Stepping Out of the Boat

With the prospect of Jeff maybe not going to medical school, we've been praying about "what to do next". Sure, we could be content with the way things are/have been, with my working full-time for a wonderful ministry while Jeff teaches and goes to school, but it seems like we can do so much more. We have some dear friends who have recently moved into a community to become foster parents and from the start this is something I KNEW I needed to be a part of - somehow. We were in the process of applying to be approved respite care workers for a few of the families out there when the conviction was overwhelming that we needed to become foster parents as well. I don't think I've ever had my heart broken as much as it has just thinking about these children without a family.

Please keep us in your prayers as we go through the process to see if this is a good fit for our family. There are a few details that God will work out if this is His will.

"I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these....you were doing it to me." Matt 25:40

Drop that Diet Coke!

My husband recently shared this SHOCKING study on Aspartame (by VICTORIA INNESS-BROWN, M.A.) with me and I feel it's too important NOT to share! Aspartame is an artificial sweetner found in Equal, NutraSweet and used in many sugar-free or diet foods.

Please go to http://www.myaspartameexperiment.com/ to see the full study and more photos.

I know alot of sugar free and diet foods/drinks are now being made with Splenda - this would be a preferred alternative over Aspartame or sugar, unless anyone knows of health concerns regarding its use.

Jeff is always researching the benefits of eating healthy, so I will try to share some more studies in future postings.

About Me

Inspired by my sis-in-law's blog, here it goes...

What was I doing 10 years ago...
Preparing for Jeff's Grandma to move in with us from California - she was 85, had broken her ankle and could no longer care for herself. I was working part-time as a bookkeeper and had 2 kids. I now have 3 kids and Grandma moved into a nursing home a little over a year ago due to Alzheimer's. This year she turns 95!

On my to-do list today...
it's already been a busy day, but I hope to get one more reminder out to my teams, fold that laundry that's been moved from bed to chair in our room all week, and complete a roman shade. (that's in addition to the normal mommy tasks we all have each night)

Snacks I enjoy...
Chick-Fil-A Brownies and Tea

Things I would do if I was a billionaire...
pray about what to do with it - would definitely include LOTS of giving and mission support. and of course, get rid of our garage sale cars! :)

Three BAD habits...
1. saying what's on my mind too quickly
2. waiting until the last minute to finish something
3. not saying NO enough

Five places I've lived... (most recent on)
1. Sugar Land/Richmond/Missouri City/Houston
2. San Antonio
3. Maryland
4. Iceland
5. Florida

Five Jobs I've had...
1. Area Director for CARES by Apartment Life
2. Seamstress of Custom Draperies
3. Various Administrative Assistant/Executive positions for different industries
4. Bookkeeper
5. Data Processor/Computer Operator in the Navy (worked at NSA, where Jeff & I met!)

Pickiness

I don't know about you, but I have a couple of picky eaters. Most specifically on my mind is my sweet boy who used to love lasagna at one point, but somewhere along the way he now refers it to the food "that makes him throw up". Here are some things he said to get out of eating lasagna: "Isn't it against the law to force someone to do something that they don't want to do" or " It says in the bible you can't force someone to do stuff against their will" or "everyone's tastebuds are unique".

I do have to admit, that I have let my kids dictate their menus in the past by always keeping that emergency bowl of steamed rice (heaven forbid we run out of soy sauce), but we've learned by our mistakes and have been trying to make up for that. We now at least expect them to try whatever it is we are having for dinner, and if they don't like it, they will end up snacking on an apple or banana later. I do admire you young moms that started off right and not giving in - that's really the key, but I know it's not too late, as we are seeing progress.

Good Grief! It's not like I'm forcing him to eat seafood, which, thanks to Finding Nemo, they think "fish are friends, not food". Oh well, we do try to make up for it by ALWAYS having plenty of fruit to snack on, and things like chips, candy and soda are not a regular part of our diets and the kids know that when it is in the house, they can only have it with permission.

Moms - do you have any favorite dishes your kids can't enough of? I'm looking for some new items to try (baked chicken or pork chops are getting a little old).

List Dwindling

Well, Jeff had a phone interview today with someone at the UT Medical School here in Houston and confirmed what we already knew - unless you have a very high MCAT score of 30+ (45 is perfect) AND a high GPA you really don't have a good chance of getting in. Jeff has worked very hard to maintain a 4.0 GPA, and although he scored better than average on the MCAT, it was not over 30. We're still waiting to hear back on a few schools, but each school pretty much follows the same guidelines, so we're coming to the realization that this might not happen like we thought.

I definitely have mixed feelings about it - the thought of moving somewhere new is exciting, but not knowing if we were going to stay or not has definitely affected some choices we've made and how connected we are to friends and church.

I'll keep ya'll posted if anything new comes up!