Focus on Fostering: Fostering Blogs I Love

I enjoy reading other blogs and particularly some of the ones by other foster parents.  Sunday I about fell off my chair laughing over her post about ways to know you are a foster parent.  I HAD to email her and ask if I could like to her site for you and share part of that post!


I think my two favorites were:

***You know every pediatrician and specialist in your area that takes Medicaid, whether or not they are accepting new patients, their estimated waiting time for appointments, and the first names of all of their nurses and front office staff.


***You know you're going to be in the restroom longer than 30 seconds, and you bring your monthly paperwork with you so you don't waste valuable time just sitting there.

And though I have never dared be this bold I had to laugh at this one:


***You're intentionally vague when questioned about your children by random strangers simply because you get a good chuckle out of watching them squirm.  "Is he your first?"  "No.  He's my 12th."  or  "Does she (your child of a very obviously different race) look like her father?"  "I don't really know.  I never saw him."  ;-)


You can see why I wanted to share  this blog post of hers with you!  We all need to laugh at some of the challenges once in a while. Check out much more of her blog at  "I Must Be Trippin'" especially if, like me and like her, you are a single foster parent. Poke around at some of her past posts and maybe, sign up to follow her blog too!


I am thinking of choosing one Tuesday a month to feature another foster parenting blog. What do you think?


Image credits and thanks to: zazzle.com, affm.net

Anything Can Happen: 10,000 blog views!!

Hey, guess what?

While I was running around like crazy this week with chaffeuring kids and visiting family and sick family, I hit a milestone.

My little blog, this little blog, passed the 10,000 view mark!

Now, I know that this is just a teeny blog in the blog world, and it has grown very slowly.  But I am within a month of the year-iversary of the scheduled topic, daily format, and I am beginning to find a few followers.I remember when no one but my family read my blog [and them not often!]

I wish I had the time to do the things all the books say to do to grow a blog.  I try to follow other blogs and occasionally comment on other people's blogs but most of my blog time is spent writing my entries. And my blog is more information focused than daily events.

I sometimes [ok, often] feel guilty working on my blog when housework is behind [always] and kids are calling [always] and my latest writing job is coming closer to deadline [often]. But I confess to liking my blog.  I LOVE it when I hear by email from someone maybe too shy to leave a post.  I get excited whenever I see a return comment posted. I love the way it reminds me to try an old trick again, to search my brain for a new tip or strategy, to focus my words, and much more.

Yes, ... I wish I had more followers.

Yes, ... I wish my followers were more interactive.

Yes, ... I sometimes am tempted to gain exposure by including ads.

Yes, ... I dream about my blog being "discovered."

But 10,000 views is a lot of eyes of my writing

10,000 moments that people were listening..

10,000 reasons to be excited

Quite a milestone

Today I am celebrating!!


Image credits: chicagofree.info, esnippers.typepad.com

Quick Takes: Versatile Blogger Award

Yesterday a comment invited me to a blog to "collect" this surprise award.  What fun to be noticed from far away!
After reading the rules I happily accepted the award and this morning follow through with the rules the best that I can.

ver·sa·tile   adj.

1. Capable of doing many things competently.

2. Having varied uses or serving many functions:


The official "rules" of accepting this award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.

Thank you Mary at Adoption & Foster Care . What a fun surprise!  I am truly delighted that my little daily blog is beginning to spread around.  I hope this surprise will bring a few new readers and visitors to explore.  Thank you again!!

2. Tell 7 things about yourself.

1. When I was younger [alright, much younger]  I worked part-time as a professional clown.

2. I live in Maine but am deathly allergic to lobster, clams, shrimp and all shellfish. [Dang!]

3. I am have 11 grandchildren already and I have two children who haven't started having kids yet.[Yikes!]

4. I once had a chance to leave college and work off-Broadway . I turned it down. [long story]

5. I have had to almost completely reinvent myself at least four specific times.

6. I was deeply involved in the POW-MIA bracelet movement during and after the Vietnam War.

7. I began and directed for over 25 years what many believe was the first sign language chorus of all hearing middle and high school students.

3. Pay it forward and award the Versatile Blogger to at least 5 recently discovered new bloggers.

These aren't all new bloggers, but they are the ones I return to time and time again for comfort and for inspiration.

So [ta da da Dat ta da] this round of awards  goes to  . . . 


Because she is always there with a photo to inspire, to calm, to focus, and thoughts to catch my breath......    Serendipitous     


Because I wish I lived close enough to see her work, to meet her in person, she always challenges me to be and do better........   kindness girl         


Because I love following one of the few people who makes my life look like a walk in the park, and who is also a single mom old enough to remember when the Beatles' hair cuts seemed too long......   Big Mama Hollers    

Because she makes me see things from a different perspective and even though she doesn't post as often, when she does it always challenges my thinking and informs me, plus I find hope for my kiddos in her success and optimism.....   Sunshine Girl on a Rainy Day

Because she has a mind-bogglingly endless assortment of fun things to make with and for kids, and even if some of them make me gain weight just reading them others are healthy and still enticing, this mom is the one my kids all wish they had!..... Making Memories    [Try her hot dog cookies!]

Because she is creative with fabric the way Making Memories is creative with food... I don't try all of her ideas, but I always can find an idea when I need one... and the patterns really work! She isn't actually a blog.... but I had to include her in case you haven't seen the site....   Tip Junkie

Congratulations!

Focus on Fostering: Mama Mania

I'm part of Mama Mania!  Now, I know, those of you who know me are probably saying... "Hey, we've known that about you for years!" But now it is official.  oops.... I am getting ahead of myself.

To my delight, tiny step by slow teeny step a few people are finding my quiet little blog.  Recently the host of another blog http://jointhelarksnest.blogspot.com  asked if I was willing to be part of a regular panel of foster moms for her blog.  I enthusiastically said yes and jumped into the group. Mama Lark poses a question for us, we each answer from our own personal experience as foster parents and she shares our responses on her blog.  She introduced the members of the panel on March 21st , posted our first responses on March 28 [about what made us decide to foster]  and yesterday [April 11] the second post [about our experience with the initial licensing process]. Her plan is to do a Mama Mania blog every 2nd Monday.

So check out her blog on Mama Mania day to get a cross section of views, and also on any-ol' day to read Mama Lark's posts.  And while you are at it, how about inviting any of your blog friends to come bisit me??? I would love to have my numbers grow some more!  Happy April...now I'm back to working on my taxes. [aarrgggghhhh]

Image credit:  jointhelarksnest,blogspot.com

Soap Box Derby: Announcing a new format!

You may have notice me referring to my new format in the last two posts. I have been thinking about this for a while and am finally doing it. There will now be a pattern to the topics on this blog. I will still be aiming for entries three or more times a week but the day of the week will set the overall topic. Hopefully this will make it easier for people out there. I hope so!

The pattern is: [drum roll, please..........]

Monday: School Bell [school and education related topics]

Tuesday: Focus on Fostering [special tips for foster, kinship, and adoptive parenting]

Wednesday: Soapbox Derby [me or guest bloggers on topics of concern]

Thursday: Parenting Tips [Hints for anyone...not specific to foster/adoptive etc.]

Friday: Anything Can Happen Day [a throwback to the old Mickey Mouse Club show]

Saturday: Quick Takes [quick lists, book reviews, recipes, mini-blogs, etc.]

Sunday: The Caring Heart [sample meditations from my book, faith issues]

I am going to try this at least through the month of November. So if you like it, let me know. If you hate it, let me know. In other words, this blog is for you, so stay in touch! Don't be shy...

Finding Other Blogs

Today I ignored my to-do list for an hour and chose to spend the time looking around on the internet to find some other foster parenting blogs. A lot of them seem to spring up when a person is waiting for a child and then drift away after the family grows. If any of you know of a cool blog on parenting [or especially on foster parenting] please let me know. I am particularly interested in blogs that share ideas and strategies for parents and foster/adoptive parents. Not that I am opposed to reading the thoughts, feelings and experiences type of blogs, but those seem to be a bit easier to find. I would also love to find another foster parent/writer out there or another grandmother fostering. I guess I am trying to figure out where I fit in the world of blogging.

If anyone is curious what I have found so far, you can check on my profile page to see the blogs that I am now following. Some are recent additions, some longer. Chime in with blogs you love!