April 2, 2018
by Maralee
Comments Off on Be a Child’s Trusted Adult
My son came home from school with an assignment. He was supposed to sit with me and talk about who were the trusted adults in his life he could talk to if he had a problem. The focus of the … Continue reading
March 26, 2018
by Maralee
1 Comment
On the long list of topics I dreamed of writing about, this was not one of them. I did not want to have food issues or diet problems or whatever. This has been a hard season for me as I … Continue reading
February 1, 2018
by Maralee
Comments Off on Dismantling FrankenMom
A friend of mine called me up to ask about a Norwex gift she wanted to give her cleaning lady. HER CLEANING LADY. I have known this friend for years and it never occurred to me that she had a … Continue reading
November 27, 2017
by Maralee
3 Comments
We are planning our third annual Matt Christmas and it’s just about our favorite day of the year. What is Matt Christmas, you ask? It’s that wonderful time of year when you ask your friend Matt to join your family … Continue reading
October 17, 2017
by Maralee
2 Comments
If you give a foster family a chicken dinner, They might have extra time to spend with their foster child. When they have extra time to spend with their foster child, They’ll spend it taking a walk, looking at flowers. … Continue reading
September 1, 2017
by Maralee
Comments Off on The Importance of Support in the Fostering and Adoption Journey (and some retreat info)
When we became foster parents about 9 years ago, we had a very small circle of support. We had a group of people who loved us and encouraged us, but the amount of people we knew who had been down … Continue reading
July 12, 2017
by Maralee
1 Comment
I don’t know if you happened to catch the news about the 80 beachgoers who formed a human chain to rescue a stranded family out in the ocean. It’s a beautiful story and worth your time to check out. And … Continue reading
June 22, 2017
by Maralee
1 Comment
I introduced my children to a favorite childhood movie of mine, “The NeverEnding Story.” It was less scary than I remembered and more of a rant against ever encroaching technology and the loss of imagination for kids (ahead of its … Continue reading
June 14, 2017
by Maralee
2 Comments
When your friends and family hear you’ve added a foster child to your family, there is a wide range of typical reactions. There are those that are less than supportive (Are you crazy? I read about a foster kid that … Continue reading
March 28, 2017
by Maralee
Comments Off on How to Help a Financially Struggling Friend (without making things weird)
A few months ago I wrote about why I cringe when someone’s financial pain goes viral. We love seeing someone in need get their needs met, but it often means we’re witnessing that “needy” person at their lowest, most painful, … Continue reading