hollykaustin

When parents let kids down

Today Tiny had a visit scheduled with her Mama. It’s her standard visit – every other Friday at 1 o’clock. At a meeting last week we discussed the visit with her Mom so she definitely knew about it. Yet today, something went wrong, and Mom didn’t show up for the visit. There could be aContinue reading “When parents let kids down”

It’s Official!

We are now parents of a teenager! We managed to spring her from her facility for the last time yesterday and she now lives with us. We picked her up, stuffed my vehicle with all of her belongings, and brought her home. She’s still in a room full of boxes but it’s officially her roomContinue reading “It’s Official!”

“Are they all… troubled?”

I went to the doctor yesterday for some routine blood work. As so often happens, I chatted with the nurse who was taking my blood pressure and pulse and in the course of conversation she asked if I have any children. I answered her that I’m a foster parent. She then asked me what agesContinue reading ““Are they all… troubled?””

Three is Company

I am currently the only crazy person awake in the house but it won’t last for long. Soon I’ll have Tiny (2) and Kiddo (9) wide awake and literally climbing me. The teen (16) will sleep in because she’s a teen and potentially to avoid some of the chaos of the littler girls. But eventuallyContinue reading “Three is Company”

Support Rocks

As y’all know, we’ve got a 16 year old who is slowly transitioning to our home. Right now she is spending weekends with us, with the goal of having her move in within the next month or so. She’s a fun kid, who loves Tiny and it’s mutual. She loves to pick up Tiny andContinue reading “Support Rocks”

Transporting the Fam

Right now, Seth has a teeny tiny Ford Fiesta ST. It can fit a car seat in the back and technically Kiddo can squeeze into the back seat too but that’s its maximum capacity and everyone is squooshed. I get claustrophobic in it. It’s teeeeeeny. So my vehicle is the one that we use toContinue reading “Transporting the Fam”

If I had a Magic Wand

One of my dear friends asked me what I would change about the foster care system if I had a magic wand. That is a very good question, and a hard one to answer in a blog that may be read by my agency! If I could *actually* have a magic wand, I would waiveContinue reading “If I had a Magic Wand”

Blogging about a teen

I loooove writing blog posts and have so much going on with our new teen. But. I want to respect her privacy! Here’s what I can say about our weekend with her: she’s a nice kid. She adores Tiny and it’s mutual. She seems to fit into our household pretty well. Beans thinks she’s theContinue reading “Blogging about a teen”

Teen Update

Hip hip hooray! We get to spring our potential teen from her facility for the day on Saturday! No supervisors, not a zoom with lots of other people involved, just the 4 of us hanging at our house for the day. A real chance to see if we all like each other. This process hasContinue reading “Teen Update”

Valentine’s Day Excursion

A dear friend of Seth’s and mine, who we actually met because she was PB&J’s therapist, offered to come play with Tiny while Seth and I went out for a (*gasp*) actual date! It all turned out pretty classic, for us. Seth and I went to the new Salt City Market, which we’ve been dyingContinue reading “Valentine’s Day Excursion”