Tagged by Kathy

My friend, Kathy, tagged me a few days ago.  The rules of the tag involved answering 11 questions that she posted and then tagging 11 people and asking them to answer your 11 questions.  

Here are my answers:

1. What did you plan to be when you grew up and how does that compare to your reality?

I spent most of my childhood being either a teacher or a librarian.  I am now a stay at home mom who has a bachelor's in elementary education and a master's in literacy.  I substitute at our local elementary and middle school.

2. How many children did you plan to have and how many do you have?

I don't know that I ever had a number in mind.  At one point, before we ere married, my husband and I said 4.  We currently have 2 with one on the way and I'm pretty sure we're not done.

3. How many times did you say "We're done" only to add another child?

None because we have yet to say 'we're done."

4. Adoptive parents: What prompts you to adopt? Do you fall in love with a picture first?

I am someone who thinks a picture can be a very powerful motivator.  With Kenson, I was unsure about selecting a child from a photo and was hoping to have the facilitator match us.  It just felt weird.  But D was very certain about him based on his picture and because Kenson shares a birthdate with me.  With Conleigh, someone was advocating for her on a yahoo discussion board.  We did see a picture before saying yes but I think we both felt like we were probably going to say yes before we got the picture.  With Zeke, we were thinking we would try to find a child off of a photolisting but we knew that we only had about 2 months to do so before we would have to choose an agency and be committed to that agency's photolisting or having that agency send us a referral.  We ended up finding Zeke based on his special need and an outdated photo.  D said to me later that the thought of having someone else choose our child just didn't seem like a good fit for us.  We have inquired about many more children than the ones we've adopted.  (Oh I wish I knew how many.  Thanujah, Pushpuraj, Shawnay, Pauline, Talia, Calvin, Baby E, Baby ?, Annelise, another Baby ?.  All of those were kids whose photos caught my eye.)

5. What Bible character do you relate to the most?

Eeek....not sure.  As a woman, I find it hard to choose from the smallish list of women in the Bible.  (As compared to the number of male characters.)  It's too hard for me to feel like on one of the male characters, I think.  At different times, I've related to different women not because I always embodied that but because you aspire to that:  Lydia because she comes off as strong, capable, and assertive; Lot's wife because it is easy for me to overthink and be distracted; Deborah because she was wise; Martha because she was task oriented; Martha's sister, Mary, because she loved to be where Jesus was...

6. If you could be one person in history, who would you be? Why?

I enjoy history a lot and love to read historical fiction so this is one of those questions that could have endless answers.   I also recognize that its very easy to romanticize life long ago and that I would probably not last too if I had to go back in time because I'm kind of a wimp.  Tops on my list as people who I'd like to be (or maybe just meet) would be Eleanor Roosevelt (such a forward thinking social justice inspired woman), Laura Ingalls Wilder (her stories of her childhood are just great), and Abraham Lincoln (kind of an enigma of a man in a lot of ways, great success but also a lot of what looks like failure).

7. What one book besides the Bible has impacted your life the most?

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers was a powerful read to me as it taught me a lot about how God pursues me and how often I run away.  Other books I've learned a lot from include In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, The Mission of Motherhood, The Ministry of Motherhood, What's so Amazing about Grace?, and Max Lucado's books.  As a kid, books probably were my bestest friends so in a lot of ways anything I read in elementary probably really encouraged me.

8. What have you always wanted to do that you haven't yet done? Do you plan to do it?

I would love to be involved on a regular basis with mission work in Haiti.  I do not know if that's something that will happen or not as that's up to God.  I also would love to take my kids somewhere on a big vacation like Disney; again, I don't know.  I actually started to plan a Disney vacation but then adoption interrupted so that's on the backburner.

9. If you were writing the story of you life, the title would be:

Crap!  Before I had kids, I actually had a title all worked out.  And now I can't remember it!  It was something catchy about whining, making mistakes, and complaining.  Update:  I wrote this on Saturday.  It's now Thursday and I remember!  Temper Tantrums, Pity Parties and Other Bad Behavior:  Being Transformed One Moment at a Time.

10. What's your best piece of advice for other parents?

Flexible structure...  And you are not a parenting genius and should not be discouraged by that.  It is God alone, at work in you, who does the good, the healing, the teaching, the loving.  He will give you what you need for each situation you are faced with.

11. If you could change one thing in your life/past, what would it be?

I really don't have anything I would change.  I'm kind of a believer in God using the mistakes you have made to shape you as well as a person who believes you only get one chance on this earth so you need to do all that you want to do and live without regret.   I suppose if I had to pick something, it would be something about loving D's grandma better.  As someone who married into a relationship with her, I found it a challenge to love her unconditionally.  I do think I loved her well but I often wonder if I did a good enough job of being Jesus to her.

Now I'm going to break the rules.  Many of my blogging buddies have stopped blogging so I can't say I have a large circle of friends who blog.  So instead of tagging individuals, I'm tagging everyone.  That means you're it.   Leave me a comment about one or more of the questions below and then feel free to continue the tag on your blog if you're so inclined.ite tv show or movie.  

What is the most interesting or unusual part of your life story?

If you could fix any situation by waving your magic wand, what situation would you fix?

What was your first car?

When you were a senior in high school, what big plans did you have for your life?  How does that compare to now?

What color is your living room?  Your bedroom?  Your kitchen?  Are you addicted to color or do you prefer neutrals?  (Can you tell I'm still thinking about paint colors?)

What talent do you not have that you really wish you did have?

What household task do you like most?  What household task to you like least?

What is the most unique thing you have ever eaten?

Ice cream, cake or something else?  What's the best part of a birthday treat?

If _____________________ were a crime, what thing would you probably be sentenced to prison for?

Favorite tv show or movie?