Check out this FANTASTIC giveaway for an AMAZING cause!

Go here and check out The Matthews Family Blog!  They are having an amazing giveaway as a fundraiser for their adoption....and I really mean an AMAZING giveaway of uniquely wonderful items for an incredible cause!  I just purchased a t-shirt from them for a birthday gift not long ago and the quality is fantastic.  As you know I hold orphans near and dear to my heart and hope very much to start our adoption journey sooner rather than later.  So please, please, please help this incredible family to bring their precious little girl home to her forever family!

Today's Visit

My foster daughter, whom I will call Tara, had a visit today.  I was relieved that her mom actually showed up, especially being that she has a no show tendency.  I have heard today from two different case aides, these are the people who supervise the visits, that Tara has some major issues with reverting to baby like tendencies when around "mom".   I was also told that she is a completely different little girl as soon as she is around mom.  Apparently she wants all the attention and doesn't want mom to give any attention to her older brother.  She starts to suck her thumb, a habit that isn't displayed much here.  Tara also whines when at visits if she doesn't get her way...something I WILL NOT tolerate.  I can't handle whining, it hurts my brain.

 I think a lot about what is inside her at such a young age.  What spurs her actions and emotions.  Did she have all the attention at home and now that she has to share with brother she doesn't like it?  I know that at home, before the children were removed, mom thought Tara was an angel that did no wrong.  Mom blamed Tara's older brother for all the wrong doing and trouble that happened.  Maybe now mom is seeing that it wasn't all brother?

Tara has told me several times that it is her brother, Brady's, fault that they were removed.  That if he didn't talk back to mom, Kara, none of this would've happened.  I've tried to explain that no amount of back talk enables a parent to hit a child in the manner that their mom hit them.  When I told her this she said "so, mom hits us all the time."   These kids were brought into care because of abuse to the brother.  Apparently no marks were left on Tara.  My heart breaks for these kids.

And so the adventure begins....

To start I will offer you a bit of background information....

I am married to my high school sweetheart who is very much the love of my life.  We are polar opposites which is why, I feel, we compliment each other perfectly.  After 15 years of marriage there is still nowhere I would rather be at the end of the day than in his arms.

I have wanted to be a foster and adoptive mom for nearly as long as I have wanted to be a biological mom.  I wanted to give of myself to children who were in the midst of very hard times. So here I am, a foster mom, 20 years and three fantastic biological children later.  

I have been a full time child care provider for 16 years.  This career choice has enabled me to have my kiddos at home with me which has been a wonderful blessing.  It has also taught me  so much about taking care of  other peoples children.   

I created this blog for many reasons....mainly to give me a place to journal about the daily ins and outs of foster care,  a place to purge my feelings and emotions, and also a place to let my mind wander about what I see and learn. 

Going into foster care I wanted and felt up to a challenge and I have certainly found it.  I am choosing to embrace this adventure whole heartedly while hoping and praying that I can be the difference a child needs.