You know how you are sitting there scrolling Facebook and enjoying your morning cup of coffee in peace? Well, you would if you get up super early before the kiddos are up and the day starts. It is the only time our home is quiet. Then everything starts to come alive at 6 am.  While scrolling one morning, I came across a t-shirt with a cool saying on it, "If my kids are dirty it's because they actually play outside. So mind ya business."  Of course I wanted this shirt. A wonderful friend of mine reached out to me. Thank you, Cynthia. She made one for each of us, changing the wording for the children. Anyone needs a custom gift should reach out to her. Amazing quality work.

We have plenty of dirt, mud, and grass stains. There is never a shortage of supply on those items here on the farm. Immediately after getting the family picture taken, Connor did a cartwheel and landed right in the mud. Ha! True to the shirts saying. We have days that they are pristine clean. Other days might have bed  hair and smudge paint on their cheeks from the art we created. All in all it doesn't matter as long as they are healthy, happy, fed, and safe. 

The Covid-19 or Corona Virus has gotten everyone panicking and worrying. Rightfully so to a cautious extent. While I don't have any Corona and lime at home, there is wine. Which made me realize that this is the first week for some mommas and dads to have homeschooled their kiddos for the first week in our area. Now we have chosen to homeschool our littles. Crazy choice I know. Call me certified. 

Now on to the story. This is a cute book that kind of follows "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." by Laura Numeroof and illustrated by Felicia Bond. Just aged up to a momma's perspective. The book is "If You Give a Mommy a Glass of Wine" by Renee Charytan and illustrated by Rick Van Hattum. I was asked three times by our littles if I colored the book. They love the illustrations. Each one asked to look at the book. Well why not, they know momma likes some grape juice. 

A word of forewarning there is some pointing, shhhh-ing, and having to chat with a little. They did promise to be good. LOL For them it went really well. I did miss one page in the book. Ooops! Sophie told me about it. See if you can figure it out. 

There was no morning grape juice for me. Drinking straight up coffee. Soon to be switching to some tea. The gorgeous cup was created by Jennifer Hotaling. I love it! My favorite colors to boot. (Have a couple others and my kids claimed them.) 

Find  humor while you are home. Love your family, cuddle your babies, call your parents and those you cannot be with right at this moment.  Don't forget about face time, too. Just make sure people know that they are loved. Be safe and take care of yourself. Light and Love. 

Oh boy! Looking at our little guys it isn't surprising to see that they are completely competing against each other for the shaggy puppy contest. It is a close tie between the two of them. However, momma is tired of asking "did you use shampoo?" and having to send them back in to do it again. Check out the pictures and let us know who looked shaggier, Connor or James.

Connor's hair is thick and course. He has a lot of it, too. It isn't surprising that in two weeks time it will look like a trim is needed. That is why this little guy is our monkey boy, along with ears and cute smile. 

James has thick hair but finer then Connor's. Still we were way past hair cut time. He definitely needed to be found as the banks were getting ready to take over his eyes. What a handsome boy our young man is.

What length do you like to keep your little guys hair at? Do you taper cut? We are still getting used to the clipping techniques. Not in love with the new Conair clippers that I picked up. What is your favorite brand? 

Since so many schools are closed down to the Covid 19 pandemic many sites and teachers are offering free lessons. We homeschool and love finding new things to learn. Changing how we teach here and there keeps the kids more engaged and less likely to get bored. 

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's is hosting a different animal every day this week for the children to watch and learn about. There is a quiz, art challenge, or project to do with each one. Today was make a porcupine. Of course each child was up and ready to do this craft. We used mixed media between paper, yarn, clay, pencils, markers, and pens. Each one is different from the next. The kiddos made videos to talk about their porcupine with some facts on them. Some of the facts are accurate and some are a little made up. See Chloe's Easter Bunny/porcupine combo.  

Fun Facts About Brazilian Porcupines:

• Latin Name: Coendou prehensilis
• Can grow up to 1.7 feet long and weigh up to 11 pounds.
• Known to live up to 17 years.
• Live in the tropical rainforest.
• Eat a diet of mostly bark, shoots, fruits, leaves and sometimes small animals.
• They are nocturnal.
• Eye sight isn't that great.
• Good climbers and use their tail to climb.
• Smell like onions. 
• Related to rodents for the family animals.
• Poop out tree seeds which can help the rainforest to grow more trees.

Check out the Cincinnati Zoo and their wonderful animals. All our projects are below. The porcupine at the top is from Wikipedia Commons. They are adorable little creatures. 

​

As many of you are aware that our 5 little ones were added to our family after having their start at life in another family. The journey to us was through  2 to 3 families from their biological family. The first parts of each ones childhood was not easy. There was trauma to be experienced in different levels for each one. We had thought that the last one being so young when she left her biological home might have escaped it. However, something is amidst from either in uteri or the experience of being in foster care.

In our home we have our highs and lows. Kind of like watching the stock market on Wall Street. Just like certain stocks rise up fast and some crash right down to bottom out. That is what our family life is like. Each day is something a little bit different. There isn't a crystal ball to help us see clearly what the day is going to be like. 

After reading this article, 'Kids Who Need Their External World To Match Their Internal Chaos' by Wendy Cummings. I highly recommend reading it if you or someone you love has a child who thrives in chaos. It helped shed some more light with what might be going on with our little ones. They love it loud. The chaos, the noise, the hands on each other, telling on someone for something they did or even for something they didn't do. Of course with our first two children we had a little tattling and bickering but mostly calm. Though we had been around children who had behavior tendencies it wasn't every day. Our every day environment is not the one that we lived in for the past 17 years before we opened our home for fostering. 

Donald​ and I appreciate calm and thrive in it. However, we are going to need to embrace the chaos we have been trying to push back against, or at least accept it a little better. Each of our five little ones look like any other kiddo.... just cuter. LOL Just kidding! Children are beautiful. This shed's a light on why one always tries to stir up something when nothing is going on. Why another fights so hard to pick up the simplest thing to put away and then goes into an  hour long screaming tantrum. It just might be more than impulses for our RAD child when he places his hands on someone. Our daughter who likes to be the "boss" of everyone and control the situation where she has no control. Then the last one, she is a whirlwind of destruction but taken out of the chaos at such a young age of just over a month. She doesn't like all the loud around her but instead is static cling to myself or her daddy.

We get tired. Our home is not organized. Ha! Laundry needs to be caught up and definitely all put away. The idea of everything having a place is fleetingly flying out the window. It will come when they all leave the home at 25 or 30 years old.... At that time we will be 60/70... Great time to declutter and let it go.

At the end of the day we still love each one of them immensely and couldn't think of a day without them. They might be unbiologically ours, however, they are the missing parts of our heart. We give them all the love  and hopefully the skills to help with a stable life through the chaos.

The above photograph  was captured by our dear friend, Gina Johnson of Gina Johnson Photography. I am so happy with this image of our Bigs and our Littles. 

The littles spent some time today making moon sand at one of our local free libraries. They had just got done with swim class and of course playing in some beach sand. (More of the point of making mud.) In our home we have one small container of kinetic sand or moon sand if you prefer. That stuff isn't cheap. To be honest, like most material it ends up  being swept up  from the floor and wiped off the table. 

When I saw this fun event, I of course was excited. The littles got right to work with mixing the ingredients. It seemed to be a bit of a balance between the two that you had to have.  The ingredients are simple and you probably have them at home. 

4 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Cup of Baby Oil
*Food coloring is optional
Mix the flour and baby oil together. 
Once mixed  well then add  food coloring.
This part might take a bit. Not sure on what might be better for coloring.

Now that all the  ingredients are well mixed, then the fun starts. The kids enjoyed hours of fun with this at home after they got it home. There was 20 cups of moon sand.  We might have 4 cups of that left. It sort of disperses as it  goes. Thank you to Amanda at the  Norwood Public Library for this amazing day. 

I shared a post the other day about why we are strict. It was "My Parenting May Seem Strict, But I Have a Few Good Reasons For It" by Mike Berry. The post was shared after it had came to my attention that there are a few individuals who have mentioned that we are too  "strict" of parents. Another comment that came to us was one that we are "raising little soldiers." This came as quite a shock due to the fact the individual who said it was one that I looked up to. That just shows in the end who really supports you and your parenting choices. 

A disclaimer of what is "strict" if anyone is curious. In our home we expect no running through the house and to keep our feet off furniture. If you can't keep your feet off furniture after two warnings then you are off it. Our hands, feet, and mouth do not belong on other people in a harmful way. Chores need to be finished that are their assigned chores. School work needs to be completed each day when school is in session. We use our manners with please and thank you.  All this we like to call "morals" and not  being strict.

At this moment, I would like to give a little bit of a statement to this morning and some behaviors we have been having the last few weeks. You see, Donald and I have let up on a lot of our boundaries. We have given multiple chances throughout the day to different actions that our littles have done. In this aspect, we were taking on a peaceful parenting approach and talked it out, then sent them on their way to continue the day.

If there were behaviors, the child having them was still allowed to go to the "fun" event that was going on. Our family has been staying out past bed times and having to come home and still do chores before bed and we rise early in the morning. (We love when we visit and never want to leave or cut it short.) This makes for some tired kiddos and tired kiddos are cranky wildlings.

​All of these slips are on Donald and I for trying to let the kids be a little more like neuro-typical kids and not so atypical. However, our littles are atypical. They need structure, routine, and boundaries. All kids do, except atypical children need it just a little bit more. When we are going places, surprises don't work well and just causes extra anxiety. On the other hand of that, if a certain one of them is told a head of time (like days), that is all she can think about until the event.

We have had an increase in defiance, in lying, in hands on each other (for a few of them), and just being down right disrespectful. Some of that disrespect has spilled over to our close friends and family from a certain little man of ours (normally he wouldn't dream of that).

What has changed? Loose structure and too many chances. Not to mention saying they can't go and then letting them. We have to stay home or one of us does to follow through. If we are lucky we could find a sitter on a last minute notice. This is such a fine line to walk and not step on the landmines that can set off a series of meltdowns. Sometimes you hold your breathe to not wake the sleeping lion that is inside of them.​

Today, I had those big meltdowns from one of our little guys. He was upset that he couldn't go to the beach. This was decided after multiple different behaviors that couldn't be over looked. Examples hands on siblings three times before 10 am and leaving the house without permission to go outside after he was  told to stay inside. (We own a  farm and need to know where our impulsive children are for their safety and the safety of others and property.)

He was sent to his room to calm down due to the fact that once he is in that state of mind he doesn't come out of his meltdown until he is ready and no amount of consoling will help him.  His room is the safe place for him and we keep it as such. When he calms down he comes up and we have a discussion on the actions and the decision. If we are lucky, it ends with understanding.  If not we go right back to step one and repeat the procedure that is in place for him. This is grueling and hard. He isn't able to regulate his emotions like most people and these moments can cycle over a few times until he gets to his baseline. (Again atypical children) On this day that total was five times.

Once he was at his baseline we were able to talk without him melting back down again. He understood what he had done wrong and why he couldn't go. I explained that he would be dropped off to his Dad on our way through to the event with one of his sisters and brother. (Yup! It was that kind of day. I would post theirs, too. However, you most likely have things to do.)

Little man tried to say what he did wasn't as  big as what his sister did a couple of weeks previous.  I explained to him that she didn't go to the event that night either. Plus we don't compare actions. In life that isn't something you can do. As parents, we don't want them thinking that they can weigh the choices others make that are not right to their own poor choices. 

All five of our little ones have some specials needs that take a toll on their young lives. We work really hard to teach them the skills that they will need to be successful adults that we know they are capable of being. The fact they are atypical does not define who they are as an individual. Each is so much more. They are sweet, kind, loving, smart, creative, adventurous, helpful, and spirited. Each one along with our bigs are our world.

 Currently we are working on more evaluations to get to the root of what is going on with our young ones. After answers are found (or confirmed to our suspicions) then we can get the services that they need. It is just a long road to get there. If you are a parent who struggles, know you are not alone. I am here for you. If you are a "strict" parent and have set boundaries, keep it up. You are doing just fine. In the end our children will thank us for it. Keep on parenting. It is  the toughest job ever but the pay rate is one that is priceless.
​

This week we are working on light and sound waves for science. The littles are interested in knowing how things work. Some might not be as interested in all the facts as others. We liven it up to make it go a lot smoother.

In this experiment we used three different mediums (air, water, and sugar) and a coin to see if we could here sound through each one. Each child had paper and a pencil for recording their findings on.  

To start off the experiment they each took turns with the bag of air. I filled it myself and they are used to my hot air.  At least it keeps them warm in the winter. Measured half a bag of water an d sugar. The littles wanted to eat the sugar afterwards. Ummm... No thank you. I like my sanity to stay intact and their beautiful smiles. I tapped the table for each child with the coin as they listened through the bags. 

Bag #1 was our first and held only air. The bag didn't want to stay inflated. It had to be filled a few times before we finished the experiment.  Chloe, James, Connor, Jazlyn, and Sophie had fun the air pillow. 

Bag #2 started our second round to the experiment. This was the half bag of water. Of course it was cold water. A little soothing on the ears. This one I received a few thumbs up for. 

Bag #3 is the bag of sugar. We used natural brown cane sugar. This was the bag they were the most excited about. Any child I think would be. Each one took their turn. I am sure there might have been some sweet day dreams going on while they were conducting the experiment. 

After we were all done the children talked about what they had heard. Air was the loudest. Water closely followed right after it. The sugar was muffled to them. Between the three mediums they got to see how sound transfers through different items. Except Sophie, she heard a fox in her bags.

Hands on experiments are the best way for our littles to learn. They do well with oral questions and going through the different parts of the lessons. Each one trying to out answer the other one. Can't wait till the next experiment. 

Today we went to the Canton School and got on a bus for a trip over to the Cornell Cooperative  Extension Office. They were having an open house for 4-H.  It was bound to be a great day. The 4-H club offers  so much to the children and the community. 

There was a demo cow that the children got to milk. Each one enjoyed that a lot and loved seeing the "milk" come out of the cow. They wondered if it would run out? We  talked about the fact cows have four teats and goats have two teats.  

Of course there was some amazingly cute critters all around the farm.   Goats with does and kids. The kids are bigger than our adult goats. Loved this little chocolate Swiss baby. A dream color for our herd. The piggies loved getting their ears scratched and greeted us all with happy oinks. The cows were just chilling, but we know they were thinking about being outside and having the sun on their faces. Happy cows are important. When we traveled out of the barn there was a field of sheep. Ewes with their lambs who were not that old. They were cute little cotton balls. 

We learned these sheep have multiple purposes. They are used for wool (though not the best quality wool), meat, and milk. The flock is numbered to help keep track of them. Due to the fact that goats and sheep have different mineral needs we don't have sheep. If we did they would be baby doll sheep or Suffolk sheep. Maybe some day. 

At the open house they demonstrated sheep shearing. They don't shear any of the sheep until they are a year old. This is a year old ewe and she is doing a great job. All the wool is collected into a huge plastic bag that is taller than Donald. Then it is sent by truck over to Canada. There they go through the wool and process it. It is a very messy time consuming job.

 Of course there were a few candids to  be had of just good old fun. We met up with some of our tribe members. I didn't capture as many photos as I could have. These two littles are a riot. Diana was hiding behind Oliver. Chloe loved all the animals, especially the sheep. 

The last activity that I captured for the day was the green house and planting their own seeds or transplanting a plant. Jazlyn was the only one to transplant a plant and she did celery. The others planted cucumbers or pumpkin seeds. Donald would love to put in a hydroponics system to our homestead. Someday we will make it happen.

To finish it all off, each one of the children received a huge bag of maple cotton candy. They of course ate it all gone before heading  back  to the school. Jazlyn shared her's with me. What a sweet girl. Last event that they did was the Paws Club for pup agility. They were fascinated and everyone of them walked a pup through the course. Our little Umma Lumma would be awesome. She cannot join due to the fact she is half pit bull and doesn't qualify to be  in the club. We will just have to train at home. 

 If anyone has ever  thought about 4-H with their families, I greatly suggest looking into it and signing up. There are so many options for different things to do. Plus, it teaches great skills that will last a life time. 

Contact Cornell Cooperative Extension for more information.

Even though my day was amazing, my heart hurts for another whose day that I know was not. Another momma had empty arms and didn't get to enjoy the hugs and the smiles of our children today. There was no laughter that filled her home. She didn't get to unwrap cute little homemade gifts. 

The ache that she is feeling I can only imagine and have been lucky that it isn't something felt in my heart. So many memories and moments that are happening and we are blessed to witness. While each year ticks by and she is missing out on all of these events and milestones.

Dear First Mom of Our Children,
  You might not know this at the moment but you have created some very amazing children. They each are extremely creative and sweet. Every day it is astonishing to how smart they are and how hard they work. Each night they loving give hugs, kisses, and love yous. 
     We know that you love and miss your babies very much. That it hurts not having them and seeing them. Please know that we love them just as much and even though they are not made of our flesh, it is a fierce kind of love.  
       It is an honor and a true gift to have  both your's and also our children in our life. We hope in time as the children continue to heal from all that has happened that we could have some contact. However, until then , please know that we are keeping them safe, loved, and cared for. They are a huge part of our hearts.
                                                                                                                        Always on our minds,
                                                                                                                               The Second Mom

​

Our one little guy refers to us as "first mom" and "second mom" when he is talking about both of us. This makes it easier for him to put his  feelings, thoughts, and emotions into order.  Now it just kind of sticks. The emotions that run through our little ones are big. Each one misses their first mom and each one loves us immensely. 

The only thing we can do for now is continue our healing process. Work on our family bonding every single day. Give them a home filled to the brim with love and laughter, while working on the basics of life. At the same time sending prayers from my heart out to the woman who created these precious angels the we call our daughters and sons.