I got an email this morning from someone asking me about make-ahead kind of cooking, and since my response turned into a book instead of a quick reply, I thought I'd post it here too in case there is someone else out there who needs some encouragement in this area...
Hi M---! Boy do I feel your pain... It took us a looooong time to get into a healthy groove, and I must say, the cooking department remains my most daunting "homemaker" task. I hate it, really. But, we hafta eat, so whaddawedo? lol! And because we have three kids, we just can't afford to be running to a restaurant every other night as "in the old days."
Truthfully, I've found that what has helped me most wasn't necessarily a pile of recipes, but instead developing a good system. This is what I try to do. I print out a blank calendar, and on each day of the month, (or just two weeks, depending on how I shop), I fill in a different "meal" option. THEN, I make out a shopping list for those meals. When I do this, (which I've been doing a few years now except for some stressful months when my life is chaos!), I am MUCH less inclined to pop in a frozen pizza or ask John to pick up Burger King for everyone. If I have a plan, and know I have the ingredients, I'm not overwhelmed and it takes my decision-making off my stress-pile for the day. I find that no matter how stressed or tired I am, if I can just look at my calendar and pick a meal, then I can just buck up and do it. But if I just shop generically for two weeks and then "hope" I have two weeks worth of groceries in the pantry once I get home, I just flunk out in the meal-making department. I just can't function that way, though that's exactly what I used to do. I'll be eating frozen pizza every night, no matter what ingredients I've brought home for other things. I also spent a gazillion more dollars on groceries in the "old days" since I'd have to keep running to the store for this or that, or else going out all the time. I suggest that you don't start off with exotic meals scheduled every night, or you'll quickly burn out and get discouraged. Mark down meals you KNOW and love and are comfortable making.
Another thing that helped me was that when I fill out my meals on the calendar, I keep a guideline written for myself on the bottom. It changes with the season, but it says something like, "Pizza twice monthly, 3 new recipes monthly, vegetarian meal once per week, dessert twice monthly, soup once a week, (or in the summer "grill out once a week"), roast or chicken every Sunday, etc." John also has a favorite meal or two that have to make it on the menu once a month. :O) Ask your hubby what he'd like to see on the menu, and then make sure to follow through. Makes you happier those nights to be in the kitchen, and it warms his heart to know you're going out of your way to please him. Actually, as I made my "guideline" I really consulted John a lot as to what he'd like to see on the menu; took some of the work out of it for me, plus it made me feel all nicey-wifey. ;O) You can also make sure you're inviting people over more regularly because you just fill it in on the calendar instead of constantly thinking, "Oh, I really should invite so-and-so over, but I wouldn't know what to serve, and I don't know when to plan for it..." You may be better at this than we are, but I'm not naturally very hospitable. When it happens it's great, but I just don't think to plan for it like I should.
Also, save those calendars! I have over two years' worth of them that I consult heavily especially when there is a season change to get my mind thinking "summer meals" again, or whatever. I can either reuse the calendars, or just steal the ideas from off of them. I have a special "yellow" folder that holds my calendars from previous months. This month's calendar is actually on my kitchen table under a thick table cloth of clear vinyl plastic that I got at Walmart. I stick all kinds of notes and things under that table cloth, and they are right there for me to be able to consult whenever I'm seated at the table. I've put verses, notes about appointments, recipes, etc. under there, along with a world map for the kids (we homeschool)... And when we have company, all I do is throw a cloth table cloth over the top of everything to hide my housewife stuff. :o)
Another thing I do on my calendar is that on the days I have "special" recipes that I want to try, I write the name of the cookbook and page number right under the name of it. Or, I'll just write, "in recipe file" or whatever. It saves me a lot of headache that way wondering where the recipe is. For some recipes, I'll even flip the calendar over and write it out right there. I just have to make sure I don't trash my calendar when I make the recipe. (Done that!) I just heard a tip the other day that when someone is cooking, they'll put their recipe on the range hood with a magnet up and out of the mess and then their recipe card stays nice. Fabulous idea! If they are loose recipes, I'll just stick them inside my yellow "meal calendar" folder.
You asked about "make ahead" kind of meals. Well, I honestly only really do that occasionally anymore, and for my dad's meals. But! I do cook a lot of meat ahead of time, which is my biggest "hangup" for wanting to cook... If I have a burger recipe, I'll cook double the meat (usually with onions), and freeze half of it for the next time. It takes about the same amount of time to brown four pounds of meat as two, so I like to get a little ahead for my next meal. I'm much less inclined to pop in a pizza if my "burger recipe" meal already has the burger cooked up and ready for me in the freezer! (Actually, I use venison burger). Same goes for chicken. I'll roast a whole bird, and then de-bone the leftovers for another meal, and throw the bones/carcass in a big ziploc bag to make soup later on.
Hope that helps! Let me know how it goes! If you need some accountability on this project, let me know that too... I'd love to help, as I TOTALLY understand that desire to throw up my hands after poking around the fridge and pantry and say, "Let's go out tonight!"
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Three Years Home
Three Years Home. Unbelievable.
I feel horrible that it has taken me so long AFTER "The 17th" to write this up, and truthfully, I'm not even sure if I'll finish it before the troops start requiring my full attention for the morning, but my conscience is bothering me, and I've gotta take a stab at it!
Three big years for these guys. They are completely different kids now than who we brought home. Well, same kids, just not such "exaggerated" personalities anymore. Older, wiser, more settled, calm, and attached than ever before.
Adam. Well, aside from the fact that the boy is towering me now, and has a foot bigger (and smellier! Uff!) than John's... he has really grown in other areas too. He no longer breaks Everything he owns. Well, he still loves to dismantle things, don't get me wrong, but it used to be that we couldn't give him ANYTHING without it being broken five minutes later. And that really isn't too bad of an exaggeration. I remember handing Adam a toy and as I was still standing there, he'd proceed to try to break it. First reflex was to break and destroy. Not so any longer, thankfully.
I've already shared his bike story this summer, how he worked so hard to earn the money for one, and wow, if that doesn't speak volumes of how much Adam has changed!!! He would never have had the stick-to-it-iveness necessary for such an endeavor even last summer. He would have just gone without a bike.
He still has very impulsive hands, especially when he is wound up. I still cringe when I see him getting wound up because *anything* can happen when he does. I still think of when my brother was visiting this summer and he was "way excited" over the visit. I stepped into the livingroom in time to see Adam yanking on my brother's leg... who wasn't playing with him, or even standing. But, Adam got excited, and just started acting on impulse. His hands have also gotten him in other kinds of trouble, and while he isn't malicious about what happens with them, he does find himself in alllll kinds of hot water over them. We're really praying that he'll outgrow a lot of that, but I know that his disabilities have a lot to do with his impulsiveness, and that worries this Mama.
School has gotten a lot easier for Adam, and I have no reason for it other than he is emotionally settling enough that his brain isn't fighting emotional stress on top of just trying to absorb new material. He occasionally has a hard time concentrating though, and when he does, he might as well throw in the towel for the day. Yesterday, for example, he had to write words that rhyme with knight. He came up with the word kite, though he spelled it wrong. The "ight" was throwing him. I told him how to spell it. He sat down, and promptly forgot what I'd said. I spelled it again. He got the "k" on the paper and forgot again. I spelled it one more time. He still couldn't get it. Then I told him he needed to figure it out himself because it was an easy word, I'd already told him three times, and he needed to remember to TRY to remember what people tell him when they tell him things. The boy sat there a half hour. He spaced off and threw up a wall in front of him.
Math, however, is coming a lot easier for him than ever before. He is still way behind his peers in math (hence the year-round math regime!), but thankfully, it is sinking in faster than ever, and better than ever. Big relief to not have to fight for every mastered concept anymore.
Food is still big to him, though in a different way maybe. In the morning, Adam will be the one to set the breakfast table -without being asked... He'll also wash up any dishes left from the day before without being asked. He loves to help bake... he'll help cook too, but he loves baking treats. He can make a mean carrot cake, brownies, muffins, bars, you name it. I'm lucky to have so many extra hands around. For some reason, my incredible NEEEED to snack and snack and snack ended with my first trimester, and while I do have "regular" snacktimes with everyone else, my constant grazing isn't grating Adam anymore. He will often still ask for seconds, thirds, etc. until he doesn't see anymore food left, but frankly, he's been growing so much, that I'm sure he needs it! It still means a LOT to him to see me in that kitchen cookin' and bakin' things up for everyone. Even if I have some major flops in there, it means a lot to his security that I'm trying to fill his belly somehow.
Liana is really getting to be the right age to be super-helpful without me having to watch her like a hawk. She's been enjoying helping out in the kitchen quite a bit, and I'm so thankful that this stuff is fun to her, instead of a drudgery. She loves it when I hand her a recipe and she gets to decipher it. She has her own set of measuring cups and spoons and you'd think I'd given her the Keys to the Kitchen! lol! Liana is a baby magnet... She loves them to pieces and is willing to mother anyones' baby who will let her. She loves to hang out outside the nursery at church, and it isn't uncommon to see her lugging around one of them, or feeding them. She has always been a little mama. She'll be really handy to have around this November, let me just say!
She's doing great in school too... She is finishing up the Little House on the Prairie series this summer. I think she's on the last book right now, just in time to start the new school year. I'm so proud of her efforts! She has really taken off. She has also been enjoying American Girl books that she got for her birthday from Uncle Jared. She loved the Addy books especially.
Aleksa. She's really shot up this year too. She's quite the little reader also, and is only five units away from finishing the math book she started late this spring. (That's a whole year's worth of math!)
Leks still has a hard time staying on task though. We'll ask her to do something, and she still gets side-tracked and finds herself playing instead of finishing what we asked her. She enjoys her own little world too much at times! She loves pretending she's on that Magic Carpet, or that she's a princess, a horse, or whatever. She can just flip off the real world and go visit these wonderful places too easily! She'll be making her bed in the morning, and find herself sidetracked by having to fold a blanket- it becomes a picnic spread with royal guests seated all around. She needs constant reminding of what "her job" is. Love that imagination though - there is no doubt she'll excell in writing, acting, speech-giving, etc. She also loves to sing made-up songs at the top of her lungs. John likes to joke that she needs to write an opera!
She is also really spreading her wings in regard to her older siblings. She is a smart girl, and she doesn't mind correcting her brother and sister if they say or read something not the "right way." She'll also scold them for doing something wrong. They tend to get rather annoyed over Baby Sis trying to be their teacher/mother!
She's still the happy-go-lucky one though. She has the most consistant demeanor, and it is usually very sunny and happy. She just has a way of making everyone feel like every day is the best day of the year. Wish I were more like that!
The thing I admire most about all three kids, though, is their ability to make friends so easily. They see someone new, and they bee-line right over to them to talk to and play with them. They've never felt an ounce of fear, hesitancy, etc., over meeting anyone new. They are all three very naturally hospitable. I love that. I wish I were more like that. I'm such an introvert at times! It makes me CRAZY how scared I am of new faces. I'm working on it. And I'm learning a lot from my kids. They just so easily think of the OTHER person and how to make them feel loved and liked and wanted, and my own default is to think of MY discomfort. I'm really wondering how Little Fish will wind up. John and I are both introverts, but if he/she (thought I was gonna slip there, didn't ya?!) is hanging around his/her siblings all the time, won't some of that extrovertedness rub off? I sure hope so. It is so much nicer to be a people person than a self-person. (Read: selfish).
It will be very interesting to see what the changes in our household this year will "do" to and for the children. Little Fish is going to be a lot of fun, but I'm hoping that my energy stays steady so I can still be the mom to my older crew that I need to be. But looking back instead of ahead, this has been a really good year!
I feel horrible that it has taken me so long AFTER "The 17th" to write this up, and truthfully, I'm not even sure if I'll finish it before the troops start requiring my full attention for the morning, but my conscience is bothering me, and I've gotta take a stab at it!
Three big years for these guys. They are completely different kids now than who we brought home. Well, same kids, just not such "exaggerated" personalities anymore. Older, wiser, more settled, calm, and attached than ever before.
Adam. Well, aside from the fact that the boy is towering me now, and has a foot bigger (and smellier! Uff!) than John's... he has really grown in other areas too. He no longer breaks Everything he owns. Well, he still loves to dismantle things, don't get me wrong, but it used to be that we couldn't give him ANYTHING without it being broken five minutes later. And that really isn't too bad of an exaggeration. I remember handing Adam a toy and as I was still standing there, he'd proceed to try to break it. First reflex was to break and destroy. Not so any longer, thankfully.
I've already shared his bike story this summer, how he worked so hard to earn the money for one, and wow, if that doesn't speak volumes of how much Adam has changed!!! He would never have had the stick-to-it-iveness necessary for such an endeavor even last summer. He would have just gone without a bike.
He still has very impulsive hands, especially when he is wound up. I still cringe when I see him getting wound up because *anything* can happen when he does. I still think of when my brother was visiting this summer and he was "way excited" over the visit. I stepped into the livingroom in time to see Adam yanking on my brother's leg... who wasn't playing with him, or even standing. But, Adam got excited, and just started acting on impulse. His hands have also gotten him in other kinds of trouble, and while he isn't malicious about what happens with them, he does find himself in alllll kinds of hot water over them. We're really praying that he'll outgrow a lot of that, but I know that his disabilities have a lot to do with his impulsiveness, and that worries this Mama.
School has gotten a lot easier for Adam, and I have no reason for it other than he is emotionally settling enough that his brain isn't fighting emotional stress on top of just trying to absorb new material. He occasionally has a hard time concentrating though, and when he does, he might as well throw in the towel for the day. Yesterday, for example, he had to write words that rhyme with knight. He came up with the word kite, though he spelled it wrong. The "ight" was throwing him. I told him how to spell it. He sat down, and promptly forgot what I'd said. I spelled it again. He got the "k" on the paper and forgot again. I spelled it one more time. He still couldn't get it. Then I told him he needed to figure it out himself because it was an easy word, I'd already told him three times, and he needed to remember to TRY to remember what people tell him when they tell him things. The boy sat there a half hour. He spaced off and threw up a wall in front of him.
Math, however, is coming a lot easier for him than ever before. He is still way behind his peers in math (hence the year-round math regime!), but thankfully, it is sinking in faster than ever, and better than ever. Big relief to not have to fight for every mastered concept anymore.
Food is still big to him, though in a different way maybe. In the morning, Adam will be the one to set the breakfast table -without being asked... He'll also wash up any dishes left from the day before without being asked. He loves to help bake... he'll help cook too, but he loves baking treats. He can make a mean carrot cake, brownies, muffins, bars, you name it. I'm lucky to have so many extra hands around. For some reason, my incredible NEEEED to snack and snack and snack ended with my first trimester, and while I do have "regular" snacktimes with everyone else, my constant grazing isn't grating Adam anymore. He will often still ask for seconds, thirds, etc. until he doesn't see anymore food left, but frankly, he's been growing so much, that I'm sure he needs it! It still means a LOT to him to see me in that kitchen cookin' and bakin' things up for everyone. Even if I have some major flops in there, it means a lot to his security that I'm trying to fill his belly somehow.
Liana is really getting to be the right age to be super-helpful without me having to watch her like a hawk. She's been enjoying helping out in the kitchen quite a bit, and I'm so thankful that this stuff is fun to her, instead of a drudgery. She loves it when I hand her a recipe and she gets to decipher it. She has her own set of measuring cups and spoons and you'd think I'd given her the Keys to the Kitchen! lol! Liana is a baby magnet... She loves them to pieces and is willing to mother anyones' baby who will let her. She loves to hang out outside the nursery at church, and it isn't uncommon to see her lugging around one of them, or feeding them. She has always been a little mama. She'll be really handy to have around this November, let me just say!
She's doing great in school too... She is finishing up the Little House on the Prairie series this summer. I think she's on the last book right now, just in time to start the new school year. I'm so proud of her efforts! She has really taken off. She has also been enjoying American Girl books that she got for her birthday from Uncle Jared. She loved the Addy books especially.
Aleksa. She's really shot up this year too. She's quite the little reader also, and is only five units away from finishing the math book she started late this spring. (That's a whole year's worth of math!)
Leks still has a hard time staying on task though. We'll ask her to do something, and she still gets side-tracked and finds herself playing instead of finishing what we asked her. She enjoys her own little world too much at times! She loves pretending she's on that Magic Carpet, or that she's a princess, a horse, or whatever. She can just flip off the real world and go visit these wonderful places too easily! She'll be making her bed in the morning, and find herself sidetracked by having to fold a blanket- it becomes a picnic spread with royal guests seated all around. She needs constant reminding of what "her job" is. Love that imagination though - there is no doubt she'll excell in writing, acting, speech-giving, etc. She also loves to sing made-up songs at the top of her lungs. John likes to joke that she needs to write an opera!
She is also really spreading her wings in regard to her older siblings. She is a smart girl, and she doesn't mind correcting her brother and sister if they say or read something not the "right way." She'll also scold them for doing something wrong. They tend to get rather annoyed over Baby Sis trying to be their teacher/mother!
She's still the happy-go-lucky one though. She has the most consistant demeanor, and it is usually very sunny and happy. She just has a way of making everyone feel like every day is the best day of the year. Wish I were more like that!
The thing I admire most about all three kids, though, is their ability to make friends so easily. They see someone new, and they bee-line right over to them to talk to and play with them. They've never felt an ounce of fear, hesitancy, etc., over meeting anyone new. They are all three very naturally hospitable. I love that. I wish I were more like that. I'm such an introvert at times! It makes me CRAZY how scared I am of new faces. I'm working on it. And I'm learning a lot from my kids. They just so easily think of the OTHER person and how to make them feel loved and liked and wanted, and my own default is to think of MY discomfort. I'm really wondering how Little Fish will wind up. John and I are both introverts, but if he/she (thought I was gonna slip there, didn't ya?!) is hanging around his/her siblings all the time, won't some of that extrovertedness rub off? I sure hope so. It is so much nicer to be a people person than a self-person. (Read: selfish).
It will be very interesting to see what the changes in our household this year will "do" to and for the children. Little Fish is going to be a lot of fun, but I'm hoping that my energy stays steady so I can still be the mom to my older crew that I need to be. But looking back instead of ahead, this has been a really good year!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Whaddayado?
I'm fairly certain our social worker did NOT cover this one in our homestudy conversations, but uh, I just had a first, and frankly, I'm rather stumped as to what to do about it.
Liana just told me that Adam "licked her nose." He just leaned over and licked her on the nose.
This was Definitely not a topic in the parenting strategy books I've read.
Why would he do that? I dunno. It was there? She was in his space? He felt an urge to gross her out? Who could possibly ever know?
All I can think to say is, "OY."
Edited to add "The rest of the story..."
And so, after sitting here perplexed as to "what to do" I called Adam back out from his room, and held The Questioning. lol.
Found out that Liana had asked him what he had in his mouth, and when she wasn't satisfied with the answer she got, she proceeded to STICK HER NOSE IN HIS MOUTH to smell for herself what it was.
And since that's pretty annoying, he licked it. (This mama would have been tempted to BITE, and not lick.) ;O)
So.
We have a bossy-pants little sister who Must Know things that don't concern her, and then tried to get her brother in trouble when she found her nose wet. Talk about backfiring! lol!
Thankfully Mama wasn't hasty in doling out lectures or consequences this time.. *whew*
Liana just told me that Adam "licked her nose." He just leaned over and licked her on the nose.
This was Definitely not a topic in the parenting strategy books I've read.
Why would he do that? I dunno. It was there? She was in his space? He felt an urge to gross her out? Who could possibly ever know?
All I can think to say is, "OY."
Edited to add "The rest of the story..."
And so, after sitting here perplexed as to "what to do" I called Adam back out from his room, and held The Questioning. lol.
Found out that Liana had asked him what he had in his mouth, and when she wasn't satisfied with the answer she got, she proceeded to STICK HER NOSE IN HIS MOUTH to smell for herself what it was.
And since that's pretty annoying, he licked it. (This mama would have been tempted to BITE, and not lick.) ;O)
So.
We have a bossy-pants little sister who Must Know things that don't concern her, and then tried to get her brother in trouble when she found her nose wet. Talk about backfiring! lol!
Thankfully Mama wasn't hasty in doling out lectures or consequences this time.. *whew*
Canning Resumed
Fridge and freezer now all cleaned out, and everyone is still alive. ;O)
Back to the pear-canning business. Haven't gotten much done with all the chaos around here this week, but I'm hoping to really crank out a bunch of quart jars today.
By the way, Kate, canning is a pretty straight-forward process- just a lot of backache. You buy some glass canning jars, lids and rings for around the lids, a water-bath canning pot, a few odds and ends, and then a whole ton of fruit. The magic ticket though, is buying the book called "Ball Blue Book of Preserving." It tells you how to can or preserve just about anything you can think of. Jams, fruits, veggies, meat, soups, etc. Plus how to dry, freeze, etc. Preserving your own food is a great way of knowing what you are eating, getting delicious food stored up for the family, and having the satisfaction of seeing all the jars all lined up and "pretty" on your shelf. Makes ya feel all domestical and wholesome somehow! lol! Some day I want to try tomatoes, but I need a garden first! I can totally see you getting into this stuff, Kate... ya gotta look into to it for when you bring your babies home. ;O)
Back to the pear-canning business. Haven't gotten much done with all the chaos around here this week, but I'm hoping to really crank out a bunch of quart jars today.
By the way, Kate, canning is a pretty straight-forward process- just a lot of backache. You buy some glass canning jars, lids and rings for around the lids, a water-bath canning pot, a few odds and ends, and then a whole ton of fruit. The magic ticket though, is buying the book called "Ball Blue Book of Preserving." It tells you how to can or preserve just about anything you can think of. Jams, fruits, veggies, meat, soups, etc. Plus how to dry, freeze, etc. Preserving your own food is a great way of knowing what you are eating, getting delicious food stored up for the family, and having the satisfaction of seeing all the jars all lined up and "pretty" on your shelf. Makes ya feel all domestical and wholesome somehow! lol! Some day I want to try tomatoes, but I need a garden first! I can totally see you getting into this stuff, Kate... ya gotta look into to it for when you bring your babies home. ;O)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Fridge Woes
Woke up this morning to find everything in the fridge and freezer WARM.
The fridge/freezer dials were set to Off.
Am I a happy camper?
The fridge/freezer dials were set to Off.
Am I a happy camper?
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Bee Sting!
Still up to my eyeballs in things to do, but we had an "emergency" a few hours ago that I MUST sit and blog or I'll lose it.
I was in the kitchen starting to think about what to make for supper, and suddenly I heard the most blood-curdling scream I've heard in ages... Miss Aleksa Lu at her finest. She was stung by a bee. And, as Liana announced, "The bee's butt is still in her skin!"
How exciting. Nobody freaks quite as well as Leksa. Nobody. And I haven't heard her freak like this since she was newly home. I instantly thought back to the days when just leaving her alone in a room by herself could send her into orbit.
So, in she came, and I very calmly held her little cheeks in my hand and said, "Ouchie, Aleksa, that hurts. I'm going to lead you over to that chair and then we're going to set you down. OK?" And then I said, "Ok, now Aleksa, Mama is going to get you a cold rag and some ice. I'm right here." Then I said, "Leks, we gotta get the tweezers so we can get the stinger out." After a few more minutes of hugs and kisses, she started to calm down. I got the stinger out and put the rag and ice on her (it got her on the inside of her wrist - ouchie!) Layed her down on the couch, got her Twinkle Bear and her Pony and she settled right down. Never saw such a sweaty, pitiful mess of a girl, but she was ok.
Ok, why am I giving the blow by blow? Well, because she actually calmed down. Three years ago, she would STILL be screaming, and I'm not kidding you.
Big brother Adam really doted on his sister. Thankfully, he didn't tell me it was all my fault - he's been known to get really mad at me and tell me that any time his sisters are hurt. He decided that he was going to read her a story. She had it made. Got her some ice water, her own tv tray, and a snuggly blanket, and she was happy as a lark.
I snuck back into the kitchen to get our supper going again, and a little while later Aleksa came into the kitchen and said, "I'm so glad I have a mama to take care of me and give me hugs and ice when bad things happen like bee bites. Those orphanage mamas didn't take care of me like that, and it was scary."
No wonder she was such a screamer when she first came home.
I think those were the most profound words out of Aleksa's little mouth. She has NEVER EVER EVER talked like that. She has NEVER talked about the "orphanage mamas." She has only very seldom ever said the WORD orphanage let alone tell me what she remembered or how she felt. Her brother and sister are the talkers and rememberers. She only ever talks about life since we brought her home. It's like she has forgotten everything else. But I guess not.
I'm sure it goes without saying that we had a Hug Fest right then and there....
Monday, August 20, 2007
Busy!
Incredibly busy around here. I owe this blog a major post about our Three Years Home, but I'm actually too busy to write one! We've had company this weekend (John's parents), and besides that, I have been up to my eyeballs in fruit to can. Peaches and pears this time. I put John's poor family to work on Saturday, (well, truthfully, they volunteered), and our peaches, thankfully, are all under control. Today is Pear Day. (Yesterday was "untrash the kitchen and get my back feeling better day.")
I'll post again later. Gotta get going though for the day!
I'll post again later. Gotta get going though for the day!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Party!
Fun day yesterday! Friday night Uncle Jared stayed overnight. What a nice uncle! My kiddos sure had him busy! Liana asked him to watch her make bread and I thought, "oh, no, poor guy, he's gonna want to watch that about like he wants to watch paint dry!" But, he did it anyway! What a sweetie! Lots of tickling, reading, chatting, joke-telling, etc. It was so fun!
Yesterday the rest of the Fisher Clan came over. Big birthday dinner, nasty "little girl" cake. (You know, the "fun-fetti" kind with the canned frosting.) (*shudder*) But, the girls liked it, so *sigh*, that's all that mattered, right? lol! I'm going to have to work on their tastes for REAL cake from scratch... we've been making a few lately, but I guess they just aren't "pink" enough for a birthday cake request! ;o)
Grandpa and Grandma spoiled them rotten with dollies and hair thingies and clothes and, and, and... :o) They had an awful lot of fun opening presents! Auntie Cara got them fingernail polish. Their favorite thing in the world! This summer I've been the victim of multi-colored toenails from my polish-lovin' girlies. Good thing I don't much care - my summer shoes are toe-less. lol! Just another badge of motherhood, I guess! When my girls are older, my toes will be one color again, but for now, I enjoy looking down at my tootsies and seeing two layers of smudged, over-the-cuticle purples and pinks. It means my girlies love me!
Back to the usual routine now though. This week has been lots of fun, but I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow!
Yesterday the rest of the Fisher Clan came over. Big birthday dinner, nasty "little girl" cake. (You know, the "fun-fetti" kind with the canned frosting.) (*shudder*) But, the girls liked it, so *sigh*, that's all that mattered, right? lol! I'm going to have to work on their tastes for REAL cake from scratch... we've been making a few lately, but I guess they just aren't "pink" enough for a birthday cake request! ;o)
Grandpa and Grandma spoiled them rotten with dollies and hair thingies and clothes and, and, and... :o) They had an awful lot of fun opening presents! Auntie Cara got them fingernail polish. Their favorite thing in the world! This summer I've been the victim of multi-colored toenails from my polish-lovin' girlies. Good thing I don't much care - my summer shoes are toe-less. lol! Just another badge of motherhood, I guess! When my girls are older, my toes will be one color again, but for now, I enjoy looking down at my tootsies and seeing two layers of smudged, over-the-cuticle purples and pinks. It means my girlies love me!
Back to the usual routine now though. This week has been lots of fun, but I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow!
Friday, August 10, 2007
Birthday week update!
Leksa's birthday today. *sniff, sniff* How can my baby be SEVEN????? She has officially spent half of her life with us now. Wow. And my Liana is NINE? Uff da. She's going to be married off before I can blink.
I've been so busy this week. I'm exhausted. I mentioned VBS in an earlier post... We've actually been directing it... Lots more things to think about than I had imagined. Hopefully if we ever do this again, (read: If we're ever asked!), we can do so a lot more smoothly. Very stressful. I was also teaching the little ones, and John was the MC/song leader. Last night was the big "bash" night where the kids could spend the "VBS Bucks" they earned all week by saying verses, attending, bringing visitors, etc. We had a family give $400 toward "Cool Prizes" so, whoa, were there prizes! Liana wound up with a doctor kit, Adam got a cool flashlight that has a compass, radio, alarm, etc. on it. (And best of all, it doesn't need batteries; you crank it up to charge it up!) Leksa got a new Bible and bible cover. And on top of all the prizes, there was a Ton of Candy. We had carnival games, and pony rides. I asked Leksa how many times she rode the ponies, and she giggled and said she had no idea, she had ridden them so many times! I don't think she played even one carnival game - she was too busy over by the ponies. I had a feeling that would happen! ;O)
For the girls' birthdays, we woke them up early so John could see them open one of their presents (the rest will wait for their party on Saturday.) Liana got a watch she's been hoping for, and Leksa got a toy horse and carriage. Two very happy girlies.
You should see Adam with his flashlight though. Talk about giddy! He hasn't put the thing down since he "bought" it last night! (It's only 7:38am right now, but they've all three been up a while already)... "Mama, this is East! Did you know this is East!" "You want the baby to hear my music?" "Watch me crank it up, Mama! Can you believe it, Mama? No batteries!!" "This is so cool!" Looks like the prize buyer - (John!) did good! ;O) (He said he "might have" had Adam in mind for that one...)
I'm ready for a vacation. But! That's not to be for a few more days. Lots more excitement ahead of us this weekend with the girls' party and all our company. Tomorrow also marks the three year anniversary of our court date in Ukraine. The whole Fisher crew is headed this way today and tomorrow.
I've been so busy this week. I'm exhausted. I mentioned VBS in an earlier post... We've actually been directing it... Lots more things to think about than I had imagined. Hopefully if we ever do this again, (read: If we're ever asked!), we can do so a lot more smoothly. Very stressful. I was also teaching the little ones, and John was the MC/song leader. Last night was the big "bash" night where the kids could spend the "VBS Bucks" they earned all week by saying verses, attending, bringing visitors, etc. We had a family give $400 toward "Cool Prizes" so, whoa, were there prizes! Liana wound up with a doctor kit, Adam got a cool flashlight that has a compass, radio, alarm, etc. on it. (And best of all, it doesn't need batteries; you crank it up to charge it up!) Leksa got a new Bible and bible cover. And on top of all the prizes, there was a Ton of Candy. We had carnival games, and pony rides. I asked Leksa how many times she rode the ponies, and she giggled and said she had no idea, she had ridden them so many times! I don't think she played even one carnival game - she was too busy over by the ponies. I had a feeling that would happen! ;O)
For the girls' birthdays, we woke them up early so John could see them open one of their presents (the rest will wait for their party on Saturday.) Liana got a watch she's been hoping for, and Leksa got a toy horse and carriage. Two very happy girlies.
You should see Adam with his flashlight though. Talk about giddy! He hasn't put the thing down since he "bought" it last night! (It's only 7:38am right now, but they've all three been up a while already)... "Mama, this is East! Did you know this is East!" "You want the baby to hear my music?" "Watch me crank it up, Mama! Can you believe it, Mama? No batteries!!" "This is so cool!" Looks like the prize buyer - (John!) did good! ;O) (He said he "might have" had Adam in mind for that one...)
I'm ready for a vacation. But! That's not to be for a few more days. Lots more excitement ahead of us this weekend with the girls' party and all our company. Tomorrow also marks the three year anniversary of our court date in Ukraine. The whole Fisher crew is headed this way today and tomorrow.
*edited to add that I do know the difference between a horse and a pony... There were mostly ponies and this one token horse... Had forgotten about the horsie until I saw my pictures! lol! (Jiss be quiet, I've had a long week! lol!)
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
My Letter to Zhanna
(This is my letter to Zhanna, slightly edited to make it ok for public eyes, but I thought it was newsy enough about the kids that you all might enjoy it too.)
August 7, 2007
Dear Zhanna,
What a nice surprise to hear from you! I have been wanting to write you for many weeks, and I’m so sorry for leaving you waiting and wondering about your sweet babies. I hope you can please forgive me for that.
Yesterday was Valya’s birthday! She is so proud to be a big 9-year-old girl! She has become such a sweet young lady… I know you would be proud of her. Her newest interests have been sewing and learning to bake bread. She made a quilt square into a pillow a few weeks ago, and sleeps with it every night.
She is right this moment making bread in the kitchen all by herself! (Bread machine bread, for you blog friends reading this). She’s a smart girl, Zhanna! She has been growing up right before our eyes, and many days it makes me teary to see her getting so tall and mature. She loves most of all to be with her friends and family. She loves people and makes friends immediately. I wish I myself had such a gift with people! Her hair is getting long… She has been growing out her shorter front bangs, and they are finally long enough to tuck behind her ears. It drove her crazy to get them that long though! She is becoming such a beautiful young girl.
This week we are having special children’s meetings at our church, and as I was in the hallway talking to another mom, Valya could be heard singing loudly from inside the bathroom! She actually could be heard all over the church! She then came out of the bathroom dancing down the hallway. That’s our girl! She was extra-happy because it was her birthday, and told everyone all about the new watch she got as a gift. She is very proud that she can tell time all by herself.
Friday is Zinochka’s birthday. She is very excited to be a 7-year-old. We are planning a big party for both girls on Saturday. John’s parents and brother and sister and her children are coming. Zina is getting so tall! One of the reasons we had asked you what height you and Misha were is because, the children are getting so tall so fast! We expect that they’ll all be very, very tall when they are fully grown… I myself am quite short, so it won’t be long before all of them are taller than me! (Misha already is!)
Zina loves horses and ponies, and is thrilled that she gets to have a horse ride on Thursday this week. She loves to pretend she is a horse, and crawls all over the place making horse sounds. Her little knees get quite black, and she has stained many, many play clothes that way! She also loves playing dress-up, and pretending to have tea-parties. She loves “pretending” things more than the other two do. She has quite an imagination! She also loves to read. The other two do also, but Zina is very far ahead in school because of her love of reading. It makes us so proud and happy that she is doing so well.
Her hair is getting long too… We had wondered if it would darken, but she remains our little blondie. She still has her sweet little chubby cheeks, and those dimples melt our hearts. She has a way of charming everyone she meets with her friendliness and smiles. As you know, she’s just adorable! She now has three of her permanent teeth on the top, and the fourth one is on the way. She looks like a big girl now!
The biggest thing she is excited about right now is also the biggest thing that is happening in our family this year. Surprisingly, after ten years of marriage, John and I are expecting a baby this November! Zina can’t wait to finally be a big sister, and of course Misha and Valya are anxious for the new baby to come also. They will all be great helpers for me this winter, I know. They are so eager to help with this little one.
I hope I don’t need to tell you, but you don’t know us well, so I’ll reassure you anyway. I want you to know that just because we are going to have a biological child now, that it won’t at all affect how we feel about our Ukrainian sweethearts. We love them with all our hearts, Zhanna, and I hope you always take comfort in knowing that.
That leaves me to tell you about Misha… He wants me to tell you how strong he is, and smart, and what a good bike-rider he is. (He is standing here making sure I write that!) He bought himself a brand new bike this summer with money he earned doing jobs for neighbors. He did yard work, did painting, wood projects, and other things in order to buy his new bike. Misha had ruined his old bike, and so, John and I wanted him to learn a lesson from that, so he had to earn a new one himself. The lesson worked, because he has been taking excellent care of his new bike.
He also wants me to tell you that his pet fish “Bubbles” died a few days ago. He had a hamster for a long time too, but it died this winter. He is very tender-hearted boy, and made both of them little boxes and buried them in the woods by our house.
You asked what we’ve been doing on vacation. We have had a fun summer! There is a big park near our house, that we have visited many times this summer for picnics, swims at the beach, and also hiking along the trails. We have seen many wild animals like deer, snakes, and many different kinds of birds. The kids love our trips to that park! We’ve also made a few trips to see family members. My sister lives several hours away, and we went to visit her. Her husband is a fireman, and my sister works in an ambulance, so we brought the children to look at the fire trucks (they even got to go for a ride!), and got to look inside an ambulance. They loved that! My sister has a little puppy that the kids loved to play with, though Valya broke out in a rash afterwards, so we’re wondering if she is allergic to dogs. We hope not, as we were hoping to get the kids a dog next summer.
I think of you often, Zhanna, as do the children. They talk about you all the time, and I encourage them to do so. It is so hard that your deep loss was our richest gain. All three children would love to see you again, and while I don’t have any idea how we could afford a trip to Ukraine any time soon, we can pray that one day they will see you again, and that John and I can finally meet the woman who gave our children life. We love you, pray for you, and only wish you well.
Shelly, John,
Misha, Valya and Zinochka
August 7, 2007
Dear Zhanna,
What a nice surprise to hear from you! I have been wanting to write you for many weeks, and I’m so sorry for leaving you waiting and wondering about your sweet babies. I hope you can please forgive me for that.
Yesterday was Valya’s birthday! She is so proud to be a big 9-year-old girl! She has become such a sweet young lady… I know you would be proud of her. Her newest interests have been sewing and learning to bake bread. She made a quilt square into a pillow a few weeks ago, and sleeps with it every night.
She is right this moment making bread in the kitchen all by herself! (Bread machine bread, for you blog friends reading this). She’s a smart girl, Zhanna! She has been growing up right before our eyes, and many days it makes me teary to see her getting so tall and mature. She loves most of all to be with her friends and family. She loves people and makes friends immediately. I wish I myself had such a gift with people! Her hair is getting long… She has been growing out her shorter front bangs, and they are finally long enough to tuck behind her ears. It drove her crazy to get them that long though! She is becoming such a beautiful young girl.
This week we are having special children’s meetings at our church, and as I was in the hallway talking to another mom, Valya could be heard singing loudly from inside the bathroom! She actually could be heard all over the church! She then came out of the bathroom dancing down the hallway. That’s our girl! She was extra-happy because it was her birthday, and told everyone all about the new watch she got as a gift. She is very proud that she can tell time all by herself.
Friday is Zinochka’s birthday. She is very excited to be a 7-year-old. We are planning a big party for both girls on Saturday. John’s parents and brother and sister and her children are coming. Zina is getting so tall! One of the reasons we had asked you what height you and Misha were is because, the children are getting so tall so fast! We expect that they’ll all be very, very tall when they are fully grown… I myself am quite short, so it won’t be long before all of them are taller than me! (Misha already is!)
Zina loves horses and ponies, and is thrilled that she gets to have a horse ride on Thursday this week. She loves to pretend she is a horse, and crawls all over the place making horse sounds. Her little knees get quite black, and she has stained many, many play clothes that way! She also loves playing dress-up, and pretending to have tea-parties. She loves “pretending” things more than the other two do. She has quite an imagination! She also loves to read. The other two do also, but Zina is very far ahead in school because of her love of reading. It makes us so proud and happy that she is doing so well.
Her hair is getting long too… We had wondered if it would darken, but she remains our little blondie. She still has her sweet little chubby cheeks, and those dimples melt our hearts. She has a way of charming everyone she meets with her friendliness and smiles. As you know, she’s just adorable! She now has three of her permanent teeth on the top, and the fourth one is on the way. She looks like a big girl now!
The biggest thing she is excited about right now is also the biggest thing that is happening in our family this year. Surprisingly, after ten years of marriage, John and I are expecting a baby this November! Zina can’t wait to finally be a big sister, and of course Misha and Valya are anxious for the new baby to come also. They will all be great helpers for me this winter, I know. They are so eager to help with this little one.
I hope I don’t need to tell you, but you don’t know us well, so I’ll reassure you anyway. I want you to know that just because we are going to have a biological child now, that it won’t at all affect how we feel about our Ukrainian sweethearts. We love them with all our hearts, Zhanna, and I hope you always take comfort in knowing that.
That leaves me to tell you about Misha… He wants me to tell you how strong he is, and smart, and what a good bike-rider he is. (He is standing here making sure I write that!) He bought himself a brand new bike this summer with money he earned doing jobs for neighbors. He did yard work, did painting, wood projects, and other things in order to buy his new bike. Misha had ruined his old bike, and so, John and I wanted him to learn a lesson from that, so he had to earn a new one himself. The lesson worked, because he has been taking excellent care of his new bike.
He also wants me to tell you that his pet fish “Bubbles” died a few days ago. He had a hamster for a long time too, but it died this winter. He is very tender-hearted boy, and made both of them little boxes and buried them in the woods by our house.
You asked what we’ve been doing on vacation. We have had a fun summer! There is a big park near our house, that we have visited many times this summer for picnics, swims at the beach, and also hiking along the trails. We have seen many wild animals like deer, snakes, and many different kinds of birds. The kids love our trips to that park! We’ve also made a few trips to see family members. My sister lives several hours away, and we went to visit her. Her husband is a fireman, and my sister works in an ambulance, so we brought the children to look at the fire trucks (they even got to go for a ride!), and got to look inside an ambulance. They loved that! My sister has a little puppy that the kids loved to play with, though Valya broke out in a rash afterwards, so we’re wondering if she is allergic to dogs. We hope not, as we were hoping to get the kids a dog next summer.
I think of you often, Zhanna, as do the children. They talk about you all the time, and I encourage them to do so. It is so hard that your deep loss was our richest gain. All three children would love to see you again, and while I don’t have any idea how we could afford a trip to Ukraine any time soon, we can pray that one day they will see you again, and that John and I can finally meet the woman who gave our children life. We love you, pray for you, and only wish you well.
Shelly, John,
Misha, Valya and Zinochka
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Letter from Zhanna
It's been a big last few weeks around here. I had my birthday on July 28, an Liana's was yesterday. Leksa's is Friday. Plus, we have had VBS at our church all week this week (except Friday). I'm exhausted already! lol!
This morning tapped me emotionally though... We got an email from the lady who did our birthfamily search this winter. She was sending me a letter from the childrens' birthmother. Talk about emotional. I was really glad she wrote, as she had been really caught off-guard by our PI before, and didn't have a whole lot to say this winter. She had written the children a very short note, and you could see from her writing that she was pretty nervous. This time, she sent a lengthy letter and expressed a lot of things that I'm so thankful that the children will have from her. She begged me to write her and tell her all about the kids and to tell her what the girls' hair was like, and what kind of people the kids are becoming, and what they're doing for the summer, etc. It was the "perfect" letter to receive from a birthmother, and I can't wait until the postman delivers the hardcopy. What a treasure for the kids. It did have a little bad news, but it was news that we needed to know concerning the family, and I was thankful for the extra insight.
Anyway, I sat right down and wrote her back. Three long pages of letting her know all about how wonderful the kids are. (Of course, I could hardly think of a thing to say about 'em!) *wink, wink*
It was really emotional though, because here I was bragging up OUR kids. Not just mine, but hers too. They are part of her heart as well, and while bad things happened while under her charge, she still loves them, and I appreciate that more than I can express. Very strange to be telling someone all about your kids to someone who is ALSO their mother. Different kind of mother, but I respect her position in their lives too much to not acknowledge her as such. (But knowing it WAS their mother I was writing to, I got to really lay it on thick how wonderful they are without fear that I was bragging too much! I can't talk about 'em like this to just anybody you know. Well to you all, but you don't count, right?) ;O)
I hope the open lines of communication with her will help the children deal with any future "issues" that may arise because of their "adopted" status. I worry most about my Leksa Lu, who doesn't remember hardly a thing from before we adopted her, and nothing at all of "Mama Zhanna." Leks had very little to say about hearing from her, while the older two were firing suggestions at me as to what to tell her in the letter I was returning. Leks just sorta sat there and let it fly over her head.
Hope tomorrow is less emotional - I know it will still be busy, but I can take only so much... My girls turning so old this week (9 and 7!!) is hard enough on me to begin with!!!
This morning tapped me emotionally though... We got an email from the lady who did our birthfamily search this winter. She was sending me a letter from the childrens' birthmother. Talk about emotional. I was really glad she wrote, as she had been really caught off-guard by our PI before, and didn't have a whole lot to say this winter. She had written the children a very short note, and you could see from her writing that she was pretty nervous. This time, she sent a lengthy letter and expressed a lot of things that I'm so thankful that the children will have from her. She begged me to write her and tell her all about the kids and to tell her what the girls' hair was like, and what kind of people the kids are becoming, and what they're doing for the summer, etc. It was the "perfect" letter to receive from a birthmother, and I can't wait until the postman delivers the hardcopy. What a treasure for the kids. It did have a little bad news, but it was news that we needed to know concerning the family, and I was thankful for the extra insight.
Anyway, I sat right down and wrote her back. Three long pages of letting her know all about how wonderful the kids are. (Of course, I could hardly think of a thing to say about 'em!) *wink, wink*
It was really emotional though, because here I was bragging up OUR kids. Not just mine, but hers too. They are part of her heart as well, and while bad things happened while under her charge, she still loves them, and I appreciate that more than I can express. Very strange to be telling someone all about your kids to someone who is ALSO their mother. Different kind of mother, but I respect her position in their lives too much to not acknowledge her as such. (But knowing it WAS their mother I was writing to, I got to really lay it on thick how wonderful they are without fear that I was bragging too much! I can't talk about 'em like this to just anybody you know. Well to you all, but you don't count, right?) ;O)
I hope the open lines of communication with her will help the children deal with any future "issues" that may arise because of their "adopted" status. I worry most about my Leksa Lu, who doesn't remember hardly a thing from before we adopted her, and nothing at all of "Mama Zhanna." Leks had very little to say about hearing from her, while the older two were firing suggestions at me as to what to tell her in the letter I was returning. Leks just sorta sat there and let it fly over her head.
Hope tomorrow is less emotional - I know it will still be busy, but I can take only so much... My girls turning so old this week (9 and 7!!) is hard enough on me to begin with!!!
Friday, August 03, 2007
Extra Ethnic Today
This morning the girls are running around with round red stickers on their foreheads...
Liana announced that she was a "Ukrainian Gypsy American Indian Hindu."
Now I know!
(That certainly explains a lot, let me tell ya!) *wink*
Liana announced that she was a "Ukrainian Gypsy American Indian Hindu."
Now I know!
(That certainly explains a lot, let me tell ya!) *wink*
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Bridge Collapse
I'm sure by now you've heard about the bridge in Minneapolis/St. Paul collapsing. Talk about too close for comfort.
While that bridge isn't "John's bridge" to come home by, it is awfully close...
Yesterday was not a good day to have misplaced my cellphone, and to stay offline because I wasn't feeling well. My poor sisters were pretty frantic with worry about us.
Very thrilled to not be personally affected by that tragedy, but I'm so sad for those who are.
While that bridge isn't "John's bridge" to come home by, it is awfully close...
Yesterday was not a good day to have misplaced my cellphone, and to stay offline because I wasn't feeling well. My poor sisters were pretty frantic with worry about us.
Very thrilled to not be personally affected by that tragedy, but I'm so sad for those who are.
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