Love Lift Us Up Where We Belong, Where the Eagles Cry...

"Even the youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

~ Isaiah 40:30-31
One of our favorite winter pastimes has been watching the eagles. We live about 10 miles from a beautiful Lock and Dam on the Mississippi River. Each January and February, the eagles migrate here because the open water from the dam enables them to fish. Some years, people have counted over 600 eagles in the immediate area. On our side of the river, there are usually only about 10-15. We love watching them soar.

This is a frozen wetland between the river and the path we take through the woods. Mom, see how much land is between us and the Mississippi River? The river is on the far right, and our trail is on the far left on the other side of the trees. She has been afraid for weeks that we would slip and fall in to the frozen water. I guess Moms never quit worrying no matter how old their children are.

The last time we went, the snow had melted and then froze over again. Our trail was a solid sheet of ice. My husband and son had a ball sliding on the ice.

I love this picture of the outhouse. Let's hope I will never have to use it!

Here is another shot of an eagle. My camera is very basic, so this is about as close and detailed as I can get. On our first trip to the dam, we met a man who drove down from Chicago. He had a GIANT camera. He was a professional. The last time we were there, we met a man who flew all the way from California just to see our eagles.

So does anybody have any eagle questions? dam questions? :) Sorry, I couldn't resist!

The Relativity of Time

"To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven."

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

Alex Update

A few months ago, I posted about my son's special needs. If you missed that post, the short story is Alex was adopted from Russia and has been diagnosed with FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). This means that he has organic brain damage because his birthmother drank when she was pregnant with him. I chose to share Alex's story to make me accountable. Alex was diagnosed in May of 2008, and 18 months later, I was still in denial. I was actually still searching for another diagnosis for him.

Now that I have accepted this diagnosis, we are on the path to a happier life, and because I am researching the correct syndrome, I am actually finding some things that work. The organic brain damage for Alex means that he has difficulty with transitions, impulsiveness and distraction. My telling him most anything verbally is usually counterproductive. He can hear what I say, but the message is fragmented and lost as it travels through his brain. This simple picture schedule and clock have made our mornings far more peaceful. The only catch is that Alex is a very concrete thinker. We eat breakfast at 7:15. He will not see 7:16 as also time to eat breakfast. We eat breakfast only at 7:15. (If you have seen Rainman - Ray's Judge Wapner at 4:00 requirement is a great visual of this.) Fortunately, I quickly learned that I can reset the clock to match the time needed.

Our clock now travels with us wherever we go. Last week, for the first time ever, we left the Target toy department without one single tear or complaint. He was so quiet that none of the other shoppers knew we were leaving. It has taken me way too long to realize that most of our battles are due to a lack of understanding not defiance.

Many people respond to me with, "All kids have trouble with transitions," or "my son is also impulsive and he is fine," or "He's a just a boy." They try to console me and help me feel better. On the contrary, it makes me feel worse. Blanket statements like this minimize our challenges and take away from Alex's successes. Denying the syndrome doesn't make it go away. Believe me, I have tried.

So, in our near future, I am hoping for a more peaceful child who can be calm because I helped him feel comfortable and safe. I am looking forward to trying to increase his attention span, and we will be working on improving eye contact. And just in case you are worried, I will not be pursuing a career as an illustrator - yet :).

If you would care to learn more about FAS, I would recommend Fantastic Antone Succeeds!: Experiences in Educating Children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Edited by Judith Klienfeld and Siobhan Wescott.

Sleep

"I can lie down and sleep in peace for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
~ Psalm 4:8

When I was little, I was afraid of EVERYTHING: coyotes, kidnappers, bank robbers, wild dogs, and aliens to name a few. I would wake up in the middle of the night and be so afraid. My Bible back then had a concordance, so I would sit in the bathroom and look up verses on fear.

As an adult, I am often awake in the middle of the night but now it is usually because my child is afraid. My trivial fears from my youth have been replaced by one gigantic one: I may never get another full night's sleep as long as I live! Sometimes when I can't sleep, I try to use my time wisely and pray for some of my close friends in need. On nights like those, I comfort myself by thinking that God specifically woke me up to lift that person up in prayer. On other nights, when I am not moved by the Spirit, I watch QVC. It is about the only thing on at 4:00 am. What do you do when you can't sleep? Are enough of us awake to schedule a Motley chat session in the dark early hours?

Renewal

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."
~2 Corinthians 4:16

Ironically, I was going to post this last week, but I was too sick to get off of my couch, but better late than never. These are the vitamins I take everyday. They don't upset my stomach, don't cost a fortune, and don't taste too bad on the way down. I first bought them because of their high vitamin B levels, and I really do feel better when I take these on a regular basis. A few days ago, I was reading the box and realized that they also contain Ginseng, which has "naturally occurring ginsenosides and flavonoids, bioactive factors that play a role in well-being." No wonder I felt better.

Sadly, taking these vitamins everyday is about the only thing I make sure to do for myself every day (unless you count drinking coffee - which is full of antioxidants). Even on days when Alex is in school, I don't make time to exercise, fix myself a nice lunch, study my Bible or even rest! Are any of you successful at taking care of yourself? Do you have any tips for those of us who aren't? What do you do to renew yourself daily? I'd love to hear about it!

Spending Money

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?"
~ Luke 14:28

My friend Lindsay, and fellow Motley Mom, let me borrow a few of her Dave Ramsey books before I left Florida. Her family follows Dave's plan to be debt free, and I was so excited to learn more. Dave gives readers baby steps to become debt free, and I am so drawn to him because he is a Christian.

One of the first things I learned from Lindsay and Dave is to pay cash for everything excluding monthly bills. Before, I always used my check card for any and every purchase: McDonald's sausage and egg McMuffin - $2.58, Starbucks tall decaf peppermint mocha - $3.85, GNO at movies - $8.75. Ironically, I was also always afraid to check my bank balance online. I dreaded writing down all of the deductions and I lived in constant fear that an expenditure was forgotten. Spending like this also enabled me to be blissfully unaware of how much we actually spent each month at Starbucks, the grocery store and even on gas.

I do have to spend some time each month budgeting how our money left after paying bills should be spent, but I am so thankful to have money left after paying bills! Grocery shopping has been the biggest challenge for me. I budget $50 per week, which is a challenge alone. Paying cash forces me to keep a total of how much is in my cart, and I forces me to make some tough decisions like, "Do I really want to spend $4.00 on 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts or would I rather get 4 pounds of split breasts for $4.00?"

Paying with cash is a great way to start tracking your spending. I use an envelope like this, filled with smaller envelopes.



My categories are: fun and farmers market, babysitter, hair care, toiletries, clothing, Walgreen's, prescriptions, co-pays, gas and oil, repairs and tires, groceries, cleaning, entertainment, Starbucks and restaurants. I am planning to add an emergencies envelope to have a few extra dollars for things forgotten or unplanned, like school fundraisers.

Like most new years, I am hoping this year will bring our family more prosperity, but this year, I actually have a plan to make that happen. What money saving goals or tips do you have for the new year?