Saturday, September 29, 2007

The Adventure begins...

The social worker that is working with us to foster my cousin's children arrived yesterday afternoon and was given a welcome like most people receive when coming to visit us. The minute she pulled up to the house, Ryan and Aaron were out at her car before I could yell, "no". I'm not sure what all they were telling her but I can only imagine.

The interview went really well and so she is going to recommend that the girls come here. The scheduled date is October 12th but we have to have everything ready to go by the 8th like beds, dressers, etc. So the adventure begins.

It is amazing now that I look back and see how God has moved everything in place that needed placing like giving the opportunity to my Mom to be in a new place so we could have a bedroom for the girls, using the layoff for my husband for us not only to start up a business but to allow him to be here to help with the adjustment, friends that have been a wealth of support and information for my many, many questions. The list goes on and on. Boy, when God wants something done....He takes care of everything down to the tiniest detail!

After, we made the decision to pursue this, God confirmed it in three different places that is just giving me goosebumps thinking about it as I type this. It just makes me speechless. The thing that just keeps running through my head is this....."he only asks if you are available". We are a little concerned about some of the costs that are going to be involved in this adventure but again, God knows all the details and we are trusting and believing that this will be taken care of too.

Stay tuned as the adventure unfolds! We appreciate your prayers!

Friday, September 28, 2007

Cleaning...

We are busy getting ready for the social worker to come today to do a home study. So I decided I'd better clean. I've got to admit something to you. I hate cleaning. I really hate it. To top it off, it's at the bottom of my list because other things have to come first like schooling our kids, the business and blogging. So needless to say, there is a fair amount of dust that has collected upon layer upon layer of itself.

As I was dusting, (yes, I actually dusted for this appointment), I found my long lost children. Seriously, I actually found the top of my entertainment center. My daughter comes out in the livingroom and says, "Woooooowww, it's beautiful!" I wasn't sure if I should hug her for being so complimentary and encouraging or if I should just stop right there and let her continue the cleaning for being unsympathetic to my inadequacies. Since, I really want it clean, I chose to ignore her comment.

As we continued on, I discovered not only the ceiling fan but the ceiling around it coated in these cute little particles we've become so fond off. Note to self....do not and I repeat, do not dust the entertainment center of anything below the ceiling until after you've dusted the fan blades. Another note to self...do not stand directly under ceiling fan when dusting blades as you will get a nice eyeful of dust.

So now we are mostly done with the cleaning or as much as is going to get done at this point, so I'm going to grab some lunch before I pass out from lack of nourishment. But before I go, I had one last thought....

Recently in the news there was this article on 'Popcorn lung'. It's actually a real disease you can get from inhaling the fumes from the microwave popcorn bag. It got me to thinking that in the cleaning fury that was going on in the house today, I must post a disclaimer on our home. Here it is....

If you enter this home or live in this home shortly after a cleaning storm has occurred, please be aware of the 'dust lung' disease that could occur and has a potential for hazardous breathing. Should you inhale the thick cloud of dust that is lingering in the air, please be advised that a chorus of sneezing will surely clear any further damage to the nostrils, windpipe and lung of such individuals.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Follow that Red Suburban to Port Huron KOA

We recently took a camping trip to the Port Huron KOA. We had a long weekend scheduled to spend with other fellow homeschooling families from our group.

After arriving at our destination, we found our site. It was a beautiful, pull-through site with full hook-up. For those of you who are unfamiliar with those terms, I'll explain. A pull through site is a site that is available for you to just pull your camper through and park. There is no backing in, no shimmying this way and that way to get your 30 foot camper in a 15 foot site. Trust me, it's a beautiful thing. The other term, full hook-up, means you have water, electricity and sewer. In my opinion, this is a must have. We've spent most of the summer camping without it and boy, what a difference it makes when you don't have to fuss about your tanks getting to full or fussing about running out of water while you are in the shower! Again, it's a must have!

The weather was a bit cold but at least the sun was shining making it a beautiful Fall-like weekend. The kids had a blast inspite of the temperature. We spent much of the weekend around the campfire trying to keep warm. We did have one unfortunate incident which could have been very bad but thank goodness it turned out to be minor. Aaron was walking around the campfire and tripped over his scooter, landing on the ground but his fingers touched the grill on the pit with the fire going full force. At first, all we could hear is the screaming and I couldn't tell what exactly was burned so I put ice on all of his fingers. Of course, after the incident was over, I read somewhere you are not suppose to do that but I'm just glad it turned out ok. After sitting with him for quite some time and finally distracting him with chocolate (which worked!), we found that only one finger was affected. From then on, he steered clear of our campfire.

Our homeschool group activity was planned for the Sawmill City that is attached to the KOA. They had the bumper boats still up and running and the kids, despite how cold it was, enjoyed those even in the process of getting soaked. The biggest hit with my kids was the GO-Karts. My boys love cars that go fast!

The Port Huron KOA is a wonderful place to camp. They have a very fun jumping pillow that Ryan absolutely loved and spent most of his time doing. They have unusual bikes you can rent by the hour which were also a hit with the kids. Then there was the game room, the general store and the pizza place. The people who work there were very accommodating and friendly too. It just makes it a great camping experience.

We give the Port Huron KOA a seven thumbs up!

We also give our homeschool group, Macomb Christian Homeschoolers, a seven thumbs up! You guys rock!

Saturday, September 22, 2007

She's......10!

Today is Grace's special day! She has now reached 10!

Originally, we had a cute as a cupcake day planned with several of her friends. They were to get their nails painted, hair done and all that goes along with that but much to her dismay, business is very slow for her parents so she agreed to an alternative.

Grace and I spent the day shopping yesterday! She made her list of stores she wanted to browse through and we checked them off as we went along. We started out at DSW Shoes and then went to Family Christian Bookstore. Then, it was lunchtime. Her choice for lunch was Steak-n-Shake. She had a steak burger, cheese fries and a double fudge dark chocolate sippable sundae.

Off to the mall was next on her list. We browsed through the Disney Store, J.C. Penney's, Libby Lu, K.B. Toys and Sears. Then we went to JoAnne's where she picked out material and a pattern for Grandma to teach her a bit about sewing. After that we hit Target where the fun never ends.

Today, she had breakfast with Dad to start the day our right. We had a family birthday party for Grandma who is now 93 to attend so we took out some time for that. Then we had dinner at the Coney Island with dessert at Dairy Queen.

She even got her Hanana Montana wig! She'd love to pass out autographs....if you ask nicely!


Happy 10th Birthday, Grace!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Detours....

Sometimes you find yourself truckin' down life's highway and all of the sudden out of the blue you come upon a pretty neon orange colored sign that says, "Detour". It's not something you've expected but you've got to make a decision. This week, our family has hit one of those 'detour signs'.

I got a call from my Grandma yesterday. She had a bit of news about one of our family members that was very sad. I won't go into all the details but the main point was that two little girls were removed from the home and put into the foster care system. Only a blood relative could get them out. As she was telling me this, my heart started to race and my mind was going into action. Do we know a relative that would take them was the question asked. I wasn't sure who or if anybody would be willing. Then I started thinking about the possibility of us.....

After getting off the phone, I promptly went to tell my husband what was going on. He said to me...Why don't we take them? A flood of questions and what if's started running through my mind. I never really considered being a foster parent. Would this make things sticky with the family? How would people take it? The money is a huge issue. Where would we put them? There are so many things to think about and work out here like...space. But I agreed to call the social worker.

The social worker asked me why I would want two more if I already had five. All I have to say is....the more the merrier. That, and maybe I'm a nut. If this goes through, I'm totally getting a sign for my door! Welcome to the Nuthouse!

On a more serious note, I keep thinking about those two little girls who our family hasn't been able to be around because of the situation but if we were to take them, they would be able to get to know some of their family members. I know this could just be temporary but we don't know what God has in store in the temporary. Perhaps this is one place God can use our family to reach out and help. Sometimes God asks us to go beyond ourselves and do things that make absolutely no sense. I wonder if this is one of those times?

It is going to mean huge changes and our kids said they were up for the challenge....well, most of them. Our oldest, is a little concerned. He said that it's already crazy here. But in the end, his only comment was that his babysitting fee was going up. I guess that means he's adjusting to the idea.

There are a lot of things that have to get checked out and prepared before this all comes together. I ask that you would pray for us, that if this is God's will that all the details would be worked out smoothly and the transition would go well.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

I've Been Tagged Again!

Long, long ago in the land of 'the Mom with Brownies', I was tagged to do a meme on The Top Ten Books I needed should I be trapped on an Island with my children. So here it goes:

1. Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson would be an absolute must.

2. Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours by Kevin Leman.

3. Frog and Toad Together.

4. Bob books (the entire set) because one of the children wants to read the following.

5. Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People.

6. The Bible.

7. The Lord of the Ring Series

8. Narnia

9. The Pokey Little Puppy

10. SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in any Climate, on land or at Sea

Ok, Random Harmony, you're it!

Monday, September 03, 2007

Follow That Red Suburban to The Romeo Peach Festival

We decided to pack the kids up in the 'burb' and head for the Romeo Peach Festival. It's an annual event that has been going on for like 76 years. I grew up there and attended them year after year. Now we bring our kids to it and they get to hear me walk down memory lane as we drive into town.

Just as a side note, as we were getting ready to go, Ryan comes running around the corner with paper attached to his feet. He was quite delighted with himself. I had to ask, though, how he got the paper to stick. His answer.....glue, of course! Silly me...why didn't I think of that.

We arrived in town, parked the car in my cousin's driveway, loaded up the stroller and off we went, to find a place to watch the parade. We hooked up with some very dear friends and settled in to see what this years parade would bring. Within two seconds, our oldest found the hot dog stand and had his order placed and half eaten before I could even get my camp chair out of it's bag. Silly me....I should have figured that!

One of my favorites is the school bands. And they have them from all over. Grace loved the cheerleaders. Ryan and Aaron loved the candy that was being thrown. And Brad....he loves the food. It does taste better there, doesn't it??? It's like going to Home Depot on a Saturday just for the Hot Dog's. Whoever heard of that?

We mentioned to the kids that maybe, maybe we would go to the carnival. Why I do this to myself is clearly questionable. I forget from year to year what this means. This is what happens.....

....we got to carnival, fighting big crowds of people. Stand in long line to get tickets for rides. Freak out at cost of rides, elephant ears, pop, games, etc. Lose Aaron. Say to ourselves, "what were we thinking"! Promptly leave with kids whining that they only got to do one thing. Husband reminding wife that she forgets what happens with our carnival adventures. Wife pushing stroller frantically fast to get the heck out of there while husband is reminding her of such mentioned heretofore.

Quick give that man $100 (ok, so it was like $9 but it seemed like a $100) so they can whack the bell with a big hammer so we can say they did something so they can get those 'prizes' (since we don't have enough at home to hit mommy in the head with) at the carnival and let's get the heck out of here before we lose Aaron (again)!

We arrived at my Aunt's house in town where we were to have dinner. Ryan and Aaron met my cousin's boy who happens to be about the same age and they, together, hit the dirt pile. Between guns and sand, they were happily playing. The rest of us were entertained by Kara's fascination with a 13 year old dog whose name is Cinders. Kara loves dogs. She even tries to talk to them in doginese. I think they might just understand each other. She had her (the dog) following her around. Much to my shock, the dog was licking her face and mouth and boy, was she loving that. The dog kissed her! She squealed with delight. She pulled, patted, hugged and tried to pick up that dog. He was probably glad when we left~!

After a wonderful meal and a lovely time together, we headed on home. Bedtime was finally here!

We give the Romeo Peach Festival a seven thumbs up! It's parade and festivities around town make it a great adventure for the whole family.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Again with the Sunday's

Sundays are always interesting.

I woke up this morning behind schedule. My kids didn't even wake me up. Most days I would have welcomed this with open arms but in order for me to get everyone ready and out the door on time, I have to be up at a certain time. I'm not complaining, mind you....my husband was trying to do something nice for me by keeping the kids away from my bedside. He just chose the wrong day to do it. I didn't want to tell him anything but how much I appreciated his efforts for fear it would never happen again.

I did manage to get myself and the kids ready and we did arrive at church around the same time we usually get there....yes, there was still singing going on and I don't mean at the end of the service. This should tell you something. We arrived before the sermon started even though I'm not sure how important that is since we only hear bits and pieces of it. We spend more time chasing Aaron around the atrium because it's more fun to sit on the base of the pedestals and it's more fun to crawl under the seats....and oh, let's lay on the floor and put our feet up on the seats while singing a song we made up is even better. Then there is the trips to the bathroom with Ryan, trips to the water fountain because we are soooo very thirsty. So thirsty it just can't wait. Thus the cycle....water goes in, water must come out. Just don't ask me what the sermon was about and we'll be all set.

We happened to be having communion. How do you take communion seriously when one of your children asks you what the prune juice is for. We decided to let our two oldest take communion since they know what it is for and about. But what I wasn't counting on was when one kids gets to do something the other's just have to too. All of the sudden, I have two boys who are six and three asking for a snack. Why can't we have a snack? I need a dwink. I'm hungry. Why do they get to have a snack and we don't??? Mom...mom...mom...mmmmoooommmm!

After rounding up the children, we headed home because I was so in need of a nap. I think I mentioned that fact to the people around me as I was dragging my weary body out of church. They just smiled and nodded. I don't think they quite understood what I was getting at. I am telling you, it's like getting a holy workout. Just go to church with five kids!

I tried laying on the couch for a few minutes to rest my eyes but the pats on the face because I just have to ask you a question did not provide for a restful experience. I recently bought a book for Ryan and I to put a paper dinosaur together. He loves dinosaurs and I thought what a lovely time we would have together putting this project together. I think I wasn't thinking about the nagging to do it that would come with the package. He was quite excited about it and nagged me for three days to do it with him. Next time...I'm waiting till we have time to do it RIGHT now, right then before I reveal what I have in my hands.

So we are sitting there at the table putting together this dinosaur. There was cutting out to do which Ryan wanted me to do. He wanted to do the gluing. I was glad he was willing to do that since I wasn't sure what the end result would look like had it been the other way around. He kept checking the picture to make sure it was looking like what he saw.

We had the head finished and I was working on the body when all of the sudden....WHAM, I get hit in the forehead with the dinosaur head that was followed by growly noises. Yes, my three year old was using the head as a Goliath-type figure stomping on all our papers sending them flying to the floor along with the directions and of course, you have to have boyish growly noises to go with everything you are playing with. It's for the whole effect. My day is complete....I've been properly hit in the head with a flying object.

After politely telling Aaron that Mommy isn't in the mood for objects thrown at her head, we continued on. He must have been feeling left out as he decided it was necessary to sit right next to me. Since there wasn't a chair, the table is where he decided he was sitting. Try cutting out dinosaur parts while being bumped in the arm a jillion times. I hope Ryan's not going to get the magnifying glass out for inspection! All of the sudden, I have three little fingers flash before my eyes that had something greenish on them. I was about to ask him what he had when instantly my sentence stopped before I could even finish it. Green stuff on a three year's finger can only mean one thing......his fingers were in his pull-up....ughhhhh!!!

After washing his hands and cleaning out his fingernails, I began to question (once again) why he would ever do such a thing. I know, I find myself asking that same thing over and over again with no answer in sight. He's just a boy....a rascally one, at that.

I finally got to the tail of the dinosaur. All the parts were attached and it was standing. I was so happy. Then, Aaron struck again. He grabbed the dinosaur with growly noises echoing throughout the house and the dinosaur came tumbling down in pieces. Ryan cried. Mom cried. Aaron laughed. Not in a mean way. More like, that was way cool...do it again, Mom. Back to the drawing board....after I've had some deep, deep sleep....in a couple days.....when all this fun has wore off and I'm ready for more.

And this, is why Sunday's are interesting.