Re-Purposing And Re-Inventing

With 5 kids life is CRAZY.  So much has happened since my last post.  The adoption I alluded to happened in early 2015.  Cyrus is of course a perfect fit for our family.  He's an amazing boy with a huge personality.  We've had many medical issues to address in the almost 3 years he's been home.  Been worth every minute, the addition of 7 doctors to our lives has been crazy.
In this time, we have also send Anthony off into the world.  He started college this fall.  He took a year of classes at our local Community College.  I'm excited to see where he goes.
Homeschool continues for our 4 "littles" at home.  Its intensive labor as everyone needs lots of individual attention for reading and math.
Life has been crazy in the last 5 years.  We continue to all grow and change as time goes on.  Before I stopped blogging, I start a journey to a healthier me.  As my kids get older, it becomes more evident that I need to be healthy.  I don't have time to go to the doctor.  I have things to do.  I don't have time to be sick.  I've got things to do.  My kids need me to be healthy so I can continue to take care of them for a very long time.  I don't have time to feel like crap because the munchkins need me.
My answer to this is to put time into myself.  I make time to work out.  I make time to eat well.  I became a student of my own body.  After 6 years, I'm ready to help others find the best them.  I want to help others seek health through fitness and nutrition.
Beachbody has been an integral part of my journey.  I've owned Beachbody products for 15 years now.  I love the resources that Beachbody offers everyone to be healthy.  Solid nutrition plans that use REAL FOOD.  Fitness plans for anyone from beginner to advanced.  They always have a modifier to reduce intensity.  The trainers give an extra push that you will never find at the gym. Beachbody has eliminated excuses.  Home based systems and the ability to take it with you through Beachbody on Demand.  I've always been passionate about Beachbody, now I'm using their platform to spread my passion. 
Healthy Mama=Healthy Family
So Welcome to the Home of Healthy Mama 4 All. 
I'm reinventing this blog to spread my passion.  To leave messages for all my friends old and new on WHY you need to get healthy.

Thinking

I rarely ever post.  I do have the defense that we are very busy with 4 treasures and most of the time I don't have much to say.  Tonight I just need to wander through my thoughts for a while.  There's a lot going on.  More throwing ourselves out there and praying that we are following the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Wandering where this adventure is going to lead us.  Its always an amazing journey.  Interesting too.
We are staring at a mountain.  Or at least I am.  I am definitely the planner around here.  I'm staring at this mountain and wondering how on earth we are ever going to reach the top.  We've climbed this mountain 3 times.  We have just barely made it back down again.  Its funny, some days I thought that last battle was just going to be too much.  3 years.  I'm still amazed I made it without have to admit I finally was going to lose it.  I figured I'd need counseling and medication.  Lots of medication.  But I look back and I just think "Wow.  That wasn't so bad".  You know.  It wasn't.  I stopped fighting and just let God teach me all kinds of stuff.  I hope I really have grown as much as I feel like I have.  I'm still adjusting as to how to make those lessons be part of the lifestyle our family has going.  That's actually the hardest part.  Readjusting to life after climbing the mountain.
And here we go up again.
I'm drowning right now in paperwork.  Oh how I hate it.  Only second to having to make phone calls.  Luckily this journey doesn't require too many of those.
I'm overwhelmed.  We have a specific need right now.  Oddly enough, its already been met.  The problem is that it is met for the end result and we have to fill in the gap to get there.  Then there's the fact that it may be met or God may have another plan and we will travel a different path.
I know I've grown because I can without a doubt say that it isn't stressing me to think that God may push us another way.  One mountain may be very special and important, but if God says "No not this one", well we are going to be obedient and turn to the next.  We are climbing regardless.
Already we've been stopped.  5 weeks we waited for the go ahead.  We got it and then something changed.  I was about panicked for an hour trying to figure out what happened.  Then it was ok again.
I have such a love hate relationship with this journey.  13 months, 18 months, then 36 months (24 on a specific journey).  They are telling me "this is a long journey.  Are you sure you want to do this?"  I just snicker.  If the journey was short, I might be willing to wait a little while before setting out.  I mean, I do realize how crazy my life is.  I do see all the plates I'm spinning.  I do acknowledge how easily they could start to fall.
I'll just say it.  We just adopted a 9 year old who is developmentally delayed and is adjusting more slowly than my other kids have.  I have 3 kids with significant disabilities.  We chose to homeschool and may lose our therapy services very soon.  I've got 2 kids that need to learn to read.  I've got a high schooler that we are trying to guide into adulthood.  On top of all this, I have a full time job.  More times than I would like to admit, I just don't do anything because I can't figure out what the heck I should be doing.  I'm overwhelmed sometimes.
What everyone doesn't know is that I can just take a deep breath.  My kids are really smart.  They are still young and we have time.  All of them are doing more amazing than I would have expected.  My high schooler is pretty normal.  We have the same issues most families do with teenagers.  He is great with his siblings.  I see the responsible side peaking out.  Its all good.  Our family gets closer to each other every day.  I might not be able to doing everything by myself, but together we can make this happen.  I'm content to look up at the mountain and barely see the top.  I've got loads of things to keep me busy on the way up.
The best part of climbing this mountain is knowing that there is a cute little face at the end.  Its knowing that the climb down may be pretty rough to start out but God will help me grow now to handle that.  Its knowing that even before we leave the bottom of this mountain that there's probably another right next to it we'll be hiking up later.  It is so worth it that it doesn't matter how hard it is, how impossible it seems, how frustrated or broken we get along the way.  We may still be looking from the mountain top just to find another to climb.

Angel Tree--It's time to give back!!!!

Meet Vaughn.
This precious little guy needs a family.  He lives in South America.  He is such a cutie.
We are working with Reeces Rainbow's Angel Tree this year to raise $1000 for his adoption fund.  I'd love to raise more than that but I'm determined that we will get to $1000.
I don't need to tell many of you that the average cost of adoption is about $25,000.  I don't know many people that have that much money just sitting around.  It's a lot of money.
I do, however, know that God blesses families tremendously as they step out to adopt.  I want to help bless a family.  I want to help ease their burden, as well as their mind, as they try to raise funds to adopt.
This $1000 might pay for this little man's plane ticket home or for the immigration fees to get his visa into the country.  This $1000 actually won't cover a whole lot, but its a piece of the puzzle.  It's a drop in the bucket.
I like to break challenges into manageable pieces.  It's eating the elephant.  One bite at a time.
Here is how I've broke this challenge down.
$1000 raised in 61 days. That is $16.40 per day.
Can I get any volunteers to sponsor 1 day?  Just click here and make a donations.  It will make my day to see Vaughn's grant fund increase by $1.
Anyone willing to give up a Starbuck's for my little buddy?

Biltmore Trip

We had a fun day at Biltmore House a few weeks ago.  I loved the trip and Patrick wants to make it a yearly trip.  We just spend the day  wandering around the grounds.  Its great.  I love getting to take pictures there.  The mountains are beautiful.  All the kids did well.  Varsha walked alot.  Anthony ended up carrying her down the stairs in the house because she walks down stairs very slowly.  Its cute to watch him look after her like that.
These 3 are entertaining to say the least.  They play together sometimes.  I'm just happy that Varsha hasn't developed an obsession with the broom yet.  The other 2 fight over it constantly.  We even have 2 and they still fight.
Varsha is doing incredible.  She is opening up more every day.  She gives lots of hugs.  She has 2 favorite words.  Jump and music.  She likes to jump on the mini trampoline while the other 2 have therapy.  She loves to listen to music on my phone.  She uses the sign and the word.  I only showed her the sign once before she used it on me.
We are getting geared up for her birthday tomorrow.  She will be 10.  Her first birthday no longer an orphan.  It is awesome.  We have our meeting with our SW on Sunday for our final post placement.
Well I'm going to run.  Not enough hours in the day.

New Pictures

I'm sure I could say something, but I've got 3 loads of laundry calling my name and a million things on my mind.  All is well on the homefront.  Varsha is amazing us daily.  Talking some and adjusting so well.  She seems to understand our routines and such.  We just keep working toward the next thing, with each child and as a family.  Excited about all the things to come.