretty crummy, so they started to get lazy, too. <br />
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So, Day 2 is going to be a repeat of <a href="http://wife-and-mommy.blogspot.com/2014/03/scott-family-responsible-child-boot_24.html" target="_blank">Day 1</a>, except that we will be having the Quiet Game for 3, 4, then 5 minutes. We will be practicing way more of the Code Word Calling game, as they had fun with that. <br />
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Please pray that LittleK and I feel better today, as it makes it less fun when there are fevers. Plus today is busy with dentist appointments, errands, etc. <br />
<br />
Hopefully I'll feel better and I can give a more detailed report. But either way, I'll let you know how it goes! Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-71243621718252599672014-03-24T05:30:00.000-05:002014-03-24T05:30:03.843-05:00Scott Family Responsible Child Boot Camp: Day 1Good Morning! We are ready for this. If you want to know more about the Scott Family Responsible Child Boot Camp, then head on over to <a href="http://wife-and-mommy.blogspot.com/2014/03/scott-family-responsible-child-boot.html" target="_blank">yesterday's post</a> for an explanation. The kids have known about it for at least a week, so today is the big day. We practiced our morning routine last night, giving each child a chance to act out what they have to do. <br />
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They are to wake up, make bed, get dressed, and put away PJs. Easy, right? Um...we'll see. I'll let you know how that goes. :) If it doesn't go well, no biggie, we are just going to practice it several times.<br />
<br />
Then we will do breakfast. Breakfast is where we will continue to train on manners, explaining all the things I listed in <a href="http://wife-and-mommy.blogspot.com/2014/03/scott-family-responsible-child-boot.html" target="_blank">yesterday's post about table manners</a>. We will obviously be enforcing the manners each time we eat. <br />
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Next is the <b>Bathroom song</b>! Thanks to hubby, we have made a poster and a song that I will teach the kids. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>The Bathroom Song</u></b> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>(sung to the tune of Row, Row, Row your Boat)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Potty, Wipe, Close and Flush</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
All Because we're Big!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Wash and Dry and Clean Things Up,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Because I'm not a PIG!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
We are going to the bathroom and we are going to sing our hearts out in all different voices...singing like a British woman, singing like a gruff man, singing like an opera singer, singing like robots, singing like a country star...all the while giving each kid a turn to practice. Anytime a child enters the bathroom for the next week, they will have to sing this song loud enough for all to hear. (The "wipe" in the song, by the way, is to wipe any missed pee off the rim of the toilet!)<br />
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<b>Code Word Calling</b>: This is a sort of game where the kids will pick a code word. When they hear the code word from me, they will come running to my side. I will use this code word at various times through the day, giving a sticker to each child that comes to my side immediately. This kind of training has worked for us in the past, we just got lax on it. <br />
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Next we will take a minute (literally) to practice sitting still and quiet. I will have stickers in my apron pocket and we will time the kids sitting still and quiet for 60 seconds. Just for now, we will call this our <b>Quiet Game.</b> Next time we play it, the kids will sit for 2 minutes. Then 3. That is all for today. Tomorrow we will work it up to 4, 5, and 6 minutes, all the way to 15 minutes on Friday. So, if one of them talks during the minute, we start over. When the time is up, they get a sticker. <br />
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Next will be a timed race called <b>"TIME TO GO!" </b> (you have to holler the name of the game...not just say it.) The kids will be racing against themselves, I will time them, but they won't be competing against each other. So here is the premise. They will be barefoot and playing and I will yell "TIME TO GO!" and that is like a secret code phrase that means they are to rush as fast as they can, put on socks and shoes (God forbid I say that in the wrong order around here and say "shoes and socks" cause socks MUST go first! haha!) and grab Pink Piggy in the case of LittleK, and rush to stand by the front door. We will do that race several times to try to get the fastest time possible. We will be doing this a couple times each day.<br />
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By this time, we will need a break, so we will be having <b>Tea With the Queen of England. </b>This is basically a tea party with real tea and cookies, where we will be practicing our table manners again. Napkins in laps and everything. But before the fun can begin, we will be practicing and role playing proper greetings both in English and in Spanish. Practicing looking in the eye, speaking clearly, all that jazz. Then comes the fun of cleaning it all up. <br />
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We will then do another round of the the <b>Quiet Game </b>for 2 minutes. <br />
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The <b>Interrupting Game </b>is another role playing game where we will take turns learning how and when to (or not to) interrupt. Like practicing saying "excuse me," etc. My mom taught me a couple of hand signals to use when a kid is interrupting...Hold up a finger for wait here, fold your fingers over your other hand for go sit down, letting the child know what they need to do. I will first explain the signals, then we will practice them, letting each kid be the adult. I will of course have to start using those signals around the house with them. <br />
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The next game is going to be the <b>Messy Scavenger.</b> I'm going to place messes throughout the house (piles of clothes, piles of toys, books dumped over, but all mixed up) and the kids are going to have to work together to pick up the mess as fast as possible. Once the mess is cleaned up, they can run to me (as a team) and get a clue as to where then next mess will be. Once all the messes are cleaned up, they get a treat! Probably a sucker, depending on how close we are to lunch at this point. <br />
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After that we will play <b>"TIME TO GO!" </b>again, just to review. :)<br />
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Lunch will be another practice with manners, as well as cleaning the kitchen. While waiting for lunch to be ready, we will play the <b>Quiet Game </b>again, this time for 3 minutes. <br />
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After lunch, we will just review any games or things that the kids had trouble with in the morning. We will for sure play <b>Code Word Calling </b>and our <b>Bathroom Song </b>several more times. <br />
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Then tonight at bath time, we will just practice and enforce picking up the bathroom after a bath, as well as hanging up towel. We won't really have a game for this or morning routines, just being intentional about doing it correctly every night/morning. <br />
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Suggestions? Ideas? Thoughts? Love to hear them!<br />
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<br />Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-79133442213109348202014-03-23T18:31:00.000-05:002014-03-23T18:31:20.566-05:00Scott Family Responsible Child Boot Camp: The beginningSo, the back story. A little while ago, we had some friends over for dinner. We often have friends over for dinner, but this particular evening must be set apart. This particular night, our children morphed into monsters. They made faces at the guests, the wouldn't greet anyone, they rolled their eyes and whined when told "no," they crumpled up their noses at the food that was served, they interrupted throughout the entire evening, they yelled and screamed up stairs, they destroyed their bedrooms, disobeyed by playing in our room, had no table manners, wouldn't say goodbye, and basically revealed every area of training that we had neglected over the last few years. That night, after putting the little terrors to sleep, Brandon and I decided something. Things were going to change. <br />
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQozpZR0JQt8J6AO4edsKaW3puZhn2QspKZPmXRqqwNj56FrB_4vA" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQozpZR0JQt8J6AO4edsKaW3puZhn2QspKZPmXRqqwNj56FrB_4vA" /></a><br />
Let me clarify something: Our kids do not always behave this way. They rarely do it <i>all at the same time</i>, on the <i>same day</i>. They are not always terrors. Generally, I enjoy being around my kids. This night did reveal, though, the areas that we had been just a little too lax on, too permissive, too inconsistent. That night revealed more about our parenting than it did about our children. And that is a hard pill to swallow. Thus was born the Scott Family Responsible Child Boot Camp. <br />
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What is the Scott Family Responsible Child Boot Camp? Well, boot camp in the military is a sort of initiation to life in the military, with strict discipline, hard work, breaking down the recruit in order that they can be rebuilt into the soldier that the military wants. For exercising, boot camp is an intense period of super hard, concentrated work, geared to jump start a new way of life. To basically teach the trainee that they can accomplish what they never knew they could accomplish. Our boot camp is going to be similar. We are done having to call a child 10 times to the dinner table. We are done begging the children to get their shoes on when it is time to go. I am done nagging the kids to flush the toilet or to pick the hand towel off the ground. We are done with instructing the kids to pick up a mess, only to find them 30 minutes later playing with said mess, actually making it worse. <br />
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There are many things that my kids need to learn in order to make them responsible human beings. There are more things than I could possibly put down in a little checklist. This week isn't about cramming in all life lessons a child needs to know. Just as boot camp for a soldier doesn't teach him all he needs to know to do his job in the armed forces. The general goal of this boot camp is to get my children into shape! To get them to a place where continued training can happen with a solid base of good habits. One thing I've learned in many years of working with children, is that if you want kids to do a task correctly, they must practice, practice, practice. If I want my kids to be able to go to a restaurant and have an enjoyable meal, we must practice manners at home, waiting patiently, etc. This is the essence of our boot camp.<br />
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So this week, we are forgoing normal homeschool, and we will be practicing a series of skills that my children obviously need to know. It takes 21 days to make a habit, so this week alone won't do it. But after this week, my kids will know what to do, how to do it, and will have practiced each skill over and over and over again. Sounds like a good starting point, right? <br />
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What will we be teaching this week, you ask? Here is a list of the specific skills that we will be working on this week. Each day, I will post the daily plan, complete with games and a schedule that we will attempt to use to practice the skills. <br />
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1. Table Manners: Keeping bottoms in chairs.<br />
Using napkins (not shirts!)<br />
Using utensils (not fingers!)<br />
How to pass food.<br />
Speaking at the table: taking turns, no interrupting,<br />
no ugly words, inside voices<br />
How to deal with food you don't like.<br />
Being excused from the table<br />
Clearing the table after dinner<br />
2. Bathroom etiquette: Clean of rim of toilet (for boys)<br />
Closing the lid and flushing!<br />
Hand washing and keeping sink/counter dry<br />
Hanging up towels after use (hand and bath)<br />
Picking up after bath<br />
3.Bedroom: Making bed<br />
Keeping floor picked up<br />
Habit of picking up toys after use<br />
How to keep books on bookshelf<br />
(upright with spines out)<br />
4. General Etiquette: How to greet an adult<br />
(greetings in Guatemala are very important)<br />
How to answer questions from an adult<br />
Yes Ma'am and yes sir, etc<br />
(they do this with us, but not as much with others)<br />
Picture posing. <br />
(My children do NOT know how to sit still for a photo!)<br />
5. General Obedience: IMMEDIATELY coming when called.<br />
Getting ready to leave the house<br />
bed time / morning routines<br />
Following a list of instructions w/o getting distracted<br />
Working up to 15 minutes of sitting quiet/still<br />
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Many of you will see this list and think "WHAT! Your children don't do those things already?", and many of you will think "WHAT! You are expecting WAY too much out of your kids!" Let me also say that we have taught all of those things at one time or another. It just didn't really stick. So basically, we have been inconsistent at best. There are also a lot chores that we will be working on, but I don't want to add more than I can manage in one week, so we will be working more with chores after we get a handle on these basic things. Our kids are already pretty helpful with dishes and laundry. We have a maid, so figuring out how to work in regular cleaning will be more of a challenge, although I know our kids need to know how to scrub a bathroom. I am reading a book right now that I will be talking about later in regards to chores. And, thanks to many of you on facebook, I am putting together a comprehensive list of what a responsible child should know, and I hope to begin working through that list soon! Give me a couple of days and I'll post that list. <br />
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So, for this Sunday, we are going to be sorting laundry, practicing our bedtime routine and morning routine (just role playing it and doing it over and over again), the kids are making their own dinner (PB&J sandwiches) and then cleaning the kitchen. <br />
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Look for Boot Camp Schedule Day 1 on Monday morning! I'll let you know how it goes! <br />
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<br />Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-58521828156354543452013-05-07T11:40:00.000-05:002013-05-07T11:40:03.986-05:00What do DO???As some of you know, I pretty much feel a steady pull or drive to do something about all the hurting, suffering, lost situations around me. I just want to move to remote parts of the earth and teach un-reached people about our Savior. I want to open a home for abandoned or malnourished babies, or maybe a transition home for girls who are leaving the orphanage. i want to walk the streets and take hot meals and the Lord's love to all the people begging on the streets. I want to open up a training facility for moms where they can learn skills and the Word of God and get encouragement and fellowship <br />
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But, I can't right now. I can't do those things. So my question for the Lord is always, "Why are you giving me these ideas and desires and this longing when I can't do anything! Where are you leading me? What DO you want me to DO?" <br />
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In searching the Scriptures yesterday, I believe he has shown me what I need to do. <br />
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Let's look at Psalm 37:3-7<br />
"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.<br />
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of you heart. <br />
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.<br />
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him"<br />
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There it is,clear as day. What I'm supposed to do. I am to<br />
1. Trust in the Lord and do good.<br />
2. Delight in the Lord<br />
3. Commit my way to Him<br />
4. Be still and wait patiently for Him<br />
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Wow. So that is what I'm gonna do. That should keep me busy for a while. ;) <br />
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<br />Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-70185427087420765312013-02-19T13:27:00.000-06:002013-02-19T13:27:03.817-06:00Better Me Monday...or Tuesday!<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">It is time for my February goal update! (Just in case there is anyone who cares! haha!) I recently had some time to evaluate my life a little bit. I realized, not for the first time, how incredibly task oriented I am. I am really driven by my to-do list. The huge problem with this is that I tend to make my to-do list an idol. I really don't like that about myself. The Lord is really working on me in this area and in doing so is freeing me from my people pleasing, workaholic, performance driven tendencies. This is painful for me, but God is so good and faithful in my life. I am so thankful for the opportunity to repent and be healed! Praise Him! Anyway, so during this little retreat, I made a to-be list instead of my typical to-do list. And then I evaluated my goals for this year in light of that to-be list. Here is what has come out of that:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">My To-Be list: (in no particular order)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">1. I desire to be an excellent manager of our home</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">2. I desire to be a woman totally dependent on the Father as evidenced by having the mind of Christ</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">3. I desire to be an attentive, patient, and wise mommy</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">4. I desire to be HUMBLE</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">5. I desire to be an available servant of the Most High and a minister of the whole gospel as He leads. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">Now, it seems that I have things on my goals list that may or may not have anything to do with accomplishing those "to-be's" and so I think they need to be revised. </span></span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Personal Goals: </b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1. <strike>Write 3 blogs a week. This is an ambitious one. I want to write a personal blog, a ministry blog, and an adoption blog every week.</strike> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: blue;">Well, This was definitely too ambitious and as it turns out really doesn't accomplish anything on my to-be list. Not saying that writing blogs isn't a good thing, or even a great thing, but when it comes to my list of priorities, I only have time for so much. At least for now, I'm gonna try to pursue the <b>best</b> thing. So, I will write blogs as things happen that make me want to blog. I'm still gonna try to keep up some discipline in this regard, but this goal is gone. </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2. Learn French. At least some French. We are going to be doing it as part of home school and it will be good for BabyJ who will be joining our family this summer (we think). </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: blue;">Check - this one we're doing. Not as quickly as I would have liked, but I know some greetings, about the weather, and the names of some foods. :) </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: blue;">I'm keeping this on as I really believe that it helps to accomplish goal number 3 for our newest son, BabyJ. </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">3. <strike>Read 2 non-fiction books a month. Later I will be listing those books. So excited about this one</strike>. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: blue;">So far I've read 2 this year and am working on number 3. I'm gonna change this goal to a goal of reading certain books that will help me with my to-be list. Such as a couple of adoption books, christian non-fiction, etc. But I'm letting go of the number. That number actually looms over my head and discourages me. </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">4. Consistently get enough sleep. Sleep in when I can, go to bed early when I can, take naps when I can. I am a better wife and mommy if I have slept. I need to be a good steward of my body. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I'm still trying really hard at this one. This is a non-</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">negotiable</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">. I am doing much better at this than I have ever done before. </span></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Ministry Goals:</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1. <strike>Set a curriculum for teaching sewing to the girls at the orphanage and get the two older kids involved there somehow</strike>. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">This one is done! Yeah! I found a couple of books in </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">Spanish</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> that I'm gonna use. I don't have to do much planning, now. This serves to-be number 5. I am going to continue to seek His wisdom as to the best way to play this out. </span></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> 2. Home school the kids with consistency, attention, and pre-planned activities for LittleK to do. Less spontaneity in our schedule so I'm not frantic to get done by the end of the year. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: blue;">So far so good! I'm sticking to this much better this year and it helps that the curriculum is better for both BoyD and me, and although I'm not changing this goal, I do want to clarify it. I will do school, but I'm gonna lighten up about getting it all done every day. Having a brilliant son who doesn't want to work has caused more problems for me...actually, the problems are caused by my sinful nature, lack of patience, lack of wisdom on how to handle it. So I'm working on me in this regard. Better said, I'm stepping aside and asking the Lord to work on me a little bit. (To-be number 4)</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">3. <strike>Get out b-day and anniversary cards each month. Whew.</strike> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: blue;">We're just totally taking this one off. I've failed at it already and I realize that this doesn't directly relate to my to-be list at this time. This his hard for me to let go of! I have perfect person syndrome! I want to be the perfect mom, the perfect wife, the perfect friend. And I'm NOT, so I fail and feel like a failure. That is my pride, friends, rearing it's ugly head. YUCK! So, I'm gonna submit my imperfections to the Lord and thank Him for revealing them to me, and thanking Him for His grace that covers them, and I'm gonna walk in FREEDOM from perfection...as the Lord perfects me! </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Family Goals:</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1. <strike>Take each kid on a date 1 time each month. We don't have to spend $, we have to spend time.</strike> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: blue;">This is a very good goal that I've failed at. Brandon and I are changing this one up a bit...we are trying really hard to spend 10 minutes alone with each kid 2X/day. That is 1 hour a day with dedicated kid time. This is going really well. </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2. Be a flirtier wife. :) </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: blue;">Amen...going pretty well. I'm gonna keep this one intact!</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Homemaking Goals</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1. Create and maintain a mending basket. A place where I keep all things to be repaired, and a time each week that I set aside for mending. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: blue;">Ok...I did get all the things to mend separated and on a visible shelf. So, I'm on target with this goal. I'm gonna keep it for the sake of to-be #1.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2. <strike>Have some homemade gifts on hand for surprise hostess/birthday/thank you gifts. This goal needs to be quantified a little bit. </strike> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: blue;">I loved this goal, but I'm striking it for now. It is a good thing, but not the best thing. Doesn't fit with my to-be list. </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Social Goals: </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: blue;">Both of these I'm keeping...they go to to-be numbers 1-5. Speaking of this, I need to call the girls and get them together! We even had our first Spanish couple's study and it was fun. </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1. Meet once a month with my Gringa girl's Bible study for prayer and encouragement. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">2. Have a Spanish couples Bible study weekly or bimonthly.</span>Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-10455307142228065122013-02-08T07:00:00.000-06:002013-02-08T07:00:06.555-06:00I'm Not a Very Good HomeschoolerGeez its hard to admit that. Really hard. I mean, I want to be good at it. I dream of being good at it. I have hopes that someday I will be good at it. <br />
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I don't know what to do with LittleK when I am trying to teach the other two. I don't know how to keep GirlM quiet while I'm doing math with BoyD. I don't know how to help BoyD get his work done with all the distractions. I don't know how to manage BoyD when he needs an explanation but I'm in the middle of a book with the little ones. <br />
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It is a little chaotic around here during the school day and I spend as much time disciplining as I do teaching! (Probably an exaggeration, but it feels that way!) I don't have oodles of patience and I'm not a laid back sort of mom. I also realize that my precious angel children are not always precious angels. :) <br />
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The reason for this blog post? Is it to discourage anyone from homeschooling? On the contrary. It is to say that I wouldn't give this up for any peace or order or structure in the world! And to say that if I can do it, ANYONE can! If this impatient, anal, perfectionist-but-never-getting-close-to-perfection mama can do it, you can, too. <br />
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And to tell you that it is worth it. To get to spend this time teaching, watching, interacting with, learning about, and discipling my children, is the greatest thing I will ever do. I will not miss their achievements or their failures. What a gift! Plus, I think the Bible says something about taking complete joy when you face trials of many kinds, because the testing produces endurance, and when this perseverance (endurance) finishes its work, I will lack nothing. Not even patience and order. :) Bring it on!Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-21461337637706274112013-02-07T14:15:00.001-06:002013-02-07T14:15:30.515-06:00Toy Storage! Help!I hate toys. I mean, toys are cool, but I hate them. Specifically, I hate small toys or toys with small parts. I am a relatively organized person and I like everything to have its own special place. I like barbies to go together and little people farm stuff to go together, and stuffed toys to go together. We have a lot of little bins all over the place where the toys go. There are certain toys, though, that no matter how hard I try, no matter how routine we are, no matter how good my kids are at picking toys up, the end up ALL over my house! In the washing machine, in the dog food bowl, in the kitchen sink, under my bed, in my closet, ALL OVER MY HOUSE! I really, really hate that. The worst are all the parts and pieces to these little toys called Play Mobile. I have stepped on more little tiny guns or belts or cannon balls than any human being should have to endure. Oh, Little Green Army Men are also forming battle lines in every conceivable space. I literally feel under attack! For some reason, it is only boy toys that do this. Legos, action figures, tiny pistols.<br />
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<img src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ9QDTZZWVYddsK6sRt_Dp_GplDHvcMQSoSH92o7_L8OTq-dQ2d" /> <br />
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I need some suggestions. I need some help. I need a SOLUTION! The only reasons we haven't thrown all these toys out is because they cost money and they are his favorite and because Brandon likes them! Haha! <br />
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We have the rule that one toy gets put up before another toy gets pulled out, and for the most part, they abide by that rule (I am ever vigilant!) The problem is <i>while </i>they are playing. Their imaginations take them all over the house and that means that their toys go that way, too. <br />
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Is it reasonable to forbid the lego bridge in the garden, or the German front line out of the playroom? Not sure. <br />
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Someone please help me with this loathing I have for toys. Maybe we should just strip down to the basics: balls, books, a doll for the girl, and a truck for each boy. Haha! Clean up would be SO much easier! Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-69297307337003321472013-01-25T14:02:00.001-06:002013-01-25T14:02:28.665-06:00Adoption: before the foundations of the earth...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" 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I am a gentile. I am not Jewish. I am adopted into the family of God through the work of Jesus Christ. Did God settle when he adopted me? Did he adopt me simply because His natural children rejected Him? Was my adoption plan B for the Creator of the universe? And then, is my identity less of God's child than a Jew? Like, I'm not His "real" daughter...just an adopted one.<br />
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Or...did He know of me before He created the foundations of the earth? Did He have a plan to bring me into peace with Him from before the beginning? The answer, of course, is YES! My adoption into God's family was part of how God made His family! I am co-heirs with Christ! I am a TRUE, REAL, BONA FIDE daughter of the King! <br />
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When we tell people that we are adopting our 4th child, sometimes people ask if D,M and K are our real children...or "can you not have kids?" I don't mind those questions. People are curious, and that is normal. It is actually a really good time for me to explain our reason's for adopting BabyJ. <br />
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It is interesting, though. And the truth of the matter is that adoption is part of God's plan for humanity. He has been adopting almost from the beginning! His own Son was adopted! :) And He chose BabyJ to be part of our family before he was even knit together in his birth mother's womb. We aren't God's second choice for BabyJ just as BabyJ isn't our back up plan. He isn't anything but our "real" child. It is cool to think of that!<br />
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And, for those of you that don't have much experience with adoption, let me give you a small piece of advice. Don't ask people if their child is their "real" child. That implies something that you may not mean to imply. Instead ask if they are their biological children. This isn't political correctness, it is about being factual and precise with your language. And if you want to know why they chose adoption, just simply ask that: "Why did you choose adoption?" You might want to avoid assuming things. We all do that too often, anyway! :) <br />
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So, if you are a Gentile Christian, relish in the fact that you were adopted into His family, and that you are His REAL child! And maybe consider how God might be calling you to testify to that adoption! Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-13615012274532432732013-01-19T16:27:00.000-06:002013-01-19T16:27:34.234-06:00All the anticipation of a new baby!<br />
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So we are done birthing children. Have I mentioned that before? I mean, as far as we can tell, we are done. I don't want to birth any more children. This is one of the mountain of reasons why we chose adoption. I have done the pregnancy thing several times now, and it was wonderful and magical and all that jazz, but my wedding was wonderful, too and I'm not gonna do that again either.<br />
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One of the more difficult parts as well as one of the more fun parts of pregnancy is the anticipation. Once you find out you're pregnant the first thing you do is calculate your due date. Then you start anticipating your first sonogram...will you see the heartbeat? How many are there? etc. Then, if you of the more modern type and want to find out the sex, you have to wait a WHOLE 19 weeks or so to find out if you are having a boy or a girl. You just desperately want to buy some pink or blue, but you feel like you must wait until you know! Then after that, the only thing to wait for is the babe to come. I mean, you may have to wait on your furniture to arrive or your custom bedding to be made or you have to wait for the baby shower and stuff, but there seems to be a long time just waiting for the baby to come. <br />
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It is pretty remarkable how similar this part of adoption is to that part of pregnancy. I mean, we started this process and I just wanted to get some basic info...what country, how much, how long, etc. Then we did all the paperwork and we were waiting on a referral...what are we going to get? Who would our child be? boy or girl? special needs? how old?<br />
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Then the call came..."its a boy!" Oh, that was very exciting. Then we spent hours looking stuff up online and just staring at his picture. It was such a joy to get to share his photo with friends and family! (we wish we could share his photo here, but for his own security, we aren't allowed to yet.)<br />
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Now we are waiting again. During these long months there are days that all we can think of if LittleJ. We are planning trips and wondering if he'll be with us or not. We rearranged the boys' room and planned where we would store his clothes. Then there are days when we just don't think about it that much. The children that we have demand our attention, or we have to travel, or whatever. Just like those days when I was pregnant. I would have days where I hardly noticed the little one doing somersaults in my gut, and other days that I had trouble doing anything else. <br />
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So, even though I'm not pregnant, I feel all the anticipation of a new baby. I pray for LittleJ daily, and lately the anticipation has been high. And boy, is it exciting!<br />
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<br />Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-35999033036371831642013-01-14T10:00:00.000-06:002013-01-14T10:00:07.204-06:00What My Kids Need From Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j-6cqfxtaqE/UPN76RdGOMI/AAAAAAAABgQ/OQgR5Zlcakc/s1600/P1150175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j-6cqfxtaqE/UPN76RdGOMI/AAAAAAAABgQ/OQgR5Zlcakc/s320/P1150175.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
As my kiddos age and change, and as I prepare to bring another kiddo into our home, I have been feeling like I haven't been for my kids all that they need me to be. In those quiet moments alone I have felt a little disappointed in myself for my lack of patience, for my raised voice, for my critical word. <br />
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It has caused me to think through what it is that my kids need from me. What kind of mother should I be to minister to them; to their spirit, their character, their personalities. I wanted to briefly share what it is that my kids need and then ask you to do the same. Even if you don't want to post here a response, I would ask that you consider the question. <br />
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First let me say that BoyD is 7, GirlM is 5, LittleK is (almost) 3, and BabyJ is 7 months and in the Congo. <br />
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BoyD needs me to be free to listen. Needs me to not be focused on work, or getting through schoolwork, or making dinner. He needs me to hear his stories and his ideas and then help him realize them. He needs to not hear criticism, and he needs the freedom to be wrong. He also needs a lot of hugs. <br />
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GirlM needs me to play with her on the floor. She needs me to put on a crown and a pretty dress and be the "queen" so that she can be a real princess. She needs me to teach her to make a sandwich and to teach her how to put doll clothes on her tiny baby. She also needs to know how important she is in this family and to me. Oh, and hugs.<br />
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LittleK needs supervision! haha! And he needs constructive direction. He needs me to read books to him and to play sing-song games with him. He also needs lots of hugs. Oh, and he needs consistent discipline. He needs me to never be to busy to redirect, correct, or punish. <br />
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BabyJ needs me to pray for him. He needs things that only others can provide. He needs me to be in serious intercession for him. And he probably needs hugs that I can't give him yet. No worries...I'll make up for it when I get him.<br />
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So...can you share what your kids need? It is a fun and convicting exercise. Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-7892906087185242662013-01-09T09:14:00.000-06:002013-01-09T09:14:29.114-06:00Adoption Update: The Arrest RecordHey folks. We get questions periodically regarding the adoption process, and some things have happened and I thought I should update. Just a brief history in case you don't have a clue what is going on. <br />
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We are in the process of adopting BabyJ from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. If you want to know more about that process or where we are in it, please check out <a href="http://www.helpthescottsadopt.com/" target="_blank">Help the Scotts Adopt</a>, our adoption website. Brandon has kept that up to date and you can get all kinds of info there. <br />
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So, we get a letter sent to my mom's house from the USCIS (the government body responsible for granting a visa to our adopted child and approving us to adopt internationally) that says that they can't complete our request until they receive some paper work. What they need is an arrest record. <br />
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You see, Brandon was arrested when he was in high school. He was 17 and we out in the middle of the night with some friends. They decided it would be a good idea to steal a flag that was hanging outside of a model home. Well, they did it, and there just happened to be a police officer sitting in the dark watching the whole thing. He also had some fireworks (illegal) in his trunk as well as some sort of illegal weapon. So, he went to jail. He spent the night in jail and his parents had to come and get him out. No charges were filled, but he still has an arrest record. We had told this story to our social worker and the story went in our home study. We were advised by many that leaving something like that out is a sure way to get denied. The problem was that we didn't include the arrest record in the home study. Why the social worker didn't request it is unknown, but now everything with the USCIS is on hold until we can provide it. We also have to provide a written statement about the circumstances of the incident, any rehabilitation that took place, etc. <br />
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My job today is to call the Flower Mound police and our home study social worker to get all this worked out. You can pray about this for us! <br />
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Apart from this, we are waiting for a Congolese judge to make a judgement on whether or not we can adopt BabyJ. Pray for that, too, please. Our whole family is ready to get this little man home to us! :)Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-13497821074849168182013-01-07T19:05:00.001-06:002013-01-07T19:05:43.555-06:00Better Me Monday<img 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" /><br />
A New Year!! Yeah! I love new beginnings. I love mornings because I feel like I have a fresh new day in front of me. I love Mondays (I know not really the first day of the week) because I feel like I get to start again checking items off my to-do lists. I love flipping the calendar over to a fresh new month and filling everything in. And I LOVE starting a new year! Feeling like the past doesn't hold me, that I can do things better, different, do it how I want it done! <br />
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In the spirit of newness, I am beginning a new series called Better Me Mondays (or BMMs). Mostly this will be a time when I write out my monthly goals, challenges, etc. God is growing me (Praise Him) and I want to document here a little of what He is doing. <br />
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So for my first BMM, I want to write out my goals for this new year. I don't like the term "resolutions." I guess it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I prefer goals. So...today I will write my yearly goals and each month I want to post my monthly goals as a sort of report on how I'm accomplishing these yearly goals. <br />
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Let me also say the following: I had been aching to take the time with the Lord to go through and think and pray through what I wanted 2013 to be like. I had my first REAL alone time with Him a couple of days ago and as I sat and wrote out all of the things that I wanted to do/be, I was feeling both very satisfied with myself and a little overwhelmed! Then I opened my devotionals for the day and God put it all in perspective for me. <br />
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In John 13, we see Peter telling Jesus "I will lay down my life for you!" Quite the resolution, wouldn't you say? Jesus then informs him that he will deny him 3 times before the rooster crows. That had to have been disappointing to hear. I wonder if Peter believed Him. This was before Peter was given the Holy Spirit (that came at Pentecost) and all of his effort to keep that goal would be in his own power. <br />
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Then I read in <u>My Utmost For His Highest:</u> "All our promises and resolutions end in denial because we have no power (in ourselves) to accomplish them....There is now only One who directs the course of your life, the Lord Jesus Christ."<br />
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Then in <u>Jesus Calling </u> the author writes "True dependence is not simply asking (Him) to bless what (I've) decided to do. It is coming to (Him) with an open mind and heart, inviting (Him) to plant His desires within (Me)." <br />
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So...I was super convicted! All of these plans belong to the Lord and are for His glory. If nothing else happens, if none of my plans succeed, my #1 goal for 2013 is to RELY ON JESUS. More on that another day.<br />
<img src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" /><br />
Let's dig in (these are in no particular order):<br />
<b>Personal Goals: </b><br />
1. Write 3 blogs a week. This is an ambitious one. I want to write a personal blog, a ministry blog, and an adoption blog every week. <br />
2. Learn French. At least some French. We are going to be doing it as part of home school and it will be good for BabyJ who will be joining our family this summer (we think).<br />
3. Read 2 non-fiction books a month. Later I will be listing those books. So excited about this one. <br />
4. Consistently get enough sleep. Sleep in when I can, go to bed early when I can, take naps when I can. I am a better wife and mommy if I have slept. I need to be a good steward of my body. <br />
<br />
<b>Ministry Goals:</b><br />
1. Set a curriculum for teaching sewing to the girls at the orphanage and get the two older kids involved there somehow.<br />
2. Home school the kids with consistency, attention, and pre-planned activities for LittleK to do. Less spontaneity in our schedule so I'm not frantic to get done by the end of the year. <br />
3. Get out b-day and anniversary cards each month. Whew. <br />
<br />
<b>Family Goals:</b><br />
1. Take each kid on a date 1 time each month. We don't have to spend $, we have to spend time. <br />
2. Be a flirtier wife. :)<br />
<br />
<b>Homemaking Goals</b>:<br />
1. Create and maintain a mending basket. A place where I keep all things to be repaired, and a time each week that I set aside for mending. <br />
2. Have some homemade gifts on hand for surprise hostess/birthday/thank you gifts. This goal needs to be quantified a little bit. <br />
<br />
<b>Social Goals:</b><br />
1. Meet once a month with my Gringa girl's Bible study for prayer and encouragement.<br />
2. Have a Spanish couples Bible study weekly or bimonthly. <br />
<br />
Ok. That about sums it up. Keep me accountable, folks! I'll let you all know how it goes.<br />
<br />Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-53184802068350337792012-10-22T08:05:00.002-05:002012-10-22T08:05:26.663-05:00Today is a Gift!This morning is a gift from the Lord. God has given me another day to love my children, to pray for them. to teach them the Bible, to be kind to them. He has gifted me another day with my precious husband to serve him and to minister to him as his helpmate. God has sent me trails today. Maybe big and maybe small, but He permitted (ordained) them to enter this day to mature me and to perfect His work in me. God has gifted me today some opportunities to do some of the good works that He prepared in advance for me to do: things He created me to do.<br />
<br />
What a loving, precious, generous King! I will treat this day like a gift! I will delight in it, be thankful to the Lord for it. I will not complain about it or grumble about either the circumstances or the people that enter this gift day. <br />
<br />
Thank you, Lord, for the abundant gift of this day!Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-69586023499718498452012-09-07T15:41:00.000-05:002012-09-07T18:01:24.665-05:00Food on Friday So Friday is my menu day and my grocery shopping day. I try to spend as little as possible (under $60/week) on food and I usually can because fresh vegetables here are SOOO cheap. So here is our menu for this week. <br />
<br />
<b><u>Saturday</u></b><br />
<b>Lunch</b>: Left overs<br />
<b>Dinner</b>: Black bean and cheese fritata<br />
<br />
<b><u>Sunday</u></b><br />
<b>Lunch</b>: Crock pot Swiss Steak: Really tough (and cheap) beef cooked all morning with a thinly sliced onion, 6-8 dices roma tomatoes, some salt, garlic, and chili powder served over left over whole grain rice. This served with fresh green beans steamed then sauteed with olive oil and fresh garlic, salt to taste. <br />
<b>Dinner:</b> Clean out the fridge night.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Monday</u></b><br />
<b>Lunch:</b> Veggie pasta: all kind of veggies (carrots, bell pepper, spinach, onion, celery, green beans, etc) chopped super small with food processor sauteed in olive oil with garlic and italian seasoning until soft. Add prepackaged spaghetti sauce and serve over whole grain pasta. Served with garlic bread.<br />
<b>Dinner</b>: <a href="http://www.meetpenny.com/2012/08/recipe-almost-scratch-chicken-dumplings/" target="_blank">Chicken and Dumplings</a> This is a new recipe I'm trying out. We'll see how I do!<br />
<br />
<b><u>Tusday:</u></b><br />
<b>Lunch:</b> Tuna tortas: 2 cans tuna, mixed chopped veggies (like above), an egg,<a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/paula-deens-house-seasoning-mix-57340" target="_blank"> house seasoning</a> and some bread crumbs, mixed and made into patties and fried. This served with homemade pasta salad: frozen mixed veggies, pasta, mayo, bacon if I feel like it, and house seasoning. By the way, we use house seasoning on EVERYTHING. <br />
<b>Dinner</b>: Grilled cheese and tomato soup<br />
<br />
<b><u>Wednesday</u></b><br />
<b>Lunch:</b> Black beans and rice and homemade corn tortillas. And coleslaw. YUM!<br />
<b>Dinner:</b> <a href="http://www.meetpenny.com/2011/09/baked-spinach-ziti-in-the-microwave/" target="_blank">Baked Spinach Ziti</a> and salad.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Thursday</u></b><br />
<b>Lunch</b>: <a href="http://www.meetpenny.com/2012/01/recipe-lentil-minestrone-stew/" target="_blank">Lentil Minestrone Soup</a><br />
<b>Dinner</b>: Left overs. By now we will have a ton.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Friday</u></b><br />
<b>Lunch:</b> Refried black beans, fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, and home made tortillas<br />
<b>Dinner</b>: Family fun night!! Fruit, cheese and popcorn made on the stove top (NOT the microwave) and maybe peanut butter sandwiches if the kids want them. <br />
<br />
The secret to my low budget is looking at what I already have in the pantry, and using up perishable things first. I only have to buy a few things like coffee, milk, etc. I only buy things that go on my menu (and cereal when I find it on sale) and things that I keep a running list of when I run out like baking products. I RARELY buy extra snack foods. We always keep a bag of tortilla chips on hand, but we don't use them to snack on during the day. For snacks we eat fruit, and left over food in the fridge like a tortilla with beans and cheese melted on it. I also don't buy things like canned tomatoes, etc, because for less money I can chop tomatoes. But it might not be that way in the states. <br />
<br />
Let me know if you have any questions or budgeting tips about menu planning!<br />
<br />
<br />Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-84342141431331419032012-09-04T07:00:00.000-05:002012-09-07T18:00:19.217-05:00Let's have a GIVEAWAY!We have a winner! Chantelle Virag, I will get you your free curriculum! Thanks to all who entered. Hopefully I can do another giveaway soon. <br />
<br />
I will be getting everyone who entered a 20% off coupon...the only rule is that it is one per person who has entered the contest, and one time use only. <br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Time for
a Giveaway! </u></b></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=4832766"><img alt="Fitness 4 Homeschool Physical Education Curriculum" border="0" height="60" src="https://www.mcssl.com/content/191361/Banners/468x60.jpg" width="468" /></a></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /><img border="0" height="0" src="http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Imp=4832766" width="0" /></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><!--End---></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><a href="http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1441443" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Family Time Fitness</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> is a homeschoolers dream
for a P.E. program. I have tried several times to incorporate a P.E. class into my home school curriculum, but lets just be honest, it never got done well. I would plan
some games or some activity or a lesson on how to throw a ball, and I could
just never seem to get to it. It was always the thing that got put off
and put off. AND I spent my precious time planning these lessons out, to
not use them. Plus, I'm not a P.E. teacher...I was just trying to do what
I remembered doing in my P.E. class!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1441443" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Family Time Fitness</span></a> is a thorough and fun
way to do PE as homeschool. The cool part is, they tell you what to do,
how to warm up, what games to play! And there are video demonstrations
for each activity if you can't figure out from the instructions what to do.
I have never had to watch the videos because the explanations are easy to
follow, but it is nice to know they are there. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Here is
how the program works: They send you an e-mail everyday with the
activites to do that day. Easy! You don't have to do it everyday if you
don't want to, but there is enough material for a fun and interesting P.E.
class daily! </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">And the
good part, at least for me, is that it was a workout for me, too! I love
doing it with my kids and even the 2 yr old tries to join in the fun. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">So here
is the good part...<a href="http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1441443" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Family Time Fitness</span></a> has
given me a Home School package to giveaway. That is 260 lessons sent to
your e-mail, and it NEVER expires! That is a retail price of $199!
(cheaper with their "web" price of $57). </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="background: white; color: #26354a; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: .75pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What is included in the <span style="color: blue;">Fitness 4 Homeschool Package</span>?</span></b><b><span style="color: #26354a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: .75pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The
Fitness 4 Homeschool Curriculum includes a startup guide, PDF lesson plans,
video demonstrations, assessment tools, reminder emails, lifetime curriculum
and video updates, access to online webinars and certificates of
completion. One curriculum purchase can be used for all your children, and
we never charge any subscription fees or annual renewal fees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Startup/Training
Guide </b>- The Startup Guide is a guide for parents and includes an
introduction to physical education, information on what to expect from the
program, safety information, how to integrate physical education into your
curriculum, teaching tips and equipment information.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Lesson
Plans</b> – Each of the 260 professionally planned lessons arrives in PDF
format and includes a List of Supplies, Warm-Up, Activity, Cool Down and
Suggested Outdoor Activity. Each exercise is described in a detailed,
user-friendly format for easy access. Each lesson provides 30-45 Minutes
of physical activity. If you do all the activites that is over 7800
Minutes of activity a year! If you do the suggested outdoor acitivy you
get an additional 10-15 of physcial activity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>1-Page
Summaries</b>– Each lesson has a One-Page Summary to facilitate easy printing and
portability. The summaries keep you from printing all 900+ Pages of Lesson
Plans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Video
Demonstration</b>s – Each exercise includes a demonstration video with real
kids doing the exercises. There are over 200 instructional video demonstrations
available to you with this curriculum, and you are guaranteed lifetime access
to these videos as we update them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Assessment
Tools</b> – We provide tools to help track progress of the basic fundamental
movements. Other downloadable tools include nutritional logs and meal planners
for a comprehensive fitness approach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Encouragement
Emails</b> – During the first year of your course, we send you reminder emails
each week day to keep you and your children motivated on your fitness journey.
We also always include nutritional and fitness tips in the emails.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Online
Webinars </b>– You have access to our regular online webinars and our webinar
archive for further in-depth instruction and tips on the curriculum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">To enter,
you just leave a comment here on my blog! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">You can
have an extra entry if you subscribe via e-mail to my blog (just stick in your
e-mail address on the right)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">You can
share this post on your own blog (one entry) - <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">or on
your facebook page (one entry)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Just
leave a separate comment for each entry telling me what you did. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">ALSO,
They have given me a 20% off coupon code to give to any person who doesn't win
the contest. So, it never hurts to enter! Have fun and good luck!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I will be selecting a winner on Friday with random number generator, so enter, enter, enter! </span></div>
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<br />Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-31870724326886650772012-09-03T09:07:00.001-05:002012-09-03T09:18:02.384-05:00New Giveaway Tomorrow!New Giveaway!!! Starting tomorrow I will be hosting my FIRST official giveaway! I am going to keep it a surprise until tomorrow, but you will have all week to enter so check back! <br />
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Here is a hint...wanna get fit as a family? <br />
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See you tomorrow! <br />
<br />
Oh, if you want to subscribe via e-mail to this blog you will receive automatic notification of when I post the giveaway and the winner. Just put your e-mail in the little box on the right. <br />
<br />Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-83038141545838883302012-05-27T11:19:00.000-05:002012-05-27T11:27:57.893-05:00Must Haves for Mommies (and their babies)Ok...after having 3 kids in 4 yrs, I have what I consider real experience with little ones. We travel a ton, and I am crazy about fun and inventive products. There are a couple of things that I want every mom to have, products that have been essential for our family, and I wanted to list them here. These are the things that I tell friends about when they want baby or kid gift ideas.<br />
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The first of these things is the <a href="http://www.miracleblanket.com/">Miracle Blanket</a>. It is our favorite swaddling blanket and is good for newborns up until they are old enough to wiggle themselves out...way older than for a normal swaddle. We call it the baby straight jacket! <br />
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Next is <a href="http://www.mom4life.com/hooter-hiders-nursing-cover.html">Hooter Hiders</a>. This is my favorite cover up for nursing!!! I had one last almost 3 years (2 kids nursing for a year and a half) and loved, loved, loved it. Before the Hooter Hider, I would break out into a sweat if I had to nurse in public, it was so stressful! I care a lot less now about nursing in public, but it allowed me to be discreet...always important!<br />
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We also adore our <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Tiny-Diner-Pink/dp/B002USCIR8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337809850&sr=8-1">Tiny Diner</a>. This is a rubbery placemat that you roll up and back out and it has suction cups that stick it to the table with a little trough at the bottom. Awesome for restaurants where you little ones can eat off the table w/o either getting some gross disease (haha) or messing up the restaurant's table with mac and cheese and ketchup! We just wipe ours off with a baby wipe at the restaurant and wash it when we get home. <br />
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Every busy mama needs a good sling! I can't find mine on-line, but here is one that is close: <a href="http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/formom/babycarriers/ringslings/mayawraplightlypaddedbabysling">The Maya Wrap</a><br />
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My favorite sippy cup is the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tigger-Pooh-Sippy-Cups-FREE/dp/B00328ESKA/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1338135085&sr=1-1">Learning Curve sippy cup</a>. It can be hard to drink from, but if you cut the valve slit a little bigger w/ a razor it is THE BEST! It is the only sippy cup that has lasted in this house. The kids can't chew up the valve, and I don't have to have a dishwasher or a sterilizer to get the valve clean. I LOVE IT!!!<br />
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I seriously recommend that every mom get some cloth diapers. Two of my favorite cloth diaper stores are <a href="http://www.cottonbabies.com/">Cotton Babies</a> and <a href="http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/">Green Mountain Diapers</a>. Cotton Babies gave me a diaper grant because I'm a missioary, and it was the only way I would've ever gotten started with cloth diapers! They are a very cool store. Green Mountatin Diapers has the best selection of inexpensive cloth diapers and they give free evangelism stuff with an order! Love them, as well.<br />
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My latest love is the <a href="https://www.buygyrobowl.com/">GyroBowls</a>. These are AWESOME! No, they are not completely spill proof...a kid, if trying hard enough, can get the stuff to fall out of the bowl, but my 2 yr old can walk up and down stairs, carry the bowl in the car, walk around the house with it, and not a bit spills. GET THESE! They are really super cool. <br />
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Our favorite toys are the Little People sets and anything LeapFrog. Both of those brands have held up to years of hard play and the kids LOVE them. When I need a gift for a little person, I go first to check out those products. <br />
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For older kids are the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Learning-DVD-Set/dp/B002LYD2M6/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1338135217&sr=1-1">Leap Frog video series</a> and the TAG reader system. <br />
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Ok mamas - and it is always good to know of a good store to shop the coolest mom invented products: Check out <a href="http://www.mom4life.com/">Mom 4 Life</a>. It is owned by a Christian mommy who has a really cool store. She also has free shipping on all her stuff, which is AWESOME! It is an awesome store just to browse in. <br />
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Now...go do some shopping! <br />
<br />Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35850141.post-71106670434485536452012-05-27T10:55:00.000-05:002015-10-14T14:46:09.124-05:00Our first adoption loss: AdalynIf you have been on Facebook in the last week, and if you are Facebook friends with either Brandon or me, then you've seen this little girl: Adalyn in Russia. <br />
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You've also seen that we had decided to adopt her. We had been planning on adopting a special needs child and I had been doing hours of research every day to try to figure out which country we should adopt from. I started with foster children in the U.S. Then I called adoption agencies in the U.S. to find out if they have hard to place children from birth-moms there. Then I found myself ruling out country after country either because of cost, or age of children, or length of stay in country, or restrictions of the number of children already in the home, or minimum income levels. Russia had was not on our short list. It was just too expensive. Double that of another country we were looking at. <br />
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Then one evening we get an e-mail regarding a sweet girl in Russia who needs a family. Would we be interested in adopting a cleft palate? I sadly responded that no, because Russia was just too expensive, but I would begin to pray for the little girl that a family would find her. <br />
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Well, the owner of the agency, because I said I would pray, forwarded some pictures of this little girl to me and to another woman in order for us to pray for her. It wasn't a professional e-mail, but a personal one. <br />
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That is when I saw sweet Adalyn. And my heart was sickened. I stuck her story on FB and asked for money to adopt her or someone else to adopt her. I thought is worse than tragic that there was a precious baby who was without a mom or dad in an orphanage and because to get her costs what it costs to buy a car, I couldn't rescue her. I balled and we prayed and I balled and we prayed some more and finally Brandon had to come and escort me to bed. <br />
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Then the next morning arrived. Brandon woke me up before dawn and asked me to come look at Facebook. We had received so much support and so many offers for help that we were totally overwhelmed. All of a sudden it seemed that the huge expense (originally the only reason Russia was out for us) was not going to be a big deal! People were opening their hearts! And they promised to open their wallets! <br />
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We started researching what all it would take to get her home and to take care of her. We spoke with a plastic surgeon, we researched online, we got in contact with other adoptive families who had cleft palate issues. We prayed a lot. It seemed that God had put this little girl right in our path! And we were committed. We were prepared to handle multiple surgeries, severe speech problems, possible hearing loss, attachment issues, undernourishment, using feeding tubes, raising a child whose face isn't like everyone else's. We, with the Lords help, knew we could do this. That we <i>should </i>do this. That our discomfort and our difficulty was very worth this child's life. We could handle it all...<br />
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Until. <br />
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We got the e-mail from Reece's Rainbow that told us that they hadn't had a chance to add this to Adalyn's profile, but she looks as if she has FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). A couple of facial features, along with the hole in her heart, along with her cleft...all of those are super consistent with FAS and being that she is from Russia, the likelihood is great. We had done some research on FAS. We did some more. Brandon yelled at the Lord (really yelled, with tears), I cried. I felt sick to my stomach. The more I researched it, the more I felt that this was something I just can't handle. Brandon felt the same.<br />
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I want to write an entire blog telling all the reasons why we don't feel like we can adopt an FAS baby, but I need to just get this over with. It is so painful. <br />
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An FAS child can have a spectrum of problems, ranging from learning disabilities to severe mental retardation. FAS children are usually very likable and sweet, generous to a fault, and usually have poor impulse control. FAS children can have short term memory problems and be very untrustworthy because of it. FAS women (in the moderate to severe range) tend to have FAS babies. They don't have the ability to reason through the consequences of their actions. They tend to be very sexually active when they are old enough because they don't reason well cause and effect. They are extremely trusting yet resist anyone who tries to control them. As younger children, they are apt to wander off, can't always remember simple instructions. But always appear very capable and normal. They are brain damaged. The result of a birth-mother who drank while pregnant. The severity of the FAS is normally related to how much the mother drank, but there is no way to tell until the child is older as to what disabilities she will have. <br />
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What we read said that parents of FAS children need to provide as much stability and routine as possible. They they have to keep their eyes on them and give them a lot of wiggle room if they forget to do something after you told them the 100th time. That their impulsiveness is a result of brain damage, not because they don't want to obey. An older FAS child needs an advocate at all times. They don't have the ability to make good decisions about where they go after school or with whom. They are likely to get themselves into compromising situations. <br />
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I had to take a look at myself as a mother, and our family. We don't fit that. Our life is anything but routine! We travel and change plans at a moment's notice. We plan one thing and then we have someone show up at a door and our entire day changes. We have to be entirely flexible! <br />
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I don't think I'm the kind of mother that can take care of a child that needs that level of micromanaging. I am a big picture mama and my kids are very independent for their age. I need BoyD to help me with BabyK so that I can buckle GirlM into the car. That kind of special need...I just don't think I can handle it. And saying that out loud and writing it here makes me sick. <br />
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I was raised to believe that I can do anything. Literally. It has never occurred to me when faced with something difficult that I couldn't do it. Want me to climb that mountain? I can do that! Want me to get an Engineering degree? I can do that! Want me to move to Guatemala with my family? I can do that! Want me to adopt a special needs child? I can do that! <br />
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And then I am faced, maybe for the first time in my life, with something I don't think I can do. It is very humbling. It is sad to think that this girl won't be in my family in part because of my weakness. <br />
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I know that God has a plan for our family. I know that God has a plan for that little girl. My struggles with all this do not call that into question. I will continue to walk forward trusting in Him for what is best for sweet Adalyn.<br />
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We ask for your continued prayers. Please, lets pray Adalyn into a family! A dear friend told me I could be Adalyn's prayer momma. So that is what I am. Please pray for us on this adoption journey that God would council us and continue to guide us.Brandon and Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12221768955457477824noreply@blogger.com6