Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Day 101

While we wait...

Because we won't have any news on the adoption front for a few weeks (until the home study is written and submitted by CW), I figured I would keep you up-to-speed on how I'm passing the time...
  • First off, I'm a student so there's always homework to be done--or put off--depending on my mood [smile]. The first point of business, is to finish assembling our profiles. It was fun for about the first 5...then it quickly turned laborious. Turns out 300 pictures double glued (paper, then profile) is a LOT of work! I try to get a few done each night. We have 50 to assemble and I have about 15 done. However, all the pictures are cut, now, so it should go a little quicker!

  • Next on the list...going green-er. I've tried to adopt "green" principles into our everyday living. I've started slow, but the small steps have already turned routine. So far we've changed all the lighting in the house, cut our trash in half by recycling, started a garden for organic produce, and use our own cloth bags for shopping. The next areas I want to tackle are baby products and health/beauty items. I'm easing into these areas because I don't want to spend a lot of extra money, but I do want to use more natural products that don't contain such harsh chemicals. My friend got me hooked on checking out the toxicity reports of all the products I use, at http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/. Wouldn't you know my makeup was rated #8 (on as scale of 1-10)? I finally did some research and broke down and bought my first mineral makeup kit, from Bare Essentials (I am now at #3 for toxicity!).
The best part was that Target has all the Bare Essential Starter kits marked down this week from $50.00 to $35.00! We'll see how it goes! Once I get the makeup part down, I'd like to move on to baby products, including cloth diapers.
  • Each night before I go to bed I read through a few pages of baby names...what a fun job! We have about 4 boy names that we love...but no girl names, yet...It's a fun process and a great way to pass the time...
  • Next on the "to do" list? Lose 5 pounds. Yup. For those of you who don't know me, personally, for about 10 years of my life I weighed the exact same. After we got married I definitely started to look more curvy (I was only 20 when we got married!), but liked it. Last week was the last straw, however, when I had to go buy bigger jeans because none of mine fit anymore! I only bought two pair because I'm not quite ready to give in to the next size! I'm only 10 pounds up from my wedding weight, six years ago....I figure 5 pounds will put me back in all my clothes. Although I'd love a new wardrobe--I'm not loving the love handles that have begun to muffin-top over my pants! Ben has already been following a disciplined health plan, so it's easy to mooch off his research and follow along! Ben's lost 25 pounds since last summer and has managed to keep it off--even through the shoulder injury, downtime. We are simply counting calories and making sure our activity weighs out the calorie mark. I love structure and spreadsheets, so I'm pretty excited to start the count. I even bought a cute journal for recording my daily log! I'll let you know how it goes...

  • After perusing the adoption selection at two different bookstores--Borders and Family Christian--I quickly went and bought this:
  • I am shocked by the selection...truly. Family Christian had one (one!!!) book on fostering and no books on adoption. Unreal! I have already begun to create a series in my mind...and I think I'll also swing into the children's market. My sister was telling me the other day, how annoying it is that she can't find a book that represents their family (black man, white woman, bi-racial child). I want our babies to read books that embrace culture and ethnicity; I want them to read books that relate to their family situation. I know there are some books that can be ordered through the agency, but I want to do a whole series like the "GiGi, God's Little Princess" series. Why not? The President, at the College I work at, has written several books and I've begun to tap into his expertise...after I give this book a read, I'll hopefully have a better idea on where to start!
  • Other items on the list include working on babyheart's quilt and merging all my blog posts into a digital scrapbook.
So far, the waiting has been good. I'm completely at peace and drinking in this last leg of the journey.

19 comments:

  1. I am so with you on the chidren's book front. I have been mulling the idea over in my head for a couple of years because of Hattie, and now with Sophie, and her being bi-racial AND adopted, I am really all for it but have NO idea how to do it. So, I would love to hear what ya learn (or, ya know, if you want a partner ....).

    XOXOX
    Becky Jo

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  2. Sounds like a great list to keep you busy. I have no doubt you will succeed with writing. You put your whole heart into everything you do. Can't wait to read them.

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  3. I love your busy list! That's awesome. I can imagine the profiles are tedious, but hopefully they'll stand out more as a result. And they do look fabulous, might I add!!

    I hear you on the weight loss. I'm up a little more than you from wedding 3 years ago... but I'm finding out that I'm not as careful at counting calories (do it more in head than write down). I like your book!! So pretty.

    You will make a fantastic author. Cannot wait to read manuscripts, etc.

    **BIG HUGS**

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  4. I'm so excited for you! If you need/want help with anything, let me know! If you like Bare Minerals, when it comes time to buy more, try Larenim. It is pretty much the exact same thing, but ranks 0-1 on the toxicity scale! I switched awhile back and love it.

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  5. Productivity!!! You are doing great to keep yourself busy, girl. ;)
    Can I just say I LOVE Bare Minerals makeup?!?!?! I am hooked on that stuff now, and it literally doesn't even feel like you are wearing anything when you have it on!

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  6. What a great list. I think it's important to keep busy during this time and keep your eyes on the prize!

    And you're really honing in on a good book idea. There are a lot of multi-racial, multi-ethnic families, and I think very few books speak to them. You've found a good niche.

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  7. I got a little thrill when I read about your book series idea, this is so great, and I really hope you do it! Our local Barnes & Noble has a good selection (about 8-10 books and even a couple of adoption baby books,) but that could be because it's a college town, slightly more in tune to the reality of non-traditional families? Who knows! But either way I think there is such a HUGE need for more appropriate literature on adoption, and children's books too! YOU GO GIRL!

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  8. I have been following your story for a few weeks. Since you are interested in going green I thought that you might like this eco-friendly message board!

    http://boards.thenest.com/boards/ShowForum.aspx?ForumID=562&MsdVisit=1

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  9. you are sooo smart to have things to work on while you wait - it will help the time go much quicker and you'll be glad you accomplished some things 'cause when baby arrives - your time is gone!!!

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  10. Yay for productivity! I think your book idea is great. If you are looking for more books on adoption, try tapestrybooks.com, although I like the idea of creating your own better!

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  11. You will LOVE Bare Minerals. I switched over a year ago and never looked back. In fact, I could practically be their spokesperson I've converted so many others!

    I know the feeling about the profile book...seems like so much fun at first, then it's just exhausting!

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  12. thanks for your comments, they always make me smile...
    i think i am going to rename my blog "anxiously waiting" instead of "searching"

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  13. I am so with you on the book thing!! I couldn't believe there were like NO Christian books on adoption.

    As far as kid's books, "Matthew was Adopted: Child of Destiny" is a wonderful Christian children's book on transracial adoption.
    "Blessing from Above" is a Golden Book but it is probably my favorite children's adoption book out there. It incorporates the Ephesians passage on adotion at the end of the book. It is about animals, but it perfectly mirrors our adoption story.

    Also--on the green note. :) Have you heard of gdiapers? We use them; they are a bit pricier than regular diapers, but they are flushable! Not cloth, not disposable. A happy medium. The covers are so cute on baby's bottom, too! I use disposable's at night since we are still getting up for feedings and it's easier to change disposables in the middle of the night, but once Isaiah is sleeping all night we'll use gdiapers.
    www.gdiapers.com

    I let a few people know I was planning on using them, and I got three starter kits for shower gifts! :)

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  14. I posted about our books this morning.
    I began a book years ago that mirrors my children's situations b/c there were none. Never got anywhere with it but, found all my brainstorming and planning and research the other day. Maybe God will lead me to finish it!

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  15. OH, and go to www.tapestrybooks.com
    All foster and adoption books there

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  16. OH! were did you go to get your finger printing done? is there anyway you could send my a phone number to call or an address to go to?

    thank you thank you!

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  17. I've been looking for a doll that matches my daughter, there aren't any. You get black or you get white. I don't want her growing up thinking she's blonde:) She takes good care of them regardless of color, but I'd like to have one that matches her.

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  18. Great List!!

    I have also been trying to go "green". I have been using cloth shopping bags for a little over a year now...love them! I hope to use cloth diapers when we become parents. I just strted usine olive oil and apple cider vinegar instead of my conditioner...my hair has never looked better! I will have to go to Target and see if Bare Min. is still on sale, I maight be able to let go of $35 if it is.

    Best wishes on the book series. May the Lord continue to lead you.

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