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Ready for my company. Started out with my friend from Florida and has grown to 7 more of our friends from WV. I've had two guest cottages cleaned and beds made. Grandsons filled the wood boxes. I've done a little baking myself. Having dinner delivered. It's supposed to be in the low 30's overnight. It will be a busy 5 or so days.
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Becky have a wonderful visit!! Our trip to see my Aunt went great. Pa is so beautiful right now, the leaves are ahead of ours and it was so pretty. Great to spend time with Aunt and some cousins. Her new condo is lovely and she brought enough things from her big house to make it still feel like her home.
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I think I am completely through with public sector work, too much nonsense with governing bodies, especially when they are strong majority women! Politics enough to drive me nuts! Adjusting to slowing way down! Just the unknown..... 😏😏😳😳

Just call me "fall guy"
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glad - I'm sorry. Workplace politics are the worst!!!
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The Avon lotion has arrived. I don't like it, but maybe the mosquitos won't like it either.

There are hummingbirds feeding on the blooming cape honeysuckle near my front door. Found out that hummingbirds eat mosquitos and other insects.
That is a good thing!
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Sad today. Visited with my first cousin yesterday. She just turned 50 and has two lovely daughters in middle school. She also has a husband 2 years into a early onset alzheimer diagnosis. He has been staying at home alone while his wife works and the kids are at school. I tried to get my cousin (the RN) to understand he doesn't need so much time alone. The weight drop is because he doesn't eat or apparently drink when alone. I worry about the pool, could the girls come home from school and find him in the pool? There's an ADC program with the local senior center but she is resistant to looking into it. He also qualifies for a program at the local VA. She reminds me of my mother immediately following my dad's vascular dementia diagnosis; it's not so bad yet.

I'm considering offering to bring lunch by their house on the days she works. Would I really be helping or just enabling a potentially dangerous situation to continue? I can't stay until the girls get home because I need to be home when my foster sons get home. She is already under so much pressure trying to keep things going. Her parents chauffeur her girls (their grandchildren) around to their functions but health concerns limit how much help they can offer. Most of the cousins and her brother are in the their late 40s or 50s and have busy lives with the their own families. So many things similar in early onset to what we deal handle with older parents... and so many things are different.
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TN, I am sorry that your heart is heavy for your cousin and for her trials.

I think it would be helpful to keep track of his overall well-being with lunch delivered. Perhaps she would be able to see that something needs to be implemented to keep him safe and healthy.

I can't imagine how deep the water feels for her right now.
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Hug your loved ones tonight. A neighbor woman (63) lost her husband, suddenly, today. He was 59. Don't know the cause, but reminds us all.
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techie - sad to see the decline and a difficult time for family to make the adjustments,

glad - you never know. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us.
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It was one of those days. Dialysis did not go well. I’ve felt terrible all day. Going to have soup and go to bed. It’s unusual for treatment to make me feel bad. Usually a little tired and a short nap fixes me up.
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Feel better Becky.
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Today, mom's 94th.😔😔
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Becky: Feel better.

glad: Hugs.
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glad - (((((hugs)))) Sorry you are sad.
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Becky, sorry things did not go well today.

Glad, I'm also sorry you are sad.

I'm also suffering with the blues. I know I suffer from depression but I just don't want to go on another SRI. Initially they work with me but inevitably the side effects start and that's another uphill road to climb. I've tried all the so called natural antidepressants but maybe I'm just too sensitive to things cause they all give me problems as well.

So, I'll just plod on. I can't wait till January when all the holidays are over. An early bah humbug from me. Yeah I know we haven't even had Halloween yet but my sister is already sending out the "Come to our Place" e-mails so that's why I'm thinking about it.
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96!
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I'm sitting in a child physiologist's office while my foster sons visit with him. The younger's mother tried to take him last night at an away ballgame. On the physiologist's recommendation, she only has an hour of weekly supervised in the CPS office. She tried to take him while he stood in the concession line with his older brother. The brother took him by the hand and stepped over to the sheriff's deputy as I headed up the hill to reach them. Sent the boys to the men's restroom as the mother argued she should be able to take her son. After she was escorted out, the deputy got the boys and I just hugged them and told them I was sorry they had that experience. We left and he held on to his brother all the way home.

Icredibility difficult. I know the court has ordered I keep them separated for my foster son's benefit. I try to make those visits as pleasant as possible, taking school papers and fast food and homemade cookies for them to share. He loves his mother and he's afraid of living with her again. This morning he thanked me for keeping him. This is harder than any of the caregiving challenges I faced with my parents. I feel more pressure to "get it right" at the same time I don't know what is "right". I try to explain his mom has some problems and not express any hostility toward her. To leave him okay and not needing to "choose" between us. He's only 9 years old! Pray for us.
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(((((techie))))) tough situation. I'm glad it wasn't worse. Poor little tykes. Prayers.
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TNtechie,
You are doing everything right!
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I'm sure trying. They're out of school today so now we're at the trampoline park for a couple of hours, then maybe we'll go by their favorite public park.
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TNtechie,
You may have already done this:
Add an emergency phone number to a piece of paper, inside the shoe inserts.
Vary your routines and parks that you visit.
Don't get paranoid, but always be aware of your surroundings and if you are being followed.
Let the boys know that you or law enforcement will always come to find them, if ever they are forced to go with non-custodial mom.

I have known two sets of foster moms. You can get help teaching the boys safety, and how to notify safe people if they have been taken.

One interesting 'story', maybe not true, but a good idea: A child taken wrote in crayon on the menu! Amazingly resourceful, imo.

It is hard just to think about! The boys are being traumatized by their own mother!
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SendHelp, the mother knows where I live; she was a neighbor. I have a good home security system. Both kids have memorized my name, address and phone. I knew the ballgames were a "weak" link but the boys enjoy participating so much I don't feel I can deny them such a normal part of childhood. I do contact the law enforcement working the event and provide them copies of my court orders and a photo of their step/mother prior to the event. Older son has been told to never leave the younger alone and retreat to law enforcement, which he did last night. I kept my eye on them and was moving before she had a chance to coral them. CPS is getting a restraining order to try to add another step to keep her away from us; don't see that working anymore than the judge's order changing custody. We have talked about ways to get back if they are ever taken someplace they don't want to be but I avoided addressing the mother as having taken the younger boy. Physiologist thinks I'm doing okay.

The mother is apparently enraged the state is paying me to care for "her boys"; they should just give that money to her.
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TN, you are doing great.

Right for kids is love, stability and more love, oh and food. They really are pretty simple and easy to get it right with.

Prayers for all of you, including mom. Hopefully, she will stop being so selfish and do what she needs to to get stable.
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TNtechie,
Yes!
Your plan has worked.
You are doing everything right.
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The one thing I didn't foresee was my 14 yo, 6' and 226lb grand-nephew seeing me running up the hill and taking off himself. He placed himself between the mother and the boys and used his basketball guarding skills to keep her at bay and continued to stand guard even after the deputy intervened. He tells me its better if she were to attack him because he's a minor and he's bigger and he's used to getting assaulted (because he plays football). He definitely runs a lot faster up a hill.
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TN, tell your awesome grand-nephew, WELL DONE!

He was so right and so totally amazing.

You are doing a great job, that's why he put himself into potential danger to protect you.
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techie -Agreed you are doing everything right and I am sure some of that is not easy. Good for grandnephew!!! Sounds like the foster's mum is interested in money which goes along with addiction. Sad.
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TNtechie: Prayers sent.
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His defense was a role reversal I wasn't expecting. He immediately told me he never hit her, just let her hit him. We've had many little discussions over the years about because he is so big and strong he needs to always control his temper and not hit smaller and weaker opponents with his full strength UNLESS they truly offer him injury. If anyone is trying to really hurt you or maybe even kill you then you hit them as hard as you can until they are not capable of offering any more fight.

I've told him God gives men strength to be the protectors of children and women and never their abusers.

Without realizing it, I seem to have gained a personal bear. "Nobody is going to hurt my family while I'm around!"

She was crazy enough to hit the deputy and when the deputy asked my nephew if he wanted to press assault charges over his son he strongly indicated he did. She hasn't made bail yet. I'm selfishly wishing she doesn't for a few days.
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TN, that is such a great lesson that you taught your GN. He is going to be an awesome husband and father one day. The gentle giant with a hidden super power.

I agree, I hope she nuts out in jail from withdrawals and can get into treatment or gets time. I know the odds of forced treatment are slim but, it gives you all a respite from her nonsense.

Again, WELL DONE to ALL of you. You guys are doing great for these young guys and they are learning valuable lessons that they will carry all their lives.
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