I Don't Organize The Forks...and other confessions

Yep, you read it right I confess that I no longer organize my forks from the spoons! I know, it is just awful but at the same time each time I toss that cutlery basket into the drawer I smile a little inside...

I am sure some of you may cringe, but this is my new normal...brought on by a very good, yet hard conversation with our adoptions worker.... Her opinion was hire someone to help with the house, or find short-cuts! Then her words freed me from house-wife guilt "with 3 special needs kids, you just can't do it all." So since a housekeeper wasn't in my budget I went with the shortcuts!

I now enjoy baskets in closets that hide the clutter, a messy fork drawer, a basket for the shoes near the front door, laundry that is not sorted by color, and many others...most of all I enjoy more time with the family.

 I also enjoy more sleep as I am not up cleaning till 2 AM the night before a home visit.

While your "normal" may not be the same as mine with speech therapy,  physical therapy,  play therapy, family therapy,  school,  IEPs,  weekly home visits,  checkups & growth checks,  homework,  online ASL classes, mounds of adoption paperwork, and other weekly family activities....I am sure you have your list of crazy that we call "normal."
 So let me release you...you can't do it all. So what short-cuts do you make? Leave a comment and let me know.. :)

You know...now that I think about it~ I could just stock up on SPORKS!!!

The Yucky Stuff Along The Journey

Yes, today I am talking about two things that I really don't like one is laundry and the other is PUKE! Even worse when the two combine~ Ewwwww!!!!!!!!

I hate the tummy bug and with school back in session I know our girls will bring it home...

So I wanted to find out how other moms deal with the piles of bedding, sick blankets, dollies, and clean-up towels that come with our babies pets, or hubby is sick.. So what do you do? Any tips? Please share in the comments below!

I'll go first.. Here is what I do now:

1. Shake off...well you know.

2. Prewash with a couple of drops Dawn Dishsoap on cold. I figure if it is chemically produced to dissolve food, well, puke is food...um sort of I guess. ;)

3. Do a short soak/prewash with a few drops Tea Tree Oil. TTO kills germs, viruses, and gets rid of odors naturally.

4. Launder as normal on hot or as garment suggests. 

Your turn, what do you do to get those fabrics to once again comforts your sickies?

A Journey To 1st Grade!

Well, the last of our really fun summer is here...tomorrow my oldest will start 1st grade! I am so nervous and she is so excited! She is mostly excited about her new school supplies-that mama got for a steal!!!!

She has really enjoyed her summer! She loves to play outside, with her sisters, and has the little girl next door as her new best friend! She has also learned to skate and doing a great job!

I am so proud of my little princess! She has worked so hard this summer to be ready for 1st grade! I just look at her and even though it has only been 5 months I feel like I have known her forever... 
So tomorrow I pack her up once again and send her off to school with all of my love and hopes for her future.

Our Family Song

You know how there are those songs that just seem to fit... The one that takes you back to that moment in time that defined your life.  Maybe the moment you walked across that stage with your whole life ahead of you... 
We have had many of these songs. As a couple we have lots of songs...memories. 
We also seems we have little songs as a new family. Songs that remind us on our really bad days of what is really important~ love. 
The song Hold Us Together By: Matt Maher  is one of those songs.
Enjoy~ 

Happy Birthday Baby Bird!!!!

Happy Birthday my little baby bird...I love you so much!!!  

You are so sweet! I love how much you love babies. How you love to "tittle' tickle us and play peek-a-boo. I love it when I am rocking you to sleep and you look into my eyes or brush my check and say "mama." Sometimes you even sing the little lullaby back to me... You are so sweet! I love you so much. 

I am so proud of you! 

When you first came home:

You toddled & fell~ now you run! 

You barely ate~ now you eat "shishkin" all by yourself. 

You cried a lot~ now you smile and laugh! 

You needed to be held~ now you love to play!

I see you growing everyday, but it is okay if you want to be my baby a little longer...how does till you are 40 sound?!? 

I love you baby girl...

Mommy.

Jars...Balls...And Perfect Children

Jars...Balls...And Perfect Children~ Well 2 out of 3 isn't bad! Right?!?

We have 3 amazing little girls that we love sooo much! They are beautiful & talented & came with their own personalities and set of challenges. These many times show themselves as behaviors...oh my word do they!?!

 When you chose to Foster-Adopt you chose to take it all...you take the past hurts - fears - anger- you live with the aftermath and sometimes it is hard to take. Really hard to take, but you take it~ because you can...it is a burden that those little shoulders shouldn't have to carry alone.

You also know that your life and home will never be the same.

You have to find special ways of doing things even face being judged by others...they just don't get it, but how can they??

I don't want to make them sound pitiful, but that simply I chose to take in all of the information and address certain things in a way I see fit just as their new mother. Just as any mother would... I want to help them to grow and heal.

I am so thankful that we have a great support system! We try to surround ourselves with those that have been there...and still going through it that we can get ideas from when we just don't know what to try next.

One of the ideas to come our way is the behavior jars. 

The other side has their picture but they would also be able to tell from the lid color that they painted and the sticker selection! 

The idea (which I think I also saw on a nanny show) is that you catch them being good and put in a ball. 

On the show they could also lose one, but for children already dealing with a lot of loss that seems counter productive. 

When all of the jars are full (thus older sibling encourage good behaviors in younger siblings) we have a family activity. 

Also, to increase expectations we will later make the balls smaller and the jars larger, but the idea is to go slow.
I write about my kids because they are what I know...they are my life! I am sure they would work with just about any kid that loves bright colorful balls and fun!

I am not if this will work forever, but for now I'll just stuff a little hope in these jars along with the little paper balls. 

Because We All Need A Little Calm...On This Journey!

Yes I am talking about the calming jars! If you have spent any time on Pinterest (my new fave!!!) you have seen these little jars. I loved the idea! Umm...HELLO?!?!?!? G-L-I-T-T-E-R!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the stuff!!! Yes, I love that is sticks to everything, too!

Okay calming down...that IS what this post is all about right?!? So I knew for my girls we would need to use the plastic ones and that I would need some REALLY good glue to keep those suckers closed!

I made them in my girl's favorite colors: Blue for my beautiful 6 year-old, Purple for bubbly 3 year-old, and pink for my baby girl who is nearing the terrific 2s!!

This is them all shaken up!!! 

I wish I had made the middle one a little smaller..

About half way...

All calm and hopefully the child as well... 

These pretty little jars or bottles are mostly used for time out, but we use a modified time out for our girls ranging from special needs to "high" needs so I knew this would not work for that so we just use them for calming moments. They are great for in the car although after having one flung at my face...we may be making some a little smaller for the car.

 I needed a calming jar after that!!!