Traveling with 5 Kids Is A Lot like a Circus

Our family has been "on the road" the past couple of weeks.  We went camping with the Siegrist clan...

and visited Myrtle Beach with my parents....

On top of the crazy moments that go with feeding, bathing, and sleeping children in a new situations, I have some really funny travel moments (actually I am not sure funny is the right word but sometimes all you can do is laugh ;)

*Noah "accidentally" rides his bike into the lake.  Now, Noah is a very intelligent young man...tell me, how do you ride your bike into a lake, not a puddle, A LAKE!!!

*We stopped at a disgusting gas station for a bathroom break.  We had to stop here because the traffic was at a  stand still and we needed a bathroom.  Malachi is potty training so I took him to the bathroom.  Why must little kids put their hands on the toilet seat???    Despite this, I took him to the bathroom, turned my head to flush the toilet with a paper towel....Malachi picks up a plunger and touches the end that goes in the toilet.   YUCK!!!!

*After our breakfast stop at Cracker Barrel, I take 3 kids to the bathroom.  The girls each go into their stalls to use the restroom.  I take Malachi in a stall with me.  While he is going potty, I realize breakfast is not agreeing with my stomach.  So, I am trying to deal with my situation and keep Malachi from opening the stall door and touching the floor or walls.  In addition, I need to  make the girls stand still outside the stall.  FUN TIMES!!! Why doesn't Brian ever get into these situations?

*My mom got the boys these little pull behind wagons for the beach.  We rattled all the way down to the beach.  A lady met us on the way back and said, "I love your wagons.  I heard them going down to the beach early this morning."  Not sure she really loved them...

*Noah, along with his buddy, caught a lizard.  He was so happy!  We went to the beach, came back to the condo....the lizard was fine.  We went to the pool for a short time, came in to eat lunch...the lizard was dead.  Oh, the crying....you would have thought a person died.  Lucky for Noah (not me), his buddy gave him one of the smaller lizard he had caught.  So, now, we have a pet lizard.

 

 

 

All in all, we had some great vacations...and made some great memories! 

Racism is For Real

With all the recent events like the Trayvon Martin/Zimmerman trial and Paula Deen's racial slurs/attitude, I have been thinking about this world in which my children are growing up.  I have always known that racism exists...unfortunately, I have known far too many racist people.  However, it wasn't until bringing the boys home, that I realized IT IS EVERYWHERE!!!  It is not always presented with an in your face comment, but it is the way people act when a group of African American boys walk by, or a joke that is degrading to Hispanic people, or someone describing another human "as black, I mean really black".   (By the way---I absolutely hate this...what does it matter if they are light brown, dark brown, or black...are they more or less of a person by the degree of color in their skin...do I describe  you as "white, I mean really white"?)

As an adoptive mother, it is impossible for me to go anywhere with my children without people staring.  Now, some are staring because they are curious about adoption.  Some are staring because I have so many children.  However, some are staring because they disagree with our family makeup...and it is evident in their facial expressions. 

When you have children that are a different race than you, you become much more aware of the prevalence of racism and attitudes towards people of different races and ethnicities (both within yourself and those you come in contact with).  Over the past few months, I have noticed several cases/attitudes and it has really made me think about how my boys and oldest girl are going to be treated differently because of the color of their skin.  It will not matter to some that they were raised by the same parents as my biological children...whether they have good moral character or not...all that will matter is that they are not white!  That to me is heartbreaking and infuriating!

So, from this point forward, I am going to call people out on their off-handed remarks.  (This will be very challenging for me as I hate confrontation.)  However, I can not let my children grow up thinking that I think less of them because their skin doesn't match mine. I figure I might offend some people, but I'm willing to do that for my children.  I love them too much to not try and make the world a place "where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." (Martin Luther King Jr.) 

So Thankful for My Husband

I am not really a gushy person.  (My husband would be embarrassed if he knew I was gushing about him...but he doesn't read my blog:) 

But, after the past two weeks, I am ready to shout my husband's praises from the rooftop. 


Brian has been away on business for the past two weeks....so, I have been all alone....Doing. Everything. Myself. (breakfast, dressing, swim practice, lunch, potty training, discipline, cleaning, dinner, swim meets, baths, bedtime)  Even though my husband is typically not home until dinner or later, I always know he will be home to bath the kids, play with them way too late, do prayers and bedtime, and clean up from dinner.  But, when you face the day knowing you will not get a break until they go to bed and then there is still cleaning...it is so draining!

(By the way, I have all the more respect for single mothers after these past two weeks!)


Now, before you go thinking "WOW what a woman!"....let me just tell you, while I was swinging solo, there were some real winner moments...

*Noah went to a birthday party with no card.  His gift, a gift card, was stuck into a plain envelope that was only partially decorated.
*There were tons of unhealthy dinners...chicken nuggets, bagged French fries, canned ravioli, and frozen pizzas
*One night for dinner, I let Malachi eat M&M's and potato chips....because I was just too tired to deal with the fight.  At least, he ate something...RIGHT?
*We skipped baths a few nights...the chlorine from the pool cleans them, I think
*Malachi played the ipad while sitting on the potty....great potty training method, huh?
*I let my 8 year old son mow the lawn....because I just didn't have 2 hours to spare


So, at the end of these two weeks, I am thankful that God has blessed me with a wonderful friend....

and a terrific father....

and I am thankful that he is coming home!!!!

What If You Could Know the Future?

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future..."

What if you could know the future?  Would you want to know how things are going to turn out?  I used to think I would love to know the future....who should I marry?  should I take the job?  should I be-friend a particular person?  will my children grow up to love and serve Jesus?  However,

about four months...

knowing a part of the future became a possibility....

Four months ago, my mom was presented with information regarding the BRAC test.  This test allows patients to undergo blood work to determine if they have genetic indicators for female cancers.  If my mom would carry the gene, then my sister and I would undergo the test to see if we carry the gene.  If we have the gene, we would then decide how we want to handle the information...be more proactive with yearly exams, change lifestyles,  have a hysterectomy and/or a double mastectomy.

My first reaction was ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!  I do not want to know that I am going suffer through surgeries and have to undergo radiation and chemotherapy.  I watched my mom fight the battle....and I don't want to know that that is my future.  Then, I thought what if I refuse to participate and my sister ends up with cancer in a few years....and having the test could have prevented it or delayed it...how could I live with myself?  So, I agreed. 

The test have been drawn...and now we wait!  A part of me is nervous....a part of me just wants to know and take any necessary steps....and another part of me just doesn't think about it :)

Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We. Are. A. Hot. Mess

Sometimes I get so annoyed when I read Facebook or people's blogs...everyone seems to have a perfect little family with perfect outings and beautiful, smiling children.  Well, that is NOT my life!  We are a hot mess!  I want to be real so I thought I would take a moment and give you a perfect example of our hot messiness :)

This past week, Noah had a baseball game....of course, it was 95 degrees here.  I had to take all the children as Brian had to work late.  The bus drops off my children at 4:05.  We needed to be at the ball field at 5:00 (and its a 15 minute drive).  So, needless to say, we were our trademark 10 minutes late. 

Sidebar---I hate being late!!  When it is just me, I am not late....I have yet to ever be late to work!  However, when you are trying to herd 5 children into a vehicle...time just disappears.

We show up at the ball field.  Noah has to walk himself down to the field by himself because I need to unpack the rest of the family...strollers, activity bag, snacks, etc.  Finally, the rest of us make it down to the field around 5:20.  Chloe has chosen this time to throw a fit because I am making her wear a headband that doesn't match her outfit. (I forgot to mention....before we left I told her to get something in her hair so it wasn't hanging in her eyes.  Since she didn't listen, she had to wear what hair accessory I had in the car) 

Let me just tell you...We. Stand. Out.  Everywhere. We. Go.  Even if the children are on their best behavior....people look at our large, ethnically diverse family.

This night, we are really standing out.  Chloe is beside me whining/crying for 45 minutes.  Malachi does his occasional screaming fit.  At one point, Malachi licks the ball field play set.  (Now, if that had been Noah, I would have been running to the car...disinfecting his mouth.)  But, I just said, "Don't lick the play set.".  A little while later, Isaac was sitting in the rocks...digging and putting the rocks in a cardboard box that someone had so kindly littered by the bleachers.  (I don't even have a sandbox at home because I hate dirt and grim all over my children.  At this point, I am just glad he is quiet.)  I am pouring sweat. The kids are fighting over the water bottle. (What kind of a mother with four children in the bleachers only bring one water bottle?) Noah gets to pitch and does a great job.  Then, he is up to bat...he strikes out....he is crying!  Oh, and the game lasts for 2 hours and 10 minutes....and I still needed to feed the children dinner and give them baths.

This. Is. Our. Life....you can love us or not!  We are so far from perfect....but I really hope that makes us approachable and "real"

Looking for the Joys Among the Madness

The last two weeks have been insane for me!  The girls had their annual dance recital, Noah had baseball and football conditioning, speech therapy, a surgery, 6 formal assessment to be given to my students (yes...I teach pre-K), and life's normal demands (you know the ones...cooking, cleaning, showering :). 

One evening, I was rushing from picking up Noah at the football field across a parking lot to grab the girls from their dress rehearsal.  I looked down and this is what I was carrying in my hand...

 

So, taking Ann Voskamp's advice (http://onethousandgifts.com/), I decided instead of grumbling in my head about the rushing, or the fact I am totting half of the kids stuff, or countless other things I could complain about...I decided to give thanks!  I am so thankful that God blessed me with boys and girls.  I love a beautiful ballet recital....watching my lovely girls twirl and tap.  However, I also love a good rough and tumble football game.  Thankfully, I can enjoy both.

Here are a few other moments that I had this past week that have given me reason to give thanks...

Chloe reading Isaac a bedtime story.

 

Noah and Malachi scooting.

 

The flowers Anna brought me from the woods.

Noah Blogs about Urban Hope

Over the weekend of April 19-21, Noah and Brian traveled to Urban Hope in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  This was Noah's third trip to Urban Hope.  I asked him to write about his time there.  Here is his story in his own words....

We arrived at Urban Hope at about 4:30 P.M.  At 5:00, we were all settled in.  Then, we all went to a meeting so the leaders of Urban Hope could tell us what our mission was and what we would be doing.  If you were wondering...our mission was to strike up a conversation with somebody and to go out of our comfort zone and we would... feed the homeless, throw a block party, and (our church did not but all the other churches) participate in Kingdom Kids.

During feeding  the homeless, I met three people I remember.  I don`t remember two of the names, but I do remember Alonzo.  He was an old guy that was really nice.  He had hair like Pappy.  I remember him because he is the one we talked to the most.  He was born on the 8th of February.  We prayed for him and then he asked, "Can I pray for you?"  Papa said, "Yes".  He started out his prayer, "Thank you Lord for President Obama...".  He finished by saying, "Thank you for this boy standing beside me that is 8 years old."  Feeding the homeless makes me feel happy and sad at the same time....because feeding homeless people makes me happy and some of their stories are very sad.

On Saturday, we threw the block party.  I helped out with 2 things...face painting and the bean bag toss.  First, we had to hand out fliers and clean the street.  There were a lot of people at the block party.  The people seemed to have a very good time.  I like the block party because we are doing what God wants us to do...we are going out of our comfort zone and talking to people and inviting them to a party so they can learn about God's love.

I like going to Urban Hope because I like to see how the people react when you tell them stories about God.  Sometimes, they ask God to forgive them for their sins. 

I hope next year I go to Urban Hope.  It is fun.