My kids know that tomorrow is our anniversary. They aren’t exactly sure what an anniversary is, so I explained it’s like a birthday for the day Daddy and I got married. Yeah, as of tomorrow, Daddy and I will have had eighteen of those “birthdays”!

From reading this blog, you may have figured out by now that hubby and I are very traditional in our values, but pretty unconventional as far as just about everything else goes. That includes anniversaries, too. Many of our friends are “confuzzled” when they learn that we’ve taken our oldest son on most of our anniversary... more

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, my children respond best to “code words,” and one of them is bora, the Spanish word for erase. We erase whatever infraction has occurred, and start over again.

As we prepare to begin a new calendar year, the concept of a clean slate is appealing. Though we get a “mini” new slate every 24 hours, as God grants us each new day, the thought of a whole year to do something (lose weight, learn a new language or hobby), holds allure.

My... more

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)

Part of it is this crazy revved up time of year for children. Part of it is just sibling life. Part of it is acquiring two siblings overnight after nine years alone. Whatever it is, today it hit a fever pitch. The children have been squabbling about toys, turf, and tiddly stuff.

Since waking up on Monday morning, it’s been one roller coaster ride after another. A looooong drive, not sleeping in our own beds, lots of food, toys and presents, another looooong drive home, and more, more, more!!

Each meal... more

I’ve been playing around with an idea for awhile, and thought this would be a good weekend to roll it out. Here at Casa Stro, every Saturday is Pancake Saturday. It’s a tradition that began when I was a child growing up, and one that I have carried over, now, with my children.

In a pancake recipe, as you know, you put in a little of this, a little of that, and that is what I will do in this new... more

The anguished words of a grieving mother, “I would have done things differently had I known that I would only have him for 15 years.” I heard her mournful cries and it tore at my heartstrings and caused my own tears to burst forth. She and I have been friends for nearly five years. She is a good mother who always knows where her children are and what they are doing. She keeps them involved in sports and other extracurricular activities to keep them out of trouble. She speaks to them honestly about life because as a teen she stole to feed her younger siblings. They were... more

Biological siblings have the benefit of the same gene pool, genetic wiring, yada, yada, yada. Even adopted sibs can create a bond through artificial twinning in the sense that they are, generally speaking, going through the same developmental and cognitive milestones at the same time. But how do you explain a brother and sister who are not related biologically, and are not close in age, but yet can read each so well that they know each other better than they know themselves?

Let... more

As often happens with children, there has been an outbreak of lice amongst our children’s circle of acquaintances. While, thankfully, we have not experienced an outbreak, we’re prepared.

In the nine years I have parented our son, we’ve never had a case of lice. I’ve homeschooled him the whole time, and though he has several outside classes with lots of other kids, we’ve never had the exposure.

Right before we went to pick up my son and daughter for the finalization, there was an outbreak of lice at the after care program the kids attended in their native... more

During this hectic holiday season, when our Western culture focuses so much on “getting loot,” it’s important to take the time to teach our children about giving.

Though the date of December 25th was one chosen arbitrarily to celebrate the birth of Christ, we do know that Christ was real, that He did live, and that He was the greatest gift mankind has ever received from a kind and benevolent Father.

So, during a time when children are revved up and often thinking about “what’s... more

My dear friends Ron and Lisa both broke their backs two weeks ago in a vehicular accident with eight of their children. We have so much in common that we naturally became friends after meeting ten years ago. They have adopted 10 children, they homeschool, they regularly attend church, and their older children attended AWANA. I asked you to pray for them two weeks ago when I didn’t have much information about their injuries. They are both currently wearing their molded plastic torso casts, which are not very comfortable. (I speak from experience because I wore one for... more

In past blogs I’ve discussed some of the issues we’ve faced regarding hygiene. I really thought we were making some good headway. I believe that I have used appropriate consequences. We have checked for a medical origin, and went through a course of antibiotics. But still the issue persists.

Though there have always been discussions about sexual abuse, nothing has ever been proven or stated as fact. However, I have a background in both Early... more