Hestia Homeschool for Young Wild Women

My niece Ashley and her son Tristan came up again to stay with us.  :-)  I am happy that she is coming up from Louisville so often to see us. She told me very seriously that it is important that Tristan knows his extended family and that it is her responsibility to make sure he does.

I am also sure she likes being somewhere where she is adored and where she can relax.

This time she stopped over at her father's house and brought two of her little half-brothers with her. (Ashley's dad struggles with drug and alcohol problems, too.)  The boys are precious and very well behaved. I took them to the Children's museum, along with Ashley and Tristan, my three daughters, and the twins. It took two cars to get our whole crew over there!

We spent six hours at the museums.

We also visited the Cincinnati Historical Society. The kids loved playing on the flat boat and steam wheeler, and looking at the incredible train display. My great nephew particularly loves trains. :-)

I had my hands full with nine kids. Still, it was well worth it to have my family together and happy.  My daughters liked Ashley's half-brothers, and easily incorporated them into the extended family as cousins although we are not blood kin.

I am sure that if Ashley is going to make it straight that she will need as much love and as much positive interaction with her family as she can get.  I am happy to just have her back home with me on the weekends. With her father battling his own addictions, and her mother mentally ill and on SSI, she needs a more normal sort of role model. I don't drink alcohol, smoke anything, or even drink caffeine, but I am very happy--and I think it helps her to see that. Mandy also is very clean living, having been born alcoholic with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome she is very careful not to take drugs or drink alcohol. Ashely does not get condemned by us when she slips up, but praised heavily when she is clean.

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• #8 Comment from magogos 
  11/1/06 9:56 AM | Permalink

  how wonderful for all of you that ashley is back to spend time in your loving, accepting home. nine kids? i'm exhausted just thinking about it! margo
• #7 Comment from fitzzer 
  11/1/06 7:28 AM | Permalink

  Looks like a great time had by all. I'm sure Ashley is as happy to be with you as you are her. Hugs, ~ L
• #6 Comment from sugar1337 
  10/31/06 9:15 AM | Permalink

  Sounds like she has a very loving a supportive environment!  :)
  http://blog.myspace.com/poptartcoco
  
• #5 Comment from rgossett4195 
  10/30/06 8:23 PM | Permalink

  OH I also say the more the merrier!  xoxo rose~
• #4 Comment from ryanagi 
  10/30/06 2:35 AM | Permalink

  Nine kids! You get more and more like the pied piper every day. LOL!