New Blog

Check out this new blog my friend and I have started. Neither of us can claim to be wonderful homeschool moms or know all of the ins and outs of Classical Education, but we wanted to have a place where like minded people could come together and share in their triumphs and failures while seeking advice from many who are walking in their shoes. We would love to have guest posters. Look in the sidebar to see how to submit a post. Also, it is a work in progress.

I am Moving ....

...just my blog. I have not wanted to change my address, but it bugs me that it is meandmy4 and now I have 5. Visit it me at lifewithmeandmy5.blogspot.com

Menu Plans

Here is our menu for the week.

Monday- Chicken stir-fry
Tuesday- Grilled pork tenderloin, wild rice, salad
Wednesday- Spaghetti, salad
Thursday-Chicken tortilla soup
Friday-Dinner with friends
Saturday- Cinco de Mayo/Jack 3rd b-day party--Steak/Pork/Chicken Fajitas, Tacos, Black Beans and Rice, Something corn, Chips with different salsas and Guacamole (The love of everything Spanish in Bruce keeps this party going every year even though Jack is starting to realize he may be getting cheated out of a real birthday party.:) It has also kind of become the "Oh no! You can't not have the margarita party this year!" with our friends.)
Sunday- Left overs

Help Please

Zachary wants to know, "Can you wash wetness?" I have no clue what he wants or needs here. Any translation help would be much appreciated.

Accepting the Award

Click here to see Mike and 10th Avenue North accepting the award.Congratulations again!!

Scary Times

I have not blogged about some of the current events on purpose. We are in a scary place and I do not have anything profound to say. Our president makes me nervous, it is becoming ever so clear that the whole freedom of speech and opinions thing does not really count if you are a Christian or in some cases just have good morals, and our government's solutions to our economic crisis makes me want to shake someone really hard to wake them up. When speaking of my children getting older, I told a friend recently that it just could not be true that Isaac is not a toddler anymore. I said it just does not feel real. Sometimes I think it would be fun if life were really like when we were little girls and played house. We could imagine anything and we just played in blissful ignorance. Wouldn't it be great if we could do that with our children? The scary thing is that I get the sense our President is playing the same game. What concerns me is I am not so sure he is teachable enough to wake up to the reality of real life. He is playing house and I am not even sure that he realizes it is a game and not real. That terrifies me. When I look at the whole intolerance of intolerance that is going on combined with our leadership, all I can do is pray. So, that is what I am going to do.

Look at Him Now

One of the greatest joys Bruce and I have had in working the last 15 years with teenagers is being able to enjoy the journey they take and watching the things God does to mold them into the adults they become. I love catching up with a former student to see what they are up to now. Mike Donehey has been easy to follow. We have kept up with his family and are always amazed at what we hear. Congratulations to Mike and 10th Avenue North on winning Best New Artist at the Dove Awards! We knew Mike when he walked around Fredericksburg Christian School constantly composing songs and playing his guitar. I remember him composing a song about the French mission trip we were on a singing it in the airport. Of course, Isaac thinks it is pretty cool that the brother of his first crush is the lead singer of his favorite band.(Yes, Kanene, even though you went off and got yourself married, he still remembers you.)Again, Congratulations guys!

For Whom Are You Holding Your Head High?

I am guessing you all have figured out by now that I am kind of "high strung" as my husband puts it. I really try to calm down and not let myself be anxious over things. I have been doing a pretty good job lately. Well, today something out of the blue and out of my control unfolded before my eyes. It has caused me to be in a state of panic, humiliation, etc. It is not the end of the world, but it will have lasting effects of people's opinions of me. So, my husband, who is feeling some of the same things over this, reminded me that God knew this was going to happen and so what if people have the wrong impression. Beyond God, does it really matter what opinions people have of you? I know in general yes, it does. We should be a light unto the world, and people should see Christ through us, but when things are beyond your control and you do not like the end result-Does it really matter? No, it does not. I am reminding myself of something I say to my children quite often when they worry over friends and what they think of them. I ask them, "If Christ were right here would you be able to hold your head high about the details of this particular circumstance. If so, stop worrying about it!" So, if you are like me and worry way too much about what others think, remember who you are holding your head high for.

Menu Monday

I am trying to get back into menu planning. I was doing well for a while, then we became too, too busy.Which means spending too much money eating out, or in our case, having food delivered. So, I am getting back into planning. For the weekend I have started making sure I have food for 3 meals on hand and waiting to see what is going on and preparing the food accordingly. We will either start the Sabbath Saturday night with a meal, or have it after church on Sunday. Occasionally, we close the Sabbath with the big meal on Sunday night. I have enjoyed doing that as well.

Monday- Baked chicken and potatoes with fresh asparagus
Tuesday- Pot Roast
Wednesday- Slower Cooker Pork Chops and Gravy with rice, and green beans
Thursday- Grilled Chicken, Cous Cous, Salad
Friday- Black Beans and Rice, Spinach Salad
Weekend Meals- Grilled London Broil, Smoked Ribs, Hot dogs roasted over the fire, broccoli salad, sweet potato fries, German Potato Salad, fresh asparagus.

It is Official

The adoption is finally official! Micah is legally our child now. We had the hearing this morning. I am so glad to put this year behind us. This journey has been difficult, but as with anything journey God sends you through, we have grown tremendously. I hope I have learned to be more sensitive to others and to know that people need grace when they are suffering. I have learned how important it is to be teachable during these times of your life. We are so thrilled to have Micah in our lives. He is truly a blessing. We are also thankful for the added benefit of the friendships which have grown from this. We could never do enough to thank the people who have helped us through this time. But here is a big THANKS to you all!

Planning

I am stuck in one area in my planning for the children's schooling. I am good with curriculum. I already know what I will need help with and what I will do on my own. I am stuck with the daily schedule. Not so much coming up with it, but how to present it to the kids. I know I may not be making much sense. Maybe it is because
I am still a little confused about what I am looking for. Until this year They have been pretty dependent upon me. They have known we follow a schedule, but they would still come to me for what needed to be done next. Isaac is getting older and needs to take a little more responsibility in this area. Time management is not his strongest attribute. Sarah on the other hand has to be told to calm down if she thinks she is getting off of her schedule. There are pros and cons to both, but one needs the responsibility and one just wants it. So, I am looking for a daily planner or assignment sheet to hand them. Isaac's days go much better when it is laid out for him in visible form and there are consequences when he does not complete each goal. Without that he is distracted every step along the way. I know I could make my own and I may do it. I was just hoping to find something already done that I can input the info on a monthly basis (I have found with small children doing it for the year just discourages me. Someone is sick or I spend my day in constant conflict,it throws everything off, and then I have to re-work everything.) Then I would just print it out and give it to them. I really do not need all of the record keeping that comes with most programs. We are not there yet and the older they get I will probably let VP handle all of that. Any suggestions?

We're Back

So, we're back. As much as I try to deny it, we are home. We had a great vacation. It is so true that you never realize how stressed you are until you take that much needed break. I finally feel like this last miserable year is behind us. There was so much closure, for me at least, in being able to visit with Micah's mother and our incredible friends without the adoption hanging over our heads. We could actually be friends and have a ton of fun. At least we did. I hope they did too!:) This is a trip Bruce and I would not normally just take. My husband sensed my need to unwind and find closure and with a place to stay, great friends to take our children, and cheap plane tickets we did it. Not sure when or if it will happen again, but I am glad we did it! Enjoy the pictures.

Aloha

My blog has not been my priority lately. I am coming back to it, though. I have lots of thoughts mulling around my head. But, they will have to wait. You see, Bruce and I have a vacation planned. We are leaving Thursday for a full week in Hawaii WITHOUT CHILDREN!! Actually, while I know it is very important to have this time alone and we really need to unwind after the year we have had, I know I will be guilty of constantly thinking, "Oh the kids would love this!" We have wonderful friends who are keeping all 5 of our children on top of the 9 they already have! Some of their children are much older than mine, so they will have some help. The kids are so excited and I know they will have a blast. We cannot wait to spend time with our friends without the heaviness of everything that was going on the last time we were there. So, I am off to pack. I will post pictures and details when we get home.

Children and Grieving

I have a confession. Bruce and I have sat through so many adoption classes and left them thinking they were full of a bunch of liberal mumbo jumbo. For the most part they would always advocate some kind of birth parent contact. It could be as simple as a letter on their birthday to being a part of the family. I want to protect my son so, I will not say a lot about our situation but, he got the raw end of the deal on an open adoption so, we were turned off. We still believe the child should be put first and it is not a given that openness is always best. I think if the adoptive family is going to make a commitment then for the sake of the well being of the child, the birth parent should make a commitment as well. They should not communicate when it is easy and drop off the face of the earth when they are ready to move on. Especially if the child is old enough to remember them. Why am I thinking through all of this now? It actually has nothing to do with Micah's adoption. We are not sure what is going to happen there, but we do trust that if she makes a commitment either way she will stick to it. I'm thinking through all of this because I have been approached numerous times recently with adoptive parents whose children are hitting that 7 to 9 year old range and realizing what it means to be adopted. The are grieving and trying to understand. It is heartbreaking to watch. They want to know what we did to help Isaac get through it. That is hard. The thing we have learned is the grieving process is cyclical. You think they are through it, but then they get to a point when it rares its head again. So, the question I have is this. Are the social workers correct? Is it better when their is healthy, responsible contact? You see, I have been doing a little observing. WE know several adoptive families. A lot of them have some sort of contact with the birth families. It seems as though those who do, even if it is just a letter once a year, are having an easier go at it. Now, I acknowledge I do not live in their homes and maybe they have a whole other list of issues. And maybe I just see the longing in my son's eyes when they talk about visits with or letters from their birth parents. Anyway, I am just thinking. Any opinions out there? I do not know how much of an adoption crowd I have, but I would love to hear your thoughts.

Omnibus IV Reading List

I have talked with some of you about Omnibus IV. I thought you would be interested in seeing the new reading list. It is a little different than what is in the current catalog. It has been posted here:
http://resources.veritaspress.com/downloads/Omnibus%20IV%20Reading%20List.htm

They Really Do Watch Us

It has become more and more evident that at least one of my children has inherited my "the glass is half full" attitude. It is funny how we want to deny that the sins we see in our children might just stem from watching their parents. This child has struggled for years with different things and just cannot see the good side in anything. I always have these little thoughts creeping into my mind, "You know, _____ is just following your example." I then make a million excuses as to why that is not true and go on. Last night ________ explained to us that ____ tries to see the good in things, but worries just pop into ____ head and ___ cannot stop thinking about it. My husband then goes on to say,"Yeah, you have picked that up from your mother." At first I was extremely offended that he would do that in front of our child, but I could tell that this was so obvious to him and the child that it never would have occurred to either of them to keep this a secret. Well, my heart has been convicted. Years ago my husband had this project of putting all of the Proverbs on index cards and dividing them according to category. I would often pull out the anxiety, worrying, or God's sovereignty stacks and just read and pray over them for days at a time. I think it is time to do this again. As a matter of fact I think will invite this child to do it with me.

EDIT: Alright, that should say "glass is half epmty." Wow, long day!

O Lord, Please Quiet my Heart

WE have been busy and traveling and are now planning for our trip to Hawaii. All I can hear is noise! I know that sounds crazy, but as a mother of 5, I usually deal well with the noise of a house full of children. As my sister-in-law reminded me this weekend, our home will be silent again before we know it. (Her baby was married this weekend. Wow! I still cannot believe he is married! She is hearing the silence all too well.) Because we have been so busy, we have been "flying by the seat of our pants." I tend to like living this way for me personally, but it is not working so well with all of the children. So, I am trying to get back to some sort of routine. Every time I think of putting everyone back on their schedule,my mind starts racing with all of things I have to do in the next two weeks. There is no time for a schedule!! Our home is loud and chaotic and we seem to be spinning our wheels. So, as my heart and mind are full of chaos right now, I am praying this Puritan Prayer over and over.

O HOLY SPIRIT,
As the sun is full of light, the ocean full of water,
Heaven full of glory, so may my heart be full of Thee.

I have found that when I have a hard time escaping the chaos it is usually because I have not quieted my heart enough to trust in our Saviour. I am sure it also has a little to do with children who need a little training or re-training for some of them.:-)

Reading the Classics

I came across this list of classics which have stood the test of time. I think I am going to try and read through the list. It will more than likely take me years, but I am going to try. Some days all I can do is crawl to bed after reading the different books to the children. But, I am going to do better. I used to be an avid reader. I ALWAYS had several books going at one time. Now I am feeling lost in Dr. Seuss and I am afraid my brain will go to mush. I have actually done a lot of studying the past year of church history and the Middle Ages. I am finding it all fascinating. But, I want the old me back. The me that could do all of the studying, pleasure reading, and brain candy that I wanted and do it all simultaneously. So, I am giving it a go. I have already read several of them, but I am thinking of reading them again. I love to re-read books. I find that I see things in a different light at certain times in my life. Anyone want to attempt this with me?

Happy 1st Birthday Micah

Micah turns 1 today. When I think back to this day last year it is filled with so many emotions. That first week I was on auto-pilot. That caught me off guard. My husband, in his wisdom, knew that is what would happen and arranged for me to stay with strangers at the time, now great friends.He did not want me doing it alone. They kept me going and fed and everything else.They will never know what a blessing their hospitality was to me and the peace that it gave my husband knowing I was not alone during all of that. That day and the few days after were so emotional for me and it was hard to function in that when you do not know anyone. They knew that and helped me along.And then to come home to the news that everything was different than we had been told was well, overwhelming. Anyway, as I think back over the last year I am thankful for new friends, for an awesome relationship with the birth mother, and most of all, the great gift that we have. Micah definitely lives up to his middle name, Makana, meaning gift in Hawaiian.

Did You Hear It?

Did you hear that very loud sigh of relief coming from the Etter home? Yesterday has come and gone with no one appealing the judges decision on terminating the parental rights. We are in the home stretch now. Everything from here out is just a formality. We have a finalization date of April 16.


In other adoption news, we had a great time at Medieval Times last night. Isaac was so proud when it was announced that the Etter family was celebrating the adoption of Isaac. The boys did not know what to do with themselves. Micah sat mesmerized by it all. Zach was a little afraid in the beginning but soon warmed up and was cheering our knight along and booing very loudly at our enemy. Jack was hilarious. Every time someone was "stabbed" or "whipped", he would scream with laughter and say,"That is funny!"