We Have Good News!

Today, there was a favorable finding in our girls' case.

A final decision has been made!

We go to "match committee" in 

36 days.

(FYI, this is when the county presents the children and the family or families interested in adopting

them and makes a decision or "matches" them.)

After that, it should only be a a week or two

until we go to court for a great reason...

ADOPTION.

The way it looks, we can plan

to have our adoptions finalized in April after a

long

2 year and 4 month wait.

If you can't tell, I am smiling!!

And feeling blessed and thankful.

My Punny Valentine

As you know, I love puns and word plays...

it might even be considered a "condition" in my case.

Well, Valentine's Day at our house was quite punny.

First off...FOOD

(This seriously must have been my love language this year.)

 These cookies are made with devil's food cake and topped with a melted Ande's mint.

Recipe via Pinterest.

My hubby LOVES mint, so this was for him.

Yummy.

 Blueberry Breakfast cake, also from Pinterest.

Yummy, yummy.

 Giant card "signed" by each kid.

Then I wrote a quote that each of them said about why they love Daddy.

Now for the punny treats.

 Again from Pinterest...Rolo's are amazing aren't they?

 L loves to read and I love that she loves to read.

 She was so excited to get a simple book light.

 PT loves all things related to gas so I got him a whoopi cushion.

I know the note is mildly inappropriate but when you

are a mom to a son, you must

stoop to their level to relate sometimes.

FYI, he LOVED it!! However, little JJ won't let him near her now. 

 She is petrified of him and his fart toy.

For the whole family!

It has songs even for the littlest ones and I got it on sale for $10 off at Target.

Oh yeah!  Peeps that say "I (heart) U."

Who wouldn't love these?

For my threeValen'tiny's.

They love to write and draw and always seem to fight over the pens or lose them.

These pens were $1 at Michaels and they are at least 12" long.

They can't sneak off too easily with these bad boys and each pen is a different color.

I wanted a little wittier statement but the only one that really

got me was really inappropriate...

This is what I WANTED TO WRITE BUT DIDN'T for my 3 little sweethearts.

Ha Ha Ha!

Happy Valentine's to you all.

2/15/2012...
I just linked up at My Life and Kids for their Find the Funny Party.
Check them out.

Sunday Funnies: Photo Funnies

This afternoon, when I was cleaning the kitchen, the dog got tired of waiting for me to let her out.

She went into the hall bathroom and came out like this...

She walked right into the wall.

What did I do?

Laughed!...and grabbed the camera, of course.

Then this evening, a couple friends and I made a very last minute decision

to go see The Vow.

By last minute, I mean I ran out of the house when the movie was going to start in just 9 minutes.

(By the way, I thought it was a cute movie.)

Anyways, after the movie we ran over to Panera for a little dinner.

In the middle of the dinner, my dear friend looks down and found this...

Yep my friends, that is a toy link in her cleavage.

As you can see, I cropped the picture to protect her iden"tit"y. ;)

She was playing with her son when she too had to rush out of the house to 

make it to the movie on time.

You see, this gives one no time to thoroughly check one's cleavage for toys, you see.

Again, I almost wet my pants...and took a picture!

Isn't she a great sport.
That is why she is one of my "breast" friends :)

Hope that you all have a great week!

Laugh a lot.

2/15/2012: I just linked up with My Life and Kids post for Finding the Funny.
Show them some love and check her out.

25 Things: Link Up

1.  I didn't shower today, yet.  I couldn't give up the extra 2O minutes of sleep this morning. I look hot!
2. But I did make my bed and put on a little makeup...seems a little weird to me.
3. I still can not stand to look at or even attempt to eat anything with mayo.
4. Last night, my hubby surprised me with flowers, just because.
5. Last night, I made a bunch of bird's nest breakfast muffins, so that the hubby would have a quick and yummy breakfast.
6. I laughed so hard at the scene about Sue Sylvester and childbirth in last night's episode of Glee.
7. I have a child that truly seeks to irritate others for attention.  I have decided to remind myself that a pearl is formed when a but a grain of sand is an irritant to the clam.
8. I bought my 9 year old a pair of gray Converse loafers trimmed in light green, and looked for a pair in my size.
9. I never have tissues in the house.  We use paper towels or toilet paper...until this week filled with snot.
10. I really want to see The Vow.
11. I am not sure that I can make it through, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  Anyone see it?
12. I have been making 2-4 recipes from my Pinterest "Yummy" board each week.  We are loving it.
13. I really wish that Pinterest had an option for a a private board in case you want to pin something that you don't want everyone to see, like party favors.  Can I get an AMEN!?
14. I love crossing things off my to-do list and will go back and add something I've done to it so that I can cross it off.  Dumb, I know.
15. My 4th grader just told me that her friends told her that this is when she should be starting to wear a bra and deodorant.  I barely flinched...but may be heading to the store soon.
16. I have recently had the urge to bring another baby into the family, although this is not probable.
17. I really enjoy Grippos Barbecue Chips with a Yuengling Light, and wish I didn't.
18. My memory really fluctuates.  I can remember some really trivial things but not some more important stuff sometimes.
19. My daughter remembers everything.  She reminded me today that she "loves Valentine's Day" because I always give them a little gift (I do?) and I make construction paper hearts for each of them and write things I love about them on it (Um, I totally forgot that.).  Mama has some work to do.
20. I have put a kid in time-out or sent them to their room...and forgot to tell them to come out for a while.
21. I was so proud of PT this week when he was making the Lincoln Memorial out of clay and he thought it would be cool to use an dirty penny for Lincoln's face.  After all, "he was old."  Funny and clever.
22. I had a woman stop me in Jo-Ann Fabrics this week and ask me if I'd like to work with her in a financial consulting business...uh no thanks.
23. I read a great blog today about adoption and orphan care from the Anderson Crew...please read it HERE.  
24. I really can't stand Facebook posts regarding God's love and then follow up with, re-post or else kind of working.  God's love is not dependent on social media, thank ya very much.
25. Unfortunately, I have been praying for a few people that have suffered a loss or have had medical needs.  I will also pray that this post finds you well.  
26. Bonus:  I just realized that I wrote a similar post with 25 weird things about me last year at this time.  You can check it out HERE.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

This is a link up from Perfectly Imperfect Blog.

Check it Out.

The Dentist

After an exhaustive search, we located a dentist that would

accept our 5 children with 2 different types of insurance, and was near our home.
(This is a whole different post.)

YAY!

We headed there today for our 10am appointment and 

after only one u-turn and a phone-a-friend (Thanks, Jean.)

we made it just in time.

I filled out A LOT of paperwork, including a statement saying if I didn't

show and didn't call...$75 charge.

Whatever.

So I, plus our 4, 3, and 2 year olds, proceed to sit in the tiniest waiting area with 4 other

families for 1 hour and 10 minutes to be called back.

Keep in mind that I had to feed everyone and get J to the bus at noon.

I looked at the receptionist, and before I could speak, she said, 

"Um, it should be just a minute."

Finally we are called back and I was steamed.

The hygienist was moving slowly so I let her know that we were in

quite a hurry.

She said, "Do they call you mom?"

I reply, "Yep, I am their mom."

CM got in the chair and looked a little anxious.

The hygienist, smiled sweetly, and remarked how beautiful all my girls are.

I began to soften a bit.

Then she loudly followed with, in a crowded area,

"Are all of them foster kids?"

I looked at her and said, "No, and we don't call them that."

She looked a little embarrassed and apologized.

I accepted.

I am clearly noticing that my patience with questions is directly

proportional to my stress level and how much of it my kids and everyone

around them can hear.  

The woman didn't mean any harm.  I get that.

But today, I didn't care quite as much.

CM's teeth are beautiful.  

I kept semi-control over the kids during that long wait.

We did make it to the bus, just in time, while still eating McDonald's in the car.

All the while, tears were welling up in CM's eyes because the fluoride treatment she was given

didn't allow her to eat or drink for 30 minutes.  

It all could be worse.
(I could have been nicer.)

Wish me luck when I take 3 kids back in a few weeks for more cleanings.

Things that Shouldn't Surprise Me...but Do!

You would think by now, 5 kids later, I would not be surprised when my small kids, 2 and 3 year olds in particular, do some really annoying...I mean really "typical" behaviors.  
Here are a few things that shouldn't surprise me but do.  

• Repeated statements like..."No! I do it myself! Bad choice Mommy! Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. I don't like it!"
  
• Food will be tossed all over the table, her clothes, my clothes, the floor, and onto the dog in a fit of rage right after having cleaned the floor or put on a fresh outfit.
  
• Toilet water fascinates and MUST BE PLAYED IN whenever possible.
  
• Freshly washed and styled hair, must be touched with dirty hands covered with something like yogurt or even worse...glitter or glue.
• Diapers soiled by a toddler, are disgusting and the smell could be used as nerve gas.  Take note, military.
• The thought of nap time coming to an end is devastating and can depress any mother.
• Everything takes so much longer since your toddler has discovered his/her new found independence.
• Loaded diapers or emergency trips to the potty will occur only when you are already running very late.
• Clothes will be stripped off and LOST, followed by dress-up clothes being put on, 5 minutes before needing to leave for an appointment to get to the bus stop.
• When trying to use the bathroom alone, a child will hurt themselves, bite, hit, and scream...or the phone or doorbell will ring.
• You can decipher cries as if they were Morris code...I'm hurt. vs. She hit me. vs. I'm tired. vs. I am a big-fat-faker cry (my personal favorite).  You know what I am talking about.
• Tattling.  Enough said.
• What you do or say when you think no one is noticing is quite embarrassing when a 2 year old repeats it or talks about it in public. ( i.e."I want Angry Birds!"  or "Just go, dude!" or "You tooted.  You smell bad.")
• Once settled down for nap, your usually constipated child blows out her diaper ending nap for not only herself, but also for her sister who heard the cries and probably smelled the stench.
• And a popular one..."MINE!!!"

Come on guys.  I know that you have a few of your own. 

Share!!

Good thing they are so darn cute.

Varicose Veins and Botox

 On Varicose Veins...

 L wanted to know if I thought she crosses her legs too much because a friend's mom told her it could make her veins in her leg stick up.  "Varicose veins?" I ask.  

She nodded and seemed pleased to know what they are called.  Then she asked me if I had them.  I told her that luckily I didn't (yet), but I do have some spider veins from my pregnancies.

She (so seriously) said, "You know Mom, no one would even notice the purple veins on your legs because they'd be distracted by the fact you have 5 kids.  They'd be like, "Five kids, how does she do it?" Mom, people say that to be all of the time."

On Botox...

If you have read my earlier posts, you know that CM has quite a fascination
with my head looking mad.

a.k.a.  my wrinkles.

Well someone in our house is getting Botox injections...

but it isn't me.

JJ has spasticity (tight muscle groups) in her arm that

will benefit from Botox injections.

This is meant to temporarily relax the muscle group so that

more aggressive stretching can be done.

This will be done by progressively casting her arm into

straighter and straighter positions for a few weeks, 

followed up with more therapy.

She is making such awesome gains and this will only move her

further along, so I am on board with it...

and trying not to be bitter that she gets Botox before me!

(Just kidding)

I am telling you, we have the weirdest topics of conversation around here.

Have a great weekend.

Birth Parents

I just wrote this post.
I was putting the last sentences on it and,
the power went out!
I lost it all.

So I will try again...

There are so many questions I and others have about birth parents.

Who are they?
Where are they now?
What did they do or not do?
Will they want the children back?
Was there abuse or drugs involved?
Is there a way to reunite the family?
Who would do that to a child?
Is there health issues?
WHY?

I know that when we take a referral for a child through foster care,
I ask a lot of questions.
I want to know the details so that we can make decisions that are best
for our family and for the child in need of one.
I also ask questions along the way because children will need the details (whether good or bad)
when they grow and start to have difficult questions.
It is their story, their details, their losses.
They own it.

Usually, we are not talking about a child being voluntarily placed for adoption.
There is usually some evidence of abuse or neglect,
or other negative circumstances
making foster care the only option at the time.


Birth parents in these situations may not be
able to parent for any number of reasons.
Some may be struggling with mental health or developmental issues, addiction, young age,
limited positive role models, poverty, history of their own abuse or trauma.
The list goes on.


Foster parenting calls us to care for the child when the birth family can not,
and to
assist in rebuilding the family whenever it is possible.

Don't get me wrong.
I am not making excuses.
I get really mad sometimes.
I get very sad sometimes.
I get frustrated, often.

However, when I start to feel myself getting all judgey-judgey (I love that term.),
I try to remember that in some way, somewhere down the line,
the birth parent/family has broken down, and not being able to
parent your child safely because of any reason
is tragic.

I feel like if I spend too much time focused on the negative circumstances
that bring kids into care,
I might just miss the "call."

For now, in our current circumstance,
I know one thing for sure, that our girls' birth parents
make beautiful babies.