Teaching Children to play

I have been taking time to play with Delaney each day as I know she gets bored being home without Joshua. Yet, it never seems to be enough.

As you know, when you are home, there are other jobs and chores that need to be accomplished in order to run a household.

All day long, I hear, "Momma play with me. Momma, can you play with me??"

I refuse to have the TV babysit her all day long.

I have talked to my mother and know that I was able to play independently for long periods of time. I loved to play with my dolls. I was a little "mother" from day one.

How does one teach a child how to play by themselves? Is it because it is a different world now with all the technology that children expect to be entertained by others at all times??

Any suggestions are welcome!

Friends helping friends

Joshua's best friend Alex (also adopted from Ukraine) is very special to Joshua. They are finally going to the same school but are one grade apart. Joshua is in the second grade and Alex is in the first.

Joshua has always been a little teacher to Alex. Alex in turn thinks Joshua is pretty cool and often follows what Joshua likes (color, interests, etc.)

Joshua and Alex are taking Art classes together after school on Thursdays. They have a little bit of time prior to class starting. Last Thursday, Joshua helped Alex read his book and even signed it on Alex's reading list. He also made sure that he checked Alex's Behavior chart for the month to make sure that his friend was behaving like he should.

Joshua recently received another Elephant stuffed animal. He named him "Alex".

What a great connection and friendship they have.

Colorectal Cancer

In 1999, prior to Joshua coming home, my father was diagnosed with Colorectal Cancer. He was only in his 50s at that time. He received Chemotherapy and is in remission.

Colorectal cancer is treatable and beatable if it is caught early. Catching it early means catching it before you have even developed any symptoms. Screening is of the utmost importance. It is recommended that screening begin at age 50 if you have no family history of colorectal cancer.

Since my father was a young cancer patient, I had to begin screening at 30 which is 20 years before the age he was diagnosed. I have to be screened every 5 years. My second exam was this past week and I am happy to say that I had a negative exam.

My dad had his exam one week prior to mine and he is still cancer free!!

No, It is not the most fun thing to do, but so worth it!

Quote of the week

There is no greater joy nor greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone's life. -Sister Mary Rose McGeady

Photo For Friday- a little late

Recap of the Week!

Paul has been gone to Chicago all week. He is coming home later today. The kids miss him so much. Everytime we return home, I hear, "I wish Daddy was home" from at least one of them.

Being a single parent has been easy this week as the kids have been on their best behavior for the most part. Of course, there are occassional outbursts but they are kids.

I have been taking advantage of BlockBuster's free online trial. Once the kids are in bed, I have been watching movies. Some good, Some not so good :)

Delaney was sick for the first part of the week. Just a fever but no other symptom. She missed two days of school. She is better now.

Joshua had Boy Scouts and Soccer practice this week in the evenings.

I worked steadily on getting my sale items ready for the Just Between Friend's consignment sale. I bought the kids some winter clothes, jackets and some Christmas presents for Delaney. I am hoping that I sale at least the amount I spend. Anything over that amount will be Icing on the cake.

I started a new Beth Moore Bible Study on Mondays. It is about Daniel. It looks very interesting. It talks about how we need to watch out for the Babylon that we live in and be in this world but not of it.

My parents got a new dog from a coworker at the hospital. She is a two year old Black lab/ chow mix. She seems real sweet. She is not use to children so she is a little skittish of them. I hope she can get use to them. The kids would love to play with her.


Last night we went to Members only night at the Zoo. They had free carousel rides and free train rides. They also allow you to go behind the scenes which is pretty cool. We went with friends of ours from down the street. It was a great night and we had lots of fun. The weather here has been absolutely awesome!!!!

That is our week in a nutshell. Busy as usual!

Photo For Friday

What Have I Done?

Here is a list of things to do in life. The ones I have done are in bold.


1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid- Joshua's dream!
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs- Paul did it.
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently - not quite, but close
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children- in process
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication.
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoesYUMMY!
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

My results: 50 out of 150.

What About You??

Quote of the week

We had a guest speaker from Ethiopa at church yesterday.
He said something I found Very profound.

Americans all have watches but no time, we have no watches but all the time in the world.

Photo For Friday

Ballerina

Delaney had her first dance class yesterday. She had a lot of fun!

Vietnam

Dillon International Vietnam families are now traveling. We have had two families come home so far and we now have several families in Vietnam currently.

Aren't these families gorgeous!!

I love my Church!

I attend Arrow Heights Baptist Church.

I was not raised in a Baptist church. When Paul and I were looking for a new church, we went to many denominations. We happen to attend Arrow Heights during a revival and I was hooked. I loved the sermons.

After a few years, I decided to try some of the Life Support Ministries. My first class was "Boundaries" by Cloud and Townsend. It changed my life. I now felt more secure about telling others "no" and taking care of myself. I have become a Life Support addict and it has changed me dramatically. I am more in touch with myself than I have ever been.

We also have Arrow Heights Adoptive Families! We try to raise awareness of adoption in our community. Our leader has even accomplished getting November designated "Adoption Month" in Broken Arrow!!

I also started going to Monday morning Bible Studies since at that time I was working on Sundays. They were Beth Moore Bible Studies. They are awesome!!!

When I changed my schedule at work, I started going to Sunday School.

The thing I love about my church: People are real, open and vulnerable. Once you see that others are real and have problems, concerns, etc, you have to become more real as well. The Masks come off and real relationships are formed. What an awesome place!

Unbelievable!!!

I saw something on a news program last week asking if people are more rude than they use to be. YES! YES! YES!

Either that or I seem to be attracting them lately.

Today, while I was picking up Delaney at pre-school, I attracted yet another one.

We were walking to get in our car. As we turned the corner of the van, I hear, "Don't ding my vehicle, I know I am parked close." This coming from a lady in a very large Cadillac Escalade. She was also late to pick up her dtr. as it was already 2:35.

I said, "Yes, you are."

She says, "It was the only space left."

As I turn sideways to try to fit in between the two vehicles, I figure out that there is NO way possible I am going to have enough room to get in. Okay, I need to lose a few pounds but I am not THAT big!

I comment, "I don't think I am going to be able to get in my car"

She says, "GREAT!

I start walking to the other side of my van to get Delaney in.

She says"You already have YOUR kid!" (I nicely held my tongue. Some how now it is my fault she is late)

A friend of hers yells from across the parking lot "I'll get her for you".

She yells, "Thanks, I HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER PARKING SPACE!".

She begins backing up and I say, "Just back up enough so I can get in then you can go ahead and park.

She snarls, "Just forget it!"

Nice!!! So I am to blame for her huge vehicle, her being late, etc.

I am trying really hard to take the high road and be nice in response. It gets really hard sometimes.

Another incident occurred in Chicago. No offense but we attracted quite a few rude people there.

We were in the Field Museum when Delaney announces, "I have to go potty".
Now mind you, Delaney does not give advanced warning when she says "go", she has to "go". She is only four, she is still learning.

I rush around and find a bathroom at the museum. LONG LINE!!Oh no! I look at her and she is already doing the "dance"- not good!

I say, "Oh baby, there is no way you are going to be able to hold it this long."

I politely say, "Excuse me" and start making my way to the head of the line.
I hear, "Excuse me! The line is back there!'
-"I am aware of that but she is about to pee her pants".
I go to the first person in line and ask her permission to go ahead of her, explaining our situation.

Luckily she said "Okay" or we would have used the sink or trashcan. Hey, when a girl has to go!

As Delaney is doing her business the line has a conversation about me cutting in line. These are grown adults mind you.

We come out and I hear a nasty, "THANK YOU!!!". I respond, "Thank you." Then-"It is not like we weren't standing in line for the same thing!!!"

I nicely ignored that comment and walked on. I had a few responses, "I am sorry but if you have problems with incontinence, you need to see a doctor". or "I would rather hear your hateful words for 2 minutes than listen to and watch my child be uncomfortable in wet pants for 2 hours"

People never cease to amaze me. So, when you encounter a rude person, just be polite then walk away. You will feel better about yourself in the long run.

Girls Rule!!

Okay.. I am coming out and telling everyone that I am a Big Brother fan. I love reality shows. I can't wait until Amazing Race and Survivor starts in the next few weeks.

Big Brother is interesting to me but it serves as something to watch until my above mentioned favorites are back on.

I was really hoping Danielle would win. I cheered for her the first time she was on the show. She is an awesome player.

I also liked Janelle when she was on before. It was hard to watch her being played by Mike Boogie and the evil Dr. Will. I was going to lose all respect (as much as BB contestants can have) for her if she didn't figure out she was being played and was going to lose if she stayed under the two flirts.

Well, Erika and Janelle wised up and fought back. Seeing Mike's face the rest of last night's show was PRICELESS!!! You go Girls!

Back to School

Today was Delaney's first day of pre-school. She will be going T-W-Th from 9:30-2:30. This should help prepare her for all day kindergarten next year.

I think she must have been real excited last night since she didn't go to sleep until 11:00. I finally laid down with her so she would go to sleep.

She looked so cute with her Care Bear backpack and shoes and her My Little Pony lunchbox.

Poor girl was bit by a mosquito on her face and she always swells up from them.

My Ballerina!

Delaney has decided that she wants to take dance lessons rather than gymnastics. I am pretty excited for her.

I took gymnastics but never dance as a child. I don't know if I would have had the grace required. There is nothing cuter than seeing a row of little girls in leotards performing ballet.

We bought Delaney's leotard, tights and ballet slippers. We still need to buy her tap shoes. How cute!

This class teaches ballet, tap and acrobatic dance. I love having a little girl!

"Crikey", You will be missed!

I loved to watch Steve Irwin. He made me laugh. He was so full of life and so in love with wild animals. He was always so excited to be around those animals

I was saddened to see that he died earlier today while filming "Ocean's Deadliest". He was a little too close to a stingray. It sent a barb through his heart.

The man died doing what he loved best!

Thanks for the years of entertainment Crocodile Hunter.

Give your loved ones a hug.

As a nurse, I see many losses. I am surrounded by illness and loss. I comfort the dying and help those that are grieving.

Nothing is harder than seeing the unexpected loss of a child. It is truly heart wrenching. Hearing a mother's cry of grief is almost unbearable.

Last night I responded to a "code blue" in ER. It was a 5 month old baby that had been found after being laid down to sleep one hour earlier. Most likely the death will be ruled SIDS.

Please remember that life is so precious yet so fragile. Let go of petty arguments. Treat each other kindly and most of all show your love and know that sometimes people can be gone in a blink of the eye.

Quote of the week

"Life is not what you live but what you love" -
-- Anonymous

Photo For Friday

Cub Scouts

Joshua signed up for Cub Scouts last night. He is now officially a Wolf.
They let the kids make pine wood derby cars and let them race them.
Joshua brought home a surprise for Delaney. She is very proud of her purple car.