Equiped and Ready

Is changing course ever easy? We are finding it difficult - but not impossible. Shoring up areas where we see there to be deficiency. Habits that have come in almost unnoticed; but now a part of everyday family life. Harsh, bitty words. Frustration. Delayed obedience. Bad attitudes. Lack of attention to detail. We notice it with the kids; and it hurts us when we do. Not so much because the habit is not becoming of them; but we know where they got it from. US!

The realization stings like a knife and we are left to realize that they pick up on our bad habits. We also realize that a lack of vigilance in this area for any length of time allows them to cement that habit down even further.

It is encouraging to know that you can not fix a problem that you do not know exists. We are thankful for the realization even though the truth at times can hurt. It has been made clear to us that it is time to change course. To stop the forward motion and say we have to go another way.

Family meetings have been held. Agendas have been set; and we are looking into the future with hope. Hope that God can change hearts, alter courses and give wisdom. We start with ourselves first. That is the hard part.

I open my Bible this morning and am encouraged: "Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh." I pray for wisdom. My prayers are heart felt - "God change me into what You want me to be. Make me the wife and mother that my family needs. Alter my course."

So thankful that I don't have to parent in my own strength. Rejoicing that I don't have to try to be the help meet for Rob. Ever so thankful; because neither one of these things is possible without His strength.

I close my Bible, turn off the lamp and head upstairs - ready in His strength.

Meal Plan

I have not posted my weekly menu for some time. With having surgery and having meals brought in - I have not needed to plan out a lot. Then, we had the heat wave through here and to be honest dinner was more pick up and go. Yeah for yogurt and fruit, cold cut sandwiches and veggies with dip!

Well, I am feeling better and ready to be back in the swing of things. We also are in full swing of getting our fall routines well undersay and ready fro school. So, I will try my best to start posting every Monday what we will be having for dinner. This is probably more for me than for any of you - as if reading about what we are eating is exciting enough to pop over here on Monday. :)

So here is this week's plan;

Monday: Scalloped Potatoes and Ham* / Fresh Salad (from the garden)

Tuesday: Shell Casserole* / Beets / Salad (from the garden)

Wednesday: Casey's Beans* / Homemade Bread / Salad (from the garden)

Thursday: Chicken in a Pot* / Salad (from our garden)

Friday: Homemade Pizza / Salad (from our garden)

Saturday: Steaks on the grill ** / Hobos / Black eyed peas

Sunday: Sloppy Joe's / Veggie Sticks / Brownies

*Made in the Crock pot

**From meat given to us (what a blessing!!)

I have planned a lot of the meals for in the crock pot due to the weather. This way if it is too hot to cook I can put the pot downstairs and not heat up the kitchen with cooking. We are doing a lot of salad. I was a bit ambitious with planting salad stuff in the garden this spring.

I use the Fix it and Forget it Cookbook for my crock pot meals. I LOVE this cookbook. It comes in handy during the school year too - when I want to have dinner done before we start school.

Hope you have a wonderful week with your family meals. We are trying something new this week by moving family devotions right after dinner is done and the kids are all still at the table. We will see how this works for us. Needing to find a better time with the little ones. Looking forward to eating together from the food God has given our earthly body and the spiritual food He has given us from His Word.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I am so glad you did.

Blessings,

~Martie

HELP

Life is different when you have a child with special needs. Seasons of life that come and pass for the 'average' family stay longer than can be enjoyed. Issues that most parents are able to identify and deal with are issues that seem to stay and be dealt with over and over again. Sometimes, years at a time. It gets long. It requires patience and in most cases it can drain patience over and over again. Christian parents with a special needs child find themselves often praying and asking for wisdom, answers and more patience.

We did not plan on having a special needs child. Does anyone ? Our special needs child came to us through adoption. We had filled out the forms and told them that we were not parents that were able to handle a special needs child. Then God brought us Zak. His needs were hidden. Looking back, our eyes were blind to the needs he had. If I was to adopt again today, having had Zak for the past 8 years, I would see right away that something was not right. But 8 years ago I saw nothing but a little boy who needed a family to love him. I think that is exactly what God wanted me to see. It was His plan. Eight years ago I believed that with time and a lot of love Zak would be a 'normal' kid. That all the things that they kept pointing out to me would disappear. I firmly believed that love could cure anything.

I was wrong.

Having a special needs child drains so much of you. The thing that has amazed me the most is how having a special needs child is a 24/7 job. It requires you all the time. The time it takes to invest in the needs of the child can drain you. There is constant pressure. Pressure from wondering if he is up - again - getting into something; to the pressure you get from dropping him off at Sunday school and sitting in your chair constantly watching the door for them to come and get you. What used to be easy - (going to church, doing school, shopping) - is always hard. Eight long years of hard. The hard does not go away like it does for the Mom with the baby in the car seat and the heavy diaper bag thrown over her shoulder. It stays. It lingers. It is always there. The seasons of life don't change. He does not grow and mature like other kids - he just grows. You still have to watch him in the store the same way you watched him in the store when he was two.

The pressure, as of late, has been intense. I am drained and know that some decisions will need to be made. Other options are being explored from having someone come in and offer respite care for him to enrolment in a special needs program. They are hard decisions; but ones that are needing to be made. It is easy to fear the unknown; but faith says that God can lead - even where we have never been. Please pray for us. We need God's direction. We need something more for Zak. We are committed to him - to giving him the care that he needs; but we realize that we are unable to continue to provide that for him by ourselves. We need help. We are praying that God will show us from where that help is to come.

We are so thankful for Zak. We have invested so much into him and so thankful that our Heavenly Father has a lot invested in him too. So, we wait, tired, drained and a bit discouraged knowing that God will lead.

Thanks for stopping by. I am so glad you did.

~Martie