The Struggle is Real

In fostering, you are required to do 20 hours of training.  Some of that training can be watching particular movies.  One of the movies is “Instant Family”  starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne.  The movie was so accurate, I felt like I could”ve written it.   My oldest girl…she is a tough cookie.  She came to my house with a huge attitude and chip on her shoulder.  She tested me over everything.  She pushed buttons that I didn’t even know could be pushed.  She said horrible things to hurt me.  if I bought her something she would be mean to me the rest of the night.  There were times when I would sit and think about why I even wanted to do this and if I could do this.  I felt like a mom fail and I was exhausted.  I felt like everyone was watching to see if I could do it or not.  Most of the time in the beginning I was  overwhelmed and doubted I could continue on this journey.  I finally started reaching out to people that could help us.  They started getting therapy and skills training.

Now, here it is, a year later and things have really changed, The mom bond is strong.  We feel like a family now.  We have found our groove.  While it’s not always perfect, after all they are 5 and 6 yrs old, it has really has calmed down.  They are becoming more secure knowing that I am their mom and they have a home of their own.  We are almost ready for the adoption to happen and what a party it will be.  We will invite our family to the court so that it may be a big celebration for our little family.

From Preschool to College and back again!

In 1993 I became a mom.  In 1995 I became a single mom.  I was single from then on, raising my son on my own. Now he’s getting ready to graduate in a couple of months with his masters.  He was a very laid back child and I was a lot younger.   In 2018 I became a mom again.  Valentine’s Day holds a new meaning for me.  I became a foster mom to 2 little girls.  It’s been a year and we are getting settled in and adjusting to each other.  Starting over in my 40s has been an adventure.  I’m very tired but never bored now. My hope is that as I go on this year, I  will start blogging about the experiences of being a foster mom and other things about our journey.

 

Summer Fun!

· Lowe’s offers free Build & Grow Workshops for kids…call your local store for   dates and times!

· Michael’s Kids Club offers a 30-minute craft activity for $2!

· Take kids outside to explore your local park for free!

· Have a book/reading day at your local library!

· Make a lemonade stand!

· McNaughton Spray Park:  Admission $4, age 2 and under $1.

· NIBCO Splash Pad free!

· Pierre Moran Pool:  Admission $4, age 2 and under $1.

· Enjoy the Elkhart Municipal Band at McNaughton Park every Tuesday at 8:00p.m.   for free!

Fun Facts About Easter

* Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Christ three days after his death. It is the oldest Christian holiday and the most important day of the church year.

* Christians consider Easter eggs to symbolize joy and celebration, new life and resurrection

* 90 million chocolate bunnies, 91.4 billion eggs and 700 million peeps are produced each year in the United States.

* 76% of people eat the ears on chocolate bunnies first.

* Americans consume over 16 million jellybeans on Easter, enough to circle the globe three times over and more than 700 million marshmallow peeps during the Easter holiday, which makes Peeps the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy.

* The white lily, the symbol of the resurrection, is the special Easter flower.

* Good Friday is an official holiday in 12 US states

* The Easter Bunny tradition made its way to the US in the 18th century. It is believed to have originated in Europe where it was actually the Easter Hare. Other Easter traditions include wearing Easter bonnets, making Easter baskets and having Easter egg hunts.

Dr. Seuss facts

Interesting Facts about Dr. Seuss…

1.He was born Theodor Seuss Geisel on March 2, 1904 in Springfield Massachusetts

2. Seuss was not a doctor.  He added Dr. to his name in college to lend credibility to his writing.

3. Seuss won a $50 bet with his publisher by writing Green Eggs & Ham using only 50 words.

4. If I Ran the Zoo holds the distinction of being the first published record of the word nerd.

5. Seuss’ first book And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street was rejected 27 times!

6.  Seuss wrote & illustrated 60 children’s books in his lifetime.

7.  Nearly 30 of his books have become movies or videos.

8.  Seuss met 7 United States Presidents.

9.  Seuss did not have any children of his own.

10. Seuss did not use straight lines in his illustrations.

11.  Schools all over will be eating Green Eggs and Ham today!

What is your favorite Seuss book?

 

Don’t leave me!

Flu season…..