#12 Running

I'm a new comer to this sport but I will make up for lost time as best I can. I love the personal challenge running can give you when you are competing with yourself. I love the energy and fitness it gives me and I love the peace it gives when I am running early in the morning and the rest of the world is still asleep. It rejuvenates my tired body and my weary mind.

#11

Veterans Day and all our holidays that give us an excuse to take a pie to our neighbor and thank them for what they've done.

#5,6,7,8,9,10

My kids! (Is that an easy way to get caught up and brag about my kids? Yes)

 

Jack:Great babysitter, cook, black belt and wonderful running partner.

 

Grant:  Smart kid, great sense of humor, helpful around the house and fun sense of humor.

 Hailey: Charming, smart, great fashion sense, helpful with her younger siblings and so cute!

 Mackay: Slow to warm up but oh so cute when he does, inventive, friendly, and great company.

 G and N: So adorable and lovable, they bring life and excitement to our family.

#5 Neighbors

We love our neighbors! We have a couple of families around us that have kids our own kids' age and they love to play together. In the cooler months its not uncommon to see a bunch of kids roaming the street! We've been invited to a few fiestas complete with Carne Asada and have neighbors who will watch our dog, bring in our barrels when we're on vacation and just chat as we pass. Each spring we have a block party and hang out and BBQ together. Its just nice to live around kind and friendly people.

#4 Appliances

I am so thankful for my appliances!Don't think me shallow, we are so lucky to live in a day where we have machines in our homes that clean our cloths, and carpets, keep all our food fresh, filter our water, wake us up as early as we want, keep our homes warm and cold and even water our landscaping.  Its the little things in life right! 
This cute picture comes after the ugly fridge that came with the house finally died! We thought the timing was awful until we found a fridge on craigslist that was less than a year old, has water and ice in the door, matches our colors and was such a steal, we payed cash for it!  Here my little ones, plus some neighbors had fun giving it a polish before we plugged it in! LOOOVE IT!

#3

Enthusiastic, talented People
Have you ever meet someone that you thought was just so over the top enthusiastic about something that it almost made you sick?  There was a time when I felt that way... but really now I am so grateful for them. When I feel tired and beat from my own routine and then go to a Cub Scout meeting, Band Boosters, preschool drop off, Institute or anything and the people are so enthusiastic about what they do, I feel so overjoyed!  I think to myself "thank you" for being enthusiastic and passionate about what you do for me or for my children. I love that they are so able to put energy into something I currently have no energy for! I am glad to pay for people who love to teach piano, dance, and karate and are serious about having my child succeed when I think my only victory was getting them there! I feel their energy and am inspired by it. Thank you, Thank you to those people in my life who give me a lift, when I need it and are the village it takes to have wonderful children turn into wonderful adults!

#2

My husband. This isn't just a 'yada yada spouses are great kinda' post.  I love my husband but let me tell you one reason why. He has such an even personality, it takes a lot to really get his feathers ruffled. When trials come, as they do and I am struggling and wondering if this will ever end, he is very calm and can always tell me things are going to be OK, even if he may not be sure about it himself.  He reminds me of the scene in Princess Bride (celebrating 25 years of movie greatness) when Buttercup and Sweat Wesley are in the fire swamp. After the sand pit and the fire, Buttercup is just sure they will not make it out alive (I relate some days) and even after Wesley has seen the ROUS's (in our case Rowdy Offspring of Unusual Sounds) , he still assures her that they will be fine.
Yep, that's my husband. And so I am thankful for how he can smooth out bumps in life and still be as sexy as he as shown above.  He is a big reason for my sanity and peace and although I once wished he would open up more about what worries him, I am glad he stays the rock in our relationship.
P.S. Did I mention he didn't complain when I convinced everyone a desert hike in October's 90 degree weather would be fun!

A month of Thanks

To take from my wonderful sister-in-law Molly Jackson (check her out!), there are so many things to be thankful for. So I'm starting my month of thanks with Prayer.
#1
Prayers of Gratitude
I started this great institute class where the teacher suggested to pray to see things that we don't normally give thanks for in our lives but are there none the less. I tried it and I loved it! I continue to love it and am surprised at the tiniest things that I don't think about but that really make such a difference in my life.  I have had so many wonderful experiences, for example...
One evening I was preparing for a devotional and found a small sentence in a manual. It talked about adaptations that could be made for certain church activities and meetings in places where it was not safe to travel at night or on weekends or where bus and other transportation could be interrupted because of  violence or political unrest.  
My 13 year old son goes to a week day activity each Wednesday, often walking with friends and I don't worry about a road side bomb keeping him from getting there. How blessed am I?  We have such a great support in our church of classes, activities, meetings, friends who visit and all of it takes place safely and routinely because of my address.  I don't even worry about snow (sorry Molly)
And that was just one of my experiences in praying for true perspective in all of my blessings.  I love how the Lord answers Prayers with more blessing and more insight and I'm grateful for the chance to pray to Heavenly Father.  'Course this really could be labeled 'revelation' or 'location' or 'evocation', or what else ends in tion?
I've got 30 days and how will I fit it all in?

Perspective

My Good Friend Kristy posted this quote in a past comment. It is worth repeating.

"The poorest shack in which love prevails over a united family is of greater value to God and future humanity than any other riches. In such a home God can work miracles and will work miracles."
-David O. Mackay
I had a teenager over the other day to help out with a project of mine and get some service learning hours for her class at school.  As she was leaving, she gave me a huge compliment. She told me she really liked the feeling in my home and it seemed we all liked each other and got along well.
I loved hearing that.
That is what I'm really trying to achieve. She so graciously looked past the clutter of school papers to be signed, the spit up stain on my shirt and the smudge marks on the wall to notice the feelings we enjoy together as a family. It made my day!

The Music Lesson

 As parents, don't we struggle with what we want our kids to learn. Some lessons we want to come more quickly,( like potty training).  Some lesson will take time, (like realizing how cool your siblings actually are). There are the more tangible skills like how to play the piano and throw a ball. Then there are the skills you can't perform on a stage like, perseverance, kindness and patience. 
    The hubby and I decided we want each of our children to be active in something but not over book their schedules with busyness. Something musical and something physical seemed balanced, in theory, until you multiply by four, and add school activities, scouting (which is a must) and other church based activities. Grant (above) leaves for school at 6:30 four days a week for his band lesson! My oldest son is now in Jr High and his interest in band is waning. To keep him going we went down to our local Music Store and looked into renting a shinny new Baritone so he wouldn't have to use the school's well played Baritone.  As we talked it over,  we realized the cost of a rental was the same monthly price of the hip hop class his brother really wanted to take. So we left the store with out an instrument and had a very neat conversation on the drive home. As a Mom, I felt dejected for not providing him with everything I thought he needed. Jack understood our limited funds. He knows our desire to stay with in our means and allow for each child to have a chance to grow and learn and as we talked he admitted that in the future, the piano would be something he would like to learn and would have more use for. I was so impressed with his maturity (and reasoning out of something he is hoping to drop anyway).
It started as as a pity moment but I loved this chance to have a real discussion with my son. It looks like there have been some intangible learning going on and I like what my son knows!

Changes

My family had a wonderful lazy summer and enjoyed every minute of it! And we've made some changes in our family this summer too! Bittersweet changes and scary changes.
Our Foster Son Adam left us to go home to Mom in May and we are so excited for their success! We welcomed Angelina into our home and loved her for two months until Grandma was able to take her home.
We said good-bye (partly)  to our long time friend Molly B, who we've watched since she was 2 months old. We will get to see her a couple of times a month, which will help with withdrawls and Mackay will still get to see his long time BFF.
School started and my kids are back to school. Even Mackay has preschool 4 days a week for a few hours.
So with out the extra income from babysitting, and Mackay transitioning as a school aged child, we came to the big question. Do I start working outside the home?  I have been sitting on this goldmine called a Diploma for 12 years now. Is now the time to put it to use? My husband and I have talked at length and prayed unceasingly about this. And there is no easy answer. I still need to find ways to help bring in extra income, unfortunately that hasn't changed.
But I have noticed things in my kids lives that need all of me to be there for. And I love being there for them. With less on my plate I've been able to focus on my family more.  I think if I could give them one more year before I take on a new job, I will never regret it. We know it's the right answer for us.
WHAT I NEED FROM YOU:
We will struggle as a family like never before but I'm determined to see the good in our decision for me to be at home. I know there are ideas on making a little extra income, and ideas on saving a little extra, but what I need most is the support of moms who are also struggling and see the worth of their struggles. Send me your stories and I'll post them. I'll also post the little miracles I've experienced since actively working on being positive about struggling to make ends meet and still see the bigger picture.
Please spread the word about this blog. Moms, Dads, working or otherwise, I'd love to hear your say on the matter! I know my family can make this work for just a little longer. We may never become millionaires but we'll gain something even better. Can't wait to see what that is!!

Dear Ragnar Team...

Let me explain!
Yes, we did discuss how we would cross in formation, running proudly across the finish line in our awesome team shirts. But being the last runner in this whole race gave me a lonngg time to wait. So when I came running (dragging in, really) into view of the finish line, something came over me and I just started sprinting. I didn't know I had it in me really. I'd like to think under the circumstances, (if you hadn't already worn yourselves out with long legs getting us there) that each of you would also have run with all your heart to cross under that glorious orange Ragnar finish line. Scott you started us off in the whole race. Robert, you injured your ankle and still had the farthest distance. Kady, your finish line was way back in Fountain Hills and your family still came to cheer you on. Lori, Trevor, Tyler, and all of Van #1 really, you gave us such a lead, we were way ahead of schedule. Monica, our team captain,you took those hills for us like a soldier taking a bullet (not a cop taking a bullet because well, you know...) Jim, you kept running even though your finish line was around the corner, behind this store, over to the left... Heath and Brent you joined our team to make us a complete set and ran without complaining, much. And Chris, my wonderful husband who down played the fact that you were injured going into the race and would not yield any of your runs.
My sprint at the end was meant in the spirit of team work. But can you blame me really, since running is a solo sport?
Great job everyone. I'd love to do it again next year, even if you give me leg seven.

New Year, new laws

Our Foster son, Adam, is growing and getting cuter everyday! His mother is making great strides in her life and now has weekend visits with his Mom. Yeah for Families! They have a good chance for happiness together. Though, he's starting to show confusion from visits, and our heart aches for his inability to understand or verbalize whatever he might be feeling.
The State of Arizona's CPS has passed new streamlined laws (in effect soon) that will shorten the drama for children in care. Parents of Children under 3 will now have only 6 months to get their act together and get their children back. The state has deemed any time after that is unhealthy for children who need to establish a bond with a permanent family. We hold our breath to see the out come of this law, but this will change so much. Potentially they will need more couples ready to be a forever family to these wonderful young children. Ever thought about it? You should.

Running, on

I'm a runner as much as making my family dinner each night makes me a chef. But I am enjoying my early morning runs. The sound of my feet, the rhythm the body just naturally falls into, the quiet except for small conversations between running partners, it's all great. And because it's so much fun I'm on a Ragnar team! We're running the Ragnar Del Sol in Arizona in Feb. 200 miles between 12 people. My Husband and I are running it together! Can't wait to have fun, and see how race day adrenaline will affect my pace. I ran 8 miles on Saturday and feel great about it. I"ll post pictures although I hear pictures really can't convey what this kind of event is really like.