Setting my Worries Aside

Today was not a great day. It started off so terribly. On our way to VBS (Vacation Bible School), the car overheated. The only car that fits our family. It was frustrating and we almost just turned around.

So many little things have happened this week and they've added up to be bigger. Do you ever have days or weeks like that? Nothing huge happens but the stack of little things amount to something so much more?

On my way to pick the kids up from VBS I told my mother in law "something big is going to happen in my kids this week because the enemy clearly does not want them here".

People! Are you ready for my big?

Okay, so let's back track a little here. Our 3 year old has autism. If you've been around here for a while you know that. Do you all know a lot about autism though? I still really don't fully understand what it means. I mean, it is really something different for every kid, so how can we really comprehend it?

For our little guy, it means lots of things. Some things are harder than others. A really hard aspect for us is relationship. Nixon desires to be social but doesn't always get it.  I mean he has come a long way but he still is at a loss in a lot of areas. 

He has a hard time reading emotion. He can mimic and makes an attempt to piece together the faces we show him on flash cards to real life emotion. He tries playing with other kids but doesn't really grasp friendships or relationships.

Seeing your child struggle to make connections and wondering if he will ever really have friends is hard. What is harder and scarier though is wondering if he will ever comprehend God. If he struggles with relationships when people are right in front of him, how will he ever understand a God who he cannot see? How do we teach him about the love of our savior if he doesn't even understand our love? We worry and pray about it often. 

Enough back story now. Back to the "big" thing. As I asked the kids about what they had learned today, before the others could respond, Nixon belts out "Jesus". This is like the go to answer for kids in church but not THIS kid. His answer was a big deal. It gets bigger though. Surprised, I say "What about Jesus?" and proud as can be, yet totally nonchalantly he says "he my friend". Say what? That's right you guys, his friend!

Do I think that he really understands? I don't know. I think as much as a 3 year old can, he does. What I am realizing though is this: God does not have the boundaries that we do. He does not operate in the same ways that we do. He can penetrate the heart of a child whose brain may not understand. How silly are we to limit God?

How often do I fear the unknown and doubt what God can do? Why do we insist on telling God what He can do? 

It is time to stop worrying and trust that God has this. I encourage you all, whatever is burdening you today, hand it over. Don't give up or count it as a loss so quickly. God is there. He has always been there. Even when we doubt. Even when we fear. He is there, ready to carry our burden and worry and sorrow for us. He WILL meet us where we are. As He is doing for Nixon, he will work around the things that hold us back. We just have to be willing to listen, to wait, to trust Him. 

Can we all do that? And can you remind me tomorrow when my worry creeps back in? 

7 DIY Backyard Projects

Hi, my name is Kristen and I am a DIY-aholic. I'm the type of person that will be working on one HUGE project, like, let's say a kitchen remodel and will already be thinking about my next fix  project.

The kitchen is so close to being done, minus the countertops that we just ordered and I can't wait to show y'all what we have done. However, my backyard is crying out to me. Begging me to spend just a little time on it.

Since the kitchen is kind of important, I cannot just abandon it. I can, however, day dream about what we will do with our disaster of a yard. A yard that has so much potential. 

Want to dream with me? I've compiled a list of projects that I love. It is by no means a fancy organized list that is great for weighing options or planning for a specific project. Remember, I have craft ADD, I don't stick to themes easily. Ha!  Make sure to go to the actual blogs and check them out and not just look at the pictures. Give the people who created them some love!

1. Outdoor Day Bed

Okay, seriously? A spot to lay down and read while the kids play outside. Or to snuggle a kid who just fell off the slide...because honestly, that happens on the regular. 

2. Colorful DIY bench

I love the idea of a bright and fun space with a built in sandbox. This bench would be the perfect little accent. As well as a spot for the kids to kick off their shoes before diving in and then tracking sand through the house.

3. Garden Fireplace with Bench

Living in California, it is pretty much 10-12 months of summer each year. A built into the ground fireplace just makes sense to me.

4. Raised Garden Bed

The idea of a garden makes me happy. The idea of my younger kids digging up my precious herbs and spices makes me not as happy. I love the idea of some of my stuff being up and out of the reach of baby fingers. Plus, I mean, this is stinkin' cute, am I right?

5. Pallet Walkway

For all of the veggies I intend to plant, we will need a walkway to avoid stepping all over our goodies. I am not a huge fan of the stone walks. I think they are really pretty but just don't fit our style. Pallets? They fit our style. Pallet wood here, pallet wood there, pallet wood everywhere! I love it so.

6. Porch Headboard swing

Okay, stop it now! I didn't even think I wanted a swing in the yard until I saw this. Now I need one. So funky and fun and inviting. If anyone sees a fantastic headboard like this, on the cheap, let me know. I want this now! 

7. Hot tub Pergola

Okay, so this is the one I'm bugging the husband about. I want a hot tub. They are not cheap but I want one so bad. If I convince the husband that we can swing it, someway, somehow...I will then convince him to build this with me and maybe a little deck for it to sit on. He will happily oblige, he loves DIY as much as I do. 

So there we have it. A few of the projects that I am dying to get to. What would you add to my list, I have a big yard to make over. I need suggestions.

Messy Twister

Confession time: messy activities give me anxiety. You know the ones I am talking about. Paint, play dough, markers...all of them. What? I am not alone? Phew!

Here's the problem with my little confession, I have kids. Kids love messy. Especially boys and I have three of those. Three messy, dirty, thrill seeking, crazy little boys. Doing messy is pretty much unavoidable. So, I am learning to embrace messy. In fact, I am starting to encourage it. Why? Because they not only are getting some serious sensory activities out of it but the joy on their faces? Worth every. single. disaster that hits their once clean little selves.

This week, I threw out all concern for not destroying my house and planned a game of messy twister. It was a hit with everyone. It was so simple too. To add to the bonus list, which I need to off set the "holy crap, my house!", it was great for learning and review. The babies worked with colors, the big kids got to practice left and right. Win, win.

Have I sold you on messy yet? If so, you are going to want to play this game. 

Here's what you need:

• Twister game
• 2 cans of shaving cream
• washable paint
• clothes that you don't mind getting dirty

To make my colored shaving cream, I just grabbed 4 bowls (one for each color), poured a tiny bit of paint and a bunch of shaving cream in them, Mix the two together and you've got a colorful, ready to destroy you, foamy cream.Lay out twister and put the coordinating colored shaving creams on the game board dots.

Then play! It is a riot to watch. The kids were slipping around like crazy. Giggles and squeals like no 

other.

Be forewarned though, messy children want messy parents. You may get chased down.

Have Fun!

Simple Summer Bucket List

Summer is here!!! No more filling our days with homeschooling and ABA therapies. We have time to breathe. As much as we can while remodeling a kitchen that is. It is time for fun and adventure! 

I had big grand plans for a fun summer bucket list but as the days went by, the idea kind of became more impractical. Next summer when we are fully settled we will have a cute bucket list. This year, the theme is simplicity but the activities are awesome!

For the list itself, I picked up some cork board tiles, post it notes and cork board tacks. I had a bunch of colored sharpies at home...because I {heart} sharpies. We then hung it on the wall in the play room because that is where we spend most of our time. Simple, simple, simple.

Last night we sat down as a family and wrote down the fun things we want to do this summer. So many fun ideas, hopefully we can accomplish most of them. The best part about a list is getting to check stuff off, am I right?

This is what made it to the list:

1. Craft Day

2. Girls Day Out

3. The Museum

4. VBS

5. Bake Together

6. Park Playdate

7. Play as a Family

8. Have a Picnic

9. Go Swimming

10. Sensory Friendly Movie

11. Pajama Day @ Home

12. Look at the Stars

13.Go to a jumping place

14. Pick Flowers

15. Water Gun War

16. Angels Game

17. Go Shopping

18. Water Play at Citrus Park

19. Pajama-Rama at the Library

20. The Zoo

21. Outdoor Movie

22, Beach Day

23. Go on a Hike

24. Chuck-E-Cheese

25. Messy twister (post coming soon)

26. Have a sleepover

27. Aquarium

We are so excited to start checking things off our list. What would make it onto your summer bucket list?

Five Tips for Helping Special Needs Kids Adjust During Life Changes

Life changes can be so difficult for kids. Add in special needs and even a good change can become somewhat traumatic. Preparation and accessibility to essentials can be key to making a life change easier to adjust to.

After our recent move went much smoother than we anticipated, I thought I would put together a list of things that worked for us and our little guy. By no means did things go 100% perfectly but his struggles were minuet. We had a few days of him crying that he wanted to go home but in the grand scheme of it all, it went remarkably well. I attribute the success that we did have to some tips we were given and some previous training tools that we implemented.

**Although the things we did were directed towards helping our 3 year old who has autism, it helped with all of our kids, autism and Nuero-typical alike.**

1. Inform of change as soon as possible. For us, it was selling our house and moving to a new home. For others it could be going from one school to the next, having a new sibling, losing a loved one...the possibilities are endless. Whatever the change is, let them know sooner than later. Give them time to adjust and talk about it a lot. If the change is a positive one, help them get excited about it.
For example, we showed Nixon pictures of the new house almost daily, talked to him about his new room and let him know what to expect when he got there. He was able to pick a theme so we talked about his "new monster room" whenever we got the chance. There was no element of surprise. He knew what to expect and when the change was coming.

2. Set the Rules and Remind them often. At least for my kiddo, being proactive is always more effective than correcting and bringing him back from a meltdown. Let them know what is expected of them. When triggers come about remind them of the rule and/or be prepared to intervene. This step can seem tedious but has always worked well in his ABA therapy. It has worked well during our transition as well.

A simple example for us is our stairs. Nixon is a sensory seeker, which means he will get a thrill out of jumping off as many stairs as possible, all while risking injury or giving me a heart attack. He was told right away that he could walk down slowly or crawl on his belly. As he approaches the stairs we simply ask "would you like to walk or crawl?". He knows the choice is his but there are only two options. Mind you he still jumps off the bottom 2 when he thinks I'm not looking. It's a work in progress.

3. As I mentioned before, keep necessities accessible. Whether everything is going to be packed or you will be away from the home a lot, it may be crucial to have certain items handy as much as possible. Special blankets, toys and comfort items can be placed in a separate bag that is grabbed last minute or always thrown in the car and ready when needed.

4. Keep up on routines or schedules as much as you can. There is already so much change happening, if you can keep some normalcy in life, do it! We are not super strict schedule people and that works okay for our little ones. We do, however, use visual schedules throughout our day so that he always knows what is going to happen. Even though our days are always different, he can see what is coming and when. 

He even gets to help lay out parts of the day, which is incredibly motivating for him. On top of just motivating them, giving them back a little control over their world when everything is changing can be a huge help.

5. Lastly, Be willing to make adjustments as you go. Kids all react differently. Goodness, kids change so much daily that they sometimes don't even seem like the same kid from one day to the next. If something isn't working, don't get discouraged. Be okay to make changes where needed. Consistency is key with kids but we also need to know when something is not right for our children. Parenting if tough but you've got this.

Remember, you know your child best. What works for us may not work for your family and that's okay. And of course, cover them in prayer. God has got it in His hands, when we feel like we can't do it anymore, He will take it from there. We are never alone in this.

I would love to hear from some of you on what tips you would give to help out another mama. Leave a comment and let us know.

Remodel

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

A couple days ago I gave you a look at the home we purchased 7 years ago. Today, I have the after pictures from the remodeling we have done over the years. It's so fun to see the differences.

We took out the carpet on the patio, made a ton of repairs and repainted the exterior.

Both bathrooms got completely redone. New flooring, even a new actual base floor in this bathroom. New toilets, showers and sink/vanities. The only thing that stayed is a tub in the 2nd bathroom (not pictured here).

The dining room lost the built in China Hutch, Got new wood laminate floors. New paint and a new chandelier.

Just like the bathrooms, the kitchen was gutted. Jail posts and Denny's bar was removed. Drywall put up instead of the paneling. New amazing Stainless Steel counter top was put in because I said I wanted something like the tables at Chipotle. All new cabinets, new counter tops and appliances.

This is the other end of the dining room but you get the idea. New paint, new floors throughout. New Dual Pane windows...and a crap ton of wood work.

The two pre-existing bedrooms got face lifts with new paint, carpet and windows.

Lastly, we added this third bedroom.

Little bit of a difference, huh? So fun going down memory lane. We will be sad to leave this place but are looking forward to what the future holds.

Our House before it was Home

Tomorrow we meet with a realtor to list our current home and buy a new one. With four kids...and hopefully more foster children to come, we need more space and a yard. Oh, how we need a yard.

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the dump we turned into a home. I am not being harsh people. Just wait.

About 7 years ago, we decided to buy a mobile home as an investment to one day use towards a down payment. In order to make more money and stay in budget (the very small one we had), we bought a dump that was in a really nice park. My dad is an amazing woodworker and dabbles in pretty much anything that would need to be done and agreed to do the work at cost. He's awesome, right? On top of my dad, I have a super handy husband who was able to do a lot of the stuff on his own when he wasn't at work. My brother and uncle also came and helped out with the bigger projects.

All this to say, we looked at this clunker of a mobile home and knew that we could make it work on a tight budget.

Today, let's look at the before pictures. Later this week, after we do the photos to list, I will share those as the afters. The afters of the work and also, it's been lived in for about 6.5 years.

Okay, who's ready for a crazy flash back?

Welcome. We joked that the poor birdhouse was an miniature of the broken down house inside.

 Let's dive right in with a look at the bathrooms. These were the first to be fixed up. We wouldn't shower or use the restroom here until they were. The toilet in this bathroom would sink into the floor if you tried anyway. So much water damage. The stuff in the shower? Parting gifts from the previous owners, I guess.

 The kitchen and dining room are the biggest transformations in my opinion. I felt like I was in jail in there and the Denny's breakfast corner...well that could have been cool if it wasn't crammed in there.

The bedrooms and living rooms had black paper covering all windows and mirrors before we took these photos. One of the brothers (it was being occupied by the deceased owners adult sons), didn't like to see his reflection so it was all covered. Many of the flooring had to be replaced due to water damage from indoor plants.

All in all, it was a mess. Cannot wait to show you our after photos.

See the After Photos Here.