It was totally unexpected. In a sudden moment, everything in life changed. Places of comfort were immediately closed off. Being with loved ones who provide support and affection was no longer possible, and won’t be for an indefinite period of time. Continue reading →
Naming your bad mood — and facing it down
Do you ever get stuck in a really bad mood?
Let’s call this bad mood “Wanda,” just for kicks and giggles. Wanda is very intelligent. She doesn’t bother me at work, but the second I pick my kids up from daycare/school I can feel her pop up like a puff pastry. Continue reading →
A time to ask for help
I do not like to ask for help. I am not good at it, and avoid it at all costs. But for five years of my life, I had to put aside all those emotions and just accept that I needed help. For that season, I could not do life on my own.
Anyone else share my struggle? Continue reading →
Always room for one more
“Mommy, will they stay forever, or just a little while?”
My husband and I both grew up in large families where adoption helped grow our family trees, so we decided very early on in our marriage that we would adopt at some point. We didn’t know when or how we would start this adventure, but we both knew it would happen. Continue reading →
It’s in the eyes: Reflections of a foster mom
“It’s in the eyes, I can tell you will always be danger.”
I heard these lyrics from a song by the popular band Mumford and Sons while driving to work one day. I do most of my deepest thinking while driving alone and these words prompted me to ponder some things about the little people we have fostered over the years. Continue reading →
How being a treatment foster mom changed my life

One day over coffee, I told my friends that I had just filled out an application to become a treatment foster parent. They looked at me with blank stares and replied, “That’s awesome, but you don’t have a medical background, and you haven’t taken care of someone with medical needs before.”
I gleefully responded, “That’s true! But I am going to learn!”
An adoption story
Today was a day I never expected. Very early on in Lakendrick’s case his mom asked if I wanted to adopt someday. I told her “yes,” but I knew it wasn’t going to be him. Because I really didn’t believe it would be. Continue reading →
Why I believe in adoption
Although my early years were not like the ordinary or “normal” childhoods that our society is used to hearing about, I thoroughly enjoyed mine. Continue reading →
Co-parenting with birth parents
Becoming a foster parent comes with many responsibilities. There are the obvious, of course — doctor appointments to get to, therapists to see, meetings with the caseworker, and the biggest of all…parenting a child. Continue reading →
Tag…We’re it!
“Not it!”
I have heard this expression shouted several times this summer from my kids as they were playing tag in the yard or shirking responsibility for a household chore or a recently noticed mess. These words are usually easier to say than “It!” Continue reading →