Issues in Foster-Adopt Care

Tonight I had the privilege of talking to a great woman who has a heart for foster child adoption. She had such a neat perspective to share. I enjoyed our conversation. She desires to adopt a foster child that has dealt with loss or trauma in their life. What an interesting desire. It stems from her psychology studies in child development and trauma. She sure made me think about the many children that I know who have been adopted out of situations that were hard. Some of them are doing well- others struggle. Adoption of children out of foster care and tough situations is difficult work. It takes people like this woman that I met today dedicating themselves to making a difference. There are… [more]

This morning, I sit looking out over the rain covered lawn that I was supposed to finish mowing. Well, I guess that is not going to happen. There is a small part of me that feels badly about my inability to complete the task but the larger part of me is rejoicing at the new found freedom and small amount of time for my own activities I have gained. I know that the freedom is short lived but I  cannot tell you the last time I had a Saturday morning to relax. I love it. I think that OSG loves it too because I have yet to drag him out of bed. He LOVES to sleep in and is not afforded the option often because… [more]

We got a call the other day to provide respite care for a little girl in a legal risk placement.  It was actually a call to be on standby and the respite care wasn't needed after all.  It got my wheels turning.  I think most parents in legal risk situations are afraid to ask for help.  I was so impressed with these parents asking their social worker to help them! Whether a sibling group arrives when you already have children or whether those siblings are your first children, it can be daunting.  Most people do not build their family three kids at a time.  And while the children may not be infants, emotionally sometimes they are.  Right now, on an emotional level, my 2, 3 and 5 year old are at… [more]

I am sitting on the sofa, enjoying the quietness that comes with dusk and children who are tired. It gives me a little bit of time to reflect and enjoy my life. It seems that we are so busy and life on the farm is just picking up. I do love the busy feeling of Spring but sometimes just being able to sit and do nothing is nice. OSG is doing fairly well at his school work. I think that by making the consequences as large as I have- he doesn't have the courage to not do well. I know that school is difficult for him but choose to make him give more of himself than he even thought was possible. I think that… [more]

I cannot believe how beautiful the day is here. I love that fact that summer has come early to our area. It is a wonderful feeling. I have to admit, even the thought of mowing the one acre plot of land that our house sits on does not even have the power to make me sad. That in itself is amazing because I only have a push mower working! I smile at the thought that I also have two teenagers who will soon be 'working' as well. I know that sounds terrible that I smile about it but I have to admit, I think that work is an important part of their lives and spend a lot of time trying to teach… [more]

I have to admit, the rainy days are my favorite. I love sitting on the sofa, looking out of the windows and knowing that all of these 'spring' showers will bring beautiful flowers. I am ready for that change. Yesterday it was so nice outside that our family went to the park. It has been a long time since we have done that since the children living in our home are 18, 14, 13 and 10. The youngest goes often but the older three haven't played at a park for many years. Imagine us, two Chinese daughters, one black son and one Caucasian son- running around the playground like crazy people. It is never quiet when we go anywhere as a group… [more]

Some time ago, I got a note on a blog post from a family considering the legal risk placement of a sibling group of four.  She wondered how on earth we "make ends meet."  Do my husband and I both work or are we independently wealthy?  Well, neither, and my hubby earns a median income. I told the inquirers about the benefits that can be available in Texas to prospective adoptive families, particularly if you adopt a sibling group or special needs child(ren).   In our case, since they were a sibling group of three and a single income family, they were awarded a small monthly stipend plus Medicaid to age 18 which includes full medical, dental, psychological, vision and hearing benefits. … [more]

The byword at our house is sick, sick, sick. It seems that we cannot lick this head cold stuff. It is more dangerous for Orange Shoe Guy (OSG) than anyone else in our family. Those of you who deal with a child who has medical issues know exactly what I am talking about. Having only 50% of his lungs functioning when in peak condition- the congestion really wipes him out. I know how badly I feel, I believe that if I were to multiply that by a lot, I would come into the range of how weak and strung out his body is. Medically fragile children bring a whole new dimension to the family. Everyone in our house knows the sounds of OSG's… [more]

I am pulling another early morning which seems so weird to me since I am not an early morning girl- strictly a late nighter. Yet, in order to have any chance of thinking, I must arise before my tribe. They are in such a loud and rowdy phase right now. I can barely string a coherent sentence together. I struggle in the area of thinking when chaos surrounds me. It is almost as if I feel engulfed by the crazy and cannot recover. For that reason, I have considered locking my doors, porting in food and throwing away the key. The bad news? I know that they would pick the lock, find me and then eat my food. Our weekend in the city… [more]

Wow, it seems like it has been forever since I had the time to update this blog. I hate when life is so busy and hectic that I can't step away, find a quiet corner and type to my heart's content. So I got up at 5 am- everyone else is sleeping. For not being a morning person, this isn't half bad. I love the quiet, peaceful feel of my kitchen. I love the fact that I am not cooking (yet, we are leaving in two hours for Chicago and I refuse to ride in a vehicle with four children who have not been properly fed and watered so I will start cooking within the hour.) It is true; we are going into the city… [more]