Visit Day

i'd like to keep track of this as best I can to see if there is a pattern. I blog and I can look back on this and it's safer than a log at home.

Either way, today was family visit day. The girls were exceptionally mean to each other today,but then again they did not get to swim and were not sucked into TV all day. On the ride to the visit, the girls I usually have to correct for yelling and being all crazy in the car, were quiet as church mice, which is exactly like they were last time on the ride there. Now they have a visit on Monday, where I am not driving them, so I can't be there to notice this trend or not... is it the visit or is it the social anxiety of going somewhere that makes then this quiet? I know they come back all happy and excited, have to be reminded to be quieter in the car.

Feeling so Done

My goal was NEVER to turn this into being a stay at home mom... this is exactly what this feels like.

Nonstop Cooking, cleaning, managing behaviors of 3 little girls, dealing with the dogs, after working 10 hours overnight and getting 1 hour of sleep a day this is not going to happen.

I also feel like I am doing this with a dead beat dad... you know the ones that don't pay child support and expect another guy to pick up his slack...

I have totally done this shit before!




Yesterday:
Cereal
(snack of I can't remember)
Shrimp scampi and ramen
2 freeze pops
spaghetti with garlic bread and meatballs
chocolate chip cookies

Lots of swimming and no outings.

Red tape cont

Tomorrow my licensing worker is coming again. Today I received an email that the amendment request was assigned and required more information. I really hope this information was given to them. Usually this means it is 1 day or so away from being finalized. I was told that this will be backdated to the dates the girls came to me... but what I received in the mail today is a contract of sorts from CPS with an unlicensed nonrelative rate of $0 with $1.12 a day per child fee schedule for clothes and personal allowance with all kinds of fucked up dates.

So what this means is that this whole thing will be all kinds of messed up when it is all sorted out. I have a feeling if they do go home for Aug 1st.... that is when things will get this straightened out. In the meantime I am having to be very creative when it comes to meals and gas for when I have to take them places.

I don't mind paying for the extras that we do with them... but all that is required for all of these visits, numerous upcoming and current doctors & therapy appts, and the mileage for gas... seriously I deserve child support :-)

Animal Aggression

Noticing a little aggression towards the animals. There is usually a weird expression that comes across their faces prior to the splash, the hit, or the very rough "play". We are very vigilant when the animals are around them and no one is allowed alone with any animal.

Of course with that being said, we have had to muzzle one of the dogs because he is very afraid of the girls and growls when they come near him. He also heels them when they run by him, which is a nip and can be considered a bite, so we are just trying to introduce the new activity to him and make him feel safer. Although I think he knows not to trust them and he can't help his reactions.



Let's see.. yesterday we started the day with chocolate chip waffles with mandarin orange slices. Little Cinderella was not feeling well and had toast with ginger ale. Snack consisted of grahm crackers and there was some swimming at some point and a snack of freeze pops. Then we went to Ikea and they played in the play place while I shopped with my daughter for her very first apartment. After which it was kids eat free night at IKEA... which I totally do not recommend BTW, so they had meatballs and mashed potatoes and I bought extra garlic bread. Due to the very small sized meal, which is why I do not recommend this place, they were still hungry after dinner so we took them for Freddy's Frozen Custard.

On the agenda

Yesterday was a crazy busy day. Filled with a few firsts for the girls and some bonding time. Of course it being Sunday it started off with bacon and pancakes. After which was some bike riding with hubby. Snack appeared in the form of goldfish crackers followed by some cleaning and then lunch. Which was leftovers from the night before, ie sloppy joe's and mac&cheese and was not met with a great reception. We went out to the mall and went to Barns & Noble for Ice Coffees for us and Strawberry Cream Smoothies for them. Lots of fun was had there. We tasted some Gelatto and decided on Bubblegum flavor for snack. After which was a brief stop at the pet store to look at puppies, the disney store where a great many "I wants" happened, and finally a stop over at the sporting goods store, where there was a few races around the lap track.

After returning home there was swimming and then dinner. Shake N'Bake Pork chops with Rice-a-Roni & greenbeans which was a first for the girls and enjoyed. Movie time Bee Movie with strawberry Shortcake for dessert.

It was nice to hear that they had a good Sunday at the end of the day.

Of course around 11pm Hubby had to rush our Lab to the ER Vet due to an allergic reaction to what we assume is an Ant bite but we can't be positive.

Today of course is resting for us, but the girls enjoyed some more swimming and of course spent the rest of the day eating me out of house and home.

Breakfast- Cereal
Snack- Baby Carrots and Ranch
Lunch- Ravioli
During swimming snack - Goldfish crackers
After swimming Snack- Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie
Dinner- Potato Stroganoff Hamburger Helper with corn & apple sauce
Snack- Popcorn.


But they are starving and we never feed them. :-)

Exploits of the Lost and Found

Apparently CMDP (medical insurance for Foster Children) does not pay for hearing aides. What exactly was lost since Thursday? Exactly. Which has now been found! I was starting to wonder how on earth we were going to pay for those, when we aren't even getting paid for the girls currently.

I am not a slave

But I play one on TV I guess. I think the point here is that expectations for self sufficient children are a little lost sometimes. "Get me underwear, can you get me more? I really need this fixed right now." Small requests made with big attitudes lacking a few extra important words makes me a not so happy Mamma.

By the ages these children are they should have learned more life skills. From what everyone says they were neglected to a point of having to do everything, except when they came into care they couldn't do anything. So I have been spending time on balance. Things they can do themselves and things they need help with, or simply things that I help with just to show that an adult is here and their needs will be met. Yesterday a request for a Pop-tart for breakfast was met with a No from me. The instant reaction was, "Why are we not having breakfast today?" My bad.

I did remember to point out that, You don't need to ask me for water to drink ever, it is always available to you. You may also have seconds at meals as long as you have finished your first helping and there is enough for all. (However, please do so with the phrase, "May I please have more?" or "Can I have some more...please") You may help fix your own plate at times, but no this is not a restaurant with a menu for you to order from and yes we have, gulp, leftovers! You may not demand things, please and thank yous must be said,always. Case in point when I want them to do something I say please (like they have a choice) and I say thank you when they do something. Like for example yesterday they were great at the water park, I said, "Thank you for being on your best behavior today. Great job." They were very confused and wanted to know why I said thank you. I did explain that I don't always like to tell them about their mistakes and I will always acknowledge the good as well. I don't like to be the "mean one" all the time.

BTW, Yes you do have to brush your hair every day. Of course you need to change your clothes and no you can not sleep in your clothes at the end of the day. Mainly because they are limited and need to be washed but also because you need proper routines established.

Today's quote of the day...

"Why are we having Brownies again today for dessert?"

Seriously? Um cuz there are kids in the US foster care system who have never even heard of Brownies!






What we did yesterday:
Breakfast -Scrambled eggs, toast with jam, milk
Lunch - Pool Party Pizza and drinks
Snack- Freddy's Frozen Custard Sundae's
Swimming at our pool
Dinner- Sloppy Joe's & Mac&Cheese
baths
Dessert- Brownies (again)
bedtime @ 7pm - Why was bedtime so early and sans movie? Because 3 little girls took two hours to go to bed the night before.