Completed February Goals/March Goals

I definitely did not complete everything I wanted to this month.  However, I did get a lot done.  It feels good, especially with February being so short.

FEBRUARY GOALS: 
SELF:
*Finish  The Well Connect Child by Karyn Purvis
*Finish 1/2 to 3/4 of the 21 Days/Steps project  (10/21 done....47%--However, I do have a lot of the other steps started, just not enough to count as completed.)

FOSTER CARE:
*Write case worker a thank you note.

KIDS:
*Have Tony take Baby Girl on a date. (We decided this was not a good month for this.)

TONY & I:
*Do two in home dates.
*Do one out of home date. (We actually had three basic in home dates and one really nice one, we think we more then made up for not doing this.)
*Write Tony a love note.
*Sit down once a month to re-evaluate schedules and cut what needs to be cut, add what needs to be added.

FINANCES:
*Begin paying on chosen loan. (25.2% paid off)
*Save 17% (1/6th) of our anniversary trip. (33% total saved)

MARCH GOALS:
SELF:
*Complete the first two weeks of the Couch to 5K program.
*Read 33% of the The Out-of-Sync Child
*Finish 100% Save My Sanity 21 Steps Projects.  Start and complete 33% of Spring Cleaning 21 Steps Project.

FOSTER CARE:
*Write case worker a thank you note.

KIDS:
*Take Baby Girl on her date.

TONY & I:
*Do 2 in home dates.
*Do 1 date outside the home.
*Write Tony a love note.
*Sit down once a month to re-evaluate schedules and cut what needs to be cut, add what needs to be added.

FINANCES:
*Pay off a set amount of debt.
*Save 17% for an anniversary trip (50% total).

Weekly Goals

It has been a long week.  Tony worked 55 hours and went to school for 12...plus travel and lunch.  He saw the kids less than 3 hours all week.  Needless to say we didn't get much accomplished.  And when we were home we pretty much crashed.  Here's to a better one.  I need to finish up my monthly goals also.  What do you have in store this week?

LAST WEEK:
SELF:
 *Complete a Getting Real Blog

MINISTRY:
*Work on KC for 3 hours. (45 minutes....attempted many other times and it just never turned out to be much.)
*Work on Awana for 3 hours. (none)

FOSTER CARE:
*Spend 10 minutes a night filling out behavior journal.

KIDS:
*Work on Awana 4 nights a week with Big Brother and Addilece. (BB-3 nights, A-one...barely)
*Do 3 days of school with the girls (one)
*Do 3 school activities with Little Man.
*Spend 1 hour doing specific sensory activities.

TONY & I:
*Read the Bible together 4 nights a week. (none)
*Complete tasks for Tony. (completed 1, not the other)
*Sit down once a month to re-evaluate schedules and cut what needs to be cut, add what needs to be added.

FINANCES:
*Have a financial meeting.
*Update the check book.

THIS WEEK:
MINISTRY:
*Work on KC for 3 hours.
*Work on Awana for 3 hours.

FOSTER CARE:
*Spend 10 minutes a night filling out behavior journal.

KIDS:
*Work on Awana 4 nights a week with Big Brother and Addilece.
*Do school 3 times with the girls.
*Do 3 school activities with Little Man.
*Spend  hour doing specific sensory activities.

TONY & I:.
*Read the Bible together 4 nights a week.
*Ask Tony what he wants done most every week- file old paper work, iron shirts, and clean up kitchen

FINANCES:
*Have a  financial meeting.

Picture Perfect: Cooking

This is what we want to think cooking with kids is like.














BUT....

This is what it's really like.

What Drives Us

"They are so blessed to have you."  "You are the most wonderful person."  "Aren't you just incredible."

Many foster and adoptive parents have heard these words uttered to them after they have confirmed that they child in their care is not biologically theirs.  And it makes them cringe....every time.

Why?

Because we know that we just chewed our kids out royally.  We know that the behavior they keep exhibiting because of their past is driving us up a wall and we are NOT handling it well.  We know how miserably we fail, every day.  We know how hard it is to love a child that doesn't love you back. 

Some people will read this and declare, "well, every body fails." 

Yes.  We know that.  However, I am convinced that Satan uses our inadequacies to whisper in our ears that we can't do it.  He is constantly telling us that these kids deserve better or that these kids are good for nothing.  We are reminded of how "easy" life used to be.  He makes the desire to walk away so enticing.

Walk away....

There has been a lot of me at times that wants to walk away.  "If these kids do go home then I can just walk away from this.  I don't have to accept another placement.  Everyone would understand." 

And everyone would understand. 

But God would not be pleased. 

To give up and move on would be to throw the gospel message to the side and forget about it.  Forget about what God did on the cross for me.  Forget about how sinful I am, what a wretch I am.  And how God looked past all of that and pulled me into his arms to say, "I love you.  I desire you." 

Wow.  If only my head could fully wrap itself around the beauty of that.  Then, I would never dream of giving up and going back to "easy". 

The gospel compels us.  For our family, this is where God has called us.  To be be the hands and feet of Jesus, every day, to these kids.  To live out Christ for them.  And if I decided to turn my back on that then I treat the salvation that God has given me as unimportant and undesirable.

Weekly Goals

LAST WEEK:
MINISTRY:
*Work on KC for 3 hours (none)
*Work on Awana for 3 hours. (45 min)

FOSTER CARE:
*Spend 10 minutes a night filling out behavior journal.

KIDS:
*Work on Awana 4 nights a week with Big Brother and Addilece.
*Do 3 school activities with Little Man.
*Do school 3 times with the girls.
*Spend 1 hour doing sensory activities.

TONY & I:
*Read the Bible together 4 nights a week. (3 times)
*Ask Tony what he wants done this week and do it.(I asked late and he never answered)

FINANCES:
*Have a  financial meeting. (we have got to be better about this one)
*Balance the check book.

 THIS WEEK:
SELF:
*Complete a Getting Real Blog

MINISTRY:
*Work on KC for 3 hours.
*Work on Awana for 3 hours.

FOSTER CARE:
*Spend 10 minutes a night filling out behavior journal.

KIDS:
*Work on Awana 4 nights a week with Big Brother and Addilece.
*Do 3 days of school with the girls
*Do 3 school activities with Little Man.
*Spend 1 hour doing specific sensory activities.

TONY & I:
*Read the Bible together 4 nights a week.
*Complete tasks for Tony.
*Sit down once a month to re-evaluate schedules and cut what needs to be cut, add what needs to be added.

FINANCES:
*Have a financial meeting.
*Update the check book.

Weekly Goals

 

LAST WEEK:
SELF:
*Write a "Getting Real" Blog post (You can read "A Little Girl's Heart" here)

MINISTRY:
*Work on KC for 3 hours (none)
*Work on Awana for 3 hours.

FOSTER CARE:
*Spend 10 minutes a night filling out behavior journal.

KIDS:
*Work on Awana 4 nights a week with Big Brother and Addilece. (2 times each)
*Do 3 school activities with Little Man.
*Do school 3 times with the girls.
*Spend 1 hour doing sensory activities.

TONY & I:
*Read the Bible together 4 nights a week. (3 times)
*Ask Tony what he wants done this week and do it. (forgot to ask)

FINANCES:
*Have a  financial meeting.

THIS WEEK:
MINISTRY:
*Work on KC for 3 hours (none)
*Work on Awana for 3 hours.

FOSTER CARE:
*Spend 10 minutes a night filling out behavior journal.

KIDS:
*Work on Awana 4 nights a week with Big Brother and Addilece.
*Do 3 school activities with Little Man.
*Do school 3 times with the girls.
*Spend 1 hour doing sensory activities.

TONY & I:
*Read the Bible together 4 nights a week.
*Ask Tony what he wants done this week and do it.

FINANCES:
*Have a  financial meeting.
*Balance the check book.

21 Days: Save My Sanity

I feel like we live in our car.  For the last almost seven months we have been driving and driving and driving.  We have two kids in school.  We have one child in Speech and counseling.  We have another child in counseling.  We have a child who has need to see several different types of Specialists.  Then there is church and Awana.  Plus you have all the basics like dentist, well child checks, and sick child appointments.

Did I mention we live 25 miles from the town were most of this takes place?

Needless to say we have put a LOT of miles on our van.  Since we bought it in April we have put over 9,000 miles on it.  Yikes.

This also means that our kids spend a LOT of time in the van.  And that isn't so thrilling.  When not in the van they sit in lobbies waiting for appointments to end.

So I have decided to take 21 steps to help to save some the sanity that goes with the craziness.  These can be done in any order and I won't necessarily do one a day.

1. Figure out supplies and dimensions for activity bags.
2. Buy supplies to make activity bags.
3. Make a activity bag for Addilece.
4. Make a activity bag for Addilece.
5. Make an activity bag for Big Brother.
6. Make an activity bag for Big Brother.
7. Make an activity bag for Little Man.
8. Make an activity bag for Little Man.
9. Make an activity bag for Baby Girl.
10. Make an activity bag for Baby Girl.
11. Fill and hang 2 activity bags in the car.
12. Fill and hang 2 activity bags in the car.
13. Decide on chores and reward systems for each of the kids.
14. Print, glue, and laminate chores
15. Make boards and attach chores
16. Hang bulliten boards and designate each one.
17. Design a weekly out and about food prep plan.
18. Begin keep filled water bottles in the fridge for quick use.
19. Start preparing quick meals and snacks once a week based on schedule.
20. Buy a basket to hang by the door.
21. Hang the basket.

A Little Girls Heart

"She reminds me of her Dad.  He was always our gauge to see how the family was doing.  If he was having trouble we knew we need to take a breather for a few days."

I appreciated those words of insight from my mom-in-law.  Words that would help me read and gauge my own family more.  It had just been a few weeks before that she had heard words come out of her granddaughters mouth that we don't think any of us expected to hear.  She yelled at her brother, "I hate you."  And she meant it!

Addilece has really been a trooper through everything.  One night she went to bed with a house full of toys, her own room, and full attention from Mommy and Daddy.  When she woke up her toys and time had gotten cut to 1/4th and now she had to share her room.

There have been times where I have uttered to Tony multiple times a day, "Is she going to be ok?  How can we help her with this?"  The two weeks she screamed "I  hate you!" to her siblings where really hard.  But I am SO thankful that we pressed through.

This little girl has completely changed with in the last few months.  When her siblings are on a visit she waits and wishes for them to be home.  When her brothers get out of school she can't WAIT to give them a hug.  She brags about them to everyone she meets.  And recently when she was making a prayer journal for Cubbies she added her brothers and sisters as a praise.

I'm so thankful for the work God is doing in her heart.  I pray that one day she will be a World Changer for Him! 

Weekly Goals

 

I tried to do weekly goals with out posting it on the blog but I wasn't very successful.  So I'm going back to this form of accountability and tracking.  If this bores you, I will not be hurt if you skip it.  However, the fact that someone may read it keeps me going.  I'm going to start breaking it into weekly and monthly goals now.

THIS WEEK:
SELF:
*Write a "Getting Real" Blog post

MINISTRY:
*Work on KC for 3 hours
*Work on Awana for 3 hours.

FOSTER CARE:
*Spend 10 minutes a night filling out behavior journal.

KIDS:
*Work on Awana 4 nights a week with Big Brother and Addilece.
*Do 3 school activities with Little Man.
*Do school 3 times with the girls.
*Spend 1 hour doing sensory activities.

TONY & I:
*Read the Bible together 4 nights a week.
*Ask Tony what he wants done this week and do it.

FINANCES:
*Have a  financial meeting.


THIS MONTH: 
SELF:
*Finish  The Well Connect Child by Karyn Purvis
*Finish 1/2 to 3/4 of the 21 Days/Steps project (see post on Friday)

FOSTER CARE:
*Write case worker a thank you note.

KIDS:
*Have Tony take Baby Girl on a date.

TONY & I:
*Do two in home dates.
*Do one out of home date.
*Write Tony a love note.
*Sit down once a month to re-evaluate schedules and cut what needs to be cut, add what needs to be added.

FINANCES:
*Begin paying on chosen loan
*Save 17% (1/6th) of our anniversary trip.

Awww....that seems a little more managable breaking it up like that.