Wow. I know I haven't posted in quite a while. Ever since the boys got placed with us my blogging has kind of fallen off. By the time they go to bed at night I don't have the energy to post anything. There are so many things I wish I could share about them but we just can't. They are doing very well in preschool and learning lots of new things. They have really improved in letters, colors, numbers, and Cruiser writes his name by himself now! Some days he does better than others but with encouragement and when he's in the mood he writes it really well. Bruiser is day-time potty trained and even at school he does very well. He was wearing regular underwear with potty pants over top in case he did have an accident. After being accident free for a while I took the potty pants off and he's done very well since then!!!! He had a few accidents at school after the potty pants were gone but not many!! I've heard/read other Mom's talk about dreading when its about time to potty train. I'm sure I would have felt the same way if I had a child that was reaching that age. Thankfully, getting placed with a boy that is already at that age I didn't have time to dread getting to that point...he was already at the point of needing to have it done so I didn't have time to stew about it. With my personality I think it was good I didn't have the time to think about it...it was better to just dive right in and get it done. Easier said than done though. He still wears a diaper at night but everybody keeps telling me not to worry about it...that it will come in time. I'm trying to work on not letting it bother me.
As far as discipline goes we have been trying to figure out strategies that will work so they will learn to behave. Time-outs, corner and removal of privileges. I've been trying to talk with others on what works for them and their children. The hard thing is that they are raising bio children. I haven't had these kids since birth so I'm starting out with one very strong willed little boy and one who loves to please but does get moody/ornery. Don't get me wrong they are very good boys. However, they are kids so they do misbehave, challenge us, test our patience, and be ornery.
I've heard of 1-2-3 Magic by a few people and I've actually watched most of the DVD. I have always been skeptical of counting because I think that by counting to 3 or whatever number you may choose the child catches on that once you say 1 they still have at least 1 more chance to misbehave and they turn that into them controlling the situation by stopping the behavior at 2 or right when you say 3. Basically it just feels like your giving them permission to continue on in the behavior. Now I do realize the counting may not work for all situations however the DVD didn't cover some of the problems I have run into. For example, the first few times I did the counting with the boys and they persisted in their behavior they did take a time-out. However, now they think it is a game and when I say 1 they look at me and smile, persist in the behavior and then say that's 2. Man that is so frustrating. Its like they think its a game. But maybe I am doing something wrong...because this certainly isn't magic. I know that their is an age difference in the boys but when they are smiling at me and laughing and just by the look on their faces they know that they are doing something wrong they do need discipline for their actions. I've tried explaining behavior has consequences such as time outs, corner, removal of privileges. Cruiser seems to understand that most of the time. Bruiser still seems a bit puzzled by this and I've tried to break it down as simply as I can but maybe he's just still too young. During the 1-2-3 Magic DVD I watched the guy talk about us parents thinking of the kids as "little adults" he referred to it as "little adult syndrome." I feel myself thinking this many times. Forgetting that they don't have the same reasoning/logic that we do and that if I didn't have those expectations I could understand more of their misbehavior. So anyways, I'm not sure counting is going to work for us. But if any of you reading this do the counting...let me know what you think. Am I doing something wrong?
Our licensing worker came for her semi-annual over a month ago and talked about the discipline strategy called "Love & Logic" so I might start looking into that. I think the agency offers classes on it so I might just sign us up for that!
If any of you reading this have any suggestions/advice let me know.
We love love love these boys and they have taught me a lot! They wear me out but also make me laugh and smile at their craziness!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
Praying With Them And For Them
Each night before we put the boys to bed we pray with them. At first it was hard to get them to sit still and not keep interrupting. They do much better now. The little one still keeps his eyes open and kind of gazes off in space but I've noticed that the older one really closes his eyes tight and folds his hands and bows his head. We usually thank God for the day, food, safety, other siblings, their Mom and Dad, our family, the opportunity the Lord gave us to care for the boys, and most of all the gift of His Son Jesus who died for us so that we could be saved.
Even though we had been praying with them every night we were curious if they really were listening or understanding what we were saying. Yesterday, I was getting the boys ready for a nap and the older one came and asked can we say our prayers? I have to admit that usually at nap time we don't do prayers so I said, "No we need to get laid down it is getting late." He said, "Ok I'll just say them to myself." I said, Of course you can!" I heard him saying, "Thank you for the day, the food, my mother and father in law names, Aaron and Hammy, sister's names, his Mom and Dad." We walked into the little one's room to lay him down and I said, "Ok let's go ahead and say prayers." When we sat down the older boy said, "I want to say them." So I said, "Ok." He started praying and saying many of the same things above. When he stopped I started praying and when I said, "Most of all Lord thank you for Your Son Jesus who died...." I must have paused or swallowed or something because he immediately said, "For us." I couldn't believe it! He must actually be listening when we pray at night! Of course I realize he may not be understanding it all but I think he understands more than we think. Also, I think its good that they hear us praying for their Mom and Dad, their siblings and also for them. It shows the boys that we care about their birth family and want to support that relationship and also care and love them very much!
I pray that these are things that will stay with them forever. I pray that no matter what happens the Lord will work in their hearts and reveal Himself to them and that they would trust Him and follow His Son.
Being able to care for them has been such a blessing to us! We LOVE having them with us and they are SO much fun! Many times people ask, "How can you do that? How can you take these kids in knowing they could be returned to their family, you will get attached and how will you give them back?" Well, its true we are definitely attached and love these boys with everything but even if we had biological kids we aren't guaranteed them for life. The Lord gives AND takes away. Many parents have kids that end up passing away whether it be car accident, illness, etc. Do you think those parents would go back and change having that child? Absolutely not! These kids in foster care need so much love and attention and I feel like that would just be me being selfish if all I thought about was my feelings. Of course it will be hard and sad to give these kids back but just knowing we stepped up and cared for them is a great feeling! I would NEVER change having them here regardless of how short/long their stay is. These kids deserve loving/caring/stable families who can help them heal/grow/learn. I'm so thankful the Lord led us down this path and pray that He would continue to give us strength as we travel this unfamiliar (to us anyways) road.
Even though we had been praying with them every night we were curious if they really were listening or understanding what we were saying. Yesterday, I was getting the boys ready for a nap and the older one came and asked can we say our prayers? I have to admit that usually at nap time we don't do prayers so I said, "No we need to get laid down it is getting late." He said, "Ok I'll just say them to myself." I said, Of course you can!" I heard him saying, "Thank you for the day, the food, my mother and father in law names, Aaron and Hammy, sister's names, his Mom and Dad." We walked into the little one's room to lay him down and I said, "Ok let's go ahead and say prayers." When we sat down the older boy said, "I want to say them." So I said, "Ok." He started praying and saying many of the same things above. When he stopped I started praying and when I said, "Most of all Lord thank you for Your Son Jesus who died...." I must have paused or swallowed or something because he immediately said, "For us." I couldn't believe it! He must actually be listening when we pray at night! Of course I realize he may not be understanding it all but I think he understands more than we think. Also, I think its good that they hear us praying for their Mom and Dad, their siblings and also for them. It shows the boys that we care about their birth family and want to support that relationship and also care and love them very much!
I pray that these are things that will stay with them forever. I pray that no matter what happens the Lord will work in their hearts and reveal Himself to them and that they would trust Him and follow His Son.
Being able to care for them has been such a blessing to us! We LOVE having them with us and they are SO much fun! Many times people ask, "How can you do that? How can you take these kids in knowing they could be returned to their family, you will get attached and how will you give them back?" Well, its true we are definitely attached and love these boys with everything but even if we had biological kids we aren't guaranteed them for life. The Lord gives AND takes away. Many parents have kids that end up passing away whether it be car accident, illness, etc. Do you think those parents would go back and change having that child? Absolutely not! These kids in foster care need so much love and attention and I feel like that would just be me being selfish if all I thought about was my feelings. Of course it will be hard and sad to give these kids back but just knowing we stepped up and cared for them is a great feeling! I would NEVER change having them here regardless of how short/long their stay is. These kids deserve loving/caring/stable families who can help them heal/grow/learn. I'm so thankful the Lord led us down this path and pray that He would continue to give us strength as we travel this unfamiliar (to us anyways) road.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Amazing Feeling
There are many things that are great about being a mom. One of my favorite things however is seeing or hearing the boys do something that Aaron or I have taught them. Its not only an accomplishment for them but it also makes me feel good too! When the boys first came to us they would hardly play toys and constantly follow us around. There is still some of that going on but they are much better at it. We would spend time playing with them and showing them how to use the toys. They also wouldn't pretend play. I remember one day, shortly after they were just placed with us, we were playing with a castle and I was making up stories and pretending with them. They kind of looked at me like I was weird and they didn't quite understand. Now they have started doing pretend play much more often. I can hear them down the hallway, and listening to what they say and a lot of what they are saying is things we say. Typical things you would say when making dinner and setting the table. It is so cute and I love it! They were pretending today about one of the boys being in a time out and the other boy said, "I talked to him about it." He must hear Aaron and I saying that often. When one of the kids is in their room for something Aaron or I will say, "I'm going to go talk to him."
Recently we've been working with one of the boys on learning on how to swing. We were explaining how to pump your legs and we demonstrated it for him. He didn't appear to be listening or seem to want to try. Today when I picked him up from school his teacher asked me if he had been swinging? I told her we were working on it and she said he did it all by himself today. I was so proud of him and gave him a great big hug and kiss and told him how proud of him I was. He got a big smile on his face! That will never get old for me! I love seeing their faces light up when they know we're proud of them. He even asked me in the car about 15 minutes later..."Your proud of me?" Sometimes when I would go and pick him up from school I would watch him play outside. I wondered why he would never be on the swings. It was something I figured he would like. Turns out he just didn't know how.
So many other things such as colors, letters, taking shoes off, putting clothes on and taking them off, putting socks on right. All the things I see them doing that they weren't doing before and knowing we taught them that just makes my heart melt!
Recently we've been working with one of the boys on learning on how to swing. We were explaining how to pump your legs and we demonstrated it for him. He didn't appear to be listening or seem to want to try. Today when I picked him up from school his teacher asked me if he had been swinging? I told her we were working on it and she said he did it all by himself today. I was so proud of him and gave him a great big hug and kiss and told him how proud of him I was. He got a big smile on his face! That will never get old for me! I love seeing their faces light up when they know we're proud of them. He even asked me in the car about 15 minutes later..."Your proud of me?" Sometimes when I would go and pick him up from school I would watch him play outside. I wondered why he would never be on the swings. It was something I figured he would like. Turns out he just didn't know how.
So many other things such as colors, letters, taking shoes off, putting clothes on and taking them off, putting socks on right. All the things I see them doing that they weren't doing before and knowing we taught them that just makes my heart melt!
Monday, October 15, 2012
This Parenting Business Is Hard Work
Oh man do I love these two little guys we have staying with us! They are so much fun and silly and goofy! They are very affectionate and always wanting hugs and kisses and high fives! They love the praise and attention for things when they have done something right. Just seeing the smile on their face when we tell them we are proud of them or seeing the excitement in his eyes when he writes letters of the alphabet correctly or tell us when he needs to go potty and has not had an accident!
This parenting stuff is hard business though. I knew it would be hard regardless but with foster care I feel there are so many more variables. You are caring for someone else's kids, most times kids you haven't had with you since birth, you don't know a lot of their history and etc. You don't know how long these kids are going to be with you. You want them to enjoy living with you and feeling safe and comfortable and filling their bellies with food and teaching them new things. But at the same time you want to teach them structure and how to behave appropriately and say please and thank you and have a concern for others. I am constantly asking myself is this something I should shrug off as typical kid behavior or something we need to talk with them about or something they need a time out for. At times Aaron and I find ourselves discussing this right after they have just done something wrong and we just look at each other and end up winging it!
I never realized how selfless you have to be as a mom, or should I say how selfish I was before we had kids running around. Now I hardly ever get to start/finish a task without being interrupted, hardly ever getting to eat a meal that stays hot the whole time, knowing that I should let them help me do certain tasks because its good for them to learn and good for them to want to help even though it would be much faster if I just did it myself. Patience is a virtue my friends!
There are some days when I get tired of having to go and talk to a child for the 3rd, 4th, 5th and so on time about how we need to be nice and listen and obey. I need to seize those parenting/teaching moments right when they happen rather than waiting until I throw that last load of clothes in, finish vacuuming or folding laundry.
We've been reading them some bible stories and talking about God with them and explaining to them who God is. The other night the one boy said, (before their bedtime story) "Can we read the God book tonight?" It just made my heart melt. We were having them learn a memory verse last week and just hearing them remember it and say it was so sweet! I know they are young but I pray these things stick with them. I pray they will learn to love the Lord and follow His Son.
I want to make sure I spend time with them, not just meeting their basic physical needs but all their other needs too, emotional, social, intellectual, and cultural needs. Teaching them, playing with them and just being there for them. They are only young for such a short time and its time we can't get back and if they go home I want to make sure I gave them plenty of love and attention!
So these last few months have been amazing, exhausting, fun, challenging, and rewarding. I'm so thankful that God led us to foster care. It's had its frustrations and challenges and I'm sure there will be many more obstacles ahead but knowing that we were allowed the chance to provide these kids with a safe haven during a time of confusion and trauma makes me so thankful!
For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
This parenting stuff is hard business though. I knew it would be hard regardless but with foster care I feel there are so many more variables. You are caring for someone else's kids, most times kids you haven't had with you since birth, you don't know a lot of their history and etc. You don't know how long these kids are going to be with you. You want them to enjoy living with you and feeling safe and comfortable and filling their bellies with food and teaching them new things. But at the same time you want to teach them structure and how to behave appropriately and say please and thank you and have a concern for others. I am constantly asking myself is this something I should shrug off as typical kid behavior or something we need to talk with them about or something they need a time out for. At times Aaron and I find ourselves discussing this right after they have just done something wrong and we just look at each other and end up winging it!
I never realized how selfless you have to be as a mom, or should I say how selfish I was before we had kids running around. Now I hardly ever get to start/finish a task without being interrupted, hardly ever getting to eat a meal that stays hot the whole time, knowing that I should let them help me do certain tasks because its good for them to learn and good for them to want to help even though it would be much faster if I just did it myself. Patience is a virtue my friends!
There are some days when I get tired of having to go and talk to a child for the 3rd, 4th, 5th and so on time about how we need to be nice and listen and obey. I need to seize those parenting/teaching moments right when they happen rather than waiting until I throw that last load of clothes in, finish vacuuming or folding laundry.
We've been reading them some bible stories and talking about God with them and explaining to them who God is. The other night the one boy said, (before their bedtime story) "Can we read the God book tonight?" It just made my heart melt. We were having them learn a memory verse last week and just hearing them remember it and say it was so sweet! I know they are young but I pray these things stick with them. I pray they will learn to love the Lord and follow His Son.
I want to make sure I spend time with them, not just meeting their basic physical needs but all their other needs too, emotional, social, intellectual, and cultural needs. Teaching them, playing with them and just being there for them. They are only young for such a short time and its time we can't get back and if they go home I want to make sure I gave them plenty of love and attention!
So these last few months have been amazing, exhausting, fun, challenging, and rewarding. I'm so thankful that God led us to foster care. It's had its frustrations and challenges and I'm sure there will be many more obstacles ahead but knowing that we were allowed the chance to provide these kids with a safe haven during a time of confusion and trauma makes me so thankful!
For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Blogging
I know I haven't blogged in quite a while. Of course we've been busy over the past couple months and there are so many things I want to write about I'm just not sure if I want to continue blogging or not. We've been having a lot of fun and enjoying taking care of the 2 little guys we have with us but at the same time we feel so frustrated with the "system." I think most of my posts would all be negative so I'm trying to decide whether to keep writing or not.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Life As A (Foster) Mom
Appointments, phone calls, court, visits, more appointments, more phone calls....well I guess you get the picture. Have you noticed my posts are getting fewer and farther between? On top of all the things mentioned above I think I hear my name, although pronounced differently (Hammy) about 1,495,765 times a day. Of course I'm exaggerating but it sure feels like it. They say it about 12 times before I can even give them an answer. Crazy kids! However, they are super sweet, super cute, super loving and a lot of fun!
Whew it has been quite a week and I would be lying if I said it was easy. This has probably been the hardest week since the kids have been placed with us. I've just been feeling stressed and overwhelmed and wanting things to slow down. We've had so many things going on I think my feeling rundown is starting to catch up with me. Preschool, potty training (which is including lots of extra laundry), clothes shopping, all those appts, phone calls, paperwork. I'm sure many of you reading this have experienced this, but have you sat in the Dr's office for over an hour with a toddler for the Dr. to come in and spend 2 minutes with you?
I'm hoping within the next few weeks things will continue slowing down but we shall see. We've been enjoying having them with us. They are learning new things, opening up more and more and hopefully having lots of fun! We're praying that we can settle into a routine soon and continue to show these kids love and attention and fun and teach them about Jesus!!
Whew it has been quite a week and I would be lying if I said it was easy. This has probably been the hardest week since the kids have been placed with us. I've just been feeling stressed and overwhelmed and wanting things to slow down. We've had so many things going on I think my feeling rundown is starting to catch up with me. Preschool, potty training (which is including lots of extra laundry), clothes shopping, all those appts, phone calls, paperwork. I'm sure many of you reading this have experienced this, but have you sat in the Dr's office for over an hour with a toddler for the Dr. to come in and spend 2 minutes with you?
I'm hoping within the next few weeks things will continue slowing down but we shall see. We've been enjoying having them with us. They are learning new things, opening up more and more and hopefully having lots of fun! We're praying that we can settle into a routine soon and continue to show these kids love and attention and fun and teach them about Jesus!!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Life Is Different Now...But A Good Different
Wow...what a difference a week and a half makes. Going from 0 to 2 kids in a matter of a few days has been crazy busy. Lots of phone calls, appointments, running here and there and everywhere.
So far things have been going very well. We have definitely fallen in love with these little guys and they've captured our hearts! When they are being silly, Aaron and I just look at each other and smile. They seem to be attaching/bonding well with us and our family so we are thankful for that. They are so sweet and so loving. I've heard people that have fostered before say this is the "honeymoon phase" but I'm praying they stay sweet and loving! They are super good eaters and eat pretty much anything we put in front of them so we happy about that. I'm the pickiest eater I know but they aren't picky at all.
The first few nights we just had the one and he had a little trouble going to bed but thats understandable. I ended up rocking him to sleep in the chair and then carrying him to his bed. The little one just cries for a few minutes when we put him to bed then he's pretty much out. There have been two nights that he has woken up but he seems to just be having a bad dream and goes back to sleep pretty quickly.
I seem to now have 4 extra feet following me everywhere which is a test of patience but I keep reminding myself how badly I wanted to have those little feet following me around. They helped me bake cookies the other day which was fun. We ended up with flour and sugar all over the floor but turns out the one boy loves vacuuming so he took care of it for me! It's so sweet to see how excited they get over baking cookies or helping you do something. They want to empty the washer/dryer, load/unload the dishwasher, carry in groceries. Aaron said we should enjoy this because eventually they might not be so willing to help.
We have just been so thankful for this opportunity and this chance to love on these little guys! They make us smile and laugh and even though it has been tiring and lots of changes and less time for ourselves we've been enjoying having them here! They bring tears to my eyes when I see their faces light up when we tell them we're proud of them for behaving or going on the big boy potty or learning their colors and abc's. After telling the little one we're proud of him he will point to himself with a big smile on his face and say, "Proud of me?"
So many nights I prayed/cried for a child or children and wondered if it was in God's plan for us. Back a year ago or maybe even a year and a half ago a friend from high school asked me about foster care and if we would be interested in that. At that time I thought oh no way could Aaron and I do that. We talked about it a little bit but decided that we didn't feel ready for something like that. Over time God opened our hearts to it and we felt more led in that direction. We thought that maybe we could go ahead and take the classes to just be prepared if we decided to switch agencies and pursue foster care. The classes helped us realize how blessed we were by the families we had and that lots of kids out there don't have that. We wanted to help and make a difference even if it was just temporary.
Our church family has been amazing with support and encouragement! We have had people bringing meals this past week and also this upcoming week! It has been super encouraging for them to meet the boys and also bring a super tasty dinner. I've received lots of emails/texts/messages with words of support and prayers that have given me strength when I've been so tired from cleaning up messes and going potty and washing hands 75 times a day!!
I've thankful for this path that God led us down and I want to remember to cherish every moment with these boys because we don't know how long they will be with us! We will love on them for as long as we can!
This week potty training is going to be my job. Prayers please!!!
A site I never thought I'd see...little shoes!!!!
So far things have been going very well. We have definitely fallen in love with these little guys and they've captured our hearts! When they are being silly, Aaron and I just look at each other and smile. They seem to be attaching/bonding well with us and our family so we are thankful for that. They are so sweet and so loving. I've heard people that have fostered before say this is the "honeymoon phase" but I'm praying they stay sweet and loving! They are super good eaters and eat pretty much anything we put in front of them so we happy about that. I'm the pickiest eater I know but they aren't picky at all.
The first few nights we just had the one and he had a little trouble going to bed but thats understandable. I ended up rocking him to sleep in the chair and then carrying him to his bed. The little one just cries for a few minutes when we put him to bed then he's pretty much out. There have been two nights that he has woken up but he seems to just be having a bad dream and goes back to sleep pretty quickly.
I seem to now have 4 extra feet following me everywhere which is a test of patience but I keep reminding myself how badly I wanted to have those little feet following me around. They helped me bake cookies the other day which was fun. We ended up with flour and sugar all over the floor but turns out the one boy loves vacuuming so he took care of it for me! It's so sweet to see how excited they get over baking cookies or helping you do something. They want to empty the washer/dryer, load/unload the dishwasher, carry in groceries. Aaron said we should enjoy this because eventually they might not be so willing to help.
We have just been so thankful for this opportunity and this chance to love on these little guys! They make us smile and laugh and even though it has been tiring and lots of changes and less time for ourselves we've been enjoying having them here! They bring tears to my eyes when I see their faces light up when we tell them we're proud of them for behaving or going on the big boy potty or learning their colors and abc's. After telling the little one we're proud of him he will point to himself with a big smile on his face and say, "Proud of me?"
So many nights I prayed/cried for a child or children and wondered if it was in God's plan for us. Back a year ago or maybe even a year and a half ago a friend from high school asked me about foster care and if we would be interested in that. At that time I thought oh no way could Aaron and I do that. We talked about it a little bit but decided that we didn't feel ready for something like that. Over time God opened our hearts to it and we felt more led in that direction. We thought that maybe we could go ahead and take the classes to just be prepared if we decided to switch agencies and pursue foster care. The classes helped us realize how blessed we were by the families we had and that lots of kids out there don't have that. We wanted to help and make a difference even if it was just temporary.
Our church family has been amazing with support and encouragement! We have had people bringing meals this past week and also this upcoming week! It has been super encouraging for them to meet the boys and also bring a super tasty dinner. I've received lots of emails/texts/messages with words of support and prayers that have given me strength when I've been so tired from cleaning up messes and going potty and washing hands 75 times a day!!
I've thankful for this path that God led us down and I want to remember to cherish every moment with these boys because we don't know how long they will be with us! We will love on them for as long as we can!
This week potty training is going to be my job. Prayers please!!!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Wee Hours Of The Morning
Its 1:30 in the morning Thursday. I can't sleep its been such a crazy day. The day started off just like any other day. As far as having things planned, Kya had a grooming appointment at 12:30 and I had just a few other errands to run. I was already running slightly behind the schedule I had in my head. I was driving to my next errand when my phone went off and it was the ringtone I have for our foster agency. Our worker was on the other end of the line and said she had a call on a placement. It was a 4 year old boy and his 3 year old brother. We felt hesitant because just a week ago we had a placement that didn't work out. It was so frustrating, exhausting, challenging. Since that placement we lowered our age range to 0-younger than 2. We also said we would only take in one at a time. I spoke with our worker about these changes on Monday and she said that was fine. Therefore, when we got the call today we were hesitant. Knowing what we just went through and what those kids just had to go through by being moved again, we didn't want to end up in the same situation.
I got as much information as I could and said I would call Aaron. She said that was fine but to call her back ASAP!! I called Aaron and he didn't answer so I texted him the words CALL ME NOW! When he gets a text like that he knows its something regarding a placement. He called right away and we were both so hesitant but at the same time wanted to say yes. We were trying to remind ourselves that we didn't just go into foster care with the intent to adopt. We also went into this wanting to help children, provide them with a temporary loving home when they desperately need that. Our worker said that they would work on a "back-up" family in case this didn't work out. She knew we were a little hesitant. She said they wouldn't pull the kids from us though if it did end up working out.
We ended up saying yes and an hour later went down to the agency to pick up the 4 year old. The 3 year old should be joining us sometime in the next few days. It was crazy trying to get to the agency on time to pick the older one up. I still had to run an errand for my grandma, run home and get our booster seat, drop the dog off (in case it took a long time at the agency). I stopped to run the errand for my grandma and thinking I would just run in quick I left the dog in the car. Well, it's been beastly hot out but she had just got groomed so she was with me so I had to leave her in the car. I thought about leaving it running but figured I would be back in under 2 minutes. Poor thing had to sit there for 10-15 minutes while I picked up the stuff. When I got back to the car she was definitely hot and panting. I made it home, got the booster seat, met Aaron at home and just right back in the car. We dropped the dog off hoping she would be fine and cool down quickly and then ran to drop stuff off at my grandmas. By this time we were running about 10 minutes late. Once we finally get close to the office there was construction. We ended up showing up over 15 minutes late but it worked out.
Once we left the office we ran and got some gas in the car (light came on while stuck in construction), picked up some Mcdonald's for dinner and headed home. Once we got home he had a hard time coming into the house. He would walk just on the door step and then stop. He didn't want to come inside, so we ended up eating dinner on the front step. We played outside for a while and then managed to get him inside.
My in-laws came over for a while and my mother-in law and I along with the little guy ran to Wal-Mart to get clothes, shoes and food. He only had 1 pair of pjs, 1 pair of underwear, and 2 left feet for shoes.
So far this placement has been totally different than our last one. So far it seems to be working out much better! We'll see how the rest of the week and weekend goes. We'll probably be trying to stay low-key and hang around home.
We're so thankful for this opportunity the Lord has given us.
I got as much information as I could and said I would call Aaron. She said that was fine but to call her back ASAP!! I called Aaron and he didn't answer so I texted him the words CALL ME NOW! When he gets a text like that he knows its something regarding a placement. He called right away and we were both so hesitant but at the same time wanted to say yes. We were trying to remind ourselves that we didn't just go into foster care with the intent to adopt. We also went into this wanting to help children, provide them with a temporary loving home when they desperately need that. Our worker said that they would work on a "back-up" family in case this didn't work out. She knew we were a little hesitant. She said they wouldn't pull the kids from us though if it did end up working out.
We ended up saying yes and an hour later went down to the agency to pick up the 4 year old. The 3 year old should be joining us sometime in the next few days. It was crazy trying to get to the agency on time to pick the older one up. I still had to run an errand for my grandma, run home and get our booster seat, drop the dog off (in case it took a long time at the agency). I stopped to run the errand for my grandma and thinking I would just run in quick I left the dog in the car. Well, it's been beastly hot out but she had just got groomed so she was with me so I had to leave her in the car. I thought about leaving it running but figured I would be back in under 2 minutes. Poor thing had to sit there for 10-15 minutes while I picked up the stuff. When I got back to the car she was definitely hot and panting. I made it home, got the booster seat, met Aaron at home and just right back in the car. We dropped the dog off hoping she would be fine and cool down quickly and then ran to drop stuff off at my grandmas. By this time we were running about 10 minutes late. Once we finally get close to the office there was construction. We ended up showing up over 15 minutes late but it worked out.
Once we left the office we ran and got some gas in the car (light came on while stuck in construction), picked up some Mcdonald's for dinner and headed home. Once we got home he had a hard time coming into the house. He would walk just on the door step and then stop. He didn't want to come inside, so we ended up eating dinner on the front step. We played outside for a while and then managed to get him inside.
My in-laws came over for a while and my mother-in law and I along with the little guy ran to Wal-Mart to get clothes, shoes and food. He only had 1 pair of pjs, 1 pair of underwear, and 2 left feet for shoes.
So far this placement has been totally different than our last one. So far it seems to be working out much better! We'll see how the rest of the week and weekend goes. We'll probably be trying to stay low-key and hang around home.
We're so thankful for this opportunity the Lord has given us.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
The Past Few Weeks
July has been a pretty busy month so I haven't updated much. My niece and nephews were in town for a couple weeks so we were busy hanging out with them. I ended up getting sick just a few days after they got here. I had a sore throat/cold/really tired. I spent a few days on the couch just resting hoping to get rid of it quickly. However, it ended up lasting pretty much a whole week. We did enjoy getting to see them though and went swimming a few times and went to the movies! I'll post a few pictures below. Remember how we did respite care about a month ago? Well since that girl is the same age as my niece and pretty close in age to my nephew she came over and swam with us and played with them. They had a good time. When we picked her up we had my niece and nephew with us and we went back to our house. When we got out of the car she was telling them how she had a room here and how much she missed the animals.
My niece and nephew kept calling it _______'s room each time they came over.
My in-laws came by our house to drop some stuff off after they dropped the niece and nephews off and Family Core called. We had just come inside and I said, "Aaron that was your phone ringing." I looked at it and I said, "It was Family Core!!!!" I ran to my phone and I had a voicemail and M (our worker) said I was calling about a few placements if you could call me back." We immediately dialed her number and talked to her. It was a possible placement of a sibling group of 3. A 4 year old, 2 year old, and a newborn girl. We got all the information and said that yes we would accept it. She said she would call the investigator back and get more information. However, by the time she called back another agency had already found a family. She then told me that she was going to call us on a different placement the following day but since she already had me on the phone she would tell me now. It was a sibling group of two that were 4 and 2 years old. She said to think about it overnight and call her in the morning. We went out to dinner and talked about it and decided that we would say yes.
We spent the next few days getting things ready and all cleaned up. We were very excited and looking forward to them coming. They were to be with us indefinitely. They had a return home goal but it was a very new case so they would've been with us for a long time most likely.
It ended up that the kids were much more of a challenge than we thought. There were a few things we didn't know ahead of time but found out once they dropped them off that concerned us a little bit. The whole weekend was very exhausting and challenging. I won't go into a lot of detail on here but we had to call their caseworker and have them moved to a different home. I think they needed more experienced parents not first timers. We could tell it just wasn't going to work for Aaron and I so it would be best to move them.
I wasn't feeling well the last day they were here. Early that morning I woke up with a headache and felt like my face was on fire. I was freezing but sweating and had a sore throat. It kind of subsided for the day but right after the kids left my sore throat kicked into high gear, I got the chills, 102 fever, headache and body aches. I ended up going to the doctor on Tuesday and they did a strep test that came back negative. I felt terrible all week long. My throat was so raw it was almost unbearable to swallow. I'm finally starting to feel on the mend now.
So that kind of updates you all as to what has been going on.
We're not sure what this means as far as future placements. M said that this kind of thing happens and that it won't affect us getting future calls. Aaron and I have been discussing what to do. We know we need to lower our age range probably to 0-younger than 2. And also just take in one kid at a time. We felt way in over our heads with both of them and with their ages.
Aaron is ready to just go with that. I on the other hand am more concerned. I feel like this experience has made me concerned/worried that maybe I'm not cut out to be a mom or maybe kids aren't a good thing for us since we couldn't handle these 2. I've been spending time praying about it and I'm just not really sure what to do at this point. We'll see what the next few weeks brings.
My niece and nephew kept calling it _______'s room each time they came over.
My in-laws came by our house to drop some stuff off after they dropped the niece and nephews off and Family Core called. We had just come inside and I said, "Aaron that was your phone ringing." I looked at it and I said, "It was Family Core!!!!" I ran to my phone and I had a voicemail and M (our worker) said I was calling about a few placements if you could call me back." We immediately dialed her number and talked to her. It was a possible placement of a sibling group of 3. A 4 year old, 2 year old, and a newborn girl. We got all the information and said that yes we would accept it. She said she would call the investigator back and get more information. However, by the time she called back another agency had already found a family. She then told me that she was going to call us on a different placement the following day but since she already had me on the phone she would tell me now. It was a sibling group of two that were 4 and 2 years old. She said to think about it overnight and call her in the morning. We went out to dinner and talked about it and decided that we would say yes.
We spent the next few days getting things ready and all cleaned up. We were very excited and looking forward to them coming. They were to be with us indefinitely. They had a return home goal but it was a very new case so they would've been with us for a long time most likely.
It ended up that the kids were much more of a challenge than we thought. There were a few things we didn't know ahead of time but found out once they dropped them off that concerned us a little bit. The whole weekend was very exhausting and challenging. I won't go into a lot of detail on here but we had to call their caseworker and have them moved to a different home. I think they needed more experienced parents not first timers. We could tell it just wasn't going to work for Aaron and I so it would be best to move them.
I wasn't feeling well the last day they were here. Early that morning I woke up with a headache and felt like my face was on fire. I was freezing but sweating and had a sore throat. It kind of subsided for the day but right after the kids left my sore throat kicked into high gear, I got the chills, 102 fever, headache and body aches. I ended up going to the doctor on Tuesday and they did a strep test that came back negative. I felt terrible all week long. My throat was so raw it was almost unbearable to swallow. I'm finally starting to feel on the mend now.
So that kind of updates you all as to what has been going on.
We're not sure what this means as far as future placements. M said that this kind of thing happens and that it won't affect us getting future calls. Aaron and I have been discussing what to do. We know we need to lower our age range probably to 0-younger than 2. And also just take in one kid at a time. We felt way in over our heads with both of them and with their ages.
Aaron is ready to just go with that. I on the other hand am more concerned. I feel like this experience has made me concerned/worried that maybe I'm not cut out to be a mom or maybe kids aren't a good thing for us since we couldn't handle these 2. I've been spending time praying about it and I'm just not really sure what to do at this point. We'll see what the next few weeks brings.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Excited
Hey all! Happy Friday. It is most definitely hot out there today. I went to grab some lunch from Mcdonald's and the temperature on the sign said 104*. YIKES! I think tomorrow is our last day of this nasty heat wave. My niece and nephews are in town staying with their grandparents so we beat the heat today with some swimming. (pictures later)
In other news I spoke with our licensing worker today and we got some good news. Not any news on a placement yet. But, she told me that "little one's" (exclude her name for privacy) caseworker was so impressed with all the things we did with her that she is very excited to place some kids with us soon. M (our worker) said this other caseworker couldn't believe we were a newly licensed family.
We still haven't received our "official" license in the mail yet but hopefully in the next 2 weeks. She said DCFS is running verrrry slow right now. But, once the license is all taken care of we will be put on some list (not sure what it is called..couldn't understand her) to where we should receive more calls.
M said we should be prepared to hear from her very soon. Also, that we should enjoy it just being the two of us as much as we can because it could end soon. As much as this excites me it also gets my hopes up. And, I'm not a fan of getting my hopes up. I've had it happen too many times in the last 3.5 years to only end up upset in the end. I know this is in God's hands so I take comfort in that.
Anyways, we're looking forward to seeing what is coming next!
As M called me we were getting ready to take my niece and nephews to the pool. In all the excitement from the phone call, I hopped in the pool with my phone in my pocket. Aaron wasn't happy with me as a new one cost $230. OUCH!
Sorry if this post seems really scattered. I feel that is how my brain is today.
Have a good weekend!
In other news I spoke with our licensing worker today and we got some good news. Not any news on a placement yet. But, she told me that "little one's" (exclude her name for privacy) caseworker was so impressed with all the things we did with her that she is very excited to place some kids with us soon. M (our worker) said this other caseworker couldn't believe we were a newly licensed family.
We still haven't received our "official" license in the mail yet but hopefully in the next 2 weeks. She said DCFS is running verrrry slow right now. But, once the license is all taken care of we will be put on some list (not sure what it is called..couldn't understand her) to where we should receive more calls.
M said we should be prepared to hear from her very soon. Also, that we should enjoy it just being the two of us as much as we can because it could end soon. As much as this excites me it also gets my hopes up. And, I'm not a fan of getting my hopes up. I've had it happen too many times in the last 3.5 years to only end up upset in the end. I know this is in God's hands so I take comfort in that.
Anyways, we're looking forward to seeing what is coming next!
As M called me we were getting ready to take my niece and nephews to the pool. In all the excitement from the phone call, I hopped in the pool with my phone in my pocket. Aaron wasn't happy with me as a new one cost $230. OUCH!
Sorry if this post seems really scattered. I feel that is how my brain is today.
Have a good weekend!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Baby/Toddler Shopping
Aaron and I went shopping the other night to buy some baby/toddler items. Things we felt we should have if we got a call on a child that we needed to go pick up asap. We'll pick up some more gender specific things once placed but for now I settled for gender neutral.
This is what we've picked up so far
-2 baby blankets
-4pack receiving blankets
-2 fitted crib sheets
-2 sippy cups
-2 toothbrushes
-kid toothpaste
-kid mouth rinse
-thermometer
-nail clippers
-Cars and Princess silverware
-nightlights
-wipes
-toothbrush cups
-Johnson's baby wash and lotion
-toddler car seat
-extra set of twin sheets (in case there is an accident)
Do you see the Spongebob fabric under the nightlights? I figured I would make another pillowcase, just like the monkey one but with boy fabric. I can just switch out the pillowcase if its a boy or girl. If we ended up with 2 kids I'd just get another pillow.
Ok, so all you moms out there....what am I forgetting? Things that are more of a necessity those first few days? We wanted to be somewhat prepared if we had to go pick up a child at 3am and didn't want to spend a lot of time at the store. I realize I don't have any diapers but I don't want to go out and buy one of each size that maybe we would never use. Diapers are something quick we can run in and grab.
-2 baby blankets
-4pack receiving blankets
-2 fitted crib sheets
-2 sippy cups
-2 toothbrushes
-kid toothpaste
-kid mouth rinse
-thermometer
-nail clippers
-Cars and Princess silverware
-nightlights
-wipes
-toothbrush cups
-Johnson's baby wash and lotion
-toddler car seat
-extra set of twin sheets (in case there is an accident)
Do you see the Spongebob fabric under the nightlights? I figured I would make another pillowcase, just like the monkey one but with boy fabric. I can just switch out the pillowcase if its a boy or girl. If we ended up with 2 kids I'd just get another pillow.
Ok, so all you moms out there....what am I forgetting? Things that are more of a necessity those first few days? We wanted to be somewhat prepared if we had to go pick up a child at 3am and didn't want to spend a lot of time at the store. I realize I don't have any diapers but I don't want to go out and buy one of each size that maybe we would never use. Diapers are something quick we can run in and grab.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Brut Deodrant
Here it is folks! The long awaited deodrant post. Haven't you all been on the edge of your seats waiting? Due to us being a little busier than normal this weekend because of a little sweetheart the post is later than I thought it would be.
Now on to how I got the deodrant for only .08 each. Our local Kroger store had it on sale for $1 each. I ended up having coupons for $1 off 1 deodrant. Therefore, all I had to pay was tax which was .08 each.
I bought 20 coupons for the Brut on Ebay for $1.75. I only ended up getting 15 deodrants since the store ended up being out of stock.
Overall I spent $2.95 for the coupons and deodrant. The normal cost for the deodrant is $2.69 each. Thats like totally amazing!!! I'm so excited.
Now on to how I got the deodrant for only .08 each. Our local Kroger store had it on sale for $1 each. I ended up having coupons for $1 off 1 deodrant. Therefore, all I had to pay was tax which was .08 each.
I bought 20 coupons for the Brut on Ebay for $1.75. I only ended up getting 15 deodrants since the store ended up being out of stock.
Overall I spent $2.95 for the coupons and deodrant. The normal cost for the deodrant is $2.69 each. Thats like totally amazing!!! I'm so excited.
No More Naked Finger
Aaron's new ring finally came last week so no more walking around with a naked finger!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Respite Care
Wow. What a weekend. Some of you already know, but if you don't, we did respite care for a 5yr old girl this weekend. Respite care is basically just short term care for the child's current foster parents. Reasons for the foster parents needing respite care could be that they just want a little break or maybe they have something going on that they can't take the child with.
Anyways, Tuesday morning my mother in law and I went out shopping for a baby shower gift for a girl at our church. After shopping we had some lunch and then headed home. Our licensing worker called shortly after I got home and said, "I have a question for you. I was wondering if you and Aaron would want to provide respite care for a little girl this weekend." After I got some information from her I hung up and called Aaron. It took us about 5 seconds to decide that of course we would do it. We were told her foster parents would give us a call to set up times and such.
We were over the moon excited for this. We knew it was just respite care and that she would return to her foster parents but it was still an opportunity. An opportunity to care for this little girl and maybe open a few more doors for placements later.
Per licensing standards we have to have all chemicals moved up and locks on cabinets. Basically a safe house for children. Well we didn't have locks on cabinets yet and some chemicals were still down. We didn't see a need to do all these things now since we didn't have a placement. It would just remind us of the fact that we're childless.
We spent Tuesday and Wednesday night getting all those things done. It took a lot of time so we ended up thinking maybe we should have done it beforehand. The animals knew something was going on and kept following us around the house as we were moving lots of things around.
This little one would be joining us from Thursday-Sunday. I had lots of things planned such as swimming, fingerpainting, sidewalk chalk, playdoh, and bike riding.
When her foster mom dropped her off I was shocked as she jumped out of the van and came all smiles up the sidewalk with her Minnie Mouse suitcase. I showed her foster mom the room she would be staying in and we talked for just a minute. Thankfully there were no tears when she left. We immediately started playing and having a good time.
She did so well, I was so proud of her. She listened very well and we hardly had any problems. She got upset at Walmart because the horse wouldn't work. I put a $1 in that stinkin horse and it wouldn't move. She ran over to another machine and I said, "No we're going home, the machines aren't working." She got upset and started crying saying she really wanted to ride one. She even did a little feet stomping. It didn't last long and I talked to her about it when we got home.
We went to church this morning and I couldn't believe how well she did. She didn't hardly make a sound. It was so cute because she walked down and sat on my father in law's lap and stayed there the whole time. I heard her whispering a few times but nothing else.
We went out to lunch after church today and the waiter was taking our orders. He came over to me and I ordered my food and handed him my menu. He said, "Um..what do you want for her?" I was like oh duh. I'm only used to having to worry about ordering food for myself.
Aaron and I noticed we did a lot of spelling this weekend. C-A-K-E, B-I-K-E R-I-D-E, P-A-R-K. Lil cutie picked up on everything we said. It was like she could hear everything we said no matter how quiet we were. We did a lot of whispering and tip toeing around when she was asleep. Its funny because earlier tonight I got up to walk to the bathroom and tiptoed down the hallway forgetting she wasn't here anymore.
I ended up doing a photo book at Walgreens that she could take home with her. That way maybe she would remember us. She really liked it and was carrying it around with her. I printed off tons of pictures and plan on putting them in a photo album. I'm thinking I will get just a really big 4x6 photo album and then I can put picutres of all the kids in it. I can take cardstock and cut it to that size and write the child's name, their age, and the dates we had them. Then I can put all the photos in the slots and then just keep going with each child. Maybe we'll end up filling a few albums. Who knows...God already has that planned out.
She was such a cutie and I miss her so much already. It was so hard to let her go back to her foster parents. Aaron and I already felt attached to her. We can't imagine how upset we will be if we take one in for a few months or even a year and then have to send them home to their bio famiy. Its not something we can ever prepare for. But knowing that we stepped in and provided love and care during that time makes me happy.
I'm so thankful for this opportunity. It was such a good first experience dealing with a child in foster care. We'll be praying for her that God would be holding her close and healing the pain in her heart.
We're praying for more opportunities and of course an adoption opportunity.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!!
Anyways, Tuesday morning my mother in law and I went out shopping for a baby shower gift for a girl at our church. After shopping we had some lunch and then headed home. Our licensing worker called shortly after I got home and said, "I have a question for you. I was wondering if you and Aaron would want to provide respite care for a little girl this weekend." After I got some information from her I hung up and called Aaron. It took us about 5 seconds to decide that of course we would do it. We were told her foster parents would give us a call to set up times and such.
We were over the moon excited for this. We knew it was just respite care and that she would return to her foster parents but it was still an opportunity. An opportunity to care for this little girl and maybe open a few more doors for placements later.
Per licensing standards we have to have all chemicals moved up and locks on cabinets. Basically a safe house for children. Well we didn't have locks on cabinets yet and some chemicals were still down. We didn't see a need to do all these things now since we didn't have a placement. It would just remind us of the fact that we're childless.
We spent Tuesday and Wednesday night getting all those things done. It took a lot of time so we ended up thinking maybe we should have done it beforehand. The animals knew something was going on and kept following us around the house as we were moving lots of things around.
This little one would be joining us from Thursday-Sunday. I had lots of things planned such as swimming, fingerpainting, sidewalk chalk, playdoh, and bike riding.
When her foster mom dropped her off I was shocked as she jumped out of the van and came all smiles up the sidewalk with her Minnie Mouse suitcase. I showed her foster mom the room she would be staying in and we talked for just a minute. Thankfully there were no tears when she left. We immediately started playing and having a good time.
She did so well, I was so proud of her. She listened very well and we hardly had any problems. She got upset at Walmart because the horse wouldn't work. I put a $1 in that stinkin horse and it wouldn't move. She ran over to another machine and I said, "No we're going home, the machines aren't working." She got upset and started crying saying she really wanted to ride one. She even did a little feet stomping. It didn't last long and I talked to her about it when we got home.
We went to church this morning and I couldn't believe how well she did. She didn't hardly make a sound. It was so cute because she walked down and sat on my father in law's lap and stayed there the whole time. I heard her whispering a few times but nothing else.
We went out to lunch after church today and the waiter was taking our orders. He came over to me and I ordered my food and handed him my menu. He said, "Um..what do you want for her?" I was like oh duh. I'm only used to having to worry about ordering food for myself.
Aaron and I noticed we did a lot of spelling this weekend. C-A-K-E, B-I-K-E R-I-D-E, P-A-R-K. Lil cutie picked up on everything we said. It was like she could hear everything we said no matter how quiet we were. We did a lot of whispering and tip toeing around when she was asleep. Its funny because earlier tonight I got up to walk to the bathroom and tiptoed down the hallway forgetting she wasn't here anymore.
I ended up doing a photo book at Walgreens that she could take home with her. That way maybe she would remember us. She really liked it and was carrying it around with her. I printed off tons of pictures and plan on putting them in a photo album. I'm thinking I will get just a really big 4x6 photo album and then I can put picutres of all the kids in it. I can take cardstock and cut it to that size and write the child's name, their age, and the dates we had them. Then I can put all the photos in the slots and then just keep going with each child. Maybe we'll end up filling a few albums. Who knows...God already has that planned out.
She was such a cutie and I miss her so much already. It was so hard to let her go back to her foster parents. Aaron and I already felt attached to her. We can't imagine how upset we will be if we take one in for a few months or even a year and then have to send them home to their bio famiy. Its not something we can ever prepare for. But knowing that we stepped in and provided love and care during that time makes me happy.
I'm so thankful for this opportunity. It was such a good first experience dealing with a child in foster care. We'll be praying for her that God would be holding her close and healing the pain in her heart.
We're praying for more opportunities and of course an adoption opportunity.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Dial Soap
I've mentioned before how I've been doing some couponing here and there. Lately I've been checking the sale flyer and if there is something on sale we use, I try to find coupons on ebay. My latest purchase was Dial soap. They were on sale for $1. Since we will always need bathroom hand soap I headed over to ebay and located some coupons. When I had heard about people actually buying coupons I thought that can't be worth it in the end. I stand corrected.
I found 20 coupons for $3. It seemed a little high but there were 20 of them and it paid off. The coupons were for .35. The store I go to will double those to .70 so I ended up getting the soap for .35 each (tax included) Overall I spent $7. If you include the cost of the coupons it was $10 overall. But, I wasn't including the cost of the coupons since the money to buy the coupons was from an item Aaron bought at a garage sale and then re-sold it for more on ebay.
Normally the soap cost $1.59 so for 20 bottles it would have been $31.80(tax not included). Of course I wouldn't go out and buy 20 at a time but eventually I would have bought that many over a period of time.
I called Kroger before we left because I wanted to make sure they still doubled coupons. I saw at a Kroger in Texas they didn't anymore. The kind (I mean rude) lady on the phone said that yes they do double but they will only double 2 like coupons in one transaction. Are you serious? That means I have to do ten transactions to make it work!
I ended up doing 5 transactions one day and 5 the next. I didn't want to make the people behind me too mad! Crazy coupon policies!
I'm excited and it felt like such an accomplishment! We won't need hand soap for quite some time! I usually don't find a lot of things I can stock up on but when I can I try to.
FOSTER CARE UPDATE: Nothing to report unfortunately. Our licensing worker was on vacation this week so I plan on calling her towards the middle/end of this week to touch base. The agency is offering a discipline class sometime soon so we would like to get signed up for that. I'm also considering talking to them about volunteering. I haven't completely decided yet if I want to add that to my schedule or not. If I do I would probably only do it until we received a placement. Who knows..maybe they don't even need any help. I've posted before about The Forgotten Initiative and how they serve local foster care agencies by doing different projects and supporting the agency workers in their difficult jobs. Of course you can volunteer through them but I kind of wanted to stick with the agency we are licenced with. I thought it would be great to help the agency in any way I could and it would also help us to stay involved. Helping the agency can help the workers better support and care for the children! So, I'm still trying to decide but no other news in regards to a placement.
Stay tuned for a post on deodorant and how I ended up paying .08 each (tax only)!! Have a good week everyone!
I found 20 coupons for $3. It seemed a little high but there were 20 of them and it paid off. The coupons were for .35. The store I go to will double those to .70 so I ended up getting the soap for .35 each (tax included) Overall I spent $7. If you include the cost of the coupons it was $10 overall. But, I wasn't including the cost of the coupons since the money to buy the coupons was from an item Aaron bought at a garage sale and then re-sold it for more on ebay.
Normally the soap cost $1.59 so for 20 bottles it would have been $31.80(tax not included). Of course I wouldn't go out and buy 20 at a time but eventually I would have bought that many over a period of time.
I called Kroger before we left because I wanted to make sure they still doubled coupons. I saw at a Kroger in Texas they didn't anymore. The kind (I mean rude) lady on the phone said that yes they do double but they will only double 2 like coupons in one transaction. Are you serious? That means I have to do ten transactions to make it work!
I ended up doing 5 transactions one day and 5 the next. I didn't want to make the people behind me too mad! Crazy coupon policies!
I'm excited and it felt like such an accomplishment! We won't need hand soap for quite some time! I usually don't find a lot of things I can stock up on but when I can I try to.
FOSTER CARE UPDATE: Nothing to report unfortunately. Our licensing worker was on vacation this week so I plan on calling her towards the middle/end of this week to touch base. The agency is offering a discipline class sometime soon so we would like to get signed up for that. I'm also considering talking to them about volunteering. I haven't completely decided yet if I want to add that to my schedule or not. If I do I would probably only do it until we received a placement. Who knows..maybe they don't even need any help. I've posted before about The Forgotten Initiative and how they serve local foster care agencies by doing different projects and supporting the agency workers in their difficult jobs. Of course you can volunteer through them but I kind of wanted to stick with the agency we are licenced with. I thought it would be great to help the agency in any way I could and it would also help us to stay involved. Helping the agency can help the workers better support and care for the children! So, I'm still trying to decide but no other news in regards to a placement.
Stay tuned for a post on deodorant and how I ended up paying .08 each (tax only)!! Have a good week everyone!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Lake Of The Ozarks
Last week Aaron and I took a vacation to Lake of the Ozarks for our 5 year anniversary. When we decided we wanted to take a trip for this occasion we were thinking about Colorado as the destination. It ended up that Colorado was going to cost more than we wanted to spend so Aaron brought up LOTA (Lake of the Ozarks). I went to the website vrbo.com and found a condo to rent right on the lake!
The condo was really nice and even had a screened in porch with a view of the lake. When we arrived on Monday we got all our things settled and then headed out to the grocery store to get some snacks. I found a Jelly Belly set up where you could fill a bag with tons of different flavors for $7.99 a lb. Well they come out really fast when you pull the lever so I think I ended up with a whole pound of bubble gum ones. I was shocked when we checked out and the total was $44.00. I was thinking all we got was water, toilet paper, paper towels and some breakfast stuff. Well, we had over $15 in jelly beans (over 2lbs).
Anyways, the first night we ate at a place called Bandana's barbecue. It was pretty similar to a Famous Dave's so it was good! On Tuesday we went shopping to the outlet mall. I came home with some new Nike shorts, a tshirt, hoodie, playing cards and one of those Coach wrist wallet things. One of those where I can put my license, debit card, cash and phone in. That way I don't have to carry my whole stinking purse around.
Tuesday night we ate at a place called JB Hooks. We had a great view overlooking the lake. A coworker of Aaron's told him to go to this place. He said it was expensive but it was worth it. I disagree with this. Our meal was $89 for food that I would say was similar to an Olive Garden or Red Lobster. I guess we were paying for the view?
Wednesday morning we got up and went jet skiing. It was nice because there was hardly anyone out on the lake. We took turns driving but I didn't ended up driving very long. I was spinning the ski into circles and when I went to turn back the other way I didn't hit the gas hard enough. Needless to say we ended up flying off. I bet it was not a pretty sight. Let me tell you it was SUPER hard getting back up on it. You have to grab a hold of this bar on the top of the seat and basically pull with your arms to get your whole body up. As I was looking like a struggling beached whale I'm sure the people in the houses nearby got an early morning laugh. (Note to self...work on upper body strength)
Once I got back on the jet ski Aaron realized he had lost his ring. It has always been loose so it is somewhere in the bottom of the lake never to be found again. So, Aaron's walking around with a naked finger. Not something I like.
There was also a pool at the condos so we spent some time there getting burnt and doing a little swimming. At night we liked sitting on the porch and just looking out at the lake!
Overall, we had a good trip and enjoyed visiting a place we had never been to before. Below are some pictures.
The condo was really nice and even had a screened in porch with a view of the lake. When we arrived on Monday we got all our things settled and then headed out to the grocery store to get some snacks. I found a Jelly Belly set up where you could fill a bag with tons of different flavors for $7.99 a lb. Well they come out really fast when you pull the lever so I think I ended up with a whole pound of bubble gum ones. I was shocked when we checked out and the total was $44.00. I was thinking all we got was water, toilet paper, paper towels and some breakfast stuff. Well, we had over $15 in jelly beans (over 2lbs).
Anyways, the first night we ate at a place called Bandana's barbecue. It was pretty similar to a Famous Dave's so it was good! On Tuesday we went shopping to the outlet mall. I came home with some new Nike shorts, a tshirt, hoodie, playing cards and one of those Coach wrist wallet things. One of those where I can put my license, debit card, cash and phone in. That way I don't have to carry my whole stinking purse around.
Tuesday night we ate at a place called JB Hooks. We had a great view overlooking the lake. A coworker of Aaron's told him to go to this place. He said it was expensive but it was worth it. I disagree with this. Our meal was $89 for food that I would say was similar to an Olive Garden or Red Lobster. I guess we were paying for the view?
Wednesday morning we got up and went jet skiing. It was nice because there was hardly anyone out on the lake. We took turns driving but I didn't ended up driving very long. I was spinning the ski into circles and when I went to turn back the other way I didn't hit the gas hard enough. Needless to say we ended up flying off. I bet it was not a pretty sight. Let me tell you it was SUPER hard getting back up on it. You have to grab a hold of this bar on the top of the seat and basically pull with your arms to get your whole body up. As I was looking like a struggling beached whale I'm sure the people in the houses nearby got an early morning laugh. (Note to self...work on upper body strength)
Once I got back on the jet ski Aaron realized he had lost his ring. It has always been loose so it is somewhere in the bottom of the lake never to be found again. So, Aaron's walking around with a naked finger. Not something I like.
There was also a pool at the condos so we spent some time there getting burnt and doing a little swimming. At night we liked sitting on the porch and just looking out at the lake!
Overall, we had a good trip and enjoyed visiting a place we had never been to before. Below are some pictures.
I thought the welcome note was really cute and they also had blueberry muffins for us!
This picture above is the screened in porch.
View from the porch
View from our dinner table at the expensive place!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Back Up And Running
Our computer crashed on us the night before we left on vacation (June 3rd) and we finally got it back tonight. Apparently the hard drive went bad? So, almost $200 later we're back in business! We took my Dad's laptop with us on vacation so Aaron could try and stay caught up on work emails. Then his laptop ended up crashing on us. I still don't know whats wrong with it. I now have to try to get all my favorites back on here since they couldn't recover anything. Not sure I'll remember all of them! The other crummy thing is that we had just redeemed a $25 iTunes gift card on there and downloaded 10 or so songs to put on our ipod. Well the night we went to do that is when it crashed so we lost all those too.
I'm glad we have it back though! I felt at a loss for a while. On the other hand I'm reading a good book right now so that kept me busy on times I would've been using the computer.
I'll update on our vacation and our "we're still stuck in the same spot with the foster care situation" soon!
I'm glad we have it back though! I felt at a loss for a while. On the other hand I'm reading a good book right now so that kept me busy on times I would've been using the computer.
I'll update on our vacation and our "we're still stuck in the same spot with the foster care situation" soon!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Kiddos
This past week my brother-in law, sister-in law and their kiddos came down to visit. I snapped a few pictures while they were here. I don't have any pictures of us adults though because none of us really like having our picture taken.
Look at Ava in the picture above. She must have toppled over and ended up on her face.
These pictures with the inflatable things is called Monkey Joe's. Basically just a bunch of these bouncy slide things to burn off energy! Once we get a child we will be going here!
Look at Ava in the picture above. She must have toppled over and ended up on her face.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Hard Time
These past few days have been a little hard for me. I'm struggling with not knowing. Not knowing when they will call again or if they will call again. My heart aches to have little ones running around here. I so badly want to take as many children as God would give us out of the system. I just can't imagine never having any children. I don't care if they aren't biological they will still be my kid. How long do we keep on keeping on before raising the white flag and saying we're done. Accepting the reality that maybe kids aren't His plan for us. Maybe we will forever be a party of 2. This breaks my heart and brings tears to my eyes as I type it. We might never need a bigger kitchen table, car seats, high chairs. I've been saving coupons for diapers, wipes and kid-type snacks, only to throw them away because they expire.
It's been almost 3.5 years since we began the journey to starting a family. I know many people that struggle with infertility wait much longer than this. I feel for them and I understand their heartache and how real it is.
Just had to share a little bit of what was on my mind.
Trusting that His mercies are new tomorrow and praying for a better day.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!
It's been almost 3.5 years since we began the journey to starting a family. I know many people that struggle with infertility wait much longer than this. I feel for them and I understand their heartache and how real it is.
Just had to share a little bit of what was on my mind.
Trusting that His mercies are new tomorrow and praying for a better day.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!
Friday, May 25, 2012
New Perspective
Hey all! Happy Memorial Day weekend! Its definitely going to be a hot one around here tomorrow! I'm planning on staying inside as much as possible.
I know I've mentioned that Aaron and I are taking a trauma training class this month. The classes have been going very well. We've heard a lot of other's experiences and their ways with dealing with certain issues. I think their experience will definitely help us be better foster parents and hopefully care for the children better.
We did an exercise last night that really helped us put into perspective what the children may be experiencing. They gave each of us 5 index cards and had us write down the 5 most important people in our life. Then she came around and randomly selected one of our 5 people and took them away. She did this 3 more times so we were only left with one of our 5 most important people.
As she was coming around "taking" our people we were all trying to bargain with her..."oh no don't take that one" or "no you can't have her/him."
I think we each felt a little traumatized because it was so quick, sudden and unexpected. It took us by surprise and we had no control over who she took. We didn't get a say in any of it.
It made us think that a lot of times this is what the children go through. All of a sudden Mom and Dad might get taken away and the child doesn't have any idea what is happening and they don't have any say where they are going. Say that child gets put in foster care and is with a different family unrelated to the child. Now the child has lost his/her parents, possibly grandparents and siblings (because most families aren't willing to take more than one). Regardless of how great the foster family they live with is, the child will still feel the loss of those people.
No wonder these children come with their "invisible suitcase" of emotions, thoughts, and feelings about themselves that they carry around with them. They could have been told they were ugly, stupid, a burden, its their fault that mommy and daddy have problems and on and on. We as their caregivers need to help them "unpack" that suitcase and repack it with whats true. Can you imagine how you would feel if that is all that you were told about yourself?
This exercise not only helped us understand these children better but also to remember to always be thankful for the people God has in our life and not to take them for granted.
I know I've mentioned that Aaron and I are taking a trauma training class this month. The classes have been going very well. We've heard a lot of other's experiences and their ways with dealing with certain issues. I think their experience will definitely help us be better foster parents and hopefully care for the children better.
We did an exercise last night that really helped us put into perspective what the children may be experiencing. They gave each of us 5 index cards and had us write down the 5 most important people in our life. Then she came around and randomly selected one of our 5 people and took them away. She did this 3 more times so we were only left with one of our 5 most important people.
As she was coming around "taking" our people we were all trying to bargain with her..."oh no don't take that one" or "no you can't have her/him."
I think we each felt a little traumatized because it was so quick, sudden and unexpected. It took us by surprise and we had no control over who she took. We didn't get a say in any of it.
It made us think that a lot of times this is what the children go through. All of a sudden Mom and Dad might get taken away and the child doesn't have any idea what is happening and they don't have any say where they are going. Say that child gets put in foster care and is with a different family unrelated to the child. Now the child has lost his/her parents, possibly grandparents and siblings (because most families aren't willing to take more than one). Regardless of how great the foster family they live with is, the child will still feel the loss of those people.
No wonder these children come with their "invisible suitcase" of emotions, thoughts, and feelings about themselves that they carry around with them. They could have been told they were ugly, stupid, a burden, its their fault that mommy and daddy have problems and on and on. We as their caregivers need to help them "unpack" that suitcase and repack it with whats true. Can you imagine how you would feel if that is all that you were told about yourself?
This exercise not only helped us understand these children better but also to remember to always be thankful for the people God has in our life and not to take them for granted.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Sometimes This Wait Seems Harder
I've been so praying and wishing that we would get another call regarding a placement soon. But, so far nothing. It seems so odd that we got a call from our worker two times in one week back in February and not once since then. Its been about 3 months since she called on those children. She says things have seemed to be a little slower. I try to keep in perspective the rotation system that the agencies go on. I believe once a child comes into care an agency will take that child and then the next agency gets the next child. I'm not sure exactly where Family Core falls in that rotation. So, if a baby or younger child came into care and went to a different agency and then the next child was 8 or 10 and went to Family Core we wouldn't get that call. This same thing could keep happening over and over again, which could also be part of the reason for not many calls. They say things start to pick up once school gets out, so we shall see. I talked with one of the ladies at our trauma training and she said they got licensed in April (a year or 2 ago) and didn't get a call until December of that same year. They ended up waiting about 8 months.
Its frustrating because during the PRIDE classes the instructors talk about how there is such a great need for foster parents but it still seems like people wait quite a while. Weird that the agency we were with before of course had slowed down as soon as we got approved and now this is slower too. Last year around spring time they had about 14 moms pregnant that were due soon that they needed to find homes for those babies. I'm sure some of the babies would have been returned home eventually. If the parents received the help they needed and completed what they needed to in order to get them back but maybe not all of the babies would have gone home.
I was telling Aaron today that sometimes I feel like this wait is harder than our adoption wait. With adoption you know it could be quite a while before you are matched. However, with foster care, knowing that kids come into care all the time you expect it to be much quicker. Especially since she called us just a few days after our first home visit, we can't believe we haven't heard anything since.
I think, is it a good thing that things are slower? That could mean less problems in the homes these children are in or it could mean the problems and troubles just haven't been realized yet.
We've been studying the book of James in church the past few weeks and I'm really enjoying it. We've been learning about trials, the nature of trials, how trials are different for those of us who are in Christ, what our attitude is to be in trials.
As far as the nature of trials we learned that they are inevitable. Verse 2 of James 1 says WHEN you encounter various trials not IF. Trials are also said in verse 3 to be various. We of course go through lots of different types on trials. Trials for those of us in Christ are a spiritual matter so we need to look at them from a spiritual perspective. They are directed by God's hand. As far as our attitude in verse 2 of James 1 again it says to consider it all JOY.
I love verses 3-4 in James 1, knowing that the testing of your faith, produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Trials of course test our faith and are an indication of His faithfulness to us. When we first experienced infertility and it was one disappointing doctor appointment after another I had a very hard time being thankful for this trial.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In EVERYTHING give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Throughout this trial God is teaching and has taught me so much. He has exposed my weaknesses; ungrateful, selfish, wanting my will over His, not content, little faith in His word, and of course more.
Through God's grace I am thankful for this trial. First of all, because I've grown closer to God, and look at my relationship with Him as more precious than before, and how it opened our eyes to adoption and foster care, and much more!
Here are some of my favorite verses we've looked at these past weeks at church.
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Romans 5:3-4 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
I'll leave you with a picture of a Coca-Cola puzzle. I believe I posted before that I collect Coca-Cola. I had a puzzle downstairs that I hadn't done yet so last night I decided I would start it. Aaron and I finished it up tonight. I have two others that we've done that are framed and hanging up downstairs. I plan to get this one framed as well!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
More Bags For Foster Children
Remember this post on making bags for children in foster care? I made a couple more recently so I figured I would post a picture of what they look like. The lady I give them to said they use them and its way better than throwing their stuff in a garbage bag. Sometimes I think how neat it would be if when we ended up with a child they came with one of the bags I made, or even one someone else made. It would make me feel so much better knowing their stuff wasn't just tossed in a trash bag.
If any of you out there ever feel like making any it only takes a yard of fabric. I could get them to the agency for you and I know the little kids would love them! These kids don't have much to call their own!
I'm hoping I can maybe get one or two more made this week!
If any of you out there ever feel like making any it only takes a yard of fabric. I could get them to the agency for you and I know the little kids would love them! These kids don't have much to call their own!
I'm hoping I can maybe get one or two more made this week!
Delicious Oreo Cupcakes
I found this recipe for Oreo cupcakes on Pinterest and thought I would give it a try. Oh boy were they good. The recipe was pretty easy too. I wasn't sure if I would like them or not. The thought of an actual Oreo on the bottom made me leery. I didn't think I would like the combination of the soft cake and crunchy Oreo. Some of the people that reviewed the recipe said the frosting was way too runny and they couldn't even pipe it on the cupcakes. I didn't end up having any problems with it and it turned out great! Aaron did the piping which is why they look so good!
Below are some pictures of how they turned out. It will definitely be a recipe I will keep and use again.
Below are some pictures of how they turned out. It will definitely be a recipe I will keep and use again.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Boxers And Flowers
I don't know if I mentioned before or not but I've been taking some sewing lessons lately. I just finished a pair of boxers for Aaron! Hopefully he will actually wear them. Over a period of a couple days the project took over 4 hours to complete. I'm thinking that $8-10 for a pair of boxers at the store isn't such a bad deal. I don't think I could repeat this project without help. Maybe over time I'll be able to understand those pattern instructions but for now they seem like they are written in Japanese.
I stopped by my parent's house yesterday and stole some flowers from a plant in their backyard. I'm not sure what kind of flowers they are but every year they have about 6 BIG plants that bloom with all these big flowers on them! I thought they looked really good so I brought them home and put them in a vase.
I stopped by my parent's house yesterday and stole some flowers from a plant in their backyard. I'm not sure what kind of flowers they are but every year they have about 6 BIG plants that bloom with all these big flowers on them! I thought they looked really good so I brought them home and put them in a vase.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Battleship, Red Lobster And Buddies
Saturday night Aaron and I were super bored so after sitting around staring at each other we decided to play Battleship. I have not played that game in a while so it was fun. I won the first game no problem but then Aaron took the final two. Exciting night huh? At one point I had all his ships but the little small one and I said, "If I were Aaron where would I put that?" He responded with, "You will never find my patrol boat." We did go to Red Lobster for dinner that night which was not very good. I'm not a big fan of Red Lobster but Aaron likes it and we never go so I felt bad. I really think the service and food quality has gone way down while the prices continue to go up.
On a side note what is up with this mediocrity of customer service lately? Sorry to vent on here but it is making me so mad. It seems like customer service employees really don't like their jobs or just don't care. I'm thinking its maybe both? I get so annoyed when they act like you are disturbing them or putting them out by asking a question or uh making them do their job. Anyways, totally frustrated with this!
On a side note what is up with this mediocrity of customer service lately? Sorry to vent on here but it is making me so mad. It seems like customer service employees really don't like their jobs or just don't care. I'm thinking its maybe both? I get so annoyed when they act like you are disturbing them or putting them out by asking a question or uh making them do their job. Anyways, totally frustrated with this!
I almost had him!
We caught Kya and Armani laying right next to each other tonight so we snapped a quick photo!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Attached To My Phone
Ever since we received our first call regarding a possible placement I feel like I can't do anything without my phone right next to me. Usually I have it with me anyways but sometimes when I'm running a quick errand or when Aaron is with me I leave my phone behind. I figure if my family or someone needs to get a hold of me and can't they will just call Aaron's phone. The first time she called it was around 9 a.m. and the second time it was in the middle of the afternoon. I feel like she could call at any time which makes me take my phone with me everywhere. For some reason I have never thought to ask our licensing worker if she calls Aaron if she can't get a hold of me. My concern is that they won't. So, if they call me and I don't answer I'm afraid they will move onto the next family. Next time I talk to her I think I will ask that!
I don't really have much of an update regarding foster care. We haven't received any more calls which is a bummer. Aaron and I talk about it a lot and we think how could she have called twice in one week and not any since then? We keep praying and trusting though.
We took CPR/First Aid a couple weekends ago and that was very informative. I now feel more comfortable with those techniques and hopefully I will never need them. We started a Child Trauma Training class last week and it went pretty well. It is about how to take care of children that have endured trauma which is usually the case with foster children. We are once again the only couple that has no children (bio, adopted, or foster).
For now we'll just keep plugging along and keep praying that she will call again soon.
Have a good week everyone!
I don't really have much of an update regarding foster care. We haven't received any more calls which is a bummer. Aaron and I talk about it a lot and we think how could she have called twice in one week and not any since then? We keep praying and trusting though.
We took CPR/First Aid a couple weekends ago and that was very informative. I now feel more comfortable with those techniques and hopefully I will never need them. We started a Child Trauma Training class last week and it went pretty well. It is about how to take care of children that have endured trauma which is usually the case with foster children. We are once again the only couple that has no children (bio, adopted, or foster).
For now we'll just keep plugging along and keep praying that she will call again soon.
Have a good week everyone!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Coupon Binder
Have any of you guys seen that show called "Extreme Couponing" and how these people get like tons of groceries for hardly nothing? Well I aspire to be that good at couponing some day. However, I don't think I want to put in that much effort so I don't think I will make it that far.
I try to find as many coupons as I can through different sources. I also get some in the mail from a local store but I'm no coupon all star. For the last year or so I've had this "coupon box" which was basically a pretty box with envelopes and coupons stuffed inside in no apparent order. I had one envelope labeled "Groceries." There were so many in there it was a pain to sort through each time I needed to get groceries.
As I walked into Kroger yesterday I stumbled across this coupon binder. Basically a 3-ring binder with those baseball card kind of pages in it to put in your coupons. It has dividers with labels and such so I can organize them better. I totally love it!!!! My one gripe with it is that the slots to put the coupons in are kind of small. I had to fold a lot of the coupons to get them to fit. I guess it still works though. Anything should be better than that box I had.
Here are a few pictures of it. Maybe with my all star binder I'll be able to move up the ladder closer to being an "extreme couponer"
I try to find as many coupons as I can through different sources. I also get some in the mail from a local store but I'm no coupon all star. For the last year or so I've had this "coupon box" which was basically a pretty box with envelopes and coupons stuffed inside in no apparent order. I had one envelope labeled "Groceries." There were so many in there it was a pain to sort through each time I needed to get groceries.
As I walked into Kroger yesterday I stumbled across this coupon binder. Basically a 3-ring binder with those baseball card kind of pages in it to put in your coupons. It has dividers with labels and such so I can organize them better. I totally love it!!!! My one gripe with it is that the slots to put the coupons in are kind of small. I had to fold a lot of the coupons to get them to fit. I guess it still works though. Anything should be better than that box I had.
Here are a few pictures of it. Maybe with my all star binder I'll be able to move up the ladder closer to being an "extreme couponer"
Genesis Test
I thought I did a post a while back about Aaron and I studying Genesis but maybe I didn't (because I can't seem to find it?)
Anyways, we've been writing down the main points on index cards as a way to study and remember the chapters. I tried to come up with some kind of a test for Aaron and I to take to see how well we actually know it. For this test I only went up to chapter 20 so as not to totally overwhelm.
I took pictures of how I laid out the test. It was really helpful for us and we'll just keep going until we finish up the chapter.
Anyways, we've been writing down the main points on index cards as a way to study and remember the chapters. I tried to come up with some kind of a test for Aaron and I to take to see how well we actually know it. For this test I only went up to chapter 20 so as not to totally overwhelm.
I took pictures of how I laid out the test. It was really helpful for us and we'll just keep going until we finish up the chapter.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Pictures
I went to more garage sales this weekend. On Friday with my mother in law and on Saturday Aaron and I went before CPR class. I ended up finding some more clothes and just a few toys. I'm totally on the garage sale bandwagon now and I'm looking forward to going again on Friday. On Friday Barb and I got up early and headed out to our first sale. I ended up finding some nice toys and DVDs and probably my favorite outfit so far. At the next sale I found a lot of super cute stuffed animals.
On Saturday it was one of the neighborhood subdivision sales. We had to be super fast since we had CPR class so we rushed out the door at 7:45 and when we drove into the subdivison it was packed full of people everywhere. Some of the houses just had tables and tables full of baby/toddler clothes.
Here are some pictures from what we bought!
The outfit in this last picture that is pink and gray is my favorite. Its gray sweatpants with a long sleeve pink onesie and a fleece vest to go over top!
Its so cute to see all the little toys and clothes in the rooms. Hopefully some day we will be able to use them!
On Saturday it was one of the neighborhood subdivision sales. We had to be super fast since we had CPR class so we rushed out the door at 7:45 and when we drove into the subdivison it was packed full of people everywhere. Some of the houses just had tables and tables full of baby/toddler clothes.
Here are some pictures from what we bought!
The outfit in this last picture that is pink and gray is my favorite. Its gray sweatpants with a long sleeve pink onesie and a fleece vest to go over top!
Its so cute to see all the little toys and clothes in the rooms. Hopefully some day we will be able to use them!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Highchair
Our highchair got delivered today! We got it all put together and it looks so cute! I just love the little giraffe at the top.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Garage Sale Finds
Saturday Aaron and I went to a few garage sales to have something to do. Aaron was of course on the hunt for something that he could buy cheap and then turn around and sell it on ebay. He did end up finding some car ads from 1955 that he spent $2.50 for all 5 total. On ebay they were selling from around $6-10 a piece. Time will tell if he sells them.
I was more looking for clothes for little kids and maybe some toys. Now, many of you know I'm not a big garage saler person. I never feel like I find very much, by the time I get there all the good stuff is gone. I did manage however to find 2 pairs of shorts for boys, 4 shorts for girls and 4 shirts for boys. All for $6.00. I was excited about that. Most of them seem to be in pretty good shape. Of course I had no idea what size was to buy. If it looked like it was in pretty good shape and a size we might end up using I got it. I figured if we don't end up using them I could give them to someone or just send them to Goodwill. Here are pictures of what I bought.
I was more looking for clothes for little kids and maybe some toys. Now, many of you know I'm not a big garage saler person. I never feel like I find very much, by the time I get there all the good stuff is gone. I did manage however to find 2 pairs of shorts for boys, 4 shorts for girls and 4 shirts for boys. All for $6.00. I was excited about that. Most of them seem to be in pretty good shape. Of course I had no idea what size was to buy. If it looked like it was in pretty good shape and a size we might end up using I got it. I figured if we don't end up using them I could give them to someone or just send them to Goodwill. Here are pictures of what I bought.
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