Yearly Review

Wednesday is our annual recertification/review for our foster care license. Usually I would be cleaning like a mad woman. Cleaning carpets, baseboards & trying to reach the chandelier that's 22 feet up in the entry way. (I haven't reached it in 8 yrs) But this year I just can't work up the "want to". They've treated us so badly over the past couple of years, I just don't care. We have quarterly reviews too, which we just had one a month ago & I didn't care then either. It's not like there's not a SW in my house at least twice a month. If my house didn't meet some unknown standard,it seems they would have said something.
~sigh~ I'll probably be cleaning like a mad woman Tuesday night.
noooo, maybe I'll just mop and clean off the counters and call it a night.

Baby K

Baby K is proving to be one of the best babies I have ever seen. At 4 months old he smiles & laughs all the time.
The only time he's really cranky is when he's hungry or overly tired. He's a good sleeper too.
Goes to bed about 10:00pm and if he wakes, it's usually about 3:30 takes his bottle and goes back to sleep until I wake him at 8:00am. He's slept thru the night once since he's been here.
But he has got to have a bladder the size of a basketball! If he pees one time in a diaper, it's like you poured 2 cups of water into the thing.
I'm not sure how he naps during the day. He has been at daycare everyday since we got him for naps. So this weekend should be interesting.
What is really going to be interesting is going to "Chunky Cheese" for my granddaughter's 2nd birthday party with a 3 yr old, a 22 mo old & a 4 mo old. I really dislike the Chunky Mouse anyway...It's always wall to wall rude people. Yuck.
OHH, and Baby Weepy still hasn't gotten rid of the double ear infection he has had for 4 months, so now on top of having surgery to remove his rotten teeth, they want him to have tubes put in his ears too.
Life is always crazy around here.
I can't wait til November gets here so I can go on that "pinky mouse boat". (The Boy's rendition of a Disney* Cruise)

The Locator....

Who watched it and what do you think...from any prospective?

Full Circle

We got a call yesterday for a 4 month old. And like something crazy I took him.
We go pick him up. I ask the inevitable question,"will this be long term?" "Oh, no she says, the grandparents want him, they are having a home study done, and if not them, then the couple who adopted his 5 yr old brother wants him very badly."
That's fine. I filed the info away for later use.
After our busy day, I hadn't had time to read what little case file comes with him. So last night I took the time to read it. Way, wayyyy back in a corner, found accidentally on some old WIC papers was Bmom's name. I said NOOOOOO, surly not. I remembered
the name from one of our very first placements. A little boy who at 18 months had been through hades and back. He came to us with a broken leg & had been left in a crib for very long periods of time. After a time we thought he was severely autistic. We were literally held hostage in our home. We couldn't go anywhere. OHHHHh the scenes that boy would make. Someone almost called the police one time. They would call me everyday from daycare to come get him. He was jumping off bookcases & actually breaking into the locked closets with the markers & bleach! They called him Houdini because he could get out of any door, locked or not. The Sunday school workers for his age, I know were praying we didn't come on the day they had his age group!
So, I save the charts I make on all our children, I check this boy's chart and lo and behold it's the same Bmom's name & for good measure I check the boy's date of birth, yep just turned 5 a few months ago. COINCIDENCE?? I think NOT. I don't even think Dfac*s has put it together.
I'm just thankful our little guy from 4 yrs ago was adopted. I just knew because of his problems he would be deemed unadoptable and sent to an institution. It would be great if these saintly people who adopted his brother could adopt this one too. Beautiful, Beautiful children.
I guess if you do this foster care thing long enough you come full circle many times over.

New Species Discovered

Please see the photos above.

We were called into a little boy's room late one night. He said there was "something" in his room.

This is the only thing out of the ordinary we could find.

It is shown with what we believe is the only thing "it" consumes...chocky milk in a sippy cup and a "bobby" it seems to only need when sleeping.

I have shown many different angles for identifying purposes.

If you know what this thing is, please let me know. It's a pest and keeps breaking into The Boy's bedroom every few nights.

It's A Pretty Purple & matches my bathroom!

Mom Central & Johnson's have asked me to try the new Listerine Total Care.
I really like it and not just because it matches my bathroom either!
But because you get all this:

Take advantage of 6 benefits in one mouthwash:
Helps Prevent Cavities
Restores Minerals to Enamel
Strengthens Teeth
Kills Bad Breath Germs
Freshens Breath
Fights Unsightly Plaque Above the Gum Line

**AND it doesn't burn your taste buds and mouth to a crisp**
I'll actually use it because of this. I didn't care for using mouth wash before, because I actually wanted to taste my coffee in the morning and not go to bed at night feeling like my mouth was going to explode.
And it doesn't hurt that it looks nice in the bathroom.
If you want to see all the really cool new stuff Listerine has or more about the Listerine Total Care go to www.listerine.com

Gone

Little RADish girl is gone.
They called at noon to say at the 72 hour court hearing today that GREATgrandma will get custody. Seems she has 11 & 4 yr old siblings that already live with Ggrandma. So they either had to take the 2 away or give Littlegirl to Ggma. With the "new" give services while in the home effort, it was almost a given she would go with a relative if one was out there. The poor lady looked about 75 and could barely walk. I don't know how she's going to do it. She said the little girl stayed with her most of the time anyway?? Maybe it explains alot of her behaviors, VERY unsocialized. I guess they stay home alot. I understand why they want/need to do more services in home. But is it always best for the kids. Nothing is ever going to be 100% right...but geeezzz a 75 yr old having to raise that many kids, that young?
I'll just mark it up to learning more of what I can deal with and what I will not. My heart and mind goes out to all of you dealing day in and day out with children with RAD. Bless YOU.

Dumb & Dumber

HI!
Hello, did you call me? yep, that's me...dumb and getting dumber by the minute.
Last night the phone rang....at 11:00pm
YOU know where this is going, don't you?
Why does noone do crazy things between the hours of 9-5?
Soooooo.......
She's just shy of 3 yrs old. Twice as big as The Boy. Can't talk, isn't potty trained, climbs out of a crib, wont stay in a bed. Will NOT listen when you try to talk to her. She jerks away and runs off. Has the attention span of a gnat. Throws whatever she has in her hand in the floor. Starting calling us mommy & daddy before the S.W left last night/this morning. Supposedly never been in care before but acts like any RAD kid I've seen that's been in care for years.
Today while out trying to get her some clothes & shoes (she came with neither) we were in a consignment shop that knows me well. They were having their lunch on the counter and she just reaches up and takes what she wants! I almost died. I quickly explained to her we don't touch other people's food and that was rude. She skipped off to wreck havoc elsewhere. We were at Sam's Club buying diapers for her when she was just saying mommy, mommy over and over. (I had stopped correcting her & telling her to call me D) I said "yes little girl, what do you want? She reached over and kissed my cheek?? We are complete strangers to her. Alot of RAD behavior is pretty clear but I'm not sure how to deal with it. Since we usually deal with babies I'm not up on behavior motification or how I should react to some of what she does.
Any ideas?

**I've told her about a million times we are not mommy & daddy and to call us by our names. It's as though I've not said a word to her**

Our Week In review...

A Week ago we woke up to this! Today is was 80 degrees and the kids were in shorts.

The 2nd photo should be titled "Wishful Thinking" on Baby Weepy's behalf. He was afraid of the snow. He wouldn't step on it. He just kept pulling his feet up.The Boy was eating it! Of course it was all but gone the next day. But it was fun while it lasted.Which in my opinion, one day is plenty. Notice the mileage we're getting out of the Boy's Bear hat. I think for 3 winters straight he has been able to fit Bear Hat. Daddy says he hopes he never out grows it.

The first photo is my weeping Mulberry tree. I love it. It is gorgeous in the spring and summer. It looks like an umbrella.

Conversations with a S*W

Me-Hi Ms. Rude.
I'm calling to tell you B.W needs to go to the Pediodontist. It's over an hour from our house and I've used all my vacation time this yr and most of my sick time on B.W's needs. I need you or someone to transport to the Consult & possible surgery. I don't have anymore time off and I know I've got to stay home with him at least 2 days after the surgery. I need help in doing all this.
Ms. Rude- I don't see how I can help, it's far for me too. You'll have to take him to the consult and I can pick him up and take him to daycare. Then I'll be there for the surgery and bring him home.( they have to be there for all surgery's, so this is no concession).
Me- Even if I take him to the consult I will have used more than 1/2 day of time I do not have on the books to take him. Not to mention, I do have another child I have to make arrangements for while I take him. I don't see how I can take another day off, when I'm going to have to take 2 days off while he recoups at home. Two days without pay, by the way. I can't take 3 days off without pay.
Ms. Rude- Well you'll have to do something, I'll wait for your call to tell me what you've worked out. Talk to you later.
Need I tell you, I DON'T THINK SO. I've taken off enough time. They do not care what inconvenience they cause ME. She's just going to have to do it. I do believe she gets paid for these things....I do not. And the fact I've already used all my vacation and sick time for him, does not matter one bit. That is my problem.
Somebody please tell me why I do this.

Discover something great & educational

Discover card has hit upon a great idea!
Have you ever sent a kid away to college only to have them come back owing more on credit cards than student loans? I have...it's no fun.
I thought I had taught them how to handle money. Boy, was I wrong. When away from mom and dad they go crazy. There are credit card companies on the campus from day one practically throwing credit cards at them. They don't have a clue. One clue is if you don't have a job, you can't pay back all that money you're spending.
Discover has designed a debit card for teens, tailored for parents meaning it has built in controls for parents. AND if it's a debit card, they can't spend more than they have!
I think if this is started with teens early on, it will teach them money management. Things bought with credit cards are NOT FREE, it must be paid back. I really like this concept. I hope it catches on.
If you want to see what it's all about, go visit them at www.currentbydiscover.com