Intermission

I'm still here and still neglecting the blog. I've not picked up my computer for well over a week and barely at all the past month. I've not read all the blogs I love for weeks. And pretty much have neglected to do much of anything on the internet. It's been a nice and much needed break. We traveled to Florida to see hub's family early November and had a wonderful time. It included lots of rest & relaxation and was enjoyed by all. Shortly after that trip we headed back to the hoosier state to see family for thanksgiving and attend my cousin's wedding. On the way back home we popped up our camper in a rest area to sleep (first time for that and it was a complete success). And since our return we've kicked homeschooling into high gear thanks to some serious slacking on my part. However, C is doing fabulous and we'll be able to tackle first grade in no time. He's doing a great job reading and is loving math. And I've even been surprised by how much I'm enjoying spending the time teaching him. It's been a lot of fun and I have all sorts of ideas for the younger two. I've found a peace with motherhood and it feels good. Bad moments still come and go but that's to be expected. I'm enjoying my role and trying my best to cherish these moments with the boys before time gets away from me.

It's always a struggle for me to share some of my more intimate thoughts on my blog. In person, I'm an open book. So much in fact I probably make people uncomfortable. But writing about adoption, attachment, Ethiopia, depths of motherhood, my lovable Nater, poverty, abuse, etc is so difficult for me. It seems too personal and private to share via the web. But maybe one day the walls will come crumbling down and the words will flow...

Happy Halloween

Love

Boy Bliss

The three boys have been playing in the dirt in one of my garden beds on and off today for at least 3 hours. I'm going to do my best to start letting this be an every other day kind of thing. They are driving dump trucks, making roads, digging for bugs and playing awesome together. Operation BOYS GET DIRTY (relax mom) has begun :-)

My little campers

The boys & I headed out a couple weekends ago for a camping trip since hubs had his annual business trip to Chicago. We went to a small state park (one of the few in Oklahoma that weren't under a burn ban) and parked the camper at the site right next to the playground for convenience. We had rain all Friday afternoon into the night unfortunately but the rest of the weekend was beautiful. Friday the boys hunkered down with a movie (while I sat everything up), we played board games and started a puzzle. That night after tucking them in I stayed up to finish the puzzle and had the shit scared out of me by raccoons. Yes RACCOONS! They were messing with the bikes, under my camper, on my step and it resulted in me wanting to pack up and leave at 10:00 p.m. thinking an actual person was trying to scare me (can we say paranoid?). Thankfully a neighbor camper (one of only 2 in the whole campground) eased my fears and I was able to fall asleep.

The next day was much better and started with hot cocoa! We did a morning fire, had s'mores, played at the park, rode bikes, went down to the lake multiple times and enjoyed the sunset. Bedtime went much smoother and we slept to the sounds of pouring rain and thunder. Sunday was even better (I finally felt like I was getting into the groove of things) and we had a beautiful day including a picnic down by the lake, more trails and tag at the park. I'm a lucky mama to have these three boys in my life. Hubs was missed but he'll join us next time. Here are pictures of our fun and yes L & B are wearing their boxers in some of the pics (it was near bedtime).

5 for 5 - join us!

Guest Blogger: Sarah Lenssen from #Ask5for5

Family photos by Mike Fiechtner Photography



Thank you Chandra and nearly 150 other bloggers from around the world for allowing me to share a story with you today, during Social Media Week.



A hungry child in East Africa can't wait. Her hunger consumes her while we decide if we'll respond and save her life. In Somalia, children are stumbling along for days, even weeks, on dangerous roads and with empty stomachs in search of food and water. Their crops failed for the third year in a row. All their animals died. They lost everything. Thousands are dying along the road before they find help in refugee camps. 



At my house, when my three children are hungry, they wait minutes for food, maybe an hour if dinner is approaching. Children affected by the food crisis in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia aren't so lucky. Did you know that the worst drought in 60 years is ravaging whole countries right now, as you read this? Famine, a term not used lightly, has been declared in Somalia. This is the world's first famine in 20 years.12.4 million people are in need of emergency assistance and over 29,000 children have died in the last three months alone. A child is dying every 5 minutes. It it estimated that 750,000 people could die before this famine is over. Take a moment and let that settle in.



The media plays a major role in disasters. They have the power to draw the attention of society to respond--or not. Unfortunately, this horrific disaster has become merely a footnote in most national media outlets. News of the U.S. national debt squabble and the latest celebrity's baby bump dominate headlines. That is why I am thrilled that nearly 150 bloggers from all over the world are joining together today to use the power of social media to make their own headlines; to share the urgent need of the almost forgotten with their blog readers. Humans have the capacity to care deeply for those who are suffering, but in a situation like this when the numbers are too huge to grasp and the people so far away, we often feel like the little we can do will be a drop in the ocean, and don't do anything at all.

When news of the famine first hit the news in late July, I selfishly avoided it. I didn't want to read about it or hear about it because I knew I would feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable. I wanted to protect myself. I knew I would need to do something if I knew what was really happening. You see, this food crisis is personal. I have a 4-year-old son and a 1 yr-old daughter who were adopted from Ethiopia and born in regions now affected by the drought. If my children still lived in their home villages, they would be two of the 12.4 million. My children: extremely hungry and malnourished? Gulp. I think any one of us would do anything we could for our hungry child. But would you do something for another mother's hungry child?

My friend and World Vision staffer, Jon Warren, was recently in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya--the largest refugee camp in the world with over 400,000 people. He told me the story of Isnino Siyat, 22, a mother who walked for 10 days and nights with her husband, 1 yr-old-baby, Suleiman, and 4 yr.-old son Adan Hussein, fleeing the drought in Somalia. When she arrived at Dadaab, she built the family a shelter with borrowed materials while carrying her baby on her back. Even her dress is borrowed. As she sat in the shelter on her second night in camp she told Jon, "I left because of hunger. It is a very horrible drought which finished both our livestock and our farm." The family lost their 5 cows and 10 goats one by one over 3 months, as grazing lands dried up. "We don't have enough food now...our food is finished. I am really worried about the future of my children and myself if the situation continues."

Will you help a child like Baby Suleiman? Ask5for5 is a dream built upon the belief that you will.



That something I knew I would need to do became a campaign called #Ask5for5 to raise awareness and funds for famine and drought victims. The concept is simple, give $5 and ask five of your friends to give $5, and then they each ask five of their friends to give $5 and so on--in nine generations of 5x5x5...we could raise $2.4 Million! In one month, over 750 people have donated over $25,000! I set up a fundraiser at See Your Impact and 100% of the funds will go to World Vision, an organization that has been fighting hunger in the Horn of Africa for decades and will continue long after this famine has ended. Donations can multiply up to 5 times in impact by government grants to
help provide emergency food, clean water, agricultural support,
healthcare, and other vital assistance to children and families suffering in the Horn.



I need you to help me save lives. It's so so simple; here's what you need to do:

1. Donate $5 or more on this page (http://seeyourimpact.org/members/ask5for5)


2. Send an email to your friends and ask them to join us.


3. Share #Ask5for5 on Facebook and Twitter!

I'm looking for another 100 bloggers to share this post on their blogs throughout Social Media Week. Email me at ask5for5@gmail.com if you're interested in participating this week.



A hungry child doesn't wait. She doesn't wait for us to finish the other things on our to-do list, or get to it next month when we might have a little more money to give. She doesn't wait for us to decide if she's important enough to deserve a response. She will only wait as long as her weakened little body will hold on...please respond now and help save her life. Ask 5 for 5.



Thank you on behalf of all of those who will be helped--you are saving lives and changing history.





p.s. Please don't move on to the next website before you donate and email your friends right now. It only takes 5 minutes and just $5, and if you're life is busy like mine, you probably won't get back to it later. Let's not be a generation that ignores hundreds of thousands of starving people, instead let's leave a legacy of compassion. You have the opportunity to save a life today!

 

Further Proof

While I'm a complete extrovert, an even bigger side of me is a homebody. I have no problem being cooped up inside the house all week with the exception of taking the boys outdoors. Parks, playgrounds, trails, backyard - all of them can draw me out of the house. Otherwise - fugetaboutit. I actually have joined homeschool groups so I will intentionally get out of the house for the boys and allow them to get interaction. We have plenty of playdates and while I never regret any of them, leading up to the actual event I dread it. I don't know if it's getting three kids ready, having to shower/brush my teeth & look presentable or something a psychologist could diagnose but I'm a wimp out leaving the home. I suppose I should rule out my kids because I even despise shopping of any kind, running errands, etc. Take for example, my HAIR. I've needed a cut for well over three months. And finally I called a couple of cheap salons to find out about walk-ins. But I was still to lazy to leave the house. So last night I got out of the shower, grabbed some scissors and told hubby to cut as straight of a line as he could 2 or 3 inches up. He looked at me like I was crazy and said something about having never cut hair and he wasn't really comfortable doing it. I told him there is no way it could look worse and don't sweat it. So he cut. Then I looked in the mirror, divided my hair on each side and cut off another inch or so. It's just above my shoulders and I could be happier. The layers need worked on but at least the overall length looks healthier. I'm considering saving a few bucks and you tubing 'how to cut layers' and finish it off myself. Crazy? Maybe I am. But a penny saved is a penny earned right? So tell me readers, is something wrong with me. Or are there some homebodies among you?

Slacker

My heart is not in my blog these days. I don't miss it. I forget I have it most of the time and I've had plenty I'd rather do then blog as of late. But I'm still here. We had a busy August that included a trip to Tennessee to meet up with my parents and all of my siblings (except one who was dearly missed) and their families. It was lovely and my time with them is always cherished. It was also the HOTTEST summer in Oklahoma's history which made for some serious cranky mother moments and plenty of mom fails. Thank goodness September started with beautiful temps and the boys and I have already started planning fall camping trips (first one this weekend). I also headed back to Indiana solo for Labor Day weekend for the annual camping trip with my moms family. They are awesome and I'm so thankful for the relationship I have with my aunts & uncles and all of my cousins, etc. Lucky us! I took not a single picture. I was too busy soaking in three days without kids. I'm not going to lie, it's just what I need to cleanse my soul. Since my return I've been such a better mother and I'm determined to have a lovely fall with the boys. So far, so good! We've been hitting up the parks, playing outside and this weekend we are heading out for campfires and s'mores. I can't wait! Happy (almost) FALL! Summer, you will not be missed.

Ask 5 for 5 - Please Help!

Sarah is a near & dear friend of mine that I've known for over three years. She is guest blogging today and has something very important to share with all my readers. I recently met Sarah in Colorado along with several other adoptive moms. I'm so honored to be able to call her my friend. She has a heart of gold and I'm so excited she has made this happen. So far she's raised over $10,000 for Ethiopia and counting. Let's make it $50,000. Thank YOU all.

guest blogger: Sarah Lenssen from Ask5for5
photos courtesy of Cate Turton / Dept. for International Development


First, thanks to Chandra for allowing me to post on her blog today! Today, more than 25 bloggers, including this one, are standing with me to Ask 5 for 5 for Africa. Here's why....

I began pursuing a BIG dream two weeks ago. After deciding I could no longer avoid the news about the famine in the horn of Africa, I had that gut feeling that I couldn't sit this one out. I HAD to do something because I could. Something bigger than I could do alone. That's when #Ask5for5 was born.



Two of my children, Ashen and Bereket, were adopted and are from the region affected by the drought in Ethiopia. They would be two of the statistics if they still lived there. I see my son’s and daughter’s faces in the photos of those suffering in the refugee camps. It could have been him. It could have been her. The thought haunts me.

And moms just like us are watching their children go hungry day after day. I can't imagine what it's like, but I have to –I have to be there to help them, because it could have been my children. These families have lost their livestock, their crops, food prices are inflated at the market if there any food there, and don’t have any more lifelines to tap into. Many are traveling hundreds of miles through parched land in hope of finding help. Many are dying along the way. It is estimated that 29,000 children have died in the last 90 days in the famine in Somalia alone.



But I KNOW we can do something about it. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed, we can rally ourselves and our friends to respond! I set up a fundraiser through See Your Impact. 100% of your gift will go to the relief and development organization World Vision, where it will be combined with government grants to multiply up to 5 times in impact!

You’ll receive updates on just how your funding is being used to help save lives affected by famine in East Africa. I'm amazed at how much we've raised already -- over $7,000 in just four days! We blew through our first 3 goals in just 3 days and are well on our way to $10,000 and beyond!

I need you to help me save lives. It's so so simple; here's what you need to do:

1. Donate $5 or more on this page (http://seeyourimpact.org/members/ask5for5)


2. Send an email to your friends and ask them to join us.


3. Share Ask5for5 on Facebook and Twitter, and join our page to stay updated too!

I'm also looking for 100 bloggers to stand with Ask5for5 to spread the word during Social Media week, September 19th - 23rd. If you're interested, email me, ask5for5@gmail.com.

Thanks! Please donate and email your friends right now--don't wait for a calmer moment, because if you're like me, other demands inevitably crop up and you won't get to it. A child's life hangs in the balance, but you can help save her!

Life

I love the ordinary days when everything feels right. We are getting our first hard rain in months. The house is dark with the exception of the bolts of lightening shining in through the windows. Rain is pelleting the windows with a constant rumble of thunder in the background. It was a half productive, half lazy kind of day. Right now hubs is finishing clearing out his old office since he's officially moved into the new space over the garage (with most of the credit going to him in building it). And I'm doing laundry, dreaming up decorating ideas and loving this thunderstorm. We've almost hit a new record of days over 100 degrees with 44 days thus far (the record is 50 days) and I can't tell you how refreshing a dark, rainy, stormy night is after all the HOT, sunny days we've endured.

Tonight I'm thankful for 3 healthy boys, a roof over our heads, reliable vehicles, air conditioning, an endless supply of food, clean water, hot water, my wonderful husband and our supportive extended family. Along with so many other items in our life that keep us cozy. Life is good.

Camping @ Lake Michigan

Highlights of the trip (for my lousy memory)
-replaying memories the entire trip of camping at lake michigan as a child with all my siblings (we loved the huge waves and playing in the dunes)
-camping among the pines
-the views
-watching my boys play with their cousins
-listening to the constant laughter as the boys ate dinner each night with their cousins
-letting the boys get extremely dirty every day
-hanging out with my parents, sisters, nephews, niece and kids for five days without interruption
-playing in the waves
-riding my bike through the campgrounds
-relaxing

Not so great moments
-one child peeing the bed
-drinking out of a cup (I thought had previously held beer) that my son had peed in that morning
-mosquitos
-PMSing followed by *you know what* (sorry, I have to mention it or my blog would not be showing it's true colors)

Good times at the farm!

My little cowboy...

(and the aunt that dressed him up).

Procrastination

I have 2 online exams (read LONG essays), another multiple choice exam and a three page paper due by tomorrow night and I'm doing everything in my power to procrastinate. Why? I have no idea. I'm designed this way. Any time I have stuff I should be doing I find other things to occupy my time. Take now for example. I'm actually writing up a blog posts just so I don't know to start on my work. A blog post that is long overdue but I've had too much other crap going on to even care about the blog. Hubs & I headed back to the hoosier state to visit our families. We headed back for a couple family reunions and in addition to that I was able to spend a night up in Michigan visiting my little sister for a night and we spent multiple hours lounging around at his parents farm. He flew back after one week but the kids and I headed up to Lake Michigan to camp with my parents and sister & her kids. It was wonderful! Other than all the awful frizzies that formed a halo over my head thanks to the humidity. I'm burnt out on all the ridiculous temps in Oklahoma but I do NOT miss humidity. I forgot how suffocating it is to breath outside in that stuff. And how awful my hair looks in it. This whole time I've been growing my hair out I've been wondering why I like it so much more this time around and while visiting Indiana that question was quickly answered. Say it with me - HUMIDITY!

Also included in the trip was a fun evening at a baseball stadium with my folks and some siblings and it ended with huge grins on the boys' faces while they watched the fireworks. Conner declared it "best 4th of July ever" even though it wasn't actually July 4th. Lake Michigan was beautiful. It brought back so many memories from childhood and all the trips we made up there to camp at the state parks near or on the lake. And the day I saw the red flag I squealed like a kid and sprinted to the water. At one point I had Biruk in one arm and Landon the other as the waves crashed into us. All in all it was a great trip. But after 17 days away from home we were all happy to crawl into our beds last night. And 8 days away from their dad was too much from all of us. Hubs kept all my plants alive and had a clean house waiting for us. It's good to be home!

Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful to have met all of these wonderful women this past weekend. Many thanks to all of you ladies for the laughter, late night chats, stories, love and to Cathy for the delicious food and beautiful accomodations. Much love!

Taking Chances

I've mentioned it before but I can't stress enough how important and critical the blogosphere world has been for me as a mother. I often wonder how my own mother survived raising 11 children when long distance calls were crazy expensive and her form of mantaining contact with her family was through writing letters and the few trips a year we visited with them. She didn't have a large network of women that she had as a source of comfort and companionship. She survived but I'm not sure I would have weathered as well as she has. I need my blogger friends (or my fake friends as hubby likes to tease). And the beautiful part is that we talk on the phone, send emails to each other and the most exciting thing of all - MEET IN PERSON! In four days I board a plane to meet a large group of women for a blogaramagaga and I can hardly stand the wait. Some of these women I connected with nearly four years ago. And finally, we meet in person!

But the fun doesn't stop there. Thanks to a series of events I had the pleasure of meeting this amazing woman along with her adorable & lovable son last night. Even though we had just recently started following each others blogs we took a gamble and within in less than 15 minutes of meeting in person, we knew we'd made the right choice! In the next hour I convinced her to stay the night. The boys had a great time together, conversation was shared over dinner, beverages were had and the talking never stopped. We wrapped up the night outside, under the stars until 2 a.m. chatting about everything & more. Honest words were spoken, our guards were down, laughter was shared and I now have gained one more beauitful (inside & out) friend from this wonderful world of blogging. note: I'm squatting down in the second photo because I felt like a giant next to her tiny, petite, adorable frame :)