It's been a few days for the challenge and for other things going on in the family so here goes an update.
FIRST OFF POTTY TRAINING:
Braden has done remarkably well--much to my surprise! We have had few accidents and the ones we have had are from me not being deligent to take him on a regular basis. Yesterday was a "test" day as we went to a playgroup activity that was far away from home and I wasn't sure how he would do once he was out of his comfort zone. He was PERFECT!!! But we had an accident later in the evening because I fully forgot to make him go potty after we got home. By the time he had the accident he was totally exhausted from the day and I was in the middle of making dinner with the granddaughter on my hip. We are committed to wearing real underwear all day long and will not go back to pull-ups. HE came down with a bad cold right after starting this update ( a few days ago) and so we are seeing more pee accidents as I have been pushing the fluids and forgetting to push the potty--lol!!
EXCERSISE:
Doing better than I thought!!!! I have really really negelcted myself and so I'm so out of shape that the thought of getting back into shape was almost depressing. Without the help and encouragment of my dear friends I think I fully could have been a failure at this once again. I do one of two things in my own attempt to sabbotage myself--I either give up on day three as I'm hurting by then or I press forward but EAT AWFUL so that all that I did is wasted. So It's been three full days of my committment to better myself and present my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit and I will say I'm fighting the later of doing GREAT and Pressing in but eating awful. The awful is not as bad as times past and I'm very aware that I'm doing it and that is the first step in stopping! I have my friends and God to be accountable to so I'm hyped and ready to make the break through. The worse I have done so far is to go on a "Captian Crunch" eating benge last night--lol!!!! ., Muscles are starting to tone up and most of all I"m looking forward to the workouts!
SELF IMPROVEMENTS
Well here is why this is a PROCESS and not a flip the switch and it all falls into place. I'm doing better on some areas and failing in others. I have started taking better care of my full body--not just in the exercise but actually nurturing it. Did a great PEDICURE on the old feet and they are starting to look human again. Since it's warming up and I'm a huge sandal wearer I have great motivation to keep it up. Over all skin care was great for a day or two until the boys got sick and I would just fall into bed as always without washing my face and moisturizing so I need to get back on track. House work has gone out the window as the boys have kept me hopping with not feeling good--laundry is piled up, kitchen is a wreck, but the floors have stayed nice and the bathrooms are getting a full scrub to keep the germs out.
DEBT CLASS
I didn't get to attend the first class as both boys were to sick to take to church. John went and brought home the worksheet which is what the class was taught over almost word for word. I have read it and have a few favorite quotes to share
"You can only change your future if you change your present!"
John Maxwell said," A budget is telling your money where to go, not trying to figure out where it went" I have to say I LOVE THIS QUOTE!!!!!!
When your out-go exceeds your income, your up-keep becomes your downfall!
the goal this week is to fill out the budget sheets--one of the main important thing was to learn to fill out the budget and have a zero balance EVERY MONTH, We have to preplan where every dime is going to with nothing left over as any "extra" would be assigned to debt payments or the emergency fund
Which brings me to the fact that an emergency fund was STRESSED. Starting with the baby fund of $1,000 and working toward the 3-6 month of living expenses in savings
For us starting this class came at the most important time as we just got our tax refund and so the "baby fund" is already established thanks to this refund!!!! THANK GOD!!!
Tonight is Tuesday and we are planing on sitting down and working on the budget sheets TOGETHER!!!
On a side note I talked to John already and had requested we try and get the food amount under control by setting a grocery limit--this has been a touchy spot for many years as we go back and forth about me wanting us to only spend so much each week and that amount being BLOWN because re return to the stores so much or go out to eat. So I ask that we at least try and start by doing a 2 week shopping trip and set the limit to $160
We made a two week menu plan and went to Wal-Mart and Aldis's-- I had to stay home at the last minutes as I was having some health issues all of a sudden and had to take my meds and let them kick in so John,Annie and Braden went( Colton stayed home because he was really not 'feeling berry good' as he says)--they spent the full $160 but forgot a few items( and added a few that weren't on the list--lol!!!) so we will be over once I get the few things left off but over all it was A HUGE SUCCESS. We now know what we are having and there is NO going out to eat!!! Since there was no coupons used or really any sales ads used either I expect to get this under the dollar amount next time. It will be a work in progress but everyone is happy with this weeks results, We are eating very good meals and I can slash the budget by adding more frugal meals that will be less expensive and yield leftovers for lunches and further lowering the limit.
Once the full budget numbers get in I'll post them and hopefully will have figured out how to do my debt tickers!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Lent/Friendship/makeover
Today marks the start of Lent. I have a friend who is Catholic and has challenged us in our "playgroup" to better our self during this 6 week period. For some Christians lent is when they sacrifice something as a reminder of what Jesus sacrificed for us for others lent is a time of self betterment --a time to improve your self as a way of giving thanks to God for all He did for us through Christ. I have been a christian for most of my life but since I'm not catholic lent hasn't been much of a big deal. It's a term I have heard but never really understood and NEVER PRACTICED. I think that is sad in some ways, as I truly believe we as Christians can learn from those of different faiths. Most of the time we only look to our own denomination and never explore or try to understand someone else's denomination or how or why they do what they do. But thankfully our little playgroup is made up of many different denominations and we all learn and grow through them all. I so love having friends who are different than me as it makes me stretch and grow. We have all decided to exercise and put our money where our mouth is during lent. Our challenge is to "pay" our self for exercising and after Easter we are going to a FANCY EXPENSIVE restaurant and can only spend what we earn! Our hope is that we can afford more than just a glass of water--lol!!
Having a group of friends has been one of the treasures that I value in my life. For so many years(18 to be exact!) I haven't had any "girlfriends" to hang out with and that had left a void and emptiness that my husband could never fill. He has and still is my very best friend but he is no GIRL and doesn't understand being a GIRL at all--lol!!! So during this time of reflection as we girls work hard to earn our night out I'm giving thanks for my girlfriends!
This leads me to the last thing and that is a TOTAL ME MAKEOVER!! I'm going to use the 6 weeks of lent to work on making ME BETTER--both inside and out. Many of the things John and I will be doing to get our finances in shape are things that will have a wonderful and profound effect on getting me in shape to be the woman God and I have both wanted me to be.So the list of things I want to work on are as follows
DILIGENCE
HEALTH
CONSISTENCY
RESOURCE FULLNESS
CREATIVITY
And finally FEMININITY
Many of the things go hand in hand and since I'm going to be working on some with the aide of others I hope to be successful in them all. By doing a hard long look at our finances and taking the steps needed to get out of the ocean of debt we are in I will become more diligent in not just money but in other areas of our life which will help in being more resourceful. I would like to work harder at being a better housewife in both my cleaning and cooking skills. This of course means I have to become consistent in everything I do. Right now I'm good on some days but not so good on others. I really do want to be a better cook and getting healthy is going to be a great way to improve my creativity in that department. But I also want to be better at being creative in every area of my life. I want to establish a household routine and stick to it, a discipline routine for the boys, preschool work time every week,a daily OUTSIDE PLAYTIME, and a time for God which should actually come first in the day so God gets the best of me and not the left overs! And lastly I'd like to improve on my femininity --lol!!! I didn't grow up with a girly mom so I have nothing to pull from. I'm not a girly girl and that is not my intentions on becoming one either but I could improve how I look and take care of myself, not only for my benefit but for John's to. Some of the things I really need to work on is skin care, nail care, along with weight loss. I don't feel very womanly mostly because I don't take the time to nurture myself. So I'm going to strive to be more womanly in the next 6 weeks with wearing more dresses to church( right now I only wear slacks as I hate high heals!!), doing my nails as they are awful and my hands are so rough it hurts to put on my makeup lately, and lastly get my feet in shape along with the rest of me. My feet are so rough you could use them like 30 grit sandpaper--lol!! I want to wear sandals and like the way my feet look in them. So that's the plan.
Having a group of friends has been one of the treasures that I value in my life. For so many years(18 to be exact!) I haven't had any "girlfriends" to hang out with and that had left a void and emptiness that my husband could never fill. He has and still is my very best friend but he is no GIRL and doesn't understand being a GIRL at all--lol!!! So during this time of reflection as we girls work hard to earn our night out I'm giving thanks for my girlfriends!
This leads me to the last thing and that is a TOTAL ME MAKEOVER!! I'm going to use the 6 weeks of lent to work on making ME BETTER--both inside and out. Many of the things John and I will be doing to get our finances in shape are things that will have a wonderful and profound effect on getting me in shape to be the woman God and I have both wanted me to be.So the list of things I want to work on are as follows
DILIGENCE
HEALTH
CONSISTENCY
RESOURCE FULLNESS
CREATIVITY
And finally FEMININITY
Many of the things go hand in hand and since I'm going to be working on some with the aide of others I hope to be successful in them all. By doing a hard long look at our finances and taking the steps needed to get out of the ocean of debt we are in I will become more diligent in not just money but in other areas of our life which will help in being more resourceful. I would like to work harder at being a better housewife in both my cleaning and cooking skills. This of course means I have to become consistent in everything I do. Right now I'm good on some days but not so good on others. I really do want to be a better cook and getting healthy is going to be a great way to improve my creativity in that department. But I also want to be better at being creative in every area of my life. I want to establish a household routine and stick to it, a discipline routine for the boys, preschool work time every week,a daily OUTSIDE PLAYTIME, and a time for God which should actually come first in the day so God gets the best of me and not the left overs! And lastly I'd like to improve on my femininity --lol!!! I didn't grow up with a girly mom so I have nothing to pull from. I'm not a girly girl and that is not my intentions on becoming one either but I could improve how I look and take care of myself, not only for my benefit but for John's to. Some of the things I really need to work on is skin care, nail care, along with weight loss. I don't feel very womanly mostly because I don't take the time to nurture myself. So I'm going to strive to be more womanly in the next 6 weeks with wearing more dresses to church( right now I only wear slacks as I hate high heals!!), doing my nails as they are awful and my hands are so rough it hurts to put on my makeup lately, and lastly get my feet in shape along with the rest of me. My feet are so rough you could use them like 30 grit sandpaper--lol!! I want to wear sandals and like the way my feet look in them. So that's the plan.
Monday, February 23, 2009
DEBT
What is it and how did we get there?! For most when you say that word they think it's "everyday" bills and such or a broader word of lack but the dictionary says debt is as follows
DEBT:To owe, something owed by one person to another or others 2.an obligation or liability to pay or return something 3.the condition of owing
I think that is to simplistic and why we as Americans are so far into debt. I fully think the definition should read more like this----DEBT:an obligation or liability to pay for something without the ability to do so! After all I have an electric bill and a water bill and a gas bill which are things that I owe for the service I used but because I can pay them I don't count those as debts nor do I think having them makes me in debt.
The DEBT I'm talking about is the one that makes you a slave to those you owe--even if you didn't deliberately run up a bill or obligation it's the kind of owing that robs you of the blessings God has for you because you can't get past the debt.
to many times we think about "buying" something and put it into the category of simple debt--we want something,we charge it and owe on it and we go about our business as though nothing is wrong or out of whack. After all we just have "debt" like the dictionary--we owe something to someone --no big deal right? But DEBT has become a big deal for many many Americans--us included, as we bought into the idea that owing for things was really not a big deal and just a simple part of life after all we owe for our utilities but don't think of our self as being in debt--we live in houses and drive cars but we don't see that as debts as you have to live in a place and most of us need cars to get around so since it's a "needed thing" it's not a debt giving item. But somehow we went from having "debt" that we owed and could pay for easily to being IN DEBT which is owing more than what we can pay for out of our own abilities. Now granted most of our debt is from medical issues that we had no control over but half of our debts are simply our fault for not planning better.
It's so easy to blame someone else for the debts we have but the truth is we are our worst enemy and have no one to blame but our self. At one time we had one credit card with a small limit and we waited until I was 25 years old before we ever got that--now that doesn't sound like I was all that old at the time but I was only 16 when we got married so we waited a full NINE years into our marriage before we ever got a credit card.We used it for true emergencies and payed it off most of the time--since the credit limit was only $1,200 for so many years we never felt in debt even when it was maxed out as John could just do 2-3 side jobs and make that much in 2 weeks or less if we needed the money that bad. But now we have more credit cards than I want to admit to and worse of all we owe more than the national average. For those that don't know the national average is around the $8,000 to $9,000 mark. SHOCKING ISN'T IT!!!And yet that is just an average as many many people owe more than that on credit cards alone. Factor in your car debt,house debt and other non essentials and you have an out of control wildfire of debt and no fire hose in sight!
So how did we get there--owing so much and becoming a slave to the lenders as the bible puts it. Simple---WE ALLOWED OUR SELF TO BECOME SEDUCED BY THE WORLDS INTERPRETATION OF DEBT, AND TOOK OUR EYES OFF OF GOD!!! WE ALONE ARE TO BLAME FOR ALL THIS! It's totally our fault for dancing with the devil, Satan is a seductress in every since of the word, he works in subtle and tantalizing ways and sucks you into his snare all so you are too in tangled to follow after God and the true plan for your life. It was a simple start, we got a Sears card on top of our credit union credit card which was no big deal at first but that lead to us having a false since of being in control which lead to us getting a credit card for our business and justifying that which at the time we thought we were managing things well and still within our realm of being able to pay for it. That of course lead to another business credit card and then still a third one then another personal credit card and all the while we told our self what the devil was seducing us with-- which was debt and slavery to the lender-- was still no big deal after all we could just get one big job and pay them all off, the "big job was just around the corner" but all that was a lie-- as we had gone from trusting in God for our every move to relying on our self .We had put us into Satans hand and at his will to sift us like sand whenever he choose to. And sift us he did!! All the "big" jobs dried up and we made one mistake after another as our eyes got further and further off of GOD!
TAKING OUR EYES OFF OF GOD WAS OUR DOWN FALL!!! Debt is like the ocean- vast and deep, but at the shore line it can be some of the prettiest places in the world! After all who doesn't like a day at the beach--just go to the Caribbean where the white sandy beach and clear beautiful ocean meet and you can see why it's so easy to jump in and get wet, there at the shore line you don't see the danger as you can get in and swim around, you can even swim away from the beach but still keep it in your eyesight so no big deal, you can stay wet as long as you like with your feet firmly on the ocean floor and "tell yourself" all is well but get out there far enough and before you realize it you have nothing in your view but the vastness of the ocean and the water instead of being clear and beautiful is dark and stormy. There is nothing out there to hold on to either, just your own strength which you know will wear out soon. It's that dark and scary place with the energy of our self slipping away that John and I found we were at a few months away. So helpless and even hopeless that we would survive. We no longer feel the fear we did just a few short months ago not because we got out of the ocean but because we finally put our eyes back on Jesus!
I love the story in the bible of Peter walking on water--you can read the whole passage yourself in Matthew 14:22-33 it totally describes us right now in so many ways. We put our self in a boat and rowed under our own power until we were in the middle of the ocean(Peter was in a lake but it's almost the same thing) and the storms of life came upon us and we were frightened we knew there was hope(Jesus,Gods favor,wisdom) and walked a good part of the way towards that but we faltered and took our eyes off the answer and went under fast and hard and sank almost to the point of drowning. But standing right in front of us the whole time was the answer and so we called upon that NAME THAT IS ABOVE THE NAME OF DEBT and He heard our cry and reached out toward us. This is the place where we are at---still in the ocean but our eyes on Jesus, His hand is on ours and we are being pulled up and just like the story we know we will soon be back in the boat with the calm winds and heading back in toward the shore of the land of even where we can once again climb that mountain of abundance and enter into the land of more than enough---a place we plan on staying!!
We are taking a "GET OUT OF DEBT CLASS" at church starting on Sunday evening--it will be a true reality check. I plan on blogging about it as we go through this and being totally and fully honest about our finances. I hope to add a debt ticker to the side bar so I and everyone else can see God work the miracle in our life of debt reduction. NO I DON"T THINK MONEY WILL RAIN DOWN FROM HEAVEN IN THE LITERAL SINCE but I know it will be a miracle as God speaks and we listen and obey. When Jesus reached out and took Peters hand while he was drowning a miracle took place as Peter once again WALKED ABOVE THE WATER--only this time it was with the Lord at his side one step at a time and that is how we will do it to.
I invite anyone who reads this to join with us and take the challenge to "OWE NO MAN ANYTHING BUT TO LOVE HIM" If you aren't ready to take the plunge yourself or better yet you don't need to than just join with us in faith as we go through this and give God the glory due as He faithfully provides!!
DEBT:To owe, something owed by one person to another or others 2.an obligation or liability to pay or return something 3.the condition of owing
I think that is to simplistic and why we as Americans are so far into debt. I fully think the definition should read more like this----DEBT:an obligation or liability to pay for something without the ability to do so! After all I have an electric bill and a water bill and a gas bill which are things that I owe for the service I used but because I can pay them I don't count those as debts nor do I think having them makes me in debt.
The DEBT I'm talking about is the one that makes you a slave to those you owe--even if you didn't deliberately run up a bill or obligation it's the kind of owing that robs you of the blessings God has for you because you can't get past the debt.
to many times we think about "buying" something and put it into the category of simple debt--we want something,we charge it and owe on it and we go about our business as though nothing is wrong or out of whack. After all we just have "debt" like the dictionary--we owe something to someone --no big deal right? But DEBT has become a big deal for many many Americans--us included, as we bought into the idea that owing for things was really not a big deal and just a simple part of life after all we owe for our utilities but don't think of our self as being in debt--we live in houses and drive cars but we don't see that as debts as you have to live in a place and most of us need cars to get around so since it's a "needed thing" it's not a debt giving item. But somehow we went from having "debt" that we owed and could pay for easily to being IN DEBT which is owing more than what we can pay for out of our own abilities. Now granted most of our debt is from medical issues that we had no control over but half of our debts are simply our fault for not planning better.
It's so easy to blame someone else for the debts we have but the truth is we are our worst enemy and have no one to blame but our self. At one time we had one credit card with a small limit and we waited until I was 25 years old before we ever got that--now that doesn't sound like I was all that old at the time but I was only 16 when we got married so we waited a full NINE years into our marriage before we ever got a credit card.We used it for true emergencies and payed it off most of the time--since the credit limit was only $1,200 for so many years we never felt in debt even when it was maxed out as John could just do 2-3 side jobs and make that much in 2 weeks or less if we needed the money that bad. But now we have more credit cards than I want to admit to and worse of all we owe more than the national average. For those that don't know the national average is around the $8,000 to $9,000 mark. SHOCKING ISN'T IT!!!And yet that is just an average as many many people owe more than that on credit cards alone. Factor in your car debt,house debt and other non essentials and you have an out of control wildfire of debt and no fire hose in sight!
So how did we get there--owing so much and becoming a slave to the lenders as the bible puts it. Simple---WE ALLOWED OUR SELF TO BECOME SEDUCED BY THE WORLDS INTERPRETATION OF DEBT, AND TOOK OUR EYES OFF OF GOD!!! WE ALONE ARE TO BLAME FOR ALL THIS! It's totally our fault for dancing with the devil, Satan is a seductress in every since of the word, he works in subtle and tantalizing ways and sucks you into his snare all so you are too in tangled to follow after God and the true plan for your life. It was a simple start, we got a Sears card on top of our credit union credit card which was no big deal at first but that lead to us having a false since of being in control which lead to us getting a credit card for our business and justifying that which at the time we thought we were managing things well and still within our realm of being able to pay for it. That of course lead to another business credit card and then still a third one then another personal credit card and all the while we told our self what the devil was seducing us with-- which was debt and slavery to the lender-- was still no big deal after all we could just get one big job and pay them all off, the "big job was just around the corner" but all that was a lie-- as we had gone from trusting in God for our every move to relying on our self .We had put us into Satans hand and at his will to sift us like sand whenever he choose to. And sift us he did!! All the "big" jobs dried up and we made one mistake after another as our eyes got further and further off of GOD!
TAKING OUR EYES OFF OF GOD WAS OUR DOWN FALL!!! Debt is like the ocean- vast and deep, but at the shore line it can be some of the prettiest places in the world! After all who doesn't like a day at the beach--just go to the Caribbean where the white sandy beach and clear beautiful ocean meet and you can see why it's so easy to jump in and get wet, there at the shore line you don't see the danger as you can get in and swim around, you can even swim away from the beach but still keep it in your eyesight so no big deal, you can stay wet as long as you like with your feet firmly on the ocean floor and "tell yourself" all is well but get out there far enough and before you realize it you have nothing in your view but the vastness of the ocean and the water instead of being clear and beautiful is dark and stormy. There is nothing out there to hold on to either, just your own strength which you know will wear out soon. It's that dark and scary place with the energy of our self slipping away that John and I found we were at a few months away. So helpless and even hopeless that we would survive. We no longer feel the fear we did just a few short months ago not because we got out of the ocean but because we finally put our eyes back on Jesus!
I love the story in the bible of Peter walking on water--you can read the whole passage yourself in Matthew 14:22-33 it totally describes us right now in so many ways. We put our self in a boat and rowed under our own power until we were in the middle of the ocean(Peter was in a lake but it's almost the same thing) and the storms of life came upon us and we were frightened we knew there was hope(Jesus,Gods favor,wisdom) and walked a good part of the way towards that but we faltered and took our eyes off the answer and went under fast and hard and sank almost to the point of drowning. But standing right in front of us the whole time was the answer and so we called upon that NAME THAT IS ABOVE THE NAME OF DEBT and He heard our cry and reached out toward us. This is the place where we are at---still in the ocean but our eyes on Jesus, His hand is on ours and we are being pulled up and just like the story we know we will soon be back in the boat with the calm winds and heading back in toward the shore of the land of even where we can once again climb that mountain of abundance and enter into the land of more than enough---a place we plan on staying!!
We are taking a "GET OUT OF DEBT CLASS" at church starting on Sunday evening--it will be a true reality check. I plan on blogging about it as we go through this and being totally and fully honest about our finances. I hope to add a debt ticker to the side bar so I and everyone else can see God work the miracle in our life of debt reduction. NO I DON"T THINK MONEY WILL RAIN DOWN FROM HEAVEN IN THE LITERAL SINCE but I know it will be a miracle as God speaks and we listen and obey. When Jesus reached out and took Peters hand while he was drowning a miracle took place as Peter once again WALKED ABOVE THE WATER--only this time it was with the Lord at his side one step at a time and that is how we will do it to.
I invite anyone who reads this to join with us and take the challenge to "OWE NO MAN ANYTHING BUT TO LOVE HIM" If you aren't ready to take the plunge yourself or better yet you don't need to than just join with us in faith as we go through this and give God the glory due as He faithfully provides!!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
I can't let go!!!!
So I went shopping today and got to spend just a few minutes alone with my hubby which is a rare occasion and when we got home the phone rang. It was Ashton calling to ask about our baby crib. A lady she works with was wanting a crib for her house for her granddaughter. We just took it down when we moved as Braden LOVED LOVED LOVED still having his crib. NO matter how many times we tired to let him sleep with Colton he would insist on getting back in his crib right as he was about to fall asleep. So when we moved we just didn't put it up. He got Colton's old bed and Colton got Annies old bed and Annie got one her big brother was trying to get rid of.
So here in the garage sits a good crib that we are tripping over, and someone wanting it and willing to BUY IT FOR MONEY, which I could use right now as I have a few things I'd love to get for the new house,BUT I CAN"T LET GO!!!!! And the funny thing is JOHN isn't really pushing me at all to.
I keep having these stirrings about another child--sometimes it's a waiting child but other times it's to do foster care again and so I'm finding it hard to let go of anything baby.Even though JOHN INSISTS WE ARE DONE AND THERE WILL BE NO MORE KIDS--he to is sending mixed signals--he talks about making a space we found in this new house into a bedroom if we buy it along with another undiscovered space and having a 5 bedroom house but if we are done and soon to only have 2 kids at home I can't see why we would need a 5 bedroom house! But everytime we look at houses this past year he would comment on getting a 4-5 bedroom house--so the stirrings remain and I"m not ready to let go.....
Maybe we are done but it doesn't seem that way most days--John actually said he isn't ready to get rid of the crib but doesn't want to set it up either and talks about a bigger house but says we are done and looks forward to only having our two boys at home so the confusion and maybe the stirrings are happening in his heart to........ I don't know but I"m pondering them in my heart and waiting for God's direction on the whole thing and in the mean time I'll keep tripping over the crib on my way to the car as it's a visible sign and reminder that something or someone may be in the works--lol!!
So here in the garage sits a good crib that we are tripping over, and someone wanting it and willing to BUY IT FOR MONEY, which I could use right now as I have a few things I'd love to get for the new house,BUT I CAN"T LET GO!!!!! And the funny thing is JOHN isn't really pushing me at all to.
I keep having these stirrings about another child--sometimes it's a waiting child but other times it's to do foster care again and so I'm finding it hard to let go of anything baby.Even though JOHN INSISTS WE ARE DONE AND THERE WILL BE NO MORE KIDS--he to is sending mixed signals--he talks about making a space we found in this new house into a bedroom if we buy it along with another undiscovered space and having a 5 bedroom house but if we are done and soon to only have 2 kids at home I can't see why we would need a 5 bedroom house! But everytime we look at houses this past year he would comment on getting a 4-5 bedroom house--so the stirrings remain and I"m not ready to let go.....
Maybe we are done but it doesn't seem that way most days--John actually said he isn't ready to get rid of the crib but doesn't want to set it up either and talks about a bigger house but says we are done and looks forward to only having our two boys at home so the confusion and maybe the stirrings are happening in his heart to........ I don't know but I"m pondering them in my heart and waiting for God's direction on the whole thing and in the mean time I'll keep tripping over the crib on my way to the car as it's a visible sign and reminder that something or someone may be in the works--lol!!
Potty Training and T-Ball
Now most people would not be putting those two things together but one has inspired the other here at the funny house--lol!!
One of the greatest joys of starting our family over is that we get the chance to do all the things we wanted to do with our first 4 but never had the resources. Hence I refer to the boys sometimes as our "do over kids"--we are doing over all the things we loved and excelled in as parents to our bio kids, but most of all improving on our mistakes. I find it odd that once we as parents finally get to the "finish line" of raising our kids and finally have the knowledge we lacked and so desperately needed when beginning our journey as parents we simply think we are done and that was all there was for us. I look around at so many great and wonderful people and think "WHY ARE YOU DONE PARENTING JUST BECAUSE YOUR KIDS GREW UP?" there are so many kids out there that need a mom and dad and so many MOMS AND DADS that have no kids that in my little simple mind I think why not do the obvious and adopt?!!!
Being a parent again after raising our other kids has been the greatest joy and is so much easier now. Yes the neiveness of our youth is gone but so is the uncertainty and the hopeless feelings that sometimes come when your 2 year old is having fit after fit and nothing you seem to do is stopping them. Being a senior parent means I fully understand that somethings in life are really just for a season and somethings are there because we allowed them to be and it's really us that needs to change and not the child. The confidence that comes from having done that makes up for the lack of energy--lol!!
So for my husband one thing he and I had wanted to experience but never got a chance to was T-BALL. Our son John-John wanted to play but we had NO MONEY for the fees plus John worked two and sometimes three jobs at a time back then so I could stay home and raise the kids. So many friends and family members told us to just "wait for the grandkids" and we could do all that we wanted to then but it really isn't the same. I had to much "PARENTING" left in me to sit back and just be a Nanna. So we took the plunge and signed both boys up for ball!! We may only make it for one season--who knows but at least we are getting the chance to try. I'm not one to want to dictate my schedule around someone elses and I love the freedom in getting to go and do what I want when I want so having to go to practice every week and knowing my weekends are already spoken for is going to be an adjustment but one I'm looking forward in doing. The funny thing is I think our son John-john was more excited than anyone about the T-ball--lol!!! He is loving watching his brothers do the things he never did--knowing that he is going to be right behind them doing those exact same things with his own son in just a few years.
So this left me with one option and that was biting the bullet and making myself potty train Braden. That boy is the poster child for stubbornness and has declared for many many months he wants NOTHING TO DO WITH TRAINING! Even though he will be 4 in just another month and a half he finds no shame in pull-ups, no candy worth the bribery, and perfectly happy to be in the "little boy class" at church because he is still in diapers. Even though he is mister independant in everything else I guess the boy has in someway LOVED being my baby for at least that part of his life. Of course I think having two neices and a nephew recently and seeing "momma " change those babies and give them all the attention has helped his desire to stay a baby just a little longer--lol!!!
The first day was just exactly like I had feared the most and wanted to avoid--lots of screaming NO and refusal to sit on the potty but after a day or two he seems to have desided the joy of being a big boy is worth it. I have a feeling I will get to post a praise report in as little as two weeks!! It will be sad to no longer have a baby in the house but I think by age 4 I should have let the boy grow up a little!
IN the mean time there are a few "other" little ones waiting for families that are tugging on my heart--just need a change of heart in my hubby and the house could be full of the pitter patter of little feet once again--lol!!!! God is always willing...just need the willing hubby.......
Untill then LET"S PLAY BALL!!!!!!!!!!
One of the greatest joys of starting our family over is that we get the chance to do all the things we wanted to do with our first 4 but never had the resources. Hence I refer to the boys sometimes as our "do over kids"--we are doing over all the things we loved and excelled in as parents to our bio kids, but most of all improving on our mistakes. I find it odd that once we as parents finally get to the "finish line" of raising our kids and finally have the knowledge we lacked and so desperately needed when beginning our journey as parents we simply think we are done and that was all there was for us. I look around at so many great and wonderful people and think "WHY ARE YOU DONE PARENTING JUST BECAUSE YOUR KIDS GREW UP?" there are so many kids out there that need a mom and dad and so many MOMS AND DADS that have no kids that in my little simple mind I think why not do the obvious and adopt?!!!
Being a parent again after raising our other kids has been the greatest joy and is so much easier now. Yes the neiveness of our youth is gone but so is the uncertainty and the hopeless feelings that sometimes come when your 2 year old is having fit after fit and nothing you seem to do is stopping them. Being a senior parent means I fully understand that somethings in life are really just for a season and somethings are there because we allowed them to be and it's really us that needs to change and not the child. The confidence that comes from having done that makes up for the lack of energy--lol!!
So for my husband one thing he and I had wanted to experience but never got a chance to was T-BALL. Our son John-John wanted to play but we had NO MONEY for the fees plus John worked two and sometimes three jobs at a time back then so I could stay home and raise the kids. So many friends and family members told us to just "wait for the grandkids" and we could do all that we wanted to then but it really isn't the same. I had to much "PARENTING" left in me to sit back and just be a Nanna. So we took the plunge and signed both boys up for ball!! We may only make it for one season--who knows but at least we are getting the chance to try. I'm not one to want to dictate my schedule around someone elses and I love the freedom in getting to go and do what I want when I want so having to go to practice every week and knowing my weekends are already spoken for is going to be an adjustment but one I'm looking forward in doing. The funny thing is I think our son John-john was more excited than anyone about the T-ball--lol!!! He is loving watching his brothers do the things he never did--knowing that he is going to be right behind them doing those exact same things with his own son in just a few years.
So this left me with one option and that was biting the bullet and making myself potty train Braden. That boy is the poster child for stubbornness and has declared for many many months he wants NOTHING TO DO WITH TRAINING! Even though he will be 4 in just another month and a half he finds no shame in pull-ups, no candy worth the bribery, and perfectly happy to be in the "little boy class" at church because he is still in diapers. Even though he is mister independant in everything else I guess the boy has in someway LOVED being my baby for at least that part of his life. Of course I think having two neices and a nephew recently and seeing "momma " change those babies and give them all the attention has helped his desire to stay a baby just a little longer--lol!!!
The first day was just exactly like I had feared the most and wanted to avoid--lots of screaming NO and refusal to sit on the potty but after a day or two he seems to have desided the joy of being a big boy is worth it. I have a feeling I will get to post a praise report in as little as two weeks!! It will be sad to no longer have a baby in the house but I think by age 4 I should have let the boy grow up a little!
IN the mean time there are a few "other" little ones waiting for families that are tugging on my heart--just need a change of heart in my hubby and the house could be full of the pitter patter of little feet once again--lol!!!! God is always willing...just need the willing hubby.......
Untill then LET"S PLAY BALL!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A slice of heaven!
Sunday was a wonderful day as I got to see one of our former foster kids! Before we started our journey to international adoptions we were first foster parents. In the first five months we had 6 kids placed in our home. The last three were a sibling set and we had them for over 18 months. At one time we had our 4 bio kids and the three foster kids all under one roof and I was In HEAVEN!!!
The moment our three "little ones " as I reffered to them often was placed with us I TOLD God they were mine--but God had other plans for them and the more I pushed for them to be mine the more they weren't available to be. Once I finally surrendered to God's will for them and allowed God to show me where my child was He stepped in and paved the way for them to go to their forever home. IT was a very emotional time for both John and I as we were wanting to adopt and had these three kids that were available to adopt yet God kept saying NO! Once we met thier forever family we knew why God said no. He had plans for them and plans for us but thankfully those plans still involve seeing the "little ones". It had been a while since we saw any of them last and so Sunday was a treat as we got to be with "sissy". She is extremely close to our oldest daughter Ashton and spent the night with her and see her baby Lexie.
The flood of love and missing her was so real and strong but I have learned to not ask God "why not" after every time we are together. My heart towards them is as a mother even though we have agreed to by just "Aunt and Uncle" to them. At times I feel like a birth mom who had to choose "adoption" for her child. The flood of love and wanting them to have what you can't provide combined with the guilt of wanting to keep them even though you know it wouldn't be the best is just such a weird place to be. I clearly see how 'letting go" provided things for them that we could never( not material things but emotional plus the ability to handle some issues we could not have). It's fabulous to get to be with them and know what they are doing and seeing the joy in thier faces when we are together as it warms my heart and lets me know we did the right thing. I love these precious moments out of their life and it reminds me to write more to the birth moms of Colton and Braden even if they never go check the file. I want for these women to have the chance that I'm getting with my little ones. The chance to know what is going on and how they are doing.
It is the good bye though that brings the flood of missing once again. I know that I know they are where God wanted them to be and I was just the stepping stone to get them there. It's a slice of heaven when we are together and I treasure the moments.
The moment our three "little ones " as I reffered to them often was placed with us I TOLD God they were mine--but God had other plans for them and the more I pushed for them to be mine the more they weren't available to be. Once I finally surrendered to God's will for them and allowed God to show me where my child was He stepped in and paved the way for them to go to their forever home. IT was a very emotional time for both John and I as we were wanting to adopt and had these three kids that were available to adopt yet God kept saying NO! Once we met thier forever family we knew why God said no. He had plans for them and plans for us but thankfully those plans still involve seeing the "little ones". It had been a while since we saw any of them last and so Sunday was a treat as we got to be with "sissy". She is extremely close to our oldest daughter Ashton and spent the night with her and see her baby Lexie.
The flood of love and missing her was so real and strong but I have learned to not ask God "why not" after every time we are together. My heart towards them is as a mother even though we have agreed to by just "Aunt and Uncle" to them. At times I feel like a birth mom who had to choose "adoption" for her child. The flood of love and wanting them to have what you can't provide combined with the guilt of wanting to keep them even though you know it wouldn't be the best is just such a weird place to be. I clearly see how 'letting go" provided things for them that we could never( not material things but emotional plus the ability to handle some issues we could not have). It's fabulous to get to be with them and know what they are doing and seeing the joy in thier faces when we are together as it warms my heart and lets me know we did the right thing. I love these precious moments out of their life and it reminds me to write more to the birth moms of Colton and Braden even if they never go check the file. I want for these women to have the chance that I'm getting with my little ones. The chance to know what is going on and how they are doing.
It is the good bye though that brings the flood of missing once again. I know that I know they are where God wanted them to be and I was just the stepping stone to get them there. It's a slice of heaven when we are together and I treasure the moments.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Landlords!
Wow I never thought that would be our title in life but we have officially rented out the Wagoner house and become landlords!!! Our new tenants are a legally blind woman and her husband who have a heart for special needs kids. She has two blind children--one a teenager and one a surprise late in life baby, an adopted daughter from the US foster care system, and will be raising her special needs adult niece. She and her husband also do foster care and once they move they plan on doing that again.
When we decided to first sell our house we prayed that God would send the ones that would be blessed with the house and would continue to fill it with praises to HIM. The new "lady of the house" has been praying for a LARGE HOUSE all on one floor. She saw the house right after another family and was sure we would rent to them first so she prayed and prayed all day for favor for herself. I was so touched that when we called to say she could rent it because she immediately started praising God and thanking HIM for HIS blessings. This family is everything we had prayed for when we first wanted to sell it. Even though it's just going to be rented and not sold we have seen how keeping it can be a great profit to us after all. There are some things in the works about getting into that" land of more than enough" and this house has a major part in getting us there. In due time I hope to share all that God is doing for us!
In the mean time THANK YOU LORD FOR SENDING THE ONE THAT WILL CHERISH THE HOUSE YOU GAVE TO US SO LONG AGO!!!
When we decided to first sell our house we prayed that God would send the ones that would be blessed with the house and would continue to fill it with praises to HIM. The new "lady of the house" has been praying for a LARGE HOUSE all on one floor. She saw the house right after another family and was sure we would rent to them first so she prayed and prayed all day for favor for herself. I was so touched that when we called to say she could rent it because she immediately started praising God and thanking HIM for HIS blessings. This family is everything we had prayed for when we first wanted to sell it. Even though it's just going to be rented and not sold we have seen how keeping it can be a great profit to us after all. There are some things in the works about getting into that" land of more than enough" and this house has a major part in getting us there. In due time I hope to share all that God is doing for us!
In the mean time THANK YOU LORD FOR SENDING THE ONE THAT WILL CHERISH THE HOUSE YOU GAVE TO US SO LONG AGO!!!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Annies praise report!
For those who don't know our youngest daughter Annie was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis back in September. She had been battling symptoms off and on for a full year and finally through a colonoscopy they discovered that the lower third of her colon was ulcerated and inflamed. She went on meds to try and shrink the swelling but soon after had what we now know as a "flare up" and the meds were not working--this went on for weeks and the doctor just kept switching meds telling us it takes time to "find the right one" all the while she deteriated before our eyes. At Thanksgiving she must have had a UTI that really sent her in a tail spin and she lost over 20 pounds--which she wasn't that big to begin with. We rushed her to the hospital the day after her 18th birthday where she stayed for a full week and still only got marginally better. Her doctor released her and we were home for a whopping 24 hours before we brought her back--THIS TIME SHE STAYED FOR 2.5 WEEKS--clear through Christmas!!! she dropped down to 88 pounds befroe they started her on IV nutrition( before that it was just plan saline IV no calories or vitamins or fats)
They also did another colon scope sand discoverd that now her WHOLE colon was infected and we might need to remove it. We were devestated to say the least--how could we have gone from the lower third to the whole thing being infected all while under the care of a doctor!!!!! After some very potent meds with severe side effects she started to get better and we came home in Late December.
Her doctor kept telling us it would take a while to get her in remission and that our goal was to be in remission for several years before she could stop the meds--He proclaims that it is only a matter of time before we will need to remove her colon but we believe JESUS has another plan!! HE BORE HER SICKNESS AND CARRIED HER PAIN AND BY HIS STRIPS IS SHE HEALED!!!
So at Mondays check up the doctor was suprized to hear she isn't having ANY SYMPTOMS AT ALL!!! He was shocked to see her in remission so soon!!!! But we know why she is!! God is still on the thrown giving out miracles everyday!! We have done our part and believed in the blood of Jesus healing her and she has done her part in taking the meds as the doctor ordered and God met us right where we were at with our faith! I fully believe Annie will not need the 5-10 years worth of meds as the doctor thinks to keep her in remission!
We give GOD THE GLORY FOR THE WORK HE IS DOING IN ANNIE!!!
They also did another colon scope sand discoverd that now her WHOLE colon was infected and we might need to remove it. We were devestated to say the least--how could we have gone from the lower third to the whole thing being infected all while under the care of a doctor!!!!! After some very potent meds with severe side effects she started to get better and we came home in Late December.
Her doctor kept telling us it would take a while to get her in remission and that our goal was to be in remission for several years before she could stop the meds--He proclaims that it is only a matter of time before we will need to remove her colon but we believe JESUS has another plan!! HE BORE HER SICKNESS AND CARRIED HER PAIN AND BY HIS STRIPS IS SHE HEALED!!!
So at Mondays check up the doctor was suprized to hear she isn't having ANY SYMPTOMS AT ALL!!! He was shocked to see her in remission so soon!!!! But we know why she is!! God is still on the thrown giving out miracles everyday!! We have done our part and believed in the blood of Jesus healing her and she has done her part in taking the meds as the doctor ordered and God met us right where we were at with our faith! I fully believe Annie will not need the 5-10 years worth of meds as the doctor thinks to keep her in remission!
We give GOD THE GLORY FOR THE WORK HE IS DOING IN ANNIE!!!
Nannas' and Poppas' treasures!
I haven't posted pictures of our grandbabies so here they are!! It is so wonderful being a Nanna( I refuse to be "granny, grandma,or any other old sounding name--lol!!! ) I really could just eat them up! This is Ryan and he is the youngest of the grandbabies and the only grandson. Next is Baylee and she is the youngest of the girls--we call her "toad baby" because she is all squishy like a toad--lol!!! Even her cellulite has cellulite! and the last is Alexcia and she is the oldest. I adore her big ole eyes and she has learned how to wrap her Poppa around her little finger!We went from ZERO grandbabies to three all in about a a four month span. We had them all over at the house yesterday which is a rare occassion as the only time they are all three together is at church( which is three times a week--lol!!) but it's still nice to have them together!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Finally DONE!
WHEW!!! SO GLAD IT"S OVER!! I'm so done moving and ready to settle down and be "normal" for a while--lol!!! I'm so tired and my bones ache which proves I really am over 40! I still have the office to officially unpack and some stuff in the garage to go through and organize but then it's just pictures to hang and we are DONE. I'm actually going to decorate this house even though we are renters( I didn't decorate the last rental for many reasons) and can't wait to get started--unfortunately all my stuff is OLD and doesn't go well with the house but I'll have to make do as new stuff is way down on the priority list.
I'm planning on taking pictures of the house and posting them so stay tuned as this house is a blessing in so many ways. God saw the desires of my heart and provided!! There is a HUGE testimony about the house we are renting that I hope to share someday in full--it all begins and ends with being faithful to God and walking in love and you don't want to miss it when I'm free to share.
Colton is doing much better than I thought--he is still getting up at night 2-3 times but it's getting better. His room is so far away from ours and my hips and feet have been hurting so much that I felt like crying the first night I had to walk him back up the stairs to his room. I almost gave up my downstairs office once again to him just so I wouldn't have to walk so far but it's working out. I caught him twice in Bradens room with the light on trying to wake him up and come into his room, I'll need serious help the day he does wake him and the two of them actually get up and play at 2 am--lol!! It's happened one time before and man was the house a mess! Braden is officially out of the crib and in a big bog bed! He has fallen out a few times but stayed asleep. His insecurities about moving showed up this afternoon and I'm trying hard to be patient with him as he is a BEAR and we aint talking TEDDY here it's full blown GRIZZLY--GRH!!!!! I'm going to try and nip it in the bud right away by pully out the ergo and wearing him for an hour or two everyday, also going to take him with me at every errand I have to go do so he doesn't think I left him. I did leave him with his favorite sister today while I took Annie to the doctor and that seems to be the reason for his melt downs all afternoon and this evenings wild running around.
HUGE PRASIE REPORT About ANNIE!! She is in remission!!!!!!! I'll give her a post all to herself tomorrow as I'm ready for advil and bed now!!
I'm planning on taking pictures of the house and posting them so stay tuned as this house is a blessing in so many ways. God saw the desires of my heart and provided!! There is a HUGE testimony about the house we are renting that I hope to share someday in full--it all begins and ends with being faithful to God and walking in love and you don't want to miss it when I'm free to share.
Colton is doing much better than I thought--he is still getting up at night 2-3 times but it's getting better. His room is so far away from ours and my hips and feet have been hurting so much that I felt like crying the first night I had to walk him back up the stairs to his room. I almost gave up my downstairs office once again to him just so I wouldn't have to walk so far but it's working out. I caught him twice in Bradens room with the light on trying to wake him up and come into his room, I'll need serious help the day he does wake him and the two of them actually get up and play at 2 am--lol!! It's happened one time before and man was the house a mess! Braden is officially out of the crib and in a big bog bed! He has fallen out a few times but stayed asleep. His insecurities about moving showed up this afternoon and I'm trying hard to be patient with him as he is a BEAR and we aint talking TEDDY here it's full blown GRIZZLY--GRH!!!!! I'm going to try and nip it in the bud right away by pully out the ergo and wearing him for an hour or two everyday, also going to take him with me at every errand I have to go do so he doesn't think I left him. I did leave him with his favorite sister today while I took Annie to the doctor and that seems to be the reason for his melt downs all afternoon and this evenings wild running around.
HUGE PRASIE REPORT About ANNIE!! She is in remission!!!!!!! I'll give her a post all to herself tomorrow as I'm ready for advil and bed now!!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
We are good to go!!!
We have FAVOR beyond believe and are free to move THIS WEEKEND!!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!! I don't know how much blogging I'll be doing as I have no idea how important getting me Internet is going to be the first few days but I'll try and keep up!!! I am so happy and suddenly so panicked as I have to clean and pack ( or just start throwing this in the car and forget the boxes!!)
A few praises!
First off I can't even begin to think or write without saying GOD IS SO GOOD AND FAITHFUL!!! When things are as stressed as they have ever been it feels like peace is flowing towards me like a river!
Colton is FINALLY getting back into his "normal" sleep pattern and I feel like a new Mommy! He went to bed at 8:30 and had a melt down as he was overly tired by then but did manage to stay in his bed and was asleep by 9 and stayed that way until 3 AM this morning PRAISE GOD!!!! He then went right back into his bed after coming to get me and went back to sleep until 6:45 and has been up ever since! I can live with that as I got solid sleep all night with only one interruption WOOO HOOO!!!! I'm praying this keeps up and he eventually stays asleep all night.
we listed the house on craigs list last night and John already got one email and one call all before 8:30 this morning!!! Praise God!!!! I fully believe we will have that house sold and closed SOON!!!
And we are going to move to the DREAM HOUSE!!!!!! Looks like Satan wanted to steal our dreams of a better place to live and God shows up and provides a house we could have never even attempted to buy for the same price in rent as the house payment was going to be on the house we lost!!! I'll post pictures of it once we get moved in as it will be a couple of weeks but I'm thrilled beyond measure. My boys will finally have a fenced in yard and I can sent them out to play.
Colton is FINALLY getting back into his "normal" sleep pattern and I feel like a new Mommy! He went to bed at 8:30 and had a melt down as he was overly tired by then but did manage to stay in his bed and was asleep by 9 and stayed that way until 3 AM this morning PRAISE GOD!!!! He then went right back into his bed after coming to get me and went back to sleep until 6:45 and has been up ever since! I can live with that as I got solid sleep all night with only one interruption WOOO HOOO!!!! I'm praying this keeps up and he eventually stays asleep all night.
we listed the house on craigs list last night and John already got one email and one call all before 8:30 this morning!!! Praise God!!!! I fully believe we will have that house sold and closed SOON!!!
And we are going to move to the DREAM HOUSE!!!!!! Looks like Satan wanted to steal our dreams of a better place to live and God shows up and provides a house we could have never even attempted to buy for the same price in rent as the house payment was going to be on the house we lost!!! I'll post pictures of it once we get moved in as it will be a couple of weeks but I'm thrilled beyond measure. My boys will finally have a fenced in yard and I can sent them out to play.
Monday, February 2, 2009
It's official!
John got the call we knew was coming--the buyers have BAILED and will be out of our house by Saturday! We also lost the house we were wanting to buy but the wonderful news is that neither one of us is upset about it--lol!!!
God has once again provided and we are seeking HIS direction for greater clarity as to which direction to go. We have the chance to rent month to month or do a full year in a gated community. The house is a DREAM. The hardest thing is not weather we should rent this house but knowing that once we do rent it finding a house in our price range will be hard--this house is out of our league by about $90K so all the houses in our price range will feel like shabby shacks--lol!!!!
We are putting the house back up for sale or lease purchase and pray we have someone at the very least renting it by next week!
Our biggest thing is we don't want to get ahead of God in moving to the new rental---we have until Feb,20 at the house we are renting right now. The new landlord will want to know if we are doing a month to month or a full year. If we commit to a full year and than our house sells we wouldn't be able to buy.. But if we only rent out our house than we will do a full year.We also don't want to get in over our heads on a rental--but man this new rental is a cream puff!!!
God has once again provided and we are seeking HIS direction for greater clarity as to which direction to go. We have the chance to rent month to month or do a full year in a gated community. The house is a DREAM. The hardest thing is not weather we should rent this house but knowing that once we do rent it finding a house in our price range will be hard--this house is out of our league by about $90K so all the houses in our price range will feel like shabby shacks--lol!!!!
We are putting the house back up for sale or lease purchase and pray we have someone at the very least renting it by next week!
Our biggest thing is we don't want to get ahead of God in moving to the new rental---we have until Feb,20 at the house we are renting right now. The new landlord will want to know if we are doing a month to month or a full year. If we commit to a full year and than our house sells we wouldn't be able to buy.. But if we only rent out our house than we will do a full year.We also don't want to get in over our heads on a rental--but man this new rental is a cream puff!!!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Two steps forward.....
and what feels like 14 steps back! The sleep issue bug has bitten once again and this time it sucks! The hardest thing about starting a blog in the middle of something is to know if you should spend hours and multiple post getting all the history of what got you here written down or just starting from where you are and trying to fill people in. I think I'll go for the later and see how it does.
A brief history about our son Colton. We adopted him when he was just turning 12 months old. Up till then he has spent 5.5 months in a hospital in Korea and the remainder of his time in Korea with his foster mom. He had never slept through the night in his entire life at the point we got him home. HE IS NOW 4 and still not sleeping through the night. Some nights are good and some are not so good but I have learned to function on getting only 2-3 hours of sleep at a time.
It has been a long haul but it looks like we have FINALLY gotten him to fall asleep as soon as we put him down---that alone is a miracle!! PRAISE GOD FOR SMALL STEPS!!! It use to be such an ordeal and took about 2 hours every night to get him to sleep which left my already tired body full exhausted. He would then sleep anywhere from 2-4 hours before getting up and coming into our room and me taking him back to his room and getting him to sleep once again. A good night would be me doing this twice a bad night is every 30-45 minutes from the time he first wakes up. I have tried co sleeping in his bed but he still wakes to see if I'm there no matter what and takes 10 to 20 minutes to get back to sleep. But like I said we are going on a full week of him falling asleep on his own so I was hopeful that he would soon be falling back to sleep when he wakes in the night.
But last night proved me wrong as he went down at 8:30 and was fast asleep in ten minutes but got up at 11:30 and every 43 minutes after that. I must have been so exhausted as he got up sometime around 3 or 4 am ( I was to tired to look at the clock to see what time it was) and had a hayday in the kitchen. He moved heavy dinning room chairs and drank out of all the dirty glasses I hadn't cleaned up then took one and tried to get into the fridge. At some point he droped the glass and it broke and then he walked through the broken glass and finally came and woke me to say he was THIRSTY and he had an ouwie!! I took him to bed and said no drinks but he cried and cried so I went to the kitchen and walked on the broken glass myself!! I wasn't expecting anything! Talk about a shock when I flipped on the light and saw the chairs and the broken glass! The good news is neither one of us hurt our feet on the glass. Colton got his water and I spent the next 30 minutes cleaning the kitchen.He was asleep when I went to bed and I thought he would stay that way but sure enough 20 minutes later he got up again. My dear hubby took pity on me and went and slept with him so I could get 45 minutes of sleep before the alarm went off to get ready for church.
Tonight I'm almost afraid to go to sleep for fear of what he would get into. His door is firmly shut so I'll hear if he gets up and I plan on sleeping with him for the rest of the night if he does get up but I"m praying he sleeps through the night just this once!!
The kitchen isn't cleaned as I took the day off after church but there is NO Glasses out--all doors are double locked and a drink is waiting for him next to the bed! Now if his daddy could please just not snore tonight I might get some sleep--lol!!!
A brief history about our son Colton. We adopted him when he was just turning 12 months old. Up till then he has spent 5.5 months in a hospital in Korea and the remainder of his time in Korea with his foster mom. He had never slept through the night in his entire life at the point we got him home. HE IS NOW 4 and still not sleeping through the night. Some nights are good and some are not so good but I have learned to function on getting only 2-3 hours of sleep at a time.
It has been a long haul but it looks like we have FINALLY gotten him to fall asleep as soon as we put him down---that alone is a miracle!! PRAISE GOD FOR SMALL STEPS!!! It use to be such an ordeal and took about 2 hours every night to get him to sleep which left my already tired body full exhausted. He would then sleep anywhere from 2-4 hours before getting up and coming into our room and me taking him back to his room and getting him to sleep once again. A good night would be me doing this twice a bad night is every 30-45 minutes from the time he first wakes up. I have tried co sleeping in his bed but he still wakes to see if I'm there no matter what and takes 10 to 20 minutes to get back to sleep. But like I said we are going on a full week of him falling asleep on his own so I was hopeful that he would soon be falling back to sleep when he wakes in the night.
But last night proved me wrong as he went down at 8:30 and was fast asleep in ten minutes but got up at 11:30 and every 43 minutes after that. I must have been so exhausted as he got up sometime around 3 or 4 am ( I was to tired to look at the clock to see what time it was) and had a hayday in the kitchen. He moved heavy dinning room chairs and drank out of all the dirty glasses I hadn't cleaned up then took one and tried to get into the fridge. At some point he droped the glass and it broke and then he walked through the broken glass and finally came and woke me to say he was THIRSTY and he had an ouwie!! I took him to bed and said no drinks but he cried and cried so I went to the kitchen and walked on the broken glass myself!! I wasn't expecting anything! Talk about a shock when I flipped on the light and saw the chairs and the broken glass! The good news is neither one of us hurt our feet on the glass. Colton got his water and I spent the next 30 minutes cleaning the kitchen.He was asleep when I went to bed and I thought he would stay that way but sure enough 20 minutes later he got up again. My dear hubby took pity on me and went and slept with him so I could get 45 minutes of sleep before the alarm went off to get ready for church.
Tonight I'm almost afraid to go to sleep for fear of what he would get into. His door is firmly shut so I'll hear if he gets up and I plan on sleeping with him for the rest of the night if he does get up but I"m praying he sleeps through the night just this once!!
The kitchen isn't cleaned as I took the day off after church but there is NO Glasses out--all doors are double locked and a drink is waiting for him next to the bed! Now if his daddy could please just not snore tonight I might get some sleep--lol!!!
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