This time of year is the reason to live here. The sun is out, there’s a slight breeze & it’s a dry 85ish.

If you’ve never been in AZ for the mid-80’s you may (wrongfully) assume that it’s hot. It’s actually perfect. It’s the right temperature for sitting out on the patio for a BBQ. It’s amazing just sitting out front watching the kids play.

And it is just right for baseball!

Daddy works a lot this time of year. Between baseball, basketball & hockey there is always a sporting event or two or three each night. He does some radio engineering, on top of his main job, and in March he works every.single.day. Most weekdays he works all day & heads straight to a basketball game.

So, it’s rare that we get to enjoy spring training. Today we made it work. The kids are back in school, but they left early for the “dentist” & we are enjoying perfection.. Beautiful weather, cold beer, cotton candy & family : )

When we were fostering we tried to be the voice of our children. We went to court, we made sure to document *everything*, we tried to fight for what they needed. And, in a way, it was easy… There were caseworkers & therapists who helped us navigate. And it seemed so clear at times what needed to be done. When we found out that there was a biological brother out there, it was a no-brainier to start working towards getting him in our home with his siblings.

We knew where to look for services and how to get the things that our kids needed.

It’s not as easy now…

My kids still need my help and guidance as they go through the school system.
But, I am alone. There’s nobody sitting on my side of the table for IEP meetings. I don’t have any training on getting services though the public schools.

I often feel a little lost.

I hope we’re asking for and getting the right help.

And I really hope that the next generations of moms will have it easier.

Did I mention that I hope I am doing the right things?

I am feeling miserable & joked with V about how I was dying.

He assured me that if I did die it would be o.k. He told me he watches me when I drive so if I have issues he already knows how to drive me to the hospital.

What a sweet (and slightly creepy) boy I have.

Thankfully, the meds seem to be helping, no impending death here.

Only one more day of break for the kids…

They have all been a little crabby today, or maybe it’s just me.

I am, for sure, more than a little crabby. A sinus infection has left me dizzy and tired and achy all over. And my house shows the wear of 4 kids being home all of the time. I have declared that tomorrow is chore day.

Today I started a little bit of the cleaning… V & I took my car to the car wash. The new thing here (and I assume in other parts of the country) is an automatic car wash with free vacuums at the end. We threw out piles of junk & vacuumed up enough food for an army and my gross car is no longer quite as gross. The real motivation for this wash was:

Feels official now 🙂

So, I was all proud of myself for wearing down the kids. Well, turns out it’s not as much fun when you’re the run down one. I am fairly certain that I will get sick in the next week or so. My body simply cannot keep up with all of the fun we’ve been having.

In the last week or so here’s a list of what we’ve done;

Hiked a mountain
Swam at the local pool
Checked out the botanical gardens
Swam in our pool (this one we’ve done about 6 times)
Watched a couple new movies
Went to the Ren Fair
Went out to eat with friends (again, more than a couple times)
Sang karaoke
Went to see a few bands & danced the night away
Stayed out until the next morning!!
Celebrated a birthday
Went to the Science Center (thanks Nana & Papa for the membership)
Toured the University of Phoenix Stadium

Along with all of that the husband has been working (2 jobs a lot of days), I have still been watching the little dude, & the kids have been around 24/7.

I am beat!

Only 6 more days until this “break” is over…

One of my college besties is in town. And, thankfully, Grandma has been willing to watch the kids for us..

For four years I taught PS-MAPP. I really liked it. It is a great curriculum for future adoptive & foster parents. It helped me as a mom. There are days that I still need to stop and reflect & use those lessons.

Tonight, there is a new crop of parents finishing the class. Depending on how backed up they are at licensing and how many kids come into foster care, these parents could have a new foster child in their home next week.

Such an exciting and scary time!

And I get to be a very small part..

On the last day of class, these future foster parents get to ask whatever they want of us, the “experts”. I have been on the panel half a dozen times since I quit teaching. And you know what I always learn?

I learn that I am not the same parent as other foster parents.. They talk about the instant bond they had with foster kids. They talk about how each day is a blessing…

And I do love being a mom, but I didn’t instantly love my foster kids. And a lot of days are just plain rough. The only blessing in many days is the fact that they end.

But, I hope that the new parents appreciate my point of view. I hope that they learn a bit from me..

I think we had too much fun.. The little girl is sick..

The little guy I watch was here today. We hit the grocery store & Target. We did laundry & played in the yard.

Tomorrow one of my college best friends is coming!! So excited!

I won! I have officially beaten my children! And it took me a mere 2 days.. Today, on the drive home 2 of the 4 fell asleep.

We got up early for a free day at the Desert Botanical Gardens. They have a free day once a month & the timing was great. I don’t know if the kids loved it, but it was pretty and a nice walk. And they did love the butterflies! There was a special exhibit that had over a thousand butterflies. All of us ended up having one land on us. They have volunteers that “dust” the butterflies off of the visitors as they leave.

After the gardens we had a quick game break (video games for them, a jog for me). Then lunch and chores before we headed out to one of our fab public pools. So glad our neighbor invited us to join them. The pool is heated and it was just perfect.

But, it was a little much for the girl.. She ended up laying on the side while I chatted with my friend most of the time.

Hope a quick nap will perk them up for more fun tomorrow 😉