Mother of Seven + 2

Michael was 5 1/2 when he came to us.  His hazel eyes and cute round face with a light sprinkling of freckles was quick to charm those around him.  At first we didn't see any real problems.  We just saw a little boy who needed love and stability in his life.  Mikey was quieter then the other two, and the first few months were uneventful.  This was a blessing as Troy was in need of so much time and attention in the beginning. However, as we attempted to be not only loving parents but the authorities in his life, we began to meet strong resistance.  There was no convincing Mikey to be obedient.  I remember him sitting in time out in the kitchen.  He would sit there, but the whole time he would be saying quietly, "You're not my mom, you can't make me do it, I can do what I want," over and over.  I would calmly explain to him that I couldn't start the timer until he was quiet.  I would add a minute each time he said something.  It oft...

As a mother, I'm continually hearing from the children what they want.  It seems their birthday is just a few days past, and they are planning what they want to get the next year.  It makes me want to scream, "Why can't you just be grateful for the nice gifts you just received rather then wanting something else!" Amber writes a thank you. I believed thankfulness needed to be taught.  What better time to teach this attitude then at Thanksgiving.  This week we invited some adult friends over that are special to our children.  The children were all involved in planning a special dinner to honor them. Alex and Troy scrub sweet potatoes They made a banner, wrote thank you letters, wrote a song, helped clean the house, and prepared and served the food.  The children had a great time planning and preparing, and they came up with good ideas to make our guests feel special.   The evening ended up being a memory that they'll remem...

Laundry in a household our size can quickly become an uncontrollable monster that threatens to consume everyone in its path.  Learning to tame this monster has taken time.  Here are a few of the methods I use to keep things under control: 1.  Place a laundry bag or basket in each bedroom, and teach family members the necessity of putting the laundry in the bag or basket.   I had to get serious about this.  Dirty laundry under beds, in closets, etc. is not acceptable.  The children paid me a quarter for every clothing article I picked up.  With one child that didn't even work, so he had to make five trips to the basement laundry room for every clothing article left out.  After 25 trips on two different occasions he was pretty much cured. 2.  As a part of daily chores assign one person in each room to take the dirty laundry to the laundry room and sort it.   I have four containers in the basement.  One is for white socks and under...

Many times I've been asked how we afford to feed all these boys.  Many wonder how in the world I cook so much food all the time.  I love cooking.  But honestly, I found preparing meals to be overwhelming for a time when our family grew so quickly all at once. Here is a list of some of the things I've learned to do to make preparing meals a manageable task: * Plan a menu.   Not having a game plan is a losing situation.  It comes down to 5:00.  Everyone is hungry, and there's nothing that can be fixed without taking lots of time.  What happens?  We spend too much money trying to find something fast and easy to eat. *Keep convenience meals on hand.   There are days when time is short.  Always have readily available some quick and easy meals.  Mine tend to be bean burritos, peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti, taco's, and quesidillas.   I keep the ingredients for these on hand.  I keep some browned hamburger in the freezer....

One of my big fears when we adopted was that our four biological children would resent the added workload in the house and therefore resent their new siblings. My husband and I discussed this topic at length with the children. It seemed that every time we mentioned a negative, the children would respond with something like, "But isn't this what God would want us to do." We could not persuade them that perhaps more siblings was not a good idea. The Word of God that we had planted in their lives had taken root and they were ready to grow. I really had no concept of how much life would change when our family grew by three children all at once. It felt like double cooking, double laundry, double cleaning and picking up. In just a few short weeks I was exhausted. It was Kaytlin, our second child, who stepped up and helped me get through. Sometimes I'd be working in the kitchen, and she would come and offer to help me. Other times she would gather up the k...