I'm Pretty Sure We Have Been Swined!

Yep. Apparently around here 99% of cases of flu are of the Pig Variety. Dang....
Erika's temp is a little higher, so she is sleeping and they are all getting lots of fluids.
I hope this passes quickly! And I hope it passes ME right by! No time to be sick.

Pumpkin Pie in the Pumpkin

I found this recipe on Brenda's Blog.

Here is the recipe. AND.... it is gluten free! Yea!
Thanks Brenda!

1 5-8 lb. pumpkin (make sure it is a baking pumpkin which is a little darker shade)

6 eggs

2 1/2 C whipping cream

3/4 C brown sugar

2 tbsp. molasses

1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

Cut the lid from pumpkin as you would for making a jack-o-lantern. Remove pulp and seeds from pumpkin, scraping quite clean. Save seeds for toasting later, if desired. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and add the cream, sugar, molasses, and spices. Beat smooth and pour into the pumpkin shell. Dot with butter and replace lid. Set pumpkin on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil and place in a 350 degree oven for 2 hours oruntil the mixture has set up like a custard pie. Time will vary with size of pumpkin.Serve directly from the pumpkin and instruct diners to be sure to take a bit of the shell with each scoop. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream.Serves 6-12, depending on size of pumpkin.

His Mercy Is New Every Morning

I didn't sleep well last night as I needed to make sure the girlies were sleeping well.
When my kids get sick I absolutely HATE it! I love caring for them, but I am a bit of a worry wart when it comes to sickness.
I know logically what to do, and I go into auto mode. We have had enough surgeries around here over the years, and sickness over the years , that I think I may have earned an honorary degree in medicine, or at least how to use a bed pan properly on a kid in a body cast. LOL

So, why is it I can deal better with amputations, osteotomy, hip surgeries, and all the other strange things over the years, but a simple fever, ear ache or cough scare me to death?

Well, I was fretting and woke up at 5:00 a.m. to Erika coughing. I woke her gave her water, more medicine, took her temperature, put a cold cloth on her head, moved her into my room so I could stare at her and watch her breathe and fall back asleep. She did. I didn't.

I got militant with my thermometer and checked Sarah's temp. 98.6~!!!! Horray!
Anna was faced the other way. She still feels slightly warm, but seems to be resting comfortably. After all it is still sort of the middle of the night. :)
Erika, just has this little cough. She ALWAYS seems to get a cough if she has surgery or if she gets a little cold, it turns into a cough. I am pretty sure it is related to her arthrogryposis. Her temp was a little over 100.

I was laying in bed, imagining the worst. This is not ok for me to do. It means that I am not resting in the Lord. I am worrying about things that I cannot control.
Now of course, in reality, if I felt she was REALLY sick, I'd take her in to see the doctor.
But it hasn't even been 24 hours yet, and she isn't that sick.
I'm more scared to take her in where people are REALLY sick and have her go home with something worse.
See, there is that worry again!
So I got up and went to one of my favorite Blogs on the East Coast. And there was a word there just for me. :) Thanks Jeanne!

Thank you Lord for giving me perspective. For blessing me with brothers and sisters who Love you and share the things you put on their heart in order to bless others.
Those words today are my living bread. :)
My manna.

Some Very Bright News!

Dad is OFF of the ventilator. He will be having a swallow test tomorrow. He may be out of ICU sometime tomorrow! YEA DAD!!!!!

We LOVE you!

Oklahoma Cancelled

Well, we had hoped to go to Oklahoma this a.m. to visit with Mom and for me to visit with Dad at the hospital. But, God seems to have had other plans.

Sarah woke up with 102º fever, followed by Anna with 101º and this afternoon Erika with 100.4º.
So, we figured we had better stay hunkered down until whatever it is runs its course.
We are reading, doing lots of chicken soup, lots of fluids and so far, so good. They all are swearing they are feeling MUCH better..... and I believe that is true. But REST is what they need and that is what they will get. We broke out the Oscillococcinum and hopefully, they will feel perfect quickly!

New Clothing Stretcher

I was talking to my son on the phone, and looked out the window, to see Anna walking her goat. But when her goat walked by, it had on a very familiar looking shirt! "Anna, are you dressing your goat in clothes?" "Yes mama, that shirt was too small for me."

Ummm. Not anymore. I think I have found a way to make clothing last longer. Stretch it over a goat and then wash and wear for another year. :)

Some Brighter News

Our dad is showing improvement! He is still in ICU, and they may start to wean him from the respirator. Keep praying!

The girlies and I will be heading up to stay with Mom for a few days, and I hope to get a few visits in with Dad too.

Tradition! TRADITION!

The weather is definitely cooler, and everywhere we go, there are hints of fall , Harvest decorations are everywhere, and we have even seen hints of Thanksgiving and Christmas!

The girls are giddy with excitement at this time of year, and old sad memories have faded. New memories have taken over, and those memories are happy, positive ones.
This didn't happen by accident. We have striven hard to make new memories for our girls.

Our first event will be the Annual Reformation Party complete with over 100 people and loads of food and fun, including a Pinata! Because we do not celebrate Halloween, and Martin Luther nailed the 95 Thesis on the Door at Wittenburg, on October 31.... it is a great and real celebration of the Birth of the Reformation.

Next is Thanksgiving. We love Thanksgiving time, and we will start a new tradition this year at our new church. A Sunday Evening Thanks Giving Potluck. The girls love the familiar foods and getting together with friends and family. We have certain decorations that come out, and they look forward to seeing them. We also pass around a bowl and everybody has 2 kernals of corn.
As we pass the bowl, we say 2 things we are thankful for and put the kernals in the bowl. When everybody is done, we say our Thanksgiving Prayer for our meal.

I remember both Anna and Sarah had such traumatic memories at Christmas, the first year we put the Christmas tree up, when both of them were home, I actually discussed with Mike, the possibility taking it down, as it was causing such heartache for them.
My Mike wisely said, no. We need to create new memories, and it will take time. You cannot get away from Christmas, it is everywhere. He was so very right.

One of the Traditions we had with our boys was making Christmas cookies with hooks baked into them. We had an assembly line of little decorators and they loved hanging them on the tree, and then eating them off. :)
We did this every year, for as long as they could remember, and still do it to this day.
The girlies have now taken over the cookie decorating assembly line, but I was thinking about calling for a cookie baking day so the guys and their kids could come over and help.
Hmmm. What an idea! :) I still have the secret recipe we developed over the years.

Some of the things we have done with the girls to promote new and positive memories have been, going to a Musical, going to a special movie (if one is playing) Making crafts, and certain foods of the season. Making special gifts, and getting to choose a new ornament for the tree.

The ornament thing seems to be a real biggy for them. They LOVE getting out the Christmas decorations and visiting their old ornaments. They get so excited and say, "There it is! That's the one I picked 3 years ago!!!!" I love seeing those smiling faces. The night the tree goes up
we get to watch our first Christmas movie too.

We love to sing Carols of the season together and to drive around at night and see all the beautiful decorations.

We also pick a family to bless each year, and the girlies get to pick special things out for that family. They love giving the gifts and food to the chosen family.


What are some of the traditions you have?

So Would This Cause You to Panic?

It caused me to panic! I looked out my window and saw her on the ground!
I'm used to Erika falling, but not Anna. Sooo I go running out there, and .....
It was all in good Fun. They were pretending she fell off of a horse! :)

So What Have They Been Doing?

They have been busy little bees.
Erika and Anna have practiced their dancing and Sarah making paper dolls and outfits.

Our Dad

Our dad, aka "Oakie Grandfather" is in intensive care at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa Oklahoma.
He is VERY critical.
From what we understand, all cancer treatment has been stopped. He has pneumonia due to aspiration, (food and fluid getting into his lungs) and congestive heart failure. His diabetes, which showed up about 3 weeks ago is not being controlled very well. It spikes and goes dangerously low.

Right now, he is on a respirator, and feeding tube, and is in an induced coma, to help him rest and not be agitated by the respirator.

If you think of our precious dad today, please send up a prayer.
And while your at it, pray for our mom too. I'm sure she is scared.
Thanks

Sam Can Read, I think....

Here is Sam the man... He reminds me of somebody very familiar! LOL
I love Hearing Becca's voice cheering him on. :)

Isn't He One of The Cutest

Little Grand-buggars you've ever seen!!!!! :)

Fall is Definitly Here to Stay

It is cool outside. We had a fire once in the wood stove all day and evening Saturday, and it has kept the house comfortably warm since. We are now at 70º. (down from 75 over the weekend)

I love this time of year. It is cozy.... ideas of Harvest, new recipes, the smell of Cinnamon and the fragrance of candles are all around.

The children are deep into their studies and are really enjoying our delve into Ancient Greece.
They are excited about learning, and that makes for a happy mama. :)

It seems that as time goes on, things get smoother and smoother. This time of year, is also the time of year where we had back and forth visits with Anna before she came home for good.
She was also traumatically moved during this time of year while she was in foster care.
So, when she was first with us, these events, the time of year, and the smells, sights, feel of the air, all were little triggers for her emotionally that would send her into a tail spin. Memories would flood in, and she would be upset emotionally, not really understanding why.
At the same time, those memories would come flooding to the forefront and she would verbally
express what she was remembering. It might be as simple as, "I remember going to.... with x"
or "I remember when the lady picked me up and I didn't know where I was going. I was scared!"
"They just put me in a car seat, and then they said, 'Now you are going with these people!'"

I can' t imagine being so little and having so little control. Which is most likely why, she tried her best to control in other ways, and that wound up not being such a good idea. :)

Last week, we had what I would consider an absolute perfect week. I mean, we had wonderful school work , and wonderful attitude, neat hand writing, and general happiness in a fun loving girl. Then, just as suddenly, last night, when she found out that it wasn't her turn to sit next to me during reading time, she got angry and said, "then I'll never sit by you again"..... (what she used to do when she was 5) I was a little surprised.... but after a few minutes of discussion, it dawned on me, she was speaking from the fearful little child that she once was....

I reassured her of my love for her, let her mourn her loss of not sitting by me, and held to what we were doing. At bedtime, I didn't sense she was quite ready to be in the room with her sisters, so I told her she could fall asleep in the guest room and I'd move her to her bed later.
She complied. After her sisters went to bed, I went in and snuggled next to her, and she gave a heartfelt apology for her anger. I let her know we love her always, and she is back to her normal self today. Yea! This is a far cry from years gone by.....
I am really so pleased with Anna's progress. She heartily participated in class this a.m. even though it was Sarah's turn to sit by mom.

The neatest thing about last night, was when I told her, "I love you Anna".. She replied, "I know you do mom. I love you too, and I am really sorry about how I acted. "

Wow.

Cool then Hot then COLD

On Wednesday, it was around 64 degrees. On Thursday, it was about 87 degrees. On Friday a.m. it was about 52 degrees and went up to 62. This a.m. it was around 48 degrees. Typical, fickle Texas weather. Can't make up its mind.

Sooo, since it is cold and rainy, what better thing to do after bringing in the fire wood, than stay inside and watch "Journey To the Center of the Earth" in 3D!!!

The Importance of Reading Labels

Since I have been gluten free, I have learned to read labels quite well. :) I have also learned that the absence of something from a label does not mean it isn't contaminated with that ingredient.

I was pleasantly surprised for a while, that Walmart's Great Value brands had many gluten free choices. I always checked the label anyway, and BOY AM I GLAD I DID!

One of the regular Items I had purchased, "pizza sauce" was labeled gluten free before, but not anymore. Now it says it is processed in a plant that also processes wheat.

Another product, the same thing. No longer gluten free. I was really disappointed.

Being gluten free is not a difficult diet, but keeping oneself from being contaminated with gluten is another story. It can be difficult.

With the obvious cost of groceries sky rocketing, trying to save $$ on food is a priority, but not at the risk of health.

Something new I found out:
I don't typically shoppe for Crab meat, or imitation crab meat, but since I was making a crab meat dip, I was looking. I went for the imitation crab meat which was much less expensive, but on the label, it contains WHEAT! So, I bought the real deal. Hope everybody likes it. :)

More Stinging Caterpillar Information

So far, we have identified 3 different ones. The one that stung Erika, is the Puss Caterpillar, here is an exact picture of what it looked like. It is more "slug like".
Last night, Sarah went into the shoppe to visit Daddy, and sat on a chair. She jumped off and said OW! Guess what! There was a different one on the chair, just sitting there waiting for her to sit on it. It is an immature version of the first one. So glad it wasn't on bare skin! It looked like this:
Then, this a.m. I walked out onto the back porch and found THIS crawling on the porch!
I went to get a cup to catch it in to show to the exterminator, but before I could get it, our little Mr. Kittie Winkle smacked it around and it fell between the cracks of the wooden porch. HOPEFULLY it is dead! It is also a stinger, but not as bad as the two up above!
Interestingly, all these caterpillars like PEARS..... We have a giant pear tree. They also like Oak and Nut trees, both of which we have. We are a stinging Caterpillar Breeding Ground!

Glad we live next door to an exterminator!

Funny for the Month

Tonight we were watching the first half of Ben-Hur... that extremely long movie with Charlton Heston....

The beginning of the movie features Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus in the stable and the 3 wise men and shepherds. Then, the next scene it has Roman Numerals that say XXVI years later.
The girls have studied Roman Numerals and know that XXVI means 26.

So Anna says, "It can't be 26 years later because nobody saw Jesus from the time he was 12 until he was 30!"

Soooo.... I ask, "Why do you think that?"
And I hear the shocking words: "Mama, you said so. You SAID, when Jesus stayed at the temple when he was 12 and his parents found him, his mama grounded him until he was 30 and that is why he didn't start his ministry until then!"

Yikes.....
Now why can't I get her to memorize her times tables as well as she remembers off hand comments I make???? :)

The Puss Caterpillar

OK, I am TOTALLY FREAKED OUT!!!!!!!!!

I sent the girls to bed. All of a sudden, Anna brings me this weird looking little creature that is stuck to ERIKA'S Underwear. She was putting on a new pair of undies before bedtime, and felt a "sting" on the back of her leg.... she quickly took them off and Anna picked her undies up seeing this odd looking creature.... She touched it and felt a "sting" on her finger!
She brought it to me saying, "Look at this mom, it is really wierd. It stung my finger!" Not telling me that Erika was stung on the leg.....

I flung it into the trash can and didn't think anything about it. I wasn't even sure if it was a real thing. It looked almost like a gummy worm. :/

The next thing I know Erika is calling saying her leg hurts. I asked her why ? She said, that weird thing!!!! She said pain had radiated to her groin!
WHAT??????
So I dug the little creature out of the trash and Mike ran it next door to the Pest Control fellow who gave us an emergency spray for her.
He didn't know what it was either.

I looked up online, "Stinging worm thingy" and came up with the exact thing I was looking for!
Yea! It described exactly what happened and said that this thing is the most poisonous caterpillar in the U.S.A.!!!!!!

I was freaking out..... by the time I got back into the bedroom, Erika said her leg was feeling better and Anna was fine. I am SOOOOO Glad they did not try to smack it or squish it, as that would have caused them more problems.

Now I'm going to be checking EVERYTHING!

One time Sarah got a bite on her bottom from a "Solitary Bee" that was hiding out in her underwear drawer! LOL

I checked out a website about this Puss Caterpillar and Texas just happens to be their main hangout, AND October seems to be the height of their existence.

Well, NOT HERE! The exterminator guy is coming over tomorrow to rid us of unwelcome guests who sting and freak us out!

My First Month's Grocery Checkup AHHHHH!!!!!

I am shocked. I am really glad that I am doing this, as I was off on what our actual spending was.
I would like to try and cut by 1/3.
Now, before I give the number, I need to say that this includes ALL cleaning products, paper products, prescriptions, supplements and food. I also shoppe at Sam's Club, but not every month. This month just happened to be a big hit.
Sounds like I'm justifying things...... LOL

SOOOOOO......the horrible number is : 978.69
from September 1 - September 30.

We do not eat out, except somtimes on a Sunday afternoon. It costs less than 20 dollars for the whole family.
I am also feeding 6 people on a regular basis, and there are others during the week. It is not uncommon to feed friends or customers who are waiting on a vehicle around dinner time.

Now, I'm going to go over our budget and see what can be cut out.

Fixin' The Bike Part 2

I was watching Sarah and Mike work on her bike tonight. It struck me how fast she has grown in just 4 years. Some of my favorite pictures are of her with Daddy, fixing her bike.
So I made some before pictures, and some after pictures. :)

The younger pictures were when she turned 6. She is now 10. :)

The Voice of the Martyr's Prisoner Alert

The Voice of the Martyrs is an organization that I care very deeply about. The Founders, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand were Romanian Citizens imprisoned for their Christian Faith, during the Communist Reign in Romania.

I read Richard Wurmbrand's book "Tortured For Christ", when I was 12 years old. My Sunday School teacher spoke of him, and the book, shook my world. I remember thinking about him privately, when I went to Disneyland, when I went to the beach, when I walked to school.

I didn't know that he was still alive until I was 30 years old. A friend, signed us up for The Voice of the Martyr's monthly magazine. I was so excited I could barely contain myself the first time I saw the magazine and realized how the Lord was using this one man's suffering, to relieve the suffering of so many.

One thing in his book that touched my spirit, was that he thought people in the west were praying for him while he was imprisoned, and he was so sad, when he found out, most people in the west had NO IDEA what was going on in Eastern Europe.

Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand have both died in recent years, but the organization goes on.
One of the things we are able to do is to contact Prisoners, contact authorities who hold people in prison and respectfully ask for their release, and most importantly to pray for those who are in Chains for their faith.
The Prisoner alert web site gives much information on how to do this, and I wanted to pass this along for anybody interested.
The other website, Kids of Courage, is available for kids. There are many activities, and educational materials for Children regarding those who suffer for their faith in other countries.

We Love it When Charlie and Will Come to Visit

And Ivy and Auntie Em too! :)

gluten free recipes

Just so you know, I am continuing to ad to my gluten free recipes in the same blog article.
It is located here

Favorite Ed Moments

I was just thinking about some of my favorite "Ed Moments".....
Ed is our Dad. I do not consider him my father in law, just my dad. :) He is THAT wonderful of a man. He has always accepted us and been supportive of us. I could not ask for a better father.

If you have a favorite "Ed" Story, PLEASE SHARE.... in comments. :)

I remember a few years ago, Ed and Lois were visiting for Christmas. For some strange reason, I THOUGHT he had been raised on a Farm in Michigan! He wasn't.

I was planning to kill 3 roosters for Christmas Dinner. He seemed all excited about that, and so I told him, "Come on, it s time to do it. " He followed me outside and watched me do the dirty deed, and remained rather silent.
It was time to "pluck" and it was at that time I realized, this guy had never had his hands on a dead chicken before! LOL
He was sort of plucking. During that moment, I asked, "Haven't you done this before?" He said NO! I started cracking up laughing. I don't know WHY I assumed he had done this many times before.
Well, after the plucking comes the really nasty part: Pulling out the innards!
He was sitting over on the couch and I was working away on 2 birds. There was one left. I said, "If you are going to tell your friends you dressed a bird, you need to get over here and pull out he guts!"
HE DID!
It was a great memory. :)

Can I Borrow Your Face?

I woke up and looked in the mirror this morning and thought, "Yep, you are the woman with that face!"
I was going to speak at a Women's Function on Motherhood. So as I was getting ready , Sarah was admiringly watching me.

I turned to her and said, "Sarah, can I please borrow your sweet face?"
She got this shocked look and said, NO!

I said, "Whatsa matta, you don't wanna change faces wit me?" "You can be 51 and I'll be 10!"

She said, " No mama! I really don't want your moles, and I rather like my own lips." LOL

I said, "You mean you don't want my lips????"

She said, "Mama! It isn't what is on the outside that matters, it is what is on the inside!"

Good, then give me your lips!
NO! LOL

I said, Ok..... I guess I'll just have to make do with my own face and my own lips.....
And then she said,
"I sure do love my own hair!" LOL

To which Erika said, "SARAH!"

So Sarah went out of the room and I told Erika, "Potato chips are evil!" She started laughing.
Potato chips aren't evil mama, its what you do with them!
"Like, eat them?"
Yah.!
LOL

Soooo, off I went and didn't get back until 2:30! The girls stayed with Daddy, and had a great time. When I got home, I noticed that dear Erika had taken over as "lady of the house", and had done all the laundry! She continued to fold clothes while I was home, and never even tired from the experience!
The neat thing about this is that she was helping from her heart. She was not asked to, she did it as a service to me, because she knows my shoulder has been awful for a while, and I'm having a hard time doing laundry without pain.
I gave her a huge hug and told her how proud I was of her, and then I slipped her a 5 dollar bill.
I just said, "This is for you." She didn't expect it, which made it so joyful to give to her.

Our Dad

I'm up late tonight. My heart is full of love for our dad. I cannot stop thinking about him, and worrying about him. He is a most wonderful dad, and I long to hear his voice once again.
I long to hear him say, "Is that right?" He says that..... To hear his laugh, and to see his smile.

But tonight.... he isn't feeling well. He is so very tired. He is in the midst of Chemotherapy and Radiation therapy for brain cancer. Tonight, he is tired and frail, and is just not himself.

My heart is filled with compassion for our dad. I so wish that he did not have to be sick. I so wish that he was feeling strong and vibrant. I want to hear him say, "See you soon", or "How are those girls", or "What are you doin'?"
So tonight, I pray. Will you pray with me for our dad? He needs to feel the loving comfort of our Savior sweep over him and give him peaceful rest. He needs His healing touch, and soothing balm.
Love you dad......

ADs by Google

I decided to try the google ad thing.
I'm already annoyed after the first look at the ads. LOL
I'll wait 24 hours, if I'm still annoyed, I cancel. :)

Access to my blog

I was trying to get onto my blog and kept getting denied. Google said I had no account. ????
I finally went directly to gmail and signed in for mail and then switched over to blog and I got in.
Anybody else having that kind of trouble or was it a fluke?

Swine Flu Paranoia

A friend sent this to us this a.m.
Cracked me up......

God Cares About Little Things

Just the other day, the girls were talking about how much they missed the Playschool Doll house they had a couple of years ago. Last year, they decided they were too old for it, and gave it away.

As we were talking, they said that they really would love to have a doll house again, but maybe not a Playschool one.

I told them to keep their eyes open, and that maybe they could find a good deal.

Well, last night, we went to a friend's home for dinner. They have a daughter who lives at home but she is in her 30's. She also, loves talking with the girls. She came up to me during our visit and discreetly asked, "May I give the girls my old doll house? After all, I'm too old to play with it. ":)

I was really surprised that the Lord provided a doll house so quickly! Not just the doll house, but a ton of furniture too. :)
They were so blessed. They couldn't wait to play with it today. I think they have taken every chance they could to play.

What a neat gift.
Thank you notes are in order I do believe! :)

Our Wild and Crazy Chicken

We have this nutty, eccentric chicken. For some reason, she leaves the safety of the yard every day, comes up onto the back porch and lays her egg right next to the back door. She then sings a very happy egg song, and wanders back off to the yard.

Here is today's deposit, mixed right in with the girl's sidewalk chalk and a kite. :)Now that she has done her happy chicken dance and sang her song: She is wandering back to the yard where she belongs.

A BCLC Moment

I am posting this with the permission of a little girl who shall remain nameless..... :)
Pinkie promise. :)

There is a little girl, who has struggled with her math and spelling for some time now.
I have been worried about holding her back for review, as I didn't want her to get "behind".

Pretty silly for an old homeschooling mom who should know better! Duh... one major benefit of
schooling at home is to not have a one sized fits all curriculum that everybody has to fit into or they are different. LOL

So our nameless little girl began to get more frustrated... and with the school year in full swing, it was apparent to us both, she was not making it in her new math book.

But 2 days ago, all of a sudden she took a turn for the "seeming" best! She suddenly knew how to do her math and turned in a glowing paper; fake smile and all. :)
My intuition told me something I hoped wasn't true, but knew it was.

I have been through this before with an unnamed son. :) However, my reaction then, was a knee jerk reaction and not responsive.
Him.... I grounded forever! (just kidding)

With her, my heart hurt for her. She obviously felt badly enough to go to desperate measures to keep up. And I bear some responsibility for that.

When she visited me in the bathroom and told me I was beautiful, I was convinced my hunch was correct. What is beautiful after all of a 51 year old woman, just up in the a.m. and in the bathroom of all places? :)

So, I visited with her privately and asked, "Is there anything you need to tell me?" At first she said no. But then, I showed her a paper I saw tucked away near her book.
I smiled and told her I love her..... and then.....

She burst into tears. She let the whole truth spill out. She confessed her wrong and repented and asked for forgiveness; and it was genuine.
That is EXACTLY what we want our kids to do!

So we rocked in the chair for a few minutes, and talked. I confessed to her, that it was wrong to have put so much pressure on her, and that I was sorry too.

I left her in my room, so she could pray and make things right in her heart with the Lord. I told her, "When you are finished, wash your face, come out and hold your head up high, and rejoin the group."
Her sisters knew nothing of what happened yesterday, so she did exactly that.

About an hour later, it was time to go and get shots. So she and I drove to the Health Clinic alone. It gave us about 45 minutes each way to talk.... and talk she did.

On the way home, we stopped at Sonic for "Happy Hour", and we sat in the car talking.
For one of the first times since she has been home, she COMFORTABLY discussed how she had felt in the Foster Care System.
She asked questions for the very first time about her birth mother, about her circumstances of how she went to different homes, her adoption, and her confusion being a foster child.
She HERSELF, talked about the providence of God bringing her to her forever family.
And then she said something very profound....
"Mom, I always knew people thought I was bad, and I didn't know why." "But you think I'm good!" "I'm the luckiest girl in the world, because I know you love me."
She was a bit teary..... and it was a major breakthrough for her.

Today, we will be starting back in an older math book that will go back over the concepts she has yet to understand.
I am so proud of her. I am so happy that she was able to share some of her deepest fears and
tell me about some of her most painful experiences.

I am also thankful that we have a Heavenly Father who is faithful and just to forgive us from all of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And we walk CLEAN before our Lord as HE has paid the penalty for our sin.

You Don't Have To Cook Lunch Today Mom

I was informed by my students that they have all packed their lunches today, and will not require a hot meal. :) Note, the HUGE lunch boxes next to their desks!

If The Lord Wills......

JOE BECCA AND SAM ARE COMING FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!!

WHOO-HOOO!!!!!!!

I am hoping Becca's Family can join us too.

Time for a new family picture. :)

Survey regarding BCLC

I was sent a link yesterday to a Survey regarding the BCLC parenting style in comparison to the Love and Logic parenting style. I am not sure why the two are being compared, but somebody is wanting to see what works for kids who have had extreme behaviors.

Research is always a good thing. I have come across this question a few times regarding research. "Is there any proven research that this works?" Even though you could have many testimonials that it works, both in your own life, in those of your children, and friend lives and their childrens' lives, it, for some reason isn't as credible, without research. :)

As far as I know, if you are using Love and Logic or BCLC you are welcome to participate in the research study. They have asked that you use only one child in your family who has. or has had, the most severe behaviors.

I have been asked a few times why we don't use "Love and Logic", the program.
My reply has been, "We do use love and logic. But we don't use our logic, or the logic of a program.Our logic is not the logic of our children."
"There is a logic to what they do that makes no sense to us; it is just THEIR logic." :)

BCLC is not a program. It is a parenting style. It looks as different as there are people in the world. The response to a child who neesds us is categorically a love response, but it may not look exactly the same each time, especially depending upon the individual child.

In a program, much of the time you will find a simple "if child does this.... then the response is this."
If child responds this way, your response should be this."

I have seen many programs designed like this, and many times, they work for a while.
It is easy to externally control a small person and make them conform. But be careful.
They may be sitting on the outside, and standing up on the inside.

I think what I like about BCLC, is that it is a shift in thinking, not necessarily a "parenting program". It is not designed to "fix" a child, but to help a parent Parent the child they have better. And when a parent is calm, and loving, not frazzled from a feisty, hurt, kid, they can usually make a much more clear headed decision, with a clear direction on what a child needs.
Much of that time, a child simply needs to know they are heard and understood; that you don't think they are the worst child on the planet, and they are safe with you.

BCLC helps us to understand the "science" behind extreme behaviors. It helps us to understand human development and what can happen in a person who's development is interrupted by neglect, abuse, alcohol or drug exposure, or trauma.
If anything, it sure does help to give a better understanding of what is happening to a child who has this type of background.
It is not limited however, to traumatized children. As I stated before, it works for any situation, even with adults, because it is designed for communication and the building of relationship.
It is a lifestyle, not a program.
If you are using either BCLC or LL, take some time and join the research study. It seems the more who participate, the better the study will be.

Unusual Weather In Texas

Can you believe it is cooler here than in St. Paul - Minneapolis Minnesota! It is.
Our lows are in the 60's and our highs in the 70's..... who knows how long it will last, but we are sure enjoying it! It has also been RAINING! For days...... sort of like a New England type rain.

So this a.m. there was a small break in the clouds and you could see some blue sky.

Sarah shouted, "Come here Mother,quick!" I thought something was wrong. She said, "Look! Isn't it beautiful! We better enjoy now it before it gets covered up with clouds again!"

LOL... I love it that she enjoys the simple things in life. She reminds me to be thankful for the blessings we have each and every day. Blue skies, rain, cool weather, sweet kisses, and the Love of our Heavenly Father.

Thank you Lord.