Undeniable Adult Truths

Undeniable Adult Truths
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap
when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5.
I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection, again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1 .7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Taylor's Field Trip

Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead

DeSmet, SD

 

Checking out the map of the Ingalls' travels.

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This was attached to the side of a covered wagon.

Tay wasn't impressed with the smell.

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They had the kids make butter by putting buttermilk in a jar

 and having the kids shake it throughout the tour.

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One of the houses

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The trip wouldn't be complete without a ride on a covered wagon.

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Here's Tay climbing in!

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It's a bit cold but still lots of fun.

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Taylor driving the horses.

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The wagons take the kids from the houses and barn,

 over the fields and then arrive at the old school.

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A teacher shows them what school was like in the 1800's.

Taylor was Laura and her friend was Mary.

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Learning to mill wheat the old fashioned way.

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Learning to make rope.

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Each kid got to keep the rope they made.

Tay's is tied around her waist.

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Making corn cob dolls.

Just like in the book!

The kids ground the kernals off the cob and then made their own doll.

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They showed the kids how to make hay into knots

 to use instead of wood during the long winter.

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By this point, Tay was tired of my pictures :)

 

 

 

 

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Random Pictures

Anthony and Taylor working on school projects

 

Sophia loves to color and draw.

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Sophia playing with playdough with the little friend who walks over with her sister.

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Taylor and some of her neighborhood friends.

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Brittney, Sophia & Taylor at the Swiftel Center employee appreciation picnic.

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Taylor and some of her friends

being crazy and entertaining themselves by waving at random cars.

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It's 9:14am and I'm home all alone!!!

Taylor - Gone to MOA with Grandma Connie until tonight
Riley - On his way to the Boys & Girls Club
Zeke - On his way to the Boys & Girls Club
Anthony - On his way to the Boys & Girls Club
Brittney - Driving the boys to the Club
Sophia - Riding with Brittney to the Club
Buddy the Dog - Riding with Brittney to the Club
Steve - Working at the bank

I decided since Taylor was already gone for the day, I would take the day off and send the boys to the Club. It's a bit ironic that my "day off" will still include two kids and a dog, which is what most people probably have normally. But for me, it's a bit of a vacation. I'm hoping to download a ton of pictures from my phone onto the computer and maybe even put some on the blog. I've got some from Tay's last field trip, 4th of July camping, my quick road trip to Minn with my brother and yesterday's road trip to spend time with my oldest and dearest friends for the day.
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We're Fostering Again!

Even I have to admit that this summer is flying by. There are only 22 days until school starts. Not that I'm counting ;) In case you haven't seen it on FB, we decided to foster dogs from the humane society. I know almost everyone thinks we're crazy but it's been a really neat experience so far. I only agreed because Brittney was begging and she said she'd be responsible for everything. Plus, the humane society gives us the food, kennel, toys, and everything the dogs will need. I have two good friends who have been fostering dogs for quite some time and they've had great experiences. So last week, we filled out the paperwork and picked up two little dogs. They were completely potty trained and very well behaved.

The deal with the humane society is that the foster homes care for the animals during the week and then we bring them back in to the shelter on Saturdays from 11am - 4pm so people can look at them and possibly adopt them. We knew that people had been considering one of the dogs but Brit texted me that both were adopted on Saturday. So instead of coming home empty-handed, Brit brought home another foster dog.

He's definitely big! But he's very well trained and such a good dog. His name is Buddy and he's a lab/spaniel mix. He basically looks like a lab with a bit of wave to his hair. I know they have a harder time placing the bigger dogs so we might have him longer than the other two. I'll be the first to admit, I miss the little ones already.

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Life is now back to semi-normal. Days filled with kids and evenings filled with baseball. I don't have a lot of time this morning because Sophia's early headstart teacher will be here in a few minutes.


But I did want to assure everyone that the rumors are true. I do have teal highlights in my hair. My brother's girlfriend is a hairstylist and she'll do anything I want for free. So I took advantage of it last weekend in Rapid and had a little fun. Yes, it's permanent but my hair grows so fast I figured if I didn't like it, it would be gone before too long anyway. But I do like it!

I figure it's a bit like me. Mainly conservative and typical, with just a splash of non-traditional and fun thrown in when you least expect it. :)

I know, pictures are needed. But I rarely allow pictures of me so you'll either have to see me in person or wait until I'm caught in a picture with someone else ;)
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Everyone's back home...........and the fighting begins.

We're Outta Here

The van is packed and we're ready to go! Well, almost. I have a few things to throw in the cooler and the kids need to eat breakfast. Then we're outta here! I probably won't have much for internet connection until I get back to Rapid on Sunday night so I doubt I'll post anything here until Tuesday morning. I might throw a couple of pictures on FB for my brother that won't be there. See ya later!!!
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Getting Ready

Four kids have bags packed and have their bags and sleeping bags in the van. This year I got smart and created a list of what they would need in their bag. I started with Anthony. We washed all his laundry and then I gave him the list so he could lay out what he needed. It worked really well because I didn't have to take the time to sort out his clothes and he could pack what he wanted. After he had it all laid out, I checked to make sure he had everything on the list and then we put it into his bag and put the bag right into the back of the van. I learned long ago that the bag has to be removed from site as soon as it's ready or inevitably, the child will want something out of it. Then I think the bag still contains everything they need and we get to the destination and realize that they've taken something out.

On Monday, we packed Anthony and Riley and yesterday we packed Taylor and Zeke. Today I'm getting all my stuff together. I've decided to take three of the kids to The Club so that I can run all the errands I need to fairly quickly and then be able to finish the stuff at home without having to referee the kids. Taylor is not happy! But she's the one who caused the most issues yesterday so I'm not backing down. She's going!

I'm a bit nervous about taking the boys to The Club because last time we were going out of town and I utilized The Club, Anthony got us investigated. He doesn't do well with transitions, and in case you haven't guessed, packing up to go out of town is a bigggggggg transition. It's usually when he struggles the most. Which is why I need him somewhere else while I get ready. Which is the worst possible time to have him somewhere else. Especially somewhere they don't understand his special needs. So it's a toss up as to whether or not he'll take offense to something someone did lately and tell some inexperienced staff member and they'll yank DSS into the picture again. But this time, I can just say screw you. Sorry about the language but if I was having this conversation in person, those are the exact words I would use. We wouldn't cooperate at all with any investigation! I would just create a media blitz the likes of which DSS has never seen before in South Dakota.

I have seen too many families be torn apart and the kids are never the same. It takes years to build up a child and a few moments to tear apart everything these families are trying to work toward. It's time we stopped pointing fingers about bad parenting and time we started giving parents help, support and tools to become the parents these kids need. And I'm not talking about bio parents who have made really bad choices, I'm talking about adoptive parents who open their hearts and homes to these kids and are then accused of bad parenting when there is so much trauma that these kids already come with. I've had three families contact me about the same adoptive issues and they are so scared of DSS that they just try to do anything they want and try to survive the attack. But the kids end up with more severe emotional trauma and families end up torn apart. I'm tired of it and I'm tired of the kids ending up with no families because most people won't even take them in and those that do end up on the receiving end of accusations. End of rant. For today.

Did I mention we're going camping? :)
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LOL!

It's Tuesday

So far I have Riley and Anthony's bags packed and in the back of the van. Four of the kids and I are leaving Thursday morning and driving to the Black Hills. We'll meet up with my brother and his kids, my cousin Tim & his wife and his kids and my uncle Toby and his wife and kids. There might be others going too but those are the ones I know about. I'm not usually a camping fan but my brother grew up camping and knows all the 'survival skills'. Like how to start a fire, put up a tent, fish, and make brownies over a campfire. I always feel completely safe wherever he is.

I'm looking forward to a really relaxing weekend. I'm taking all the middle kids so I won't need to keep an eye on Sophia. Another bonus is that as long as I'm with my brother, he just takes charge so I don't have to. I don't realize how much responsibility rests on my shoulders until I take it off for a while. Since I hardly ever feel that way so it's nice to let my body relax for a while. The kids can play with cousins, fish, swim and just have fun outside. My brother takes care of paying for the camping site so all I have to do is get there. We all take hot dogs, buns, sandwich meat and eggs. Between that and the fish they catch, no one goes hungry. It's a trip that fits my budget well!

We'll be camping until Sunday and then we'll trek back into Rapid City. We'll spend the night there and then I'll take all four kids, yes, I said ALL four kids to Kids Camp just outside of Rapid. They can register at 1pm so I'll stick around long enough to get them settled in and then I'll head home. It makes packing a bit more complicated but it's worth it.

I was only going to send two kids but was convinced by a few people to go ahead and send all four. Since they're so close in age, they'll all be attending the same week of camp. It's the only year that will happen. Brittney has cheer camp that week so she'll be home at night but gone during the day. The church is giving the kids scholarships to be able to attend camp so I decided to take them up on it. The older and wiser I get, the more willing I am to accept help. I decided that the kids shouldn't have to miss camp just because I can't afford to send them myself and I'm too proud to accept help. I loved kid's camp when I was a kid and I know my kids feel the same way. It's fun, keeps them busy, let's them meet new friends and hopefully draws them into a closer relationship with God.

I'll admit, the biggest reason for finally giving in and letting all four kids go to camp was the vision of an entire four days with only Sophia at home! Selfish, I know. But that's how I'm rolling next week ;)
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Peter G. Harold

 

All too often the best way

to see the light at the end of the tunnel

is to go turn it on.

~Peter G. Harold

Yesterday, in addition to my class on Nehemiah and my laughter therapy group at Chocolate, we had a double dose of Sophia's bio family. Her paternal siblings, aunt and grandma came over as we were eating lunch and stayed a couple of hours. Steve took our boys to the pool just to get them out of the mix. Then in the afternoon, I took Sophia, Brittney and Taylor to a birthday party on Sophia's maternal side. They are a very loud family. Taylor appears to fit right in. I think she likes the chaos ;)

This morning, it's off to court to watch the finalization of three kids' adoptions into one spectacular family.
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This afternoon will be laundry and packing for later in the week. I'm headed to the Black Hills with four kids and Steve is headed to Wyoming with two kids.
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