New school year. New blog look.
I've changed "looks" before...but MAN have I struggled this time with it and I don't know why. The previous background I had would not stay deleted making a rather scary blend of whats up there and whats there now. I FINALLY got rid of that....but now the stuff I usually keep on the side....is at the bottom...and it won't move...and I'm tired of it so I thought perhaps I'd just blog about it. Fitting.
School has started for the older two and seems to be going well over all. Back into the swing of things gradually. Next week we get to jump in full force with preschool and after school activities. I wish I could say I was greatful but honestly I wish we had just one more month of summer. I rather go hang out at the pool. Don't tell my 9 year old.
In other news, my Grandma is not doing well. A week ago she had a stroke and the tumer moved/grew/advanced/ whatever preventing her from being able to eat/drink/absorb food. The doctor gave her a week at most. Day 9 here. So, medicine really is not so much an exact science is it? Its just hard for everyone. Hard for her to deal with the end, with all the joys of life taken away. Hard for everyone else to watch helplessly and feeling guilty thinking/planning/not talking about whats next.
So whats a person to do? Well, spend two days going through kids' clothes. I have NO bags of unorganized clothes anywhere in this house. Done with that task I moved on to windows today and other random cleaning type chores. Guess thats one way of dealing.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Less Ranting
Boy that was a rant.
Summer apparently also means having random thoughts that are constantly interupted (house full of kids my 4+ random other ones) until they explode out of your brain. (see previous post) Summer also means going more places, seeing more people and having more comments thrown your way out of the blue. Winter people and places are used to the way we look. Summer people and places, not so much. Winter routine lulls me in complacency. Summer jerks me back out of it. Oh yeah, thats right...we're "different. Summer is also exhausting and keeping your "cool" just that much harder. But I'll work on it.
So in contrast to my rant. This weekend we went camping (again) AND the campsite next to us was very close. The man of the site next to us said in parting, you have a beautiful family. I'll take that. :)
Summer apparently also means having random thoughts that are constantly interupted (house full of kids my 4+ random other ones) until they explode out of your brain. (see previous post) Summer also means going more places, seeing more people and having more comments thrown your way out of the blue. Winter people and places are used to the way we look. Summer people and places, not so much. Winter routine lulls me in complacency. Summer jerks me back out of it. Oh yeah, thats right...we're "different. Summer is also exhausting and keeping your "cool" just that much harder. But I'll work on it.
So in contrast to my rant. This weekend we went camping (again) AND the campsite next to us was very close. The man of the site next to us said in parting, you have a beautiful family. I'll take that. :)
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Adoption bugs
I am Mom to 4 kiddos who are completely mine, through adoption. Something that has been around since the dawn of time practicly, but is still it is not really understood by people who are not directly affected by it. (even though it is amazing how connected people can try to make themselves to it when they want to be...but that is for another post)
I have experience on 2 of the three traditional sides of adoption. Its a bit unique. But my post today is on bugs from the perspective of an adoptive parent.
My oldest is neary the ripe old age of 10. 10 people. It is absolutely shocking to me the things people will ask in FRONT of him. Things like, "are they brothers and sisters" I of course answer yes!!! And STILL people persist with the, 'you know what I mean". It stuns me. My children are beautiful and unique. They do not look like each other. Not even a little bit. How can people be so dumb???? Do they even stop to think about how asking questions like that in front of a not yet 10 year old will do to his understanding? We do talk about it for the record.
The other thing that has happened or has been said to me this summer is in reference to the kids' birth families. "its probably best they don't have contact" "do you have to send updates" "do the kids ask" I have ZERO problems talking about adoption. At an appropriate time and place. Play groups, not so much the place to delve into such things so much. And for the record, I have the utmost respect for my kids' other parents.
My last gripe(for today anyway) is this one. My kids are my kids. Not my adopted kids. Please do not introduce them as such. Adoption is how we came to be a family. Its something that happened. It doesn't keep happenig.
There I feel better.
I have experience on 2 of the three traditional sides of adoption. Its a bit unique. But my post today is on bugs from the perspective of an adoptive parent.
My oldest is neary the ripe old age of 10. 10 people. It is absolutely shocking to me the things people will ask in FRONT of him. Things like, "are they brothers and sisters" I of course answer yes!!! And STILL people persist with the, 'you know what I mean". It stuns me. My children are beautiful and unique. They do not look like each other. Not even a little bit. How can people be so dumb???? Do they even stop to think about how asking questions like that in front of a not yet 10 year old will do to his understanding? We do talk about it for the record.
The other thing that has happened or has been said to me this summer is in reference to the kids' birth families. "its probably best they don't have contact" "do you have to send updates" "do the kids ask" I have ZERO problems talking about adoption. At an appropriate time and place. Play groups, not so much the place to delve into such things so much. And for the record, I have the utmost respect for my kids' other parents.
My last gripe(for today anyway) is this one. My kids are my kids. Not my adopted kids. Please do not introduce them as such. Adoption is how we came to be a family. Its something that happened. It doesn't keep happenig.
There I feel better.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Birthday Song
Do you know what the number one song was on the day you were born??
It was "American Woman" by The Guess Who for me.
Go here: http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm if you want to find out!!
It was "American Woman" by The Guess Who for me.
Go here: http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm if you want to find out!!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Out my window
I'm looking out my window while waiting for my mop bucket to fill. Here is what I saw.
Its 75 degrees outside my theremometer says. Its HUMID however and stuffy. No breeze and cloudy.
My neighbors are on vacation. My neighbor sister is watching their house, and comes over every afternoon. There are towels drying all over the back end of her truck now....she is up to something and my guess that her sister will have a happy surprise to come home too.
I live in a very diverse town. Cultural difference in raising children do apply. A group of children who parents were most likely born in Mexcio just rode by. I know some of them by name but all of them by face. The kids are allowed to go much further then I'm comfortable in letting my kids go (which bums them out considerably) BUT what I love to see with this group of kids is how they watch out for each other with fierceness. Case in point today, the oldest girl has her brother or cousin who is still riding a tricycle tethered to her bike so she can help pull him along and he can keep up with the pack. Dangerous I know. Yes they are on the street. The little one DID have a helmet on, unusual. But so sweet too. I have seen time and again the sad faces of my little girls when the big kids take off with out them. I can only imagine how their faces would light up if I were to allow their sibs to do the same. I'm not going to though. Sorry girls.
Down just a bit further someone is pacing while talking on the phone in front of the house where my neighbor passed away this week. He was only 55. I did not really know him other then he was friendly enough neighbor. Someone to wave too when bringing in the trash can, that sort of thing. It was totally unexpected collapsed in his house. He and his wife lost a teen son 12 years ago. They have another son who is married and two teens at home. Say a prayer for them today if you think of it. This has quite an effect on me this week. Time is so precious. Kiss your spouse and your kids today. A lot.
My bucket is full.
Its 75 degrees outside my theremometer says. Its HUMID however and stuffy. No breeze and cloudy.
My neighbors are on vacation. My neighbor sister is watching their house, and comes over every afternoon. There are towels drying all over the back end of her truck now....she is up to something and my guess that her sister will have a happy surprise to come home too.
I live in a very diverse town. Cultural difference in raising children do apply. A group of children who parents were most likely born in Mexcio just rode by. I know some of them by name but all of them by face. The kids are allowed to go much further then I'm comfortable in letting my kids go (which bums them out considerably) BUT what I love to see with this group of kids is how they watch out for each other with fierceness. Case in point today, the oldest girl has her brother or cousin who is still riding a tricycle tethered to her bike so she can help pull him along and he can keep up with the pack. Dangerous I know. Yes they are on the street. The little one DID have a helmet on, unusual. But so sweet too. I have seen time and again the sad faces of my little girls when the big kids take off with out them. I can only imagine how their faces would light up if I were to allow their sibs to do the same. I'm not going to though. Sorry girls.
Down just a bit further someone is pacing while talking on the phone in front of the house where my neighbor passed away this week. He was only 55. I did not really know him other then he was friendly enough neighbor. Someone to wave too when bringing in the trash can, that sort of thing. It was totally unexpected collapsed in his house. He and his wife lost a teen son 12 years ago. They have another son who is married and two teens at home. Say a prayer for them today if you think of it. This has quite an effect on me this week. Time is so precious. Kiss your spouse and your kids today. A lot.
My bucket is full.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Stuff
How did it get to be this late in July already???
I think when you live in the midwest you have to stuff as much as possible into these summer days befor old man winter wakes up again. So we run around doing everything a person can outdoors until we are sick to death of everything you can do outdoors!
Soooo...we have been busy going to parks, ball games, swimming, camping, bike riding, fishing, sandbox playing, bubble blowing, fort building and today for fun....garage cleaning!! lol The garage needed to be mucked out as we are having a party here Friday to celebrate our first year with the new business! We're still going strong. Very proud of that hubby of mine.
Speaking of proud. My 3 year old learned to ride a two wheeler this past weekend!! Apparently while I was at the showerhouse while camping she and Daddy had a talk and took them off....3 steps later with Dad and she was GONE! I came out and she whizzed by me grinning ear to ear. And yes, in these pics she has no helmet. Keeping kids in bike helmets while at a campground really is a losing battle. She does where it most of the time.....so no lectures please.
Monday, July 7, 2008
this and that
Overheard conversation
H - S, what do panda's eat?
S - french fries and ketchup
H - no....they eat bamboo!
S- ew ew ew ew (make this a sing song with emphasis type ew)
Busy days around here!!
We went down south to visit my Grandma....and ended up taking my Mom to the ER. She was later admitted with C-diff. Look it up if you'd like a scare. She has a severe form but thankfully not viral. She is out of the hosptial after 8 days and home again on the slow road to recovery. Never did make it to see my Grandma so will have to try again here later this month.
In happy news, my sister became engaged to a wonderful guy the weekend before the 4th. We are all very excited to start thinking wedding bells and a little family vacation for next year. Any ideas on what a family with mostly young children should think about stopping to do between Minnesota and Ohio?
The following week took the crew with hubby in tow camping over the fourth. Who knew fun could just about kill ya? We have been dragging around here again for two days recovering. G at 19 months now slept over 13 hours last night and STILL took a 2 hour nap today.
We are about caught up and ready to resume life as normal again....camping laundry is done. God sent a lovely rainstorm tonight so I don't need to water anything and at the moment....all is peaceful!
H - S, what do panda's eat?
S - french fries and ketchup
H - no....they eat bamboo!
S- ew ew ew ew (make this a sing song with emphasis type ew)
Busy days around here!!
We went down south to visit my Grandma....and ended up taking my Mom to the ER. She was later admitted with C-diff. Look it up if you'd like a scare. She has a severe form but thankfully not viral. She is out of the hosptial after 8 days and home again on the slow road to recovery. Never did make it to see my Grandma so will have to try again here later this month.
In happy news, my sister became engaged to a wonderful guy the weekend before the 4th. We are all very excited to start thinking wedding bells and a little family vacation for next year. Any ideas on what a family with mostly young children should think about stopping to do between Minnesota and Ohio?
The following week took the crew with hubby in tow camping over the fourth. Who knew fun could just about kill ya? We have been dragging around here again for two days recovering. G at 19 months now slept over 13 hours last night and STILL took a 2 hour nap today.
We are about caught up and ready to resume life as normal again....camping laundry is done. God sent a lovely rainstorm tonight so I don't need to water anything and at the moment....all is peaceful!
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