How to Support a Friend Whose Life Sucks Right Now

My own life has finally calmed down after a challenging few months. During that time, I was blessed to have good friends I could reach out to when I felt overwhelmed with our decision to foster a child. Some friends could offer tangible advice based on their family’s own personal experiences. Others knew how to…

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Todd Moves On, and the Rest of June

Lots has happened in the last month, but I’m only catching my breath now because Todd, our foster son, was placed with a family member last Monday. In New Jersey, reunification with the child’s parents is the top priority, but placement with a family member or close family friend is the next goal, so when…

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Searching For Camp Once Again

Don’t worry, Fulton isn’t still in the hospital. If you don’t follow me on Instagram or my page on Facebook, you might have missed the happy discharge photo. Thankfully, he’s been feeling back to normal here at home since Friday May, 27. We took him in to CHOP after only a few days of being…

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Another Hospital Post

Since I’m sitting in the hospital, I feel obligated to write a blog post. One, so I can update everyone who wants to know how Fulton is doing, and two, it gives me something to do between trips to the cafeteria. Not that I’m bored! But, typing out a post is usually easier to do…

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Documenting April

It was not my intent to stop blogging for the entire month of April. I’ve been mentally writing an Easter post since Good Friday, but made no success at actually putting those thoughts down. If you could see the calendar in my kitchen, and stopped by any time outside school hours, you’d quickly understand why…

A New Parenting Level Is Unlocked

As we approach Passiontide, I thought it was time to update everyone on the big news around these parts (if you didn’t already see it on social media). We got our first foster placement on Thursday, March 24 around dinner time. I got the call on Tuesday and this child, who I’ll call Todd Flanders…

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2022 Lent Documentation

We’ve passed the second Sunday of Lent so probably a good time to share some Lenten thoughts and goals and admit I’ve already gone to Confession for failing at the one thing Fulton and Teddy asked me to give up. I used to not like sharing my Lenten practices, then I overshared and did crazy…

February In A Blur

I recently hit my ten year blogging milestone here at This Ain’t the Lyceum. I toyed with the idea of a special post but I’ve done enough reflecting on the past in previous years, so instead, I will summarize February – the month that started with a big, empty calendar and quickly descended into chaos….

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2021-22 Homeschool Midyear Review

I’m sitting in the hospital with Teddy while he recovers from a stomach bug (he’s doing much better), so why not a mid-year homeschool review to make me feel good about all the learning we’ve managed to do up to this point? (With the obligatory affiliate links dropped in at a few spots.) UPDATE: As…

Winter Happenings

It’s been a minute, so I thought I should post an update so 1. everyone knows our home is COVID free now and 2. I can document all the usual things that have happened. Otherwise, I’m gonna start forgetting things. Byron tested negative for COVID on Wednesday, January 19. He still had a bit of…

COVID In Da House

The inevitable has happened; COVID has entered our home. On Tuesday, after a couple days of mild congestion and coughing, Byron took a COVID test (we had several at home thanks to Fulton’s nursing agency) and it gave a positive result pretty quickly. We assume he picked it up at work. Tuesday was also the…

Advent and the 12 Days

I wanted to lump all my Advent/ Christmas/ Epiphany stories and photos in one place, even though it probably would have been easier to write multiple shorter posts throughout the last two weeks. But, after taking the last two days to undecorate and reorganize ALL. THE. THINGS. I’m finally exhausted enough to sit still and…

2022 New Year’s Resolutions

It’s time to review last year’s resolutions (including one I’d totally forgotten about) and set some goals for the new year, as well as select a new beast to guide me in monstrous fashion through 2022. First things first; how’d I do with last year’s resolutions? Eat healthy as a family. – Spurred on by…