As we begin a new year I've been reminded of the old adage that the only constant that in our lives is change. Earlier this week I was struck by the amazing changes we've seen with technology in the past 20 years as I loaded 20 albums onto my cellphone in about 15 minutes - something that would have taken hours back in the days of tapes - the medium of my high school era. I was also thinking about how amazing it is that a device the size of a fat credit card can make calls, surf the web, text message, record video, take pictures, play games and music. Who would have thought that would be possible 20 years ago when the first cell phones came out? I've thought of the amazing changes in video game technology as our family has loved the gift of the wii we received from Nana & Papa for Christmas. It's a far cry from the old Atari 4200 I played on as a kid.
2010 was a year of big changes in our family. Going through foster care training and receiving our first placement was a change we would never have imagined just a couple years ago and yet we see God's hand in this change in our lives and feel we are in the center of His will for our lives at this time. Our precious daughter Bella has told us that she had been feeling like she wasn't doing much for God before we became a foster family, but now she feels she is serving the Lord through this ministry in our very home. What a tremendous insight from a 12 year old.
That brings me to change which will take place in our home this year. In March we will enter a new season of parenting as we celebrate Bella's birthday. You hear so many terrible stories about parenting teens, but I am excited about this new phase in our life. I am so proud of the people I see my kids becoming and am excited to enter this new season where my role in their life changes. I already see that role changing from one of what seemed like constant correction in the early years to a role of guiding and encouraging. As I led worship this morning a line from the song "Hosanna" choked me up a bit. In the second verse it says "I see a generation rising up to take their place with selfless faith, with selfless faith." I see that selfless faith in my kids at times and am inspired by their love for the Lord and their desire to selflessly serve.
We are in the midst of a big change in our household as our first placement gradually comes to an end. If all goes well our first placement will be over in the middle of February. My mom asked me yesterday how I was feeling about that. I asked her if it was bad to say I'm okay with it? Overall it has been a good first experience, but I welcome a quieter home and a less crazy schedule for a time. We will probably hold off on taking another placement until May, just to have a little break. But I think by then I'll be ready to dive in again. More change!!
Changes, changes, changes. Just when I think I've adjusted to life and feel like I have things under control a bit - things change. I'm learning to live in that place of constant change and trust the Lord to be the source of constancy I need when everything around me keeps changing.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Update from a Bad Blogger
It's been a busy few months in our house. Family life with 5 children is a perpetual circus act. Keeping all the balls in the air is a skill I have not yet mastered. There's always someone who needs something and fortunately usually several people who can help. Usually someone is fighting with someone else and I feel the need for a striped shirt and a whistle. I am thankful for a big house with numerous play areas to provide for much needed separation at times.
Here's a snapshot of fall at the Pedersens
On the autism front autism is in the news today. But really what is being reported is old news - over a year old. And what is being reported is less than truthful. Without getting into all of it I am feeling very disappointed and hopeless that truth will ever be exposed about the causes of autism. I am disheartened that my son struggles so greatly on a daily basis and that more and more children are diagnosed daily with this devastating disorder. As seems to be the trend the fall was tough for Seth and consequently for me. We are considering new treatment options after taking a break from the biomedical over the past year.
Well there's a bit of an update on life at the Pedersens. Perhaps I should make a resolution to be a better, more regular blogger, but we'll see !?!
Here's a snapshot of fall at the Pedersens
- End of August - first placement - whirlwind adjustment to family of 7
- 4 family birthdays in 3 months - whew!!
- Luke plays his 3rd season of soccer and Grandma & Grandpa come for a visit and get to see a game
- Jenn gets away to Mom's Conference early Nov. for a bit of rejuvenating
- Whole fam travels to NE for Thanksgiving to visit extended family
- Stay home for Christmas, then take a trip to WI the week after for a little ski fun - complete with lodging in a little log cabin - so cute and cozy
On the autism front autism is in the news today. But really what is being reported is old news - over a year old. And what is being reported is less than truthful. Without getting into all of it I am feeling very disappointed and hopeless that truth will ever be exposed about the causes of autism. I am disheartened that my son struggles so greatly on a daily basis and that more and more children are diagnosed daily with this devastating disorder. As seems to be the trend the fall was tough for Seth and consequently for me. We are considering new treatment options after taking a break from the biomedical over the past year.
Well there's a bit of an update on life at the Pedersens. Perhaps I should make a resolution to be a better, more regular blogger, but we'll see !?!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
End of Summer
It seems this summer has flown by faster than usual. We greatly enjoyed several summer trips and especially enjoyed having time to connect with family and friends. Bella & Luke start school in one short week and are very excited to see their friends and get back to their studies. They both are so relieved that our house has not sold and that they have another year at GMG.
After 10 months with our house on the market with very few showings and no offers we have decided to take the house off the market and take a break until next spring. Although we still feel we ultimately need to move to Ames for schooling for Seth we don't want to stress Bella & Luke out with another year of living in limbo and not knowing where they will be for the school year. This has not been an easy decision as it means another year of homeschooling Seth which is a great challenge for Jenn and Seth. Yet another good reason to turn to the Lord in prayer for strength. It seems He knows I need big challenges to stay completely dependent on Him. When things are going too smoothly I'm so prone to think I can handle things myself.
Over the past couple weeks I have been busy at work getting the kids bedrooms repainted so we could switch the boys' and Bella's rooms to make room for foster children. We received our foster license in the mail at the end of July and are excited to receive our first placement and now I can say that I'm truly ready logistically to welcome foster children into our home. Being ready emotionally is certainly another thing altogether - but this is one of those things I'm not sure you'll ever feel you're truly ready for. So we take the leap of faith and trust God to provide all we need.
After 10 months with our house on the market with very few showings and no offers we have decided to take the house off the market and take a break until next spring. Although we still feel we ultimately need to move to Ames for schooling for Seth we don't want to stress Bella & Luke out with another year of living in limbo and not knowing where they will be for the school year. This has not been an easy decision as it means another year of homeschooling Seth which is a great challenge for Jenn and Seth. Yet another good reason to turn to the Lord in prayer for strength. It seems He knows I need big challenges to stay completely dependent on Him. When things are going too smoothly I'm so prone to think I can handle things myself.
Over the past couple weeks I have been busy at work getting the kids bedrooms repainted so we could switch the boys' and Bella's rooms to make room for foster children. We received our foster license in the mail at the end of July and are excited to receive our first placement and now I can say that I'm truly ready logistically to welcome foster children into our home. Being ready emotionally is certainly another thing altogether - but this is one of those things I'm not sure you'll ever feel you're truly ready for. So we take the leap of faith and trust God to provide all we need.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Summer Fun!
Summer is in full swing at our house. It's hard to believe we're nearing the end of June. The kids last day of school was June 3rd, which was followed up a couple days later by Bella's dance recital weekend and sending Bella off to Bible camp for the first time. She had a great time even though she was concerned she would be homesick. Last week we had a calmer week at home and managed to get to the aquatic center for the first time. We've had a lot of rain here in Iowa so we hadn't had a clear day when our schedule was free. As always the kids had a blast on the slides and in the lazy river.
This week we have VBS, which Bella & Luke are lovin! Seth attended the first evening, but I've kept him home nights 2 & 3. We'll try to go one more night, but it's a lot of craziness for him especially after a full day of therapy. And we're tryin' to not get him too maxed out right before we leave for our trip to CO.
Saturday we take off to travel out to CO to attend Adam's Camp - a special needs camp in the Winter Park area. We had the wonderful opportunity to experience this camp last year through God's orchestration and we're looking forward to attending again. Seth will have 5 days of intensive therapy, Bella & Luke will attend their sibling day camp program and Mike & I will have time together in the mountains. It's a great program designed to refresh the whole family.
Along with attending camp we're excited to have a chance to visit family and friends along the way in Colorado and Nebraska. We'll spend several days in Nebraska on the way back and have a chance to visit with extended family. And Bella & Luke are excited to be able to stay on in Nebraska for "Nana Camp" the week after the 4th of July. Hope you are all enjoying your summer and if we're coming your way soon we're lookin' forward to seeing you!
This week we have VBS, which Bella & Luke are lovin! Seth attended the first evening, but I've kept him home nights 2 & 3. We'll try to go one more night, but it's a lot of craziness for him especially after a full day of therapy. And we're tryin' to not get him too maxed out right before we leave for our trip to CO.
Saturday we take off to travel out to CO to attend Adam's Camp - a special needs camp in the Winter Park area. We had the wonderful opportunity to experience this camp last year through God's orchestration and we're looking forward to attending again. Seth will have 5 days of intensive therapy, Bella & Luke will attend their sibling day camp program and Mike & I will have time together in the mountains. It's a great program designed to refresh the whole family.
Along with attending camp we're excited to have a chance to visit family and friends along the way in Colorado and Nebraska. We'll spend several days in Nebraska on the way back and have a chance to visit with extended family. And Bella & Luke are excited to be able to stay on in Nebraska for "Nana Camp" the week after the 4th of July. Hope you are all enjoying your summer and if we're coming your way soon we're lookin' forward to seeing you!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Autism Awareness Month
April is autism awareness month. In years past I was very excited about this month and hopeful that the extra press and raised awareness would bring us closer to revealing the causes of this epidemic and turning the tide of autism. This year I feel less enthusiasm and less hope that the necessary changes will be made to curb this epidemic. I continue to do my part to educate those in my circle of life about the risks of vaccines, overuse of antibiotics, and other environmental toxic exposures that are causing the autism epidemic.
20 years ago 1 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism. Today 1 in 100 are diagnosed; 1 every 20 minutes. Every 20 minutes a family's life is forever changed; dreams for their child are forever altered, marriages are put in greater jeopardy with a divorce rate of 80% in the autism community, and family resources are strained while providing therapies and treatments. This is only a few of the stresses that autism places on a family. The cost is simply too high to sit back and allow this to continue.
Unfortunately the powers that be have decided that facing the truth will be too expensive for them which I believe is very shortsighted when you consider the enormous financial burden this ongoing epidemic will have on our country in the years and decades to come. This causes me great sadness; not only for my family and the daily struggles we face but for the many families new to this journey who need not have faced this struggle. Autism is preventable!
So how do we turn the tide of this epidemic? How can we prevent autism? There are a few basic things we as parents can do that will make a huge difference.
1) Educated yourself about vaccinations. We can determine the right vaccine schedule for our children - the schedule set out by the CDC is a guideline, not the law! You can choose to wait, stagger, or refuse vaccines all together. I believe it would be best to wait on the vast majority of vaccines until a child is 2 years old and their immune system is better developed. At that point take one vaccine at a time and never vaccinate when a child is sick or getting over an illness.
2) Green your cleaning products. Change over to non-toxic cleaning products and be aware of the many chemical products that you might be bringing into your home that do not have to be tested for health safety such as room freshening sprays and devices, febreeze type products, and wood polishes.
3) Control what your child eats. Go organic whenever you are able and to the best of your ability do not feed your family foods that are highly processed and contain preservatives and food dyes. These are chemicals that our bodies don't know how to process and can affect our children's brain development.
4) Limit antibiotic use. Only use antibiotics when absolutely necessary. Antibiotics deplete the balance of our GI systems which is our primary immune fighting system. Over 50% of ear infections in children are viral and therefore won't respond to antibiotics. Our bodies will fight even bacterial infections, so even in those cases antibiotics are not always necessary.
We can turn the tide!! Join me in praying throughout the month of April - check out this website to download a prayer guide for the month. http://childrenofdestiny.org/turning_the_tide
20 years ago 1 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism. Today 1 in 100 are diagnosed; 1 every 20 minutes. Every 20 minutes a family's life is forever changed; dreams for their child are forever altered, marriages are put in greater jeopardy with a divorce rate of 80% in the autism community, and family resources are strained while providing therapies and treatments. This is only a few of the stresses that autism places on a family. The cost is simply too high to sit back and allow this to continue.
Unfortunately the powers that be have decided that facing the truth will be too expensive for them which I believe is very shortsighted when you consider the enormous financial burden this ongoing epidemic will have on our country in the years and decades to come. This causes me great sadness; not only for my family and the daily struggles we face but for the many families new to this journey who need not have faced this struggle. Autism is preventable!
So how do we turn the tide of this epidemic? How can we prevent autism? There are a few basic things we as parents can do that will make a huge difference.
1) Educated yourself about vaccinations. We can determine the right vaccine schedule for our children - the schedule set out by the CDC is a guideline, not the law! You can choose to wait, stagger, or refuse vaccines all together. I believe it would be best to wait on the vast majority of vaccines until a child is 2 years old and their immune system is better developed. At that point take one vaccine at a time and never vaccinate when a child is sick or getting over an illness.
2) Green your cleaning products. Change over to non-toxic cleaning products and be aware of the many chemical products that you might be bringing into your home that do not have to be tested for health safety such as room freshening sprays and devices, febreeze type products, and wood polishes.
3) Control what your child eats. Go organic whenever you are able and to the best of your ability do not feed your family foods that are highly processed and contain preservatives and food dyes. These are chemicals that our bodies don't know how to process and can affect our children's brain development.
4) Limit antibiotic use. Only use antibiotics when absolutely necessary. Antibiotics deplete the balance of our GI systems which is our primary immune fighting system. Over 50% of ear infections in children are viral and therefore won't respond to antibiotics. Our bodies will fight even bacterial infections, so even in those cases antibiotics are not always necessary.
We can turn the tide!! Join me in praying throughout the month of April - check out this website to download a prayer guide for the month. http://childrenofdestiny.org/turning_the_tide
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Blessing of Bella
Upon celebrating Bella's 12th birthday I have been thinking back on her life. It's truly amazing that it's been 12 years since her birth. She was born on a snowy night(18 inches of snow fell while we were at the hospital). From the start she was a joy; a happy, content baby who slept 5 hours the first night in the hospital and in 5 weeks time was sleeping through the night. She was by far the easiest baby I had - happy to play, happy to go, happy to sleep - just very happy. Mike and I joke that God lulled us into a false sense of security, thinking that having another baby would be no problem.
As she grew her beautiful personality become evident. She was a giving, sharing, obedient toddler who adjusted quickly to a new baby brother at the young age of 20 months. Her papa thought she was a little too obedient to be born to one of his strong-willed children. She always wanted to be mama's little helper and continues to this day. She has always been an outgoing child and easily fits in with different groups of people.
We see in her an amazing heart for people. She often puts me to shame with her selfless acts in our family. She truly has a heart to put the needs of others before her own. She also has a heart to teach and help others. Since we began therapy with her brothers when they were very young she has watched, learned and joined in teaching her brothers. She also loves helping others students at school and has a special affinity for young children. We see a great potential in her to be an amazing teacher or therapist when she grows up.
In the past couple years we have begun to see the amazing heart she has for the Lord. She spends time each morning in quiet times with no daily prompting from her parents and often talks about God's Word and what she is learning about God. She repeatedly amazes us, and other adults in her life with the maturity of her insights. She is truly wise beyond her years. We praise the Lord for the way she desires to grow in her relationship with Him.
We are blessed beyond measure to have Bella in our family and praise the Lord for her!!
As she grew her beautiful personality become evident. She was a giving, sharing, obedient toddler who adjusted quickly to a new baby brother at the young age of 20 months. Her papa thought she was a little too obedient to be born to one of his strong-willed children. She always wanted to be mama's little helper and continues to this day. She has always been an outgoing child and easily fits in with different groups of people.
We see in her an amazing heart for people. She often puts me to shame with her selfless acts in our family. She truly has a heart to put the needs of others before her own. She also has a heart to teach and help others. Since we began therapy with her brothers when they were very young she has watched, learned and joined in teaching her brothers. She also loves helping others students at school and has a special affinity for young children. We see a great potential in her to be an amazing teacher or therapist when she grows up.
In the past couple years we have begun to see the amazing heart she has for the Lord. She spends time each morning in quiet times with no daily prompting from her parents and often talks about God's Word and what she is learning about God. She repeatedly amazes us, and other adults in her life with the maturity of her insights. She is truly wise beyond her years. We praise the Lord for the way she desires to grow in her relationship with Him.
We are blessed beyond measure to have Bella in our family and praise the Lord for her!!
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