Earlier this year our family became licensed to provide foster care and we took our first placement soon after our license became active. The last 6 months have flown by and our foster care experience has been so different from what we were expecting. And I mean that in the best way possible :). Foster care is temporary and an amazing opportunity to love and care for a child and be part of the ministry of family reconciliation. When you provide a temporary home for a child it allows for the possibility of a permanent reconciliation to happen within a family. I enjoyed reading and learning from other foster families when we were starting this process. Below are the steps we took to become licensed in Arizona and also the reasoning behind why Josh and I ultimately said yes to becoming foster parents. THE PROCESS Our journey into becoming licensed as a foster family started all the way back in November of 2015. Our kids at the time were 4 and 2 years old. Josh and I knew we … [Read more...]
Our Adoption Story
Josh and I had the privilege this January to become licensed foster parents. This year has grown me in more ways then I can say. I have learned so much and I am so thankful for the amazing opportunity to be part of another child's life. This week our family adopted the sweet little person we have been loving and caring for over the last six months. Adopting our foster son has been an amazing and yet bittersweet experience. I have never felt such a deep loss for another person before. I think about and pray for our son's biological parents, I pray for the future conversations we will have with our son regarding his adoption, and I pray for our family to be a safe and secure place for him to learn and know what love is, how much we love him, but more importantly how much God loves him. We had the most amazing people from the Arizona Department of Child Safety advocating for our child. Words cannot fully express how honored our family has been to walk along side these individuals … [Read more...]
Our After School Routine
Our oldest started kindergarten this year. Gulp. I don't think I have fully come to terms with that yet. How does time fly so quickly? Because I love reading about other families routines I thought I would share what has been working for us this last month in regards to our kindergarteners after school routine. As soon as we get home school clothes go into the hamper and afternoon showers, baths, or swimming happens for the kids. I figure this is one of the best ways to minimize shared germs as much as possible. We don't have a swimming pool at home but have had great luck with this inflatable pool and this at home spray pad. We are trying to keep all the kids immune systems boosted to prevent as much sickness as possible because it seems once one person becomes sick it isn't long before we are all down for count. In addition to this the kids also take SmartyPants vitamins and a probiotic daily. Once the heat starts to dissipate I would like to add in 15-30 minutes of … [Read more...]
Cleaning My House Just Got Easier (eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S Review)
There are chores around the house that I genuinely don't mind doing, like vacuuming. I love seeing all the gunk that our vacuum picks up but at the same time it also slightly disgusting. It is this weird mix of horrified amazement and with all the kids in our home needs frequent vacuuming. I had been looking into purchasing a Robot Vacuum for a least a year and finally decided to bite the bullet two months ago and make the purchase. I researched several options and narrowed it down between two options: eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S and iRobot Roomba 690. It was so hard deciding between the two but several factors ultimately led me to pick the eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11. The eufy is super quiet and for me this was essential because I wanted to use it at night after the kids are sleeping. The slim design easily would fit underneath cribs, beds, dressers and other furniture in our home that our Dyson vacuum doesn't reach. It looked easy to setup, clean, and I liked that it worked well … [Read more...]
Thinking More About the Third Commandment
The third commandment reads: You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Several years ago our pastor preached a sermon about using the phrases "Oh my God!" or "OMG" while speaking. And while I personally had made it a point not to say "Oh my God!" saying "OMG" or even "Oh my gosh!" was not something that I censored coming out my mouth. I figured if I wasn't actually saying God's name in this manner I was doing ok. When someone is yelling in frustration "Jesus Christ!" I knew that they weren't honoring the Lord but didn't really think about the bigger message of the third commandment until this sermon. The third commandment has been discussed numerous times over the last few months in our home. And then I recently read the book Christian Ethics by Dr. Wayne Grudem and felt even more convicted by this verse. I received a copy of this book from Crossway to review. All opinions are my … [Read more...]
High Reps/Low Weight Workout
Since completing the 12 week MUTU program at the beginning of June I have been lifting weights at home. For the last 4 weeks I've been exercising Monday-Thursday from anywhere between 30-60 minutes. I am not following a lifting program currently but instead doing workouts that I find fun and challenging. And challenging to me today looks much different from a few years ago. I used to push myself hard, especially when teaching group fitness, but have learned I don't need to do that to get a good workout. Ahhh, the wisdom that comes with age. I recently did a high reps/low weight workout and thought it would be fun to share on the blog. BENEFITS OF HIGH REPS/LOW WEIGHT WORKOUTS For high reps/low weight workouts you need to pick a weight that you can lift 15 times with good form. These workouts are a great way to build muscular endurance because your muscles will be constantly working without becoming fatigued. If you swim, run, or cycle this type of training would be great to … [Read more...]
