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March 31, 2009 in My Family | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
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Have you moved a lot in your life? I lived in 4 houses from the time I was born until I graduated from High School. I never had to change schools. I really appreciated that. Since I graduated from college I have moved 11 times. In 10 years. We've been married nearly 7 years and have lived in 6 places.
Naomi has already lived in more houses than I lived in my entire childhood. She is 4 years old and has lived in 5 different places and it will be 6 before she has her next birthday. We're not talking about moves across the street either. Each move was a different town. She has already lived in 3 states. THREE states and she JUST turned 4.
Get excited! Even if you aren't that excited, or aren't happy about the move at all, get excited for the kids. You don't have to lie, but you also shouldn't doom their move by frightening them either.
Don't plan any new developmental tasks around the time of the move. Daphne needs to be potty trained. She wants to be potty trained. The poor girls hasn't moved on to the big girl panties yet because first she had a baby sister, then moved to a "big bed" then gave up her pacifiers and is now completing a move. It wouldn't have been fair to her to try to train her right before or after the move. We have to give her time to get settled.
Extra hugs and snuggles. Depending on their age, most little ones can't really tell you what they are thinking or worrying about. Extra snuggles and attention help to soothe them through the possibly scary time.
What has helped your kids during times of transition and moving?
March 30, 2009 in Home Sweet Home, My Family, My world, Tips & Tricks | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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March 27, 2009 in My world, Sewing | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
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Some kids really take to "solids", others don't. At least in my experience. This particular baby was crying with impatience between bites during her first feeding.
March 26, 2009 in My Family | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
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It is Wednesday. We've been on this coast for 10 days now. WOW, it seems like SO much longer. We've done so much, and we've done so little. This is just a temporary move (6 months), so we didn't bring a whole lot of stuff to this apartment. We'll be looking for a more permanent home here soon. We can pat ourselves on the back and say we've emptied all our boxes already! Now, for the "so little" part. Most of our stuff is laying on the floor where it used to be in boxes. BUT, every little victory counts.
March 25, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
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Naomi announced to her dad the other night that "When I turn 13 I am going to have a baby in my belly."
March 21, 2009 in My Family, Parenthood | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
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I love to write about things I'm passionate about like teaching your children to be generous or my favorite blogs or organizations. You'll enjoy our 50 Ways for Children to Give. I care about people and hunger and poverty and disease and violence. I care about raising a generation of people who are passionate about helping others not just because it is a good thing to do but because it is commanded of us.
March 20, 2009 in My world | Permalink | Comments (40) | TrackBack (0)
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The sun has come out and it is warmer during the days. The apartment has large closets. It is pretty clean (before we got here that is). There is a great little playground for the girls. We even saw some other kids out there the other day. All of our boxes are unpacked. Some things are put away. The rest will get done at some point.
March 20, 2009 in My world | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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We found Costco yesterday. I should write about how we were apparently a 3 ring circus, or at least that is how people looked at us. Gasp! The horror, children out during the day! How does that woman do it?! In fact, I got more comments about how hard it must be than I have ever gotten in one place. Anyway...
March 19, 2009 in My Family, Parenthood | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
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Naomi turned 4 last Friday. The amazing thing is, she feels older, she acts older. She really does. She even thinks she is taller! We've been building up "four" for quite a while and it worked!
March 18, 2009 in My Family | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
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As any good story does, mine had some foreshadowing. I posted last July about what I would find absolutely necessary in a small kitchen. Well, well, well. As I mentioned, this kitchen came "furnished" with the rest of the house. Unfortunately that meant plates, bowls, cups, glasses, a tiny mixing bowl, a tiny sauce pan, a 1 quart pan, a 10 inch skillet, silverware, terrible knives, a spatula and a can opener. OH, don't forget that casserole pan and our ONE dish towel! Of course, I thought ahead and brought some of my essentials with me. So, out of my essential list I made in July, here is what I have.
March 17, 2009 in Home Sweet Home, My world, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
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We made it! We survived our day of traveling and our first day in our new city. We've had a few bumps in the road but on a whole it has been pretty smooth.
March 16, 2009 in My Family, My world, Parenthood | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
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March 13, 2009 in My Family | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
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This has been a long week of goodbyes. I hate goodbyes. I think it is wonderful that we live in a time when we never really have to say goodbye. My friends and family can all check my status updates daily and read my blog. I can talk with my grandmother on Skype and IM with my brother in Liberia. It really is amazing. So for now I'm just going to say see you later. I've enjoyed our time in Seattle and love all the amazing people I've met. We have a great church, great friends, a wonderful neighborhood. I wish we could take them all with us. So, see you, hopefully sooner than later.
March 13, 2009 in My world | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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This week's challenge for You Capture is to photograph texture. This was the most texture I could find.
And this beautiful one.
March 10, 2009 in Everything Else | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBack (0)
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Do you know anything about Burma (Myanmar)? Sadly, most people don't. Here is the short version;
Over fifty years of civil war have left Burma one of the poorest countries in the world. The military dictatorship attacks its own people, killing thousands, and leaving millions displaced.
Many in opposition are either imprisoned or killed. In most of the country there is a false peace due to the dictators' ability to control dissent, however in some ethnic areas the Regime’s army is still attacking the people. There are over 1 million internally displaced people, and over 1 million refugees who have fled the country. There is continual environmental destruction, an HIV/AIDS epidemic, the ongoing laying of landmines, human trafficking and religious persecution. Because of the Regime’s mismanagement and corruption, it’s the world’s second largest opium producer and the main producer of methamphetamines in SE Asia. Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient and leader of the democracy movement, is repeatedly put under arrest.
The Regime’s army extends their control over the ethnic minorities by building roads and camps in ethnic homelands, forcing people to relocate or flee into the jungle. There is documented forced labor and the use of rape as a weapon. The Regime’s army lays landmines to keep villagers from returning home and supporting the resistance.
For a more in depth history of Burma, read the rest of the article here. It is a really tragic, disturbing situation that gets very little press. I would dare to say most people do not know about the situation.
There is something you and your children can do to help!! Christians Concerned for Burma operates out of Thailand and, among other things, has a Good Life Club in which they bring love, healthcare, songs, games and more to the families and children on the run, hiding in jungles in Burma. You can help your children put together small supply packs. The Kid's Pack should Include these items;
- small comb and a mirror
- 1 box of children's chewable vitamins
- 2 children's toothbrushes
- 1 fingernail clipper
- 1 small toy
- 1 picture of you (or your child)
- 1 postcard from your city or state with a Bible verse
You can also put together a Mom & Baby Pack including;
- small fingernail clippers
- multi-vitamins for mom
- pediatric vitamins (not needing refrigeration)
- 2 outfits for baby, including a cap, hand mittens, shirt (NOT a onesie) and socks
- 1 teether
- 1 picture of you
- 1 postcard from your city or state with a Bible verse
The items for one pack should be put in a sturdy large ziploc bag. Put in a standard gift sized box and mark "household/ personal goods" on the customs form. **CCB notes that the box coming from the USA should not exceed 79 inches in length/width/girth** Mark the package: GLC. Mail standard airmail to:
Christians Concerned for Burma (CCB)
Box 14 Mae Jo
Chiang Mai 50290
Thailand
This would make a great family or playdate activity!!
March 10, 2009 in Education, Growing Character, The World | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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March 07, 2009 in My Family, Parenthood | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
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I haven't had any links lately, not that I haven't been reading anything. I have a few new blogs I've been reading that I think are totally worth your time to check out.
March 06, 2009 in Everything Else | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
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I know this blog has been devoid of real stories and information lately. Not that mint brownies aren't excellent, but you know what I mean. With the move, the house for sale and a house full of sickies there has been little time for blogging anything interesting. This, however, deserves a moment of my time. The following is directly from Tom Davis' blog. Tom is the director of Children's Hope Chest, an awesome NGO that works with orphaned children around the world. Please, please, please read it and respond!
We've just received confirmation from our new Uganda staff director, Joseph, that 357 children in the Rapha community are out of food and at-risk for losing their school placements (due to inability to pay school fees).
You guys have proven that you understand the dire need for food in Africa where one meal a day is considered a luxury. Just look at how quickly you responded to the February Food Drive! These children are at risk for losing THAT one meal. Currently, there is no food to feed these children.
How important is education? It keeps the older girls out of prostitution and sexual slavery. It prevents boys from becoming child soldiers and criminals. Without the school, the kids would find themselves working in the fields as child laborers, selling whatever they can find in the market, and exposing themselves to even worse exploitation.
Ask an African child--which do you need more education or food? They always pick education. "If we have food and no education, we know we're dead anyway." I take for granted my own children's education here in the U.S. In Africa, it is about life and death for kids, and right now 357 kids are staring at a desperate future. If the Rapha school folds, 357 children will face the "orphan future" of drugs, alcohol, prostitution, slavery, crime, and suicide. We can stop all of that at Rapha today and set them up for a bright future.
These children had no hope for their lives before the Rapha school started. Ruth, the founder of the school, rescued these children the first time. Pulled them from abject poverty and provided for their food and their schooling. Now, that's all at risk. I can't bear the thought of a child leaving the Rapha school and turning to prostitution or crime to survive. I can't consider the potential exploitation of hundreds of young children. And it won't happen if we respond together.
Rapha is one of several Ugandan communities that is on track for full sponsorship later this Spring. However, present circumstances are now threatening 357 children. The founder of the Rapha school and orphan community died unexpectedly in 2008. Since that time money's been tight, and the Rapha school and orphanage have been operating at a deficit. In fact, the teachers and staff at Rapha School are so committed to these children that they have been working for FREE for over 5 months (no money for teachers' salaries)! HopeChest is ready to pick up this funding for the long term--but we need a bridge to get there. It's about $50/kid that we need right now...
Right now, Children's HopeChest is sending out the call to raise emergency funds of $18,054.
Along with the 55 orphaned children that live at Rapha Village, they have a school for 251 other children (Rapha Primary School) as well as pay for schooling for another 51 children (including 6 university students). Total, they provide education and food to 357 children. Your gifts will keep the children's school fees paid and ensure Rapha has enough food to meet their need for the next few months. Also, part of your gift will be used by Children's HopeChest to build a bridge toward sponsorship in Uganda.
Just $50/kid keeps a Ugandan orphan fed and in school until CHC can activate our sponsorship program...can you help?
Please put "Rescue for Rapha" in the notes section of the giving page.
You can help Children's HopeChest build a bridge to more consistent funding through sponsorship. If this is fully funded, it will rescue Rapha from their current circumstances, and also accelerate CHC's launch in Uganda.
Katie, a Colorado woman who lives part time in Uganda, had this to say of the Rapha school: Rapha School was a forest before Ruth came along to bring education, hope, and love through a school and foster village. I have seen Rapha develop from a small papyrus school into a full primary school, farm, and foster family village. The children in Rapha community prior to Rapha school were unable to attend school and thus continue the cycle of illiteracy in thier families! Now the next generation of Rapha community kids will have a chance to succeed in life!
March 05, 2009 in The World | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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March 05, 2009 in Recipes | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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March 04, 2009 in Everything Else | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)
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Some people love all holidays. Some people don't like any of them. How do you feel about holidays? Here is where I stand.
Valentines' Day: Never cared about it. Still don't.
March 02, 2009 in Everything Else, My world | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
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