Ring, ring!

Big news!

Monday, I was at the clinic waiting to be called back for a couple vaccines I needed updated so I could, ya know, go to college. I had a hold on my account, which prevented me from registering for Fall Semester, so I had to get my immunization record filled out, which led to the dreaded news of needing 2 shots. Boohoo! I'm such a wimp when in comes to needles.

That's not the big news, though!

While I was there, I got the call! IMPACT classes start this month! If you recall, IMPACT classes are the required training sessions to become foster parents. This is what we've been waiting on for MONTHS. It's all getting so real. We could be licensed by the beginning of summer, and  we could have children in our home before the next school year. How crazy is that!?

Now that we've become open towards sibling groups, I feel so unprepared. I have quite a bit for girls 2T and under, thanks to our resident fashionista, Jetbaby, but outside of that, I'm definitely lacking. It's a good thing that Goodwill has military discount Thursday here, because I'm going to be scouring the racks! 

A few people have asked me what we need. Honestly, there are a few tangible things I could think of, but more than anything, we need your support and your prayers. Fostering isn't something we just thought might be fun or something we expect to make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside, because it won't.

Fostering is going to be HARD.

It's going to HURT.

It's going to SCAR.

And it's going to change our lives along with the lives of those close to us. So if you're up for the ride, hold on tight! And if you're not, that's ok, too. We understand, really.

But, it's most definitely going to be worth it. Even after the uncomfortable transitions, the heart wrenching separations, and the countless court dates, it will be worth it, because we truly believe this is where God has led us.

Life During the Wait

After 2 months of waiting for a call from DFCS about training, I decided to take the initiative and just drop in at the office. The lady I spoke with was very nice, but she had no answers about when classes would begin. BUMMER! She did say our application was approved. Yippee! I'm glad I went in though, because she remembered me and told me she'd call as soon as they found someone to teach the class.

So now we just wait. Maybe this is the calm before the storm.

Did I mention we've decided to take sibling groups? There was an article about a big sibling group of 5 children in Oregon, and their bio just tugged at our hearts. We wanted to adopt them RIGHT THEN! Unfortunately, that wasn't an option, but it burdened our hearts for sibling groups. This was NOT our plan, but when did life ever go according to our plan, anyway? 

This means I'll have a reason to get the minivan I've been wanting! *giddy squeal*

In the meantime, life goes on. College isn't as fun this semester, but I'm thankful to have DH here to help me.... especially with Elementary Statistics. Jetbaby is growing up so fast. She is the smartest little thing! And puzzles are her biggest obsession. She has a rotation of about 7 puzzles that she does everyday. In the morning, the first thing she does is ask for a banana, and then she goes right to her puzzle table and gets to work. I'm so proud of her!

One big thing I'm preparing for is a DIY cleaner and beauty product class. I can't believe all the things you can do with castile soap, vinegar, baking soda, coconut oil, and essential oils! I had been thinking about ordering some doTERRA essential oils for quite some time, but once I started doing my cleaners, I needed them! I'm love, love, LOVING them! Who knew that Lemongrass E/O could reduce inflammation and help with digestion? I'm really enjoying doTERRA's E/O blends too! One is called Deep Blue, and it relieves muscle and joint aches. Oh my word, after Zumba kicked my tush the other night, I added Deep Blue to some coconut oil and rubbed it all over my legs. Practically instant relief, and the next day was virtually pain-free. So there's that.

So while we are in limbo waiting for training to start, I'll be blogging about different ways we save money, fun crafts we make, and other day to day things that we do while Living & Loving: Red, White, and Blue. Stay tuned!

Just Keep Waiting.... Just Keep Waiting... Waiting, Waiting, Waiting, Waiting!

So it's been a while, almost a month since orientation. A few people have asked me if we are still going to become foster parents, and the answer is YES! We're just waiting to hear from DFCS about our background checks. I can't imagine what is taking so long! If they need foster parents so badly, they need to streamline their recruiting process to function more efficiently. Don't you think so? I don't mean slacking on the qualifications. I just mean the process and paperwork and training schedules. I can't even find a phone number to call to ask about the IMPACT training. I will probably just have to go in there one day and get some answers. 

If it's one thing I've learned in this process is that the squeaky wheel gets the oil!

 In other news, I'm enjoying the classes I'm taking this semester, especially my Perspective on Narrative class! And of course Jetbaby gets smarter everyday! I can't believe that she already tries negotiating dinner, punishments, toys, EVERYTHING! The other day we were taking her to get her favorite nuggets (McD's of course), and she tried to convince us to go to her friend's house instead of dinner. "No nuggets. Kingler's ( what she calls her bff) house now." Um what?! She's so spunky, and I just love her and her sass. Well, sometimes I love her sass... until she thinks she's a princess, and then I have to remind her that Mama is Queen.

Well, there ya have it! Not much to update y'all on. I'm just waiting on the government. (Story of my life!)

Orientation - Not What I Expected

I've been anxiously anticipating this orientation at DFCS since last week. And today was the day! I have to admit... I almost threw up on the way out of sheer excitement! I didn't know why. I kept thinking, "Why are you so nervous and excited? It's just an informational orientation. They're not judging you. You're not going to get a child placed in your house based on this meeting. WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM???" If that doesn't explain how eager I am to be a foster mama, then I don't know what will.

When we arrived at the DFCS office, we waited in the waiting room until we were called in. There were 2 other couples and the trainer. She seemed nice, but I had this feeling like we were a burden. You'd think that the "face of foster care" for the county would be a little more excited about potential foster parents. Just a thought. Anyway, I was expecting a presentation, maybe an FAQ sheet, schedule for upcoming training, or meet n greet with a case/social worker. Nope. There was a 30 minute video with statistics from 2005, and that was it. I'm glad we've done a lot of research and already made up our mind, because I really believe that if we were on the fence, this orientation would not have convinced us to go through with it.

Even though I am disappointed with orientation, I'm very happy to be one step closer to being a foster parent. We signed our letter of intent and some paperwork. Now we're just waiting to hear back on training days after they do our background checks.

I guess the biggest thing I've learned from this experience is to not base important decisions on the enthusiasm of other people. Know your calling. Know your passion. Know your reason.

What's yours?

Prep Work

Let me just say it... I tend to be an over-achiever. I'm a people-pleaser. I like to win. I like to make people proud. I like to surprise people in a good way.

As an early-20's wife and mother, I've gotten a lot of slack for being young, especially since I got married 3 weeks after graduating high school and (surprise!) got pregnant 5 months later. But my favorite thing is when someone tells me how well I'm doing at something, anything, and they ask me how old I am, and then I tell them, and the look of shock on their face is the BEST. EXPRESSION. EVER! It may sound a little vain, but when you get so much negativity for doing things so young and "out of order" (I guess getting married and having a baby and then starting college maybe?), when you prove to people that your age is irrelevant to being a good person or successful person, it feels fantastic! I never ever want to be that young woman who is thought to be immature, entitled, unprofessional, incompetent, unaccountable, unreliable, or unfavorable. 

So, I prepare. That's how I ensure that I am none of those things.

And the same thing goes for my journey into fostering. I don't want to be caught by surprise. No one does, right? I want to be viewed as a competent, reflective parent with a big heart. That's why I've been researching for a year now! That's why I ask so many people who are already foster parents so many questions. I want to know the worst, because the worst could happen to us. I want to know the best, because... well, who doesn't want to know the bright side to sad situations? (Let's be honest. It's a sad situation that so many children - wait, no, any child - is placed into foster care just because of the nature of WHY they are being placed.) Anywho, I've prepared mentally and intellectually all I can up to this point, and now I've started preparing practically.

I've compiled a list of things I need to obtain and tasks I need to do to prepare my home for our home study and placement. Thankfully, I'm surround by generous people who have given me items already, such as bottles, mesh crib bumpers, babyproofing gear, and even some cloth diapers!

So here is my list of items *I* need/want to get still:

-Beds (We have a queen bed and a convertible crib. I'd like to have another crib and/or twin size bed.)

-Dresser

-Sheets/blankets (Can you ever have too many?)

- Cloth Diapers

- Paint and supplies (When we bought our house, the 3rd bedroom was a terrible hunter green. That needs to change, haha!)

- Curtains

-Lightbulbs/Light covers

- Stuffed Animals

- Medicine Cabinet

-First Aid Kit

-Numeric Padlocks

-Tooth brushes/Hair brushes/Hair accessories 

-Lice treatment (Many children come into care with lice!)

- Pediasure (A lot of children come into care as picky eaters - no fault of their own- and malnourished.)

-Pacifiers

-Snacks

-House phone (possibly)

- Baby monitor

- Storage tubs

- Ergonomic baby carrier or ring sling (Many babies that come into care have problems bonding and terrible separation anxiety, so baby wearing is a great way to bond and still function.)

I'm sure there's more!

And here is my "to-do" list (so far):

- Paint

-Pup/Kitty vaccines updated (They will be due to have shots before our home study.)

- Clean out spare room closet

-Sort toys

-Baby-proof!

- Clean up yard scraps

-Ask 3 non-family members for recommendation letters

-CPR & 1st Aid Certified

- Stock Medicine Cabinet

-Put up curtains

-Lock up knives, meds, cleaning supplies

-Organize extra toiletries/brushes

-Strip and prep all cloth diapers

-IMPACT Classes

Here is one thing that I've come up with for children that are placed with us. A lot of times, like I've said before, they come with nothing. So I have created a "Lovey Box" that is filled with small stuffed animals and lovey blankets that they can pick from. They get to choose a lovey from the box, and it is 100% theirs! This will hopefully help them feel safe and welcomed in our home. 

What a Whirlwind!

December was such a whirlwind, and January is looking to be just as fast and furious!


Jetbaby starts preschool again next week. Hubby goes back to working a regular schedule again, and the following week I start spring semester for college. As much as I love spending time with my little family, I miss our schedule. I can't believe I just said that I miss a schedule! 

When Jetbaby was literally a baby, I did not put her on a schedule. I was almost anti-schedule... I nursed on demand and let her form her own sleep patterns, so she was flexible enough that I didn't have to be at home at a certain time for her naps. And I was proud of my flexible child, because she was happy, and I was happy.

Now I feel like if I'm not on a schedule, I'm all over the place. I seem to spend more money, too. Do any of you have that problem? If you're just hanging out, you find yourself going to a thrift store or grocery store because there's nothing better to do? (Well, maybe there is, but it doesn't sound as fun...) But when I have class and appointments and meetings, I'm so busy that I don't have time to be distracted. Although I do tend to go through our local coffee shop's drive through more often. "Yes, I'd like a medium Sweet Swirl latte with whip, please." And they recognize my voice and take off the military discount before I get up to the window. I love that place! 

Anywho....

Big news! This Wednesday, DH and I are going to orientation, which is the next step to become foster parents!!! Eeeek! Well, we called the Monday before Christmas, and the inquiry line said they would send out a packet with info and dates and would call within 10 business days. But I kinda sorta couldn't wait that long, so I went into the DFACS office to ask, and I am glad I did because they told me about Wednesday's orientation. And that's about all they told me. My expectations might be a little high for Wednesday, but I'm having a hard time reigning them in. This is the first "official" step in becoming foster parents, even though I've been researching and interviewing foster parent's for over a year. Maybe that's why. I feel like I've been invested in this to a certain degree for quite some time, so I feel more than ready to just be a foster mom already! DH would call me an "eager beaver". 

I'm really looking forward to maybe meeting other foster parents in the area, meeting the social/case workers, finding out about this area's statistics, and getting a schedule! I know there is a lot to learn: discipline techniques, do's and don't's, our rights, different resources, how visitations work, what we are reimbursed for, policies and procedures, etc, etc, etc. And believe me. I'm going to have my clipboard ready to take notes and my date book ready to make appointments! (See, I am an eager beaver.)

We are ready as we can be. 

Looking Forward While Thinking Back

We are sooooo looking forward to the adventure of being foster parents! But the more I think about the people who will be coming into our world, the more I remember someone very special who left this world.... 

My grandma.

She is probably the most influential person in my life. I miss her more and more as time passes. The anniversary of her death is approaching; it will be 4 years- 4 of the longest and shortest years of my life. It feels like forever in the sense of so much has happened since she left. I graduated, got married, had a baby, started my endeavor to become a teacher, and now fostering. But it seems like just yesterday that I was in her kitchen on Myrtle Street sitting at the breakfast bar with Grandma. So many things happened there: reading her Bible together, putting together puzzles, hand-making Christmas gifts for our friends. 

Have you ever had that person in your life who grounded you but lifted you up at the same time? That was her. She loved everyone, and everyone loved her back. She taught me how to pray, how to cook, and how to love. Without her, I would not be the same person I am today.

She would be so excited for us. I remember when DH and I got engaged. She was one of the only people truly happy for us. She was so excited about my dress and my ring. I wish she could have been at the wedding in person, but I know she was there in spirit. 

Ah... I'm a mess, right? I guess that's just what happens when you lose someone you love so much!

So this leads back to our upcoming journey. I know we're going to fall in love with these kiddos! And then, they're going to have to leave. And it's going to hurt. And I'm going to cry...probably a lot! But that's the life of a foster mom, right? But who wouldn't want to have that much love in their life?

So for anyone who's reading this, whether you miss someone dearly or are on the fence about fostering because you're worried about getting hurt in the process, remember that it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. <3