Fall 2013

Life has changed for us so much lately.  It is much calmer; hard to believe with 6 kids at home, I know.  But, we no longer have any babies, we don't foster, and life is so very different than it was 5 years ago. 

For instance; we are down to 4 trick or treaters. 

And these 4 are sooo close; they watch out for each and other and each others' best friends.  Don't get me wrong, they also fight, but they are quickly "over it" and moving onto their next adventure. 

Our 13 year old joined us for decorating pumpkins. 

And we used their pretty pumpkins to decorate our farm sign. 

We took a trip to Boyds Orchards and had a great time. 

We have had lots of bonfires.

And Tammy and I celebrated our 15 year anniversary.  We are making it "legal" in June 2014.

Happy Fall!! 

Summer 2013-our first few days

The kids got out of school on Wednesday, May 29th and it has been a whirlwind since then.  We have had a multitude of injuries, worked on many, many projects, and managed to break the kitchen sink, the washer, and the sink in the kids' bathroom. 

Here is a photo of our 2 youngest....I love this photo...they are FILTHY and it is so them....(we do bathe them but they little boys and they get dirty 5 minutes after getting out of the shower-lol).  A friend modified this photo for us a bit...she says that they look like Tom Saywer and Huck Finn here :)

The kids hadn't even been home an hour from the last day of school when our youngest son broke a glass and our youngest daughter cut her foot on it before we could even clean it up.  The next morning, our youngest son somehow got a cut between his toes and it started bleeding.

He didn't shed a tear, but when Tammy told him she wanted to take a picture of it he plopped his dirty little foot right out.  Then he put on his "fake crying" face....

Sawyer then got poison ivy...Tammy wanted me to post that picture too, but it is just gross. 

Sawyer then dropped a board on his foot when he was "building." 

He was also "helping" me paint the fence....although he painted his leg instead. 

We had our first campfire of the year and roasted marshmallows and hot dogs.

Robert read the kids a story. 

And doesn't our 13 year old daughter look thrilled to spend the summer with her younger siblings???

The kids have eaten LOTS of popsicles.....

We have spent lots of time with our goats....

This is a photo of our 2 "adult" boys; Eddie and Romeo. 

Jack insists on running on our pallet walkway and got his knee....

(no fake crying this time)


We have spent lots of time on and around our big front porch. 

All I can say is THANK GOD I get to go to work and my girl stays at home with them...I love them all so dearly but there is no way that I could do it 24/7. 

Here is a photo of her that I took yesterday in her "look" that I love the most.

Next blog will likely be of the many, many projects that we have in progress. 

Happy Summer!!!!

Life with a 3 year old boy

Life with a three old boy is never dull...Yesterday ours decided that instead of continually asking for popsicles he would just go get the box and hide them all over the house so that he could eat them whenever her wants.  Great 3 year old logic....we have already found 2 melted popsicles under the couch. 


Three year old boys never stop moving..unless they are asleep and then they crash and waking them is quite a feat.  Three year old boys don't like to take showers or baths and they like to play in the mud.  They are extremists and are either throwing fits or they are just as loving as a person can possibly be. 

My 3 year old boy is the baby of our very large family.  He is a true clown.  He makes us all laugh and has a big smile on his face 95% of the time.  I love him with every inch of my soul.  Tammy brought him to me when he was 3 weeks old.  He was supposed to be with us in foster placement "for a few months" and we adopted him 15 months later. 

He opened my heart. 

Health

What is health?  Physical, mental, emotional, financial??  I think that it is a combination of all of the above.  The changes in our lives of late have merged to make us much healthier people.  I never thought that moving to a farm and beginning to produce our own food would lead to my explosion into the healthy way of living but it has. 

I have always been a reader; and the more I read about junk food, GMO's, etc., the more frightened and disgusted I become.  I have been on a weight-loss/health journey for about 3 years now; and it fits well into homesteading.  Over the last 3 years I have lost about 70 pounds; and still have plenty more to go.  I am making changes to switch over to clean eating; and I have become a runner...I still can't believe that.  Couch to 5K has become my friend and I love it more every single day.  I have had some great motivators in my journey; my family, my partner, my best friend in the world, and "Girls Gone Healthy" (FB page and blog).  It is an awesome site that is full of realistic advice of the ins and outs of changing a person's life; for the better. 

Controlling what you eat is a lot easier when you make and grow your own food.  Therefore, we grow and eat a lot of vegetables and make most everything from scratch.  This way of eating and cooking is a lot less expensive as well.  Does it take a lot more time?  Ummm...yes....but I think that it is very well worth it.  My family just looks healthier all of the way around. 

I have missed blogging...happy to be back :)




70 pounds and counting

Half Hippie/Half Redneck

I have always felt like a bit of a square peg; never really "fitting in" anywhere.  We don't fit in here in Kentucky but we didn't really feel like we were made to live in Albuquerque either.  As a teenager, not fitting in is disastrous, but the older I get, the less I care.  I am about as liberal as a person can be.  I am gay, I am a social worker, and adoptive parent of (many) children who have special needs, and a first-generation college student who would not have been able to pursue a post-secondary education without the help of student loans.  How could I not be a democrat?  I love Obama.  I love the Clinton's.  They represent so much of what is so close to my heart. 

However, I was raised in the South and that is such a big part of me.  One of the best things about moving back home has been getting my drawl back :)  I love living in the country, I love my garden, my chickens, my goats, and my bees.  I love that living here; you can put about anything in the ground and it grows because of this crazy humidity. 

Do I believe in gun control?  Absolutely.  Do I think that people should be able to own guns?  Absolutely.  Do I think that common citizens who have had no training should own assault rifles?.....umm....no.  To be very honest, I hate guns.  I can't stand the look of them and I can't stand the sound of gunshot.  I never liked them, but after my brother died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, my hatred for them grew.  I can't stand violence..of any kind.  I cannot believe that in this day and age, this is how society is still attempting to mediate conflict.  However, my oldest son wants to be a Marine and I am 100% supportive of him in regard to attempting to reach this goal. 

I do my best to take care of my family; financially and otherwise.  In some ways we are far from traditional, but we also run a lot like every other family does.  Parenting is the hardest thing that I have ever done; but I give it my best.  The kids were a large reason that we decided to move back to Kentucky from New Mexico.  We wanted them to be close to their extended family; and my family is right here and Tammy's is a short drive away now; rather than the 30 hour drive from Albuquerque. 

I try to be healthier every day.  I have struggled with my weight all of my life; but I am down 49 pounds and I could not be happier.  It is truly a lifestyle change and although I still have a long way to go, the difference in the way that I feel is incredible. I try to make life healthy for my kids.  I cook more and more from scratch and we are growing and producing more of our own food on our farm every day. 

I will close with......I truly don't care what anyone else does as long as they don't hurt anyone else. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and their own beliefs. However, I will never understand how one person (or human-as my 4 year says) thinks that they are superior to anyone else due to the color of their skin, their income level, their occupation, their education level, or their "lifestyle."  I think that you should treat people the way that you want to be treated.  And that is definitely the hippie in me. 

In this house...Barbie always dumps Ken for GI Joe

Our lives have been incredibly insane lately.  The kids returned to school, we have had activity after activity after activity....blah blah blah.....and sometimes you just need a change of pace.

So, we started a new tradition at our house today.  The kids "drew names" among themselves and then we took them shopping to buy gifts for the person who they picked.  We all had a great day and they really took the time to find a great gift for their person. 

We also went to lunch today WITHOUT a diaper bag (first time in many, many years), did not have to ask for a high chair, and only had one drink spilled at the table.  They were all so incredibly well-behaved.  This Santa stuff really works.

"Santa" also did a little shopping today, and we were looking at Barbies, which are often paired with Ken in the packages these days.  Well, at our house, Ken never makes it out of the toy box and GI Joe always takes his place.  Love it.  And love these kids...sometimes I need days like today to remind me just how much. 

Pay it Forward

Treat people the way that you want to be treated.  I wish I knew how many times that I had said this over the last 10 years during this time that we have been parents.  I have been following Harvest Moon Farm on FB and when I saw the tragic event that occurred with their goats; I knew that we had the ability to fill a need and help them out by offering one of our goats.  The kids are excited that we are able to help another farm. 

I haven't blogged since July...just couldn't find the motivation.  I don't know why.  But I think it is back. 

We have made some changes since the last time that I blogged.  The biggest change; the kids returned to "regular" school.  I think that there are both positives and negatives to this decision, and I will probably blog on my many, many feelings about this subject at another time. 

Pay it forward!!