Things have been busy, as usual.  Trying to keep up with my cluttered house has been hard.  It seems like as soon as I get one area clean, then another one rears it’s ugly head.

I have been really dragging my feet when it comes to  my upstairs.  There are just so many junky toys, papers, and books everywhere.  I am sad to say, that I have been gladly throwing away legos when I run into them.  I know that I have thrown away toys that kids like.  If they knew about some of them, there would be tears.  But these toys are toys that haven’t been played with in months.   They will probably never notice they are gone.

This week we have been working on getting out adoption application filled out, and reference forms handed out to close friends.  I read some blogs today that belonged to other families who have adopted, and it brings a great amount of excitement to my heart.   The Lord willing we will be one of those people!

One particular blog that  I read today talked about how she has what she considers virtual twins.   She was 33 weeks pregnant when they adopted an infant.  She was able to not only nurse her biological baby, but her adopted baby as well!  Wouldn’t that just be the best?  It would be such a WONDERFUL thing to be able to not only have two children the same age, but to be able to breastfeed your adopted baby.  The bonding that happens when you are nursing a baby is like nothing else.  What a blessing!   So perhaps the Lord will allow that to happen with us. 

Next week I am hoping that Adam will be able to take a day off so we can get our application turned in, and also get our fingerprinting done at the State Police department.  Just a couple more steps toward an addition to our family.

Last year I talked about another family that was adopting from China for the second time.  I am so excited to hear tonight, that they may be able to adopt a third child from China here in the next week or so.  They could use a lot of prayer about that.   Everything is happening really fast with this adoption.  

As for our homeschooling…it has been going ok.  It is almost as if I have been stuck in a rut for the last week or so.  Do you ever get like that?  When I get like this, I tend to just sit and stare at my shelf of books and think to myself…am I doing this right?  Are the kids really learning?  Am I just so disorganized that I am failing my children?   When it is time do some school work, I look at the shelf and pull books off that I think will do for the day.  I think…ok, let’s do some math, maybe some writing, and we will read out of this book.   Maybe it is working doing it that way, or maybe it’s not.  I just don’t know.

I have also been trying to brainstorm, and come up with ways that I can raise funds for our adoption.  It is so expensive.  But it does keep my little entrepreneurial ticking.  When I bought my webhosting, it came with an online store.   I am seriously thinking about making some handmade items that could be sold, and have all of my proceeds go toward our adoption expenses.  I can make yarn, I can knit fairly well, and I can do blog and graphic designing.  Another thing that Adam and I recently figured out how to make, are handmade drop spindles for spinning yarn.  Adam made one, and it turned out SO pretty!  If we can get a bunch of them made, that can be something else that I can sell. 

Last year when we were first discussing adopting, I ran into a blog where a family had a donation button, and they asked for just one dollar.  When I got to thinking about it, it made sense!  If 2000 people donated just a dollar, that is 2,000 dollars worth of financial support.  Brilliant!  

Ali