We have a fingerprint appointment!!

YAY! We go Tuesday morning Sept 4th to get fingerprinted, yet again! I think this makes 4 times so far in this process for me? Perhaps 5?

Now we're still waiting on that Letter of Acceptance or Referral Approval (LOA or RA). Some people from our agency got theirs this past week who had Letter of Intents near ours. However, they had already been through review with the CCAA. We have not. So, we are still waiting. The "average" I have heard is 60-90 days for those who have not been through review. Today, Saturday, is day 57. We're getting closer.

I really should fill out that Travel Packet information to get our Visas, tell them our preferences for flights, and other such information that is necessary to getting us to China and back. I am actually amazed at how much coordination goes into our travel to pick up Katie. I am also shocked at how much I still have left on my to-do list regarding packing for this trip.

Katie's clothes are picked out, and the carseat is bought.

I still need to finish her room. I need to purchase gifts for the people in China we will need to give thank you gifts to. I need to find powdered form of Gerber Liquilytes. I need to get our homestudy addendum done. I need to get the forms back from the doctor. I need to...

At least we know they got it!

Our fingerprints have expired, so we asked USCIS to issue us new appointments to get them updated. It's been 3 weeks since we sent it to them, and we got a note today saying they got it.

Now we need that appointment. It would be nice to have it done sooner rather than later as we can not leave without it being done. Absolutely can not leave.

Guess what I get to do tomorrow?

I'm getting a pedicure! :) My very very first one, and it's all thanks to JM's baseball team (I was team Mom and the wonderful ladies on the team got me a gift certificate). It is enough that I'm treating one of my best friends to a pedicure with me. I mean, what's the fun in going all alone?

After that I'm meeting Dh for lunch. Just us two. It'll be just like a date! I have no idea where we are going eat, but I'm vetoing places with light up drive through signs. We might end up somewhere with a light up sign (on the inside) but it's a yummy fast food Asian place. Mmmm....Vietnamese Crunchy Noodle Bowl! :)

That is of course if I can wait that long. We really need to go grocery shopping (well I do), and there really isn't much left to eat here. Although, I think I have enough for a "veggies" night. I do have soup mixes, but for some reason I'm thinking soup on a day that it has been 101 in the shade just doesn't sound appetizing. Eating out *might* work if I can take a look at our budget envelopes for eating out and entertainment. I might still have some money there.

Math Helpline

Okay, I think I will not show my boys this. I can only imagine that they would get ideas I would rather they not have.

1st soccer game and day of school!

He was so excited to get to play his first game in a uniform! He loved it.


My how big they have gotten!




In his classroom, doesn't he look oh so proud. I asked him if he was nervous, and he replied, "Not really. No I'm not nervous. I'm okay Mom." I then asked if he was ready for me to go. "Yeah Mom, I'm good. You can go now."

It's been a year.

Can you believe that it's been a year since we were DTC? 1 year ago today all of our hopes and dreams were sent to China via FedEx. I wonder if FedEx knows what they are holding in their hands when they get these packages?

It's hard to think that Katie was a brand new little baby when we sent our dossier to China.

We've been "in process" now for 1 year and 9 months. We hope to have completed the adoption by the time we hit our 2 year anniversary of applying to the agency. LOL

I don't like that ticker

Why? I feel like its wrong when it's not. I've been waiting 7 weeks. 6/29/07 was on a Friday.

However, in all reality, I have been waiting 1 month, 1 week and 6 days as of Saturday. Why? Because 7/29/07 was on a Sunday.

Grrr....I want one that counts days. Pure days.

I'm old, and I kept forgetting

LOL Forgive me that ticker, I just kept forgetting how many days it had been. Okay, this isn't quite what I had in mind as it gives month, weeks, days, but it will suffice for now. ;)

100 Good Wishes quilt

I would like to make one for Katie. *okay you can ALL stop laughing now* It's a wonderful tradition from Northern China I believe (yes I know she's from Southern China). People give you 100 10x10 inch square pieces of fabric (either something they have bought, or something that has an important meaning to them). They also put a piece of that fabric on a card/paper with a wish for the child.

So, if you are family or friends and would like to help me out on this, I would appreciate it! :) I figure, at the very worst I can finish it for Katie's firstborn child.

It's good to have a goal. Right?

Honestly, if I end up with less 100, I'm good with that. I would like for her to have at least a doll cradle size quilt though. Thanks to my friend Carla, I already have 2 squares! I'm hoping that my other bloggy friend Carla will send me some as well. Don't you love the internet where you can find people who are adopting, who share the same name as you?

Katie's name meaning!!

Okay, I know you all have been just dying of curiousity about Katie's name. What does it mean? Well, I finally got someone to translate it for me other than the basic symbol translation.

Xiao Lan means "Morning Orchid"

Katelyn means "pure"

So, pure morning orchid. See, you were just wondering and staying up all night wondering, right?

High School memories, so be forewarned!

1. Who was your best friend? I had a few, but Sarah was probably my best. Although Beth was a pretty good one as well (still is actually). But then again, Carrie was sweet and we sure did get along great in college. Yet, Suzanne and I probably hold the longest friendship record...okay she probably holds that with Shannon but I definitely think she is my longest running friend. I mean, we met at swimming lessons...when we were 5 or something!

2. Did you play any sports? In high school? Not a chance. I learned my lesson in softball as a child.

3. What kind of car did you drive? Oh I was the ENVY of all my friends. I drove a nice 1988 silver Mercury Sable. Yeah, I was something alright. My parents felt like it was a SAFE care. I guess since I totaled it my senior year of high school, it was. Never knew going 35 and rear ending someone could do that much damage! LOL It was replaced by a nice safe 1988 silver Ford Taurus. We're consistent that way.

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you? Football season, I was at the game wherever it might be. Sitting in the stand, either sweating or freezing depending on the time of year in my nice oh so lovely band uniform. Yes. All 4 years of high school.

5. Were you a party animal? Depends on what you consider a party animal. LOL I was a band geek. I partied with the band geeks. Guess that answers THAT question now doesn't it. ;)

6. Were you considered a flirt? I have no clue. I had boyfriends, and lots of friends that were boys. I know I knew how to flirt, but was I flirt? Probably, but I didn't think I was then.

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir? Yes, as I answered above. I'm a band geek. Choir? Let's just say that my children tell to please be quiet and leave my singing ability out of the conversation!

8. Were you a nerd? Hmmm...I didn't think I was. Perhaps I should ask those friends listed above? I did graduate 2nd in the class...yeah, I guess that seals THAT. Further evidence? I think I joined just about everything I could, and was on all those lovely academic teams. LOL Just might have been a bit of nerd I guess...didn't think I was though at the time.

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled? Oh heavens no. *giggle* I was beloved by all (the teachers that is). I remember this ONE time getting sent to the principals office (yes one time in ALL my years as a student) and the principal looked at me and asked me what I was doing there. I told him. I yelled at a fellow student because he was driving me CRAZY asking to see how I worked a Calculus problem (remember that nerd thing...does getting almost 100's in Calculus make one a nerd?). Mr. Principal sent me back to the room without any punishment. I think the boy I yelled at got detention.

10. Can you sing the fight song? I do not think it has words. I can hum it VERY well. Well, honestly, I can hum the drum part, then the trumpet part that comes in...and then I might start getting confused on what the "melody" is and hum the mellophone part that I played for 6 years (our middle school band had to learn it to play at a few middle school functions).

11. Who was your favorite teacher? Oh, now, see, the "beloved by all teachers" part makes this one tough! My band teacher would probably be my favorite. Although those years of "One more time through, then circle up!" could do me in. Or, perhaps, Geometry and Algebra 2 teacher...she was really sweet. My latin teacher was always great fun. The "dreaded" Senior English teacher though, I did like her. I still say she was "misunderstood by all." OH, Mr. V....and Shakespear Studies for zero period (oooh...there's evidence I'm a nerd again, I voluntarily took EXTRA classes starting at the unseemly hour of 7:30am). Mr. S (Junior English) was pretty cool, he was also Prom Committee advisor (yeah did that too).

12. What was your school mascot? OH this one is good! A BLUE and ORANGE yellowjacket. Yeah...made sense to us then too. LOL


13. Did you go to the Prom? Oh yes. All 4 years. (hmm...could that be "flirt" answer as well?). OKay, one year, my Sophomore year I was on Prom Committee and helped "serve" and "take up tickets" and such. I even wore a matching dress with 5-7 other girls (Beth of best friend forever above did it with me).

14. If you could go back, would you? Are you KIDDING? Heck no! Now, college...I might be persuaded to go back to college when I met Dh. :)

15. What do you remember most about graduation? Big things shake to the top, little things go to the bottom. If you are going to do something, do it BIG. You want to be on top.

It's a toss up between that and the knowledge that our wacky school had Class President and Vice President give speeches instead of Valedictorian and Salutatorian (which meant I was off the hook!!!)

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day? I'm not sure if we had one. I didn't skip, and yeah, that does give more weight to the "nerd factor" does it not?

17. Did you have a job your senior year? I wasn't allowed to work during the school year. Something about maintaining my grades. I did work at a grocery store the summer before though. :) Before scanners...I had to *gasp* type in the price for EACH item bought.


18. Where did you go most often for lunch? Since we had to stay at the school, I typically ended up eating with my friends in the band room. Yeah...that nerd/band geek thing again. I tell you, I was a PARTY animal. LOL

19. Have you gained weight since then? Why yes I have! I now weigh a whopping 12 pounds more...or maybe 15-20. I can still wear the same hideous clothes if so desired.

20. What did you do after graduation? Went to college, met Dh, got married, had a baby, THEN graduated from college. :)

21. What year did you graduate? Isn't this one of those "security questions" I had to answer somewhere? Let's say it's been long enough for me to laugh at myself there.

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date? Senior Prom? Um...Tab. That was his name. LOL

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion? No I did not. It was only a catered dinner at a hotel not in the same small town we grew up in. It was $125 for 2 people for dinner. I had 2 YOUNG children, I was a SAHM, and well...for $125 I was not going to eat crappy catered food. Evidently others felt the same way. Only about 30-50 people showed up (that's including spouses).

For our 15 year? We're over-throwing the "rulers" and planning our own! (the class president plans)

Just a Little Test

This is just a test of the emergency email posting. I need to make sure
this works before we go to China as I would really hate to not be able
to post things to the blog! :) I'm helping someone from our agency out
to see what happens, so don't get excited...we're not close to traveling
YET!

Still hoping for October/November....would love Sept but it's highly
unlikely. Heck, I would LOVE August, but I really doubt that one occurs!

I had a surprise in the mail!

I got a package from our agency that had travel information in it! OMG it seems so real now. The package contained such wonderful tidbits of information as how much cash to bring, what documents we needed before we traveled, info on when different payments were due, sample itineraries, recommendations on what to pack, and other interesting things.

One item of note was "luggage weight limits" for our travel. On the international portion of the trip we're allowed 50-70 pounds PER bag checked. On the in-country flights in China we are allowed 2 bags per person checked with a combined weight of 44 pounds.

Did you REALLY catch that? We can only bring luggage with a TOTAL weight of 88 pounds for 3 of us (Katie won't have a seat on in-country flights). To give you an idea of how I pack, on our trip to Disney World for 4 people and 7-8 days, our luggage weighed around 150 pounds total.

88 pounds.

I do believe we'll be paying that extra fee for over-weight luggage. LOL

27 days of waiting

We've now been waiting for Katie's RA/LOA for 27 days. It seems like it is so much longer!!!

Because we are going SN now, we have a few things to "paperchase" now. First up is we need to be re-fingerprinted (you know because the first set of prints expired...hmmm...). Then we have to update medicals for a renewal of the 171h form (just in case we do not travel before Jan 31, 2008...at which point you will probably be visiting me in a special home). We also need to have a homestudy addendum covering us for a SN child before we travel. Our homestudy agency is waiting to do this until after we get RA/LOA because if it takes until December to get RA/LOA then we will just have to do a homestudy renewal for expiration. If it comes before then, we just have to do the addendum.

What's the difference? Not much, except in the eyes of the USCIS people and how much it will cost us in the end.

4 weeks down. I would guess around 60 more days to go (or 8 more weeks). I hope that the next 4 weeks go by as quickly as these have gone.

They did it!

JM came in 3rd place in forms (out of 5). He did really good, except he turned the wrong way when he started. But he kept on going, stayed focused, and finished it!

Samuel came in 2nd place in forms (out of 5). He did Kihon Kata Ich after all, and did GREAT! The only thing he missed was yelling at appropriate times. :) *sniff* He looked so cute.

In sparring, Samuel came in 2nd place (out of 2). LOL He didn't get any points, but he sure did have a GREAT time.

JM, in sparring, did not place. He *almost* beat the 1st place person, and if he'd kicked just a TAD lower, he would have. He kicked the chin/neck area, so it didn't count. Glad the other kid was NOT hurt. He did really awesome at not getting upset or frustrated. He knows what he needs to do for the next tournament.

Overall, it was quite a fun morning. Watching the older kids and Sensei do their forms and sparring was really neat (and I hope motivating for my boys). I told Dh, that I am excited that Katie will get a chance to learn Karate. I think it will really help her....like when she goes off to college as a black belt...LOL I won't worry so much about those boys bothering her! Seriously, I've loved seeing how confident the boys have gotten with it, how respectful (well sometimes), and how focused they are with it.

Then...any guesses as to WHERE I went next?!

Harry Potter book 7 is in the house!!!!! LOL I'm resisting reading it though, because the yard needed mowed and the flowerbed needed weeded...the house needs cleaned. I have work stuff I need to do. I have clothes to tag for the consignment sale. I do not have much time to sit...and read all of HP7 today. Tonight? Yes. I probably will be VERY sleepy for Early worship in the morning, but I"ll know if Harry lived or died...and what happens!

Tomorrow we do something new...

The boys are going to their first ever Karate tournament, where Samuel is sure to be the youngest one there...and sparring.

I may not survive.

However, both are also entered into the forms competition. This means that both must get up, in front of judges, announce themselves, the do their Kata...by themselves...in front of people. JM is ready (and eager), Samuel on the other hand, is well, a little more timid.

We've been practicing, and he's no longer whispering his introduction to us. I'm not so sure he will speak loud enough for someone to hear right next to him tomorrow morning though. JM should do great. He's excited.

JM is doing Kihon Kata Ich which he is learning to earn his Orange with black stripe belt. Samuel, who is also Orange belt did not know this form yesterday. He now knows it. However, we are not sure he should do this for tournament. Samuel, rather emphatically said, "But I'm ORANGE belt!" Well, yeah, but he's can do the Taiso Renshu form, which he does know WELL. *roll eyes*

But you know, that's only if he survives that sparring. JM? He's eager for sparring in tournament. Let's all just hope his partners survive.

Why did I think Karate was a good idea for the boys again?!

I wonder...

I wonder if I sent a digital camera, fees to pay for internet, oh I guess the computer, and yeah...the email service...could I get updated photos at least weekly?! I'm dying here, I need more photos. Video would be nice as well. I am very thankful that we did get updated photos, and that I can gaze longingly at my daughter's face. But, wow, the longing to hold her in my arms is so strong. I was doing really well until JM told me that he wished that we could just go and get Katie already. He told me that he really wants her to come home soon.

yes, I just about cried.

You should hear him with everyone we meet. "I've got a new sister. She's in China. Her name is Katie." Then if I'm around and I'm showing off her photo, he says, "That's MY sister Katie."

Yeah, that just about got me too.

19 days since LOI...and counting. Oh how I wish we could have the world's fastest LOA/RA in history!

Have you heard of the purple bracelets?

There was a church pastor who handed out purple jelly bracelets to everyone in his congregation, and encouraged them to be "complaint free." There were a few rules for wearing the purple bracelet:

1. Put it on either wrist.
2. When you catch yourself complaining, take it off and put it on the other wrist.
3. Keep doing this until you've gone 21 days without having to change which wrist the bracelet is on.

The online article, which I sadly didn't save the link to, mentioned how everyone who participated had a better outlook on life, said they were happier, etc. It's the POSITIVE thinking. Hmmmm...It's an idea to try. It can't hurt anything, right?!

New photos!

I can not believe how much new photos can make your day! Of course the 5 photos I know have are not nearly enough for me, but I can gaze at her beautiful face and then go look at her soon-to-be room and feel all giddy inside.

We hit a great clearance sale at a Gymboree outlet this past weekend, and man oh man I got some great deals. Then a good friend gave me a Target bag stuffed full of clothes her daughter had worn (when she was 12 months, and it's iffy if they will fit Katie or not, but hopefully they will).

I've also been looking at all the things we need to prepare for, pack, and all the things we must do before we travel, and WOAH there's not much time!!! One important thing is we need to get our USCIS fingerprints done again as ours have expired already. *sigh* At least we're probably not going to have to redo that 171h. 13 days since we were LOI....77 (or there abouts to go) until we get referral approval.

More than you wanted to know about ME!

What were you doing ten years ago?
Living in Arizona as a Newlywed and going on the "Grand Tour of Arizona" with my parents when they came to visit. We visited both the South and North rims of the Grand Canyon in 1 day! Doesn't that make you want to go on vacation with us so badly?!

What were you doing one year ago?
Stalking the mailbox/mailperson for my 171h form so I could FINALLY be DTC.

Five Snacks You Enjoy:
1. Dove dark chocolate
2. Veggie Bites - Broccoli and Cheddar
3. Dark Chocolate M&Ms
4. Oatmeal Raisin cookies
5. Trail mix

Five songs you know all the lyrics to:
1. Grace to You (hymn sung at our wedding)
2. Let's just say "Veggie Tales Song" and you can practically pick one. ;)
3. Kiss the Girl - Little Mermaid (ummm...yeah, left over from high school days)
4. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride - Jump 5, Disney Mania 3 (have to have song on though)
5. I will be here - SCC (have to have the song on though)

Things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Pay off debt, and get that new house
2. Pay for rest of our adoption, and give adoption grants...lots of them
3. Give LOTS to Love Without Boundaries/Half the Sky/A Child's Right
4. Save in Money Market for future
5. Give to church and family

Five Bad Habits:
1. Procrastinating at just about everything
2. Reading fluffy romance novels late at night
3. Not doing laundry until it's a HUGE pile
4. Not doing kitchen stuff until it's a HUGE pile
5. Picking/scratching my face (and I wonder why I still have acne)

Five things you like to do:
1. Take photos and learn better ways to do so
2. Read fluffy romance novels
3. Play piano
4. Read fluffy romance novels
5. Take photos

Five things you will never wear again:
1. Some of the outfits I wore in high school
2. Some of the dresses I wore before I got married
3. High HIGH heels
4. Spandex in public when I'm not working out...
5. Crocs all day in Disney World

Five Favorite Toys:
1. Computer
2. My Camera
3. My "big" lens
4. My "little" lens
5. Cell Phone

Where will I be in ten years?
Knee deep in photography, homeschooling, kids, and teenage angst!

We have a referral for our Little Princess!

I'm so happy, excited, over the moon with JOY to announce that we have accepted the referral of a little girl who was on our agency's SN list.

It is so surreal right now, and it's just starting to sink in that I have a daughter. That we will have our little princess home with us by Christmas (if things go smoothly). Since it is a SN child, we are not supposed to share photos openly until we have TA, but trust me, she is CUTE! (yes, it deserves ALL those caps!) If you email me, I will send the photos to you in email because I'm so excited to share her cuteness with everyone.

She was born August 1, 2006 and is currently in Kunming in foster care. We are LOI on June 29, 2007. WOW!

Personality Test

ESTJ - "Administrator". Much in touch with the external environment. Very responsible. Pillar of strength. 8.7% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

I took the Myers-Briggs test in college, and my results were not far from this one. The I/E part was more even, the S/N was more even, but the J...the J was as strong as I could get J. LOL The T/F portion (the 3rd letter) I think was still T. I remember that my chosen field of Engineering was not one of the fields that "fit" my personality test. I did end up changing majors (not based on the test), but it was funny to look back and realize that the personality test did NOT show engineering. LOL

I'm not sure that this is a true reflection of myself, I just don't really "see" it like I did the ones from college! I'll retake it later and see if changes, I bet it does.

Personality Test

ESTJ - "Administrator". Much in touch with the external environment. Very responsible. Pillar of strength. 8.7% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

I took the Myers-Briggs test in college, and my results were not far from this one. The I/E part was more even, the S/N was more even, but the J...the J was as strong as I could get J. LOL The T/F portion (the 3rd letter) I think was still T. I remember that my chosen field of Engineering was not one of the fields that "fit" my personality test. I did end up changing majors (not based on the test), but it was funny to look back and realize that the personality test did NOT show engineering. LOL

Photos from around my home.

Is it Friday yet?

Does this week seem like the LONGEST week ever? It feels like it should be at least Friday by now, and the agency should be starting to make phone calls. I'm keeping busy and distracted, until the phone rings. I then JUMP up for it and eagerly await caller id to pop up. I'm not to the "major disappointment sets in when it's not the agency" point yet, but it's not far from what I am feeling right now.

So, it's Wed. It's seeming like this week is dragging by, ever so slowly. I'm glad that the oldest is at day camp this week, all day long. At least I do not have to deal with the "I'm bored" and the resulting screams and thumps and bumps heard from the boys' room during the day. Of course, if I could get motivated to actually clean my house I think I would be good. But alas, I'm glued to the computer. Checking the yahoo group for postings of referrals, so that I might know when they start calls.

is it Friday yet?!

Waiting.

We got word that a new batch of SN referrals were received at our agency, and now we wait for translations. I have no idea how many girls or how many boys are in it. But this cycle is less anxious for me. I hope Katie's referral will be in this batch, but I'll be okay if it is not.

I feel like eventually we will have our daughter, I just have to be patient.

We have now been Logged In for 9 months.

A quick Carla blogging history

I'm going to let you in on a secret, this is not my first blog. It's not even the blog that my closest online friends read. It is the blog I send my family to though. ;) My very first blog I started WAAAAY back in early 2005. We were planning to adopt from China, but knew that I needed to "age into the system" so it was going to take a few months. We were not telling anyone, and I wanted to blog about my feelings. However, I needed it to be PRIVATE because, you know, the adoption was a secret thing! LOL I've gone since then to expand that blog, created one for public that did not mention names...messed that one up. LOL Here I am with the latest variation of my adoption blog. I still have 2 others I post to.

Did you intend to be a blog w/a big following? If so, how did you go about it?

Nope. I'd say I still do not have a following. I think it's something about hooking up with bloglines or something that I've not done. :) This blog is mainly for sharing our daily life and our wait for Katie with friends and family (and the occasional visitor).

What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals?

That so reminds me of those old college applications! All I want to do with my blog is keep our friends and family who live away from us (that's all of them by the way), a way to keep up with our lives. It also gives me an outlet to write down all the fun and silly things the kids do. I highly doubt I will ever go beyond being a Mommy-blogger.

Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
That would assume that I had a focus to start with, right?! LOL

What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?

I feel like I'm STILL just starting out! :)


Do you make money with your blog?
Nope, but I'm interested in it. I think I would need more than my normal traffic amount (which is about...oh...1 a week?!)

Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why?
They know about it, I see someone from their area reading every once in awhile. The rest know about it, but don't seem interested to read.


Head HERE to read more blogging history from people how are MUCH better bloggers than I can ever hope to be.

Referral Math...for June!

CCAA did 6 days worth of LIDs. I will not speak about my feelings on that one right now.

There are now 311 days worth of LIDs between where they are now and our LID.

If they, somehow miraculously do full months, that is roughly 11 more months to wait.

If they, somehow surprisingly do half-months, then that is roughly 23 more months to wait.

If they, go somewhat on pace of the last few months and do 1 week a month, then that is a depressing 45 MORE months to wait.

Predictions put us getting a Non-Special needs referral, sometime in 2009. Do I honestly need to tell anyone how I feel about that?! LOL Since we started the paperwork in Nov 2005, that could potentially mean we waited 4 years (or 48 months). Poor dh living with a "pregnant" me for 48 months!

Our Unplugged Summer

I've done it now. I've gotten Dh and JM on board, and now I'm pulling the plug on my addiction favorite daytime pastime. Electronic devices will not be used from 8am-8pm...daily.

June. July. August. UNPLUGGED.

Yes, I can check email from 8pm until 8am, freely. I did give us the ability to check email during lunch break (noon-1pm). Because I can check email, Dh gave the boys the ability to watch a show, play a game, etc. I figured if I didn't go cold turkey I might actually last longer than a month week day.

Yes, it's not totally 100% unplugged, but for us, it's a major step of being unplugged. I know we can not do it 100% because my job must use computers and electronic devices. Plus, we're doing online banking, tracking of JM's school work with computer, Dh has fantasy baseball leagues to keep track of, etc. I'm ignoring that little voice that keeps saying that this is just excuses. Moderation. Yeah, that's what I'm going for...moderation.

There ya have it. Unplugged. The boys are going to clamor about being bored on Friday. I know it. I might actually have a clean house by the time my parents come to visit Saturday (oh WAIT, I'm doing a yard sale as well on Saturday morning, so maybe not).

I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. LOL

I have the GPS, never need a map again!

Remember that line from Cars? I remember laughing at it, then we got a GPS. I was thinking, WHY in the heck would you need a map? How in the HECK can you get lost when you have a GPS.

Um, driving on mountain roads it's quite easy to get lost. Only, I DID know where I was, and I would turn around when it started looking a little too weird. But that GPS was certainly all messed up. It sent me down a dead end road. Yes, I went, just on the off chance that there was a bridge connecting me to the bigger road across the creek. As my brother was rolling around the back of the laughing his head off at me, I turned around in someone's driveway/parking lot. Drove BACK over the extremely tiny narrow road (it was hardly wide enough for the mini-van).

I even tried following this one road that went up and over the mountain until it got too scary (which happened soon after we saw the dead snake in the middle of the 1.5 lane road). Or it might have been the absence of guardrails on the extremely curvy road. My brother's girlfriend was trying her best to contain her laughter at this point.

See, it started because I was following the GPS. It said we'd there by 4:28pm (back to the campground that is) if we followed it's route. It's route took us WAY north, then back down. Little brother had a map. He told me turn on 416 and it would put us out right there at the campground, no need to travel UP and back down. No need to drive through Cosby again. Knowing that the GPS tries to stick to main roads, and this 416 road was a 35mph "main" road through the mountains. I thought it might be faster to take that route (yes, sometimes the GPS doesn't take you the fastest route).

I made the turn for 416, then the GPS freaked out a little trying to get us to turn around. I had to ignore it's directions for awhile, then it seemed to accept the fact we were not taking the other route. I had me follow 416 for a little bit, then turn left. I turned left. Little brother yelled at me that I turned off of 416. But see, I was trusting the GPS.

The GPS was wrong. It was confused. Those twisty curvy mountain roads did a number on it.

I finally turned around, took the road Little Brother told me to take, and we eventually got there at 4:48ish. 20 minutes later than the original time GPS had for us. Either trust the GPS or don't, that's what I learned. I also learned that the minivans in Cars who were trusting their GPS weren't so far off afterall. Okay, I think I would notice if I were driving through desert not on roads...but still, it's not so hard to get lost if you have a GPS. The good thing is if you use common sense and stick with main roads, that GPS will get you there. :)

Unfortunately, the entire point of trying to get to the campground faster is because I had to go potty REALLY REALLY REALLY badly. I made it, but dang it was iffy there at the end. :)

Works for Me - Cleaning tip #1

I tried Flylady, I really did. When we had our house on the market, it worked well. It worked well as long as I stayed on top of things, but I found out I'm a little lazy. If I do not have a reason to do something, I tend to not do that. Which explains the state of the laundry. Er..."Mount Wash-Me" and "Mount St. Fold-Me" that is.

One thing that I did take away from FlyLady, was the 15 minute rule. Even my lazy self can follow this one (well actually easily distracted by the blogs and internet self). Only, I figured if it was good enough for ME, then it was definitely good enough for the rest of the family. It is our goal (notice the OUR) to do this nightly, but sometimes life has a way of interfering. But, we do it as often as we can.

I will set the kitchen timer (aka Microwave Timer) for 15 minutes, and all 4 of us clean designated area. Dh gets one room, I take another, JM gets his room, and Samuel gets his room. Since they share now, one gets the bedroom, the other gets all the toys in the rest of the house. 15 minutes and we stop, no matter HOW little we've gotten done. It's not a replacement for true cleaning, but it's there for catching that clutter that seems to pile up.

I realize that if I set that timer for 15 minutes a day for laundry, then I would not have the mountains I seem to acquire weekly.

I survived.

Tent camping that is.

Yes, my boys asked (no read pleaded) with me to go tent camping. I caved in to their cajoling, and we went over Memorial Day Weekend. Where? To the Great Smokey Mountains (and Gatlinburg). We ended up meeting my sister, brother-in-law, 2 nephews, my parents, my brother, and his girlfriend. Yes, we had 12 people, 8 adults and 4 little boys.

Lessons I learned:
1. It gets REALLY dark at night, and a campfire is really not enough illumination to see the picnic table by.
2. It gets REALLY cold at night, and snuggling with dh is not always warm enough. He can only take care of one side at a time, unless I want to be flattened in which case the air bed beneath me was still cold...thus really only one side at a time truly.
3. Juice boxes in tents are not a good thing.
4. You really should listen to Mom when she mentions checking the area you are putting a tent down for rocks that poke up. Even if you are sleeping on air beds. You still have to WALK on the tent floor.
5. Crocs are good for community showers.
6. Hotdogs cooked over open flame do taste better than those grilled over charcoal. Yes they do!
7. Myth busters was right, ice water does cool things down faster than just ice.
8. Myth busters did not mention that ice water and "plastic" cheese do not mix well. Even if plastic cheese is still wrapped in original wrappers.
9. Pay close attention to where rocks, lines to tie down the tent, and steps are during the day so trips to the bathroom at night are not so eventful.
10. Crawdads are gross looking.

Yes, I will go back camping with the boys. I will go better armed though. Lights for my screened house for the picnic table, mag lite for walking with, more bug spray, citronella candles, cooking supplies, and dry ice for that plastic cheese.

More stories from this weekend to come. Aren't you looking forward to that?!

Yo Ho Ho, A Pirate's Life for Me!

Being the Mom to 2 of the biggest pirate fans, we chose to go to the Pirates 3 movie this past weekend (along with going out of town to go tent camping, which is an entirely different post). I was probably not really the smartest Mommy on the block taking my 4 and 8 year old to the 7pm showing (digital no less), after a full weekend camping, which probably explains why said 4 year old fell asleep in my arms halfway through the movie! But, we enjoyed the movie, and I would go again.

Spoiler alert below this...








are you sure you want to spoil the fun? or have you already seen it?








1. I'm not sure I'll recover from seeing Mr. Depp's nose THAT big. LOL
2. I'm disappointed in the ending, I wanted him to get the girl AND live happily ever after. This "visiting her one day out of every 10 years" thing is crap.
3. I hope, really really really hope you stayed for the "epilogue" after the credits. It's 10 years later (and yes it feels that way after all the credits). It helped the ending, but not enough.
4. Jack is crazy. I feared he'd lost it for good. LOL The whole symbolism, Davy Jone's locker thing, was just plain weird.
5. There are a lot of GREAT lines in this movie, but I agree with someone else. The best was said by the British sailor, "Do you think [Jack] plans this all out, or do you think he makes it up as he goes along?"
6. Do we know if there will be a Pirates 4?
7. Could Calypso bring Will back if she wanted to? He was just dead...right? Or did he sell his soul to do Davy Jones' job?
8. Did anyone else get teary eyed at the Will/Elizabeth scenes?
9. OMG, the wedding ceremony. LOVED IT! The kiss, the way the "world" melted away around them. (*sniff*)
10. I think this is one movie I'll definitely be able to listen to in the van. Over. and Over. and Over. and Over....

Harry Potter - Book 1

Why yes, I really do read to my kids. :) We are currently about half-way through this book, and they are BEGGING for me to read every night. I'm not sure if it is a ploy to stay up later, or if it is that they are actually enjoying it. But I know I'm enjoying it. We are scheduled to finish this book by May 31st. There are 18 chapters in book 2, which means we should finish that by June 18th. I don't think at that pace we are going to finish all the way through Book 6 by July 27th when book 7 comes out (or sometime around then, I'd have to go to the fire box to see what the pre-pay slip says).

Oh, you mean you didn't put that precious piece of paper in with the other "important documents" in your house?! LOL While I know we could easily replace it (just buy a book), I figured that the fire box was the best place to put a piece of paper so it would not get lost or thrown away.

I'm now trying to decide if I want to read more than one chapter a day to them, or if I want to try and encourage JM to read a book on his own. He's capable, but he sees the big thick books and has a bit of doubt that he can.

Works for Me Wednesday!

Baseball is on my brain these days. We're either at the ballfield watching a game. Driving the ballfield for a game. At the ballfield for concession duty, or a practice, or warm-up. Or we're getting ready to go to a ballgame. We only have one child involved in baseball this year, and I can only imagine how very busy we will be next year with two boys involved. Then, to think if Katie plays softball. OH MY, I'll practically be LIVING there every night!

As someone who like to be organized, the chaos in the dugout with 11 little boys was driving me crazy. Thinking the shoe basket had worked quite well, I translated this to the dugout chaos. I went to the Dollar Tree and bought 12 $1 "dishpans." These "bins" are big enough to hold a glove, a hat, a batting helmet, and a drink. The big bat bags go on the OUTSIDE of the dugout (to the back). The bins go under the bench, and lo and behold the boys keep the dugout semi-clean.

There was one unintended consequence I feel I must warn you about. There is now more room for being active, acting like a monkey, and horseplaying now. But the "dugout coach" deals with that. At least the extra bats are no longer being swung about. ;)

Be sure to check out Rocks in my Dryer for more Works For Me Wednesday tips!

OH it's been too long!

I know it's been too long because I actually had to enter my username and password to get onto my blog. After a few moment of panic trying to remember which of the gazillion passwords I had used, it came to me (well after 2 tries it did).

Baseball season is just about over, which means that I'm about to have a family life again. Honestly, it means that I'm about to have early evenings again so the kids are in bed at normal times, which means I get to work on my business stuff at earlier than Midnight times, which means I get to bed earlier so I can get up earlier and do more housework.

Speaking of housework, does anyone know of a good cleaning fairy? who's free? I think I need to just move and start over the house is just that cluttered! A good 6 weeks of clutter have built up on those "hot spots." We've managed to dig through it all to make sure all bills have been paid (and luckily THIS year we didn't pay late fees). Which has meant that we've had more money to eat out on, you know at grand and glorious places like Burger King or Dominos.

Which reminds me, I need to take stock of what all exactly we do have to eat in the house. I know we're out of Dr. Pepper, and I'm sure by days end I'll be in caffeine withdrawals. But food? I'm not sure what I have left and what I do not have left. I have bread. I have cheese. Lunch is covered. One meal at a time! Except that I need to plan for our camping trip, somehow, someway I volunteered to organize our extended family's food. During WHICH set of hours I have free I wonder?

I'm beginning to believe I need to post a to-do list online, as I'm sure that is about the only place I can put one these days that does not get lost. It might even hold me accountable. Maybe? Well, we can dream.

I'm sure all my 2 or 3 blog readers have now deserted my barren, boring blog. I am making a promise that I will try and blog more. Hopefully it will be stimulating and insightful, but I wouldn't count on it. My life just seem to be stimulating and insightful.

8 months

Today marks 8 months since our Log In Date. In some ways it has crawled by, and in others it has gone really fast. If I think too long about it, the whole adoption gets me down. We started this journey 18 months ago, well not counting all those months BEFORE we applied to the agency.

It took us 27 months to get Samuel here, and I survived that wait. It was well worth it and he could not be more perfect for our family. :)

So, 8 months down in our long wait. I wonder how many more God has planned for us? I wish I knew.

I've been thinking

STOP laughing at me! Honestly I have. Following Heather's story, and finding out the type of tumor she had and the life expectancy of 3-5 years. Wow. I've been thinking all day, if I were told I had 3-5 years to live, what would I do? What would I do differently? What is truly important to me?

I'd spend more time with the kids, with Dh, and spend more time creating memories AND preserving them.

Then I have been thinking, what is keeping me from doing that? This is where I am now. Figuring out all the places I could do better at making memories with the kids.

Hello? Hello? Is anybody out there?

Ever feel like that? Ever feel like you are totally and completely alone (well except with the kids clamoring for attention around you)?

Today a lady on another blog that I just started reading is having brain surgery to remove a tumor they found in early April. The next 48-72 hours in the lives of her family (and her) are going to be stressful. There is a prayer vigil going on throughout all their online blog friends. Each hour is covered, but any hour you can pray for them would be appreciated.

But one thing that I have heard others doing in honor of Heather and I know she would love it, is to set aside tomorrow for your family. Spend the day making memories, having fun, and enjoying each other as we never know how long we will have with them.

I know that many days I let the minutiae of my life keep me from doing all the things my boys would love. From building those memories of daily life. From enjoying them at the stage they are today. Today, I'm going to do what I keep saying I will do later. My boys are worth it. They are so very worth it.

Birthday Idea that worked for me!

Birthdays are not my favorite thing in the world. Nor do I like how expensive they seem to have become! Not to mention that both of my boys' birthdays fall in the last half of the year and during very busy times of our lives. Organizing them, paying for them, throwing them...just not something I particularly enjoy. I do it for the kids.

So, last year, I was talking with a friend and she mentioned that she gave her son the money she would have spent on the party as a gift instead of the party. She lets him choose each year. I liked it, but at the same time I wanted to make the idea mine. :)

I chose that every EVEN birthday party year after the age 5 each child gets to choose something in place of the birthday party. A special camp, a special trip, or something that will be non-material in nature. JM's 8th birthday was our "test" year. He chose to go to a week long camp (not going to say, but it's 9-4pm each day for 5 days). :)

This year JM gets a party with friends for his 9th birthday. My original thought was to alternate years, so that this year Samuel would not get a party. But I just can NOT skip his 5th birthday party. So, I made it through the age of 5 they get a party every year (after all those toddler/preschool parties are fairly low-key). This puts me having 2 parties every other year. I would rather make it where Samuel and JM alternate years for their parties. Maybe I should change it through the age of 6? Or JM has odd years, Samuel has even, but they get "big" birthdays as well (like 5, 10, 13, 16, 18...)

Some ideas I have to pitch to the kids for future "replacement parties" - week at same camp JM is attending but different version, a trip to Six Flags, trip to Cedar Point, annual passes to zoo/science museum/children's museum, donate to a charity organization, sponsor a child, etc.

For more Birthday Tips head to Rocks In My Drayer - Works for Me Wednesdays

Spring Reading Thing Update

I caved. I think I've read at least 12 Fluffy Romance Novels now. I started Little Red Book of Selling and Kitchen God's Wife but I'm having trouble reading them. I want pure fluff. I want "brain candy." I don't want to think. I don't want to be challenged. I need mind-numbing after the busy spring I've had with the business.

There's my confession.

Now, for my motivation. July is coming up quick and I really do want to have the Harry Potter books read with my kids, so I'm going to start on that very soon! YIPPEE!!!

Creative Kids!

This past weekend while working on my computer, Dh comes in laughing and tells me that the boys have successfully merged Monopoly and Battleship into one game! LOL I gathered that the idea was to play Battleship for each piece of property in Monopoly. I do not know if it was a full battleship game or not for each property, but I was quite impressed at how they merged the games.

And now it is May 1st

The big day. The day of changes to the rules for China adoption. Dh and I are grandfathered in for NSN, but will it matter for the SN process? I'm fairly certain that we qualify under the new rules, but until we know for certain I will not rest easy. My heart goes out to all those who did not make the deadline.

Now, the question is will we see a speed up in the referrals or not? I'm just not sure. I'm thinking we will not for a little while longer, perhaps September/October? When we get through 2005 LIDs?

I've been numb this past month

The 2 day referral batch was depressing. This months 6 day referral batch is semi-depressing because it is still so low, but SO MUCH BETTER than the 2 day.

I did my math, and I think we have 317 days of Log In Dates to wait now.

If they do 6 days a month from here on out, it's over 50 months MORE to wait.
15 days a month, it's 22 MORE months.

In other words, it's still a LONG way off.

I can not believe it is the end of April already, well I can, but wow this month flew by. I know part of it is because we have been so busy. Samuel was in swimming lessons this month, and finished up "almost" swimming. I know if I could continue for the next 2 months he'd be swimming great. Unfortunately, swimming lessons are full where I take him. Not to mention we are so busy with other things, that I am not sure I can continue at the same pace we had this month.

JM is playing baseball and has 2 games a week plus practices. While they are doing great, it's tiring to always be at the ball field. LOL He has started catching, and in his last game actually caught a foul ball and got someone out. It was a huge moment for him, and I'm so proud of him.

Karate is going great still, Samuel has almost gotten the first kata down. JM is ready to test for his Orange belt. I have been so pleased by the changes Karate has made in the boys, and I would highly recommend it to others. :) I do in fact!

Let's see...what else. LOL We're obviously STILL waiting on that referral from China. We're just going to keep on trudging down this path. I'm reminded of "Just keep swimming" from Finding Nemo.

The Shoe Container

Works for me Wednesday!

Having 2 little boys means that I end up with shoes all over the house. Being little (and boys) their observation skills when looking for lost items (such as a left shoe) are lacking. I finally gave in, and put a large box in the bottom of our coat closet. This is our "shoe box" and all shoes that are being used at this time go in this box for easy finding. Crocs, tennis shoes, dress shoes, etc. go here. The cleats go on the floor next to the box (due to the large quantities of mud/dirt that collect on them). I keep my dress shoes out of the box because I can normally find my own shoes.

This has really helped us in getting out the door faster, and helped us to keep from tripping over various loose shoes laying on the floor.

Spring Reading Thing! Update

Okay, I've been bad about updating what I've read. Honestly, though, I've not been very good about reading the ones on my list. You know, the books that are supposed to "enlighten" me. ;)

I have, however, read 5 more FRN books (FRN is Fluffy Romance Novel). At least I think it was 5. Let's see, there were the 3 Highland romance novels, the 1 modern one by Judith McNaught, then the 2 Regency ones and I'm in the midst of the 3rd...or is it that I've read 3 and in the midst of the 4th? I can't remember. Oh well, it's not like it's important or anything. I did have 3 boxes arrive in the past couple of weeks from my "book exchange" friends. 3 boxes of FRN books. I just wish I had time to actually read some of them.

JM has read through chapter 4 of Bridge to Terabithia. He is not too enthusiastic so far, but today he asked me where his Terabithia book was because he wanted to read some more. SUCCESS!

I have started Kitchen God's Wife (it's a little hard to get into for me right now). I did pull out the China adoption stories book, but with the depressing news about referrals I just did not want to read it. The church library had a book on adoption, so I checked it out. I'll let you know how it is (and add it to my list). They also had 3 FRN about pirates. I'm sure I'll get those read.

Been waiting to post about referrals

Why? Because it's just so dismal. I know there is nothing I can do about it, I know I need to be patient, but the news this month was really discouraging. After I eat my share of the Easter chocolate, eat some good ice cream, and read a nice fluffy romance novel I know I'll be more upbeat again.

So, the news...ugh...for those not involved in China adoption, it's 2 days of Log In Dates. This means that China got through October 26, 2005 this month (last month they got through October 24, 2006). Yeah. What does this mean exactly?

Well, we're not really sure. Less paper ready babies or were there a TON of families logged in on those days. One of the two is correct. What this means for us, is well, we're not sure.

Oct 27-31, 2005 = 4 days
Nov 1-30, 2005 = 30 days
Dec 1-31, 2005 = 31 days
Jan 2006 = 31 days
Feb 2006 = 28 days
Mar 2006 = 31 days
April 2006 = 30 days (this is when I hoped to be DTC by the way)
May 2006 = 31 days
June 2006 = 30 days
July 2006 = 31 days
August 2006 = 31 days (when we finally made it DTC after excruciating waits for fingerprints and USCIS approval)
Sept 1-14, 2006 = 14 days (we're LID Sept 14,2006)

See those days listed, China MUST get through all of those days for us to get our Non-Special Needs referral. If they continue at 2 days of LID, well, it's going to be LONG time. Days really don't mean a whole lot, because it all depends on how many families are logged in each day and how many paper ready children are available. If I've done my math correctly, we have 322 days worth to wait. Rumor Queen posted at one point that each month of LIDs will take an average of 2.3 months to get through based on recent statistics. There are still 12 months up there, and since I know Oct 31 is HUGE, it's possible next month will make it through Oct. 31,2005 only. This means, 12*2.3 = 27.6 (or 28). That means from TODAY, we have roughly 28 more months to wait. I sort of feel like things will speed up and it will be only 18-24 more months though because many of the 2006 months are quite a bit smaller than Oct 2005 and Nov 2005 months.

On the Special Needs front, we did not get a call with the latest batch. I have no idea when the next batch is due, sometime in the next 3-4 months (average for the past 9 months has been 2 months...but 3-4 months is normal). I have no idea if Katie will even be in that batch, nor do I know where we are on the list with our agency.

Boys and artwork

Sitting during worship with my boys is an interesting experience, and not always the most worshipful. I was helping Samuel with his paper and pens when the sermon started, and after he was done with dot to dots, he started drawing. Dh, who was sitting on the other side of Samuel, noticed after a few minutes that Samuel was drawing and because markers can be incredibly loud in a quiet room told him to write slower and quieter.

I watched Samuel for a few minutes and I thought about my own childhood drawings. I remember drawing trees, flowers, stick people, houses, rainbows, and other such girly things. I distinctly remember creating a full picture that could proudly be displayed on the refrigerator at home. Samuel, I noticed drew just like JM had done, his drawings are not static pictures. They are a process, and the end result really does not do the picture justice.

The final result of the drawing is a glimpse into Samuel's imagination. It's still proudly displayed on the refrigerator, but others can not make out what it is. To them it looks like a bunch of colors scribbled all together.

I see the ship. Inside the ship I see the people, and that green person is JM. I'm the purple dot-person. The red line going to the ship is the enemy firing something at the ship. The window filled with red is because the enemy shot that window out and that area is on fire now. The blue lines are us firing back at the enemy, the other red lines are the enemy firing back at us. The big blue scribble is the enemy ship exploding (underneath all those scribbles is a fairly cool little spaceship with red aliens). Then we can not forget the smoke from our ship. Nor can we forget the lifeboats that the aliens escaped in, and see, they are floating down to the planet. Oops, that one crashed.

Then, Samuel turns the page and starts a new "drawing" that is just as involved. Very rarely does he continue his story.

I've tried very hard not to correct either of my boys and make them draw a static scene. Why is a static scene correct? Is it really? What if, their drawings are the more correct? I don't know. I know the final products will never win art awards, but to me, they are priceless. They are priceless because they show their imaginations. Drawing, to my boys (especially when they are younger) is all about the process. As JM has gotten older he has made some drawings that are more static. Samuel is really good at tracing his hand. Both boys will color in pictures (Samuel's is always solid blue and JM's is always green).

You know it's bad when the air is green.

Seriously, as I was driving around town today running errands, I thought I saw smog in our little "city" area. Huh? Smog? Really? It then dawned on me that what I was actually seeing is the pollen from all the trees "greening up" floating in the air. It only took a few more minutes before my sinuses alerted me to the fact that there was tree pollen floating in the air thick enough to SEE and that my a/c running in the van was not on recycle air so I was bringing that green floating stuff inside the van to irritate my allergies.

I think I washed my windshield 4 times while out, all the time watching that water turn to yellow water things. Once home I took the water hose and rinsed off the entire vehicle, and I watched the water running down the driveway turn yellow-green. It made me remember why we do not get out riding bicycles on the trail in the spring, all the things blooming are not conducive getting out and enjoying the weather. It's much nicer in the winter on those rare days. Summertime is just too hot and humid to enjoy running alongside the kids on their bicycles. Fall, perhaps fall will be perfect!

So, being curious, I looked up pollen counts for recent days. Normal for my area is in the 100-200 range (for tree pollen), very high is greater than 1500. What were we 2 days ago? Greater than 5000. No wonder our allergy medicines are not seeming to work these days. No wonder we've all had sinus/allergy troubles. No wonder that cough each of us has will not go away (it's allergy related). If it would only rain and clear all the pollen out of the air, then it might be good spring weather.

Science experiments

A few years ago I approached science fair with JM with excitement. I loved science fairs as a child, and I was eager to share that with JM. We discussed various experiments, and came up with doing one I was sure I knew what the outcome would be. The experiment was to take 2 plants and tear all but 1 leaf off of one plant and leave the other alone. Take care of them and observe them for 2 weeks, then report on what you saw. After 2 weeks both were still thriving. After 4 weeks the one with all it's leaves was starting to droop and look a little sick. At 6 weeks I finally had to admit that the one with all it's leaves still attached was dead while the one with just 1 leaf was thriving. I still maintain that the results we found are not what what we were supposed to find.

Today Dh and JM are measuring how far JM can hear a clock ticking. First of all, we have 1 clock that actually ticks. I knew it was quite loud, but it's something we all tune out easily. JM could hardly hear it with hands over his ears on the other side of the room. Listening to it to measure distance with ear uncovered did not go so well. JM could still hear it outside the back door. You could hear it across the room with the TV on. Dh finally got that part figured out with turning the TV on to a certain volume, redid the version with the hands over the ears, and went on to the final "test" which was to listen for the ticks with a paper "funnel" to the ear. That went over well. He could still hear it outdoors with the TV on, so I told Dh to call that done as JM understood what the funnel to the ear did!

To think that Dh wonders why I do not want to do the experiments with JM?! LOL Give me the projects where JM has to write a haiku poem anyday! I do love and enjoy science, but science experiments for elementary kids just never seem to work out how I expect them to.

Coupon Mom - Works for Me!

I'm typically busier than I would like to be, and typically so busy that other things are more important than clipping coupons (like, oh, pulling weeds). I honestly can say that I look forward to the day when I no longer need to clip coupons, it's not one of my favorite chores. It's one chore I'm eagerly looking forward to passing off to my kids.

Awhile back, someone sent me a link for The Coupon Mom and if you go to Grocery Deals by State (on the left hand side) you will find a drop down list where you choose your state and grocery store. Now, I realize that not all stores are listed here (and yes I know that big megastore will match ads, but refer to that "despise clipping coupons" part about me again), but there are some decent stores listed.

This will open a new window with this week's deals in the ad and which coupon from which paper could be used. NICE! This means that I do not clip coupons, but rather keep them together. I go to this site and get a list of "deals" and which coupons go with each one. Sunday evenings I head to the store and buy groceries.

Now, if I could only figure out a way to not even go to the store in the first place! LOL I hope it helps someone else out there as it has helped me!

Head over to Rocks In My Dryer for other (probably more helpful) tips!

Paper Daughter

I put this book on my list because it came from a good friend in a box of books (along with many fluffy romance novels). :) It looked very interesting, and I hope she included it because she wanted me to read it. I do not know, but D-, THANK YOU!!!!!!

Anyone adopting from China, this book is a wonderful glimpse into a young woman's life from living in China prior to age 5 and then immigrating to the US. I have found that I do love reading about other's lives, other's families, and this book did not disappoint. I wonder if I like reading blogs so much because it is like one long story of someone's life. I just wanted to jump through the pages of the book and give that little girl a HUGE hug in several parts (those dealing with going to school and such). Okay, there were many parts throughout the book I wanted to jump in help her out or cheer her on!

D- also sent me The Kitchen God's Wife, which reminded me that I had read Joy Luck Club in high school. So, I added both of those to this list as well. I think I might jump into those soon. I love having friends who send me a box of books to read, and put so much thought into which books to include.

The Starbucks Experience

First finish on the Spring Reading list, and I really liked it. It made me think about how I treat clients in my business. What details am I not paying attention to? What detail am I missing that is causing problems for either me OR more importantly my client?

How can I surprise and delight clients? Am I available enough to them? How can I improve my relationship with them? Do I respond well to negativity from friends, family, and clients about the business?

Very thought provoking questions for me. Everything made me stop and think about how something small I do can impact another in a great way. Even though I read it for business purposes, I found that there were several areas that could easily be applied to my personal life, such as do I pay attention to the details of my friends lives? Do I show them that I am "invested" in them? That I pay attention to our friendship. Am I involved in the community enough? Do I listen and learn from someone telling me something negative about myself? Can I take that criticism and turn it into something I can improve on? Do I know when the criticism is actually coming from someone who can never be happy with me or would always find something to fault?

As this book made me think about myself quite a bit, I will not share my answers here. I found it a very easy read, and a very thought-provoking book. Definitely not of the fluffy romance novel genre!

365 photo blog...

Doing this on another blog, so I thought I would share. :) Actually bombard you with photos, don't ya love me?!

The past 2 days - Samuel at karate (isn't he just so CUTE!)


Then, weeds. Yes, they have taken over my life outdoors. I can definitely tell Spring is HERE!

Works for Me!

Hmmm...what does work for me? I know! Working on replacing linoleum with tile in the master bathroom!! LOL That linoleum is tough to scrape up, and it ends up hurting muscles, and you get blisters. Generally it's a yucky job. But since the end result is worth it, I'm here to tell you a few ways to make it easier.

1. A scraper of some sort is essential. Especially if you are doing this on concrete and get semi-big sheets of the linoleum up, but leave that paper backing glued to the floor.

2. I used vinegar and water and mopped that paper. It helped to loosen the paper somewhat. Then I could scrape a little easier.

3. The absolute BEST way though to get this up, is to look sufficiently hot and tired when Dh gets home. Have enough done that it looks like you made progress. Then, when he's feeling quite quilty over how hot and tired you are, start scraping again...but you know, WEAKLY. This part is important, because big strong manly Dh will not be able to watch you barely scrape the paper stuff. He will take over the yucky job and get it done much faster.

Okay, so I'm fairly lame and do not really have a good "works for me" on this topic. I am about to decide though that paying someone to put this down in our 35 square foot bathroom might have been the better option. Too bad we only have about 9 square feet left to do (if that).

My Spring Reading Book List

Okay, I guess here is where I admit my addiction. I adore fluffy romance novels. Especially historical ones, and even MORE especially (is that even proper grammar?) those historical ones set in Regency England, or set anytime prior to 1900 in Scotland. I do enjoy a good time travel book, as long as the time traveler goes to said period that I am thoroughly enjoying obsessed with.

I was not always this way, prior to turning that magical age of 16 when Mom decided I was old enough for my first Harlequin, I devoured many great books. I have read all of Lousia May Alcott's Little Women series (absolutely adore them). I've read, and enjoyed, the great classics from the Bronte sisters. I even started reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. I didn't really care for it though.

Now, my list may seem, well, rather long. But I read fast. Okay, I read fast before kids, now it might actually take me more than a day to get through a book only because my reading time is at night. You know after those little monsters heathens angels are in bed. It all started in 5th grade. My 5th grade reading teacher Mrs. B gave my class the honor of doing 50 book reports in 1 school year. Okay, so most of the class did not feel like this was an honor. She told us that the first one to finish would get a surprise. The challenge was on! I remember my first one submitted was for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and she told me that 7 pages was too long for a book report. I needed to narrow down my enthusiasm for a book to no more than 2 pages. It was tough, but I managed to for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I almost had to go to 3 pages for Little Women. But, I persevered and in January I turned in my last 5 book reports (that Christmas break provided good reading time). Yes, I managed to complete 50 books from mid-August to early January. My friend Sarah told me I was an overachiever. I still disagree with her. ;) I think I shocked Mrs. B. I never got a surprise, and I do not remember her mentioning the book reports much past that point either.

I told you that story so that my list of books did not seem, um, well too shocking. I really have no idea how many books I will read from March 21st through June 21st, but I have some I do want to read. I'm declaring MY RIGHT as the blogger here, to add to the list any an all books I complete (even if they are pure fluffy ooey gooey historical romance novels). ;)

Disclaimer! These are in no particular order, just as the titles popped into my head.

1. The Starbucks Experience
2. The Little Red Book of Selling
3. Passages from the Heart
4. Bridge to Terabithia (to the kids)
5. Harry Potter 1 (to the oldest)
6. Harry Potter 2 (to the oldest)
7. Harry Potter 3 (to the oldest)
8. Harry Potter 4 (to the oldest...oh heck, who am I kidding, I want to reread)
9. Harry Potter 5
10. Harry Potter 6 (yes in preparation for book 7 which I have on pre-order)
11. Joy Luck Club
12. Kitchen God's Wife
13. Paper Daughter
14. Fox in Sox (out loud to 4 year old...ugh)
15. Financial Peace
16. Treasure Island (with kids)
17.

I am hoping to get my oldest to add his own list. While he is in 2nd grade currently, I do plan to give him the wonderful assignment of 50 book reports in a single school year when he is in 5th grade. Hopefully it will further increase his love of reading. Yes, I'm fully prepared for book reports on World War 2. Did I tell you all about the book he chose? FOR PLEASURE?! DK World War II book Obviously he's not entirely my child. Here is his other favorite book of the moment. At least I think it is, I could not find it in his room and I suspect he might have snuck it out to read on a fun-filled trip with the church group (all Dads and boys). Yeah, that would be MY genes coming out. I admit to that. I did take 3 books to Disney World. Yes I completely read 2 of them, and had the 3rd started. Yes, they were fluffy historical romance novels. At least I'm consistent!

What happened to my links?

Okay, I'll admit I'm not real swift when it comes to changing my blog around. I begged for help (I even offered to pay someone). But, alas, I tried to muddle through on my own.

I did finally find something called blogroll. LOL Not sure if it is the best or not, but I've got a nice blogroll going. I think I've about figured out how to add it instead of my links (that I've been adding one.at.a.time and not updating).

I *think* with blogroll I can make a personal one and one to share. That way I can keep the ones that personal IRL friends separate...never know when someone might post something embarrassing about me. ;)

dinner was still good, even though it was wrong

I had a friend over this last weekend while the big boys were gone on their trip (her Dh and oldest son were on the same trip). We let our little guys play and we scrapbooked. Lovely time it was too. Our little guys are close in age and play very well together, so throughout the evening they played light sabers, played with the knights, put on costumes, played playstation games like Cars and Lego Star Wars 2, and even watched some movies. When you are 4.5 and almost 5 you can do lots in a short amount of time.

C and I decided that we deserved a GOOD dinner, so we called Macaroni Grill for "To Go" order and I ordered the Create Your Own pasta without chicken. I'd be vegetarian if my family would let me. ;) We discussed what to get our little guys as mine is lactose intolerant, hers is anaphalactically allergic to tomatoes, potatoes, squash, etc., highly allergic to eggs, and highly allergic to peppers. Guess Mexican was out for them! ;) So, we swung by Burger King and bought their dinners. We check their food and it was correct (no ketchup allowed AT ALL for C's little boy...it has tomatoes).

We get to Macaroni Grill and pick up our food, take it home, and start to dig into it. Her's was correct (Pasta Milano) and mine was a Create your Own Pasta dish, but it had onions and CHICKEN in it! WAAAAAH. We didn't check our food, just assumed it would be correct ya' know?! I picked out the chicken and the onions and it was still good, even though it was wrong. I was missing that asparagus. I wonder who got my Create Your Own dish? Bet they were surprised by the asparagus! LOL

Trying to stay busy and distracted.

2 years ago we replaced yucky stained carpet with laminate flooring (we're in a starter home and not too rich to do the real hardwoods for the entire downstairs). We are now getting around to putting down the quarter-round/toe-board. Yes, 2 years living with "gaps" around the edges of the rooms. We are not normally so slow to finish those kinds of projects, but that finishing has been one of those "we'll get around to it" projects.

In addition to that I convinced Dh to finally replace the linoleum in our bathroom with tile. I mean, it's 35 square feet total in that tiny bathroom. It's definitely not one of those glamour baths! Lowe's had some tile that was decent for 98 cents a square foot. $35+ extra supplies to replace that flooring! Well, and lots of sweat and tears. Currently, I'm the one doing the sweating AND the crying. Dh's turn comes when it is time to actually mix the grout, lay the tile, and cut the tile. I would love to replace the tub, but I just do not see that happening. Plus, I'm not entirely sure how to get the current tub out of that bathroom as the door is quite narrow.

Those are the current projects going.

Ahead - Project De-clutter! Replace all cabinets and counters and sinks in the house. Tile the kitchen (it's currently laminate wood flooring). Oh, the kitchen is total 99 square feet...so when I talk replace cabinets, it's MAX 15 linear feet of cabinets! Then, I have the yardwork to do as well. Flowers to plant. Carpet to replace upstairs, stairs to re-carpet OR put down wood. I would love to add in extra patio space off the back. Add a storm door on the front....oh and GUTTERS on the back of the house. LOL A fence would be good as well.

Since Disney is over, and we've not planned any vacation trips between now and when we travel to China, house projects will have to suffice. Once it warms up some, I think we're going to plan some weekend camping trips. The boys have been begging to go camping (I keep hoping they'll forget...there are BUGS out there).

Why the house projects? Well, home improvement is always such a wonderful weekend activity! Seriously, we'd like to sell our current house in about 12-18 months (or right after we get home from China). We're currently in a 3 bedroom (with 2 boys) and can see how soon after we return from China we're going to feel a wee bit cramped with 2 boys and 1 girl PLUS us in 3 bedrooms. Okay, so the boys will sleep in their bunkbeds and Katie will have her own room. I know lots of kids share rooms, but not sure our two boys should do it long term!

I got this packet in the mail today.

It was from our agency, and it had some info on what to expect when you get your referral. Huh? Do they know something we do not know? Okay, it is the 2nd schedule mailing from them. We did just pass 6 months of waiting, and it's time. In the past our referral would be very close after 6 months of patiently waiting. *stop laughing ya'll* But, in the "New" China referral times, we are a good LOOOOOOONG way from a NSN referral. I wonder if I will need to hold on to this mailing for reference then, of if the agency will take pity on us and mail another copy when it is close to our referral. I'm really hoping for another mailing of it.

I do plan on reading this, as the first was very informative and I actually enjoyed it. Of course I enjoy anything to do with China, particularly China adoption, these days.

So, it's officially 3/17/2007 and I missed celebrating our 6 month LID anniversary. We did mark it's passing with eating at an Asian restaurant last Saturday. Okay, so we love eating at this place and since it's more expensive than the kids eat free place we had to have a reason to go there. Thus, "Celebrating our 6 month LID" was good enough!

6 months down!! Wooohooo! Now, if we knew for certain we were within 6 months of a referral...ah, that would be good news.

Spring Reading Thing!

Spring Reading Thing!

Yes a "carnival" for reading books!!!! :) I'm in heaven, absolute heaven. Now to narrow it down to how many?

But to get me started, Shalee of Shalee's Diner has a book meme.

(umm...sorry her formatting didn't come through, and yes I'm too lazy to fix it...even if I knew HOW!) and well, couldn't figure out how to do her key either. so, oh well.

* bold - did read
* italicize - want to read
* strike - won't read or read but hated it with a passion and if I could burn every copy so that others wouldn't be exposed to such terrible dribble I would do it and people should not be allowed to get paid for such awful writing
* underline - own
* * - never heard of the book
* colored - loved it and would recommend it to others
* If there is nothing done to the title, then that means I'm indifferent to it or I haven't decided about it yet.



The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) LOVED and OWN
To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) LOVED and OWN
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) -LOVED
*Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
*A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
*The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
*Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
*A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling) LOVE AND OWN
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling) LOVE and OWN
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling) LOVE and OWN
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire(Rowling) LOVE and OWN
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling) LOVE and OWN
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Rowling) LOVE and OWN
*Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
The Stand (Stephen King)
*Ulysses (James Joyce)
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) LOVE and OWN
The Hobbit (Tolkien)
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) LOVE and OWN
*The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
*Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) LOVE and OWN
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) LOVE and OWN
East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
*Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
Dune (Frank Herbert)
The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) OWN
*Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
1984 (Orwell)
*The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
*The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
*The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
*Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (Gregory Maguire)
*The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
*The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel) OWN
*The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
*Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
*The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
Bible OWN, LOVE, but have yet to read the entire thing!
Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
*Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
*The Blue Sword (Robin Mckinley)
*She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
*The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
*Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
Great Expectations (Dickens)
The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
*The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)*
The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
*The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
*The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)
Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
The Hiding Place (Corrie Tin Boon) LOVED
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Les Miserables (Hugo)
The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
*Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
Shogun (James Clavell)
The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
*Redeeming Love (Francine Rivers)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
*The World According To Garp (John Irving)
*The Giver (Lois Lowry)
Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White) LOVE and OWN
*Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)*
Of Mice And Men (John Steinbeck)
Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
*Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
Emma (Jane Austen) LOVE and OWN
Watership Down (Richard Adams) OWN
*Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
*The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
*Blindness (Jose Saramago)
*Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
The Talisman (Stephen King)
Lord of the Flies (Golding)
The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
*The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
*The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
Lightning (Dean Koontz) just not my kind of book

Referral Math...for March!

China made it to 10/24 for most agencies (it seems a few have surprise later dates, but my agency had 10/24). :)

That leaves us with...oh...11 days less than last month for LID. LOL I'm too tired to figure it all up, but we're less than 11 months of LID out now. Yippee!!!

Dh has a spreadsheet where he's collected data from all over the place (he figures he has roughly 1/3 of all people logged in accounted for). Anyway, if they continue to do the same number (or roughly the same number) of referrals each month we should see our NSN referral by mid-2008 (possibly even early 2008).

According to Chinaadoptionforecast.com we have a "guess" of November 2008.

According to my pessimistic view, it's going to be early 2009.

So, we're still at least a year away from a NSN referral despite having waited now for 6 months. Not too long ago we'd already have a referral, and 6 months is what we were quoted when we started (it just took us forever to get that dossier to China).

Just a few from Disney

I have many more to work on, but these are 2 of the ones I felt I could share. I want to know when JM got to be so big! Yes, the shadows are a little stretched, but he really has gotten quite tall. My baby is growing up fast!

I'm BACK!

Not that you knew I was gone or anything, but we're back from our vacation to Sunny Florida. It only rained for about 30 seconds on us (just long enough to put those ponchos on and then it stopped). We had a wonderful time, rode lots of rides, turned Samuel into a thrill-ride junkie, and managed to memorize the locations of 100,000 point targets on Buzz Lightyear ride (without stopping I managed 586,000 points and Dh managed 603,000+). Yes, we rode it THAT much.

Yes, I have photos. No I have not done anything with them, I promised myself I would unpack and straighten the house before playing this time! :)

I must say though, leaving nice temps, going to Florida where it was 70-80s, and then hearing "current temp is 39" was shocking. The cold was depressing and took the joy and cheer I had gathered on our oh so magical vacation right out of me!

Well, we're back to the grind and drudgery of housework and daily living. I need to find that Mickey confetti!