Family Pics!

I recently won a photo shoot with Susan Monson Photography on the Cranberry Fries blog. I was way excited, because since I got married we haven't had any pictures with all ten of our children.

Getting family pictures taken has never been my favorite thing to do, especially with ten children. Just the prospect is overwhelming. What will we wear? Where will we take them? Can I really clear my kids schedules all at once, and keep seven boys clean for an hour?

Susan Monson made it easy. She provided suggestions for location and wardrobe, and rearranged her schedule more than once to fit ours. During the photo shoot she was professional but had an outgoing, fun personality that made every member of my family comfortable and willing to cooperate.

She came prepared with a list of ideas, but was completely open to anything we wanted to try. I loved her creative photography style. We had some traditional poses, along with many fun shots. She is awesome at capturing candid moments that show real emotion. We are already talking about scheduling my daughter's senior photos, and I won't hesitate to recommend her to family and friends.

 

Progress, not perfection--right??

Most of you already know that I recently got remarried, and that my husband and I combined our families, now totalling ten children.  Yep!  Ten.  Am I crazy?  Yeah, pretty much.

It's definitely had some challenges.  Our children come from very different backgrounds, so putting them together has been interesting--to say the least.  Some days we wonder if we are going to make it.  It finally seems like they are all getting along, then something happens and they each return to their own camps and it becomes the Thompson's vs. the Jobs.

Occasionally, we see glimpses of progress, and cheer silently inside.  Almost every day my 17 year old daughter helps her younger step-brother with his homework, and my son always wants to know if "the boys" are coming over.  The two 8 year olds have made up games that are theirs alone, and even the 16 year old when asked about one of his new step-brothers said, "Yep, that's my brother."  My heart melts when they all get along and we start to feel like a "real" family. 

Today was one of those occurrences.  Our youngest daughter got a large whiteboard for Christmas and today I found this note on it to her, from one of her step-brothers.

Isn't that cute?  It made me smile. 

It's things like this that make me think we just might make it.  I just keep reminding myself that it's progress, not perfection that we are after.  Most of the time, I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to be "Mom" to so many amazing wonderful children. 

Giving Thanks

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone. Last Thanksgiving was my first as a single parent and my children spent the holiday with their dad--I spent it crying. Although I still had much to be thankful for, I felt as though my life was over.

For years, I'd poured my heart into a marriage that was doomed from the start. Making the decision to leave was the hardest thing I've ever done and at this point last year, I still wasn't sure I'd made the right choice. I felt like I'd traded one set of problems for another, and being without my family on Thanksgiving brought all those feelings flooding to the surface.

2009 was fraught with many difficulties, some of my own choosing and others imposed upon me by others, but through it all, I saw many evidences of my Heavenly Father's love for me.

Now, only a year later, I'm happier than I ever thought possible. So, what changed? Many, many things, but the most eventful is that I met the love and my life and got remarried. Scott is absolutely amazing. I've been a fan of romance novels for as long as I can remember, but I've always had the opinion that the male heros in those novels were nothing more than the ideal, but highly unrealistic, man created from a woman's imagination. But, now I know there really are men like that in the world, and I found one.

Scott treats my children as though they were his own, and I've never felt more loved and cherished. Scott accepts and loves me exactly as I am. He is much more than a husband and partner in this life. He's my best friend and I wouldn't want to experience eternity without him.




So this year, I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father who loves and blesses me in spite of my mistakes. Getting Scott and I together was not an easy feat, but I know that He had a hand in it, and I will be forever grateful. So thank you, Heavenly Father, and thank you, Scott. With these two amazing men by my side, I know I can handle anything life throws my way.

wedding stuff!

I'm writing this from Anaheim, California where Scott and I have spent the last week on our Honeymoon. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's been the best week of my life. We were talking last night at Disneyland while waiting for the fireworks show about how our married life thus far is even better than either of us had imagined.

So, what's the difference? Love. Silly and cliche? Maybe. But, true nonetheless. I love Scott with all my heart. He loves and accepts me for exactly who I am, yet inspires me to want to be better. I have never been more loved, pampered, and taken care of in my whole life. I am grateful for every second we have to spend together and look forward to eternity with him by my side.

Now, for the details. :)

We got married in my parents backyard. It was a beautiful, intimate setting with just a few close family members. Here's a picture of our new combined family of ten children (Hunter, Scott's oldest, is missing from the photo.)

And here's one with our parents.

After the ceremony we went to a park where my very good friend, Keith Fisher and his wife Wendy, had prepared an amazing Dutch oven meal for us which included pineapple glazed ham, corn on the cob, cheesy potatoes, and baked beans, and homemade rootbeer. It was absolutely amazing and everybody loved it! We can't thank him enough.

My oldest son, John, brought me this flower off his piece of cake. I thought it was a very sweet gesture and was touched by his thoughtfulness.

Scott and I left that night for Las Vegas, arriving in the wee hours of the morning. We spent a couple of days there and then drove to Anaheim. It's been a full week; Disneyland, swimming, shopping, good food, late nights watching movies or in the hot tub under the stars--but most of all just loving and enjoying one another. It's a week I'll never forget.

I can't find my shoes

It's 7:10, the bus comes in 5 minutes and my child is screaming . . . Mom, I can't find my shoes. Sound familiar?

I always look forward to a new school year. I love the feeling of a new beginning. It's the perfect time to organize your home, get on a schedule, rethink the chore chart, and set goals.

I agree that it can also be a little overwhelming. Sometimes the schedules feel stifling, the homework endless, and the carpools neverending.

With a little planning and organization you can get the school year off to a great start. I think it's helpful for every family to have a master calendar in the kitchen or some other location where the family gathers often. When notes are brought home from school, soccer practice, dance class, and the myriad other places your children are going, transfer the information to the family calendar so everyone is aware of planned activities. If you have more than one child, you can use a different color marker for each one.

To make homework more fun, prepare a healthy snack and set aside time to sit down with your children at the same time each day. Create a homework center with a box that has extra crayons, scissors, glue, markers, etc. Having the supplies on hand you need makes homework easier. Another great idea is to create a reading corner. This could simply be a corner in the kitchen with a beanbag chair or blankets and pillows. Younger children especially like this idea. It makes reading time something to look forward to--even better if you snuggle up with them to read.

A smooth school morning actually starts the night before. There are many small tasks you can perform in the evening before bed to make your morning more pleasant. You can pack lunches and put them in the refrigerator. My kids eat school lunch, but I have a friend who has a great organization system for preparing lunches. She has a drawer full of snacks, a crisper full of cut up fruits and vegetables, and a cupboard full of drinks. She has each of her children get their own lunch bag and then pick a snack, a fruit and veggie, and a drink. Then all she has to do is make sandwiches. You can even make a whole bread sack full of PB&J sandwiches, put them in the freezer, and then just pull them out as you need them.

Make sure homework is done, notes are signed and everything is put back into backpacks the night before. Then put the backpack near the door, so it's ready to grab as the kids leave and there's no last minute searching for a homework assignment, or missing piece of paper. It's also helpful to have clothes picked out the night before, including socks and those pesky shoes that always seem to be missing. This is one area where your kids can feel empowered. It is important for children to learn to make decisions. For smaller children that may not have the ability to pick a shirt and pants that actually match, you can give them the choice between two or three complete outfits.

The most beneficial evening activity I've found is to have a 15 minute family clean-up time. If the entire family works together for 15 minutes a lot can be accomplished, and it puts everyone in a better mood to wake up to a clean orderly house. Sometimes, to make it more fun we put on a CD and agree to work through two or three songs. It helps small children to know there is a specific time when they can stop working

Take the time to sit down with your family and discuss changes that could make your home more organized. Now is a great time to start. Your children deserve to leave for school in the morning from a peaceful organized atmosphere. They will have a better day, and be in a better frame of mind to learn. So start simple. Pick one thing to change and you will be well on the road to a more organized home and family . . . oh, and find those shoes!