School

Well, since I made this blog, I should write in it once in a while.  I spend most of my time playing around with the backgrounds.  :)

We just finished out 3rd week of school.  Boy was I happy to realize that Monday is a holiday!  Woo-Hoo!  School is actually going fairly well this year (last year was horrible with a capital H).  I think I'm just still in summer mode. 

Our favorite thing is history and grammar this year.  We are doing Mystery of History I and First Language Lessons.  They are a lot of fun.  The kids love memorizing the little poems and doing copywork and dictation based on the silly stories we read.

Math is still the bane of my kid's existence.  This bugs me because I LOVE math.  I used to do Calculus just for the fun of it.  Alas, so far none of my kids have shown the same weird affection for math.

We were going to try to get out every Friday and do a nature study.  So far we've been once.  It was so much fun though!  We went to Floyd Lamb and just explored most of the day.  The next week, B sprained his ankle playing soccer in the back yard so we stayed home.  Last week I forget why we didn't do anything.  Probably my laziness.

I will post a scrapbook layout I did about our adventure.  I was doing the second page to the layout last night when my ancient, wheezy computer decided it didn't want to play anymore and just shut down.  Poof!  It was gone into cyberspace.  I haven't had the energy to start it over.

One Thousand Gifts (1-10)

Even though two of my kids are working my very last nerve today :) , I am still thankful for......

1. Those 2 children because they are usually such blessings to me.
2. The sound of off-key praise songs being sung in the house all day long.
3. A husband who is my best friend and whom I love more now than the day we married.
4. My kids who are each others best friends.
5. Good friends to laugh and cry with; who listen to my rantings and don't judge.
6. My grand daughter's smile.
7. My 2nd daughter, D, who is an awesome mom.
8. E, my eldest daughter, who has matured into a thoughtful, adventurous and responsible young woman.
9. For the amazing opportunity to be a mom to all my wonderful kids and watch them grow and heal right before my eyes!
10. Having Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

Teachable Moments

Today, one of my colorful little gems plotted and planned and finally committed a crime (against long standing household rules).  When said gem was caught red-handed, s/he was not repentant or contrite but said with a touch of sarcasm "sooorry".  Hmmm.  S/he was sentenced to 15 minutes of sitting quietly on the bed.  Then, said child stomps up the stairs.  It took 2 more times of practice going up the stairs sans attitude before s/he mastered this skill.

Ok, I'm not just writing to complain about my child.  Here's where it gets really good!

Little gem calls down the stairs "Mom, can I come down now?"  I say "Yes, let's talk."  We talked about why s/he was angry with me, and why that anger was misplaced.  We talked about why the original sarcastic apology was unacceptable. Gem was worried that God was angry and might not want him/her.  We talked about why that was impossible. We talked about honesty and trust.  Gem was then asked to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the infraction.  It was very very hard for Gem but s/he finally got the words out.  Then the tears came and a real, heartfelt apology.  We prayed together and it was as though the weight of the world was removed from his/her shoulders.

Gem helped me make dinner, then swept the floor after dinner and even vacuumed the carpet in the family room - - all without being asked to. 

I love those teachable moments.  When you just know for certain that the lesson was learned and the child has grown and matured right before your eyes!  It really makes my day!

I have gotten into a bad habit of stopping at the punishment part of discipline.  I had temporarily forgotten that the word discipline comes from the word disciple, which means to teach.  It's easier and less time consuming to skip the teaching part of discipline. With 7 kids constantly needing something from me, I have allowed myself to fall in to the trap of spending my time putting out fires rather than preventing them.  I am excited about God's gentle reminder to me that I have veered off the path.  I feel relieved and look forward to tomorrows challenges.


Correct your son, and he will give you rest; Yes, he will give delight to your soul.  Proverbs 29:17

Ladybug

I can't believe my beautiful Ladybug is turning 8 tomorrow.  I remember with total clarity, that November afternoon 6 years ago when I first set eyes on her and S.  Oh, C was a doll!  At that time, I had no idea she would be mine forever.  She came to us, quite abruptly, from another foster home.  Her foster parents had decided to move out of state.  C was so brave.  I came up the walkway to her house and she was standing out  in the front yard with her dog.  It was a chow and it was bigger than she was!  I'm told she used to ride it like a horse.  I couldn't communicate with her because she spoke only Spanish.  But with a very bewildered look on her face, she obediently climbed in the car and came home with me.  The only English word she spoke was "McDonalds".  She pointed out every one of them on our way home.  Only she pronounced it something like "Abbadabba's". When we got home, she walked into the house like she owned the place.  Saw the tv, turned it on and sat down to watch.  I turned it off and took her, S and B out to the trampoline.  It took her a long time before she stopped watching and waiting for her foster parents to come back.  Slowly though, we became her family.  Nearly two years later, we became a legal family as well as a family in our heart.


Here she was then:

And here she is now

C is turning into such a beautiful young lady.  I don't mean physically either, although she is a beauty.  C has such a good heart.  She is so loving and compassionate.  She accidentally kicked another child today at the park.  He walked under the monkey bars while she was climbing on them.  She did her best to comfort him and then came to me almost in tears because she hurt another person.  C is the first one to try and take care of an injured bug and nurse it back to health.  She is sensitive to everyone's moods and works hard to cheer up those who are sad, make peace between those who are angry and rejoice with those who are happy!  She wants very much to be a missionary.  I am so proud of her!  God has truly blessed us with our sweet little Ladybug.  Thank you Lord!

First post

I have finally given in and joined the ranks of bloggers.  I am not a writer so please don't expect flowery prose or even a coherent sentence!  This blog exists primarily to keep extended family and friends updated about our life.  It also exists to keep me accountable with our school. 

For those of you who don't know our story, I'll give you the Reader's Digest version.  Hubby and I have been married for nearly 13 years.  I have 2 beautiful daughters from a previous marriage.  

Hubby and I decided to expand our family through adoption.  We adopted our son from an orphanage in the Philippines in July 2004.  

A year later I said "Honey, I want a little girl."  We opted this time to adopt through the foster system.  We got our little girl.  She came with a bonus boy (her little brother).  What a blessing!  

A few months later we were given the option of welcoming their newborn baby sister into our home.  We weren't sure at first, but at the ripe ole age of 12 days, A came home to us.  What a happy family we were!  

In 2008, we got a call asking if we wanted to adopt a 3 month old girl.  Hubby said "Are you crazy?"  I said "I think so."  He said "Ok, then" and I went to pick up H that day.  

Two years later, we were blessed to bring two of her siblings home to join our family. 

So, here we are, a year and a half later.  We are an average, above average sized, Jesus loving, homeschooling family. :)