Back to School

Well, it is that time of year again...Back to School!!!! We hope that your school year is off to a great start. Most of the Sycamore Siblings are back at their respective schools. Between the two families, we have three schools represented! Needless to say, we are in our vans, aka, the Sycamore Mobiles, a lot! So far, we are off and running. It doesn’t take long for those lazy days of summer to feel so far away! In our group, we have a sixth grader, third grader, second grader, first grader, three preschoolers, and little Lauryn at home with Mom!

With the beginning of each school year, we always feel that sense of urgency to get everything in order. We are always saying, “If I could just get it all organized.” We truly believe that God is a God of order and there is comfort and peace in the order we bring to our families, as Parents. There is so much to keep track of with...

...the lunches
...which day to put the library book in the backpack
...the spelling tests
...the gym shoes need to be on Monday
...the orange folder is for music and the yellow one is for Spanish
...on and on...

We feel like there are some critical points to the day and if you have order in those moments, it really helps everything else run smoother. We decided to compile a list of helpful hints that have worked for the Sycamore Sisters and their families. We have included tips for night before school, morning routine, and homework time.

The first tip we have is to do as much the night before school as possible! You never know what the morning is going to bring! Whatever you can do to prepare will give you an advantage in the morning!

Make lunches the night before....

Making lunches is something that we truly love to do. In the Gallagher Household, it is something that we have to do, as we have food allergies, and it is the safest way to provide nutrition for our kiddos. We love putting together healthy lunches that the kids like to eat. We think that lunch is such an important part of our child’s day. It is when they get to socialize with their friends, they build their energy to get through their afternoon, & they get to relax a little.

We have found that putting together "ready to go snack bags" makes packing lunches go really quickly and smoothly. We even have lunch containers in our fridge to make it easier to put together a healthy lunch in a short amount of time.

Continuing with our “night before” routine, we always make sure our backpacks are set and ready to go by the door.

 

We also make sure to have our showers the night before and clothes laid out so they are ready to go for the morning. It just makes the morning routine go more smoothly. We even have clocks in our showers so that the kiddos can keep track of how much time they have left before they need to get out!

Speaking our “Morning Routine” - last year, we felt like our mornings were full of chaos. The kids needed constant reminders as to what to do next. They really had a hard time with time management in the mornings. We would frequently find ourselves rushing around at the last minute looking for shoes or brushing our teeth. We came up with “Morning Routine Tags” that tell, in order, what the child’s next task should be. They have really helped our morning run better. Here is what they look like. We keep them on our fridge, and then the kiddos carry them around as they get ready.

 

How many of you feel like your “second day” begins when you pick up your kiddos from school? We do! Many days, this is when we perk the second pot of coffee, make that tea or get that Diet Coke on the way to pick the kids up. There is something about the after school routine that urges you to make sure you're ready for it!

Homework time can be a stress inducing activity for all involved. The kids don’t want to do it and we, as parents, know they need to. We have found it is best to just knock it out right away and have “play time” after you get it all done. Work first, play later seems to work best for us. We have also found that making a “Homework Station” has been helpful. We both have more than one kiddo trying to tackle homework at the same time. Having a station where everything they need is right there streamlines things a bit.

As you know, the amount of paper to keep track of is insane. Each day, we are emptying the folders and keeping track of all the papers. What we have found to be effective is to have a box, hidden away in a closet, with each child’s name on it. When the papers come home, we go through them, and then put them in the box. Once a school year, we go through the box and weed out what we can.

The other helpful hint for paper control is our Family Binder. Anything really important such as: Food Allergy Action Plans, School Schedules, Contact information for teachers, etc., is contained in one place. Each family member has his/her own file. Each school has its own file. With kiddos in multiple schools, we have found this to be a life saver. There is only one place to look! We keep it in a central location so it is easy to find.

 

We hope that our Back to School tips help bring some order to your families. We are going to leave you with a few prayers for your kiddos as they are all headed Back to School!

A Mom's Prayer On the First Day of School 

Here we are again, Lord.  Their backpacks are loaded and their faces are scrubbed and their lunch accounts are full. 

And I know you'll walk with them, Lord.  You always do.  But a mom still has to ask. 

Will You walk with them?  Will You whisper to them what they need to hear, when I'm not there to whisper it?

Will You please, oh please, cover their school with the protection only You can give, and will You keep harm far away?

Will You make their minds strong and ready to learn?  Will You help them understand that hard work honors the One who created them?

Will You guide their teachers, giving them patience and wisdom and creativity and more patience?  Will You bless them for their efforts?

Will You love all those children there, the ones whose lunch accounts aren't full, the ones who feel alone?  Will You teach my children to be kind and unselfish and to love those who are different from them? 

Will You point them back toward home just as soon as you can?
Lord, I give them to You today and everyday, trusting them to Your care.

Amen.

          by: Shannon of Rocks in My Dryer

The Homework Prayer

Thank you, God for all your gifts: For the gift of understanding For the gift to be able to learn For the gift of knowing right from wrong For the gift of holy people who give great example, Help me to remember them.
For the gift of my guardian angel, Help me to follow his guidance.
Help me Lord, to follow Your holy will in my life And to be an example for others to follow.
Help me, Lord, to stay on track with the things You call me to do today... To spend time with you in prayer, To do my work in class and follow my teacher’s instructions, To do my homework without getting distracted, and
To get myself ready for tomorrow.
Sometimes, Lord, it’s hard for me to keep working. Help me to know when I need to ask for help And when it’s something I just need to work harder at. Help me to know when I need to ask for a break
And when I need to keep working. And Lord, help my parents to know when I really need a break And give them the wisdom to help me the way you want them to.
Most important, help me to remember above all, that You love me no matter what and you are with me every moment of every day.
I pray all these things through Christ, your Son. Amen.   

The First Birthday of a Little Miracle

Happy 1st Birthday, Lauryn! 

It's truly hard to believe it has been one year since we were blessed with the birth of Lauryn.  

Lauryn is greatly loved by so many people.  Her oldest brother, Tyler, is no exception.  

There is something extremely special about the bond Lauryn and Tyler share...they adore each other.  

Today's post is extra-special.  Not just because it's written on Lauryn's birthday...but, because the remainder of this post was written by Tyler...about his baby sister--his little miracle. 

 

My Little Miracle

Exactly one year ago, Lauryn Rendel Buechler came into the world after the three most stressful weeks of my life. Starting school while worrying about your baby sister is NOT the way you want to start.  Thankfully, I had two of the best 5th grade teachers in the world!  They helped me stay focused and not worry as much about Lauryn.

This morning, on Lauryn's 1st birthday, God led me into Maddie's and Lauryn’s bedroom.

When Maddie was born, we put up a writing on her wall saying: 

“Precious one so small and sweet

Dancing in on angels feet

Straight from heaven’s brightest star

What a miracle you truly are”.

I’ve looked at it and thought about it many times. 

Today, God told me about the real definition.

The first line tells us that Lauryn might not be the most popular or the best at sports, but she probably will be the sweetest person we will ever know.

“Dancing in on angel’s feet” says that Lauryn is and will always be protected by the angels. Mary was told by an angel that she would be the mother of the world’s Savior, and she accepted it. I feel an angel told us to accept the fact that Lauryn has Down Syndrome.

The third line tells us that Lauryn truly is a gift from Heaven and that God chose us to be her family/friends.

 

“What a miracle you truly are” is the perfect definition of Lauryn. She is straight from heaven’s brightest star. Some parents would abort or “get rid of” babies with Down Syndrome. God chose us because he knew that we would accept her.

The writing on the wall holds a very special spot in my heart, as does Lauryn. 

Today, as we celebrate her first birthday, let us thank God for Lauryn. She truly is a Little Miracle!

 

Please remember to donate and sign up for the 2011 Buddy Walk. All proceeds go to DownSyndrome Indiana. Down Syndrome Indiana is an AMAZING organization that supports people with Down Syndrome and their families. The Buddy Walk is a truly life-changing experience that will change your life forever!  

Awareness...for Prayer

We began this month focusing on Awareness...awareness of Down syndrome...awareness of always trying to accept and include others because we are all so much more alike than different.  

We are still focused on this, but with events that have transpired over the last week, we are being guided to focus on an even bigger picture of awareness...awareness of not taking simple things for granted...awareness of times when putting others before ourselves is more important...awareness of what priorities are really most important...awareness of the incredible blessing of family and friends...awareness of the fragility of life...awareness that the power of prayer is truly amazing and that it (prayer), along with God’s profound love for us, is what gets us through the most difficult of times.

It’s been a week.  A tough one.  

This past Saturday night was supposed to be a fun night for many anticipating the Sugarland concert at the Indiana State Fair.  It had been a beautiful day in Indianapolis, until about 8:45 pm, when a nasty storm decided to make its way towards the city.  This storm reared its ugly head on the fairgrounds, providing a wind so powerful that it caused the main concert stage to completely collapse.  While we didn’t have personal family attending this concert, we had various friends in attendance and know numerous others whose family/friends were also there for the concert.

Deadly Collapse at State Fair (Yahoo article)

Tragedy at the fairgrounds (article from local news station)

Social media such as Facebook and Twitter allow horrific events such as this one to unfold in a way that is surreal.  We knew the instant the stage collapsed.  We saw first-hand photographs posted as the devastation unfolded.  

We realized just how many people we know were directly affected by this, as post after post confirmed the status of people - and their mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, friends, etc. - on our Friends list. We quickly learned of the heroic acts of so many who put their own safety at risk to help others.

  
Prayer is needed. 

We have a dear friend, Ann, who has taught us an unbelievable amount about prayer and about faith.  Ann is a member of our Bible Study group and is a life-long best friend of Julie’s (Julie’s Mom and Ann's Mom are also life-long close friends).  We can’t tell you how much we’ve learned from Ann in terms of being grounded in faith and leaning on God in both good times and difficult times.  She spends countless hours holding others in prayer. Now, it’s our turn to do this for her.

Ann's little girl is sick.  Very sick.  Four year old Sophie is in Riley Hospital for Children with a condition called HUS, which is a complication that can (but not often) occur from contracting E Coli.

Sophie was admitted to Riley last Tuesday and has since continued to take a couple turns for the worse...including kidney failure (she is now on 24-hour dialysis) and now pancreatitis.  While there have been small improvements on and off over the last week, the majority of news about her health has been the scary, devastating kind of news you *never* want to hear about your child...or any child for that matter. They are walking on a tightrope, trying to get to the other side of this illness with her.  

Prayer is needed.

If you could storm Heaven with some prayers for little Sophie, her family, and all of the doctors and nurses working diligently to help her, we'd so appreciate it!  If you are able to add Sophie to a prayer line or a group's prayer requests, that would be fantastic. 

The power of prayer is AMAZING...it is what is getting Sophie and her family and all of those affected by the stage collapse through unbearable times.  

As we continue with August Awareness, we are more convinced than ever that awareness is key to creating a world of acceptance, inclusion and love.  We have to be aware of the needs of those around us.   We need to be aware of events in our communities, countries and world. These things affect us...they teach us...they hurt us...they heal us...they inspire us...they scare us...they excite us...they move us.  

We hope and pray that by sharing (making you aware of) these two things that are going on in our little place on this Earth, you will be moved to prayer.  It’s easy to feel helpless in situations of tragedy.  We want to be able to just fix it and make things better...to turn back the clock so to speak. In times like these, we need to draw closer to the One who is holding His hand out to us. We need to take His hand and come to Him in prayer. There are times when getting down on your knees and lifting up those in need is the most significant thing you can do. There is power in that!

We have included a prayer that is being used right now for Sophie by her parents, family and friends. If we are all praying the same words over her, He will know the desires of our hearts. Thank you, in advance, for bringing our little place on Earth into your hearts and lifting us up to the One who can help!
 

Lord,
Because You have instructed us in Your Word that we are to pray for one another so that we many be healed, I pray for healing and wholeness for Sophie. I pray that sickness and infirmity will have no place or power in her life. I pray for protection against any disease coming into her body. Your Word says, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalm 107:20). Wherever there is disease, illness, or infirmity in her body, I pray that You, Lord, would touch her with Your healing power and restore her to total health. Deliver her from any destruction or injury that could come upon her. Specifically I ask You to heal her kidneys and her pancreas. Restore them to complete health and function. Cleanse Sophie's body of all harmful toxins.  Deliver Sophie through this ordeal with complete health. If we are to see a doctor, I pray that You, Lord, would show us who that should be. Give that doctor wisdom and full knowledge of the best way to proceed. Thank You, Lord, that You suffered and died for us so that we might be healed. I lay claim to that heritage of healing which You have promised in Your Word and provided for those who believe. I look to You for a life of health, healing, and wholeness for Sophie.  

Prayer taken from The Power of a Praying Parent  by Stormie Omartian 

God bless Sophie, her parents, her brothers, her family and all the doctors and nurses caring for her.

God bless the victims of the tragedy at the State Fair and all of their families, friends, doctors and nurses.   

We are praying for you...