ethnic cooking

Sunny’s Need to Belong

The subject of belonging came up for me recently when I listened to a We Can Do Hard Things podcast called “Being Left Out: Navigating that Lifelong Ache.” In the episode, Glennon, Abby, and Amanda talk about the need for feeling like we belong, and how fundamental that feeling is to our survival. In essence,Continue reading “Sunny’s Need to Belong”

Hidden Burma

Today we had a visit with Sunny and Sprout’s family. Instead of being cooped up in an apartment they suggested we meet at a park nearby. It was a gorgeous day, so why not? We put the address they gave us in the GPS, then got spectacularly lost. Eventually Sunny saw something she recognized andContinue reading “Hidden Burma”

Visit Blues

Visits are hellaciously hard. Leading up to the girls’ visit with their family today, I could feel the tension climbing. They fought more about stupid things, and Sunny’s mood soured. She got short tempered and cranky, biting her sister’s head off at regular intervals, and sniping at me with anything she could think of toContinue reading “Visit Blues”

Religion is Tricky

The Backstory I was raised Catholic. Seth was raised intermittently Pentecostal – i.e. Pentecostal when his parents weren’t getting kicked out of churches for pushing limits. We both walked away from our childhoods abhorring organized religion and its exclusivity. About 22 years later, when Kiddo had been with us for about 6 months, we realizedContinue reading “Religion is Tricky”

Food Fights

One of the many challenges of foster parenting revolves around food. It’s an exhausting problem because there’s no escaping it – we all need to eat multiple times a day. When kids first come to us I make it clear they can ALWAYS have a snack from a particular tray in the pantry. It’s currentlyContinue reading “Food Fights”

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”

Tiny’s Tale

Tiny’s transformation with us has been pretty amazing. When she came to us she was literally starving to death. She wasn’t eating or drinking, and at almost 2 years old she weighed only 15 lbs. We now believe she’s a Little Person which accounts for how small her frame is, but she was still soContinue reading “Tiny’s Tale”