I know it happens to others too...Right?

I left the house with this attached to the back of my coat.  Luckily one of the teens pulled it off me before I was arrested and strip searched.  (in hindsight getting arrested might be considered a break and let's face it no one has wanted to see anything under my clothes in like....well in a really. long. time so a strip search might just be the excitement I need....

Have you ever been in a grocery store, overloaded cart, back tracking this way and that looking for every single item you might possibly need within the next two weeks and when your family is large that is a LOT of things and you just want to stop and yell "For the love of GOD can someone PULEEASE tell me where the water chestnuts are?!!"

Ya, me either….

I bet you all thought the baby Malia was holding was a new bundle of joy for us didn't you?

Sorry

But your thoughts to God's ear or something like that….

come on now!

Baby J who came to our Christmas party

You tell me how the universe could deny this girl so full of love a teeny bundle to love on? 

Government time

Government time

To adopt you must complete a criminal check and child intervention check ensuring both that you are not a crazed criminal or have had any negative interactions within the child welfare system.  I had my paperwork in two days after I discovered the baby.  That was November 22 if I am not mistaken.  The worker who processes them has them date stamped as having made it to her desk November 28.  She was on holidays.  For two weeks.  She is working on them today.  December 11.  You do the math.

Now she cannot process them without one other added technicality that is new that I must adhere to.  Here's hoping I can get what I need done with them before Friday and submitted so she can finish processing them.  A fast return of the intervention checks is thirty to sixty days.  Yes you read that right.

I might have only been half right when I said adopting a child from foster care requires the skills of a hostage negotiator.  It also requires the patience of a saint.  Unfortunately I aint no saint.

Oy

Public Safety Announcement! It is not common knowledge but it IS possible to become trapped in a sports bra. Should you still choose to risk wearing this dangerous under garment it is strongly suggested that a small pair of scissors be kept within close proximity. As of yet no recalls have been listed but they are sure to occur as word gets out. You're welcome

After snapping the snow shovel in half while shovelling the teenager says "the poor thing couldn't handle the massive guns on my arms"...
She's just so delicate my precious princess daughter.....

"How many kids does that family have?' asks the seven year old.
"Seven" I reply
"Hmm seven is not a very big number of kids to have"
It is possible the child's perspective might be a little skewed...

adoption update such as it is

What is the baby update you might ask?

Nothing good.

I have put in my application to adopt a baby listed on the photo listing.  My home assessment is five years old and things are done differently now.  This would be a government adoption so things run S.L.O.W.  I have been told I am being fast tracked.  That means with my application having gone in at the end of November my home assessment will be completed no where before….wait for it….February.  I have offered to pay an agency to have it done….the same agency that they would contract out to.  My rationale is that if I'm paying I can get it done sooner.  Even if that were true and I don't know if it is my offer was not acceptable.  As I mentioned from my post on TRUST, I am to trust the system.  Easy to say when you are waiting to hear if you are considered worthy for a specific child, or any new child in government care.  Every day that goes by is a day lost to the forever family whoever they are.  As I am sure the baby is receiving excellent care in her foster home medical decisions are being made and ones that have life long effects.  A forever family should be making those.

Christmas is coming.  You know what that means right?  Sure there are all the festivities the Season brings but what it also brings as anyone waiting on government will tell you is a halt in progress.  Workers take holidays, offices are shut and nothing is done short of what is emergent.  More time passes as a little baby celebrates a huge first in what is possibly her temporary home.

As it turns out as I was informed this week is that the foster family has not indicated whether they want to adopt this little peanut they have been loving on.  I am hoping a poop or get off the pot attitude quickly ensues.  I just can't believe that this huge fact was not determined BEFORE they started recruiting adoptive families.  There is a possibility that the family is unsure about their intentions as the needs of the baby are great and will continue to be so.  Maybe they thought they would not have to make the commitment if no one was interested.  It's not an easy one to make.  Being faced with the loss will likely be the impetus to decide.  It is what is best for the baby that is of greatest importance.  If the foster family does want to adopt her and they are capable of meeting her lifelong needs then that is where the baby should stay.  I say that with the utmost sincerity.  I detest children being bounced around like beach balls.

Last word I heard was more discussions needed to be had.  I sure hope those happen fast, for everyone's sake.

In the olden days when I was doing this I had little issue politely climbing the ladder until I got to the deciders.  All of those folks are gone now.  I am treading far more lightly than I ever have short of with the littlest boy's situation.  A fact I know for sure which has been a hurdle since child number five made her appearance was the size of the family and of course my lack of husband.  I only hope we can clear the hurdle again this time.

I have a theory on menopause (not that I would have any real knowledge you understand…)

My theory is that after decades of seeing blood for upwards of a week a month when it is missed you have a desperate need to see it even if it is someone else's.  It's better in fact if it is someone else's.

This excludes times when cycles are missed due to pregnancy.  Those folks are all aglow from growing a new person and are in more of the loving,  protective, nurturing part of their lives not the this is the beginning of the end part and I'm not going out without a fight.

As I said, it's just a theory.  I have no clear research to back me up...

If your teen is bugging you and won't let up…start twerking. Guaranteed to have them running screaming from the room thereby restoring peace for at least a few precious moments. 
If for some reason your teen is of a stronger constitution than mine and continues to pester and annoy offer to load a video of you twerking onto youtube and post on their Facebook timelines.

I'm here to help People.  I'm a giver like that

You know how some folks have visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads?  Well I have no clue what a sugar plum is but I know what a Big Mac is and visions of one of those bad boys spent last evening calling my name.  Today I had one.  Yes I did.  I now feel a coma coming on probably due to the third degree heart block that now ensues.  Sure was good going down though….

trust?

Hmmm.  Wondering why adoptive parents would be recruited for a baby in foster care before determining whether the foster parents want to adopt or not.  Foster parents in good standing.  Everybody seems to love them and the care they provide.  If they want to adopt then it makes the most sense to me anyways NOT to disrupt baby by moving her.

Twenty four years in the system and still am no further ahead in wrapping my head around how the folks within it do what they do.  Today I was told I need to "trust the system" and work within it.  I was told this by someone who has been working in the system possibly four times less years than I have been adopting from it and know there is much not to trust about it.

Realistically I know that everyone is attempting to work in the best interests of children.  As it always is with the government raising of children no one can agree on what the best interests are.