Why we just cut up our credit cards.

 IS HE THE CUTEST OR WHAT?  Ok I am a little biased ;), but seriously!!! 

OK so today I wanted to just put something out there.  Why we just cut up our credit cards.  :)
Some of you may have just gasped.  Some may be cheering us on.  Some may be rolling your eyes. 

 I can assure you that whichever reaction you have- I am totally fine with it.  No for real, I am not offended.  What I did want to do is explain why because it is important to us and for us as we explain it to our children. 

 You see we have been taking the Financial Peace University class - Dave Ramsey.  Our church has emphasized wanting everyone to take the class.....because imagine what a large group of believers who are getting debt free could do?  I mean think about it!!!  I have, and I LOVE IT!!! 

 So I have to say- we are debt free except our mortgage.  That is still debt- yes.  We are working on that.  So why did we take the class?  Because we wanted to learn more!  There are always things we can do better.  When we do better we can be "free" to follow what God has for us.  Believe me we have learned more!!!  It has been great.   

 So my credit card story starts with when I was in college.  I got a credit card when I was a senior doing my practice teaching.  I was completely responsible, although I know my mom just about had a heart attack over it.  She didn't need to fear because she did an amazing job at teaching us as we grew up about spending, saving, and giving.  I literally kept track of all purchases in my check book- so I always knew I had enough money to pay my card off every month.  I told myself I was making sure I had good credit. 

 When we got married we had a couple more credit cards, and got rid of some.  Again, we always paid it off- except 2 times.  Once when we miscalculated our expenses from a vacation we took.  It left a pit in my stomach I can not even describe!!!  Literally felt sick :(.  The second was a simple oversight....mistake....oooppppssss forgot the deadline.  UFFDA!!!! 

 We have happily enjoyed the benefits of credit cards without the bad parts, or so we thought.  We got Hilton points and enjoyed free stays, we got cash back, and more!!!

 So it comes back again- why did we chop up our credit cards??

Because Dave Ramsey was doing his teaching and explaining why we cut up credit cards.  Having fun because he is an extremely good speaker.  It occurred to us that our children have seen us use credit cards their whole life.  Sure we use cash- on rare occasions, but 90% of the time we use credit cards. 

So in our children's mind- we are constantly using debt to pay for things.  Now this is NOT to bash anyone at all!!!!!  Know my intentions are not that, but when I saw the Barbie doll that has a credit card going shopping with "mommy" who has a pretend credit card saying- "let's go shopping" (part of the video he does).  It hit me like a MACK TRUCK!  I don't want to leave that legacy to my children. 

 Proverbs 22:6-7 (NIV)

⁶ Start children off on the way they should go,
    and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

⁷ The rich rule over the poor,
    and the borrower is slave to the lender.

 When he pointed out the scripture we typically know as a parenting scripture- start children off in the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. 

Then the NEXT VERSE says- The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender. 

It hit us that we are slave to the lender.....even if we pay it off every month.  So why don't we use cash?  Sure we can say because we love the credit card benefits.  Maybe, but is going into debt- being a slave to the lender worth it? 

Romans 13:8 
⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.

So we decided to cut up the plastic!  I mean the thing is that even though we were getting benefits- we will more than earn those and then some because of the fact that when people use cash- they spend a LOT LESS.  Because we "feel" the money and cash has an emotion attached to it that credit cards just don't have.  They just have a swipe and a number that we are numb to.  Cash has a feeling as we count it out and hand it over.  The feeling of- how hard we worked to save that up in order to spend it.  It is emotional to do that, and therefore we typically think twice about our purchases on a whole different level. 

When we buy something online we will buy it with a debit card.  We know sometimes for work you can't get away with it.  We know that this is not for everyone and that is ok. 

What we are saying is that we were convicted.  We want to change our patterns and habits to do the best we can with what we have.  We truly believe that this is part of that journey for us.  I am pretty sure there are a million other lessons we need to learn.  ;)  Daily!

How our day typically goes....

How our day typically goes....  or doesn't in a lot of cases. 

This is irritating- sorry...this picture is sideways help???

 Our day typically starts off with daddy waking early to do devotional time at 6am or earlier.  Yes I know I am a horrible person....but I have a huge issue with trying to get up and right away focus.  Jason however loves having the house completely quiet.  So it works. 

We wake the kiddos around 6:35-6:40....while they start to get up, we do T25.  Hey, doing this together has helped encourage us both.  Although I am definitely following the moderator- hey, it works. 

By 7:20ish we are sitting down for breakfast & Jason shares with the kiddos about his morning devotions.  Sometimes they listen....and well you know sometimes not.  BUT the important thing is to keep trying!!!! 

 Around 8-8:30 we start school.  You ask that is a huge variance?  Well, the story of my life!  God has grown me a lot in this area.  There were times when I would really lose it if things were not exactly on time!  It wasn't pretty.....trust me.  I have tried to let go of the perfect schedule.  ;)

I do "large group" school time- science, language arts, basic math concepts, history, geography, Bible lessons, praise and worship, etc.  Yes, I know you are thinking, but Dawn you have children from 4 to 14 how does it work.  Each thing I do I know not all the kiddos are going to pick it up.  That is fine.  I try to draw some questions easy for the youngers to answer and harder questions for the olders to answer.  I review, review, review- A LOT!  This gives everyone opportunity to ask questions and really learn those basics.  I do go more in depth as well, and when the littles are wandering- I let them....  it's fine. 

I also have many activities that are for the youngers to do while it is over their heads too!  Big puzzles, coloring, shape activities, fine motor skill things, lacing, etc. 

Oh and don't forget snack time between 9-9:30!!!  Or little miss will remind you!!!  :)

 Around 10-10:30 we start doing individual or paired lessons like math, reading, spelling, pre K specifics, and working with Michael.  I keep working with the kids as well as doing work phone calls and emails too.....depending on the day ;). 

HA!  Well pretty much each day is a crazy adventure because some days we spend a lot of time one on one with a child struggling.  One needing our time.  It is hard....often frustrating feeling, but then we are here for our children.  So we put one foot in front of  the other......and keep plugging along.  Today was definitely one of those days.  Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming....... 

 Somewhere in there then is an hour break for the kids....until lunch (some may do lessons and then go outside...some may go outside and I call them in when it is their turn).  We keep our lunch simple- PB&J, meat and cheese, sandwiches, roll ups, toasted, pizza on flat bread/tortilla, leftovers, etc. 

After lunch from 1-3:30 we do a quiet time rotation.  Home work (work books, Explode the Code, Wordly Wise, and others), writing assignment (something from a book, something we worked on earlier, or something off of pinterest- things like if you were to go on a dream vacation where would you go and what would you do), copy work (typically of scripture passage- in cursive for the olders, and printing for the youngers), Math (we do xtra math which is drill, and Teaching Textbooks for the olders, other math curriculum for the youngers), computer time- Switched On Schoolhouse or Jump Start, quiet play.  **Michael naps- sometimes ;).

This is my time to focus on devotions & work until dinner time.  Jason works during our homeschool and in the afternoons as well.  Our work times are varied.  There are times I am answering emails at Disney, or calling people on Saturdays.  I do home studies in the evenings or on weekends.  It all balances out and we are careful to make sure we keep time for our family.....just may not be traditional work times.   There are many advantages to it as well.  We get to work from home!!  We get to work together!!  And when it all hits the ceiling- we are both available to help. 

 3:30 is time for some free play- outside preferably and again snack time!!  Then 4:30 or 5 is chore time....then eating between 5:30-6.  Bed times are at 7 for the youngers and 8 for the olders.  (At age 8 they stay up until 8).  The oldest- get to stay up later at times depending.... 

 We have church Sunday mornings and everyone is up not later than 6am!!!!  I and the older children volunteer during the opposite service.  I volunteer with the Emerge (middle and high school students).  The older children help with children's programs.  Of course we are going to 3 services soon - so that will be different.  We plan on attending one service together as a family, go to "Sunday School" one service, and volunteering one service??   Jason typically once a month or so is a part of our church's worship team as a vocalist. 

We do small group on Sunday evenings. 
Tuesday nights we do Bible Study with our children. 
We have first Wednesday services, second Wednesday is Emerge Rallies, other Wednesday's are Emerge small groups.  We also have prayer times at noon on Wednesdays which we try to go to as often as possible.
I typically do couponing time on Wednesdays (1-2 hours depending), and shop on Thursdays.
Thursdays right now we are teaching Empowered To Connect.
First Saturdays are typically serving days where our church does specific projects.    Our kiddos do Wii nights, board and card game nights, and movies.  It all depends on timing and we just don't stress about it.

Fridays and Saturdays are date nights for us, as well as for us taking our kiddos out on occasion.  Important for sanity!!!  I also believe that whenever possible take at least some of the kids with you to run errands.   

 When do we go to bed......well on average 11.  There are definitely exceptions usually if there are we are up later.  Sometimes we just sleep in because we can....and we need to.  Typically Saturdays if I don't have to do a home study or if we aren't doing a volunteer project somewhere- we sleep in!!!  As you know what this really means is I set out a snack the night before- write a note to the kids to eat a piece of fruit, have a snack, and watch a movie----- so we can "relax" this morning. 

 We live a crazy life, but as most of  you know we go to Disney pretty much once a week...or to the beach...or to a park!  This is our Family Day!!!  I try not to work too much on this day if at all possible. 

 The pictures brought to you by vacation....yes.....there are still more!!!  The first pictures are from Iowa State Fair.  The corn fields are surrounding Wesley Woods love the Iowa scenery!  These last few pics are of our meeting with one of our families Mendy and Ryan and their children....including their youngest who we were excited walk with them on their adoption journey with Christian Adoption Consultants!!!  They came to the camp where our friends Deke and Su live (who also brought home their littlest man too through CAC).

It was fun to cook over the fire with new and old friends!!!  Enjoying the miracles of adoption and those fun memories :)!!!! 

Sensory Socks & Iowa State Fair

 OK so these are the supplies you will need.  We made 10 sensory socks- which cost $20 total.  $10 for 20lbs of rice, and $10 (actually less) for 10 pairs of large men's socks.  Of course you don't need that many if you only have a couple of kiddos, but you can and use them to stack etc. 

 They are modeling the finished project!  CUTE models!!!

 OK so I doubled up the sock because well - I am a list girl, a double is better just in case person.  :)

 We did 2lbs per sock (which is what they had at therapy), but you could easily do a 3lb or a 1lb. 

 I got a funnel- one that had a pretty open mouth and it worked great! 

 I tied the inner sock first stuck the knot down inside and then knotted the outer sock. 

So why??  Well the other day at therapy they had Michael picking them up with both hands to throw in occupational therapy.  He loved it and it is GREAT exercise for him.  When I felt the rice in the sock it felt very similar to those fun pillows they sell at Brookstone with the silky feel.  Sounds weird, but trust me they are fun to "feel".

You can punch them, swing them around (don't hit anyone or anything), stomp on them and express feelings safely.

You can squish them easily- and they feel fun!

You could easily make faces on them which could be really fun- making sock people or animals!

AND for little who need strength building it is a fun weight to play with!

Weight- weighted blankets are great!  This is an easy version to place in the lap while doing homework or other quiet activities.  You can lay them on their shoulders, on their stomach as they lay down, back.   This gives your child a deeper touch feeling which is quite soothing to those who crave it!  :)   

So there is your sensory fun tip!!  :) 

 So the rest of the pics are from the Iowa State Fair from our vacation....  :) 

 Fun, cute animal babies!! 

 baby ostriches.......

 Baby ducks.... I think..... he he he ....I could be wrong!  There were babies of everything that day ;). 

 Turkeys....

 OH and my favorite!!!  Baby chickens!!!  Literally fresh out of the eggs!!!!

 Don't be surprised if we end up with baby chickens soon!!!!!  :)

 YUMMMM!!!!!!!  PIGS!!!  Taste great :).  Sorry vegetarians..... but I love meat. 

 SO we decided to splurge and get the kids 1 item from any place they wanted!  Some had funnel cake, some cotton candy,

 Michael said I am tired.....this wore me out!!  Too CUTE!!! 

 Root beer float!!!  OH and don't forget my cute prize ribbons!!!

Hope your week is going GREAT!!!!

***WE HAVE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED OUR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  If you are interested or have questions- please contact me!!!

813-360-7368 or email me wrights@christianadoptionconsultants 

CONGRATULATIONS GAVIN & RACHEL- she is beautiful!!!

 CONGRATULATIONS GAVIN & RACHEL!!!!!!  She is BEAUTIFUL!!! 

Gavin & Rachel's story is not your typical.  This big smile came through tears..... yet it is also God breathed miracle after miracle.  Read more about their story....

 We have been at this adoption journey for years now and when we learned that our Congolese kids (boy and girl toddlers) would not be coming home anytime soon, we decided to try a domestic adoption.  We signed on with Christian Adoption Consultants and got all of our paperwork finished in about a month (we were a little impatient to get a baby).  The Lord worked miracles to get us our financing. We were matched with the first birth mom we showed our profile to.  For six months we prayed for her and her baby.  A week before her due date, she disappeared.  We were heartbroken and grieved the loss of that little baby but we knew that Gods plan is always good.

We seriously prayed about maybe not trying to adopt another baby.  Things in the Congo were starting to look more positive and we did not want to overwhelm ourselves.  In the end, we could not deny that when we started this domestic adoption journey, it was God directed.  We knew it was something He wanted us to do and we did not want to give up.

So we started showing our profile again.  We got quite a few “no’s” and we were feeling a little discouraged.  Then a special birth mother came along that we felt immediately drawn to.  We hoped and prayed that she would love us as much as we loved her.  She looked at our profile and also felt a connection.  We met her shortly after she picked us and we were matched.  She was expecting a girl in four short weeks!

Over the next few weeks, we had the privilege to develop a very special relationship with the birth mom.  We are so thankful to God that we got the chance to get to know the woman who made such a selfless decision for her baby.  A week early, our sweet baby girl was born.  Our time at the hospital was beautiful and our homecoming was wonderful.  Our little Native American princess could not have made us any happier.  We know that she is the little girl God had planned for us…He just wanted to take us on a bit of a journey to get there.

Through this journey, we learned that adoption is not about us…its about the children.  We went through some awful things in our domestic adoption and are still suffering the separation of our Congolese kids.  None of that matters!  There is no amount of heartache or suffering we would not endure for our kids.  In the end, I don’t even remember the last 9 months trying to adopt a baby.  All we see is our little princess.

Thank you Dawn & Jason for all your support through the whole journey.  I don’t know what I would have done without your scripture passages, wise words, and your long phone conversations.


Rachel

 AND GUESS WHAT???  CONGRATULATIONS- AGAIN because now they are expecting another miracle in about 8 months.  Their Congolese children do have passports, and we are praying they will have them home and safe in their arms SOON!  LOVE your story...and your inspiration to me as a consultant.  Those times are tough...doubts come....BUT GOD!!!!

DID YOU KNOW THAT CHRISTIAN ADOPTION CONSULTANTS IS STARTING A NEW INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION PROGRAM?  

WE NOW OFFER:  

DOMESTIC INFANT PROGRAM, 

SPECIAL NEEDS PROGRAM (FOR CHILDREN AGE 3 AND OLDER, SIBLING GROUPS, OR CHILDREN WITH PHYSICAL NEEDS.), 

AS WELL AS INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM- 

COMING OFFICIALLY OCTOBER 1st.  

INTERESTED?  HAVE QUESTIONS?  

CALL 813-360-7368

EMAIL WRIGHTS@CHRISTIANADOPTIONCONSULTANTS.COM

***Note that there will be a slight increase in pricing as of October 1st so if you want to get in before that happens contact me ASAP!!!  We are working hard to ensure the best experiences for all of our clients and will continue to do so.