Welcome to the blog
May 24, 2017
At this point I considered dismissing the conversation and telling her to just make sure she was nice to the ghost so it wouldn’t haunt her when she went to bed (kidding!), but instead the “I’m a good mom and I love to look for learning opportunities” light bulb went on over my head and I decided it was a great time to have a “how do we learn to think about things clearly” discussion. So I sat up straight, leaned towards her, and beckoned smilingly.
February 4, 2016
There is this wonderful little person who snuck his way into our lives while our thoughts were very occupied with other things. Although we had a lot on our plates at the time, and although foster care forces you into an acceptance of the fact that you can’t know the future, we still felt like […]
December 12, 2015
And just like that, she’s gone. Our girl went home last week. Or rather, she went to the house that currently contains her biological family. Is that her home? It’s how we all talked about it. “She’ll be going home soon,” we’d say. Home. We use that word so freely, so casually. It’s how we […]
November 16, 2015
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from observing social media, it’s that there’s nothing people enjoy more than posts about throw up. Well, you’re in luck, because that’s EXACTLY what this post is about! I always want to write about life as it really is, so even if you’re one of those oddballs that doesn’t […]
November 4, 2015
Maple syrup. What kind of insanity prompts a mother to even allow syrup in a home occupied by five children?? The deliciousness must be worth it, because that stuff can’t stay put. Inevitably, on the mornings when I lose my mind and actually serve maple syrup-drenched pancakes to my collection of small people, some will […]
October 15, 2015
Last Wednesday I dropped Jack-Jack off at his class at church while I was involved in our women’s ministry. Except it wasn’t his class — it was a NEW class, because he’s three now — and he wasn’t having it. He saw our arrival at this different class as an act of betrayal, and, being […]
September 24, 2015
As of last week, our girl has been with us for a year and a half, and her future is still a question mark. In the whole scheme of messy, complicated foster care situations (and really, is there any foster care situation that isn’t?), hers appears to be more messy and complicated than some. No […]
September 2, 2015
I have read maybe a hundred lists. The lists people post just to inform everyone else in the world, to make sure we’re not committing serious faux pas against each other. “10 Things to Never say to Adoptive Parents,” “The 7 Questions Every Foster Parent Hates to Answer,” “5 Gifts No Teacher Wants to Get,” […]
August 29, 2015
There’s something about babies. It’s not just their own cuteness–their soft skin and nice smell and the way they look so squeezable in jammies. Babies do something to the people around them. They make stress lines melt away from preoccupied faces, they put a ceasefire on arguments, they elicit a smile from someone who’s down. […]
August 22, 2015
A few days ago our girl poured herself a glass of milk, and she (accidentally) poured way too much. Since this only happens, like, twelve times a day, it came as no surprise. (What DOES come as a surprise is the fact that I keep letting her pour her own drinks, like I’m some kind […]
