I actually had to look back and read my previous post....Just to catch up, myself. A lot has changed in the months since November. We had the holidays. In the months of Oct-Nov. we had 7 different children in our home. It was kinda crazy. We took in another teenager. Our final attempt at that. We learned a lot. Basically, our kids safety mattered, but more than safety.....the feel of our home.....that is important. The ability to come home and have a safe haven, a safe place, a place that is protected, a place that we can rest.....that is more important that a bunch of other things. Why? well because you can't really grow, unless you have some of those things. Who needs to grow in our home? Well, all of us. Especially, me. So our family's experience fostering the young adults is that this is the very area that is effected, so my husband, has said a firm no to the teenagers. There is a tremendous need, and maybe someday we will be able to, but it's not today.
Our house settled down in Dec. The revolving door of placements came to a halt in Dec. We had a baby come into our life. Now, I always thought I never wanted to go back to the little baby stage, ever, again. I was wrong. It appears that the baby, who is now really becoming a toddler, may not be with us much longer. It is a roller coaster of a ride. Many highs, and many lows. I have grown leaps and bounds, during this process.
I was looking around for blogs about homeschooling christian families who are also foster parents. Not sure if I'm just not typing the right words, but there just doesn't seem to be many. Oh yah, I haven't discussed that, yet.
It may be premature of me to mention, but I am in constant prayer about homeschooling my kids. All my kids. Last year, well this year, since we are technically at the end of it (2 more days to go), my life looked like this. We have 3 biological kids, the oldest, I homeschooled. the 2 younger ones go to a montessori charter school, then I had 1 child that went to speech 3 times a week, whom also had many dentists appointments :) We also got a baby, who had a lot of doctor appointment, and then there's NAPS. Mess with naps, well, mess with sanity in the house! I also was able to participate in a bible study that required my tuesday and thursday mornings. Mix in responsibilities as a foster parent...and well, it was a lot to cram in a year. I know that it was God who sustained me. I know it.
And perhaps, if I had not seen how dramatically my relationship with my son changed, I would not be considering homeschooling all of them. But it did, and I am. My younger kids go to a great school. I have been grateful for the school that they have. But there's this nagging feeling that I have, and it's growing......and it has to do with time, connection, and learning. It goes something like this I don't have very much time with them! they are gone pretty much all week, the weekends go too quickly, so as a result, my connection is faint, especially with my beautiful daughter. And then there's character, I want to teach them that. I need to be the one teaching them that. And I have failed them miserably at teaching that. I have kinda just let it come up, but have not initiated that learning and teaching in my home.
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Thursday, May 22, 2014
Friday, November 1, 2013
Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Spice Drink with a Call for Foster Parents on the Side
We are rounding out a almost a year of being a foster home, and I wanted to take a blog and write about it. I don't write too much about all the different kiddos or stituations that we are involved in, because, obviously, privacy issues. But I wanted to give it the attention that it deserves. The "it", is really just being a foster parent.
Sometimes I want to cheer people into becoming foster parents, but really, that isn't how we came about becoming ones, ourselves. I was most influenced by my family. I have an incredible cousin who showed me what a foster parent looks like. She has been a refuge and her life has been inspiring to me. I also have a beautiful sister in law, who adopted a sibling group of 5, out of the foster care system in California. These two families have influenced our decision to travel down an often scary and uncertain journey.
Let me start out by saying honestly, I am not a great mom. I loose my cool, I yell, am super impatient, and I struggle just talking nice when things don't go the way I think they should. I lean a lot on Jesus, I repent, and ask for forgiveness, throughout my day. I cry. I have often thought that I cannot be a good mother, due to my weaknesses. But the Lord has used these very weaknesses to show me His transforming power. Am I healed from any of my shortcomings? No, I still have them all....but now, now I have new life growing in me...a life that is stronger and more humble than my former self...a life that eats and drinks Christ.
So this is why I am a foster parent. Because my strength is Him. I am compelled to serve. I have rarely said no to a child/children coming into our home (I try to maintain a no kids older than my youngest biological, for everyone's safety), the reason is, because I feel like each situation comes to us from God.
Nothing has changed and challenged me more, than serving others.....serving little ones. I am amazed by this amazing gift that Toby and I have been given to have these kids in our home. It has made my kids more aware that they are not the center of the world. That some kids don't have what they take for granted (even though their mom yells, sometimes). I am blessed to see my kids step up and be kind and accept the kids that have been in our home.
Grant it, I would like to adopt. This is not the way I would have chosen to go about it (and yes, we're still going to adopt from Romania), but it is a better way than I could have ever imagined. I am convinced that I have gotten more from the kids, than they have gotten from us. How humbled I am that they would be in our home.
We will have a full house starting Sunday.....for us, that means 6 kids total. It's the amount that I can have in my car, and a huge mental jump for me, is going to a passenger van. I have no clue how long we will have the 3....but I trust that God will work out the details. It continues to amaze me, how situations come about in our life, simply because we said and continue to say yes.
On to the Pumpkin spice ....I don't know what to call it!! It's not a latte, or smoothie, or a hot chocolate.....anyways, it's a warm fall drink, except it is finally winter in alaska...so for all my intensive purposes, it's a winter sip
Pumpkin Spice Sipping Goodness
2c of cashews
8 pitted dates
7c of water
1/2c of nutmeg, allspice, cloves
2t of cinnamon
first soak your nuts and dates about 2 hours
while your nuts are soaking (I know, I know, giggling just never gets old on the matter)
get a nice pumpkin and cut and scoop the seeds, place the two halves facing up on a cookie sheet and bake for a half hour at 350......
cut up about 2 cups (however think you want your goodness) worth of cubes from the pumpkin and place all ingredients in vitamix...or
blender...enjoy!! and really think about the impact of being a foster parent.
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Sometimes I want to cheer people into becoming foster parents, but really, that isn't how we came about becoming ones, ourselves. I was most influenced by my family. I have an incredible cousin who showed me what a foster parent looks like. She has been a refuge and her life has been inspiring to me. I also have a beautiful sister in law, who adopted a sibling group of 5, out of the foster care system in California. These two families have influenced our decision to travel down an often scary and uncertain journey.
Let me start out by saying honestly, I am not a great mom. I loose my cool, I yell, am super impatient, and I struggle just talking nice when things don't go the way I think they should. I lean a lot on Jesus, I repent, and ask for forgiveness, throughout my day. I cry. I have often thought that I cannot be a good mother, due to my weaknesses. But the Lord has used these very weaknesses to show me His transforming power. Am I healed from any of my shortcomings? No, I still have them all....but now, now I have new life growing in me...a life that is stronger and more humble than my former self...a life that eats and drinks Christ.
So this is why I am a foster parent. Because my strength is Him. I am compelled to serve. I have rarely said no to a child/children coming into our home (I try to maintain a no kids older than my youngest biological, for everyone's safety), the reason is, because I feel like each situation comes to us from God.
Nothing has changed and challenged me more, than serving others.....serving little ones. I am amazed by this amazing gift that Toby and I have been given to have these kids in our home. It has made my kids more aware that they are not the center of the world. That some kids don't have what they take for granted (even though their mom yells, sometimes). I am blessed to see my kids step up and be kind and accept the kids that have been in our home.
Grant it, I would like to adopt. This is not the way I would have chosen to go about it (and yes, we're still going to adopt from Romania), but it is a better way than I could have ever imagined. I am convinced that I have gotten more from the kids, than they have gotten from us. How humbled I am that they would be in our home.
We will have a full house starting Sunday.....for us, that means 6 kids total. It's the amount that I can have in my car, and a huge mental jump for me, is going to a passenger van. I have no clue how long we will have the 3....but I trust that God will work out the details. It continues to amaze me, how situations come about in our life, simply because we said and continue to say yes.
On to the Pumpkin spice ....I don't know what to call it!! It's not a latte, or smoothie, or a hot chocolate.....anyways, it's a warm fall drink, except it is finally winter in alaska...so for all my intensive purposes, it's a winter sip
Pumpkin Spice Sipping Goodness
2c of cashews
8 pitted dates7c of water
1/2c of nutmeg, allspice, cloves
2t of cinnamon
first soak your nuts and dates about 2 hours
get a nice pumpkin and cut and scoop the seeds, place the two halves facing up on a cookie sheet and bake for a half hour at 350......
cut up about 2 cups (however think you want your goodness) worth of cubes from the pumpkin and place all ingredients in vitamix...or
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Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Kale chips, and Staying Current
I officially have a valid greencard (whew!!). I am waiting for the shiny new card, but in the meantime, I have my current card with an extended expiration date. This is a tiny step in the right direction, when it comes to adopting from Romania.
Speaking of which, we are emergency foster parenting these days. This has caused some confusion about our intent to adopt. Yes, we are planning on adopting from Romania....and, would love to be able to adopt out of the foster care system in Alaska. It is a mess. But I really feel like God will bring us the situations and kids and we'll just take them as they come. We have had a little guy with us for over a month. He's 3 and a doll. We're all smitten and watching to see what happens. It was supposed to be a temporary placement, but nothing is certain, is kinda the rule, with OCS. I have just started researching where his heritage is from and am completely fascinated with it! What a rich thing, to have a culture and a history that has a visible root (Americans kinda loose theirs). I want to learn everything, so I can teach him. So that he can be proud of how unique he is. He has adapted in our home well, but I know that the more comfortable he gets, the more he'll act like a 3 year old (Oiy!). So for now, we have 4 kids, running and playing, and squabbling....and laughing...and playing in the mud!
It has been really good for my youngest Zaya, to have a younger sibling. He is rising to the challenge of being a good role model, and adapting to the fact that He is not the youngest. It has been a positive change. Zaya finally has someone who listens to him.
Fall is fading quickly here. We had an incredible summer. The blueberries this years were absolutely incredible! I was able to pick 17 gallons! and though that sounds like a lot. It may last me through the winter. They are very precious to me (said in the Gullom voice). We had a swift fall, full of pretty much non stop rain. We were able to go out 4 wheeling and cranberry picking on Sunday for the first time in over a month. But it's supposed to be in the 20's in the next couple of days. YIKES! So today I harvested all the rest of my garden. I had beautiful potatoes and carrots (there were many bites in my carrots from voles! gggrrrrr) come up, that I will enjoy in the coming months. Grateful!
My adventures in homeschooling are moving along slowly. I cannot believe how behind Isaac is academically, for his grade. It took him 2 hours to attempt to copy a sentence today. And still it was something I had to help him do. On the positive side, he is doing awesome with the math curriculum that I got. It has him grouping and learning on the abacus, which he's a natural at! I can't tell you the elation that I get, seeing him "get it". We played a game of war with fractions....fractions?! and he was able to know that 3/4 beats 6/10..... Toby says I'm geeking out over the whole curriculum, and he may be right. He may be right.
So I am currently doing a 30 day paleo diet experiment. Why? To see if my body does well with it. I am switching out whole grains, for animal protein. As a vegan for 2 years, I have a few things that I have noticed. First, I have had an intense sugar addiction, that either was not there before, or I never noticed. I also struggle a lot with acid reflux. Considering how clean my diet has been, it always bugged me! The only answer I got was that my food combining was off. But seriously? Should there really be something else that I need to follow? Food should not be this land mine field of do's and don'ts. Ultimately, it's gotta be better living than that.
Because my garden is over, I harvested all my kale. I planted many, many kale plants, cause I heart kale. I use the leaves to make this, and the stems to juice. My favorite kale is the dinosaur variety. I am not a fan of the Russian variety. But to each, his own. Before making the sauce, be sure you have taken the stems off and cut the kale into chip sizes.
KALE CHIPS!
preheat oven to 350 or prepare dehydrator (I have never used the oven, so if someone does, please tell me how it comes out)
in a blender (or vitamix) mix together
1c hemp seeds
2/3c of water
1 red bell pepper
1T of chili powder
1T of lemon juice
1-2 cloves of garlic
something spicy (I put jalapenos, but this is optional!)
mix into a nice sauce, and pour on prepared kale. Mix with hands....it gets messy, and I have to always wash my hands..... now before putting the dehydrating trays away, or cookie sheet... lightly salt the top of the kale with a salt shaker!
I put the chips overnight in my dehydrator...you can check the oven every 5 minutes till they are our of the oven....another tip is to use cashews, if you don't have hemp seeds...just soak for about 20 minutes.... Enjoy!!!! These are way better than any store bought versions.
Pin It Now!
Speaking of which, we are emergency foster parenting these days. This has caused some confusion about our intent to adopt. Yes, we are planning on adopting from Romania....and, would love to be able to adopt out of the foster care system in Alaska. It is a mess. But I really feel like God will bring us the situations and kids and we'll just take them as they come. We have had a little guy with us for over a month. He's 3 and a doll. We're all smitten and watching to see what happens. It was supposed to be a temporary placement, but nothing is certain, is kinda the rule, with OCS. I have just started researching where his heritage is from and am completely fascinated with it! What a rich thing, to have a culture and a history that has a visible root (Americans kinda loose theirs). I want to learn everything, so I can teach him. So that he can be proud of how unique he is. He has adapted in our home well, but I know that the more comfortable he gets, the more he'll act like a 3 year old (Oiy!). So for now, we have 4 kids, running and playing, and squabbling....and laughing...and playing in the mud!
It has been really good for my youngest Zaya, to have a younger sibling. He is rising to the challenge of being a good role model, and adapting to the fact that He is not the youngest. It has been a positive change. Zaya finally has someone who listens to him.
Fall is fading quickly here. We had an incredible summer. The blueberries this years were absolutely incredible! I was able to pick 17 gallons! and though that sounds like a lot. It may last me through the winter. They are very precious to me (said in the Gullom voice). We had a swift fall, full of pretty much non stop rain. We were able to go out 4 wheeling and cranberry picking on Sunday for the first time in over a month. But it's supposed to be in the 20's in the next couple of days. YIKES! So today I harvested all the rest of my garden. I had beautiful potatoes and carrots (there were many bites in my carrots from voles! gggrrrrr) come up, that I will enjoy in the coming months. Grateful!
My adventures in homeschooling are moving along slowly. I cannot believe how behind Isaac is academically, for his grade. It took him 2 hours to attempt to copy a sentence today. And still it was something I had to help him do. On the positive side, he is doing awesome with the math curriculum that I got. It has him grouping and learning on the abacus, which he's a natural at! I can't tell you the elation that I get, seeing him "get it". We played a game of war with fractions....fractions?! and he was able to know that 3/4 beats 6/10..... Toby says I'm geeking out over the whole curriculum, and he may be right. He may be right.
So I am currently doing a 30 day paleo diet experiment. Why? To see if my body does well with it. I am switching out whole grains, for animal protein. As a vegan for 2 years, I have a few things that I have noticed. First, I have had an intense sugar addiction, that either was not there before, or I never noticed. I also struggle a lot with acid reflux. Considering how clean my diet has been, it always bugged me! The only answer I got was that my food combining was off. But seriously? Should there really be something else that I need to follow? Food should not be this land mine field of do's and don'ts. Ultimately, it's gotta be better living than that.
Because my garden is over, I harvested all my kale. I planted many, many kale plants, cause I heart kale. I use the leaves to make this, and the stems to juice. My favorite kale is the dinosaur variety. I am not a fan of the Russian variety. But to each, his own. Before making the sauce, be sure you have taken the stems off and cut the kale into chip sizes.
KALE CHIPS!
preheat oven to 350 or prepare dehydrator (I have never used the oven, so if someone does, please tell me how it comes out)
in a blender (or vitamix) mix together
1c hemp seeds
2/3c of water
1 red bell pepper
1T of chili powder
1T of lemon juice
1-2 cloves of garlic
something spicy (I put jalapenos, but this is optional!)
mix into a nice sauce, and pour on prepared kale. Mix with hands....it gets messy, and I have to always wash my hands..... now before putting the dehydrating trays away, or cookie sheet... lightly salt the top of the kale with a salt shaker!
I put the chips overnight in my dehydrator...you can check the oven every 5 minutes till they are our of the oven....another tip is to use cashews, if you don't have hemp seeds...just soak for about 20 minutes.... Enjoy!!!! These are way better than any store bought versions.
Pin It Now!
Friday, August 9, 2013
Blueberries, Change, and Gluten Free Pancakes!
I think I've written several blog posts....in my head. I came and thought, Wow, it's been a while! Our family structure has changed a few times in the months that have passed. We are currently emergency foster parents, which means that at any moment we get a call and have kids in our home that need placement. I have said that I want only kids younger than our youngest to maintain the birth order, and to protect the set up. But I must admit, it is a stretching thing for me, to have no idea what will happen next. Toby and I both just feel like God will handle the details, and our only responsibility is to say Yes, or No to the call: to house those little people in need. It will only be a season in our life that we will foster. After our family is full, we will stop (Lord willing, I...um, think). I have been praying for the right sibling group that will need a permanent home to come along. I want our family to grow, the constant shifting and changing is not my cup of tea.
Meanwhile, my papers for me to get my green card updated FINALLY came, last week!!!! On September 11th, (I know, weird, right?) I will go to the federal building and get all my finger prints done and sent in for a nice new shiny green card...then I will need to go to Washington DC to get my Romanian passport....I wish there was a way to get that without having to actually go, in person, to apply. I will make a trip of it to see my sweet and wonderful Grandma, and a friend who lives in maryland.
It has been hot. No, I mean, really, really hot!!!! We went to the fair today (an almost painful torture for me, with 3 kids) and got a sun burn. My plants are all trying to hang in there, but the heat is much for them. The water we go through is a lot. The positives are plenty over the heat wave, also. We don't have to pay for heat. We live in Alaska, too much heat is almost a sin to complain about!!!
So School is almost upon my house. We start on the 21st. Zaya will be a first grader and Bella will be in 3rd, they are currently scheduled to be in the same classroom, but I'm going to try my super hardest to change that bad situation, we'll see if I succeed. And Isaac, well, Isaac is being home-schooled......by me, I know, right?! I was one of those women who said I would NEVER home-school my kids, never! I also happened to say that I wanted a small family (two kids...a boy and a girl) and that I wanted a degree and career. God has and continues to use the very things that I am awful at to show me who He is through me. Not what I consider my strengths, but what I know are my weaknesses. There's this thing that some churches do....where they do these personality tests in an attempt to understand what God has made them to do, or be. I find it a touch ironic, that in my life it's the exact opposite...I boast of what I cannot do (be patient, nurturing, most times...kind, and not stress out) because I know when I am weak, He indeed, is strong. I am actually excited to be doing this with Isaac. He has fallen so far behind in academics, it's heartbreaking to see him have little confidence in math. I am hopeful that he will find his love of learning, and I will gain an ability to teach, that I don't have (and have not wanted...lol)
It is blueberry season....This. is. a. big. deal!! I have been obsessed with the little blue nuggets for weeks. They came out early, and look to be fading away. I want more buckets!! I only have 9 gallons, and trust me, that is not enough to last past the winter. My goal is to not rely on the store bought, flavorless knock offs. But I am only one woman. They do taste amazing with my chocolate vegan shakeology!! I am addicted to the combo. But one of the hands down bestest things to do with these precious blue gems, is to put them in your pancake batter. The tart and tangy with the maple syrup is divine!!!
Best Blueberry pancakes!!!
-prepare your pan for batter
1c teff flour
1/2c quinoa four
1/2c buckwheat flour
3t baking soda
1t baking powder
1/2c grated zucchine
1/4c ground organic flax (whatch out, non organic is most certainly GMO) or ground chia
2T oil (olive or coconut)
2-4 c of coconut milk (add 1T of apple cider vinegar to each cup, so you get a nice curdle)
1-2 cups of alaskan blueberries!!
pour and serve (I'll post some pics when I get them taken)
Pin It Now!
Meanwhile, my papers for me to get my green card updated FINALLY came, last week!!!! On September 11th, (I know, weird, right?) I will go to the federal building and get all my finger prints done and sent in for a nice new shiny green card...then I will need to go to Washington DC to get my Romanian passport....I wish there was a way to get that without having to actually go, in person, to apply. I will make a trip of it to see my sweet and wonderful Grandma, and a friend who lives in maryland.
It has been hot. No, I mean, really, really hot!!!! We went to the fair today (an almost painful torture for me, with 3 kids) and got a sun burn. My plants are all trying to hang in there, but the heat is much for them. The water we go through is a lot. The positives are plenty over the heat wave, also. We don't have to pay for heat. We live in Alaska, too much heat is almost a sin to complain about!!!
So School is almost upon my house. We start on the 21st. Zaya will be a first grader and Bella will be in 3rd, they are currently scheduled to be in the same classroom, but I'm going to try my super hardest to change that bad situation, we'll see if I succeed. And Isaac, well, Isaac is being home-schooled......by me, I know, right?! I was one of those women who said I would NEVER home-school my kids, never! I also happened to say that I wanted a small family (two kids...a boy and a girl) and that I wanted a degree and career. God has and continues to use the very things that I am awful at to show me who He is through me. Not what I consider my strengths, but what I know are my weaknesses. There's this thing that some churches do....where they do these personality tests in an attempt to understand what God has made them to do, or be. I find it a touch ironic, that in my life it's the exact opposite...I boast of what I cannot do (be patient, nurturing, most times...kind, and not stress out) because I know when I am weak, He indeed, is strong. I am actually excited to be doing this with Isaac. He has fallen so far behind in academics, it's heartbreaking to see him have little confidence in math. I am hopeful that he will find his love of learning, and I will gain an ability to teach, that I don't have (and have not wanted...lol)
It is blueberry season....This. is. a. big. deal!! I have been obsessed with the little blue nuggets for weeks. They came out early, and look to be fading away. I want more buckets!! I only have 9 gallons, and trust me, that is not enough to last past the winter. My goal is to not rely on the store bought, flavorless knock offs. But I am only one woman. They do taste amazing with my chocolate vegan shakeology!! I am addicted to the combo. But one of the hands down bestest things to do with these precious blue gems, is to put them in your pancake batter. The tart and tangy with the maple syrup is divine!!!
Best Blueberry pancakes!!!
-prepare your pan for batter
1c teff flour
1/2c quinoa four
1/2c buckwheat flour
3t baking soda
1t baking powder
1/2c grated zucchine
1/4c ground organic flax (whatch out, non organic is most certainly GMO) or ground chia
2T oil (olive or coconut)
2-4 c of coconut milk (add 1T of apple cider vinegar to each cup, so you get a nice curdle)
1-2 cups of alaskan blueberries!!
pour and serve (I'll post some pics when I get them taken)
Pin It Now!
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