adoption updates

-It's been 9 weeks home since leaving the red dirt and leaving one behind, again. I was shocked that we'd have to make a third trip but I am comforted knowing that the Lord goes before me and knows what is best, and that we are not alone in this. We are banned together with many other families in the fight to get our children home. I am so thankful that for now she is being well cared for and loved on.

-I took Riley with me this trip and it was the best decision ever. She loved Uganda as much as I do and was brave and adventurous. She was so kind and compassionate to her new sister and I pray it will help their bond once she is home. Bring your kids with you if you can! 

-Home is good. There is nothing that will make you appreciate vacuuming and bathing your babies and cooking dinner and wiping noses then spending a long amount of time away from everyone and everything that you hold closely. I seriously spent my first 3 days home constantly thanking the Lord for all of it. Holding my babies, being home. It is so good and home is indeed where this mama belongs. (and I have absolutely no idea how I got through 5 weeks away during our adoption process in 2013, no idea!) 

-Recovering from Ugandan things like...injured tailbones from boda rides...makes me a legit experienced Ugandan visitor person. I'm just missing the nose ring ;-)

-I don't consider myself a super big "homeschooling is the best thing in the world and the best option for every child" kind of person, at all. But I do so love the flexibility we have. If we did not homeschool I have no idea how we would have made these past two trips happen. Constantly thanking the Lord for paving the way for this to be a real option for our family that we all benefit from.

-This past week has consisted of lots of cuddles, cooking, reading books and playing outside. Again, home is so good.

-It has been months and months since I have seen any progress in my body. I am sure raspberry cheesecake gelato has nothing to contribute to this fact. So this morning I woke at 4:30 (yes, four stinking thirty AM) and dragged myself to Crossfit and joined. Running is just not cutting it for me anymore, obvs! - and my friend reminded me of my long lost love for Crossfit that needed to be rekindled. I agree, it had been almost a full year without it and this morning I loved every single second of it- legs wobbly by the end and all! Snatches and rows and boxes and meter runs and sweat and sore bodies, bring it on.

-My current favorite dinner (that happens to also be whole30 approved) thanks to stalking JH on IG:
grill up onion, green pepper, jalapeño, whatever veggies you have on hand that you like grilled in a cast iron.
add 2 cans of diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted) and let simmer a little bit
make 4 shallow pits in the "sauce" and crack an egg in each
cover and let the egg cook through, you can break the yolk if thats how you like or leave it
once the egg is cooked through- sprinkle with salt/papper/parmesan cheese
feeds two people, adjust as needed

Gahhhhhh the egg comes out perfectly and it's so weirdly good. Like you are eating breakfast for dinner but kind of not. You're welcome.

-I should probably turn in when my eyes are so tired they are watering- 4:30am comes quickly. Thank you all for continuing to pray our girl home- we are overwhelmed at the outpouring of genuine love and concern and the desire to help that our community has shown us. We have good people, thankful to the Lord for each of you!

     (Mattresses on a boda)

*In the last 9 weeks since having to come home, we've had to hire an immigration attorney to help us obtain a visa for Olive. Up until this point, our adoption was fully funded, including the 3rd trip. But we've since had to use our travel money for the third trip ($5,000) to pay for the unexpected attorney fees, now leaving us short. We don't expect to travel until late May, and we are continuing to pray that the Lord will continue to provide for this last leg of the process! If you feel led, all donations made through this paypal link go directly into a separate adoption account where 100% goes towards our third trip to bring her home. *

change, summer and other things.

It's late, late July and I am yearning for fall. It's not far off, as summer has already lost it's feel. Read, feel, not heat. Summer's heat is still alive and well. But there is a difference in how it the days feel, the breeze blows, how the evenings end and the mornings begin.  Ever so slowly changing.

A new school year is coming up, just like that. We have a little over two weeks so these days are spent buried with coffee, my planner and stacks of books. I do so love the planning aspect of homeschooling. Crisp new books and pencils, new boxes of chalk and crayons. I have three books to order, and a list of books to put on hold at our library which we will be using often this year.  If you missed it, I blogged about my curriculum choices for this year here.

Nine days until my parents make their big move and well, I'm just planning on keeping myself really busy to distract myself from the reality of it all. It's hard, but I have to remind myself over and over again that it's not about me. And that The Lord will make this work together for good.  He will. He will fill in the gaps and fill up my heart and provide in ways that I can't even imagine right now because he is faithful and he is only good.  Last week they took my big girls and headed to house hunt for a few days in NY, it was a sweet way for my girls to feel included in the big change and for them to get excited about all of the fun they will have when they visit. We will find our new normal and it will be good.

While they went to NY, I took my little girls and headed to Florida to see my best friend for a super short trip. The drive was long but oh so relaxing. My girls slept and I listened to David Platt for hours and spent time with the Lord that I have not been able to spend in...well, ever. We shopped, dipped our feet in the gulf, ate from food trucks, indulged in more chic fil a then I thought possible, and talked and talked and talked. Just what my soul needed. Props to my husband who held down the fort at home with the boys while I stole away- he is irreplaceable.

Tomorrow is Sams Day. Yep, Sams Club, it has its own day here among my crew because what child doesn't love passing aisle by aisle being fed samples? We load up and make a day of it, shakes at Steak 'n Shake are among one of the favorites for Sams Day, and tomorrow my mom will be joining us for the last time and we are all super excited about that!

Here is to the last few weeks left of summer- praying they bring peace, rest and new beginnings! 

What Works for Us: Homeschooling Our Large Family Part 2

Our Daily Schedule

Because I have a lot of little kids (4 that are 5 and under) we don't follow a strict schedule as far a time goes, more of a plan of the day. The way I'd love for the day to go...but its OK if it doesn't. This is what I'd love for our days to look like, and our general guideline and to-do! :

*note- when we start school in August it is still very hot, in the 100's. We don't go outside to play until late afternoon after it has cooled, we are heat wimps! Later in the fall/winter/spring we are outside much more and typically in the morning as well*

-Breakfast

-Everyone: Dressed/Teeth Brushed

-Morning chores

-Family bible time

-Snack and Read-aloud time (around 10am)

-Math: R&A do their lessons & I help M&A with theirs

-Reading/English: I do reading and handwriting lessons with the little ones, the big girls read a selected book, usually alone, and journal about it. 

-Lunch: (around 12pm)

-Lunch clean up (dishes, counters, floors, table, switch laundry)

-English-  Little kids color, play blocks, read books while I do English lessons with the older kids. 

-Science OR History (we rotate daily): Read living science books, do nature/science journaling, OR do the MOH activity for the day & read related living books. 

-Snack: (around 2pm)

-Free time: NO tv. Can choose activity to do or book to read. Legos, Perler beads, Art, Nature Journals, Water the garden, bake something, dollhouse, dress up, etc. 

-Evening Chores

-Outside time, I get dinner prepped/started then join the kids outside. 

-Bathtime 

-Dinner (around 6pm)

-Nightly chores

-Earned electronic time! Computer & movies are allowed.

-Bedtime (around 8:30)

This is just what works for us. This school year will be interesting because we will have a newly walking one year old and well, do I even need to elaborate on all of the fun that brings? :) We will tweak this as needed and our days won't look like this when we have places to go!

You can read about our curriculum choices in Part 1 here!

"all good things are wild and free"

Am I the only one who thinks that Summer arrive much too fast this year? I clearly remember June of last year like it was last month. The weather is beautiful (not too hot, yet) and the calendar is full of beach days, pool days, parties, bbq's and a whole bunch of busyness. This summer my goal is to be intentional with my children but also, if you follow me on Instagram you'll recognize me hash tagging letting them be wild and free. Being intentional in letting them "experience the adventure, freedom and wonder of childhood".

What does this look like? Outdoors. Gardens. Dirt. Tag. Nature walks. Bugs. Nature journaling. Fort building. Indoor tent making. Lego building. Baking. Imagination wondering. Learning through experiences. Outside more. Question asking. Relaxed. Simple. Screen free. Just move us to a prairie in a camper. Kidding. Kind of.  If you are looking for a different way to not just do school (because it is largely a homeschool community) but also to do life- check it out.

Today it rained. And I loved it because it gives me a reason to not go anywhere and not do anything but hang out with my kids. And I'm secretly hoping it will be raining again tomorrow, too. Not having to water the garden is also really, really lovely. 

This weekend we are expecting our first overnight guests (yep- first. Cons (or pros) Of having the majority of your family in your area) for my sisters high school graduation. Addy asked me today: "whyy would they be coming here from Florida??". Really mom? Florida is where all the beaches and theme parks are, Disney world and Nick resort, why would anyone want to leave?! I love the way kids think. 

Adam started a new job last week, again. God has shown himself faithful to my husband and our family over and over and over again. We have been so blessed, and I love that my husband is in a position where he feels secure and loves what he's doing. The only downside to all of this, he can't take time off for a little while. Which means we had to cancel our camping vacation this month, and will be doing a "staycation" this summer. Luckily, we live in the perfect area for summer vacation. 

We are done with school, ok, Friday is the last official day.  It's whatever. Everyone knows the last week of school holds no purpose but to mark attendance. The sun came out today for about two hours, so we had a spur of the moment picnic in the yard. As I was washing the grapes and cutting the sandwiches and filling water bottles I was thinking to myself how crazy grateful I am to be able to homeschool my kids. I'm not a huge homeschool pusher, do what is best for your family...this just happens to be what is best for us, but I am thankful that the Lord allowed us to have such a great year this year and that I was able to see the real beauty and blessings in it. Not every mom can have picnics with their littles any time of day, or load everyone up during the week and head to the beach, or even things as simple as being able to skip the homework completely and just read books together. This is the first year that I am absolutely confident in our decision and cherishing this time. (summary- this is the first year in the past four that I have not registered my kids in school knowing I wasn't actually going to put them in). Ps- I'm a weird old lady now who finds great fun and joy in picking out and ordering curriculum. One of my favorite things about summer is decorating and adding to our school room and all of the new books.

With all of the good that comes with being home, I will be honest and say that being home with your children does not mean that you are present. You can be home with them all day and never spend any real time with them. Adam and I had been finding it harder and harder to give each child the individual attention that they need, which is common not only in big families, I've had moms of two kids tell me that they struggle to give their children "enough" one on one attention. So we came up with a simple little plan to help us get time with each kid alone. 

About two times a week we will choose a child to stay up with us 45 minutes later than when all of the other children go to sleep. It's completely random. We don't make a calendar or chart. We don't tell the child beforehand. We don't plan it. Typically we will notice when a certain child is not getting enough one on one or is having a hard day, and I will say to Adam "I think -insert name here- needs a night" as we see the need. At bedtime we will just whisper for them to stay down stairs when everyone else goes up for bed and we choose random things to do together. 

We have done this a few times already, and so far the things that have been chosen are: watering the garden together, reading books, playing dollhouse, baking something, drawing and they always get a snack of some sort. Something special that is not a common everyday snack, I try to keep things on hand for these nights. Last time we did this we made smores in the microwave. 

So this is what our last night looked like: 

I read four books together with the child. No baby in my lap. No distractions. We looked at photos and pointed and laughed and talked. We headed to the kitchen and made microwave smores (microwave marshmallow and chocolate until soft/partially melted, transfer to graham cracker, delish!). Washed it down with milk and then the child played dollhouse with Adam on the floor in the school room for the remainder of their time.

We have two rules for this time:

1-no electronic usage by anyone. No phones, tvs, tablets, nothing. 

2- what you do during your time is a special secret between you, mom and dad. This way, there is no comparison. Now of course some secrets are leaked every now and then, we don't enforce this- just remind them that it's a top secret. This also makes them feel good, having a big secret with mom and dad that nobody else can know. 

If you are struggling to get good, intentional time in with a child, try it out! Just do it when you can! Some weeks we are really busy and only do this once with a child, some weeks we do it 2-3 times! I love that it is random and unplanned, led by the needs of the child. 

And...tomorrow is clean-before-company day. And my intentional wild and free activity is finger painting...I'm not sure how one is going to go with the other, but I am looking forward to hanging 30954095893860395809485 freshly painted papers on my walls. So it really would be the perfect day for another set of storms. 

weekly rundown

Today is a bittersweet day, our youngest little boy turned three. Three? Excuse me while I go hide and cry. Why do the years have to go by faster and faster every year? I remember the details of his birth day so clearly, my first natural birth after three epi babies- he was born a whopping 9.7lbs of all boy! These past three years he has kept us on our toes! He is our family comedian, our escape artist (we won't talk of the time he ran away from home on the power wheel. Twice.) Our rough and tough, tree climbing, dirt digging, bed jumping, play outside until he passes out boy. He makes some days really hard, but even so, he is loved to bits by us all!

This week was a fairly slow one. We played at the park and splash pad with friends, and have I mentioned how grateful I am that our tiny town put in the money to build a beautiful playground and splash pad? We are blessed by it! We visited friends in their home, the kids chased frogs while I talked all things parenting, Jesus, homeschooling and life with my dear friend. Lets not forget that she made these amazing..HUGE..homemade peanut butter-oatmeal-M&M-homemade marshmallow cream stuffed cookies. To die for. I have all of the ingredients to make them now and I'm trying my best to hold out at least a few more days before indulging in another! So good.

I think I may have my first case of "runners knee". Maybe. I have a really tight feeling in my knee, not pain. Almost like something is squeezing it. Running actually makes it feel better, so I haven't stopped. I've gone a little crazy and began training for a half marathon in November- what is it about running? Can't stop. And on another note, my husband took a photo of me over the weekend. It was not a planned photo or a posed photo, he didn't even tell me he was taking it. Basically- there was no altering or staging or any trying to look good for this! And when I saw it, I was like "hey...that doesn't look so bad!" and then I was like, "hey...that is one of the first pictures I have seen of myself that I don't hate!". Non scale victory. It's the small things.

We have two weeks of school left. Two. This is my first year homeschooling that I have felt completely confident with what everyone has/is learning and the first year that I have really and truly enjoyed. It is also the first year that I have not gone back and forth on whether or not we want to continue homeschooling the next year, I am already shopping curriculum! Praising the Lord for this peace! Look out for a post on our curriculum run down for the upcoming school year this summer.

Tomorrow, our Addy turns SEVEN. Seven. I'm not even going to go there until I HAVVVEEEE to, so, not tonight! Enjoy your week, friends!