is she just saying what we want to hear??? who cares!!!!

i mentioned to my mom that the bears' mother seems real nice...

i've spoken to her on the phone, gotten letters, etc

her response is - she i just saying what she thinks everyone wants to hear...

so???

she at least recognizes what she's SUPPOSED to say!

and one of the things she has written me... suggests we meet up even AFTER reunification... that she realizes we are important to her children and that we matter...

when i read that --- i just burst out in tears... in the middle of class!

HOPE! even if it doesn't happen - i can survive another six months now, because we have hope

she's getting older... aka proving me wrong

figured momma bear wouldn't realize she didn't have visitation due to "stuff" this week.

was glad we had fair warning b/c my thought had been if we act like there wasn't SUPPOSED to be a visit, she would have no clue

2 nights after - wailing for daddy... and i know she meant him


not normal kiddie whine - mourning cry

had to tell my son tonight --- the choices you make HAVE AN EFFECT ON OTHERS!

i asked him if he could hear her crying - when he said yes... and looked at me confused - i told him - she misses her daddy and he made some bad choices...

praying he sees how every action affects others - i pray he will be a good daddy/husband

unpostable

you know you are in the fosterhood when you see the word corrections and don't think of things to fix... but jail!

things that now pop up in autocomplete...

xxxx clerk of court

xxxx inmate search

xxxx court

and now... for the fourth time... googling directions to xxxx court house.

(((((sigh))))) my life is so weird 

a buck fifty

so...

i will preface this post that i know that i happen to be extra cranky... about something un-postable at the moment... in truth i am MAD... at God, at the world, i want to scream kick and cuss....

so...

enter well meaning woman at the the local thrift store

we are licensed through a group that does a bunch of stuff for kids in the system. one of the ways they fund their philanthropy is through a thrift shop. something cool the thrift shop does - is as a foster parent i can request a voucher (which is sent to the store) and i can go pick out stuff for my kiddies.

i haven't done it because we are blessed with hand me downs, and i happen to know the selection is thin pickings at the store... but i was headed in anyway (with a big @$$donation of adult clothing) so i figured out what the heck?!?! momma bear has recently hit a growth spurt.. i bought a bunch of stuff at a big consignment shindig - but a few more t-shirts would round out the collection nicely.

our licensing counselor kept telling me i should take advantage of it...

well... i'd waited so long - no voucher on record... i have lost my check card and had no cash... i told the lady this up front... i would have been totally cool is she told me to come back later... but she "helped"me shop.

check out the 25 cent clothes first please... ummm... ok... she kept showing me size 5 stuff (momma bear JUST moved up to size 3... i know it doesn't look like a big difference - but y'all w/ lil' ones know there is)... and at one point kept showing me long sleeve shirts saying "you could just cut the sleeves"...

ummm... no thanks... i want to avoid the screaming label "I AM IN FOSTER CARE AND DON'T RANK NICER CLOTHES RAGAMUFFIN LOOK"

when we went inside she showed me where the other clothes were but was quick to tell me not to pick the purple tagged clothes - those are the newer things (ummm... k)

in all i got 6 items --- all tagged at 25 cents... so for the hassle of feeling like

1. a charity case
2. my kid doesn't rank the nicer stuff

a got a buck fifty worth of clothes... 2 things i wouldn't have picked but the lady kept pressing me

maybe if she hadn't been dressed to the 9's w/ fabulous make up it wouldn't have bugged me... but a little voice in my head made me want to scream - would you "cut the sleeves"for your grandbabies?!?!? i doubt it!

don't think i'll do it again... reminded me of this post by my foster-hero fosterhood

****again i'm in a high pissy mood right now***

drug of a country

i've seen the bumper sticker and giggled

tv - the drug of choice

but wow

i gave up netflix (mostly) for lent...

i... am... an addict

it has been odd these past few weeks.

coming home and not crashing on the couch in exhaustion and watching an episode or two or six of NUMB3RS.

i knew that i couldn't go cold turkey - like a meth addict i would curl up and die (no not really) but i knew i would absolutely fail

so... i allowed myself 3 hours a week. for someone who used to watch more than 3 hours a day - drastic. i gave myself the 3 hours b/c my hubby and i have some shows we watch together that come on weekly - and it's nice to have that...

of course - they have been doing RERUNS during lent!

also - i didn't count in "family movie nights"...

but i digress... the amount i of time i realize i have now is embarrassing --- also --- i'm not as tired...

hoping i can continue the less tv after lent... having the whole "if christ could sacrifice all for you, you can sacrifice tv for him" card has def. helped :)

oh... and i've found more time for blogging ;)

too small

having a foster-first

packing up all the too small clothes i've bought for momma bear...

looking at the outfit she first came to us in...

pink fuzz pants and an oshkosh shirt...

she's outgrown clothes in her time here...

she started in 18mo-2t

just bought her a bunch of 3ts

will she outgrow those with us too????