Dear Blog Followers,
I have some super cute pics from the summer, but I think I'm overdue for a Letters I Can't Send But Really Want To post. Birthday posts and summer pics will be up next!
Sincerely,
Me
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Dear Everything That We Own,
Stop Breaking.
Seriously. Stop. Breaking.
In the last month, we have had to get repaired or replace our...
Home A/C (Oh yeah. and the high was 108 degrees the day it stopped working.)
Computer
Lawn Mower
Honda Battery
Honda A/C
and last but not least-our our plumbing...although it's not even fully repaired yet.
A flooding toilet has now resulted into the potential digging up of the sewer pipes IN.OUR.NEIGHBORS.YARD. Sounds expensive, right? Before we dig up, we need to spend $300 in fancy cameras to send through the pipes and find the exact problem location. This will be on top of what we have already spent to find out why our sewers are not functioning properly. This makes me want to curl up in a ball. The good news is that we got it right before the sewage flooded our house. Yay for silver linings... but the truth is I would rather not have another disaster with or without a silver lining.
Not-So-Sincerely,
Depleted Emergency Fund
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Dear Pat Robinson,
I know of you, but I must admit I have never sat down to watch The 700 Club... and I'm pretty sure that was one of the smartest choices I have made. In your segment, you discussed international adoption and how we should be careful to adopt from other countries because our adopted children could 'grow up weird'. ARE.YOU.SERIOUS.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time I have heard that we should just 'adopt from around here'. Here's the thing... I have heard this from Christians. This is what is so appalling to me. That Christians think we should give missionally, go on those fun mission trips... but keep them in their own country! When James tells us to look after orphans and widows in their distress, he never added 'Oh yeah... but just in your own country'.
Should American babies be the only ones who matter to us? to God?
Because it sounds like that's what you're saying... which sounds to me like you are saying my daughter is not worth going all the way to China for because she was not born in the US of A. This makes the Mama Bear in me a little angry. Saying that my adopted child will be weird because she will have a special need makes the Mama Bear in me a lot angry.
I'm not going to throw stones at you Pat Robinson, but I will shake my head and feel sorry for you... because you, sir, have lost the plot.
With Love,
My Weird Family
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Dear Caroline,
I love every moment with you. Seriously, you.are.awesome. but... can you start taking naps again? When you don't have a nap, we call you by your alter ego 'Sasha Fierce'. Your alter ego is basically a hormonal 13-year-old girl, and although your behavior is mildly entertaining, we aren't quite sure what to do when you throw yourself on the ground and burst into tears because we gave you the purple sippy cup and not the pink one. I would take a nap if I could, so just be a good girl and take one for mama, okay?
Kisses!
Mom
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Dear Annoying People Who Think They Know What Homeschooling Is But Are Actually Clueless and Dare I say... Ignorant,
We are beginning our first year of homeschooling. It is not because I am wanting to shelter my son. It is not because its 'the cool thing to do right now'. Neither is it because I had a traumatized public school experience (I actually think I'm one of the few who really enjoyed high school and escaped completely un-traumatized.) We are taking homeschooling on a year-by-year basis. For us, homeschooling is completely normal.
Here is the reality...
Over the last ten years or so families are realizing they have choices on how they want their children to be educated. More families are choosing private schools. More families are choosing homeschooling. We know WAY more families choosing private school and homeschooling. Camden only has one or two friends who are starting Kindergarten at a public school this year. This isn't just a local thing either. I have more friends in Bville, OKC, and Texas choosing private school and homeschooling over public school. This is not because we are anti-public school; We just have more choices than parents had even ten years ago. Public school definitely works for some families, but is it the only way to educate a child? No way.
Another reality...
Most homeschool kids are rarely at home. Camden will be going to Classical Conversations one day a week. He goes to Karate two days a week during the day, and he is also playing soccer in the evenings this Fall. We will be joining Community Bible Study and doing that one day a week. He also plays with friends (homeschool, private schooled, and public schooled) at least a few times a week during the day. Needless to say, Camden has a booked schedule this Fall. Yet some people are saying he will not have social skills because he isn't sitting in a desk for six hours a day with 25 other five year olds... doesn't really make sense to me.
Weird parents make weird kids. It doesn't matter if they spend their day learning in various environments or sitting in one room for half the day with a bunch of other kids their age. And for the record... I know a lot of public school-educated people who have the social skills of a rock, so the 'send my kids to public school for social skills' theory does not hold water.
And just a warning to the people who generalize the entire homeschooling community because they "knew" a family who homeschooled and they just didn't have any "social skills"... I'm pretty much going to turn you into a joke with my other friends whether they homeschool or not. Because we think you may be lacking a few social skills yourself. Just being honest.
With Regards,
Homeschooling Mama Who Is Feeling a Little Sassy Today
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Dear Self from January 2012,
It's the end of August... and you still have not seen your daughter's face.
I just want to prepare you because you will super speed through your homestudy in a matter of weeks. Then you will breeze through your I-800A process and get approved in less than 24 hours after your fingerprints... and this will even be right before the crazy USCIS slow down when people will wait for approval for WEEKS after their fingerprints are done. You get out your DTC in record timing and get LID ten days later, and you are finally eligible to be matched. Honestly, you will be breezing through this adoption process so fast, it's making you a little nervous.
68 days pass without a referral... and you aren't nervous anymore.
In fact, the absence of your new baby girl is palpable. Every day the wait is harder to bear. One night you have a dream about your daughter, and you know it's her. When people introduce you and your two children, you want to stop and say, "No I have THREE children... I just have never met our third child... and er...I haven't even seen her face."
But oh.my.word. she is in your heart.
You will be humbled by people's generosity who are fighting with you to get your daughter home. Just when you think your heart has hit rock bottom, you will get text messages from random people quoting a verse or just telling you that they are praying for your family. In the midst of the waiting and the checking your cell phone every 5.6 seconds for an update, you will be uplifted and changed.
and ready. SO ready. to meet her.
Hang in There,
Still Waiting Momma
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