Our Home Life Archives - Page 2 of 14

How Adoption Made Our Family + Easy Cheesecake Recipe

On Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at around 3pm, I received a call from CPS for an 8-month-old baby boy that needed a foster home. “Foster only”, she repeated twice. “Sure!” was my quick response. {I was so excited to get to care for a baby – even if for just a little while.}

My husband & I had plans to attend our precinct convention that election night; however, that one phone call changed our plans from that night forward. When that gorgeous baby boy with matted, sickly eyes arrived on our doorstep that Tuesday evening, our lives changed forever.

We adopted our “foster only” son 526 days later. Adoption changed our lives!

We adopted our foster baby when he was 2 years old!

According to the 2010 U.S. census, more than 1.5 million American families have been touched by adoption too, and fortunately the number of adoptive families has been steadily increasing each year! The American family is changing, and brands, such as Honey Maid, support these changes.

Like the American family, Honey Maid has continued to evolve across its 90 year heritage. From classic grahams to Teddy Grahams, Honey Maid’s wholesome products are made with whole grains and real honey, without high fructose corn syrup or artificial colors, and are wholesome snacks for my boys to take to school. {The teachers lectured the boys when they took Halloween candy to school for snack}

JD with his brother making Teddy Graham snacks for school.

JD with his brother, LilBit, packing Honey Maid Teddy Graham snacks for school.

LilBit can make his own s’mores with Honey Maid graham crackers, marshmallow cream, and chocolate spread.

Easy No-Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Here is a super easy no-bake cheesecake that can be made in just 5 minutes using Honey Maid graham cracker pie crust. Great dessert recipe for busy moms.

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

8:41 am by Penelope

Doing Laundry as a Foster Parent

He came to our door with all his clothes in a trash bag. This neglected preschooler didn’t have much. He had been fending for himself, and I was amazed at his maturity. At three years old, he didn’t use many words, but he knew how to use a microwave.

This beautiful child hadn’t been bathed in a long while, and it took numerous baths to finally remove the ingrained dirt and odor from his body.

Doing Laundry

The same was true of his clothes. When doing laundry, the odor was so embedded in his clothes, that even after three washings, this child’s clothes still didn’t smell clean. Laundry detergent alone just couldn’t break down that penetrated odor, and four years ago, there weren’t any laundry products for the sole purpose of eliminating odors.

Although we haven’t fostered another child with this severe odor issues, I’m still doing laundry and dealing with stinky clothes.

Despite being small, my forever son is a naturally-gifted athlete. Last spring, our 7-year-old was starting Little League pitcher against boys two years older. (Check out this video of our pitching prodigy.) We are excited for him to play in a baseball league this fall. However, I am not excited about doing laundry and the stink that sports participation brings.

Fortunately, nowadays, removing odors from clothes is easier than before with Febreze In-Wash Odor Eliminator.

You can click here to download a $2 off coupon to try Febreze In-Wash Odor Eliminator.

9:51 am by Penelope

Life Didn’t Stop Just Because I Had Cancer

One year ago, I discovered that I had cancer. The diagnosis of cancer paralyzed me emotionally for months with many days of nonstop crying.

Throughout my cancer diagnosis, I was emotionally spent and exhausted. Sometimes for no reason, the tears would fall at the most inopportune times: driving to a Little League game, seeing a mom with her baby in the store, attending a wedding. I was blinded by the cancer, in a dazed stupor, and couldn’t see two feet in front of me.

The great Jimmy Stewart in this scene from It’s a Wonderful Life so eloquently demonstrates the emotional turmoil that I felt during my cancer ordeal when he hugs his child through tears. I can’t watch it without getting emotional even now. https://youtu.be/7Wfkkwvuoso?t=1h12m29s

However, I had to wait four months to have surgery and began to realize that life didn’t stop just because I had cancer!

Even with a cancer diagnosis, I still had my life and young children to care for!

Even with a cancer diagnosis, I still encouraged my husband to pursue a career opportunity – one which required months of travel, even though that meant I would be a single mom while he was on the road.

Even with a cancer diagnosis, I still had to get my young children up for school every morning and get them to their numerous appointments with specialists.

Even with a cancer diagnosis, I still wanted my young son to pursue his love of baseball with a Little League team, even though it added numerous practices and games to our already busy schedule.

Even with a cancer diagnosis, I still fought our school district to evaluate and test my son for special services (and lost).

Even with a cancer diagnosis, I still enrolled my boys in swimming lessons.

Even with a cancer diagnosis, we still took family trips across Texas.

Even with a cancer diagnosis, I had to live my life!!!

(On July 31, 2014, my doctor successfully removed my cancer, and our family has since began new life adventures)

10:30 am by Penelope

How a Backpack Can Give Hope to a Hungry Child

On that Monday morning, the tiny Kindergartner was anxiously anticipating as my mother served him a breakfast meal in the cafeteria line at school. He grabbed his tray, quickly ran to a table, sat down and began devouring his meal. He wolfed down the sausage-on-a-stick — but then something shocking happened when he finished eating the sausage — he began eating the stick!

This isn’t an isolated event — 16 million kids in America aren’t getting the food they need!

In the Texas county where I live (McLennan County), 27.1% of the children in MY local community experience hunger and food insecurity, meaning that over 16,000 children in MY community don’t know where their next meal is coming from!

See this interactive map on the “Hunger in America” tab to find the hunger statistics for your county. Be prepared! You will be shocked. {Leave a comment below with a statistic from your county}

Fortunately, there are easy ways for families to get involved and make a difference in their own community.

In my community of Waco, Texas, the nonprofit organization, Pack of Hope, works with local school districts to identify these hungry children. (The children on free lunches that devour all the food on their tray and even those of their classmates.) Pack of Hope provides these hungry children with a package of food on Friday afternoons so that they don’t have to experience hunger on the weekends.

Each Wednesday morning during the school year, volunteers for Pack of Hope work together to fill 1,000 packages of food for the local school children experiencing hunger and food insecurity.

Visit www.childhungerendshere.com or this inspiring Pinterest board to learn more and for inspirational project ideas for your area.

One easy way YOU can get involved is to look for the red pushpin and locate the code found on specially marked ConAgra Foods products. For each 8-digit code entered at www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com from March-August 2015, ConAgra Foods will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to Feeding America, up to 3 million meals!

Solving child hunger isn’t something we can do alone! How will you help?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. ConAgra Foods generously provided 500 bottles of water for Pack of Hope, enough to fill half the weekly food packages. For more than 20 years, ConAgra Foods and the ConAgra Foods Foundation have been committed to fighting child hunger in America, donating food and investing in partnerships to find solutions that are within reach.

10:45 am by Penelope

Homemade Mother’s Day Gift Idea plus FREE Printable

Hey ya’ll! I’m Deonna and I write Child at Heart: A faith-based DIY, gift ideas, and family blog. I’m a stay-at-home mom, police wife, and mommy to this little cutie 🙂

Had to share a picture from my Instagram with my new Foster 2 Forever friends 🙂 I was asked by Penelope to share an easy gift idea for Mother’s Day with you. I was one of Penelope’s roomies at Blog Elevated and we had SO much fun!

I LOVE making gifts for Mother’s Day and when I think of my mom, I think of how much she LOVES cooking…I didn’t get that gene 🙂 I found this great little measuring cup the other day and I decided to turn it into a fun kitchen candle. I am sharing a simple way to make a soy candle with essential oils in your microwave. It’s super easy and they turn out really pretty. I also made some simple gift tags that say “I Love You Beyond Measure” to add to your candle gift. All you have to do is print, cut, and you’re done!

Okay let’s make our candles:

You can choose any little bowl, cup, or mug to make this project if you don’t love the measuring cup idea. Just choose your bowl or cup and clean it out and dry it really well. I did the tutorial with this fun little bowl I found.

1. Place your wick in the center of the bowl or cup. I used a glue dot to hold it in place. Once, the hot wax hits the glue dot it will move but it does help get you ready to pour.

2. Measure your soy wax flakes by pouring them into your cup twice. This should be enough to fill the bowl once it’s melted. I melted them in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Stir to make sure it is thoroughly melted.

3. Add your essential oils of choice. I did about 20 or 30 drops and my candles don’t smell very strong so if you want a stronger scent, use more. Stir for about 2 minutes and then slowly pour into your bowl or cup.

4. Place a small piece of wax paper over the candle with a hole in it for the wick. This will keep your wick centered while the wax hardens. Allow several hours to cool.

Here are some of the other finished candles! Besides the bowl and measuring cup, I used a tiny tea cup and a coffee mug that I wrote on with a gold Sharpie. The printable gift tags for the mug and tea cup are available on my blog as well. Just click on them, print, cut, and you’re done!

FREE Printable Gift Tags: Click on the link, print, cut, and tie it on your gift with some cute ribbon or jute. I made a colorful option and also a black and white option. You could hit the black and white tags with some watercolors for a fun twist!

“I Love You Beyond Measure” Gift Tag Printables in Color

“I Love You Beyond Measure” Gift Tag Printables in Black and White

Please check out some of my other DIY projects and family posts and thank you SO much for letting me come visit 🙂

Which candle is your favorite? What other things could you use from your kitchen for a candle gift?

11:10 am by Penelope

Easy Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham Recipe

After searching for Dr. Seuss food ideas, I finally found the easiest Dr. Seuss green eggs and ham recipe!

You see Dr. Seuss’ birthday of March 2nd touches a special memory in my heart of the grandfather my children never met. Every year, I celebrate with my kids with a special edible Dr. Seuss food menu…because of their grandfather’s epic recipe fail of green chicken…

Making the green eggs was easy – white chocolate with green M&Ms – but I couldn’t think of any easy way to make the green ham. And then! Perusing the candy aisle at H-E-B I found the perfect green ham!!

The new Peeps Minis in Sour Watermelon flavor!

Just cut off the head & turn upside down!

Here’s my Dr. Seuss Green Eggs & Ham Recipe! (Note: the larger Mega M&Ms would probably look even better)

11:06 am by Penelope

A Skeptic’s Honest Review after Using Essential Oils

Could using essential oils actually help my child’s behavior?

I have read tons of testimonials of people who swear that using essential oils changes the lives of their children and families. After using essential oils, they claim their children are calmer, sleep better, are more attentive, etc.

I’m a biologist by trade so I was skeptical about all the hoopla I’d been hearing about using essential oils — I needed some sort of scientific proof. Could all the testimonies of people that were also selling essential oil products be reliable?

How can the scent from using essential oils change a child’s behavior? Can a scent change brain chemistry that can affect a child’s behavior? Did my behavior change and I become more calm after spa massages using essential oils? I researched and found this report on Aromatherapy and Essential Oils from the Federal government’s National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health (which is under the Department of Health & Human Services):

A large body of literature has been published on the effects of odors on the human brain and emotions. Some studies have tested the effects of essential oils on mood, alertness, and mental stress in healthy subjects…Such studies have consistently shown that odors can produce specific effects on human neuropsychological and autonomic function and that odors can influence mood, perceived health, and arousal. These studies suggest that odors may have therapeutic applications in the context of stressful and adverse psychological conditions.

How could this be true? I asked the question on my Foster2Forever Facebook page about using essential oils and if they really work. And I read personal testimonies with rave reviews. And then I thought if inhaling marijuana can change a person’s mood, then maybe essential oils could improve a child’s mood too? We were struggling with our children’s behavior, especially after my cancer, so we decided try using essential oils. What did we have to lose? If it didn’t work, we were out a little bit of money, but it was worth a try to us. After researching a number of companies, I decided to order from Spark Naturals, an aromatherapy company, that allows me to order with no membership, no contract, no required monthly subscriptions, and no personal volume requirements. Many of the Spark Naturals single essential oils have a price point of less than $10 for a 5ml bottle — significantly lower than the other brands I researched. The Spark Naturals diffusers cost between $52 to $62 with free shipping for all order over $55. After diffusing Spark Naturals “Bliss Calming Blend“ essential oil (5 ml for $13) in our home for a couple of months, we have experienced a significantly calmer home. This is not to say our home is perfectly calm all the time. It isn’t!!! My son is strong-willed, so we still have our “War of Wills” many days BUT they are mostly minor. We experience fewer meltdowns that last shorter, and they don’t occur every single day like they had just a couple of months before. Could it be that using essential oils is what is improving my child’s behavior? I don’t know! But what I do know is that we will continue to use essential oils because it isn’t worth the gamble not to.

Have you tried using essential oils?

Disclaimer: This is my true story and experience with using essential oils. The links to Spark Naturals are affiliate links that pay me a small commission if you purchase; however, you can get a 10% discount on your order by using the coupon code: penny10

5:45 am by Penelope

What I Learned from Cancer in 2014

As I fell to the floor in pain on the morning of February 25th last year, I had no idea how quickly it would change our 2014 and our future as a family. Two weeks later, I was in surgery and learned that the biopsy results indicated ovarian cancer – probably at a later stage.

I was numb — in shock. I began questioning God: “Why would you do this? Is this all you have planned for me? What about my kids, God? Why would you take a mother away from these already traumatized children so young? What will happen to them? Will my young boys even remember me?“

In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
Psalm 18:6

Lesson #1 – Make memories

During my cancer, my mind was constantly swirling with questions: “What will my young boys remember about me? Will they remember snuggles, reading, trips to the park? Or will they remember how frustrated I would get with them?” With an uncertain number of days with my young boys, every single moment became about them and less about me. And that’s the whole point of motherhood, isn’t it? Focusing on your children.

Lesson #2 – Record memories

My boys are only 5 and 7 years old – what can they remember on their own? I have so many photos and videos on memory cards. What good are they there? My desire is to bring those memories to life through videos and photobooks. I have made a few photobooks for my kids and a few of the vacations we have taken but, for the most part, the photos of their childhood are on memory cards. This year, I will make a photobook for the years 2008 to 2013 – that’s a commitment of making an annual family album at least every other month. I hope Picaboo has some great deals this year.

Lesson #3 – Be authentic

When my journey with cancer began last February, I didn’t want to share it — even with family — and didn’t for a month. As odd as it sounds with me writing on this blog, I can be quite private and introverted. Especially when I am grieving — I just want to shut the world out and work through my sadness by myself. I guess it’s because I feel overwhelmed by other’s emotions when I am struggling to handle my own. {For this reason, I chose not to have a public visitation when my father died many years ago}

With my cancer, I felt pressured to share this very personal journey — and then, there were those that shared it for me – before I even had shared with my family, which overwhelmed me even more. A week before my last surgery, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in quite a while. Her beautiful smiling face was a joy to see. But when she smiled and asked: “How are you?” I was at a loss for words. How should I respond? She obviously didn’t know about my cancer. I felt so disingenuous when I replied: “Good!” I realized that I had to share my story – my truth – to be authentic in my journey.

Lesson #4 – Prayer is powerful

Through my cancer, my prayer life became much more personal, more constant. Every moment became a battle to keep my composure in front of my kids and in public.

Hear my prayer, Lord;
listen to my cry for mercy.
When I am in distress, I call to you,
because you answer me.
Psalm 86:6-7

I’ve learned that the power of our almighty God is through our prayers to Him – but not just my prayers – I needed prayer warriors. And although I didn’t feel comfortable with others knowing my story, I began to feel all the prayers wrap around me and comfort me – it was only then that my soul was quiet enough to listen…

Lesson #5 – Listen to God

Through my cancer journey, I learned that listening to God is just as important as prayer. My cancer was discovered through a fluke test result. One doctor said yes, it was cancer, but yet another was saying it wasn’t. The conflicting reports from the different doctors overwhelmed me with confusion. I prayed and questioned God on what was happening. But then, when I stopped and listened – I felt His comforting arms wrap around me while His peace flowed through me. “I am here with you, Penelope. Just rely on me.”

The moment I called out, you stepped in;
you made my life large with strength.
Psalm 138:3

My cancer surgery was a success, and I have now been cancer-free since July 31, 2014!!!

3:32 pm by Penelope

How I Finally Broke My Worst and Longest Bad Habit for Good

I did it! I finally broke my bad habit that I had since I was a small child! Since I was very young, I had been biting my nails. I have struggled for decades to break the bad habit of biting my nails.

I tried everything to break my bad habit of biting my nails: Band-Aids, manicures, acrylic nails, gel nails, and even hypnosis. Through the years, my nail beds (especially my left pinkie) have been permanently damaged, my bottom front teeth have been worn down from my years of biting my acrylic nails, and I even chipped my front tooth from this bad habit of biting my nails.

I finally was able to successfully break my bad habit of biting my nails on January 1, 2014.

What changed that would enable me to finally break my bad habit and stop biting my nails?

2 Reasons I Finally Broke My Bad Habit of Biting my Nails

My 6-year-old son now has the bad habit of biting his nails. And his problem is worse than mine to the point that he has NO nail bed anymore, just cuticles. The epiphany for me came one day when I saw him biting his nails and told him to stop – and realized that I had to take my fingers out of my mouth to say it. *face palm* moment there, folks!
I read The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life & Business by Charles Duhigg! This book was a life changer for me — not only did Duhigg help me understand habits at their core so that I could finally break my bad habit — but his book also helped me understand the power of drug addiction and how nearly impossible it is to break free from addictions and habits which helped me have more compassion for birthparents with addictions. (This book is a very good read — full of interesting stories revolving around habits, including an amusing story of what happened when Target used buyer habits to send out baby circulars.)

You must watch this 3-minute video of Duhigg describing how bad habits really work.

In his book, Duhigg details the HABIT CYCLE of Mandy, another life-long nail biter.

I discovered my CUE (or trigger) to bite my nails occurs when my hands aren’t busy — I begin feeling the edges of my nails for an uneven texture, and then when I feel something, I have developed the ROUTINE to “smooth” it by scraping it, then biting it. It’s hard to describe — almost like I’m seeking a form of touch sensation in my fingertips (similar to those commonly found in Sensory Processing Disorder).

What’s the REWARD in biting my nails? Is it the touch? Maybe, because I realized after I had grown my nails long that I touched my fingertips the same way, only now the feeling is smooth. (I also noticed that Matthew McConaughey touches his fingertips this way too)

How to break bad habit of biting nails

Read The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life & Business by Charles Duhigg to become aware of your habit and ideas on how to break your bad habit. When I began noticing that my fingers were touching my mouth, I began rubbing my fingertips against my forearms to replace that feeling of touch.

Use Mavala Stop to create a bitter taste when your fingers touch your mouth. Mavala Stop was part of the awareness process for me. I didn’t realize how often I moved my fingertips to my mouth. With the Mavala Stop, I stopped putting my fingers in my mouth and began just brushing my fingertips against my mouth. This still left a bitter aftertaste on my lips that even my husband noticed. I was then able to replace brushing my nails against my lips to rubbing them on my arms.

Use nail buffers and nail files incessantly. Anytime I felt any kind of snag, I would pull out an emery board or buffer and smooth it out. I kept them everywhere – in my purse, car, desk. Another tip is to buff nails to a shine before you use the Mavala Stop.

Keep cuticles trimmed. Use a cuticle pusher to push back cuticles, then use a cuticle nipper to trim cuticles smooth.

After only 2 weeks (14 days), you will be able to see your efforts pay off — you will be able to actually see white tips on your nails — Congratulations– treat yourself to a manicure!!!

Use a nail strengthener like Salon Sciences Instant Artificials which worked the best for me! I tried others but they dried out my nails making them brittle. You wouldn’t believe how hard my nails got with the Instant Artificials.

Keep your nails pretty & painted. I’ve discovered that glitter polish lasts the longest without showing nicks and flakes. My favorite is L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche Nail Gold Dust Nail Color with its texture.

I have broken my bad habit for an entire year now! If I can do it, so can you! Tag me on Twitter or Instagram to show me your progress! You can do it!