brittnays hope

this amazing non for profit, brittnays hope, helps children all around the world.

they help feed the hungry, educate children, buy cribs for babies and little ones.

the list goes on and on!

they also have a waiting list for children deemed special needs.

drop by to see all the pictures and projects listed on their site

pass

we dont have cable or satellite. gasp! i know.

we haven't for a few years. we never really watched it and as bug grew we realized maybe it wasn't such a good thing after all. i always watched morning & evening news. when bug was about 18 mos she stood in front of the tv staring at the imagines and pointing i knew it was time to shut it off.

as bug has grown we have watched videos or rented them from the library. then we added a few computer games on pbskids.org over the last yr. then over the last few months it has become an everyday... all day question. 'can i watch a movie?' or 'can i play a computer game?'

i wanted to think of a way where we weren't always saying, 'no'.

set some limits and but let her have some choices too. i came up with a 'pass'. not a new concept at all so i claim no originality here.

3 movies per week

5 computer game passes for 2 passes for 30 mins and 3 passes for 15mins.

bug and i made them together. she wanted pictures along with the words i placed on them. she cut them and we hung them on a hook on the fridge. we explained she can give us a pass when she wanted to use them. we could still say no (ie. bedtime, time to eat etc.)

and she also had to have her chores done and room clean.

when the passes were done they were gone until monday morning.

she loved it! (well so far this week. let you know how it is going in a few months)

reminders

first let me apologize for the pictures. the gray november skies do not help much with lighting here lately. these were sent to me by my sister, dana, as gifts for my birthday. i framed one and placed it right by the front door. so we can reference it as we head out the door. a good reminder i think. the other little note i placed on a small shelf with hooks that is hung by bugs door.

(of course i used a curtain clip as they are a favorite of mine)

want to see more and who made these? click here.

a little box

when you look at this box it doesn't seem that impressive. but this little (very heavy) box is being shipped to afghanistan to a dear friend of mine who is in the air force. he sent out a mass email to friends and family about operation care.

in his email:

Donations for American troops: many of the thousands of troops out here are stationed at forward operating bases without toilets, running water, or places to buy simple things like tooth paste and soap. Anything that can help break the boredom and remind them Americans back home haven't forgotten and still appreciate their efforts will definitely boost their spirits.

Donations for the local populace: Afghanistan is a very poor nation by American standards. The average daily income is about $6 - $8 a day. Many homes do not have roofs and basic necessities are hard to come by. Clothing and school supply donations will go a long way towards improving, and maybe even saving, the lives of many Afghans.

i sent this email to a friend at my church who then emailed it to her a group she belongs to at church. the end result was a big container filled with things such as paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste etc.

in return, my air force friend will send an american flag that was flown in dedication to the group at church in his F-16 for their help. this flag will be given to the church's school by the church group. the school will in turn fly it on special occasions such as veterans day.

all this from a little ole email

little lists

every morning and evening we would tell bug to get ready either for bed or preschool. it seemed we were always repeating a list to her. then i saw in family fun magazine where a mom made a list and laminated it. then her kids would refer to the list and check things off. no more questions asked. so i set out to make one for am/pm. since bug cant read too well yet being only four i made pictures to each word. it is double sided and attached to her door with a curtain clip. she can turn it to look at whatever side she needs to.

it has been fabulous!

she does'nt check them off any longer and she doesn't ask what is next or what she needs to do.

leaves!

we live in a neighborhood filled with trees. we generally wait until they have almost all fallen before we rake or blow them into piles. this year our neighbors helped out and it was a true team effort! you know when you have truly wonderful neighbors when they offer to get on your roof and blow leaves out of your gutter!

bug and the neighbors girls had more fun standing in the way of the blowers than they did jumping into the piles.

when it was all said and done the pile in the back corner of our yard was at least 8 feet tall. come spring it will be down to about 1 foot or less thanks to good ole mother nature.

a short visit

we went up to my home town to visit family. we stayed at bugs grandma and grandpas house.

as always a wonderful visit.

gobble gooble crafts

a common and easy thanksgiving craft. every year we do this bug can help more and more. after it is all done we frame one for ourselves and then send all the rest out to our family. plus it is a memento for each year to see how much she has grown!

this idea came from her preschool last year. i kept it and we made one ourselves this fall. it is made out of craft/ construction paper, glue and a 'googley' eye. at the top it reads, " i am thankful for...." then on each hand write down what your little one says. so cute to read each year to year.

bye bye

on the way to preschool today my hubby noticed a kitty in the middle of the road. he didnt say anything because bug was in the car. on his way back he stopped and it was our little kitty luba. she had been hit in the night or early morning which explains why did not make it home for breakfast. he scooped luba up and brought her home and then called me. i was so very sad to hear the news and thankfully a co worker was able to make me laugh about something else immediately afterwards. good comic relief so i didnt cry at work. we decided we would tell together bug after i picked her up from preschool. josh dug a little hole underneath the old crab tree luba loved to climb. at school as bug played i told her lead teacher what happened and explained she might mention it tomorrow. i stopped off at the library to see if they suggested any books or had the ones i was told about from friends. i was a little worried how she would handle it. all were checked out and they kindly placed them on reserve for me. at least i would have them for a little later on. to help explain better. at home we told bug luba was out in the busy street and was hit by a car. she asked if she could see luba and we told her no. she asked where she was and we told her with God. then she asked if we could get another kitty and name it luba 2. we spoke about it a little more and she asked to play with our neighbor. off she went.

during dinner and as we colored pictures afterwards she kept saying, "poor, poor, poor luba. i miss her" but no tears or questions. she amaze me.

she did rather well and took it in stride. although i think the way she ponders and asks questions we will have further conversations about it in the future.

deal

bug and i were making some thanksgiving crafts (which i will post later. very cute and easy to do with the little ones) and she told me she really wanted a sister. she told me if she had a sister that she would teach all kinds of things. the list was very long so i will spare you. she told that she would play with her everyday and then, "mama you wont have to anymore!" look! she is making deals with me for a sibling. we chatted and i tried to explain it was a little out of my control at the moment.

she told me what to do. 'your body heals itself mommy. so make it heal your tummy'

my words coming back to me. this is what we tell her when she gets hurt or sick. and its true it does heal itself. sigh. hard to explain to a little 4 year old. good idea i tell her.

she was satisfied and as fast as the conversation started it fades away....

halloween weekend

we started the weekend at our friends halloween party on friday night. everyone had to come dressed up. i went on my lunch break (on friday) and found things that we are sale and ta-da we were a redneck and vampire for a total of $10.00. our friends live in a nieghborhood that just happens to be filled with families who have adopted. so bug played not only with her friend CQ, who is also from russia, but many others who were also plus a friend who was adopted domestically.

saturday night we had pizza with our neighbors and then waited for our 'ride' to show up. our neighbors from across the street start the riding lawn mower and hook up the little trailer filled with sleeping bags. the kids call it their hay ride!

they were driven to each house as the adults walk behind laughing and trying to keep up.
afterwards we always head to our next door neighbors for a bone fire and yummy s'mores while the kids run off all the excitement and candy.

Halloween is hands down one of my favorite holidays. it is filled with many activities that everyone from all ages can participate in. its also a no pressure for buying anything besides some candy and no baking or cooking requirements to fill. everyone can relax and enjoy.

aahhhh ...until next year.

carving

halloween isnt complete w/o pumpkin carving!

we turned on some well known halloween tunes and started designing our faces.

afterwards roasted the seeds and had a little snack.

ahhhh. how i love halloween!

haunted house

we went to the local childrens musem haunted house (scored some free tickets) with our favorite next door neighbors. while we were at the event they gave out coupons for free burgers at a local place. so afterwards we headed there for some lunch. perfect day with all kinds of free-free stuff to do for my favorite low maintaince holiday - halloween!

had our 3rd annual oktober fest this weekend. german food, german drinks, music and a bon fire made for a wonderful gathering for our friends and neighbors. we had a indiana local musician, rich hardesty, perform around the campfire. he even played some kids tunes for the little ones and they danced until they about fell asleep. rich offered them to sing old macdonald on the mic and play his tambourines while he sang. the fest lasted until late into the night (or early into the morning depending how you look at!)

cant wait for next year!

coffee meeting

www.lifehack.com

this past week i met up with some dear friends. we all have something in common. a passion for adoption and children around the world who waiting on their forever families. we are all connected to adoption by either working in the field, adopted ourselves, or know and love families who have. my friend sarah and her hubby ben travel to russia each year to help on particular orphanage of older children who realistically will never be adopted. the organization sarah and ben work with try to help these children become as independent and ready for life outside the orphanage as much as possible. they just arrived back about a month ago from their most recent trip. we met to hear about the travels of those who went and to brainstorm how we can help these children this year and the years to come. we chatted for close to 3 hrs and if were not for other duties such as school, work, family...we could have order another round of caffeine and talked some more!

something very energizing about being around people who share the same goals and outlook on life...

i heart

aunt dana sent a halloween package that included a diy applique shirt. bug got to place the cut outs where she wanted on the shirt. this took many trial and errors before finding the perfect one. once the 'design' was suitable we ironed it on. she thought it was awesome! i told dana it was a hit and she should offer these in her shop for others to buy and try. we will see!

painted feet

when florida nana came down we decided to some fall crafts. we made some foot ghosts. its the 3rd year we have done them. i love it because i tuck them away when the season is over only to bring them out again the following year...then amazed on how much bug has grown. we also made some bats with hand wings. to finish the project above place hads painted black on each side of the bat body

1 year

its seems like it has flown by so quickly. happy birthday to my baby niece, shiloh.

apple pie

after picking apples with the family i decided i needed to make something yummy to eat that night. pulled out the southern living magazine and made their upside down apple pie. very easy receipe. which i am pleased to say was a instant hit.

warm and delicious!

long over due...

flordia nana and papa came for a long weekend. we have not seen them since june 2008. like always the time flew by too quickly but we seemed to pack so much into a few days.

every fall they jump into their tahoe and head across the u.s.a to visit all the grandkids

(okay so maybe they come to visit their kids too but i really think its more for the grandkids)

break time...

taking a little fall break ...be back soon

mariquita farms

a necklace

(sorry for the dark pic. my computer is not cooperating when it comes to editing right now)

our adoption agency is selling tile necklaces of nesting dolls as a fundrasier. we visited the agency to see the necklaces before we bought any of them. they are adorable and made on the back of scrabble pieces. i allowed bug to pick one out. i also checked out the site that made the necklaces: the blue bead necklace

i loved why they are making the jewelry. the website explains:

Our family wanted to adopt a four year old little boy from Liberia, Africa. When our completed paperwork was submitted, we were so excited that we could bring a child from Africa into our home. But, that same week, the Liberian Government stopped all adoptions from their country. We waited for almost two years. We decided to help the children of Liberia, since we could not take our own home.

golden

just got these pictures from golden girls mom.

jumping in the puddles.

she is from the same orphanage as bug

differences

bug came home the other day and told me that a preschool classmate was saying 'stuff' to her friend who is adopted from china. she could not tell me in detail what was said but i could tell it was probably children asking or teasing this little girl about her being asian or 'looking different'. we have never really spoken to bug about people in the world looking different from each other. i suppose since we have some many friends who have adopted children from different countries (or domestically) it is normal for us to see a wide range of cultures and races.
wow. i guess this is a sign we need to have a chat about differences in the way people look.
i tried to make it as basic as possible. we looked through our pictures of friends and family. i pointed out yellow and brown hair, blue and brown eyes, light skin and dark skin. i asked her since she has yellow hair does that make it bad i have brown? daddy has curly hair and so does our neighbor does that mean her straight hair is better? is it bad if someone has to use a wheel chair like our uncle bob does? if someone has light skin or dark skin does that mean we make fun of them? should your classmates or even you tease your friend because she is asian?
bug looked at me like these were the silliest questions she had heard.
of course not mama!
whew.
we spoke briefly about how god made us all unique and of course i hope the point came across okay.
each day as she grows older a new topic, situation, or question is raised. its a challenge. a good one of course. just praying that i am doing a good job navigating through it all!

the view!

at one of bugs grandparents they have an old tree. it is the best tree for climbing and bug could totally envision a tree swing hanging from its big thick branches. when i boosted her into it she told me "i can see everything from up here!"

i wish i could pick it up and transplant into my front yard. oh the memories we could create!