Holdin' It All Together

Homemade Pizza in the Ninja Foodi

I picked up these pizza crusts at the grocery store today to try. I usuallylike the refrigerated kind that you just unroll and bake but they didn’t have any. I grabbed these and thought the kids might enjoy making their own. Then I had an idea, why couldn’t I cook them in the Foodi using the Air Crisp setting? (Spoiler alert..... I’m a genius)

The little crusts fit perfectly in the crisper basket.

I set the Foodi on the Air Crisp setting at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. They came out perfect! The crust was crispy and they were the perfect size for the kids.

If you missed my post about the Ninja Foodi, check it out here.

Confirmation Code: GFXVMSSN131987553

The Christmas Gift that Keeps on Giving - My Ninja Foodi Review

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My sweet children got me the absolute BEST Christmas gift this year. Have you seen or heard about the Ninja Foodi? It is a pressure cooker, slow cooker and air fryer all in one. You can also saute, bake and steam in it.

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I have used this thing almost every day since I got it. I really struggle at meal time, especially now with another baby, to avoid eating out and cook at home. The struggle to plan meals that are healthy, economical for a single mom of 7 kids, and quick to prepare is a daily struggle. So obviously, when I saw the Ninja Foodi I was intrigued. I had thought about getting an Instapot and I had looked into an Air Fryer also. I am so limited on counter and cabinet space in my kitchen, it just never seemed feasible for both appliances. The Foodi seamed like the answer to my problems so I asked for one for Christmas. I was SHOCKED when I actually got it!

I will not lie, I was so intimidated at first. I have never used a pressure cooker before but have heard many horror stories over the years. When I opened the box on Christmas day and saw the size of the instruction manual, I almost put it all back in the box and said "no thanks". I pushed through though and thank the heavens I did. I turned to Pinterest (because she never fails me) and found several recipes to try. I'm telling you though, when I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes from start to finish in less than half and hour I was sold!

I am so glad that I had not purchased the Instapot instead because the extra things you can do with the Foodi because of the Air Fryer function are amazing. For instance, when I cooked the potatoes and meatloaf on the pressure cooker setting for 10 minutes, the potatoes were ready to mash and the meat was cooked. I took the potatoes out and added my ketchup glaze to the top of the meatloaf and set it on the Air Fryer setting for 5 more minutes while I mashed the potatoes and it browned the meat and glaze perfectly.

I would have had a hard time justifying the cost of the machine if it was not gifted to me, but I could have already payed for one with the money I have saved in one month of not running to grab fast food after 10+ hours on my feet and coming home to a bunch of hungry kids.

I have not come across any negatives about it, but I will keep using it and keep you posted. I feel like I have just scratched the surface of what the Ninja Foodi is capable of doing.

Another Adoption in the Books

After 769 days in foster care, he is officially ours! Yesterday was the day I have been waiting for for over 2 years now. This beautiful little boy came to us on Dec 1, 2016 and has brought so much joy to our lives every since. There were several times over the past year that I wasn’t sure if this day would ever come.

A few months after we signed paperwork stating our intent to adopt, my husband and I decided to separate. Ok, I decided to separate, he had no choice. I talked to our adoption worker, who had done our 2 previous adoptions, and she assured me that the separation would not be a problem in the adoption. My husband and I both still wanted to adopt together so it should be business as usual. So we started the adoption journey and agreed to hold off on any divorce proceedings until the adoption was done. That was in March, 2018. Fast forward to the end of September, I get a call from the adoption caseworker which should be to tell me that the file is being sent back to our attorney and ready to set it for a court date. Instead, it was one of the most devastating phone calls to date. Our file was at the last place for approval before court and they rejected it. Even typing that word "rejected" tears at my heart. They said we could not adopt together if we were separated. Our only options were to have my husband move back in and refile all the paperwork to reflect that change or one of us would have to adopt as a single person and then do a separate adoption after that where we both adopt together. The latter of the two seemed like the only viable option but when I called my husband and told him the news, it was clear that deciding who would adopt first was going to be an issue. He blamed me for the whole thing falling apart. "You couldn't just wait for the adoption to be over to separate?"

After a month and several attempts to sit down and come to an agreement with regard to the adoption, I was had called the adoption worker and left a message to tell her to just start the paperwork in my name alone since we could not come to an agreement and my husband was not willing to sit down and talk about it anymore. She called me back the next morning and said that she had gotten word from her supervisor that the adoption had been approved after all. And just like that, two months later, we were in court adopting our little boy.

Now on to the next challenge, settling the divorce.

What a Year!

2018 has been a year of changes. I feel like my life is in a constant state of change, but I'm telling you if there was an award for the most changes one woman can go through in a 12 month period, I would definitely be in the running for this year.

In March my husband and I separated after 13 years. This was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. I will talk more on that later because I think it deserves its own post.

In May, my beautiful daughter graduated from High School.

I'm pretty sure I blinked and she was all grown up and a beautiful young lady with such a bright future ahead of her.

At the end of May, my first born went to the courthouse and got married! I am a mother-in-law y'all!

I spent the next several months navigating my way through our new "normal" with 5 kids at home and being single (and majorly outnumbered), trying to date, and trying to finalize an adoption.

In November, we welcomed the sweetest little nugget I have ever met. She is number 5 from the same birth mother. She is also my last. The decision to take her was not an easy one, and one I wavered on for several months. This is another topic that I will have to go deeper into later because it was hands down one of the hardest decisions of my life.

We have dealt with my brother being diagnosed and treated for Leukemia, my best friend being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. We have seen loss, sickness, sadness and much happiness. Engagements, divorce and marriage. Pregnancy announcements and the loss of twin baby boys of a friend. Accepted new people into our family and said goodbye to other people. There were so many "firsts" and lots of "lasts".

I met a new "special someone" and I am enjoying getting to know him and his family as well as watching my family get to know and love him. I am excited to see where this journey takes me in the coming year.

I can't say I am sad to say goodbye to 2018, but I am happy and excited to see what 2019 holds for us. One thing is for certain, I will keep holding it all together.

Disabilities

I was perusing Facebook this morning waiting my turn for the shower, and between all the drama, classified posts and recipes a status update caught my eye. It read:

"With Halloween upon us, please keep in mind, a lot of little people will be visiting your home. Be accepting. the child who is grabbing more than one piece of candy may have poor fine motor skills. the child who takes forever to pick out one piece of candy may have motor planning issues. The child who does not say trick or treat or thank you may be non-verbal. The child who looks disappointed when they see your bowl might have an allergy. the child who isn't wearing a costume at all might have a sensory issue (SPD) or autism. Be nice. Be patient. Its everyone's Halloween!"

Until a year and a half ago when we got our sweet angels placed with us, I would have probably shrugged this post off and went on to swoon over the next pumpkin recipe. But, my youngest angel has changed my way of thinking in so many ways. Before he was placed with us I knew he had Torticollis, which is a tightening in the neck muscles. No biggie, we do some physical therapy and he will be fine. It didn't take me long to realize we were dealing with more than a tilt in his head. His whole body was tight and rigid. To make a long story short, we have been to a Pediatric Developmental Specialist who has ruled out Cerebral Palsy. While that is a weight lifted, it also left us scratching our heads. My baby angel could not sit up until he was almost a year old. His muscles were so tight they just wouldn't allow him to bend that way. Now he walks (and runs!) but we are left dealing with sensory issues now. He has Hyposensitivity issues and delays in fine motor that we do Occupational Therapy for. He doesn't have much contact with other kids his age other than his brother, but my cousin was visiting a couple weeks ago with her daughter who is close in age. It was hard for me to let him play with her because he is so rough (part of the sensory issues) and she didn't understand why. I don't want people to judge him. In retrospect, a year and a half ago, I would have been the other parent judging and that is a hard pill to swallow. I want to help educate people and spread acceptance for these sweet souls.

It's not our disabilities, it's our abilities that count.

Chris Burke

It's not our disabilities, it's our abilities that count.

Chris Burke

A word on fostering

Nine times out of ten, when someone learns that we are foster parents, the first thing out of their mouth is "I could never do that, I would get too attached and not want to give them back". While I know what they are saying, I find it hard to no feel as though they think I am cold hearted and don't have a problem sending these children back when the time comes.

Fostering has its highs and lows. One day you think you have it all together, you are juggling parent visits, meetings with case workers, therapy and the next day you are just praying that you have not messed this kid up worse then when he came to you. Then, sometimes, you get a message from a child that has left your home saying "I miss and love you" and at that moment in time, it all makes sense.

We also hope to teach our own children to appreciate what they have because there are so many kids that would kill for what we take for granted. Some don't even understand what it means to be married, or be part of a family. I think it is safe to say that we have learned more from fostering than we have taught the kids we have had.

I understand that being a foster parent isn't for everyone, but in the words of Mother Teresa:

When we judge others we leave no room to love them.

One Big Happy Family

Allow me to introduce you to my family. This is our oldest, he just turned 17 and it seems like yesterday I was bringing him home from the hospital and now he has grown into this handsome young man. I cherish what little time I have left with him at the house because I am painfully aware that if I blink, he is going to be off at college and not here every day.

Next, is this beautiful young lady. She turned 14 in September. She is growing up to be quite a young lady. It is very interesting watching her come into her own. She is figuring out people and where she wants to "fit". Unlike her brother, she is very social and I fear that when she turns 16 and starts to drive I will never see her. So, I hold onto every second I have with her in the meantime.

Then there is my oldest step-son. He is also 14. He is such a great kid. He has matured so much over the past year it is unbelievable. He has such a kind heart. He loves to skateboard and be outside. I would do anything for this kid.

This is the youngest of the step-children. She is 13 years old. She is our active one. She is currently in competitive cheer, cross country and a cheerleader at school. She is very determined and does not let anything get in the way of achieving a goal.

And then there are the two foster children. C-man and Peanut. We have had them since April 2012. C-man was 13 months and Peanut was 6 weeks. We are not allowed to post pictures of them until we adopt the so you will have to wait on those. That day should be within the next year.