staffing

what is a permanency staffing...

well...

it's like an IEP meeting (individualized educational plan) but for the parents.

all interested parties are there (minus lawyers - unless they can all be present)

we had a permanency staffing today...

moving forward to reunification - if daddy hadn't slipped... they would be recommending reunification now

but... he did

we are still moving forward... they will hope seriously look at a new home study... and one of the workers (i think a head case manager type) encouraged parents to bring as much paperwork as possible so she could have all the info...

they are hoping to start overnight visits soon.

speaking of HOME...

GOD's mighty hand shook things up... the previous (icky) home of the parents got flooded during some heavy rains... (which caused court to be cancelled) and now they are in a nice duplex...

how do i know...

i drove the parents home today... (after making sure at least 2 people knew what i was doing).

it's clean, it's nice, it's small...

i can see my babies there... i can see them playing in the yard... i can see them thriving... thankful for that gift.

court cancelled

UGH

today was supposed to be court - if you are a foster parent these days are dreaded but anticipated... a day of possible answers or at least a clarification...

but due to a pesky lil' stormed called isaac... i got a good 20 minutes into my commute and it was cancelled...

i took off work - got a sub - got the call just as classes were starting - didn't want to put the sub out of the $70 she expected to make - now i will have to take another day off another time....

i am so disappointed, frustrated, and i want to scream.... can't do anything about it and it's hard to explain... we are so close to the end (i think?!?!?!) the delay is frustrating.... can't imagine how the parents must feel...

quieter days

along with moving towards reunification... visitation has been notched up...

kids are now gone until bedtime on Thursdays and from 10:45-6:45 on Saturdays.

i miss family time because we are also back at work so we don't really see them. what is nice is we have time to clean up and rest from all our crazy days.

i have realized though i haven't taken as many pictures... trying to make the time we have with them more intentional.. so hard when i am just starting up the school year and worn out, but these are our last days. but dinner is becoming a time to work together and have fun... calzones from pinterest - mmmmm

part of me is tempted to continue picking them up later from daycare so our time is less.... it's the pull of the end time... either soak up the time... or start pulling away...

baby bear is getting so cute - he is entering the fun phase --- he is 15 months old now and discovering so much...

momma is entering the almost 3 year old phase which is rough... but i have learned how to handle her.

we finally are in a good routine... the dust is settling... and it's about to get kicked up again as they leave.

court monday so we will see what new thing is added. probably more visitation... more time to learn living without them.

sometimes it doesn't seem real - it feels more like an odd split custody of sorts - some funky divorce settlement... but soon the reality will sink in...

one of my worst fears

This post on FOSTERHOOD has smacked me in the face. It is one of the things I have worried about with what to send home with the bears... but I had never imagined it on this level. Makes me kind of sick...

summer is over... for me

tomorrow i get up bright and early... get babies dressed and out the door...

and go back to school...

summer is over for our local teachers...

bee has one week left - which means camp grandma...

for me it's full time back to work with getting my classroom organized, paperwork done, and the impending doom i always feel the first week...

i love teaching - but not the "job" stuff that goes with it... politics, etc. etc. etc.

in the summer i can pretend i am a home schoolin' momma...

now the reality comes forth of life...

the list of stuff we were to do over the summer is shorter - but not complete...

here's to next summer...

lookin' forward to it!

pinterest fail....

MAJOR FAIL - coffee scrub.... i only had a few ingredients around the house... also didn't do the honey (but realize that wouldn't have fixed my biggest issue)....

olive oil is stinky...

and my bathtub looks greasy....

sigh....

my vision of coffee aroma-ed heaven ---- looked like a dirty oil spill....

and in my moments of peace... i heard bee walk into sleeping pink-eyed baby bear's room... HI BABY! surprise! he's awake! ugh....

unexpected admiration

i admire her...

MOMMY...

there were some surprises as i had been warned...

daddy screwed up... again... pretty big... and mommy didn't know...

but she held it together...

i had a vision of myself if it had happened to me... think lil' old southern woman going after bully with her purse... lots of angry words... that would have been me

SHE KEPT CALM...

a report someone else gave... stating they wanted another six to eight months of growth on her part....i almost fell over... she stood strong...

she had to answer her kids questions... and she did... in a way that was semi-honest (not actual lies)... and honoring to the man who had just let them all down...

she had to say good bye to her kids again... put them in my vehicle...

i don't know how she does it...

praying for her continued progress...

hoping for it all to work -

HE will complete that good work HE has begun in her...