Volunteering for HeyJulieBaby's thingy

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4. "I am one of those other homeschool moms. My desire is not to overwhelm you with another curriculum" (The Mystery of History, Vol. 1 by Linda Lacour Hobar)
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch? The library book truck that holds all our school books and supplies for this semester
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? Bonus features from the Paper Clips documentary
4. Without looking, guess what time it is. 10:25
5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time? 9:51
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? The fan in the kitchen, Lynae turning the pages of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing? A couple of hours ago, I called Lynae in to help me make supper
8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at? HeyJulieBaby's blog, 'cuz I needed a dose of fun
9. What are you wearing? Pale green tee, black bike shorts, and sneakers - ooh yeah, I'm stylin'!
10. Did you dream last night? Heck yes I did. I dreamed that little baby Maggie was all grown up into this super amazing woman. Like a cross between her mother and my friend Jess.
11. When did you last laugh? Probably this afternoon when Toby said something goofy.
12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? Haunting wallpaper
13. Seen anything weird lately? A video for the song "We Like the Moon"
15. What is the last film you saw? Door to Door
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy? A house and furniture without holes ripped in it and a new car for hubby
17. Tell me something about you that I don't know. Two of my back molars never grew in
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do? return it to pre-flood conditions (boy, wouldn't that end a lot of debates!)
19. Do you like to dance? LOL
20. George W Bush: signing away our future
21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? two years early
22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him? Toby
23. Would you ever consider living abroad? How long? more than 2 weeks? Yes, I'd do it for good under the right circumstances
24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gate? "Yes."
25. Four or Five people who must also do this quiz on their blog: I'm sticking with Julie's answer - I don't want to tag anyone. Do I have any volunteers?

Hey y'all, did you SEE??

My MOM left me a comment! That was my MOM! She was here and she WROTE to me! :-)

Thanks, Mom!!

What have I learned?

It was five years ago today that the phone rang, and my answering of it changed our lives forever. I was asked if we would be able to provide a home for two little boys. I went all numb and tingly, and my mind was racing... can we do this? Are we ready? What are we in for? Will I be able to love someone else's children? I said yes. And then I found out... yes, no, more than we could ever imagine (both wonderful and horrible), and YES.

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Top five things I've learned by parenting our adoptees for the past five years:

1. It's not personal. My children act out of their past hurts and perceptions. When they do so, my parenting of them is rarely the real issue.
   
   
2. Time may heal all wounds, but some wounds may take a lifetime (or longer) to heal.
   
   
3. "Virtually indestructable" means that my boys can destroy it, much to the amazement of parents with average children.
   
   
4. It can be very difficult to separate the quality of my parenting from the results I see in my children. I know this should not be so, and I am working on changing this belief, but I mostly still believe that "good" parents have "good" kids.
   
   
5. I absolutely cannot do this job without the wisdom and grace my Lord Jesus provides! (Every time I try, I fall flat on my face... and usually take someone down with me.)

Top five "worth it" experiences with them:

1. Walking into the courthouse with three different last names, and walking out as seven Armstrongs.
   
   
2. Every time Michael, who used to scream when touched, and later would still tense up and panic when hugged, asks me for a hug and gives me a kiss to go with it.
   
   
3. When Lynae put away the boys' laundry one night and decided to straighten up their drawers. I heard her sigh and say, "I just love those boys so much!"
   
   
4. A couple days ago, I told Jon it was time for his (necessarily toned down) birthday celebration, and that he should put on a smile and be thankful for all the nice cards and gifts. He actually did so! He had a wonderful time, I got great pictures to remember it by, and I believe his joy and gratitude were genuine.
   
   
5. Seeing Gracie act like a totally "normal" kid with normal kid problems.
   

On to something more uplifting

This morning I found out that I'm not the only one who cannot use Explode the Code due to a strong aversion to the illustration style! I have heard many trustworthy homeschoolers say that it's a wonderful curriculum, and I believe them. I just can't bring myself to use it, for that one reason.

Thank God for choices in homeschool curricula!

Short and not-so-sweet

Sometimes you're the windshield; sometimes you're the bug.

This evening I was clearly the bug.

Splat.

(sigh)