Expectations

I Would Love To Be Asleep Right Now! 

Right now in Western North Carolina it is 5:30 A.M.

 I have been awake since 2:30 A.M.

My house is quiet, except for the occasional popping and cracking that houses usually make when they are settling or the noise the ac makes when it comes on.

My brain won't shut off and my body has decided to have a "moment" so I am left to deal with 6 children in a couple of hours on precious little sleep (blog post to follow, I'm sure). I've been strolling through Facebook and Pinterest trying to make myself sleepy but none of that is working right now ...

I am quite the planner, having 6 children in my home requires organization and finesse. I typically plan an event at least a month in advance and begin planning holiday events several months in advance.

While on Pinterest, I was looking through the Holidays and Events sections trying to get ideas for the upcoming holiday season (yes, I am 'that' mom).

Fall is my favorite time of year ( I discussed my adoration for this season here in my last post). During my time of misery and trolling of the interwebs I sought out new things for my family to do this Fall that we didn't do last year.

Last Year

While I was reading a Fall Bucket List I was reminded of the transition my family was experiencing last year. The excitement and anticipation that we all felt ... and the expectations that we all had for upcoming events. 

During this time last year, my husband and I were visiting with the children who would become our son and daughter. They didn't know the reason for their increased time with us until almost three months later when we asked them in front of our family, their foster mom and G.A.L. if we could be their forever family. 

Expectations

When you find out you're going to have kids, biologically or by adoption, you begin to have a lot of expectations about what the future holds for your family. In your dreams, trips to the pumpkin patch go perfectly, no one gets an attitude or says their bored and everyone comes home with the perfect pumpkin. On their best days no one gets in trouble and everyone does what you say ... and then you wake up and realize that NyQuil may relieve your Cold symptoms but it gives you delusional dreams. 

My expectations were a little too unrealistic to be met. It takes time for a family unit to be created, for trust to be built, and for a bond to be knitted. 

We had taken the kids to a pumpkin patch on a Sunday afternoon. I spent the entire morning talking about how great the place was going to be (which it was great!) and getting the kids pumped for our adventure at the pumpkin patch ... but the kids had expectations and the pumpkin patch was smaller and not as exciting as they expected (you see how this works?). 

My "family fun day" was about to turn into a "this is boring, can we go home" day and we weren't even out of the car yet. 

I was literally sitting in the parking lot of the pumpkin patch with my husband asking me what we were going to do when I realized what I needed to. 

What I Needed To Do

In that moment I realized that I could either let their attitudes ruin the entire day or I could choose to change my expectations for my children's behavior and enjoy our time together as a family. 

I chose the latter. 

It wasn't easy. It would have been easy to give in to my kids bad attitudes. It would have been easy to pack them all up and go home. 

Christ calls us to love in the hard times and being a parent is definitely loving during the hard times. It's teaching your kids to do the things they don't want to do because they might actually enjoy it (which they did) or learn something from it. 

I know I learned something from my children. Sometimes ( most of the time), I might be the one who needs to change to meet them where they are. 

My Encouragement to You

I encourage you, dear reader, to choose love with your children, even when choosing love is the hardest thing to do. I encourage you not to be be discouraged when your children don't get as excited as you are about family events. One day they will understand the value of your efforts and they will have the memory of the hard work and dedication that you put into their childhood. 

We came home that day and carved all the pumpkins you see in the picture above. We had a blast cleaning out the pumpkin guts and giving them faces. 

Your Turn 

What parenting tips or encouragement do you have for others who may struggle with getting their children to be involved with family events? Do you involve your kids in the planning process of family events? In what ways have you changed your expectations to make family outings more enjoyable? Did you find this encouraging? Leave your comments/suggestions below. Be sure to like/share/follow if you find this blog worth your time. Thank you! 

Filling My Cup

Can This Summer Just Be Over Already?

This week has been really hard. The kids are getting restless. It's the end of summer and they are tired of sitting in the house all day ... heck they are tired of doing anything that requires a parent be present. It's been a REALLY tough week. We've tried the entertainment route with a LOTR marathon but that has been for naught.

Parenting takes a lot out you, more than you realize sometimes. When I first became a parent I felt guilty for leaving to go to the grocery store or the post office or to take a bath. Now I understand the value of taking time to fill my cup, especially after week's like this. I used to get my nails or hair done or go shopping when I wanted to fill my cup but today that time took a different form.

Fall Came Early

 I have a slight (major) obsession with all things Fall. It's my favorite time of year. The best family events can be done during this season (pumpkin patch, football games, pumpkin carving, baking, Russian Tea drinking, etc) and it has the absolute best weather. (Please feel free to argue for any other season in the comments below, I promise to keep an open mind) Today I just couldn't wait any longer, I brought out my crock-pots and gave into the obsession during quiet time. 

I scoured Pinterest for the perfect recipes, I didn't intend to replicate them, I just wanted to get ideas from them. Once I found the recipes I gathered the ingredients. Then, I set to work in the kitchen. I made a recipe of my own for Apple Butter, Pumpkin Butter and I made some BBQ sauce from a recipe I found online. I must say, I am very proud of my Apple and Pumpkin Butters! 

Most of all, I spent time in the kitchen doing something I really enjoy and in the process I filled my cup after a really difficult week. There was no one in the kitchen but me. I was able to take my time, play with spices, measurements, and make it my own. 

I said I used to feel guilty for leaving, I don't anymore. I understand now that in order to be the best parent possible I need time to play in the kitchen, go shopping or get my nails done to fill my cup so that I can better parent them. I can't give grace or mercy when my grace and mercy are all tapped out, they need to be refilled. 

So I'm sitting here watching The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers with my children waiting for my Apple Butter to finish with a full cup ready for what the new week brings. 

How do you fill your cup back up when it's contents have been diminished? Do you see the value of having personal time away from your kids? Let us know how you deal with your personal care in the comments below, I look forward to reading them. 

The Things No One Tells You About

Things Said In An Almost Clean Bathroom

I'm bending over my daughter's bathtub, scrubbing with a magic eraser, noxious fumes from the chemicals wafting up in my face and that's when she says it ... "mommy, we've really been getting along here lately." "Yes sweetheart," I say, "as opposed to what," I like to joke with her like this. 

She then says the words that makes my heart drop, "we're getting along now because we're working on our relationship." 

I'm sure I said something graceful, kind, and loving in response but that struck me to my core and it reminded me just how hard my daughter and I HAVE worked on our relationship. 

What I Expected-Lemons

When my kids moved in I had all these delusions of grandeur and for a long time, I worked hard to bring them to fruition (I nearly burned myself out). I expected for us to function like every other family does the moment they moved in, which I soon found out was not realistic at all. I expected for their loyalties to lie with us because we were mom and dad now, that too was unrealistic because they had spent several years with one family creating a family atmosphere and circle of security. 

What I Found

I found that although our children had known my husband and I for 9 months they had to learn to trust us as mom and dad. They had to work out their emotions surrounding the adoption because even though it was something they wanted, it was still new territory for them ... and us too. They had to relearn how to function in previous relationships and learn how to navigate new ones. 

In the midst of all this change, my daughter and I saw a lot of turmoil. We clashed more than we did before they moved in. Both of us felt unloved and unsure of what to do next.  

Lemonade

On Easter, after a weekend of epic, Colosseum, Gladiator style, (well not really but you get the idea)  mother/daughter clashing the two of us sat down for a truce. I was still fuming and not really ready to say what I was going to say but I had every intention of following through with it. That night I told her that I was going to be more intentional about my relationship with her, that I was going to love her the way she wanted to be and deserved to be loved.

Since that night we have both worked on our attitude toward each other and the way we speak to each other. We have been more intentional about spending time with each other. My favorite thing to do is put the other kids to bed and keep her up for mother/ daughter time where we share a yoo-hoo or pecan pie, (can you guess which part of the country we live in based on our food preferences) during this time we catch up on the day and generally spend time together. 

I anticipated a lot during the process of this adoption but I didn't anticipate the struggles my daughter and I would face. She and I have worked hard to have a mother/daughter bond, it's not perfect but it's a work in progress and for that, I am proud. 

I hope one day she reads this and remembers how hard we worked and knows how much I love her and how much I prayed for her before I ever knew her. She didn't grow in my stomach, she grew in my heart and God has amplified that love with each passing day for both my children. 

Adoption is a beautiful, difficult thing. It takes a lot of grace from everyone involved. Everyone involved must give it time because it doesn't just work the second everyone is home and settled in. You have to learn everyone's nuances, their pet peeves, their likes and dislikes and that takes time.When the garden starts to bloom and flowers start to bud, it becomes a beautiful thing. I have learned to give my family, my daughter that time and the flowers that are blooming are beautiful. 

What have you learned from time with your family? How are you intentional with them? Leave your responses or suggestions in the comments below. I look forward to reading them. Also, if you like what you read, feel free to share or follow me ... or both!  

Your Baby Is Cute But I'll Stay Over Here

                                                            What Kind of Depressing Title is That

As children we are told to dry it up, stop crying, everything is fine; how does that translate into adulthood? 

It translates into adults thinking they have to carry the weight of their burdens by themselves because they think they have to be stronger than they feel. 

Why I Don't Want to Hold Your Baby

In September 2012, after over 2 years of trying; my husband and I found out that our dreams of having biological children would never be a reality. We were crushed. We sat around the house and cried for days (and ate pizza, lots and lots of pizza); once the shock wore off we slowly began to look at adoption. We thought our calling was to adopt infants from another country but the financial aspect of doing so seemed daunting to say the least; so we tabled our dream and continued on with life. 

In April of the following year we moved from Missouri to Tennessee to go to Graduate school, but Knoxville never felt like home. In November of 2013 we began the process of becoming Professional Foster Parents with an organization in our home town in North Carolina and we moved back home in February of 2014. We felt like Abraham and Sarah. Although we knew our plan was to adopt, we promised each other that we wouldn't adopt the first children that we met or that was placed in our home. 

We've had several children placed in our home but the two that God placed on our hearts and that we grew to love as our children are the two that we met first on the day we were moving in (funny how God works). I won't give you their names simply for the fact that we are working on new ones; they will be changed after the adoption is finalized. I will say that we have grown to love a beautiful, 10 year old girl with curly, strawberry blonde hair and a handsome, 8 year old boy with freckles all over his face. 

The sting and jealousy of infertility still creep up every now and then when I allow myself to think about the years that I've missed or the things that I don't get to experience. However, the joy that I get to experience with these two far surpasses anything that I could have planned or wanted for myself. My Father knew what He was doing when He said that my plans weren't good enough, that there was something better in store for my family. 

So, I don't want to hold a baby not because I'm a hateful old hag who hates babies or because I'm a witch who steals their souls ... but because I must guard my heart from the feelings that holding a baby inflicts on it. My family is complete, I have the children that God has promised me and I am happy; I don't want to tempt myself to be unhappy in the things that God has blessed me with. It's a human flaw, an easy trap to fall into to become unhappy with the blessings that we have; one that I have fallen victim to many times. I have learned, in my meager 26 years, to guard my heart from the things that make me jealous or angry.

Back To The Beginning 

It took a long time for me to be comfortable sharing this "shame" with people. People "more fertile" than us would ask when we were going to start "popping out" babies and once I got over the urge to throat punch them, I would ( as politely as possible) explain our situation to them.

 I was told as a child that everything was fine, that I needed to dry it up.  As an adult, I never learned how to depend on other people for support. I'm learning to do that now (whoopieee!) ... more importantly, I'm teaching my kids how to do it. Transparency is a huge component in my relationship with Christ, my husband, my kids and others and I believe they need to see it functioning properly in order to learn how to be transparent themselves. It's not easy and there are days I don't like to do it, but it's healthy; therefore, I'm going to do it for them. 

Your Turn

How do you promote transparency in your home? Are any of you brave enough to share you struggles/shame with us in the comments? I look forward to reading them. 

The Beloved Mother Billy Goat

 My husband, my two children, and myself were headed into Gatlinburg for the evening for dinner. We were on vacation in Cherokee, NC, and had done all there was to do. We were just about to hit the state line when we realized we didn't have a travel letter (long story, we'll leave it for another blog post) so we decided to turn around ... it just so happened that we turned around at the turnoff for Clingman's Dome.

Here's where it becomes pertinent that I tell you that it was raining, 50 degrees, and the 4 of us were in shorts and flip flops ... and this was at the BOTTOM of the mountain. It's also important that you know that Clingman's Dome is the 2nd highest point East of the Mississippi, reaching 6,643 feet.

A Mad Wife, A Chipper Daughter, A Slow Husband, and A Miserable Son

By the time we pulled into the parking lot of the National Park, the temperature had dropped into the 40's, the wind was gusting so hard it looked like a hurricane ripping a shore to shreds. I was hesitant; ever the pessimist, I warned that we should come back on a sunnier day ... but my husband would not be happy but to see absolutely nothing from the top of that foggy observation tower. His (notice I said his) first stop, was in the gift shop for some plastic ponchos for our children. He raced back to the car with his new "rain gear" as if it beat the weather. Reluctantly, the three of us donned on our new apparel and began the trek up the mountain to the observation tower. 

Ever heard that phrase, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."? In my opinion, I had been scorned! Walking VERTICALLY up that mountain, in flip flops, in the rain, isn't what I planned on doing that day but, by God, I was going to prove  my children and my husband wrong.  I would do it come hell or high water! (both legitimate possibilities at this point).

I began the walk at a brisk pace, one that you can't really maintain unless you have a fire under your feet ... I had a fire under mine. I would stop long enough to either see my husband and son or hear their voices and then I would begin again, there was NO way I was letting them catch up to me. With about a third of the journey under my belt, my rubber flip flops became too slick from the cold rain to continue to wear them, so I slid them off my feet and continued my journey barefoot (in 40 degree weather). 

I bet your wondering where the chipper daughter was in all of this since I have addressed all the other members of my family. My chipper daughter stuck by my side all the way up that mountain, whatever my pace was, she matched it ... and she was happy to do it. 

 I LOVE HER. 

The Observation Tower

The chipper daughter and I were the first to make it to the observation tower. It's a long, winding bridge, with a slow grade that eventually takes you to the view of a lifetime (even in the fog). I would love to tell you that I boldly marched up said bridge and looked out over the vast expanse to take in all the sights ... I would love to tell you that my fear of heights did not get the better of me, standing barefoot in the middle of that bridge. I really would love to tell you that. Sadly, I cannot tell you those things. 

What I can tell you ... I got halfway up that bridge ( a success for me) before I FREAKED out and practically crawled back to solid ground. Had my children not been there, I would have gotten down on all fours and kissed the wet soil where my feet once were. 

Beloved Mother Billy Goat

I'm willing to bet that you are sitting at your desk/lap top, tablet, or iPad, scratching your head trying to figure out why in the world I named this post 'the Beloved Mother Billy Goat.'

 I was freezing by the time we began our descent; we all were.  It was REALLY stinkin' cold that day. I sat at the bottom of the observation tower with Miserable Son, while Slow Husband and Chipper Daughter took in the sights for what seemed like hours (more like 10 minutes, but for dramatic effect, HOURS). I finally gave up hope and began the descent with Miserable Son in tow and left the other two thinking they had gotten their tongues stuck to a pole and that they would thaw out in Spring.  Eventually they caught up and the four of us headed down together. 

I was so happy, SO GIDDY to be getting off that mountain that I practically (in fact I did) skip, barefooted down the rather steep mountain all the way down to our car. On that day of misery, I became known as "The Beloved Mother Billy Goat" for my ability to not only climb mountains when I am angry but skip down them when I am giddy. My children still call me this, and I actually take pride in that nickname. It represents something hard that I did that I wasn't too happy to do. I showed my children that when you dig deep and put your mind to something (yes, that motivational speech) you really can do anything. True, I didn't go all the way to the tower ... but I'm seriously proud of myself for even climbing the mountain. Mission accomplished in my book! 

What is your nickname and how did you acquire it? Share in the comments below. Also, if you like this blog, please feel free to follow me on blogger, facebook, or twitter and share my blogs with your buddies! 

Quick, Somebody Get That Kid Some Water ... He's About To Blow!

Tranquility 

This is how the day should have gone ... like a peaceful day at the beach (not that we were at the beach, but one can dream).

Instead, "the child" decided he was going to spend the day having one temper tantrum after another over arbitrary details. Sally, the Shark's dorsal fin rose from the crystal, blue depths every now and then, I would send her back down below and ask "the child" to work on calming himself down. It's not an easy task for a grown man to calm himself down in the heat of the moment, so how does one get a child to do so when they are throwing a temper tantrum?

Just Breathe

When "the child" is throwing a temper tantrum my first inclination is to join him ... then I'm quickly reminded of the amount of gray matter that I possess and just how inappropriate that would actually be. Once the urge to join passes, I usually ask the upset child to do some breathing exercise to help them regain control of their body. Asking a screaming child to do "belly or buzz breathing" worked like a charm in the beginning ... so do root canals on roller coasters.
Then, much to my husband's credit (don't tell him I said that)had a brilliant idea (don't tell him that either). He decided we were going to have anger drills in our house everyday ... or at least we were going to aspire to do them everyday.

Anger Drills 

The idea behind anger drills is quite simple. Each day our goal is to give our children a few minutes in their rooms to practice "being angry" and then to practice the breathing techniques that they prefer to use to calm their body down when they get upset. The purpose of getting a child to do an anger drill when they are not upset, is to make them more willing to do it when they are ... and guess what ... it worked like a charm (for real this time, no roller coasters or root canals needed). After implementing anger drills in our house, we've seen a decrease in temper tantrums in our home and an increase in our children's ability to regulate their own emotions (again, what's with kids growing up ... I really need them to stay dependent on me forever).  Warning ... this doesn't mean that temper tantrums are non-existent now, but they have subsided quite a bit. 

What I've Learned

I've learned that it's easy to leave a child alone to deal with their emotions and expect them to work it out on their own. I've also learned that it's unrealistic to expect that; a grown man can't do that on a good day, let alone a child on a bad one. Another important lesson that I have learned is that "the child" is more likely to calm down quickly if I am able to do the breathing exercise with him. No one wants to be alone in their emotions, children are the same; when we take the time to take a few deep breaths with our children their bodies relax much more quickly than if they were left to do it alone. Most importantly, I've learned to give my child the space to be upset and angry and I've given them the tools to do it in a manner that is healthy for them. 

What Have You Learned

What techniques do you use in your home to help your children when they are throwing a temper tantrum? Let us know in the comments below. 

Let's Make a Deal

Dinnertime ... Let's Get Ready To Rumble!

It's an age old quarrel between parents and their children. You get the beautiful spread on the table, after slaving away all day on one meal just to hear your beautiful, loving child say, "gross, I'm not eating that." A quick flash of anger surges over you and brings Sally, the Shark sailing from the abyss.

 In that moment, you quickly make a choice of how to handle the situation. There are typically two ways to do so, the first is often the way that the situation was handled when we were children (allow me to demonstrate), "this is what we are having for dinner tonight, I'm not a short order cook."

The second option is making a deal with the child or children who have an aversion to the food that you've placed before them ( this must be done simultaneously with sending Sally, the Shark back to the sea and I promise you ... it won't be easy). Making a deal could include more peas for no broccoli, allowing them to reheat yesterday's leftovers or even skipping the meal that you've slaved over altogether for a pb&j (hold the pitch forks and torches please, I have a point, I promise).

Peanut Butter Jelly Time 

When I first became a mother, the idea of giving a child a pb&j after I spent hours in a hot kitchen cooking, really chapped my hindquarters. I take pride in the meals that I cook and I want my family to partake in those meals. I want them to glean the nutritional value from the veggies and protein (and tell me what a wonderful cook I am) ... no child of mine will eat a pb&j for dinner; and then I woke up. 

After much self-evaluation, I realized that I was causing my children to have more temper tantrums and meltdowns by requiring that they eat what I cook; I was making my job and theirs harder on the both of us. So, I changed my approach to dinnertime. I started allowing my children to make their own pb&j when they don't like what has been placed before them. 

Why Any Of This Matters

In the beginning, we went through a ton of peanut butter and jelly; our kids were having that for dinner all the time. I had to keep my pride in check, I kept reminding myself that they weren't rejecting me or my cooking but their taste buds are still forming and some of them were just a little too hesitant to try what we were having. 

I also saw that by allowing them to fix their own sandwiches, i.e. supper, they became more autonomous. They learned their way around the kitchen and the pantry a little bit better and I reluctantly saw the children in my home grow up a little bit more. After all, isn't it our jobs as parents to prepare them for adulthood? What better place to start than with a pb&j? Finally, after about the fifth or sixth pb&j my kids started getting tired of that sweet, gooey, goodness for dinner and became more willing to try what we were having. I inadvertently got my children to expand their food choices!

Your Turn 

How do you deal with your dinnertime woes? Do you make deals or ask your children to eat what you have cooked? What suggestions do you have for parents struggling with dinnertime? Leave your suggestions in the comments below.