Sunday, April 28, 2013

Meal Plans week 3 & 4

Suppers Week 3
Monday
Sausage Burgers (link at week 2) and garden salad

Tuesday
taco bowl

Wednesday
Roast Chicken and Sweet Beet Citrus Salad

Thursday
veg pizza & caesar salad

Friday
ham pot pie pockets (link at week 2)

Saturday
spagetti & garden Salad

Sunday
eat at my parents :)

Suppers Week 4
Monday
Sausages & Perogies & Cabbage

Tuesday
Pad Tai Rice Wraps

Wednesday
beef chimichungas

Thursday
pumpkin mac & cheese (link on week 2)
peas

Friday
chicken wings
homefries
carrots, green beans

Saturday
Curry Lentil Loaf, potatoes & broccoli

Sunday
eat at my parents

Saturday, April 27, 2013

introducing....my newest family members....

April 23rd they became officially members of the family...




10 girls!....yet to have official names....







Sunday, April 21, 2013

meal planning week 2

Last week things ran SO SO much smoother so here I go again...
Breakfast:
Monday is muffins and melon
Tuesday is Oatmeal
Wednesday is french toast
Thursday is steel cut oats
Friday is pancakes
Saturday is up to the babysitter
Sunday is box cereal (the only day they get this)

Lunch:
will be again more of a wing-it event
there will be leftovers, there will be soup and sandwiches and veggie sticks
when it comes to T's lunches, I have been doing some Bento inspired things. Previous he was used to just a sandwich and a piece of fruit. I am trying to expand his fruit and veggie intake so I have resorted to cutting veggies into shapes, etc.

Supper:
Monday
Italian Sausage Burgers
greek salad

Tuesday
Pumpkin Mac'n Cheeze
peas, broccoli

Wednesday
ham pot pie pockets (I will follow as a guide)
garden salad

Thursday
sausages
perogies
cabbage salad

Friday
broccoli quiche
biscuits

Saturday
spagetti
caesar salad

Sunday
dinner at my parents
 

two weeks left of the 30 days

SO I have two weeks left of the 30 days.

I have TALKED to many people

I have grown to love these kids the longer they stay

I have more clarity

The pro-con list is growing

please pray....

Thursday, April 18, 2013

clarity...

My last post was late at night...so things might have been a little confusing.

Since the kids are already living with me, I was offered the option to adopt them first (if the band makes no claim to them). I thought that the kids should be placed as a sibling set (of three) since they are full siblings. The social works have since agreed.

I could adopt all three. Which would make me a single parent of 4 kids 5 and under. That is A LOT! I would also be done foster parenting as my house would be full and I would be stretched to my limit. I could physically and financially care for all of them. It would be tough.

I am not sure I am called to. I feel that God has put it on my heart to foster and as much as I am growing to love these kids, I have to take CO into consideration. He is a BIG work in progress.  When I told him about the kids, he asked if the social workers could just find and new mom and dad for T and we keep the girl L (maybe also refered to as A).

I have the 30 days to decide.

I would have to buy a new vehicle and massively expand my support network.
Maybe I am just being selfish in thinking no.



Sunday, April 14, 2013

meal plan for the week...

Breakfasts:
Monday is muffins and melon
Tuesday is Oatmeal
Wednesday is pumpkin pancakes
Thursday is steel cut oats
Friday is waffles
Saturday is up to the babysitter
Sunday is box cereal (the only day they get this and I have resorted to this because the newest Sunday babysitter doesn't really cook...I don't have a microwave so this seemed like the easiest option for now)

Lunches:
will be more of a wing-it event
there will be leftovers, there will be soup and sandwiches and veggie sticks
when it comes to T's lunches, I have been doing some Bento inspired things. Previous he was used to just a sandwich and a piece of fruit. I am trying to expand his fruit and veggie intake so I have resorted to cutting veggies into shapes, etc. Last week his class was learning about space, so I added things shaped like stars and moons, etc.

Supper:
Monday
Home made pizza
garden salad

Tuesday
falafels
greek salad

Wednesday
broccoli quiche
biscuits

Thursday
apple porkchops
mashed potatoes
green beans
carrots

Friday
Pumpkin Mac'n Cheeze
peas, broccoli

Saturday
lasagna
caesar salad

Sunday
dinner at my parents

Well I am going to attempt to meal plan. With 3 kids there has been TOO many times where the clock has struck 430pm and I realise I have yet to think up what is going to be for supper and these kids are needing to eat at 5pm.

The three supper days with links are new to me recipes :) I am leaning towards eating less meat in our weeks. There are lots of other options for protein and on the most part (not T so much) the kids like beans. I started soaking my own beans so I can control the sodium amounts.

We will see how Tuesday and Thursday work as I will need to do some meal prep ahead as I have to pick T up from school those days and if the weather is nice, we tend to stop at a park. Thursday is always a terrible night now because it is swim lesson day for CO. He misses his nap because of his lesson. I used to take him home and put him down for a late nap but now instead I have to pick T up from school so CO doesn't get a nap. Life is unpleasant by 6pm as CO is overtired and his impulses are less controlled and his listening is usually gone to pot. I am going to have to try to figure out how to make Thursdays more enjoyable....

 
CO & T egg decorating in Ottawa
We kept it simple and did solid eggs, it was a success!


Thursday, April 11, 2013

a few weeks in...

The kids moved in on a Monday. The following Monday we left on our road trip to Ottawa. We came home the following week on the Wednesday. T started school on the Thursday.
And yesterday (on Monday) three weeks after the kids came, social workers came. Three. To tell me that the kid's parents signed off the rights on all three kids and that the kids were available for adoption. Did I want them?

WHAT?????

I totally wasn't ready for this? I said yes to taking these two kids in because I thought it was a 'foster placement'. SO much is going through my head. Judges aren't giving crown wardship. Deep down in my heart I want J. Terrible I know.

I could say yes. I could be a single mom of three. I could afford it. It could work. If I say yes, I am done fostering. Something I feel 'called' to do.

T & CO are getting along better. They have good moments and bad moments and the good outweighs the bad. A is coming along! She is getting some good muscles. She has lost her double chin :) She signs 'more' 'food' 'thankyou' 'milk' 'all done' so far. She plays 'with' toys better. We are working on identifying body parts. She's got 'nose' mastered and I can hand her a kleenex and tell her to wipe her nose and she does. Still no real words.

T...I have concerns. I can't put my finger on it but I am going to get his hearing tested to rule out that. The poor kid came into care less than a year ago and had major dental surgery to remove the majority of his upper teeth. He has two molars and one tooth on the top. This past week his two bottom front teeth came out naturally...with the new ones nowhere in sight (unlike CO who had two rows of teeth before the baby ones fell out). Poor kid could use a pair of dentures.
If T's hearing is fine, then my guess is that he is so afraid of 'being in trouble' that he just shuts down and doesn't hear what is being said to him. Hard to say.
I think he spent most of his days 'being in trouble' at his last home. And I wonder if part of it was a 'hearing' problem and he wasn't getting all the words that he was instructed to do and he would get in trouble for not obeying.
I have a hard time NOT getting frustrated with him. I have totally had to step back in how I am dealing with him. It doesn't help that I have been sick most of the time since these kids have been here. I am feeling SO much better so that has helped. And because I have noticed that he seems to not be 'getting' all the information (wether it is because he isn't hearing or afraid), I am slowing down.

A isn't talking. No words. She babbles. She says 'nooo' and 'yea'. But that is it. So she has a referral for speech therapy and we will also be getting her hearing tested too to rule out anything on that end. Also with her speech therapy we are going to check to see if her lack of 'drinking' is associated with her not talking. She doesn't drink. She will take a sip here and there of something (a straw is the best at getting liquids into her) but overall, I would say she drinks less than 500ml in a day. CRAZY.  She has an 8oz bottle of water in her bed at all times. It probably lasts most of the week.
I have been doing lots of positive focus around drinking giving her constant positive praise the whole times she drinks. It seems to encourage her to drink more.

I arranged to have my hair cut this week when the kids had thier 'goodbye' visit with thier bio parents. My friend agreed for CO to go there and play video games.  I asked the hairdresser for my hair to be just a bit longer than shoulder length. It is short. It is between my shoulders and chin. It is odd to have my hair touching my face when I turn my head....hopefully by summer it has grown to my shoulders....the length I asked for in the first place....