lajendi

Moving Day!

 

I am officially moving to Jendoop.blogspot.com

This blog will disappear soon, please change your favs and sidebars.

See you there!

Around and About

     Took the kids to see Alice In Wonderland - it was great! A real heroine movie with a Jabberwocky, what's not to like? (I happily remembered my Dad quoting the Jabberwocky often during my childhood.) Think six impossible things before breakfast! We all agreed that without the costumes and art it wouldn't have thrilled us as much. There are great ideas in there for a birthday party (those ideas are for younger kids, but I'm thinking about R's 16th birthday that is 9 months away! The drinks in little bottles with "Drink Me" tags, little petit fours with "Eat Me" written on them, playing chess and cards, funky tea party with broken and mismatched dishes, and a vial of Jabberwocky blood attached to a silk cord as the party favor. ) and Halloween costumes - not the cheesy, real dressing up!

     After all the fantastical things in Alice it seems right to make paper flowers  - click all the way through Martha's list, there are roses and peonies and poppies and apple/cherry blossoms. (While we're on the subject, Martha continues to bug me - several of these crafts I saw years ago on other blogs. So that's what crafters get if they're nice enough to offer a free tutorial - poached by Big Sister Martha.) The cherry blossoms remind me of our tree outside. The blossoms go so quickly, making a branch like this would remind me of spring. (I'll leave the birds off, I'd have Alfred Hitchcock type nightmares otherwise).

 

     Rach and I went to a consignment store. I had to explain what a consignment store is to her to get her to go, "It's second-hand clothes, but better than Goodwill. Macy's clothes on a Goodwill budget." It wasn't a teen store, and she's a picky girl, and she still found a shirt and a necklace. I found a dress (I haven't bought a dress in years, they either don't fit, aren't modest, or are matronly), a beautiful green blouse that happens to be silk (silk scares me, I'll ruin it just as sure as I shrunk that cashmere sweater), a necklace, earrings, and another brooch for my purse. Brooches are lovely, especially when they're $5, but I feel weird wearing them on anything but a coat. So I've got two on my purse, a bee and now a butterfly. 

    Then Rach and I went to a used bookstore that recently opened near the consignment store. It felt like the clouds parting and the sun shined down upon us - hardcover of Eldest, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Cat's Eye, The Bell Jar, and The Friday Night Knitting Club all for $25 bucks! Owning books gives me a special thrill, mine mine mine!

     These things a personal trainer learned over 20 years made me think. Funny thing is he went against several things he posted - he's selling things and he has a book and a blog. I guess he didn't see the irony there. Is it also irony that I keep reading how bad sugar is for me and I continue to consume it in vast quantities? What might work better in my body if I could step away from the sugar bowl and soda machine?

     Not wanting to end on something as sad as giving up sugar, I'll tell you about lunch. DH and I went to a local farmer's market (the same one I visited with my parents when they visited). It was bustling and loud today, the epitome of Eastern US culture. We decided to eat at the Mediterranean restaurant, I had a chicken swarma wrap and DH had a Gyro - yummy! It was hard to choose where to eat though, there was a southern food booth, a pizza booth, a pretzal booth, many bakeries, several sandwich shops, a salad booth, a seafood booth, a candy booth, a bagel booth, a comfort food booth, and on and on. We could eat there everyday for a month and not tire of it.   

What Do Children Need?

These links all tell a story about children, a sad one. 

Adopted boy is difficult.

Adoptive mom who can't 'handle it'.

Could this be the answer?

Mr Rogers, LDS Fostering, and Onward!

     Mr. Rogers was such a especially amazing man, in a quiet way. I wonder if it was, in part, because he was a foster brother?

     I finally found an LDS foster family on the net! Since the LDS faith is so focused on families, on the value of each individual child of God, I have been a little surprised to find so few LDS foster parents. I think there may be such a focus on forever families and adoption that some religious people don't ever consider fostering because it's uncertain and messy.  This is one of their great posts that you should read.

     My interview went very well today. At the end our worker said that she sees no reason why we won't be approved. The homestudy is scheduled for June 3rd, and about a week after that we'll be able to take a placement. This is sure to be one crazy summer!

    For the summer we've chosen to do respite care - it is what it sounds like, it gives foster parents a break for a weekend, week, maybe up to 2 weeks, while we care for their foster child. We feel that with all the things we have happening this summer it isn't fair to a foster child to have so much change right after being placed with us. After youth conference, family vacation, and girls camp are over we'll have a more consistent atmosphere for a troubled child to settle into. In between those activities we'll still be able to help children and can support other foster families. 

    Today I asked for advice about how to tell our church congregation and neighbors about our fostering. With HIPAA laws it is a sensitive subject. I can't reveal details of a child's case, and frankly I don't even want those questions asked in front of the child. So it would be lovely if we can tackle all the awkward and insensitive questions before we have a foster child standing right next to us. (Not that any of you would do that!). It is the time to tell the world that we're going to be foster parents. 

     How exactly should I do this? I could call a few gossipy people and drop the bomb and see how long it takes, but I'd prefer a more tactful and teaching kind of approach. There are a lot of misconceptions out there that I'd like to tackle. Maybe we'll ask the bishop's advice, or I could get up in testimony meeting and spill it. 

     Telling people in the course of a conversation seems weird:

"How are you doing Jen?"

"We're going to be foster parents!"

"Oh... that's interesting.... ...."

-Or-

"How are your kids doing?"

"They're wondering when we'll get our first foster placement. J would love to have another boy in the house. A newborn would be neat, but since I'm already getting up at 5 am it could be difficult. ... Hey! Where are you going?!"

...............

     I think about how I might respond if someone told me they were going to be foster parents. It would be a shock for a minute or two but then I'd have a ton of questions. 

I wonder how my neighbors will feel? At least one, who is one of our references, is thrilled and eventually wants to foster too. 

Then there's always a chance of something falling through at the last minute and we won't be approved. That would be awkward. Then again this isn't about making us feel comfortable. 

Spring Happenings

Today my friend has a post at MW - how their family worked with God to help their daughter with Kawasaki Disease. 

I submitted for my Humanities mid-term! It is such a relief to be halfway through the class. Applying for foster care lit a fire under me, I really need to finish this class and be well on my way to finishing a Psych Stats class before we get into full-time fostering. After that major class the remaining classes will be cake, with a few rocks baked in. 

I finally planted seeds! The warm weather encouraged me to believe that it will eventually get warm enough for things to grow. They sprouted  quickly this year. 

 

I also tested my garden soil - it is pathetic. Low on everything although the acidity levels are good. But by the time I adjust all the other issues I'll probably have issues with acidity. Composted manure here I come!

Today I finished The Sugar Queen. I highly recommend it, this book came along just when I needed it. A good story with a magical lightness. Yummy!

News Flash - Eating well is difficult. I have to share how horridly I ate on Saturday so I can feel good about improving: 

Breakfast: Lucky Charms with lowfat milk. This makes no sense. I should have poured on the heavy cream while I was at it. We never have Lucky Charms in the house, but I got them for J's birthday. 

Lunch: At Chuck E Cheese for J's friend's birthday party so, you guessed it: 2 1/2 slices of pizza and soda. Why not the salad bar? Because the pizza was right there in front of me while the salad bar required a little effort. 

Dinner: Popeyes. Do I need to tell you the scary details? Full confession purges the soul - two deep fried fish fillets, biscuit with honey, cole slaw (got a veggie in there!) and a full sugar sprite. 

Is there any wonder that I had a headache and achy knees on Sunday? My body was nearly suffering from malnutrition even though I went far over the number of calories required to sustain life. So after that I'm quite proud of myself for eating these things today (although not necessarily the best choices) 

Breakfast: granola bar, a few grapes, and water.

Mid morn snack - juice and 2 whole wheat muffins (I noticed that most juices now have water and sugar as their leading ingredients. We aren't drinking juice, we're drinking sugar water, like hummingbirds.) I'm under no delusions about the sugar content of this meal, even with the whole wheat - not good choices. 

Lunch - Ham and cheese sandwich, half of Baby's chocolate muffin. Don't say a word about that muffin, it was going to waste. 

Afternoon snack - V8 juice and a trail mix of nuts and dried blueberries (a new find that is great! So great I think I ate too much.)

Dinner - Haven't eaten yet but plan to train wreck the day with scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and juice because I don't feel like making dinner. I'll make it up tomorrow by making Chicken Chili. 

I'm telling myself that we'll eat better soon when the veggies are in season. 

To end this scatterbrained post, here's a picture Baby took of herself.

 

Thinking about Family-

Today many things I've read online are about families and I wrote posts for MW about my family. They won't be posted for a while, but I'll give you a sneak peek at one after I give you a few links. 

A hopeful Mom that I identify with. 

Who also happens to have a cute post on her blog today.

What do your kids think about getting married (when they're older)?

The talk referenced in the above link is here. 

------------------------------------

Teenagers get a bad rap. I love my teenager and not only because I’m her Mom and I have to. 

When I was pregnant with my daughter I told everyone that I hoped I was having a boy. Looking into the future I didn’t think I could handle being the mother of a teenage daughter – all those hormones, boys, and friend issues – a minefield for a parent. I knew how I was as a teenager, and I did not want to deal with that!

Now that I’m in the middle of it, it is not the horror I feared. It’s probably because my daughter isn’t just ‘some teenager’, she’s my daughter. The baby who somehow survived my first feeble attempts at buckling her into a carseat. The little girl who rode her first bike with slippers on because it was softer to pedal that way. The girl who moved across the country right before 6th grade and never got mad at her parents for it, despite the difficulty. And now she is the teenager who gets up at 5 am every school day to attend seminary (religious education). 

Yes, teenagers do have hormones, we all do. She probably understands me best on my bad days because she’s had a few inexplicable bad moments herself.  Boys really aren’t much of an issue just yet, for now she thinks most of them act like her 7 year old brother. When that day does come I will be nervous, but I’ll also be happy for her, remembering the excitement of my first date. I can’t think of a person better equipped to help her deal with friend issues than someone who has had (and continues to have) friend issues herself. 

My daughter and I were out in public once when an older person went out of their way to walk far around her. She looked at me quizzically.

 “Some people are afraid of teenagers.”

“Oh, yeah, we’re so scary.” 

I should have told her I used to be scared too. 

Sick, Snow, and Valentines

Most of the family is sick, including me. Thankfully no puking, so it's good, as far as sick goes. It shows up a bit differently in every family member but basically it's the creepy crud, sore throat, body aches, fever, and J. had ear pain yesterday. 

Tomorrow night we're supposed to get 6-12 more inches of snow. The streets are so narrow in some parts of Philly, then you add street parking, and I have no idea how they move the snow. 

 

Here are a few sites we scoped out for ideas for A's valentines. 

The Crafty Crow

Family Fun

and of course Martha Stewart

Not Seriously

My sister (AKA readermom) asked me yesterday on the phone if I'm doing OK, because my posts have gotten very serious. I laughed, which answered her question I think. No intentional pattern, unless it's that I'm sick of winter while at the same time trying to limit my computer time (it's like being trapped in a time warp - zip - the afternoon is gone or dinner is 2 hours late). 

Here's a few light things to get rid of the heavy vibe :)

Adjust a button, because the New Years resolutions are beginning to slip. (True Confession: I had McDonalds on Saturday, first time in months. And that, my friends, is a miracle considering I have 4 children.) 

Laugh or Cry - seems applicable.

Dropped Food guidance - the five second rule is antiquated. (Actually the husband of a friend recently conducted a study for a men's magazine about the 5 second rule. The results: if it's wet toss it, if it's dry make sure no one is watching before you gobble it down.)

Love this post, it's not light, but after that ridiculousness on facebook I had to post the other side.

Edible crafts - Why waste your time with inedible stuff?!

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” -- Carl Jung. This great quote is from The Happiness Project. 

Time for seed catalogs! here's another, and another. (Yes, I'm throwing organics at you)

BABIES! When I read someone else's post about this movie trailer I thought it said BaRbies and I ignored it. 

Called

I have a post at Mormon Women today. It is being posted on a very relevant day - I'm going to my first conference as a stake leader - teaching young women and assisting leadership without a net. They called me and set me loose to afflict these poor women. Pray for them to endure me ;)

Good Things!

 ~Philadelphia temple plans are moving forward! I can't wait to see the artist's rendering of what it will look like. It's so good to know the current administration seems excited about the temple. The previous mayor was a little more shady (glad he's moved on), and the city is desperate for those tourism dollars. Not to mention the $75 million they say the building will cost, that's a lot of jobs. It's officially on the church site now also.

 
~This morning I got my own copy of the new personal progress booklet! Great spiral binding, wonderful scripture index to mark which ones you've read, explanations of beehive, miamaid, laurel, beautiful and thoughtful in every detail. The edges of each value page is color coded to match the value, it's pretty and it makes each section easier to find. Kudos to the design team!

~I got an A on my Anthropology course. Of course the down side of that is that I probably spent too much time on it. Last year I only completed 2 classes. While one of them was a writing-intense English class, the fact remains that I can't go at that pace or I'll run out of time (8 year limit). Thus the "Study" on my daily goal list. 

~Mormon Times linked to one of my posts on Mormonwomen.org! (third one down with the title 'Honor him') This makes me think that maybe I should begin to use my last name on some of my writing. It is a double edged sword, you worry about the whole identity theft/stalker angle but if I want to do more writing I have to get my name out there. And Jendoop just ain't gonna cut it. 

~I am officially the editor of the Co-op newsletter. There was a previous editor - who  wasn't willing to publish a newsletter monthly, dragging her feet on many things, great at graphics - that officially bowed out via email last week. I never even met her, it was awkward. While the Co-op is a small community operation it looks great on a resume, establishes community contacts, gets my name out there, and serves the community in an area I am passionate about - FOOD!

~Moving to the new ward (AKA congregation). Yes, this is on my list of good things. I wouldn't say that I'm jumping for joy, but yesterday at church I got a little of that 'you've overstayed your welcome' kind of feel (not that anyone treated me differently, everyone was very loving). It's time to step out of the way and let the Latinos run with it. Yes, it will still be awkward going into a new ward, but I'll just take it a step at a time, being friendly all the way. Really the part I'm dragging my feet about now is that DH and I have intense callings with Sunday responsibilities. Every week will require shuffling, scheduling, and sacrifice of family time. And I thought this change would make life easier.