Foster Adoption

The sun is shining in the window, the kids are all cleaning their rooms and I am sitting in silence and blogging- I think that it is going to be a great day! I can not tell you how much I love the slow Saturdays in the winter. They happen so rarely the rest of the year that I hold tight to the ones I have. My husband is a farmer. He is up at the crack of dawn and home at dusk- 10 months of the year. The kids look forward to the other 2 months with great plans. This is a way of life for them. They know that their father will not make every sporting event and 4-H activity. I… [more]

When people find out we foster, they always ask the same question:  How can you let them go?  And that is really what we all wonder in the foster-to-adopt world, isn't it?  What if we say yes to a placement that we hope will be permanent and then have to let go? If only there were a FAQ for this frequently asked question.  You could look it up and it would give you reassuring steps to follow.  Or better yet, it would say:  What are you worried about?  This will never happen to you. I don't have the answers but I can tell you that in my experience, the benefits far outweigh the risks.   Any kind of… [more]

In my last blog I talked about how Orange Shoe Goy (OSG) was writing his thank-you notes for Christmas gifts. Now that they are done, addressed and stamped, I have to step back and congratulate him. Last year, I had to write the letter, word for word, then he copied it. This year without thinking, I set him to work on them and didn't help. He did it by himself. I did not realize what a major step that was until I had the time to think about it. OSG's dyslexia is a tough burden. He struggles with all forms of math, writing and often articulating. Yet, each of those letters was personalized. Having said that, I did struggle to read what… [more]

Today finds me staring out the window looking for the anticipated snowflakes that are supposed to fall within the course of daylight. I haven't seen any yet. I have been told that the expected snowfall could range in the 12" range. We haven't had a snow like that yet in the Midwest so I suppose we are do one. While I am sitting here, I am also multitasking by preparing cupcakes and hot wings for my oldest to take to youth group tonight in celebration of his birthday, overseeing my youngest in her thank-you letter writing campaign and pushing Orange Shoe Guy (OSG) through his schoolwork. Believe it or not, today I feel as though I can handle all that but I… [more]

Well, our second Christmas season with "the Littles" is officially over.  It was a very good year. Last year, we had to limit our visitors and our visits; our traumatized little ones just couldn't tolerate strangers or too many new people in our home.  The Captain, now 4, had the hardest time.  Although he was not yet 3 when he came here, we were his 6th move.  The closest thing he had to an attachment was his birth-mother whom he had seen once a week for an hour most of his life.  New people scared him.  Visitors scared him.  A change in routine - frightening. It's a whole new world this year.  We tested the kids out by taking them to our in-laws for… [more]

I know that I blogged here yesterday but I have a little of catch-up to play because of the holidays. So here I am again. I am sitting at that same little table with the red chair- Yeah, I don't get out much. Unless you count running children from Point A to Point B and back again. Then I think I might qualify as getting out too much! I have been doing a lot of thinking about relationships. I believe that relationships are at the heart of what I am doing in and with my life. What a hard thing to develop- especially with teens. Wow! I think that my household has gone crazy. We now have two 13 year olds (both will… [more]

I am sitting in my new office chair at my new desk. By new- I mean, new to me. It is actually an heirloom small kitchen table that I picked up at a rummage sale for $5.00 and my chair...? It was a $1.00 pick-up at a garage sale this year. Yet, they are perfect together. They came from different locations, lived different lives- if you will but when I set about decorating my bedroom they were my top choices. They match perfectly- just looking at their functionality and charm makes me happy. In a random way, this mismatched furniture that adorns my bedroom makes me think of my family. No, my children weren't found at a garage sale though I have tried to sell… [more]

It is hard to believe that Christmas is almost here. The year has gone by so swiftly. It doesn't seem possible that one year ago in December, I began blogging for adoption.com. It is amazing how fast time moves.

Okay, back to the good stuff- Christmas. We love it at my house. All of the twinkling lights, good food and family outings. In fact it gets so busy for the holidays that we often slip into a melodramatic state after the New Year because of the abrupt cease in the activities. This year, OSG typed out a Christmas list. Imagine my surprise when I asked for a list and received the 'business copy.' It was too cute. I just wish that he would have included… [more]

Welcome to Love Thursday!  Isn't he beautiful? This is our 2-1/2 year old.  He was only 10 months old when "The Blitz" and his two older siblings joined our family as foster kids.  We're a "forever family" now and in this photo, he is making himself at home. It will be "The Littles" second Christmas with us and the first one where they have any idea what is going on.  Since our oldest daughter was a "little" herself, we've had two Christmas trees in the house.  One tree that Mama is in charge of decorating -- though lots of others help --and one tree that is only for the children.  They get to decorate it and they are allowed (and encouraged) to… [more]

If I am not doing dishes, I am probably finishing the laundry. I am sure you know how that is. It seems that all I do is 'take care of others.' The funny thing is that in the last few weeks I gained another someone to care for. That is how my crazy life goes. Our newest addition is a seventeen year old foreign exchange student. Just what I needed, huh? I was thinking (as I did many loads of laundry) that it is difficult to contentment in the little things. Meeting the needs of a family feels like the little things. I know that when I spend an hour making dinner- I will spend another hour cleaning up. When… [more]