Qualities of a Great Mom!

This was posted on my DTC Yahoo! Group. I lifted it (Thanks for sharing, Susan!) to share with you all. Enjoy!



She loves her child with all her heart.

She is patient.

She apoligizes when she's made a mistake.

She gives great hugs and makes the boo-boos feel better.

She lets her child sit on her lap and reads the same story over and
over and over again....

Even if it's the 1000th time she's read "Good
Night Moon."

She wears jewelry made from colored macaroni with pride.

She stands at the door and watches her little one's chest rise and
fall in sleep and wonder's for the zillionth time, "How did I get so
lucky?"

She's usually the first thing her child sees in the morning and the
last one to give her a kiss at night.

She's a cheerleader, nurse, psychologist, teacher, chef, launderer,
accountant, cleaning lady, etc.

A good Mom will hold her little one's hair back while she retches for
the 14th time that night and then places a cool wash cloth on her
neck, kisses her, and tells her it's going to be okay (even though
the bathroom smells awful).

She's the disciplinarian, because even though her heart's desire is
to give her child anything and everything she could ever want, she
knows that's not healthy.

She wants what is best for her little one.

She is willing to sacrifice a great deal for her child, though her
child will never realize what those sacrifices were.

She is warmth and comfort in what can sometimes be a scary world.
Her arms protect and can heal heartaches.

She is the keeper of her child's story. And if her child was
adopted, she lovingly tells that story (even the hard parts) in age
appropriate ways so that her child may grow and come to an
understanding about her history and how she came to be part of her
forever family.

A good Mom loves her child fiercely and in ways she did not realize
were humanly possible before that child came into her life.

What do your bathroom habits say about you?

You are a giving soul. Way too giving in fact. You often get stuck doing the dirty work that no one else will do.

Your idea of fashion is jeans and a t-shirt. Clean, if you're lucky.

You are a very outgoing person. You are true to yourself, and you never hold back.

In relationships, you are practical and realistic. You have a romantic side, but you only let it out when it's appropriate.

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Another Busy Week

I've been away from the computer this week - can you imagine that? - and have been very busy with the first week of school! I have two really great classes and I'm looking forward to the rest of the year!

Saturday, August 4, the boys and I participated in promotional testing at Taekwondo. I was promoted to brown belt. I will have this belt for two testing cycles, so that I can learn patience. The boys both tested for their black stripes on their current belts, so Shelby is a green belt decided and Jeremy is a blue belt decided. Mr. Boyd wanted to slow them down a little to work on strengthening their techniques, plus Shelby hasn't had the best attitude lately. Jeremy is already showing initiative by practicing the segments we learned in class this week. My mom also did a wonderful job at her promotional testing! I was so proud of her! She is 60 now, and the oldest student at our school....her techniques are getting better and better!

I also had the chance to represent my profession as a Gold Star Teacher Consultant for Crayola on Saturday. I worked in the Walmart back to school area and answered parents' questions about education and school supplies. It was great fun and maybe when I retire I will go there and work part-time! (Although Walmart, in my opinion, has labor issues that maybe I'll discuss in another post).

I've been shuttling puppies back and forth to David's store this week. We've found homes for all but one puppy - a little girl we're calling Little Bit. The puppies were all so cute learning how to eat dog food out of the bowl...they would just lay in the bowl and eat until their little tummies were round and full! I hope that the pups bring their new families much joy and happiness. All told, there we ended up with six living puppies!

As we really don't need any more puppies in the world, Mixers will be making a trip to the vet very soon to be spayed. This is an important responsibility of pet ownership!

I took the boys to go see "Underdog!" at the movies last night. This is a very cute movie and has some important themes such as the importance of family and not giving up on yourself. Disney did a great job, and even though the film is rated "PG" I did not notice any curse words. If you ever watched Seinfield, Elaine's goofy boyfriend David played the role of bumbling villian sidekick and he was just hilarious! Jim Bolushi played the father figure in "Underdog!" and it was terrific to see him in another dog film (remember K-9...I love that movie!). You should really get out and see this film if you get a chance!

There is another movie that I want to go see this fall called "Martian Child." I just noticed it on the previews last night. A single father adopts a special needs child, and as an adoptive parent I can't wait to see how the media addresses this. It looked like it would be a heart-warming film and I thought that, just from seeing the previews, that it looked like the kind of film that we might see win some awards.

The best thing about being so busy is that I've managed to get my mind off, at least for a little while, the wait to Kaelie. She's always there, in my thoughts and dreams, but I haven't had much time to really focus on how much my heart is longing to go to China and bring her home. Rumors on RQ, well, discussion actually, have March '06 families speculating they might start seeing their referrals in May '08, which would put our referral sooner, maybe in March or April 2008. I think that this is a definite possibility and I just can't wait to see Kaelie's face and begin to make travel plans. A referral in this time frame would also bode well for us not having to redo our immigration paperwork again, though our homestudy will have to be updated one more time. Sigh...it's always something and even though I've always dreamed of having 4 kids (I know I'm crazy...I can barely keep up with the two I have now!) I just don't think I can emotionally go through another adoption, at least not one this long!

Speaking of the boys...they both have been a big help with the housework these days. I've been making a chore list on Saturdays, and they have to help. I've tied it in to treats like going to the movies, and so far Shelby and Jeremy have both been very compliant about helping. I'm really proud of them!

Shelby and Jeremy both had a good first week at school, by the way. Shelby started fourth grade and has to change classes one time (like my third graders do!). Jeremy's school has a new principal, and his teacher is super, super nice! I hope they both have a great year!

Seven Days Closer and Four Cuties!

The CCAA updated their website today. Referrals were issued for families logged in through November 21, 2005.

China Adoption Forecast predicts that our referral will arrive on or around March 15, 2008.

Two steps forward and one step back.

On a happier note, WE HAVE PUPPIES!!!!!!!! We found where she hid them...in a deep hole left by a rotting tree. Mixers has even carved out a path through the grass and straw in the ditch across the road. David was the first to spot them, the puppies followed Mixers across the road and they were hanging around by the trash can. They are sooooooo cute. There are four of them, now three...David corralled one of the puppies and took it to one of his co-workers. Her kids were so happy!!! Needless to say, Mixers wasn't. The puppies are wild and skiddish whenever we come around. They will be six weeks old Monday, and Mixers will have to start bringing them up to the house to eat. I hope we can find homes for the other three. David has a picture on his phone, but I don't know how to download it. I wish I could share it with all of you!