SRKindredSpirits

I love my kids, but I hate being a mom. Mothers Day 2018 Now, before you get upset, please hear me out. None of my kids were planned, but they were all wanted, and they are all loved! I was seventeen when I got pregnant with my oldest... I spent the first six months of my pregnancy trying to hide it, and wishing that I wasn't pregnant. But, when the doctor put that beautiful baby girl in my arms... it was love instantly. Faith was my everything, my reason for living, and the sunshine of my day. Fast forward six years...  Funny story... One day, my hubby said, "Lets make a baby..." We did. He couldn't believe that it worked the on the first try.... and in 9 months our son Wyatt, was born. It was a hard pregnancy, and a very difficult, and long labor. He was a big boy with medical, and special needs from birth. But, I loved him. Three years later, our last daughter, Adilayia was born. There is no physical way that she should even exist, but I oft...

Cemetery's are soothing to my soul.... I used to work at one... but my love for cemetery's started back when I was a kid... I remember walking though a large cemetery with my cousins, that was close to my Grandma Frick's house. Cemetery's are peaceful. A place where the past, and the present, and the future, come together.  They are full of stories.... and memories  of lives people lived.... -RK We live within one mile of three cemetery's, and an old Indian burial mound.  The Adena Burial Mound dates back to 160 BC and is the largest Adena burial mound in the state of Indiana. The Swingley Cemetery, also known as Clevenger Cemetery dates back to 1799 and is just south of our house on our neighbors property. James Whicomb Riley, the famous poet's grandparents are buried here. "When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck." - James Whitcomb Riley ...

 1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)  1/2 cup Shaklee Energizing life protein - vanilla  1/4 cup honey  1 cup  rice krispies  6 oz. mini chocolate chips Mix together all ingredients and press into an 8 by 8 square pan and cut into bite size pieces, or roll into balls. Store in the fridge. * You can also add sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins or flax seed, chia seeds, coconut, oatmeal, walnuts, almonds, pecans, ect. The only bad thing about making this snack is that it disappears too quickly!

As I sit here crying after spending all morning on the phone trying to get more help/services for my special needs son, I thought maybe I'd share a few thoughts.... If you think being a parent is hard, being a parent to a special needs kid is 100 times harder. We face huge challenges every single day. There are hard things about parenting kids with disabilities. I love my boy.... Special needs families are buried in paperwork because everything requires it. From our kid's IEPs, to medical documentation, to data collection, to applications for services, - the paperwork is never ending. We try not to compare, but sometimes it’s hard not to notice how different our kid is to their typical peers. We feel like we are not doing enough. Deep down we often wonder, am I really doing all I can do? Sometimes, we have an overwhelming feeling of failing at everything we do because we don’t have enough time or energy to do it all. We feel like we are failing with our k...

So, back before we got married, my husband and I received alot of marriage advice....but the following turned out to be the worst marriage advice I ever received.....   "Don't ever talk about or bring up each other's past relationships or past life."  For me, the above advice turned out to be the number one mistake of our marriage and here's why.   When you can't speak to each other about your past or past relationships, it causes strain on a marriage. And, just like when things are swept under the rug, they will eventually come out.  My husband and I both had previous relationships. He was never married, but I was previously married with a child. My first husband was my best friend in a time of my life when most all other friends and family forsake me. And being told not to talk about him or our past life together, made me feel horrible. So the for the first three to five years of our marriage, we tried to follow the advice - never tal...

Did you know, you are allowed to be happy?! In her book, The Year of Living Happy: Finding Contentment and Connection in a Crazy World, Alli Worthington talks about how we were made to be happy, and that God desires us to be happy. That in being happy, we are living for Him.  "My hope for The Year of Living Happy is to bring the truth of Scripture and best of modern research together as a guide to real happiness." ~ Alli Worthington Whether you're struggling with being happy or not, this little book has some great information and tips to help you live your happiest life! The devotions are short, and a scripture verse is mentioned in each one.  There are one hundred devotions in all. An attached bookmark is also included, which is always a helpful addition to a book. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have e...

Today is our Anniversary..... Every year, we try to take an Anniversary trip to get away, just us two. It's something we look forward to every fall. It gives us a chance to be alone, walk hand in hand, and to simply, just be. We love to hike and spend time in nature. This year our destination was Niagara Falls, NY. It was windy, and cold, and we got soaked a few times, but it was beautiful and fun! Pictures don't do it justice! Veiw from the lookout tower... On the rim trail... The leaves were just starting to turn.... We saw at least six different rainbows in the two days we were there. My favorite view.... Cave of the winds... looking back up at the falls... I was amazed at how close you could get up to the falls.... My love and I....   It was hard to get a good picture of the Horseshoe Falls, because the wind and mist was so bad. The closer you got, the wetter you were. Our camera lenses were cover ...