Owner: Mega Family Living URL:megafamilyliving2.blogspot.com Join Date: Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:24:19 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Everyday life in a very large family of 34 biological and adopted children. We are a multicultural family whose children have joined us from around the world. Just to make life more interesting we also home educate. Drop by and say hello. I love to hear f Site statistics:Click here
"The Ashley Treatment" Convenience or Compassion Debate ? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Usually I have enough to do just trying to keep up with my own children let alone get into any of these opinionated debates , but since I am so very opinionated what better place to weigh in on my opinion.For those who have no idea of what I am talking about and have not seen any of the news stories with the public outcry from advocasy groups , check this out : http://ashleytreatment.spaces.live.comSince we have had 3 such children that Ashley
's family very lovingly refer to as "Pillow Angels" and have actually "walked the mile in their shoes". I say this because I always say never judge a person unless you have walked a mile in their shoes , I feel we can be opinionated on this subject unlike those who are verbalizing such strong negative opinions without having any experience to do so.I have to side with the parents on this one and with the medical professionals who helped provide the treatment. Children who are so brain damaged that they cannot even move their limbs or verbalize Read more:Treatment
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Gator Attack ??? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Guess I can blog this now after bringing one of mine back from the ER. What does one do when a teen comes home with a swollen face , scratch marks on the shoulder , shirt halfway ripped off and tells you two alligators attacked him inside of the kayak ? By the way , I lost my new cell phone , kayak and paddles ? Hmmm....why is it that this story doesn't ring true ? Safe bet was to take him to the ER and let them clear him. All is well and even they frown at the story as we do. No kayak or paddles can be found. Must have been 2 hungry gators ! Guess he can forget the phone however , it is still ringing and taking messages....can it do that under water ? Why do I feel like this should be filed under another fish story ? Read more:Gator
What is Adoption ? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Sometimes kids can really give adults some good feedback. Lately around here we have been talking quite a bit about adoption and what it means. This has led me down the road of thought that perhaps society uses the term adoption too freely ? Watch the news or read the paper and one will often hear all the things you can "adopt." We can adopt pets , wildlife , highways and even potholes. Perhaps society uses this term too freely and in doing so has degraded the meaning of the word "adoption" when it relates to the adoption of a child. Well , at least a few of my older kids think so. A few of my older ones also mentioned that adoption to them means the court has approved their being able to live with us and use our name. Our younger ones said it means your our mommy and daddy. Maybe younger kids are more able to grasp it then older kids who are in the midst of still trying to struggle with who am I questions and adoption adds to their confusion.Another thing my teens came up with Read more:Adoption
Teen Trouble 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Just as I think things are calming down around here the drama starts again. A certain young man , in fact the very same one with gator story didn't come home tonight. Now usually he's pretty good about being in by the towns 11:00 curfue in fact usually he has always been in by nine or ten the latest. So of course Bob begins a search of the town and we can't find him anywhere. By now his brother too is getting worried and we know if he is concerned then surely something is up. Just as we are getting ready to check the local hospitals two police cars pull up to the house. My first thought is well if my son is sitting in the back seat it at least means he's not hurt. They tell me they found him on the fishing pier or rather fish and game found him sitting in the dark sharing a bottle of wine with two girls. Fish and game turned him over to the police who so nicely took him home. Since the officer told Bob and I that there was really nothing he could do ( really ? I thought unde Read more:Trouble
Moms Lazy Day 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Didn't get to sleep til 5:30 this morning. Last nights teen fiasco kept me up with thoughts racing through my mind of just what the future is going to hold for my three most troubled teens. Just as my thoughts were subsiding and sleep was close I heard the chirping of the birds followed by my "lets get this day rolling" littles. Truly some days I'm sure it's my kids who wake the birds up. Today was a very quiet day with one very quiet teen who chose wisely to keep to himself in an effort to stay out of my way or face another mama lecture. He needn't have worried though because I was too tired and stressed to waste my lecture that would only fall on deaf ears. My littles though keep me happy with all their hugs and cuddles throughout the day. We sat and worked on reading skills and both cursive and penmenship practice. We had a nice sunny warm day here today so they spent the afternoon outdoors playing. The littles are really anxious to start fishing again. They have only gone
Scott 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Scott turned 3 years old. Where has the time gone ? Read more:Scott
Lesson Learned 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This is the result of asking Max to clean out his closet. The end result was much worse than it was in the beginning. Read more:Learned
Brianna 1970-01-01 00:59:59 " I love you this much ! " Read more:Brianna
Timmy & Catherine 1970-01-01 00:59:59 These two who are both born leaders have become the closest of friends. Read more:Catherine
Tommy 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Tommy enjoying his game boy. Read more:Tommy
Future Mugshots ? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 These two still cause me to worry too much. Sometimes I think they really look for ways to get in trouble out in the neighborhood. In the house around mom and dad , no trouble at all but let them step foot out in the community and they morph into thugs. Read more:Future
Caleb 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Just an ordinary day here , no drama which is of course just the way I like it. My teen yahoos continue to remain subdued and quiet. My refusal to talk to any of them is beginning to wear on their nerves but so be it. In the past I have talked and talked and talked and it fell on deaf ears so now I get to be the deaf one. Lets see how they like it. My little ones keep me going with positive thoughts about adoption as opposed to my teens who swear they don't need parents and keep the tug of war going. We try to pull them into being part of the family and they pull further away. I'm beginning to think that a lot of their unsupervised community problems are just another way to both sabatouge their adoption and to show us in some way just how much they don't need parents. Only thing is they keep getting caught and cause problems for themselves complete with police involvement and then they suddenly need us which just ticks them off more. Praying for that break through moment wh
Another Quiet Weekend 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This weekend went quite well. Although , Joseph had a really bad stomach virus all weekend that kept him mostly in bed. Hoping nobody else gets it here. Gearing up for another busy week with homeschooling community classes. Some will be visiting the Holocaust Museum for a history field trip with about 30 other homeschooled kids in the community. Last week a few had visited the Science center but were not able to get in to see the Human Body Exhibit so we need to pick another day for that. This week also starts our new season of bowling. We will be adding Catherine and Joey. I wanted to add Matthew and Joseph also but they tell me "black people don't bowl." These guys really keep me laughing with the black/white rules they set up for themselves. Nothing else really new and exciting going on here and that's truly the way I like it. Gives me more energy to do all the other things I need to get done. Read more:Quiet
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Dumb Move 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I have been itching to get back to my gardening so I spent the day cleaning out our little green house. For some reason it becomes a storage area during the winter months. A halk hour job seemed to take forever because a certain young man who is grounded for a month decided to attempt pulling a fast one. Bob and I knew something was up with all the whispering and quick silence when we would walk by. We had just finished telling him no that he could not go out with his friend. Grounded means grounded. Not ten minutes after we check his bedroom and there is nothing there but two pillows under the blanket. I guess he thought we would fall for it and think it was him. He went out the window and his brother went out the door. These two think they are sooo slick. Got the wayward ones home and read them the riot act , then went back to my plans of planting trays of seeds. Something about gardening soothes my nerves when I don't have any left. These two think they are so slick yet are
Disney Plans Cancelled 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Kids woke up early and all excited because they knew today was the day they were going to Disney
for the say but as we looked out the window we could see the weather was not going to cooperate with our plans. Guess I'll need to quickly come up with some alternate in the house fun, It will in no way be even close in comparison to the fun they would have at Disney but at least I'll be trying to turn all those frowns into smiles. Read more:Cancelled
Catherine and Secong Fish Caught 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Since I accidently deleted the photo of the very first fish Catherine
caught I knew I'd best document her second fish caught. Note how she refuses to touch the fish. She just likes the act of fishing not the handling part. Read more:Caught
6 New Puppies 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Shalimar our chinese crested powder puff had her first litter of puppies. I have to keep reminding the kids that we cannot keep them. I think 5 dogs are enough as pets.
Tomato Seeds Planted 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The kids helped finish up planting the tomato seeds. This year we are trying out quite a few varieties as we are constantly on the lookout for that perfect tomato from days past when tomatoes tasted like tomatoes. Last year our favorite was the German Queen as far as size and taste. This year we planted Jersey Devils , Beauty Blanc (white tomato) , Roma , Triple Crop , Box Car Willie , Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter, Siberia , Tommy Toe and Sweet 100's. Guess you can figure out that we love our tomatoes here !Kids also planted plenty of lettuce and squash today. We still have so much more to plant and it keeps their little hands busy. What kid doesn't love to play in dirt ? Read more:Tomato
Autism 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Nadia has been such a character lately. We have been quite successful in stopping the trichotillomania by shaving her head. The weighted vest and helmet only worked during the day so she had switched to plucking her hair and eyebrows out at night in bed. Now that we are over that hurdle she decided to throw me a new curve ball by not eating unless she is hand fed by me. For the past several weeks we have slowly had to wean her back to feeding herself which is usually met with blood curdling screams unless I tap her hand 2 times before she brings the food to her mouth. Not one tap it always has to be two and if it is three she has to put her fork down and I must start over with tapping twice. We have to be really careful around here because what we may use as a prompt to get her to do something she twists into a needed routine and we mustn't deviate from it. It started with me tapping her hand to prompt her to take her next bite and now it's her routine. Read more:Autism
It's How Cold ? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Just finished up preparing for a cold , cold night here. I know to many of you in some parts of the USA when I say Florida is going to get down to 32 degrees tonight , are going to be telling me thats not cold at all. Believe me as a transplanted Northernor for the past 10 years 32 degrees feels like well below zero to my bones. I moved here to get away from the cold. The birds are safely moved inside for the night and so are many of my potted plants. To think that I just planted all those seeds sitting out in the greenhouse because I was sure things were warming up. This cold front just snuck up on us. Now I'm off to hibernate under the warm covers of my bed til sunrise and pray it feels warmer in the morning.
Another Yahoo Moment 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I know I have posted in the past on how my Russian and Ethiopian teens have a really hard time understanding American Expressions. Late last night was just another example of how literally they take my words. Matthew and Lyosha got into a brawl in the dining room, after separating the two I told Matthew who was still quite mad and spewing hateful words to separate yourselves and go chill out. So Matthew goes outside and sits acrooss the street from the house at the lakefront table. Now our lakefront is patrolled on foot by police officers all night so of course the officer stops to ask him whats up and that it's a cold night to be sitting out there with no coat. So now he has to explain to this officer why he's there and the officer brings him home and needs to check on the well being of Lyosha. Of course Lyosha was fine. All Matthew could keep saying was "you told me to cool off." Yes , son I told you to cool off ....but I didn't literally mean outside in the freezing weath Read more:Yahoo
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Go Away Silly Bird 1970-01-01 00:59:59 We had a pretty good day today weather wise. JR. and Bob took the older teens out to an antique car auction and I stayed home with the littles who enjoyed spending their day outside playing. In other words...I got very little done today.Managed to catch this photo as David tries to keep KoKo from eating his cake. We tried giving KoKo his own cake but this silly bird thought it was much more fun to steal Davids'. Read more:Silly
Pretty Sunset 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Another wonderful non eventful day. I love when things go smoothly around here and nobody is acting out , tantruming or being bought home in the back of a police car. The kids are scrambling right now to find winter clothes to wear to the Disney theme parks tomorrow. With no fail every time we set up to go it would be a rainy day. The tickets need to be used by Wednesday and wouldn't you know that the weather for the week is the low 50's. So tomorrow it is. Maybe the cold weather will make for some short lines. My littles just don't have the patience to stand on hour long lines. Read more:Sunset
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Disappointment 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Guess where the kids did not go today. At 50 degrees we once again cancelled the Disney Theme Parks trip. The kids are disappointed , I'm quite sure that they would want to go even if there was a blizzard over Florida. It's even to cold for them to play outside so they are instead spending the day getting on each others nerves. I suggested they all go read a good book but that was met with stares that translated to, what have you lost your mind. I even suggested that it was a good day to clean their bedrooms but they don't think so. Hey I gave them ideas on what to do with their day what more do they want. I certainly did order up this weather. I think we will try not telling them when they are going until the morning of the trip so we have no more disappointed kiddos. Read more:Disappointment
Glad You Asked 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I have some email wanting to know whats with the little penguin video on the upper right hand side about ? Guess it has people wondering if it has a secret meaning or something. I have always loved that little clip since I first saw it circulated years ago. It still makes me laugh...guess that shows you just how warped I am , huh ? Maybe it reminds me of sibling rivalry and how kids just do things "just because". i know , I know, the video was most likely doctored and it never even happened but it still makes me laugh and Lord knows raising these kids I need all the laughter I can get. Kind of a reminder to lighten up.
Promise Kept 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Finally the kids were able to have their trip to the Disney Theme Parks today. Some had been looking at Bob and I with the "you broke a promise" look after the last two cancelations. It was still a rather cold day but a wee bit warmer then the last two attempts to make this trip. They are now home happy and exhausted.
There Is No Me Without You 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Melissa Fay Greene has outdone herself this time with her new book There Is No Me Without You. One woman's odyssey to rescue Africa's children.Several years back I got to speak with Melissa who is also an adoptive mom when she was writing an article on large adoptive families. The Family Mobile was published in the New York Times Magazine.This was one of those books that I just couldn't put down. The kind of book where you find yourself sorry you finishd it because you want to read more. If you have adopted one of Ethiopias' children or are in the process then this book is for you. Very rarely does a book come around that successfully intertwines a biography, history of a country, medical literature and a brief language course all in one book.On Melissas' web page this book is described as being about Haregewoin Teferra, a foster mother in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and the Aids orphans she has raised. I don't think that description gives the whole picture because it entails so mu
Joey & Scott 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Joey and Scott
keeping warm on a cold afternoon last week. Both have Down Syndrome. Joey is a birth child and Scott was adopted from Puerto Rico 3 years ago.
Good Job ! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Johnny, Max, Asia , Catherine and Tommy made this cake last night all by themselves. They did a really good job even though those five sets of hands left a complete kitchen disaster. Those tornados everybody heard about on the news which hit during the night hours were near here but had you seen my kitchen after this project one would think it was a direct hit. We appreciate all of you who either telephoned or checked on us through email after hearing about the tornado. It certainly left a path of complete destruction and took lives. This is the third time a tornado has struck nearby.
Owl Pellet Project 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I had a great time with the kids tonight and took some photos as they did one of their disection projects for school. Didn't matter what their age was they all took something knowledgeable away with them when they were done. Some I really didn't expect to be able to sit still long enough to do it but after an hour and a half they were still there deeply absorbed in finding and labeling the various small animal bones they pulled from owl pellets. Read more:Project
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