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!

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....

and now...

well, things have been progressing. The boys get along for the most part. Once in awhile they fight over who the 'top dog' is but on the most part it is all peaceful and happy. The 30 mintues or so before meals seems to be the worst times. The little girl,A, is funny. Her life is all about 'food'. She is a little chub. Her gross motor skills are lacking (in my opinion) but I am not sure if this is related to her weight or not. The first day she was over she was constantly slipping on the floor and I was not sure if it was because she was not used to the bare floors or being free to walk whereever...
We've been sharing the neighbourhood with the kids by going on walks, getting the mail and visiting the parks. A is doing better on these walks. She is extremely SLOW. Even when she is holding someone's hand she is not a fast mover. I don't think she has ever moved at a 'run' or fast pace her whole life....yet. But she is LOVING her freedom and will work hard at the park to climb the steps and go down the little slide.
A is an emptier. She goes to the play kitchen (or whatever toy bin) and just empties everything onto the floor and then moves on to the next organized bin. So far not so much fun for me. She will stop and play a bit but on the most part she is an emptier of containers. I am trying to get her to pick up once she starts getting a few toys too many on the floor. Some moments I am successful. Other times she just gets upset and refuses to make eye contact. She is funny that way. If I try to get her to do something like 'work' for a snack by trying to sign or talk she will just frown and look at the ground. She has no words other than 'yes' and 'no' that I have so far to hear. She is just fine with that. My friend has a little foster boy that is two months younger and it is fun to watch the two of them interact. If he gets food, she will want what he has too or what he has. With toys, they will just hover around the other.
T is a good kid. He is 'young' and needs lots of reminders to use his words. He is NOT adventurous with eating or trying new foods at all. For every meal he would be happy with PB & J. We are working towards expanding that. Having CO be a good eater has helped some. He is not used to being out and about in town so we are working on road safety.
Life with the three is good. It is busier. Unfortunately I was/am still in the midst of finishing up with the painting when these kids came on the scene. So I need to massively work on finding homes for everything. The spare bedroom before being made into a bedroom was a 'catch all' for anything and everything and so all that 'stuff' now needs a new place to belong. Also the kids every visit, bring more 'stuff' which also needs to find a new place to belong. What I need is the snow to be gone so I can clean out the garage and use that for storage for christmas decorations, off season clothes, hand me downs, craft supplies, out of circulation toys, etc.
Soon enough. I have spent parts of the nice days chucking snow onto the warm pavement to melt in the sunshine. I like winter. But I am SO ready for Spring this year........

the updates...

the updates on the kids is that we met them, there were no huge red flags, the older boys had fun playing together, I won the little girl's approval with a cinnamon bun and then we all went our seperate ways...
until tomorrow where they are both coming over after having access with the bio parents...
plans have been made for more visits
a date has been set for a move

I totall feel at peace for parenting 3 kids. I may have my head in a cloud but I think that it should go fairly smoothly considering I am dealing with my crazy kid and boy who is coming to me at almost 5 who is on his third foster home and only in care a year. There will be bagage to deal with but we will unpack and deal with each item one at a time. I am excited. Excited for CO as he has been really struggling being an only child and he will once again be able to develop his older brother skills. Excited for TJ because he will have a boy close in age to play with, will have lots of opportunity to join into more of community life and so much more. Excited for me as I get to experience some pink for the first time since getting my sister and excited for AE  as she will get to get to be the princess of the house with two knights to protect her.

Yes it isn't always going to be roses and sunshine. Life never is. Having CO alone in my life is a reminder...

Biggest problem...childcare. The eternal constant problem that comes around many times a year for me. But I am at peace. I am not fretting and stewing. I have put ads up in some churches, I've had one person call already....it will work out. I have three and a half weeks to figure out that following weekend and then almost two weeks to figure out the rest :)

I am going to be travelling with all these kids to Ottawa for Easter....that makes me wonder if I am a tad crazy...

.................
house update
the spare bedroom is done! the room is all painted, the beds are assembled, the dresser is in place. All that needs to happen is a shelf or two put up in the closet and two children to move in.
the back entrance is painted grey. There are two coats on it and the downstairs bathroom and all that is left is to paint the woodwork in both of those spaces to finish up (they are primed).
It is looking nice.  I need to locate the photos of this house that I took when first buying it and then post before and after pictures. It looks like a completely different house :)

....................
now it is almost 1am. I was late in getting at the painting this evening as I was skyping a certain cousin. In the morning I know there is going to be lots of shovelling of snow...kicking myself for once again not splurging on that electric snow blower.

.....................
my SW was here today. She has a couple of concerns with the house that I will need to get repaired to make it just a little bit safer. One is that the spindles on my staircase are too far apart (a small child could climb through) so I have to get the repaired as well as a couple of modifications on the fireplace grate.


night

tomorrow

Tomorrow morning we have a playdate for the two children who may be moving in with us...please pray for the whole situation...for hearts to be protected...for God's will to be done...

nesting...

CAS contacted me and they have a sibling set they would like me to meet and consider....
So, I've been in nesting mode...cleaning, sorting, getting rid of the last of the wallpaper and finally transforming the spare bedroom from a catch all crap space into a bedroom. I am SO happy to report that there is no longer blinding bright blue paint to be found in my house, nor is there wallpaper :)
When I purchased my house the two kid bedrooms were the brightest pink and blue possible! And each were two toned. The pink one got transformed into the boy's bedroom and was painted the same colour blue that they had in the last house. (I actually painted most of the rooms in the new house the exact same colours I had in the old house). It was hard to paint, as the was one wall covered in bright pink handprints and if you look at the wall still you can see the outline of them as they painted the handprints very thick.
Mom and I had planned a month ago that this week we would set up the spare bedroom anyway so it has worked out with good timing. The walls are a lovely sage green. I just need to get a couple of coats of white onto the woodwork (it may take three as the woodwork was also bright blue and even with a coat of primer, they still are very blue) then the floor is ready to paint, and then the bedroom will be ready to be setup.
CO has mixed emotions about this whole process. He is missing J so so much and just wants to have J back. He was totally acting up yesterday morning and I was totally not realising what the root of the problem was. He didn't want the spare bedroom set up because that means new kids rather than J back. He does want new kids. But overall he just wants his brother back.
If I get the spare bedroom done, I want to paint the downstairs bathroom and back entrance way as well. They are the last of the spaces to be painted.

The bathroom and back entrance are going to be grey. I wanted something that wouldn't show the dirt as easily as the boys used to come in from out back and head into the bathroom and there is a trail of dirt along the walls as they went. Plus the fixtures in the bathroom are yellow. Hard to find a wall colour that goes well with that :)
In the above photo you can see that the floor is two different colours...nothing surprises me when it comes to this house anymore...by the end of the week, it will be one colour...the same as the rest of the upstairs.

my lesson in patience today

I homeschool. It is not for everyone. Some days I wonder if it is for me. Homeschooling is a BIG lesson in patience for me daily. Some days I would just like him to apply himself and get the required job done so we can accomplish other things. Today was one of those days. But I knew that if I stayed patient and went along doing things at his pace and his way, things would be done with a happier heart. Not faster by any means...

 

 

 

example #1. Calendar time & Math. He is wearing sound proof canceling headphones with a craft stick going from one ear to his mouth (to be a mouthpiece). In order to do this, I had to use a phone, dial his number and talk to him. I put it on speaker phone and he wasn't pleased as he wanted me to hold it but I showed him that there was a speaker phone button and I needed my hands free to help him. Calendar & Math time took about 3x longer to accomplish today but it was fight free. It took so long because he needed to keep readjusting the volume on the sides as apparently the headphones need lots of repairs and he got a couple of phone calls from other people that he needed to talk to....sigh...I told him to tell the caller to call back after school. :)

example #2....in order to look at the story sequencing photos, he needed not one but two magnifying glasses so he could see the photos better....sigh

but it is 1030, school is done, and now we can accomplish two more of my morning goals, vacuuming and getting paint from the hardware store...

what we are reading....

I took a break from reading 'there is no me without you' while on my vacation up north. It is an intense book about AIDS/HIV in Africa and how one woman turns her home into a home for orphans and why. I really enjoy it but it is a book that requires alertness :)

I finished while I was away Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson



I have read her O'Malley series a few years ago.  And really enjoyed it. I am not normally one that reads crime type/murder/mystery type books but I have enjoyed everything that I have read by this author. I know when I was reading the O'Malley series I needed to stop part way and read something else, just to give my brain a break from the crime stuff. But overall it is a book I didn't want to put down and found myself many evenings while away stretched out on the couch reading with Mugsy the cat purring beside me.

The read aloud that I am reading with CO these days is AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh.


A book I purchased in the last few months for CO is Press Here. He really enjoys it and thinks it is funny.
Here is a blurb from Amazon about it:
Press the yellow dot on the cover of this book, follow the instructions within, and embark upon a magical journey! Each page of this surprising book instructs the reader to press the dots, shake the pages, tilt the book, and who knows what will happen next! Children and adults alike will giggle with delight as the dots multiply, change direction, and grow in size! Especially remarkable because the adventure occurs on the flat surface of the simple, printed page, this unique picture book about the power of imagination and interactivity will provide read-aloud fun for all ages!

We had the book up North with us this past vacation and I found the bigger kids (9,11 & 13)following the insturctions and embarking on the journey of the dots :)