Today Might Just Be the Day...

What happens in the daily life of the family.. the drama of foster care, the adventures of parenting, & pictures to share with everyone!

Fall Traditions

By: comment

One of the things that really excited me about our new school district when we moved 5 years ago was the calendar. Our school does a modified year round calendar.

That means a shorter Summer break, but longer breaks in the Fall & Spring.

Which means we get a chance to really enjoy Arizona when it’s pleasant in Arizona. It also means we can travel & not stress about rushing back.

This year we really didn’t travel, but we did what we do when we have the chance… We crammed as much fun in as possible. We went to multiple parks, we met friends at the Science Center, we ate out a million times, we did a day at Amazing Jake’s and a night at Dave & Busters, we slept over & hosted friends, we watched movies at home and at the theater.

As I am typing, we are on the road home from a couple quick days away. Heading home for one of the traditions that I hope my kids will fondly remember. For the last few years we have always had one craft day in the Fall. The last couple have been with our Girl Scout troop, but we had them before our troop, too.

We will make soap and Christmas decorations.. Possibly candles. 

Wish me luck!
Results:

  
Cupcake Ornaments

 
An army of handmade soaps!

  
Jars halfway on their way to being transformed into snowman luminaries.

  
And a part of the cleanup 😉 Dishes, glitter & soap is now coating my kitchen.
But, I think they all had fun!

Made it!!

By: comment

My mom always made our costumes.. I always pictured myself doing the same. Then I had kids. How did she find time to sew with us under foot??

Well, now I have more time. For the second time ever, I made a costume for B. She tested it out at the zoo today…

What do you think??

20121020-181349.jpg

20121020-181404.jpg

Treats for You!

By: comment

Wanted to share our little cuties with you all!

I do have to boast on myself a little bit. On Halloween, I think I earned my MOTY (Mom of the Year) Award… I took all four out to trick or treat around our block. Then, I took just D & d out to hit the next couple blocks. Oh, and I made Bean’s costume myself!

Not only did I give them extra trick or treat time, I also (for the first time ever) took them to the gas station for a toilet break mid-TOT so the fun could continue.

*Then* when we’d treated as much as we could and we were all out of tricks, my little guy (well, the littlest of my bigs) was exhausted. We were about half a block from home when he was very tired. So, I carried him the rest of the way home…

And I begged him to remember this. There will be plenty of times of Mom throwing a fit or getting mad for him to keep in his memory bank. I hope that this will replace one of those!

Leaping without Looking

By: comment

Wow.

I feel like there’s so much going on right this very second in our home & family.

Today we had another Halloween party to attend…. this one was at the Senior Center. It was very cute. My little ones went trick-or-treating from table to table. I love the fact that my kids went right up to everyone and gave high fives and hugs and even sat on a couple laps. Oh, and I’ve already been able to raid their candy.

Wednesday was the first Halloween celebration at our elementary school. And the highlight of that evening was the principal kissing a pig. If any other parents are looking for a fund raiser that the kids will get behind, you’ve found it! The principal set a goal of $300 and the kids raised $500! It was all for charity, but I’m sure it could be used to fund something needed at a school as well.

Oh, I totally forgot. Last weekend the kids went to Boo at the Zoo.

So, this whole holiday thing has been going for days and while the end *is* in sight, we still have a few more days.

But, that’s just one stinking holiday.

B is also gearing up for a huge event for his station. They host an annual show that brings together financial professionals and locals.. and they will be broadcasting live from the event.

So,  I plan on seeing very little of him next week.

Add to that the fact that I’m back to “work” again. Yesterday was my third class of this cycle. And while I only work a few hours each week, it definitely makes a difference being away from home even one night.

OK, once we survive B’s event, then we will be mere days away from my first show!!!

Lately every spare minute I have I’m either thinking about the business or crafts or creating or fixing things. My goal is to finish one item a day, but yesterday I didn’t meet that, so that means that today I need to get the lead out.

I’m sure it will be a huge success.. (I really, really, really, really hope it is!).

The weekend after that (11/20ish for those of you counting), we thankfully only have a couple events…

Then there’s Turkey Day.

I will be making pizza. You are all invited over. Just bring a side dish!

And the next day is one of my favorite days of the year–black Friday. I think I’ll do a whole post on that soon.

Then comes RAD Crafts second show!

And here’s the heavy one. That next week we may be closing on a new house.

Egads.

It’s still up in the air. We are more than a couple steps away from it being a done deal, but it’s there.

As if that weren’t enough, we will also be taking our little Bean that weekend to go see Yo! Gabba Gabba! for her 4th birthday…

Maybe this is my “look”. I at least have an outline. None of it seems impossible. And, really, it’s just one big event per week. We can do that. Right?

Wanna see something cool?

By: comment

 

I *think* I can now upload photos.

Like I said when I started this whole thing, I’m not the technical expert.

Now, if I could only magically make it so that our dude was adopted and I could share his photo. And if I could make it so that somehow I could screen each and every person who views this so that I could share photos of our new little two…. *THAT* would be some real magic. But, I guess we’ll all just have to settle.

Here are photos of my forever babies. We had a band of pirates for Halloween. And we were a sight. I swear our neighbors felt sorry for the kids. They were given loads and loads of candy. We still have several (dozen?) pounds.

I guess while I have the chance, I should post something with some substance, too.

Our family is having a rough go of it. Well, I don’t know that that is a fair statement. Actually, our little two seem to be adjusting well. They’re talking more. They’re starting to listen (sometimes). Bean is back to going potty in the toilet. And her personality has returned. But, she doesn’t have as much attention as before (that could be a good thing?). Our little guy (who really isn’t the little one anymore) is doing o.k. He actually has responded to the change very well. But, he still has some behavior issues. Sigh. And our older boys…. *OUR* boys… well, I think they’re taking it in stride.

So, I guess it should just say that I am having a rough time.

Today the little ones went to day care for the first time. I think that they enjoyed it. I know that I enjoyed not having to stress every second that they were out of my sight. But, I wasted the time. I vegged. I didn’t get done all of the things that I needed to. And now all of those things are still waiting for me. I guess shutting down in stressful situations doesn’t really work with the lifestyle that I’m embarking on.

So, I don’t know what is ahead.

I don’t know how long I will be a mother of 6.

Please, keep us in your thoughts. And if you see a mom who looks like she is having a rough patch, just smile and think of me.