If you've known me awhile, you know I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions. (I don't think that you should wait until a new year to make a change that needs to be made in your life, and I also think that a change made for a "hype" is less likely to stick. But that's just me.)
However, I do like to use the first month of each year as a time to think about where I need to start fresh, goals I need to set, traditions I would like to begin if I didn't begin them some other time during the year.
One tradition we started a couple of weeks ago actually just happened to occur at this time of year. But I found it an opportune time to start something new and exciting and fun with our three oldest kiddos.
So Sunday nights have turned into "Watch something educational and try something new" night. :-)
(We haven't ruled out the possibility of occasionally mixing it up and just watching something fun, but for now, this is how it goes.)
Our first couple of Sundays, we found documentaries on Netflix, which all three of the kids were actually able to pay attention to without getting too bored. On K3's part, this continues to surprise me a bit, but in a good way.
The first week we watched a documentary about the ocean and ocean life. We tried a couple of new kinds of cheeses, kicking off the new tradition without too much craziness. Limburger was the most exciting thing on our plates LOL.
The second week, we watched a behind-the-scenes documentary about the filming of The Lord of the Rings. In addition to a couple more new kinds of cheese, we tried sardines, liver sausage, and eclairs (none of them new to Randy to me).
Last week, I found the entire Planet Earth (British version) series for a good price on DVD, so last night we started that. The new items on our plates were a couple more new cheeses - brie and herbed goat cheese (being in Wisconsin, this will probably continue to be a theme) - smoked oysters, kumquats, and red bananas, as well as chocolate covered potato chips.
Each week, our main "meal" consists of snacks that everyone already likes, such as summer sausage, cheddar and colby jack cheeses, crackers, popcorn, etc. Everyone is required to try at least one bite of each new item, and then can choose to have more or not.
So far, I think the kids are really enjoying it. I know I am. Coming up with new ideas of things for them to try has become a bit of a game for Randy and me. (We are open to trying new things for ourselves as well - and already have! - but this has proven to be a bit more of a challenge for us.)
I am really loving our new tradition, and looking forward to continuing it throughout the year.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Monday, January 6, 2014
Updates
Well, I have updates on both K3 and K4's cases. They are long overdue, but I have been frustrated by both situations and daily fighting anxiety over the fates of my girls, and the thought of writing about it has been too overwhelming.
None of that has changed, but as dates are drawing closer, I need to update those who already knew those dates and will soon begin asking about them.
There is a TPR trial scheduled for K3. It was set much later in time than we expected - or than it should have been, based on the court calendar. It could have been scheduled much sooner, but the attorneys know how to play time-dragging games. It's very frustrating. Still, the amount of time between the last hearing and the trial is short compared to the amount of time she has spent in foster care. If you have been in prayer for our little girl and our family, please pray with us that this relatively short amount of time will not, in the judge's determination, outweigh the amount of time she has been in permanency limbo. Please pray that the judge will see that she desperately needs permanence, and that dragging out permanence would be more devastating for her than beneficial.
Secondly, as some of you know, we had an adoption scheduled for K4. We found out right before Christmas that an appeal had been filed on her TPR; the appeal would have been filed in August or early September, yet no one in the DAs office informed anyone in the agency about the appeal. So the adoption will not happen in February, and we will not have a new date until the appeal is dealt with. The date that was supposed to be the adoption will now be a status hearing on the appeal, so again if you are praying with us, please pray that everything will be resolved (or brought near to resolution) at this hearing.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and prayers. God has really given me peace over these situations, and helps me daily in overcoming the worry and anxiety that come so easily when your child's future is so tangibly unknown. (I know, none of our children's futures are known.) But prayers for continued peace would also be appreciated.
None of that has changed, but as dates are drawing closer, I need to update those who already knew those dates and will soon begin asking about them.
There is a TPR trial scheduled for K3. It was set much later in time than we expected - or than it should have been, based on the court calendar. It could have been scheduled much sooner, but the attorneys know how to play time-dragging games. It's very frustrating. Still, the amount of time between the last hearing and the trial is short compared to the amount of time she has spent in foster care. If you have been in prayer for our little girl and our family, please pray with us that this relatively short amount of time will not, in the judge's determination, outweigh the amount of time she has been in permanency limbo. Please pray that the judge will see that she desperately needs permanence, and that dragging out permanence would be more devastating for her than beneficial.
Secondly, as some of you know, we had an adoption scheduled for K4. We found out right before Christmas that an appeal had been filed on her TPR; the appeal would have been filed in August or early September, yet no one in the DAs office informed anyone in the agency about the appeal. So the adoption will not happen in February, and we will not have a new date until the appeal is dealt with. The date that was supposed to be the adoption will now be a status hearing on the appeal, so again if you are praying with us, please pray that everything will be resolved (or brought near to resolution) at this hearing.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and prayers. God has really given me peace over these situations, and helps me daily in overcoming the worry and anxiety that come so easily when your child's future is so tangibly unknown. (I know, none of our children's futures are known.) But prayers for continued peace would also be appreciated.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
God's Will and free will
I'm struggling right now to figure out how my faith relates to... things that happen.
I believe this statement: "God has a plan."
I do not believe this statement: "Whatever happens is God's will."
I believe this statement: "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
I do not believe this statement: "God will protect you/him/her/them."
And there are two simple words to explain why I believe this: Free. Will.
Don't get me wrong. I believe that God eventually sees His will done for those who truly wish to see His will done, despite the fact that things happen that are OUT of His will. But not everything that happens in the world is His will, and not everything that happens in our lives is His will.
And I believe that God is always with His children, but that doesn't mean He prevents anything "bad" or negative from happening to them.
Because He created man with a free will. So even IF we as Christians were perfect (really, we're not!), we are still surrounded by people who are not Christians. So even though we as Christians (I hope) truly desire to see God's will done and His children protected, we are still surrounded by people who, not knowing Him, have no such desire.
Humans, Christian or not, are selfish and self-centered. We want what WE want, and our choices and actions, more often than not, reflect that.
And because none of us is an island nor lives in a bubble, our actions affect those around us. And since God created man with a free will, He does not put up His big hand and "block" the decisions that we as selfish, self-centered humans make; and as a result, a LOT of things happen that aren't in God's perfect will.
Therefore, the more of these kinds of people you are surrounded by - whether by choice or not - the more likely you are to have things happen in your life that are not God's will, and that you ultimately have absolutely no control over.
So somehow, you - and by "you" I mean "I" - have to figure out how to trust God when you know that there is a very strong possibility that His will may not be done.
And then there's prayer. Do you pray that His will WILL be done? Does praying for His will change things? Make a difference? Somehow prevent those who would seek after selfishness regardless of the people it hurts, from actually making those decisions with such vast-reaching harmfulness?
I don't know. I don't have answers.
I do have God, and I have prayers for trust and peace, and I have a strong faith in Him that I need to hold on to, even - no especially - when it seems like the hardest thing to do.
I believe this statement: "God has a plan."
I do not believe this statement: "Whatever happens is God's will."
I believe this statement: "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
I do not believe this statement: "God will protect you/him/her/them."
And there are two simple words to explain why I believe this: Free. Will.
Don't get me wrong. I believe that God eventually sees His will done for those who truly wish to see His will done, despite the fact that things happen that are OUT of His will. But not everything that happens in the world is His will, and not everything that happens in our lives is His will.
And I believe that God is always with His children, but that doesn't mean He prevents anything "bad" or negative from happening to them.
Because He created man with a free will. So even IF we as Christians were perfect (really, we're not!), we are still surrounded by people who are not Christians. So even though we as Christians (I hope) truly desire to see God's will done and His children protected, we are still surrounded by people who, not knowing Him, have no such desire.
Humans, Christian or not, are selfish and self-centered. We want what WE want, and our choices and actions, more often than not, reflect that.
And because none of us is an island nor lives in a bubble, our actions affect those around us. And since God created man with a free will, He does not put up His big hand and "block" the decisions that we as selfish, self-centered humans make; and as a result, a LOT of things happen that aren't in God's perfect will.
Therefore, the more of these kinds of people you are surrounded by - whether by choice or not - the more likely you are to have things happen in your life that are not God's will, and that you ultimately have absolutely no control over.
So somehow, you - and by "you" I mean "I" - have to figure out how to trust God when you know that there is a very strong possibility that His will may not be done.
And then there's prayer. Do you pray that His will WILL be done? Does praying for His will change things? Make a difference? Somehow prevent those who would seek after selfishness regardless of the people it hurts, from actually making those decisions with such vast-reaching harmfulness?
I don't know. I don't have answers.
I do have God, and I have prayers for trust and peace, and I have a strong faith in Him that I need to hold on to, even - no especially - when it seems like the hardest thing to do.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Stuff and Things
SO much has happened since my last post. (I know, I know - you're tired of hearing that EVERY time I write.)
We had an AWESOME start to the school year. We have, for the most part, stuck with a good routine and daily schedule, switching it up here and there when necessary. These last week and a half have been a bit too relaxed for my liking, but next week is our Fall 9-week Break, which is sorely needed; and I fully expect us to start strong again after that.
Part of the reason we've had a relaxed couple of weeks is because I made and canned 18 quarts of apple sauce and about 2 dozen quarts of apple cider. Then my dad "surprised" me with two HUGE boxes of grapes from his buddy's vineyard; so last week, with the kids' help, I got about half of them done and canned into grape juice. I have 6 dozen quarts so far, which means there are another 6-8 dozen quarts' worth of grapes left to can. Oh, and I'm down to a dozen jars, AFTER buying another 2 dozen last week. So this should be interesting.
K3's TPR was FINALLY filed with the court, and the initial appearance hearing was Monday. It was adjourned. It will likely be adjourned again. If you remember from Liam's case, this is the norm. But I'm more frustrated about this case than I was with his, because she shouldn't even have to be worrying about permanence. This should have been over and done a long time ago. I continue to pray for a miracle, but it's hard not to be discouraged some days.
Liam turned TWO a couple of weeks ago! It's pretty ridiculous; I still can't really believe he's 2 already. It still seems like it was just yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital. Soon my K4 will also be 2; not sure how I feel about having two 2 year olds!
Speaking of K4, we have, after much discussion and mind-changing and negotiating, come up with her new name. :-D
Friday is November 1st, which means the beginning of National Novel Writing Month. For the past three years, Hunter has joined me in the novel-writing adventure. This year, Kaleigh will also participate! For those who are not familiar with the Young Writer's Program branch of NaNoWriMo, the coolest part about it is that participants choose their own word count. The kids and I discussed and agreed upon their word counts for this year; but I can't tell you what they are juuuuuuust yet. Don't worry; you'll find out soon enough ;-).
Randy and I took the kids out to the county park for their annual "school" pics this past Sunday afternoon. I SO wish I could share them here, but I can't. Well, I can actually share pictures of three of them, but since I can't share them all, I don't really want to share any. It doesn't feel right.
I guess those are the highlights.
The day-to-day feels like a grind many days. Liam and K4 take turns (or sometimes not) being whiny and clingy. K2 and K3 take turns being deliberately disobedient. Hunter can't quite figure out how to get to the maturity level of a 13 year old. But Liam and K4 also take turns wanting kisses and hugs. K2 and K3 are doing amazingly better at getting along with each other than they were several months ago. Hunter is learning, even though slowly, and sometimes I am somewhat taken aback by his thoughtfulness and kind-heartedness. So just as many days are fun and exciting and enjoyable.
Time to go think about dinner for tonight.
We had an AWESOME start to the school year. We have, for the most part, stuck with a good routine and daily schedule, switching it up here and there when necessary. These last week and a half have been a bit too relaxed for my liking, but next week is our Fall 9-week Break, which is sorely needed; and I fully expect us to start strong again after that.
Part of the reason we've had a relaxed couple of weeks is because I made and canned 18 quarts of apple sauce and about 2 dozen quarts of apple cider. Then my dad "surprised" me with two HUGE boxes of grapes from his buddy's vineyard; so last week, with the kids' help, I got about half of them done and canned into grape juice. I have 6 dozen quarts so far, which means there are another 6-8 dozen quarts' worth of grapes left to can. Oh, and I'm down to a dozen jars, AFTER buying another 2 dozen last week. So this should be interesting.
K3's TPR was FINALLY filed with the court, and the initial appearance hearing was Monday. It was adjourned. It will likely be adjourned again. If you remember from Liam's case, this is the norm. But I'm more frustrated about this case than I was with his, because she shouldn't even have to be worrying about permanence. This should have been over and done a long time ago. I continue to pray for a miracle, but it's hard not to be discouraged some days.
Liam turned TWO a couple of weeks ago! It's pretty ridiculous; I still can't really believe he's 2 already. It still seems like it was just yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital. Soon my K4 will also be 2; not sure how I feel about having two 2 year olds!
Speaking of K4, we have, after much discussion and mind-changing and negotiating, come up with her new name. :-D
Friday is November 1st, which means the beginning of National Novel Writing Month. For the past three years, Hunter has joined me in the novel-writing adventure. This year, Kaleigh will also participate! For those who are not familiar with the Young Writer's Program branch of NaNoWriMo, the coolest part about it is that participants choose their own word count. The kids and I discussed and agreed upon their word counts for this year; but I can't tell you what they are juuuuuuust yet. Don't worry; you'll find out soon enough ;-).
Randy and I took the kids out to the county park for their annual "school" pics this past Sunday afternoon. I SO wish I could share them here, but I can't. Well, I can actually share pictures of three of them, but since I can't share them all, I don't really want to share any. It doesn't feel right.
I guess those are the highlights.
The day-to-day feels like a grind many days. Liam and K4 take turns (or sometimes not) being whiny and clingy. K2 and K3 take turns being deliberately disobedient. Hunter can't quite figure out how to get to the maturity level of a 13 year old. But Liam and K4 also take turns wanting kisses and hugs. K2 and K3 are doing amazingly better at getting along with each other than they were several months ago. Hunter is learning, even though slowly, and sometimes I am somewhat taken aback by his thoughtfulness and kind-heartedness. So just as many days are fun and exciting and enjoyable.
Time to go think about dinner for tonight.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Nothing Exciting...
I wish I had something fun and exciting to post, but I really don't.
Unless you think chasing two sometimes-crabby toddlers around the house/yard/store all day is fun and exciting.
I did make the Pinterest Flubber with the three bigger kids yesterday. They LOVED it.
I've been mentally preparing for the start of the school year, but now it's time to start more than just mental preparation. As we always start on the Tuesday after Labor Day, we have just over two weeks until the first day of school. Each year since moving here, I have been presented with at least one additional challenge: this year brings several. Hunter will be in eighth grade and Kaleigh in second (which I think is the harder of the two for me to wrap my head around!) K3 will be doing more Pre-K work this year; we will have a little more focus than last year, but I still plan to give her more play than anything. Last year, in addition to my three students, I had a (mostly) infant. This year I have two toddlers. It will be an adventure for sure!
I've maintained a pretty decent summer routine, but I'm sure it would bore the reader, so I won't detail it out here. But I think having that daily routine will help the transition back into the school year go a little more smoothly.
I have a few more things to get - I'd like a large bookshelf for the school room, and the kids still need notebooks - and I have a few little school room projects to do. I need to make die cuts for the calendar, hang the white boards, and do a little rearranging to make the area more study-conducive. Other than that, I'm feeling pretty ready.
I didn't get nearly as much done as far as house projects as I wanted to this summer. I'm hoping to cram a lot into these last two weeks, but we'll see.
Happy Sunday!
Unless you think chasing two sometimes-crabby toddlers around the house/yard/store all day is fun and exciting.
I did make the Pinterest Flubber with the three bigger kids yesterday. They LOVED it.
I've been mentally preparing for the start of the school year, but now it's time to start more than just mental preparation. As we always start on the Tuesday after Labor Day, we have just over two weeks until the first day of school. Each year since moving here, I have been presented with at least one additional challenge: this year brings several. Hunter will be in eighth grade and Kaleigh in second (which I think is the harder of the two for me to wrap my head around!) K3 will be doing more Pre-K work this year; we will have a little more focus than last year, but I still plan to give her more play than anything. Last year, in addition to my three students, I had a (mostly) infant. This year I have two toddlers. It will be an adventure for sure!
I've maintained a pretty decent summer routine, but I'm sure it would bore the reader, so I won't detail it out here. But I think having that daily routine will help the transition back into the school year go a little more smoothly.
I have a few more things to get - I'd like a large bookshelf for the school room, and the kids still need notebooks - and I have a few little school room projects to do. I need to make die cuts for the calendar, hang the white boards, and do a little rearranging to make the area more study-conducive. Other than that, I'm feeling pretty ready.
I didn't get nearly as much done as far as house projects as I wanted to this summer. I'm hoping to cram a lot into these last two weeks, but we'll see.
Happy Sunday!
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
and sometimes...
...the wheels of justice turn as they ought to.
Our little K4 was TPR'd yesterday.
There are, as usual, still 30 days to appeal; but they have no legal grounds, so it's not very likely.
It is almost unbelievable, after all we've been through with every other child, to have a case end this quickly. (**Sidenote: Please don't ANYONE use the word "deserve" in a comment; I absolutely despise the word.) It hasn't even really hit me yet. In fact, because this happened so fast, we have to wait longer than we've ever had to to finalize adoption. She has to live with us for 6 months before we can adopt; so an adoption is schedule for..........drum roll please..........February! This means all of our adoptions so far will be in the same month.
If you pray, please pray - or continue to pray - for our K3. The wheels continue to turn very slowly in her case. Please pray that her TPR will be finalized by December, the main reason being that I don't think I can bear for her to have to watch another child adopted before her. She has been with us a year and a half, and she has been in care for 3 years - almost 75% of her life. Of course there are a multitude of other reasons we are praying for her TPR to be finalized by December, but I really really really want to finalize her adoption at the same time as K4.
Her TPR was referred last week (still annoyed about that, since it could have been done in April and filed by the DA in May), so I'm just hoping the ball will get rolling again quickly. Everyone who is involved from a legal standpoint has been involved since the beginning of her first TPR, which is fairly uncommon, but a really good thing in this case. We are praying and hoping that the judge will want to get this going and overwith, knowing how long she has been in limbo.
More to come. Thanks in advance for all the thoughts and prayers!
Our little K4 was TPR'd yesterday.
There are, as usual, still 30 days to appeal; but they have no legal grounds, so it's not very likely.
It is almost unbelievable, after all we've been through with every other child, to have a case end this quickly. (**Sidenote: Please don't ANYONE use the word "deserve" in a comment; I absolutely despise the word.) It hasn't even really hit me yet. In fact, because this happened so fast, we have to wait longer than we've ever had to to finalize adoption. She has to live with us for 6 months before we can adopt; so an adoption is schedule for..........drum roll please..........February! This means all of our adoptions so far will be in the same month.
If you pray, please pray - or continue to pray - for our K3. The wheels continue to turn very slowly in her case. Please pray that her TPR will be finalized by December, the main reason being that I don't think I can bear for her to have to watch another child adopted before her. She has been with us a year and a half, and she has been in care for 3 years - almost 75% of her life. Of course there are a multitude of other reasons we are praying for her TPR to be finalized by December, but I really really really want to finalize her adoption at the same time as K4.
Her TPR was referred last week (still annoyed about that, since it could have been done in April and filed by the DA in May), so I'm just hoping the ball will get rolling again quickly. Everyone who is involved from a legal standpoint has been involved since the beginning of her first TPR, which is fairly uncommon, but a really good thing in this case. We are praying and hoping that the judge will want to get this going and overwith, knowing how long she has been in limbo.
More to come. Thanks in advance for all the thoughts and prayers!
Faith
Faith is what it's all about.
It's not about the outcome.
It's not about whether God "actually" had my family's best interests in mind (He did, btw).
It's about whether I had faith.
Did He take care of me? Did He take care of my family? Did He provide for us?
Of course He did. He promised He would. That was, therefore, a given.
What matters is....
Did I have faith that He would?
It's not about the outcome.
It's not about whether God "actually" had my family's best interests in mind (He did, btw).
It's about whether I had faith.
Did He take care of me? Did He take care of my family? Did He provide for us?
Of course He did. He promised He would. That was, therefore, a given.
What matters is....
Did I have faith that He would?
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