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Showing posts from October, 2016

Workers! Then and Now

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“The harder I work, the luckier I get.”  ―Samuel Goldwyn  Where do you put the toddler when doing yard work? Dad thinks in a bucket! Brothers who work all day together..get along. Skilled work force. M is not sure of A's ability to wield the wheelbarrow. Working on a roof last week. J's moves from a house away Being called on to work takes many forms. Planting trees and bushes in our yard.  Flooring crew N scraping up a tile, long and messy job Our Kitchen chores start at age 7 or 8, sometimes some reaching help happens, but we have step ladders to make independent workers. Washing walls! Lots of hands, kids do a rotation in each house we have been in or warm water with Vinegar, drop of dish soap  and wash clothes to wash. Mopping is a great job for littles. Helping cook, working on doing more of this.  Leaves! Fun work. Short crew. Starting when it's an honor and big deal makes

Vulnerability and Educational Moments...In the Grocery Store!

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I had an aquatience last week remind me I had a lot of children, and said she was hesitant to celebrate our family because it seemed like too much .  This was a chance run in on friday. For those of you who know me, know how much I struggle with that assessment. Girls with eating disorders often say: "I feel like too much" kids who have behavioral problems know people say they are "too much" and big families are often seen as really neat from a distance but too much . First, everyone has their own too much threshold. It is ok that my passion is not yours! Spending all day making Kombucha like one of my fiends is too much for me, or singing in a show, but I am able to celebrate this difference without judging this difference.  Welcoming children into our home with a 100% chance of heartbreak (sadness over them leaving or sadness someone I love is loosing a birth parent) is not for everyone! My response to negativity is very often to retreat, get off social media, tr

Peace Without The Perfect Moment

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“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.”  ~ John F. Kennedy I woke at 4 am because the baby is in a growth spurt and wanted to eat. I find as a mother the middle of the night is when my worry is sharpened into blades that cut through other thoughts. I thought about tests to be re-done, playground fears that I couldn't help with and team dynamics. I went child by child landing especially on our foster daughter.  After baby boy was back in his crib I stayed awake to watch the sun rise. I thought about peace, feeling grateful for the sun bringing a wash of relief over me. A reminder that simply, the night ends and sun shines .  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ~ Colossians 3:15  Fresh air and sharing a swing. Thankful for siblings. We said good bye yesterday to our foster daug