Big Family Benefits

I visited a family blog today that I follow. She had an article from Matthew Archbold. Here is a copy of it:


Why big families are easier:

Patience. I never have to teach patience. My children know that I can’t drop everything for them if I have a baby in my arms.

Work Ethic. My children have learned to work because there are always chores to do in a small house packed with little messy lunatics. And they all learn quickly that sometimes they have to clean up a mess even though they didn’t make it.

Humility. My children have learned it’s not always their turn. They’ve accepted they can’t always get their way because other people have to get their way sometimes. They’ve learned that some children are better at certain things than they are.

Foreign language skills. You can learn a lot of Spanish by watching ten years of Dora the Explorer that you just can’t pick up in two. And now with the Diego spin off I’m practically fluent.

Laughter. The children have learned to laugh at the insane non sequiturs of younger siblings. They’ve learned that laughing just feels better when seven people are doing it along with you.

Competition. Do I really need to go into this? Everything is a competition in big families. The children compete over who reads faster, who drinks their milk faster, who gets to the bathroom first…etc. Everything is a competition and they’re all keeping score.

Balance. The floor of the front room of my home is a minefield of toys and childhood paraphernalia. Just walking through the room requires great skill and balance. I’m absolutely convinced my two year old will be a favorite for Gold on the balance beam in the 2016 Olympics. (She might have to lay off the cookies a little but I’ll deal with that later.)

Life isn’t fair. Sometimes you just give it to the baby because you want a little quiet. Not all the time. But sometimes.

Just say “No.” Being able to say “no” may be the most undervalued skill in this world. The need to be liked is pervasive. The need to be cool even more so. Having brothers and sisters teaches children to say “no” about 143 times a day. It’s a good skill.

Praying. They learn that nothing beats praying together as a family.

Nature/Nurture. Having many children has taught me that nature has a lot more to do with who my kids are than nurture. This is helpful, especially when your children misbehave you don’t have to feel bad about it. Just say “Stupid nature!!!” and blame your spouse’s genes.

Namecalling. You can occasionally call your child by the wrong name and still not be considered a terrible parent. They know who you mean just from your tone. Sometimes if you need something done you can call the wrong name and someone will still show up. That helps.

Spying. My children have learned that they can’t get away with anything. I have spies who look a lot like them who are willing to drop the dime on them for anything. Even at school I’ve got a child in just about every grade. If they do something I’ll hear. That keeps them nervous. And I like keeping my kids a little nervous.

Friendship. The children have many friends. They’ve got girly friends, crying friends, fun loving friends, consoling friends, and crazy friends. And they all have the same last name. And they’ll be there forever for each other. No matter what.

Love. I think my children have learned to love because there are others around them to love and who love them. I honestly can think of no better way to teach children to love than siblings.

I could not have said it all better myself. This is so true. The link is here:

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/why_big_families_might_be_easier
The Boyd Family blog is a great one! They are a big family! I have learned more from their blog than any adoption class yet! Visit it here:
http://10kidsin2010.blogspot.com/
Blessings to all the Big Families out there!

Adoption - Not Abortion

I am issuing a challenge to all Christians! I was raised hearing mottoes like these! As Pro-Life advocates, we have all advocated picketing abortion clinics, holding rallies, adopting rather than aborting, and organizing events to promote saving the unborn child. As Christians, this is an important ministry. However, I am finding that many people have no problems doing all of the above. The problem arises when we are called to ACT on our beliefs. For example, if you believe that adoption should be an option to an unwanted pregnancy because abortion is wrong, then are you actively supporting adoption? By this I mean are you actively supporting a family's adoption journey? Are you donating to this family? Are you praying specifically for them and their child? Are you helping with fundraising efforts? You see, it is fairly easy to state one's belief in something. I am urging you as a fellow Christian to ACT! Let's stand up and stand out! Let's do more than simply state, "We are against abortion. We believe in adoption as an alternative." Let's put our money and our support where our mouth is! I am challenging all Christians to actively support an adoptive family TODAY! You decide how you will accomplish that goal - by donations, prayer, fundraising, networking....whatever. Be an example - not just a mouthpiece - for adoption.

Note: I am taking on this challenge as well. Even though we are on our own adoption journey, I am becoming a stronger advocate for adoption. I am supporting my fellow adoptive families in every way possible. I am taking on more responsibility for promoting adoption in several different ways. I refuse to stand quietly behind a statement of belief any longer! I am going to ACT because isn't that what God calls us to do? I know that He is not satisfied with my actions yet! Please pray for me as I continue to pray for all of you!

Positively Soaring!

I read this from my daily prayers. It goes something like this: "The concept of positive thinking is something that many people fail to do regularly. When things are going well, it is easy to think and act positive. However, when situations occur that are unfavorable, the idea of positive thinking has been replaced with doubt, confusion, and negativity. It is a shame that so many people allow situations and circumstances to dictate whether they will be happy, secure, and successful. In order for people to overcome this feeling, there must be a liberating of the mind.
Let us stop thinking negatively and start reflecting on what God has done and continues to do in our lives. Now this is a positive thought."

I lecture myself every day on this concept. I even say it out loud - BE POSITIVE. It is not for the faint of heart - being positive takes action and it is quite exhausting sometimes. BUT - it is so worth it! We are going to continue on our journey of adoption no matter what is thrown in our path. This typically manifests itself in negativity from outside sources - friends, family, colleagues. We just fight the battles one at a time. We will be victorious because of one thing: GOD. God is on our side.

A scripture for today because I just like it! "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
(Matthew 7:7-8 -NIV) I like this because if you never knock, or ask, or search, or put yourself out there - you will never succeed. You will never know what huge, cool things God had in store! We were in our safety net - comfortable and complacent. What a bore! Now we are soaring because we have answered a calling to serve and it feels so good!

Unconditional Love & Friendship

Something very special happened today - something that I was not ready for. We received a donation from one of our dear friends. This young military family has five children. They are a faithful, Christian family that we admire very much. They live in another state, yet they have kept in touch with us much better than we have with them. They are truly an example for our family, and they have taught me what real, unconditional love means. They took that chance on us - that risk. They are like most average middle-income families these days. That makes their donation even more heartfelt to us. We do not deserve their friendship, but we accept it and ask them to pray for us.

This donation evoked strong emotions from me that were very unexpected. I had feelings of unworthiness, guilt, happiness, relief, and fear. It has made me look at the things in our life that are really, really important. Not money - but rather friends and supporters and children and our Almighty Father. He graciously showed me a sign - a sign of faith. It is so comforting to feel that we are supported. We know that we are following God's call to adopt one of His precious children. Not everyone understands this call and that is okay. We just have one request: please pray for us and support us in this journey.

Another New Fundraiser!

Yes - you read it correctly! We are starting a new fundraising program that I read about from another adopting family. It is Just Love Coffee and I DO! This is a wonderful opportunity! The company is set up to give $5 profit for every bag of coffee we sell by order or online from our personalized web store. There are other products that pay commissions also such as T-shirts, mugs, etc. This company was started by a family adopting from Ethiopia. It is a truly amazing story that I invite all of you to read about. Just click on my link to the left of the blog! I really do think these people are the greatest! I am truly blessed to have found out about them. They also have a Fan Page on Facebook that you can check out! As always, thank you for your support during this adoption process. We could not do this without the support of all of you!

Making Time

Today has been stressed-filled to the max! Then, I read my daily devotional and had an , "AH HA!" moment.

"Do you ever find yourself slipping up in your prayer life? God knows you're busy, but He wants you to carve out some meaningful time with Him. A powerful prayer life equates to a life full of blessings. Sincere prayer will cause God to move in your life and in the lives of those around you. Prayer that is not all about you will permit you to rise above thinking about yourself and placing the needs of others before your own. Prayer will give you peace in the midst of any storm. If you refuse to set aside devoted prayer time to God, how do you expect God to speak to you? "

These words really affected me. I have not given God the time He deserves from me. Yet I have been moaning about fundraising being a slow process and other everyday stresses. I can do much better than this. Today I pray for all of the orphans who are without families and for all of the families who are struggling along beside me trying to bring their children home too. May God bless each one of you.

Preparation For What Is Coming

In order for us to get out of our problem, situation, and/or circumstance, we need to move and allow God to take over. God knows what to do, but we must allow Him to do what He needs to do. Whenever we are about to go through something uncomfortable, God equips us with what we need to endure it. Whenever we go through discomfort, it's to help us, not kill us. Our trial is preparing us for what is ahead.

I have to reread these thoughts over and over again lately! We are "stuck" in our adoption process. It is hard to swallow because it is simply a lack of funds. It is so hard to sit idly by while children are suffering! I know that God's plan is perfect, but it is so difficult to wait. Please pray for our adoption process to MOVE forward! Or just to MOVE! We have lively spirits that do not want to be still! We are continuing to fundraise and network with everyone we encounter!

I am so pleased to read about all of the families who are successfully moving forward in their adoptions. We pray every day for these families because they are part of our families too! Bless all of you who are on this journey with us!