On Christmas Day, our son Andrew left his home in Wisconsin to travel half way around the world to volunteer on Lesvos, an island off Greece about 4 miles from Turkey. Daily he scans the horizon for boats full of refugees and then offers hope and safety once they make it to shore. 1000-5000 refugees from Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey arrive on the island every week and need to be cared for and directed to resettle in Europe. I have set … [Read more...]
A Kid Friendly Thanksgiving Table – Parenting Tip #13
Is Your Thanksgiving Table Kid Friendly? Since the kids tend to get a bit impatient waiting for Thanksgiving dinner to get on the table, do a little something different this year. Give them special placemats. The Thanksgiving coloring pages are from Busy Bee Kid's Printables. They will grab the kids' attention and take it off you - giving you the freedom to finish up on your Thanksgiving preparations. Create kid friendly hors … [Read more...]
Are You a Disappointed Adoptive Parent? Parenting Tip #4
October 16, 2015 When I realized today's date, my thoughts turned to my kids, but not in the usual way. One year ago today Jillian and I took my 86 year old mom to the hospital for a quadruple bypass and valve replacement. Just nine weeks later we lost her to a stroke. You can find the first in the series on my other site, Love My DIY Home. But my main topic isn't my mom today. I want to talk to you about your adopted kids. (The rest of … [Read more...]
How Much is Too Much Loss?
Our family and friends have experienced so much loss, pain and suffering lately. Everywhere I look I see loss. My father-in-law passed away a year ago. My mom 6 months ago. A friend lost her youngest son in a car accident yesterday. Another friend is caring for her youngest son who was in a head-on collision two days ago. Thankfully he is still with us - they came so close to losing him. … [Read more...]
Oh, it’s been a long time..
Greetings, my peeps! It's been quite a while since I've done much here on Mom of Many. But I have a good excuse - honestly! I've been crazy busy with a ton of irons in my fire (had to start a fire, it's been so cold out here in Wisconsin!) Last July I started Love My DIY Home because I want to work from home. I saw an opportunity to start a monetized blog (more on that later) and thought it would be a good fit for me. We've talked a lot … [Read more...]
Christian Liberty – Permission to be Free
I made reference a few days ago on my Facebook status that our Pastor, Weng Liew, had "hit one out of the park." He sent me his notes tonight and I have his points listed below. Make sure you slooowwwlyy read through them. At first glance they appear to be the typical sermon on Christian liberty, ie: do right, do your best, don't use your liberty to sin, etc. But take the time to read what he has to say. Read each word carefully. If you do, … [Read more...]
To Taylor from Dad
Jesus Leads Us Through the Fog
Last night we were on our way home from Taylor's graduation in Florida when we encountered a dense fog about 40 minutes from home. It was about 11PM and we had been traveling since 8AM. First it set in in spots that only took a second to drive through. Then it descended so heavily that I couldn't seen more than 50 feet ahead of me. I was in one of those situations where if I slowed down to a safe speed, I could be hit from behind by a vehicle … [Read more...]
Moving In…
Daniel Goes to College!
Recently we were able to get funding for Daniel to go to Shepherd's college. He's happy as a clam and enjoying college life. His teachers told us at our visit last week that he's an excellent student. I said in my heart, "Of course he is, he's a Frania!" I guess I can't claim humbleness when it comes to my kids. The first year he will work on the basics like math and grammar. The second year he will begin either horticulture or culinary studies. … [Read more...]
