This One Time at Church Camp

So this blog post is a little overdue, but better late than never! Anyway, about 3 weeks ago, we accompanied some kids from our high school youth group to church camp. Let me say, that I love going to camp. I started going to camp in 1985 and have basically been to some sort of camp almost every summer since then. I know you make think that I am insane for wanting to spend a week of my life hanging out with kids (especially middle schoolers) but I love it!! It is a great time for me.

Anyway...this year our high schoolers from Living Stones Church went to a CIY (Christ in Youth) Camp that was held on the campus of Hope College in Holland, MI. This was our first time attending this camp so we were not sure what to expect. However, It was an AMAZING week! I think I can say that it was the BEST WEEK OF CAMP I have ever attended. There are lots of reasons:

• There was AMAZING food (which typically doesn't happen at camp.)





• The campus and facilities were great.





• Anna did really well at the camp, even on the night when we had the fire alarm in our dorm go off 3 time in the middle of the night and had to evacuate the building each time.





• The worship band was Amazing. You should check out the Jordan Howerton Band on Facebook, Twitter or I-Tunes if you are into that kind of stuff.





• There were some amazing Living Stoners praying specifically for our kids. (Thanks Carl, Heather, Jeff, Jim, Lowell, Katie, Kathy and Greg)





• The other adults on the trip were incredible (my hubby Mark and Ann L.)

However, the biggest reason that camp was so amazing was our kids. We had a wonderful group of kids who were amazing. SO.... Ashlynn, Julia, Lena, Mary, Sarah, Haley, Andrew and Isaac...YOU ROCK! Check out the picture of these amazing kids!

Can't wait until next year!!

The Big Challenge

Yesterday was the day to begin some challenges in my life. If you read my post yesterday, you will see that I have pledged to blog everyday this week. However, our family started another challenge yesterday as well.

We LOVE to go out to eat and do it very frequently! It is probably one my favorite things to do. Quite often there are special occasions that warrant it: birthdays, anniversaries, date nights, friends or family that are visiting, etc. However, lately we have used reasons like "It's Tuesday" or "I am wearing clean clothes" or "The Sky is blue" as a reason to go out. Really, who can blame us....who doesn't like having someone else cook exactly what you want and then deliver it to your table. :-) It is especially good for me because I am not the most skilled when it comes to being in the kitchen. More often that I care to admit, I have made something that was so disgusting that it was thrown completely in the trash. So eating out is just easier and more convenient.

Yesterday afternoon, I approached Mark about a challenge for us to not go out to eat for the next 3 weeks unless it was absolutely warranted (in a travel situation, a legitimate celebration, etc.) He immediately pulled out his phone and started to call 911 because he was certain that I must be having a stroke or some other neurological crisis because I would never suggest such a thing. :-) However, I was of sound mind when I suggested it and Mark agreed. I know this will be a challenge for both of us, but hopefully we can do it. We will save money, eat healthier and be proud of our accomplishment. If we don't meet the challenge, there will be some shame involved, but at least we will have eaten some delicious food. :-)

ON A TOTALLY UNRELATED NOTE....I had already written most of this post when we had to leave to go to Mark's softball game so I saved the draft. When we came home, we were all sweaty and gross from the disgusting heat so we turned on the water to give Anna a bath before she went to bed. Once we turned on the water, we discovered that we did not have any hot water. I started thinking about how inconvenient it was going to be to have to take a cold shower and how miserable that would be. I started getting really irritated and upset at the prospect of that. Then I was struck by the fact of how self-centered and spoiled I am...there are people all over the world for whom a cold shower would be a great luxury. So, I have no idea how long we will be without hot water, but if I have to take cold showers for a week I will try to remember how incredibly blessed I am. Anyway, I know this has nothing to do with our eating out challenge, but it was on my mind as I finished the blog post.

See you tomorrow!

I'm Back

So...it has been almost two months since I have posted on here. So much for my New Year's Resolution of blogging more (unfortunately that is not the only New Year's Resolution that I have been slacking on...but there is still half of 2011 so I have time to get back on the wagon.) :-) Anyway, back to blogging thing...we have been really busy and enjoying the summer and blogging has taken a back seat. However, to get back in the saddle of blogging I am going to attempt to blog everyday over the next week. Here is a teaser of some titles to look forward to:

• Pulling the Trigger


• Adventures in Babysitting-Resolved


• This One time at Church Camp


• The Big Challenge


• I Need a Vacation


• See the USA in a Chevrolet...Or a Honda

See you tomorrow for another exciting episode of Amy 4.0! :-)

Adventures in Babysitting

No, this blog post is NOT about the 1987 movie Adventures in Babysitting (although I loved that movie when I was in high school and watched it about 500 times.) Adventures in Babysitting has been my life for the past few months. In fact, I am pretty sure that there has not been one day since the end of February that I haven’t thought about babysitting. In fact, we could probably have produced 4 Osterhout Adventures in Babysitting movies in the past few months. :-)

ADVENTURE NUMBER 1 started in February. Since Anna was 6 months old, she has been cared for by a wonderful friend…Miss Sarah! We were so fortunate and blessed to have such amazing care for Anna! Miss Sarah and her family have been blessed with some additions to their family and 4 kids in their home was plenty for them. Since Anna made number 5 and they weren’t willing to give away one of their own children, Anna was the logical choice to go (although I think they should have at least considered it…I mean Anna is awesome.) :-) We were (and still are) super excited for Miss Sarah and her family and totally understood their situation and were totally willing to do whatever was necessary for their family. Their friendship and well-being of their family was our ultimate priority. Although we were thrilled for Miss Sarah’s family and completely understanding, it was kind of stressful as we started looking around and interviewing child care providers. We ultimately found an in-home daycare which was highly recommended and was near the preschool where Anna would be attending in the fall. We made arrangements for Anna to stay with Miss Sarah until the end of the school year and would start at the new daycare in the fall. ALL SETTLED and our Adventures in Babysitting were done…for about a day anyway. :-)

ADVENTURE NUMBER 2 began when Miss Sarah began to have some medical issues with her pregnancy so we had about 2-3 weeks where we weren’t sure what was going to happen (things are good for her and her baby now.) Of course our first concern was the health of Miss Sarah, but we started another adventure during those 2-3 weeks. We were scrambling and very blessed to have my Mom (who happened to be on Spring Break) and my Aunt Donna help out. It was also a huge blessing to be working at Living Stones Church, which allowed me to have a flexible schedule while all of this was going on.

We embarked on ADVENTURE NUMBER 3 when we finally decided that we would contact the daycare that Anna was supposed to attend in the fall to see if she could come for the rest of the school year. Miss Jane agreed and Anna started attending that day care one month ago. We were very pleased and really liked the care that she was receiving there, but there were the adventures and stresses that come with starting a new daycare and how Anna would adjust, learning the routines or new place, etc. About a week ago, I finally started to relax and knew that we had made the right decision. Anna was adjusting well and there were all kinds of neat things going on there. Then this week, the bomb was dropped. Miss Jane told us that she would be closing the day care in July. She has been doing child care for 30 years and had a completely different business opportunity arise and she was ready for a change. We are happy for her to have this new opportunity, but it kind of puts us in a bind. It has caused me to add something to my list of questions that I would have never thought of: “Are you considering closing your day-care/stop babysitting in the next month?” :-)

So, now we embark on ADVENTURE NUMBER 4. As I see it, I have 2 options:

• Quit my job and become a stay at home mom
• Begin the search for another child care provider

As far as option number one of becoming a stay at home mom…there is a big part of me that says do it. However, we have two problems with that. Number 1 is financial. By the time insurance premiums, retirement, college funds, taxes, union dues, etc. are deducted from Mark’s salary, the amount that he actually brings home is fairly small. We kind of like having food to eat and house to live in so we need my income to make that happen (even considering that fact that we have no debt other than a mortgage.) I guess I could become an Extreme Couponer like those people on the TLC show. However, I am not sure I have the time or the energy to devote to that. As a side note, I really think some of the people on that show are about 2 steps away from being on the show Hoarders. I mean who really needs 100 bottles of Maalox (and if you do, you probably have bigger problems that probably should be addressed by a medical professional.) :-) The second reason why being a SAHM is probably not feasible for me is that I think I am probably a better mom because I do go to work a couple of days a week. I think that my personality and the way I am wired makes it a healthier situation for my marriage, my child and myself if I do go to work. If you saw my Facebook post yesterday, you know that I forgot to buckle Anna into her car seat as we drove home on the 20 bypass at 70 MPH so it is probably good if she has someone else who takes care of her part of the time. :-) So…all of you who are stay at home moms I have nothing but mad props for you!!

So, we are left with the option of finding child care once again. The thought of starting over is exhausting. One of our top contenders when were looking in February and March has since de-friended me on Facebook so not sure that is a contender anymore. There are couple ladies at church who do child care, but their location is not ideal. I am hoping to find something on the South Side of South Bend since that is where we live. If you have any recommendations, I would be happy to receive them. We do have some good prospects and I ultimately know that I we will find the right fit. It is just frustrating to begin the process all over again.

Once we do find the right fit and end ADVENTURE NUMBER 4, I am hoping the ONLY Adventure in Babysitting that we have for a LONG while (or ever) is in the form of a cheesy 80’s movie. :-)

The Royal Wedding

In case you have been living under a rock for the past few months, there is a big wedding taking place in London tomorrow. Prince William and Kate Middleton will be exchanging vows in Westminster Abbey at 4 AM tomorrow. I have considered getting up to watch the nuptials but I have a feeling my bed will win out. However, thanks to modern technology I have my DVR set to record the whole thing so I won't miss any of the excitement or any sleep. :-)

Now I am not a huge royal watcher or anything like that. However, I am a little enamored by princesses. On my first trip to Disney World, I cried when I saw Cinderella for the first time. You may be thinking that is not an uncommon response for a child to be overcome with joy at seeing a princess in front of Cinderella's castle for the first time. However, I was 34 years old at the time. :-) Basically, I think the idea of princesses is kind of cool.

I started thinking about Kate Middleton and what happens to her tomorrow when she marries Prince William. She becomes a princess and member of the Royal Family. She is no longer Kate from down the street or simply a pretty girl. She is now "Her Royal Highness" and her life is forever changed. Everywhere she goes she will be treated with the utmost respect and honor simply because of WHO SHE IS and her identity as Princess Kate!! I have a feeling that Kate will carry herself in such a manner fitting of a princess as well. She will know who she is and will have expectations as to how she is treated.

What is happening to Kate Middleton is a pretty amazing thing...but not really that amazing if you think about it. God does the same thing for us. When we enter God's "royal family", our lives are forever changed and receive a new identity that makes us Princesses or (Princes.. if you are dude.) I know that when I first learned this concept and really took it to heart, it TOTALLY changed the way I thought about myself. When I realized who I was in Christ and that God was absolutely crazy about me, it was revolutionary in so many ways in my life.

This concept has even more meaning for me a parent of a little girl. It is my hope for Anna that she never doubts who she is and what God thinks about her. I want her to be secure in who she is so that no BOZO of boy is going to treat her badly or she is going to think things about herself that are not true. I pray that Anna will always embrace her identity as a princess, a daughter of the King.

So...enjoy the royal wedding and remember as Kate becomes a princess that there is a God who is crazy in love with you and considers you a Princess (or a prince).

Birthdays!!

Hello Friends! I cannot believe it is already April 15th. April is definitely a month of birthdays in my world. Today is my Grandpa Foster's 95th birthday. I cannot imagine living 95 years, but I hope that I have inherited some of his genetics. :-) Here are some impressive things about my grandpa.

He and my Grandma have been married for 70 years. Pretty impressive legacy of lasting marriage.

He worked as farmer a good portion of his life. I think a rite of passage for every Foster grandchild was getting to go on a tractor ride with Grandpa. Up until about a year or so ago, he was still driving. It might have been a good idea for him to stop before that, but still impressive that he was still driving in his 90's. :-)

Well into his 80's he still worked the Farmer's Markets in Chicago selling produce from my uncle's apple orchard. This may not sound like a big deal, but it involved getting up at 2 AM, driving to Chicago, unloading a big truck, setting up displays and standing on the hard pavement doe about 7-8 hours in a variety of weather. Pretty hard work, especially for an 80 year old.

My sister and I went on countless trips with him and he taught us all about the (now defunct) license plate numbering system on Indiana license plates. I think we knew all the numbers for all the counties by the time we were 10 or 12 years old.

I don't think I have ever seen him yell or get really angry.

He and my grandmother raised 8 biological children and 1 adopted child. They have 23 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild (I think I have those numbers right...but even if I am off a little it is still a lot of people!) :-) I consider myself extremely blessed to be among that number and I am very thankful that Anna has had a chance to meet and get to know him. Happy Birthday Grandpa!! Tomorrow we are celebrating his birthday complete with cake and visit from a State Senator (who is a former 4th Grade student of my Grandma's.) Since we are on the subject of birthdays, a shout out goes to my sister Mindy who celebrated a birthday on April 3rd!!

April is also my birthday month. On Monday, April 18th I will turn 41 (so no worries...you still have time to shop for my present). :-) I have to admit that I have been struggling a little with 41...way more than 40. Not sure why, but I am trying to look at it from a positive perspective. After all, Jennifer Lopez is my age and was just name the "Most Beautiful Woman in the World" by People Magazine this week. While I am no J. LO, it does give me hope that 41 will be great and that 41 isn't as old as I once thought!!

Well, I guess that is all for now. Bring on the Birthday Celebrations!! :-)

My New "Job"

Hello Friends! I know it has been a few weeks since I have posted, but I have been really busy.

I have a new "job"....Well, it isn't actually a job. I don't get paid for it (I actually paid money to do it...how crazy is that.) :-) What is it?? I joined Weight Watchers Online. I have a significant amount of weight to lose that I gained after getting married and then having Anna (so that means I can blame Mark and Anna for my weight gain and not the fact that I REALLY love food...especially food that isn't good for me.) :-) I was trying to do it on my own, but right now do not have the will power to do what is necessary so I needed some external help. I have always been a fan of Weight Watchers and their program and think it really is one of the best of the best weight loss programs out there, so I decided to give it a try.

I know you may be wondering where the "job" part comes in....counting points is like a part-time job. For those not familiar, Weight Watchers has a point system where you are allotted so many points per day and all foods have a point value. This value is determined using a systematic formula based upon the amount of fat, carbs, protein, and fiber in the food as well as the city where the food was produced, the income level of the food manufacturer or farmer, and the consumers blood type and state or country of birth. (OK so I made some of that up, but you get the picture.) I am certain that counting points will get easier as time progresses, but right now it is very time consuming.

My time has been worth it, I do have to say that it seems to be working. I have lost almost 5 lbs in 2 weeks! Hoping there is more success in my future!