Over the past three years, I have received hundreds of guest posts from you, my crazy readers. These are your real stories and you inspire me, encourage me, and fill my heart with compassion as we embrace the unique situations each of us face in life. I learn from you…. you are beautiful, kind, smart and important!! I know … quoting The Help is kinda corny, but I mean it! I’m starting a brand new series to compile all your submissions in one “easy to find” spot- My Life Is Crazy Too. I’m going back through the years and including your guest posts to the series to make it overflowing with stories you can re-read and share. I want you to tell us your story. This is a 100% mom blog that wears a lot of hats… we support and cheer for moms, advocate for adoption, and take care of the fatherless living James 1:27. This blog is ALL about sharing real life stories about how crazy life gets- the good, the bad, and the crazy in life, love, and mommyhood. As a mom, I need daily encouragement from other moms, sometimes just to make it through my day with a 18, 15, and 4 year old! My Crazy Adoption is not just about encouraging parents through the adoption journey…. but so much more!

Last week, one of my best friends went through a miscarriage. It was so heartbreaking watching her go through the agony of losing a child. It brought me back to the terrible day we held our son when he died. The pain of loss is so severe that the only thing you really want to hear from your family and friends … I’m so sorry!! The joy now in my life, I can share from my own experiences …. I didn’t have to ask her what she needed, I already knew. Every loss is different, but the pain is the same. I wish like crazy she wasn’t a part of the “club” of moms who have lost a child, but this is real life. God adopted us and promised us that He will never leave us or abandon us. He will walk with us through the pain and craziness of life. Continue Reading

Shuffling for Stingrays
Not long ago, our family went to Florida for a week of playing in the waves and building sandcastles. Some very dear friends of ours have a family beach house and they invited us to join them on their annual trek to the beach. You know when you travel with friends, it either endears you to them more, or it makes you never want to see them again. In this case, it made us life long friends and we are so grateful.

As a part of their annual trip, they rent a pontoon boat and travel along the bay to a place called Shell Island. My friend has bragged and bragged about this place and the huge, beautiful shells you can find there. I am a sucker for finding a cool shell on the beach, so I was very excited to go. When Shell Island was in our distant sight, my friend, let’s call her, Jenn, pointed it out to me and said, it looks really weedy on this side, but once you get over that sand dune to the other side, it opens up to the most beautiful beach you have ever seen. This really got my heart beating fast. I am a sucker for a beautiful beach.

We anchored the boat, at what seemed to me, way too far out in the bay. As I sat on my comfortable seat in the boat, I surmised that to get to the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, I would have to walk a long way and through some nasty, murky ocean water. This did not excite me. I am not a sucker for walking in cloudy water, especially cloudy ocean water. There’s all sorts of things swimming around in there.

And as I continued sitting, wondering how I was going to get to the other side, Jenn said to me….Now, Dawn, when you are walking towards the shore, you have to kind of shuffle your feet and stir up the water. Don’t walk like normal, you have to shuffle. You have to shuffle for the stingrays.

The what?

The stingrays. You shuffle your feet so they know you are there. Apparently it scares them away so that you do not accidentally step on the stinger.

Alrighty.

My first step off of the boat was gross. My flip flop stuck to the ocean floor and I had to pull it out of the thick murk in order to shuffle. And shuffle I did. I shuffled all the way to the shore. Once I got there, I had to walk through tall ocean grass and step on broken shells that crunched under the weight of my shoes. I walked over the dune and as I looked ahead, the most beautiful beach was before me. Water bluer than my mind has ever imagined. Sand so soft and white that my feet sank into it like a fleece blanket.

It really was the most beautiful ocean view I have ever seen. I had to walk through some pretty gross water to get there. I had to shuffle my feet so that a sting ray would not attack me. I had to change my attitude because I did not want to even walk over there.

Isn’t that how it is with life sometimes? We have to walk through some pretty tough stuff to get to the beauty that God has before us. Most of the time we are afraid to take the first step and we resist. We kick and scream, we throw a fit, we hold on to all that we know to be true, and all God is asking is for us to take one little step, a few shuffles here and a few shuffles there.

There is a beautiful beach awaiting.

Written by Dawn Funderburk (friend)

Life Lessons

It’s funny how life changes so quickly. One day our kids are tiny and completely dependent on us and the next day they are texting on their own cell phones while eating concession stand snacks at a high school football game. Life is passing me by at lightening speed. I’m not sure I like it like that.

God teaches me so much through my kids. Life is all about changes. It’s not meant to stay the same all the time. Through change, we learn lessons about humility, love, friendship and gain confidence to conquer the world. I’ve been learning these lessons lately. Maybe not the conquer the world part, but the humble confidence part for sure.

I’ve always loved watching my boys play sports. They have some God given abilities to play ball. And I have always taken pride in those abilities, probably to a fault, thinking they were better than maybe they really were. This year was no different. Except I saw it all for what it really was and that put it into perspective for me.

Zac has always played sports with the same group of boys. Kids we know and love and always will. But this spring, we decided to let him branch out in baseball. He wanted to play more than the other kids did, so he went out for a competitive team that plays a lot of baseball. I mean, A LOT of baseball. And this team played UP, meaning they were a bunch of 12 year olds playing in a 13 year old league. And if you don’t think there is a sizable difference between a 12 and a 13 year old, I am here to tell you, WHOA, nelly, BIG DIFFERENCE! Huge!

So here we are, in a growing, stretching year. It’s been very humbling watching him play. He knows he is smaller and not as strong as some of the other kids. He knows his abilities are still in the making. And that knowledge has lowered his confidence in himself. He has the skill and the know how, but some how it gets all mixed up when he steps onto the field to play against kids twice his size. Sports is 90% mental and 10% physical for most people.

Lately I have watched my once confident player become nervous and complacent to sit the bench. Until last night. He stepped up to the mound and I saw that familiar look in his eye. The old Zac was back. He played with a confidence I have not seen in a while. It was beautiful. It did so much for his mother’s heart.

Here’s what I know…he can serve his team while sitting the bench and he can throw strike out after strike out when called upon to do so. He can be the bat boy and hit a triple when it is time. God called him to this team. We have no idea why but we are beginning to see purpose in it.

When I watched Zac sit the bench in his second game, my heart sank. But when I witnessed him as the self appointed bat boy, serving his team as they played, I saw God’s purpose.

You can win all your games and beat out all the competition but if you have not love, you are just as much a loser as the team you beat.

Written by (friend)

I want to continue to go crazy big for you as a mom blogger and advocate for adoption and orphan care. Thank you for helping me grow, even if I have gained 10 pounds blogging for you every week! It was YOU who helped raise over $60,000 last year for Simply Love orphan projects all over the world! (yep- you are incredible!) One of the things I’m working on is writing more about my personal life as a mom and wife. I have an unique triple combination of kid craziness- seventeen, fourteen, and three years old!  There are days when I feel seasoned and wise as a mom, but other days I can’t seem to figure anything out. That’s where you come in…

I’d love to know what you want to read about (right here) on My Crazy Adoption Blog.  For example, do you still want my favorite recipe ideas in Wednesday WOW series or should I skip it and move on?  I’d love for you to leave me a comment today and share with me fresh, crazy topics you want from my blog.  I want your post suggestions!

What MOM topics do you want?

• parenting stories?
• sharing struggles in my marriage or as a mom?
• lighter, funnier topics?
• update adoption “One Stop Shop” or add new information?
• Be a guest blogger and share ideas with new readers.
• Balancing family/work/writing/household tasks
• ?

What kind of LIVE video topics?

Roger and I are working on some new adoption LIVE videos to help support you during your adoption process.  We want to know what you need?  We want to share topics that will help you at any stage of your adoption.  We are not professionals, but we are parents who have adopted and want to offer you hope, encouragement, and support!  Please leave a comment if you have suggestions or topic picks- we’ll pick the top 5 LIVE ideas for the month of April.

Top 11 Blogging Tips from Simple Mom.

I would love you to be a guest blogger on My Crazy Adoption Blog during my 12 day mission trip to Uganda! Please email me and submit your post for approval.  Please limit your posts to subjects for moms, adoption, missions, and orphan care.  This is such an exciting blitz for bloggers who love to write and make connections with other crazy readers! I simply love guest bloggers!!

I need topics:

• Send me your post ready-to-go (that means y’all do the writing, editing, and spell checking)
• Stick to the top 4 subjects- moms, adoption, missions, orphan care
• Attach photos of your family or subject clipart
• Mommy DIY craft
• Add your blog link to share
• posts to encourage, support, and make us laugh
• yummy recipe

Due date for your blog posts- May 22nd. 

(don’t forget to include attachment with photo)

Thank you so much for helping me blog when I’m in Uganda!

 

 

Zoie is my inspiration behind deceptive recipes this month on Wednesday WOW series!!  If you have a picky eater, I really want to know how you deal with the craziness with patience and creativity in the kitchen.

Spaghetti Pie
From Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld

• Non stick cooking spray
• 3 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti or angel hair pasta
• 1/2 pound lean ground turkey or sirloin
• 1/4 cup broccoli puree
• l large egg white
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2-2 1/2 cups bottled spaghetti sauce
• 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup carrot puree
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

2.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until al dente.  Drain in a colander.

3.  In a small bowl, mix the ground turkey or sirloin with the broccoli puree, egg white, Parmesan, and garlic.  Form 1/2 inch balls from the mixture.

4.  In a large bowl, stir the cooked pasta, spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese, carrot puree, and salt and pepper.  Spoon mixture into the pie plate and smooth the top.  Scatter meatballs on top and sprinkle with mozzarella.  Bake, uncovered, until the center is firm and the cheese is bubbly, 25-30 minutes.

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I would love for you to link up your favorite recipe today in the comments.  If you have a yummy post to share- leave your blog link.

I confess, I really love deceiving my kids by hiding healthy stuff in their food.  My crazy kids (Michael, Hannah and Zoie) have three very different eating habits… see if you can guess?

1. One eats everything in sight- it’s all good!
2. One eats most things, but small portions!
3. One eats literally nothing, but french fries and fruit (no meat!)

This month on Wednesday WOW Recipes, I’m going to feature a new Deceptively Delicious recipe.  I’d love for you to test it out on your kids and let me know if it’s a winner!  You can always leave me, in the comments- your blog permalink if you have shared with bloggers a yummy recipe.  I love swapping recipes and learning from you- the mom pros!!

 

 

Ingredients

1	cup water
1	cup sweet potatoe, pureed (about 1/2 cup)
1/4	tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional)
1	cup pancake mix
1	Nonstick cooking spray
1	tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil

Directions

1. 1. In a large bowl, mix the water, sweet potato puree, and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, if using. Add the pancake mix and stir just to combine – the batter should be lumpy.
2. 2. Coat a griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil, and spoon the batter onto the griddle or pan, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.
3. 3. Cook until bubbles form on top of the pancades and the batter is set, 2 to 3 minutes. Then use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook them until golden brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Serve with maple syrup to taste.

MarytheKay’s TOP TEN Reasons New Year’s is NOT the Time to Start a Diet

Before I dive into the TOP TEN list, I want to thank Kari for the chance to guest post today.  I know Kari in real life, and can honestly say that she is every bit as kind and bubbly in person as she is on her amazing blog!

So, who the heck is MarytheKay, and does she drive a pink Cadillac?  Oh, I am so glad you asked!!  My name really is Mary Kay, and no, I do not sell cosmetics.  I do, however, wear cosmetics…but usually ones purchased at Walmart.  Speaking of…I do have a deep love for Walmart Supercenters—mostly because I am lazy, and like one-stop shopping.  Need some chicken legs and lip gloss?  Yep, Walmart.  Unless you wanted chicken leg lip gloss…at which point I would say, “Honey, you need to head on back to the woods.  Walmart cannot help you.”

Okay, enough about me.  I promised you a TOP TEN, and by golly, you’ll get one.  If I haven’t put you to sleep, or made you want to bang your forehead head on the desk, feel free to visit www.marythekay.com.  My blog door’s always open, cold Cokes in the fridge!

TOP TEN Reasons New Year’s is NOT the Time to Start a Diet:

10.  Because May is a better month.  Getting into a swimsuit is slightly more motivating than getting into fleece loungewear.

9.  Running (heck, who am I kidding?) ahem, Walking in the cold only makes me want hot chocolate.

8.  Oh, don’t be a follower.  Everybody works out at the gym in January.  Be a renegade and work out in the gym in May, when it is beautiful outside, and stifling and smelly inside.

7.  Three words:  Super Bowl Party.  I mean—what else is there to do…besides eat the potluck appetizers and watch the commercials???

6.  The personal trainers at the gym are much meaner in January.  By May, they feel so sorry for you that they use a kinder tone of voice…a voice that says, “You really don’t have much hope now, but I will help you anyway.”

5.  It’s a money-saving strategy…  Think of all the money I’ll save by eating leftovers!  Leftover cheddar popcorn, leftover turkey and dressing, leftover peanut butter balls from Aunt Martha, leftover none o’ yo bidness what’s in my stash…

4.  Valentine’s chocolates.  Even though they mostly taste nasty, come in a huge tacky box, and at my age, give me a stomach ache if I eat too many–it’s a tradition.  What’s the world coming to if a woman cannot eat her Valentine’s chocolates?  I’ll tell you what the world is coming to:  Communism.

3.  Because wearing sweaters and covering every inch of my body in wool and fleece makes me think of York Peppermint Patties.

2.  Who eats salads in January?  Salads are for May.  January is all about chili, chowders, and borscht.  Not that I eat borscht.  I just like to say it.  And with a lot of phlegm in the back of my throat—borscht.

1.   It is a proven fact that there is more depression in January–in the winter…and diets can cause depression…So, really, by postponing my diet—I am just trying to help the mental health community.  I call it my act of philanthropy.  Diet Postponing Philanthropy—DPP.  Mmm, Dr. Pepper and popcorn, anyone?

So, please toast a cold can of Coke with me—Cheers!  I’ll see ya at the gym in May!!

In The Best Interest of Our Kids

Sometimes life is very unfair. It hurts when it happens to me. It’s extra painful when it happens to my kids.

The Mama Bear in me wants to fight. For there are so many injustices that I feel I’ve already let go. Sometimes I feel like I’ve just had enough and I’m ready to raise my claws and fight for what’s right.

Have you ever felt that way?  If you’re a mom, I’d almost guarantee it.

The thing is – in retrospect; sometimes I wonder if I was really fighting for what I felt was right or if I was simply pouting.

Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes pouting is justified. For a brief period. Life can dish out some raw deals. It can be very lopsided at times and it hurts. But what if I pout so much so that I miss what it is that God is trying to show me through the unfairness? What if my child misses what He’s trying to show them because of my interference?

It’s excruciating to let your child go through heartache in order for them to be better people. Sometimes they need to be humbled, embarrassed, or even need to feel lonely in order to get a message from God. In order to become less proud, kinder, or more empathetic to others.

I want my children to become all that they can be for the Lord. Of course I’d prefer it if they could be all they could be WITHOUT all the tough lessons involved. But it doesn’t work that way. I wish it did.

My job is to let God do His job. And sometimes I can just get in the way. I hold my kids so tightly in my heart and in my arms. It’s hard to see clearly at times. It’s hard to understand how something so clearly wrong could be for their benefit. But it can. If I’ve placed Him as the authority in their lives – it truly can.

There are some things of course, that we need to step up and take on on behalf of our kids. Some things physically, spiritually, or emotionally could harm them. These things are where God calls us into battle and we should be ready to get our armor on. But those other things – those things where we tend to snivel a bit and pout because it just wasn’t “fair”…those are the tough things that we have to get on our knees and ask God to help us let go and let Him take over.

In the best interest of our kids.

Dionna Sanchez is Founder of the Emphasis On Moms Ministry at http://www.EmphasisOnMoms.com. She also blogs over at http://beautyinthestorm.blogspot.com

I have the joy of riding around town with a 2 year old, 13 yo and 16 yo.  The majority of the time Zoie and I are together zipping from Target to the park, but there is only one thing you’ll find playing in my van.  I just hit my 799th episode of Finding Nemo!!  I can sing every song with Zoie, repeat favorite lines, even sniffle again and again when Dory reminds Marlin to just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.  Do you know how many life lessons are in Finding Nemo?  Well, I do…

I’ve counted every one of them:  Love conquers all, never give up, fish are friends not food, family is worth fighting for, obey your dad, don’t fall off the wagon, stay strong and courageous… fear not, don’t bang on a fish tank… the lessons go on and on.  I shamelessly admit, I boo hoo everytime Dory begs Marlin to let her stay with him despite his broken fishy heart “I look at you and I’m home”, or when Dory remembers Nemo after bumping into him and triggering her short term memory loss.

But, my all time favorite part of the story is when they are riding on the East Australian current with Crush, the 150 year old sea turtle, who helps the overly cautious dad understand that there comes a time we have to let go and allow our children to conquer life on their own.

snifffff sniffff

Everyone needs a Dory in their life.  Dory was always a motivational, uplifting, and encouraging friend to Marlin.  She was a happy fish, not a sucker fish.  She saw the positives, not the negatives.  She knew how important it was to help a friend and stick with them through thick or thin.  She saw life as half full, not half empty.  Dory knows that life is an adventure!  Ha!  Are you still impressed … I told you I watched this video 799 times!

Of course, I have to brag and let you know that Zoie knows more lines by heart than I do.  She adores Nemo and giggles, screams, and dramatically animates the story from start to finish.  I can’t wait to start up the van and swim with Zoie and the crazy cast of fish for my 800th episode!!!

What video do you endure enjoy watching over and over with your kids?

If you haven’t watched the amazing video Finding Nemo in a long time… take a peek at this short trailer.