So for the last week or so I've been nursing sicklings. You might remember that we had to get check ups for our home study in the middle of FLU SEASON!!
And like I told you, I decided to make the kids wait in the car until it was their turn. So I go out to get the next three kids and my shoe caught the edge of the place where they extended the parking lot and forgot to make it level with the rest.
Well.
Right in the middle of the parking lot during FLU SEASON I went crashing to the ground in a most ungraceful way right in front of my horrified children. And since they just finished CPR training, they rushed out of the van with the first aid kit in hand. All except one who ran to track down my shoe that had flown off. It was all very nice of them and they didn't even laugh. Except Meg. She thought the whole episode was hilarious when I texted her the picture of my skinned up knees. And that just confirms that she IS my baby even if she looks only like her daddy.
There is really nothing funnier than watching somebody fall. A friend of mine fell this week too. She was walking out of the gas station with 2 drinks in her hands, tripped over the curb, WIPED OUT, and the drinks went flying under the car. I can't even tell you how disappointed I am that I missed it!
Anyway.
My kids have been sick ever since. And since we are crazy weird about sickness spreading we had the first sick kid move out to the garage. This was mighty good news for him since we have a whole room built onto the back of the garage with heat, air, a big comfy couch, and all manner of games and books. He even had his own bathroom. He pretty much spent 2 days watching movies, reading books, eating snacks, and wishing he could be sick more often.
But it didn't work. And soon his little brothers had it too. They are not quite old enough to be trusted with garage privileges yet, so the whole house has been subjected to lots and lots of coughing with some fever and snotty noses. And just when they were starting to get over it, their sister caught it.
So there's been lots of orange juice, naps, oreganol and cough syrup. And one of the worst parts is that we've missed everything fun since the Appointment In Which Everything Went South. No church. No piano. No football. No school.
And since round 2 is just beginning, I'm thinking the garage is looking pretty comfy!
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Mad Bees And Swirly Designs
~The weather warmed up this weekend and I was oh so happy to see some sunshine. I've been waiting on a day like this to check the bees. It's been cold so there has not been any activity from either hive and I was anxious to check their food supply. Since it was sunny and warm I was certain I'd see activity and since I have top feeders and wouldn't have to actually open the hive, I considered not suiting up. And I certainly wasn't going to go to the trouble of lighting the smoker. I changed my mind and suited up and took about 3 gallons of syrup out. But I was surprised to see no activity again. And when I popped the lid the feeder was still full.
I had this sick feeling that I was going to open the hive and find them dead. But as soon as I pushed the feeder to the side they let me know real quick that they were just fine! And they were none too happy with me nosing around! I've never been so glad to have my bee suit on! They were attacking my veil and in a terrible mood.
The next hive does not have a feeder because they have a full honey super. I peeked in and found them in a good mood with lots of food. It appears both hives are doing just fine with only the brood box full of honey.
And while it was warm I also put everyone to work cleaning out old frames. This needed to be done but I was a bit scared to just jump in fearing I'd break something.....plus not really understanding the best way to go about it. But it was super easy and fun and we had a bunch of them knocked out in no time at all.
~ Our friends at Immanuel were needing a worship leader while their main guy was out having surgery. So for 2 weeks now we've been loving some IBC time. This kid is one of our faves from our youth group.
~ Yesterday we had physicals for our home study. Our doctor's office was very gracious and agreed to see seven of us in one day. But do you know how I hated stepping foot in that office during flu season!? And it didn't help that a lady in the waiting room was coughing up a lung then sneezed out a huge snot that was hanging from her nose!! My boys thought this was HILARIOUS!! The nurse asked the lady to wear a mask while I said, "Load Up!" And made my kids wait in the car until it was their turn.
By next week the other 3 of us will have had their physicals and that will be done. References are turned in, we are CPR certified, PRIDE training wraps up this weekend, and FBI fingerprints are next week. Moving right along!
I had this sick feeling that I was going to open the hive and find them dead. But as soon as I pushed the feeder to the side they let me know real quick that they were just fine! And they were none too happy with me nosing around! I've never been so glad to have my bee suit on! They were attacking my veil and in a terrible mood.
The next hive does not have a feeder because they have a full honey super. I peeked in and found them in a good mood with lots of food. It appears both hives are doing just fine with only the brood box full of honey.
And while it was warm I also put everyone to work cleaning out old frames. This needed to be done but I was a bit scared to just jump in fearing I'd break something.....plus not really understanding the best way to go about it. But it was super easy and fun and we had a bunch of them knocked out in no time at all.
~ Our friends at Immanuel were needing a worship leader while their main guy was out having surgery. So for 2 weeks now we've been loving some IBC time. This kid is one of our faves from our youth group.
Remember Spirograph? I loved that thing when I was a kid and made all sorts of swirly designs with colored pens. Well I bought Mally a cheap version at the dollar section of Target and they have barely left it alone since. It was way harder than I remember and took us a good long time and a lot of paper to figure it out. I think it might have something to do with the $1.00 price tag.
By next week the other 3 of us will have had their physicals and that will be done. References are turned in, we are CPR certified, PRIDE training wraps up this weekend, and FBI fingerprints are next week. Moving right along!
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Goodbye Gram
This week we said goodbye to our sweet Gram.
Gram came into our lives about 9 years ago and I just don't know how we lived without her before that. She was always ready to listen to a little Tagg rattle on and on about whatever. That's one of the things my kids loved about her most. She was interested in them and made them feel special by her attention.
Mally especially loved talking to Gram and has had a harder time with the fact that she is gone. Tonight she just started crying spontaneously about Gram. And I understand. So I asked Meg if she was up for one more sister to sleepover since the other 2 were going over. Spending the night with Meg is a big deal and sure to make her feel a little better. Gram loved Mallory and some of her last words were about her.
Christmas was especially wonderful this year because Gram was feeling so great. And I think all my kids mentioned to me that they felt like they got to spend a lot of time with her this year. It was one of my favorite parts of the TX visit. Gram had me unpack her chest and showed me lots of quilts. Some of them she made, some she didn't, and one that was so ugly she didn't know why it was even in there. We looked at her jewelry and she taught me the difference between real crystal and pretty glass.
One of my favorite things about Gram was her sense of humor. She had a quick wit and a fast come back. Hilarious!
I am so proud of my parents for taking such good care of Gram on the good days and the bad. They are a great example to me.
And I am especially grateful for a loving God that sent His Son to make a way for eternal life. Someday there will be a great reunion in heaven and I can't wait to find my Gram!
Gram came into our lives about 9 years ago and I just don't know how we lived without her before that. She was always ready to listen to a little Tagg rattle on and on about whatever. That's one of the things my kids loved about her most. She was interested in them and made them feel special by her attention.
Mally especially loved talking to Gram and has had a harder time with the fact that she is gone. Tonight she just started crying spontaneously about Gram. And I understand. So I asked Meg if she was up for one more sister to sleepover since the other 2 were going over. Spending the night with Meg is a big deal and sure to make her feel a little better. Gram loved Mallory and some of her last words were about her.
Christmas was especially wonderful this year because Gram was feeling so great. And I think all my kids mentioned to me that they felt like they got to spend a lot of time with her this year. It was one of my favorite parts of the TX visit. Gram had me unpack her chest and showed me lots of quilts. Some of them she made, some she didn't, and one that was so ugly she didn't know why it was even in there. We looked at her jewelry and she taught me the difference between real crystal and pretty glass.
One of my favorite things about Gram was her sense of humor. She had a quick wit and a fast come back. Hilarious!
I am so proud of my parents for taking such good care of Gram on the good days and the bad. They are a great example to me.
And I am especially grateful for a loving God that sent His Son to make a way for eternal life. Someday there will be a great reunion in heaven and I can't wait to find my Gram!
Monday, January 12, 2015
PRIDE Training
You guys. I know this might be terribly boring but I do want to chronicle this part of our lives since it's probably going to be a significant part of our 2015. So I want to talk out this whole business of opening our home for foster care.
Friday night the resource worker came by and it was just the easiest thing. She was very laid back and easy to like. We did some paperwork together and went over our finances. Then she did a walk through of the house looking in rooms and closets. She wasn't looking closely, didn't go through anything, didn't even really go through drawers. I think she was mostly checking to make sure we lived in a normalish way. We asked some questions and she gave us a list of some things to work on. There was nothing to it. That is called the IHC (in home consultation).
Then the training.
This weekend was our big weekend of training, otherwise known as PRIDE. I forgot what all the letters of PRIDE stand for but it has something to do with parents and foster care and resources and something like that.
It's in the book somewhere. And the book....MERCY!! It's gigantic.
Saturday started at 9am in a room over filled with tables and people. Apparently it's the biggest class in a long time and that just makes me smile all over. Our friends, the M family were there but since we got there at different times we didn't get to sit together. I was thinking later how it was a good thing so that we had the chance to get to know new people.
There was lots of talking, flipping through the book, little videos, and projects with your table mates. There were some long and boring sessions but discussion and projects kept it mostly interesting. They also switched out trainers at different sessions and that was helpful to hear someone else's teaching.
We broke for lunch and got to spend some time with our friends. Then back to the room for 5 more hours. Saturday's training was 9-7. We got out a little early though.
Sunday morning was cold and even a little icy. Honey was leading worship at IBC so we were already in town for the 1:00 session. We both enjoyed Sunday's training a little more and felt like we learned quite a bit. Again it went to almost 7pm.
We had lots to talk over on the way home. And we were SOOO happy to get home to our kiddos after being gone all weekend long. Of course we called and checked in along the way and I was so proud of how well they did on their own. The big kids made it fun for the youngers with nerf battles, blanket forts, and laps around the house. And get this...the house was clean when we got home. I KNOW!
I've decided that January is the perfect time to do something like this since the weather was cold and we weren't sitting inside for 16 hours on a beautiful weekend.
We skip a weekend and do it all again in 2 weeks. In the meantime we have a big packet of things to do. Lots of personal questions to answer, documents to find, copies to make. We need to be finger printed and CPR certified. It's quite a thing.
According to the measurements of our bedrooms and the number and ages of our kids, we can potentially be licensed for 2 babies under 2 years old. I'm guessing we will stick to one at a time unless it's a very close sibling group.
And though we still have a very long road ahead of us, I feel like getting 1/2 of the training behind us is a big step.
Friday night the resource worker came by and it was just the easiest thing. She was very laid back and easy to like. We did some paperwork together and went over our finances. Then she did a walk through of the house looking in rooms and closets. She wasn't looking closely, didn't go through anything, didn't even really go through drawers. I think she was mostly checking to make sure we lived in a normalish way. We asked some questions and she gave us a list of some things to work on. There was nothing to it. That is called the IHC (in home consultation).
Then the training.
This weekend was our big weekend of training, otherwise known as PRIDE. I forgot what all the letters of PRIDE stand for but it has something to do with parents and foster care and resources and something like that.
It's in the book somewhere. And the book....MERCY!! It's gigantic.
Saturday started at 9am in a room over filled with tables and people. Apparently it's the biggest class in a long time and that just makes me smile all over. Our friends, the M family were there but since we got there at different times we didn't get to sit together. I was thinking later how it was a good thing so that we had the chance to get to know new people.
There was lots of talking, flipping through the book, little videos, and projects with your table mates. There were some long and boring sessions but discussion and projects kept it mostly interesting. They also switched out trainers at different sessions and that was helpful to hear someone else's teaching.
We broke for lunch and got to spend some time with our friends. Then back to the room for 5 more hours. Saturday's training was 9-7. We got out a little early though.
Sunday morning was cold and even a little icy. Honey was leading worship at IBC so we were already in town for the 1:00 session. We both enjoyed Sunday's training a little more and felt like we learned quite a bit. Again it went to almost 7pm.
We had lots to talk over on the way home. And we were SOOO happy to get home to our kiddos after being gone all weekend long. Of course we called and checked in along the way and I was so proud of how well they did on their own. The big kids made it fun for the youngers with nerf battles, blanket forts, and laps around the house. And get this...the house was clean when we got home. I KNOW!
I've decided that January is the perfect time to do something like this since the weather was cold and we weren't sitting inside for 16 hours on a beautiful weekend.
We skip a weekend and do it all again in 2 weeks. In the meantime we have a big packet of things to do. Lots of personal questions to answer, documents to find, copies to make. We need to be finger printed and CPR certified. It's quite a thing.
According to the measurements of our bedrooms and the number and ages of our kids, we can potentially be licensed for 2 babies under 2 years old. I'm guessing we will stick to one at a time unless it's a very close sibling group.
And though we still have a very long road ahead of us, I feel like getting 1/2 of the training behind us is a big step.
Thursday, January 08, 2015
And Now It Can Officially Start
Meg's birthday was a bunch of fun.
Honey and I got to have lunch with her at work because she only gets 30 min. And it reminds me of when elementary kids have their mommies and daddies come to their school and eat lunch in the cafeteria with them and their friends. I know from my Awana peeps that it's the Big Deal. We got to meet her friends and see her office and even see a real Super Bowl ticket from 2 years ago. It was all kinds of fun and I wish I could do it every single week.
Then Haley came for dinner and our sweet R family was here. It was loud and busy and much fun-ness. We just love our girl.
But now that her bday is over its time to get back to living our normal joyful life and put away all the cookies and maybe even pull out the carrots again.
I woke up feeling like we all needed to reset. Since none of my kids came with a real reset button we did the next best thing. CLEAN HOUSE. Nothing says new beginnings like a sparkling potty.
But first we needed to do a bit of chore re-org. Our old chore system was tired and not working effectively and soooo 2014. A change was in order.
Except for some weekend/evening kitchen work, our teenagers are not doing chores. They are gone too much and too busy to be able to help much right now. So I gave them a good momma speech about making their beds and cleaning up after themselves. Leaving no mess no matter how small. If you do it now you won't have to do it later.... Blah blah blah.
Then I moved to the youngers. And for the first time in a while I reassigned buddies. Jes (12) and Nate (10) are buddies. And Josh (13), Mally (9), and Z (7) are a 3 buddy team.
Everyone starts with their own chores then moves along to help their buddy and have their buddy check their work.
Here's the new chore schedule...
Josh - chickens, back porch, vacuum every afternoon, project room and bar
Jess - Parlor, dining room with Nate
Nate - Dining room with Jess, boys' bath, dog poop with Zeke
Mally - living room, yard pick up, girls wing
Zeke - bathroom trashes, sweep hall, laundry room and laundry bathroom, dog poop
Everyone makes their beds and cleans their own rooms. They fold their own laundry and put it away. COW has kitchen work.
I also took away music and talking privileges during chore times. At least until we are moving along quickly and diligently with good work ethic.
The day was a success. We ended with a clean house, a happy momma, and a trip to the library.
I'm thinking this new system is going to work nicely.
Honey and I got to have lunch with her at work because she only gets 30 min. And it reminds me of when elementary kids have their mommies and daddies come to their school and eat lunch in the cafeteria with them and their friends. I know from my Awana peeps that it's the Big Deal. We got to meet her friends and see her office and even see a real Super Bowl ticket from 2 years ago. It was all kinds of fun and I wish I could do it every single week.
Then Haley came for dinner and our sweet R family was here. It was loud and busy and much fun-ness. We just love our girl.
But now that her bday is over its time to get back to living our normal joyful life and put away all the cookies and maybe even pull out the carrots again.
I woke up feeling like we all needed to reset. Since none of my kids came with a real reset button we did the next best thing. CLEAN HOUSE. Nothing says new beginnings like a sparkling potty.
But first we needed to do a bit of chore re-org. Our old chore system was tired and not working effectively and soooo 2014. A change was in order.
Except for some weekend/evening kitchen work, our teenagers are not doing chores. They are gone too much and too busy to be able to help much right now. So I gave them a good momma speech about making their beds and cleaning up after themselves. Leaving no mess no matter how small. If you do it now you won't have to do it later.... Blah blah blah.
Then I moved to the youngers. And for the first time in a while I reassigned buddies. Jes (12) and Nate (10) are buddies. And Josh (13), Mally (9), and Z (7) are a 3 buddy team.
Everyone starts with their own chores then moves along to help their buddy and have their buddy check their work.
Here's the new chore schedule...
Josh - chickens, back porch, vacuum every afternoon, project room and bar
Jess - Parlor, dining room with Nate
Nate - Dining room with Jess, boys' bath, dog poop with Zeke
Mally - living room, yard pick up, girls wing
Zeke - bathroom trashes, sweep hall, laundry room and laundry bathroom, dog poop
Everyone makes their beds and cleans their own rooms. They fold their own laundry and put it away. COW has kitchen work.
I also took away music and talking privileges during chore times. At least until we are moving along quickly and diligently with good work ethic.
The day was a success. We ended with a clean house, a happy momma, and a trip to the library.
I'm thinking this new system is going to work nicely.
Sunday, January 04, 2015
Four Days Into 2015
I never really feel like the holidays are over until after Meg's birthday on the 6th. And I've kinda noticed that it takes awhile for everybody else to jump back into the swing of things too. People are still on vacation, school is still out, no evening services at church, and the stores are still crowded.
2015 started out just perfect. Meg and Ethan spent the night NY Eve and everybody stayed up late eating food, watching movies, playing xbox, and having nerf battles. Everybody but me because SLEEP!!
Then the next morning Ethan and Christian left for a big backpacking trip and Meg stayed all day until bedtime and we just stayed in our pjs and were lazy. It was a perfect start.
A couple of days earlier we got the great news that Christian and Haley are officially an item. Is that how you even say that anymore? Hanging out? Going With? Dating? Well however you say it, he got permission from Haley's dad to spend some time together and get to know her better. She is precious and we are all looking forward to getting to know her better.
On Friday the DCFS lady called to set up an appointment for this Friday to do the initial walk through of our house to start our home study. So I immediately texted Dana because OH MY WORD and PANIC! I had gotten it into my head that they might skip us since classes start Saturday and nobody had called. But that's not the case. So we are busy doing some of the last minute things that we hadn't gotten around to yet.
Yesterday Meg and I spent the whole day shopping and eating. We always shop on her birthday and it's something I look forward to every year. We hit 7 stores and barely bought anything. It was a ton of fun.
And today my mom and grandmother are coming!! Grandmother hasn't been here since we moved into this house and I'm super excited!
2015 started out just perfect. Meg and Ethan spent the night NY Eve and everybody stayed up late eating food, watching movies, playing xbox, and having nerf battles. Everybody but me because SLEEP!!
Then the next morning Ethan and Christian left for a big backpacking trip and Meg stayed all day until bedtime and we just stayed in our pjs and were lazy. It was a perfect start.
A couple of days earlier we got the great news that Christian and Haley are officially an item. Is that how you even say that anymore? Hanging out? Going With? Dating? Well however you say it, he got permission from Haley's dad to spend some time together and get to know her better. She is precious and we are all looking forward to getting to know her better.
On Friday the DCFS lady called to set up an appointment for this Friday to do the initial walk through of our house to start our home study. So I immediately texted Dana because OH MY WORD and PANIC! I had gotten it into my head that they might skip us since classes start Saturday and nobody had called. But that's not the case. So we are busy doing some of the last minute things that we hadn't gotten around to yet.
Yesterday Meg and I spent the whole day shopping and eating. We always shop on her birthday and it's something I look forward to every year. We hit 7 stores and barely bought anything. It was a ton of fun.
And today my mom and grandmother are coming!! Grandmother hasn't been here since we moved into this house and I'm super excited!
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