Big Week Next Week.

Last night was foster parenting class #4 on Grief/Loss the child experiences as he/she is removed from the biological home or when the parental rights are terminated and the child learns he/she will not be going back home.  It was interesting.  It's also very hard to comprehend what these children will experience and have faced in their lives. 

My parents were not able to go and meet with our social worker for finger printing last night so next week they have double the opportunity.  Next week on Tuesday will cover PRIDE class #5 and then on Wednesday he will come to our home to go over policies and procedures, go over our personal self-studies and foster child inventory, and do a walk through to see what all needs completed/fixed/brought up to code/standards in our home. 

So far we've already:
1. Bought 2 emergency escape ladders in the event of fire (even though it's the state's requirement and not our agency's specific requirement..better to have them and not need them then need them and not have them, right??)
2. Bought a 7 pound fire extinguisher (we only were required to have 5 pounds but we're overachievers).
3. Bought furniture that will be delivered and rooms set up ready for our kids before he gets here on Wednesday!!
4. Established a working office/homework/gaming areas
5. Set up New Parents registries at Target and Walmart (we used the baby registries but they have big kid things since we don't need baby items!)
6. Had our physicals and turned in that paperwork.
7. Had all 7 of our pets vaccinated and submitted that paperwork.
8. Provided all insurance (home and auto) declaration statements
9. Began researching books to help the children adjust to a new home, new school, how to make new friends.
10. Began looking for chore charts and deciding upon which chores we will be assigned.

Mr. Tomahawk and I have made major strides in our marriage and in our ability to communicate with each other though this process.  Last night during class Mr. Tomahawk expressed concerns/fears he has over parenting even though he's overly excited.  I, being the counselor/therapist that I am, laid it out on the table for Mr. Tomahawk and the social worker:  he is afraid he will be has tough on the self-esteem/self-image on the children as his parents were on him.  I laid it all out and I think that made Mr. T feel so much better because not only was it out in the open and acknowledged but he had both myself and the social worker explain to him that he will rise above, he will be able to parent and instill positive self-esteem/image to a child and if he finds himself in a situation where he's having difficulty that's where tag-team parenting comes into play.

We've decided that since the case worker will be in our home monthly to meet with our child/ren, we want to allow the children to have private time with the case worker BUT we also want to sit down as a family with the case worker monthly to grow as a family and address issues that we may be having as parents with the children as well as issues the children may have with us as parents.  We can't fix what we don't know is wrong.

We have decided that whether or not our children arrive with arrangements for counseling, we will be working as a family to get the children into family and individual counseling so that they are able to adjust appropriately and learn healthy coping skills.  I can teach that but I need to be mom and not therapist all the time.

Well, I probably have a lot more to update; however, my brain is shutting down for the night.  From tomorrow night through the weekend we'll be doing a lot to get the home ready.  I'm sure I'll have mucho pictures by the end of the weekend!!!