"Shout-Out Sunday"

Time for another "Shout-out Sunday!"

1)  Not sure how I missed this one!  It was actually written on 5/4, but it's way too good not to share this week.  "What REALLY Stops Them?" written by Sophie asks the question "What really stops people from fostering?"  Is it the usual excuse that "I could never let them go," or is it really "I could never let them stay...  forever."  Very thought-provoking post...

2)  Debbie was prompted to write her Tuesday post entitled "Reunification or Adoption Motivated" after a recent discussion in one of our online foster parent support groups.  Such a good reminder that not all "goodbyes" are bad, and that successful reunifications should be celebrated.

3)  Delilah's post, "I Used to be a Perfect Mom" cracked. me. up!!!  I think every mother has been there.  We were all perfect mothers...  until we had kids!  Her post reminded me of one that I had written right after Booger and Angel moved in with me called "...And I Said 'I WILL NEVER...'"  Sometimes you just find yourself doing things you never thought you would when you were a "perfect" mom.  :-)

"Shout-Out Sunday"

1)  My first pick of the week has to be Kylee's post entitled "Including Your Child(ren) - Did It Steal My Innocence?"  So many families considering foster care have concerns about exposing their children to situations and topics that are way beyond their years.  As a foster/adoptive sibling from the age of seven years old, Kylee does an amazing job addressing those concerns.  Love, love, LOVE this post!!!

2)  Pick number 2 is Rachel's post about "The Power of Words."  I think most parents have had experiences similar to hers this day with the screaming, embarrassing kids on a shopping trip.  I still vividly remember one particular shopping trip with Booger when he was pulling every obnoxious toddler trick in the book.  I wanted to crawl under a rock!  Rachel's post about the words of one particular woman made my day, just as I'm sure they made hers.

3) Fantastic post by Kristen at Rage Against the Minivan!  "Where is the Mommy-War for the Motherless Child?" touches on the ridiculous amount of time and energy that is wasted by competent mothers fighting over and defending their parenting choices while the real battle should be fighting for the children who don't have mothers.  Awesome, awesome post that is causing quite an Internet stir and is drawing much-needed attention to a subject that is very near and dear to my heart...

So those are my top three "Shout-outs" for the week of May 6th - May 12th.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

"Shout-out Sunday"

I am a total blog nerd.  Not only do I love to write, but I love to stalk read other bloggers as well.  Over the past few years, I have met some amazing women throughout Blogland who inspire me, who write about their foster/adopt journeys, who make me cry, and who make me laugh so hard that I know I can't read their posts while drinking my Diet Coke for fear of shooting it out of my nose...  So I decided to start a new weekly segment entitled "Shout-out Sundays" where I highlight a few blogs or specific posts that stood out to me throughout the week.  These ladies are awesome!  And I'd love to share my Blogland friends with you.  :-)

1)  My first pick of the week has to be this new blogger.  Quite honestly, she is the reason I decided to start this new segment!  Casey is an experienced single foster mom who just recently started blogging about her experiences over at A Single Foster Mom's Diary.  (And by recently, I mean last month!)  She sucked me in, and I am so happy that I've been able to follow her journey from the beginning.  She recently gave into me hounding her agreed to be a part of the "Foster Fridays" panel as well, and I can't wait to get to know her better!  Definitely go check her out.  You won't be disappointed.  :-)

2)  I found my second pick of the week after this week's "Foster Fridays" guest post by Andrea.  Foster Mom - R over at Love's a State of Mind wrote this post on the same topic (How Foster Care Has Changed Me), and I had to share.  She included a great mixture of serious changes as well as had me cracking up because some of her "positive" changes included things that might seem silly to some, but were so true for me as another foster parent (like color coding children and developing an immunity to bodily fluids :-). 


And last, but not least...

3)  This post by Mama Foster definitely touched a nerve with me this week.  It's about that common phrase that all foster and adoptive parents of foster children seem to be forced to use on a regular basis...  "I don't know..."  It's a difficult thing to not be a part of the early years of your child's life.  Having to answer "I don't know" to questions that most children commonly ask is heartbreaking.  It is exactly why I try so hard to take tons of photos of my kids, to send photos and baby books to their birthparents while they are in my care, and to document every little milestone.  Because while I might have to answer "I don't know," I'm hopeful that their birthfamilies won't have to.


So those are my "Shout-outs" for the week!  I hope you'll take a few minutes to check them out, and look around.  Stay tuned next Sunday for another installment of "Shout-out Sundays."  :-)