You know you have a big family when a regular sized bag of Krusteaz isn't enough for Saturday morning breakfast...not even kidding. Forget boxed cereal. I'm pretty sure that only feeds three or four. Not to mention the cost of convenience foods multiplied by many! We would literally break the bank if most of our… Continue reading Feeding the herd: Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes
Author: mom2manyboys
Boden Update — SLC Primary Children’s Trip 1
4am on Tuesday morning Boden and I hit the road. Our appointment was scheduled for 6 hours later in Salt Lake. I don't think I slept the night before -- I was worried I'd miss my alarm and I was excruciatingly nervous about the outcome of the appointment with Dr. Butterfield that we had waited… Continue reading Boden Update — SLC Primary Children’s Trip 1
7 Ways to Help Your Kiddo Cope with Grief (& helps for big people, too)
When Mark died, Ben was only 8 years old. They were best friends and buddies, and he was Mark's little shadow. And, he didn't cry. We were worried. I sought advice from a counselor, researched a little on the internet, and then followed my mom instincts. "If I had been sleeping on the couch, I… Continue reading 7 Ways to Help Your Kiddo Cope with Grief (& helps for big people, too)
Saying Goodbye
Last Monday, after several days on a ventilator, I said goodbye to my Dad and watched him slip peacefully in to the eternities. It's been hard...and surreal...and exhausting...and heartbreaking...and tender. We are grateful for our faith and knowledge we have of eternal life and while we are devastated that we lost him here in this… Continue reading Saying Goodbye
DIY Ice Packs
We have a herd of athletes in our house and there are three things we run out of on a regular basis -- food (teenagers eat...a LOT), Deep Blue rub, and ice packs. Throw in a mom with a bum back, a kiddo with some muscle issues, and a very active herd of little kids… Continue reading DIY Ice Packs
Ant Hills
No, this isn’t a how-to lesson on insect fumigation and getting rid of ant hills. Instead, this is a post about how I learned to help my adopted children talk to me about their early childhood trauma and abuse. After 8 rages in 9 days, we were at our wits end on how to get… Continue reading Ant Hills
The LOVE Wall
I laid in bed that night and struggled to find sleep. The conversation with my teenage son playing over and over in my head. Oh, how I wish he knew how much I loved him and how amazing he is! And yet, I was disappointed that all of my words had been critical. My heart… Continue reading The LOVE Wall
Feeding the Herd: Big Family Brownies
When you have a large family, one thing you quickly realize kills your grocery budget are foods that come out of a box or a bag already partially prepared. They are also not the healthiest choices out there...but that's another post for later. So Big Daddy and I we went on a quest to find… Continue reading Feeding the Herd: Big Family Brownies
Broken Crayons Still Color
We are finally through day 2 of rages. It is days like this where I can see in to the very depth of my child's soul and all of the broken and smashed pieces and all I want to do is desperately put them back together. The rages are exhausting -- for all of us.… Continue reading Broken Crayons Still Color
You Are Wonderfully Made
It's after midnight and I just finished having a tender heart-to-heart with my 13 year old. It's not the kind I expected to be having -- we didn't talk about girls or music or baseball like we normally do. Instead, we talked about pain tolerance, life insurance, and muscle biopsies. We both cried a little… Continue reading You Are Wonderfully Made