Emma's First Day of School!

Emma started school last Monday!

She was very excited to be in the classroom, eat her bag lunch and to ride the bus!

I have many "mixed feelings"...

This was not part of the original dream.

I had hoped to be able to keep everyone home and educate them at home.

But there were a few snags in the dream

and

reality has lead us to utilize some of the services outside of our home.

In case you are wondering what "snags" we incurred.

 I will share them with you.

1. More children have joined our family than originally planned- I love that part! BUT it has made it very challenging for this novice homeschooling Momma.

2. We have many medical needs and many appointments. Of course I always hope that will change in the future but who knows?

3. All of our homeschooling children are relatively "new"  and they all need ME and MY ATTENTION and my help.

I did try to have Sarah be more independent and recently realized that she had been completely skipping the writing, grammar and partial reading in the curriculum she was working on.

I was NOT happy...

(BUT, I blame myself...) 

 Although she is 13 yrs old, she has only been home for 4.4 years and when she has questions she needs me to be available. She also needs me to hold her accountable.

4. A few of our children have moderate to severe learning disabilities. We have had 3 tested so far and realized what we suspected is actually correct. They need someone with them full time so they can learn too. They need someone who is trained in teaching a child with that special need.

As one woman stated... I cannot be too proud to ask for help when I need it.

Since some of the children's needs are greater than expected we need more than just one teacher, more than just me.

 I will be honest in saying the burden to meet every ones needs academically, medically and emotionally was a little too much.

There is just not enough of me to go around.

So we had to make some prayerful decisions.

We are happy with the decisions we have made and feel that by utilizing services available to us we can better meet all of our children's needs.

We wanted to give it a try this spring and since the timing with the IEP worked out, Emma was able to go to a couple weeks of school before summer break!

A few of our children need one on one help. Some need repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition... while others need more challenges and supervision.

We feel so very blessed to have our children home from China. 

Sometimes I find myself wearing so many different hats that I don't get a chance to just be 

"Loving MOM".

I don't want to be robbed of that title and that opportunity!

I don't want to be frustrated with myself and with my child.

I want a neutral person to do some of the daily grind (as they so eloquently put it at the neuro psych evaluation).

We have worked really hard to get them were they are at right now.

We are so thankful to God and we are very proud of each child.

For some of our children learning is a big challenge.

If we did not like our local schools we would not have sent Emma.

We happen to live in an excellent school district with many resources!

She only has 4 more days left and then she will be home for summer break!

Emma is currently in 6th grade, 7th grade next year!

Party Time! Zero Waste style.

This weekend, I threw a cocktail party to celebrate my becoming an author. Our house's size limited our guest list, nonetheless, forty people RSVP'd. My full time work schedule did not give me much time to get ready. On Friday, I tackled the grocery shopping armed with a shopping list and a basket full of jars; Saturday, I worked from morning till 6:45pm, just in time to take a quick shower, take a few pictures to share with you and welcome our first guests.

My book describes Zero Waste entertaining, so this post is to show how I put some of my tips into practice.

Here is how we managed to make our soiree a Zero Waste event:

Glassware and plates

As mentioned before, when we host parties bigger than our table can sit (10) we serve a buffet of finger foods with our stack of cloth napkins (I only have 32, but was not worried about running out for our 40 guests, as I have learned from previous experiences that only half the guests actually use a napkin for finger foods). Our everyday glassware (two full shelves, about 50 pieces) eliminate our need for disposables. Our everyday (white ceramic) and camping (polished stainless) plates served as platters, a handful of turkey lacers as reusable toothpicks, and jars of plant trimmings as decorative items.

Reusable Ware

Food

To simplify my cooking, I took full advantage of items sold loose in my grocery store (one stop shop), including the salad bar, olive bar, prepared food counter, meat counter, fish counter, and cheese counter using jars; the bulk bins and bakery using cloth bags; and, the produce aisle using mesh bags. I also used home-grown and foraged (neighbor) herbs. Our menu consisted of:

Snacks

• Pistachios (bulk bin)
• Black olives (olive bar)
• Green olives (olive bar)
• Leo's breadsticks: He rolled leftover dough (onion tartlets) in a beaten egg, then in grated parmesan cheese (salad bar)

A few snacks

Veggies and Cheese

• Zucchini (produce aisle) slices topped with a chickpea mixture: Marinated chickpeas (olive bar), blended with an immersion blender and seasoned with ground cumin (bulk bin) 
• Mini Skewers of mozzarella balls, asparagus and cherry tomatoes: The ingredients consisted of a salad (prepared food counter), which we then separated and skewered onto turkey lacers.
• Onion tartlets: Homemade using bulk ingredients
• Eggplant spread and blinis: Homemade using bulk ingredients
• Marinated chili peppers (olive bar) stuffed with a mixture of feta cheese (salad bar) and cream (reusable bottle), then tipped in freshly ground pepper (bulk bin)
• Celery sticks (produce aisle) filled with a blue cheese (salad bar) mixture and a pecan (bulk bin) 
• Goat cheese balls: I rolled the mixture used to stuffed the chili peppers in 3 different ingredients, including chopped celery leaves (discards of previous appetizer), chopped herbs (home-grown), and chopped almonds (bulk bins). I hid a snap pea (produce aisle) for extra crunch in the first two types.
• Veggies (produce aisle) and hummus dip (salad bar)
• Three types of cheese (cheese counter) on a platter and toasted baguette (stale baguette)

Veggie and Cheese Appetizers

Meat

• Pate with toasted baguette and cornichons (recipe and origin of ingredients here)
• Chicken and Quinoa meatballs (prepared foods counter) with their honey-mustard dip (homemade using the recipe provided in the book by replacing sugar with honey).

Pate and Baguette

Fish 

• Smoked Salmon (fish counter) and lemon rind (produce aisle) on Blinis (homemade using bulk ingredients)
• Salmon Sushi: Homemade using fresh salmon (fish counter) on sushi rice (bulk bin, using a mixture of bulk apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt to season the cooked rice), and a drop of homemade horseradish (recipe in the book).
• Baked cheesy (grated, salad bar) shrimp (fish counter) toasts (stale baguette): This appetizer was my only hot item; once guests arrive I want to join the party and give them my full attention!

Smoked Salmon on blinis, topped with lemon  rind.

Sweets

• Five types of cookies (bakery self serve)
• Malt balls (bulk bin)
• Sugar coated peanuts: Homemade using salted peanuts (bulk bin)
• Fresh strawberries (produce aisle)

Sweets

Drinks

• Revive Kombucha, sold in reusable growlers at our grocery store (the bottles are returned to customer service to be reused by the company)
• Two types of beer, the growlers of which we get refilled at our local brewery
• Red and White wine, the bottles of which we get refilled at a local winery
• House Cocktail: Vodka (360 brand, available in flip-top bottles which we reuse for wine refills), French pomegranate lemonade (the bottles of which we also reuse for wine refills) and orange juice (I reuse and fill our milk bottles from the squeezing machine in my grocery store)
• Flavored water: Rosemary and Lemon, simply squeezed into flip top bottles and then filled with water.

Cocktail and Flavored Waters

These accompanied with beautiful weather, great music and our favorite people, made for a successful and memorable event. And even a couple of days worth of leftovers!

Have a party scheduled? Questions? Ask away!

Melissa and Madeline In Their Glasses and Patches!

The girls got their glasses and visually-

 it has opened up a whole new world!

The first day their eyes got tired and it was an adjustment.

BUT

they quickly got used to seeing better!

It was an exciting day!

The next day we began patching.

They are troopers and do not complain!

They didn't like it when I took off the patch so now I have them take it off.

Works much better and they are in control.

The other children have been so kind and helpful when the girls have their patches on!

Madeline has to return to the Dr in one month so we are trying to patch their right eye as much as possible!

So far we are getting in 6 -7 hours per day!

We want that left eye to regain some of it's sight and retrain her brain to use it!

She will most likely need cataract surgery on it soon.

They will remove her lens and she will wear a protective contact and glasses.

I think they can already see better out of their left eye but maybe it's too early, I don't know?

They seems to manage very well with only one eye!

We even went on a walk and played at the playground yesterday!

Thank you for all your comments and words of wisdom- it was so helpful!

We are getting a second pair of plastic glasses for gymnastics and rough play!

Our Decision For Abby

(Abby's Atheletes)

Last weekend we walked for 
Be The Match!

We walked in the pouring rain!
It was fun, adventurous and WET!
The kids got medals!
Mark and some of his friends ran the 5K!
We walked the 1K ;-)

We all got T shirts!

The weather cleared up later in the day!

Even though we have decided not to proceed with a bone marrow transplant for Abby are still very supportive of the cause!

It can be a 

LIFE SAVER 

for  so many people.

(Our stair steps!)

We heard from many of you regarding a BMT for Abby-

 whether it was prayers, advice, thoughts- it was all so helpful.

I had been leaning toward doing a BMT and Hubby was thinking just the opposite.

Through much prayer, through your responses and NHBO post 

GOD,

made it clear!

We will not proceed with a BMT to improve Abby's quality of life.

It is too risky.

Abby is HAPPY in every way!

For her, getting a blood transfusion every 3 weeks is normal.

And it is a - just fine normal!

Actually is it better than a just fine normal!

It is a great normal!

We need to be so so so so

thankful for this normal!

One year ago we thought Abby's condition was pre cancer and leukemia was imminent.

Now, a potentially deadly illness is no longer looming over her.
Now, she is free 
and all we need to do is to plan for a 5 hour visit to the hemoc clinic every 3 weeks.
We can do that!

If Abby's situation changes 

and the LORD shows us that we need to move forward with a BMT

we would proceed.

Thank you to all of you who have prayed and responded 

And to the thallasemia group for letting me join!

A Fabulous Birthday!

So very thankful for this extra large and crazy family!

In the morning we had coffee in the porch and visited with the children!

Then Katie and I went shopping!

I don't get much opportunities to go shopping so it was quite fun!

We would have loved to have gone to the pool but the MN weather did not cooperate...

The party started after 5:00 church!

It was so wonderful to have 15 of the 18 children there!

The new children love looking at pics of the big kids when they were young!

And dear Katie plunked away at the piano with a captive audience in tow!

Time to open gifts! 

They were all so proud of the pictures that they made for me!

The big boys gave me flowers and Godiva chocolate pretzels!

Our time chatting in the porch is the best part!

Thank goodness we have many laps to sit on!

 All of the children seem to be doing very well!

It is nice to be at the 4 month marker!

Mia's adjustment has gone very well. Every once in a while I will see her far away in thought. 

I am sure she is thinking about her past life.

Even if it wasn't such a great place, it was home to her...

Sarah and Mia have a great bond and a lot of fun together!

Ellie is once again comfortable with her place in the family.

At first adding a new sister near her age was a little threatening but now she seems settled with the changes and happy with making her our decisions instead of being a follower.

In time Mia will make more of her own decisions too but for now she is following Sarah a lot.

With more time and once her(Mia) language skills improve she will no longer need that security.

And the next thing we know Mark is getting a new hairdo!

Katie is getting a shoulder rub!

Johnny is getting a massage!

It was a fantastic day!

Thank you Jesus for a great birthday!!!

She's Home!

Guess who's home!!

Tomorrow is my birthday and I feel like I have already gotten my gift!!

We are so thrilled to have Katie home!

(Thank you Andrew!)

Andrew will be joining us next weekend!

The "kids" have two weddings to go to in the states so they will be a little busy- but we are thrilled to have whatever time we can get!!

Isn't She Lovely!

(I can hear Stevie Wonder playing in the background!)

Isn't she lovely, 
Isn't she wonderful,
Isn't she precious!

She can hold enough spaghetti for the whole family!!

This was my Mother's Day gift!

I'm thrilled with it!!

Except now I need a king size strainer!

The Name Game!

I LOVE THE NAME GAME!!

Even though this is our last adoption I am expecting YOU to carry on the tradition!

I have played this ALL my life and would LOVE to continue playing it WITH YOU!!

We have "kind of" decided on this little guys name BUT as you know I sometimes change my mind!

We have been calling him

Joseph Michael.

Once home he will be "Joseph" and "Joey" to us.

Michael is after our friends son "Michael".

We know many Michaels and it is a great name BUT this is specific. . .

Michael went to live with Jesus when he was 8 yrs old.

He was such a wonderful little boy and we still miss him.

St. Michael is the Protector.

Our little guy has had many challenges in his short life.

I will share with you soon.

We feel God's guiding hand and we are planning to stick with this name.

However we are in a quandary with this little boy!

Hmmmmm?

I was so surprised with the names many of you chose!

They were on the top of our list too!

When big brother Johnny came home I asked him what names he liked?

He right away said "I like the name Will!"

I agree! We love it too!

However, He must have had a momentary memory lapse. . .

your brother Billy (William) would not appreciate it!

Believe me... I did try to think how we could get a "Will" into the family without completely stealing big brothers name!

Of course then when Billy came home he was only slightly amused and suggested we name him John and call him Jack!

Okay, I think these two are so funny!

I still chuckle over this one!

AND I love the name Jack too!

BUT we are not planning on naming him, Will or Jack!

Many mentioned the name MAX.

I like it but it's not hubby's favorite and the boys said no.

The two top names seem to be

Jacob (Jake) or Benjamin (Ben).

I love them both!

We have prayed about it AND have seen signs for both of them.

(BTW he's singing a song in these pics!)

(Oh God Bless Him- he is such a precious boy!)

I actually LOVE LOVE the name JAMES!

BUT, hubby said no (he is a James).

Maybe he'll change his mind?

So. . .

What do you see?

A Jacob(Jake)?

A Benjamin (Ben)?

or 

A James?

 I see a little guy that is not so happy about his leg/ankle braces!

Praising GOD for our two new additions!!

Can't wait to read your thoughts!!