Adoption Update

As you know, we are in the process of adopting from foster care. We have completed our 9 weeks of classes from the Department of Family Services, we have completed our home study, and now we are trying to be matched with kids. 

This process is not easy. We were being considered for a sibling group, but the social workers chose another family for them. We are now waiting to learn more about a brother and sister. 

In the US there are over 100,000 youth in foster care available for adoption. In 2017 almost 700,000 kids were in foster care. Every year 23,000 youth age out of the foster care system; most end up homeless, incarcerated, or on drugs; less than half graduate high school and hardly any go to college. There is a shortage of foster homes and adoptive families for these children.*

These kids need our help. Most of us will never foster or adopt, but we can still help. You can become a babysitter or tutor kids in foster care. There are clothes closets for foster kids that you can donate to.

Our local clothes closet for foster kids absolutely loved getting a "Birthday in a Bag" just get a large gift bag and fill it with a theme including party plates; ex. I recently found a bunch of Barbie dolls on clearance. So, I got 8 Barbie dolls and party supplies for less than $30. 

I got the idea for a Birthday in a Bag after reading a story of a foster mom, who got a new placement a few days before the kid's birthday and nobody mentioned the birthday that was coming up. Thankfully, she saw it on some paperwork. She was left scrambling to give the child a birthday. 

There are other groups, who do birthday in a bag differently. They gather the cake and food items. I know lots of people with food allergies, so I am more comfortable and think it's more fun to focus on the gifts. 

Marie-Anne

* These numbers may not be correct- different websites had vastly different numbers. I couldn't find the number of foster homes. 

Operation Christmas Child

We dropped off six boxes for Operation Christmas Child this year! I think Alex was five when he saw an ad for Operation Christmas Child on Veggie Tales. He wanted to do it. So we started using the kids' joint birthday party as a collection for the shoe boxes. It is our family tradition now.

Marie-Anne 

Coloring Book Drive- Delivery

After Sabrina's hospital stay she got the idea of hosting a coloring book drive for kids in the hospital. She was extremely bored and didn't want other kids to be bored. Alex and Sabrina teamed up to ask businesses and groups to help collect coloring books. To date they have collected over 250 coloring books, (we will be picking up more coloring books from two places next week). 

As volunteers for the Ronald McDonald House we were able to tag along, as they gave out free lunches, and give out coloring books. We brought 200 coloring books to give away at two hospitals. Most of the coloring books were dropped off at the various nurse's stations, but the kids did get the opportunity to give some directly to the children.

Marie-Anne

Homeschool Group: Book Swap

Once again  I hosted the Book Swap for our homeschool group. Everyone brings in kid books they no longer want, then they choose new to them books. The books left over are donated to Spread the Word Nevada, which is a charity that gives used books to kids in low performing schools. 

The kids had fun choosing new to them books.

Marie-Anne

Bagging food for homeless

We gave away our last bag of food for the homeless. Therefore, we bought enough for six more bags.

Marie-Anne

Money well

My kids love doing this. Supposedly part of the money goes to charity. I am a bit skeptical about how much, but it was less than a dollar and the kids had a blast doing it. Since they enjoy it so much, I will try to remember to bring change with me when we go to Sea Quest.

Marie-Anne

Change for an Animal Shelter

The kids had a lot of fun racing each other's coins in this coin well. I told them to remind me to bring the change from our charity jar next time we go to Sea Quest.

Marie-Anne

Toy Drive

Dollar Tree collects toys for Operation Homefront. The toys are delivered to the children of service members. In an effort to help Alex and Sabrina focus on others I gave them each $2 (plus tax) and let them choose toys to donate. They both told me it made them feel good even though they weren't getting the gifts.

I also had them go through the line and pay for the items without me.

Marie-Anne

Fire station toy drive

We dropped off the toys we collected for the fire station's toy drive. I pick up toys on clearance throughout the year for this and we also collect them at the kids' birthday party.

The fire fighters were very happy to see us and gave the kids a tour of the fire truck. The kids love doing this.

Marie-Anne

Operation Christmas Child

Once again, we participated in Operation Christmas Child. We filled two shoeboxes that will be delivered to children who wouldn't otherwise receive anything for Christmas.

Years ago, Alex saw an advertisement for Operation Christmas Child and wanted to do it. We try to do it every year.

Marie-Anne

Nature Center Book Nook

I received an email from the Nature Center asking for donations of new or used books for a reading nook. The kids and I dropped off this mix of new and used books today.

It made me a bit nostalgic because Sabrina has outgrown the Dora beginner readers. I tried to talk myself into keeping them, but I didn't. By letting them go, not only will a lot of other kids get to enjoy them, but I get to support a place that we have really enjoyed.

Marie-Anne

Charitable Giving

Over and over again the Bible emphasizes good works, not to be saved, but because we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ; therefore we obey His commands.

In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works...  Titus 2:7

As parents, we want to teach our children to be generous as well. Therefore we often, but not always, involve them in our charitable giving. We want them to see for themselves that this is something that our family does.

Hoodies they picked out for homeless teens

There are lots of simple ideas that don't cost much in time or money that can be great examples to kids;

Operation Christmas Child
Food drives
Toy drives
Book drives
Clothing drives
Collect coloring books and crayons for the Children's Hospital
Donate unwanted books to the Friends of the Library
Collect school supplies during back to school sales
Make Valentines for Vets or nursing homes
Care packages for military
Invite friends without family nearby to join you for the holidays
Donate items to an animal shelter...

This time of year it is easy to give. Just in shopping I came across Salvation Army bell ringers, firemen doing the fill the boot drive, a book drive, a toy drive, and a food drive.

Marie-Anne

Fire Station Tour

We took the kids to drop off the toys we've collected for the fire station's toy drive. I collected toys I found on clearance through out the year, and their party was a fundraiser too.

We were quite happy that the fire fighters offered us a tour of the trucks.

Marie-Anne

Operation Christmas Child

Filling boxes for Operation Christmas Child is a family tradition that started when Alex saw it advertised on a Veggie Tale movie years ago. He really wanted to do it so we have turned their joint birthday party into a fundraiser for Operation Christmas Child and for a toy drive ever since.

This year we filled up two boxes. (We have lots for the toy drive, but I will post on that when we drop the toys off.)

Marie-Anne

declutter

Yea! We got rid of everything in the picture, but the cat, the pictures, and Alex refused to give up his Star Wars blanket. Most went to a thrift store, one bag of books went to the Friends of the Library book sale, and another small box is books for certain kids we know.

Marie-Anne

flowers

Once again Sabrina got a bouquet of flowers to give to ladies she saw. Only this time when we left WalMart there were hardly any ladies around! She passed out a few then ended up giving the rest of the bouquet to our friend at the park.

One lady surprised us all by giving Sabrina a dollar!

Marie-Anne

Flowers

A few weeks ago a girl gave me a flower. Sabrina had been wanting to that ever since. On payday I bought a bouquet and let her have fun giving the flowers away. One lady said it was her birthday. Another lady was being put down by the guy she was with, yet she lit up when Sabrina gave her a flower. Sabrina left a trail of smiles behind her with this simple act of kindness. We look forward to doing it again.

Marie-Anne

Fire Station Tour

Frank and the kids dropped off some toy donations at the fire station. The fire fighters offer them a tour.

Marie-Anne  

Operation Christmas Child

Several years ago Alex saw an ad for Operation Christmas Child and wanted to participate. I suggested that we could use their joint b-day party for a fundraiser and he agreed.

This year we collected enough for four boxes! We also had a big bag of toys that wouldn't fit in the shoeboxes that we will donate to Toys For Tots! That brings our grand total for Operation Christmas Child to 14 boxes in the last four years, (we skipped last year). Way to go Alex and Sabrina!!!

Marie-Anne

Cookies and Cold Water

The kids helped bake cookies. As a family project, we delivered the cookies and cold waters to homeless people at a local park. It was during the heat wave- about 113 degrees that day. We talked to the kids about how hot we were just the few minutes we were out, but how these people had no where to go to escape the heat.

Marie-Anne