Our church had its annual youth fundraiser this week. The youth sells pizzas (homemade) then a bunch of us volunteer and we crank out over 1300 pizzas in one day. It is an assembly line process, and one we have used for years.

This was Hannah’s first time helping with this, and she did a great job. She was easily the youngest child there, but worked hard along with other kids and adults as well. This is a fun time, along with hard work. We laugh, work and help our church’s youth.

Things like this are great ways to help our kids. Hannah had an extreme... more

Hannah coming home from school with a sad look on her fact yesterday was one of the most beautiful things I have seen. Let me explain.

Hannah came in with a bill for a book that she had wrecked. She somehow got the milk from her lunch all over the book. The book is totally destroyed and we have a bill for $17.20 to replace the book.

When Hannah walked in, her head was hung low and she had very sad eyes. She knew was “in trouble” and that there would be consequences for her actions. She also knew that she would be the one paying for the damaged... more

It’s not just another day in my house. I love Valentine’s Day. About the only way I can get my husband to be romantic is for the calendar to tell him that he should. He used to be a romantic man. That changed sometime after we got married.

But I digress. We are weaning Hannah off the medication she has been on for a couple of years. One of the side effects is that she has bad dreams from detoxing off the medication. These will go away in a few days, but she climbed in our bed about 7:00 this morning. She curled up next to me and wished me a Happy... more

Everyone looks for something different in the providers they choose for their kids. I personally know I have found the right one when Sammy hates them. Yes, that’s right, when he hates them.

Our attachment therapist, and the kids’ psychiatrist fall into that category. Since the psychiatrist was referred by the attachment therapist (thank you) it would make sense that they’d be on the same wave length as far as styles of practice.

Dealing with traumatized kids, kids with attachment issues, or kids who just don’t care, like Sammy, the criteria for... more

Hannah has her first play date where someone has come to our house. She’s had a couple where she has gone to her friends, but she does not understand about asking for a friend to come here. I guess I need to do some more coaching on this.

I called her friend, A’s, parents and arranged the date. They are friends of ours from church, and the girls are “best friends.” It is delightful to watch them together. To see the healthy Hannah learning to interact... more

If you’ve been a foster parent you’ve probably had a child leave your home that you didn’t want to leave. Even as an adoptive parent, you sometimes have to make the decision to disrupt a placement when you don’t want to or have had a “legal risk” child who was returned to a birth parent or possibly to a biological family member. No doubt you have grieved the loss of that child.

But… Does the child ever really leave your heart? For me that answer is a resounding NO!

Sammy called me unexpectedly today and asked me a question... more

What do raspberries have to do with anything? Raspberries are just about my favorite food. I consider it heaven on earth when I get something with real raspberries. My great-grandmother and I would bake together and whenever she volunteered to make something for my birthday, graduation, or other special occasion, I’d always ask for her home made raspberry kuchen, made from a family recipe.

On Tuesday Hannah and I went over to a friend’s house to pick raspberries. This brings back memories of my childhood. My grandparents owned... more

We went over to watch Nancy’s pony ride yesterday. I think horses are beautiful and welcome a chance to see the majestic animals.

The place where the pony was being ridden also had several other animals including many chickens, geese, turkeys, ducks and some Shetland ponies. The chickens had many little chicks running around and they were cute as can be. I’m a sucker for baby animals of just about any kind, except snakes.

Hannah wanted to hold a baby chick, and we were finally able to capture one.... more

Parenting children with emotional issues can be very difficult, as well as lonely. Sometimes it can be very hard to find people you can talk to and understand what you’re going through.

The internet is a wonderful invention. You meet people you would never have the chance to meet otherwise. I have met an incredible group of people that I am blessed to have in my life. Without the internet, I wouldn’t be blogging today. It is through the friendships I developed online that I had the connections that could lead me... more

I love to do little girls hair, and Hannah loves to have her hair done. She has been with us for almost 5 months, and has only had her bangs trimmed, no other haircuts.

Hannah’s first adoptive mom did not do her hair, and I’m not saying that to be critical. Hannah was not a kid that you really wanted to do things like that with. More than likely she would have ripped them out just to be spiteful.

One time when Hannah was here for respite, she was doing some pretty good raging. Her hair would be stuck to her head since she... more