The adventures of the family who went from zero to five children overnight through foster care and adoption.
We went from Zero to Five kids over night and now we are passionate about encouraging others who are involved or interested in foster care and adoption, parenting, and fun!
Hi Debbie Anderson, yes our adopted kids had a GAL. Our experience with our kids GAL was that she was very busy and she was only at court appearances and a few special meetings. Most of the information she received was through documents and what our case workers would report. I can’t say it was a positive or negative experience because there really wasn’t a lot of contact with her, but she seemed to know everything that was going on in our lives and the kids and the time we did spend with her we got along great.
I've considered fostering, though not for a long time, and I can't drive. I don't know what my community situation will look like wherever I end up living, but, without the ability to drive, do you think fostering is possible? With all the appointments and everything, and a lot of times you'll have to leave Somewhere very quickly. Obviously there's Uber, but that can really get expensive, and I don't know if it's something that would be reimbursed.
Zelda wolf, yes that might be very challenging and costly but I don’t want to say it couldn’t be done. Everyone told us we could continue to both be working full time jobs and we made it work, yes it was very difficult and challenging. In our state we were reimburse mileage for doctor appointments, team meetings, and all other required meetings or appointments. If your state has that it typically is a set amount per mile and probably wouldn’t cover the full cost of an Uber. I’d look into what your state does cover because each state has slight different benefits and rules for fostering.
Hiiii, my names kaiulani (I go by Kai) and I'm Alex's friend, I didn't know you guys had a yt channel until you popped up on my fyp, your guys videos are so cool, keep up the good work ❤
New Resource Parent and Respite Care Parents. Respite Care Director is coming on Tuesday to check our apartment and for me to sign papers. We are doing newborn to under 24 months. Question: Do I need to get all the furniture with Edge Bumpers on them. I have latches on the kitchen drawers now.
Hi Nicholinamendoza, that’s exciting! I know that was not a requirement for us, but each division has its own rules. So I would just talk to the Director when they come on Tuesday and see what they recommend. The latches on the drawers where we stored knifes and things that were harmful for kids to play with or get into were required for us too. Our experience with the caseworkers/directors were amazing and we would just talk through the needs during our home visits and make corrective actions before the next visit if there was anything we needed to address. Don’t be nervous it’s definitely nerve racking at first but the respite care directors want more respite care parents and want to help you succeed while making sure the kids in your care are safe. My suggestion would be just to be open and honest. I wish you the best, let us know if you have any other questions or concerns. Thanks for reaching out!😁
@@branver1172 I believe most caseworkers do have a degree. It is definitely not a high paying job and requires a lot of time. It can be very difficult with all the different situations you face.
@@brendasmith4220 not sure of the rules in every state. We were able to have dogs with fostering. I don’t think they could keep a person from fostering if they are disabled. They would have to be able to prove they are physically and mentally capable of fostering and taking care of a child, just like everyone is required to prove. So we had to get doctor notes and veterinary notes saying we were all health and fit to foster.😁
I used to be a foster kid got in at the age 11 due to my moms addiction and being kidnapped for 18hrs i was bounced around alot from group homes, foster homes and even sat in a detox place (i was a sober 14 year old) because they said they had no space the city i came from didnt want to keep paying more out of town but i met a woman named linda when i was 16 and that year was the best year of my life. She helped me heal and gave me a place to feel safe and loved. I was let down a lot by my bio mom, and she helped ease that pain. They moved me 2 days after Christmas it was a sad day and i aged out after that i was told until i was 18 i couldnt speak to her so i waited and when she responded to my myspace message she immediately called me she was part of my kids lives and loved me as her own. Loved my kids like her own grandchildren, and because of her, i am a better mom and almost fully a foster parent. She passed 9 years ago, but she was an amazing woman, and that is why i am the mom and person i am today. she truly just made me feel safe. Listened and stepped in when i needed someone. To all the foster parents, thank you so much for what you do. Because when those kids arrive, some of us are still working through accepting, we won't ever go home, or he or she won't ever get clean. We are trying to process the reality of being unloved and abandoned. Sometimes, it takes us a little bit to understand that you are just trying to help. I know i was an angry teenager, so sometimes we can't see it at first. We were used to being let down and / or not getting our hopes up. So thank you for opening your home and your hearts❤
But I do have question about you saying that when you were removed from her care two days after Christmas why did they tell you that you couldn’t talk to her until you aged out of the system😮that kind of threw me off because these so called caring system knows exactly what their doing to kids being put in actually good families
My kids and I love this beach! We’ve taken them there every summer and several little. The surf can tumble you into those iron rocks though, so be careful if it’s rough…also there’s a little octopus who lives there…it’s super cute.
This was SUPER helpful!! Thank you for speaking your truth and encouraging! I have wondered and tried to think through how to balance work and fostering, and this was a great encouragement to my husband and I!
Awe, thank you! We were discouraged to because our foster class pretty much told us it was impossible to foster and both work. It was tough but possible. Glad this was an encouragement to you!😁
My husband and I are looking into fostering with the intent on adopting a single child. I have autoimmune diseases and have had anxiety and recurrent depression most of my life. I am treated with medication. I have never been hospitalized in any way due to those conditions. Is there a risk of me not being accepted even though my conditions are well managed? I do not really have a work history persay. I have been doing volunteer work since I was 10 years old and am 39 now. Ofcourse when I was a kid it was a Saturday thing /summer. I also helped take care of my honorary grandma for a timespan as well as was dubbed choir and musical mom (my husband had played piano for a couple of schools and I was right along side with him making sure that kids has someone who was there for them. Do you think the lack of actual work will be held against me? We have been married 19 years and my husband has always been employed steadily. We are also in Missouri (st Francis county) I’m sorry this is long. I’ve been thinking about adopting since a maternal instinct kicked in about a year and a half ago.
So glad you had fun! In Cleveland we were in the totality as well and had lots of tourists. The totality was around 3:13-3:17 in Cleveland. Even though I have light perception I couldn’t really tell. I was able to tell the birds stopped chirping.
I believe it has been a great decision for us too. Some days are great and other days can be pretty tough but I do believe it is better for our family.😁❤️
Enjoyed this video of Door County. Hope to visit soon. You mentioned when you left the Lake Michigan side f the peninsula and went to the Green Bay side, the temp changed 20 degrees. Which side was the higher temp, or, which side was the cooler side? Thanks.
Yes, we find clothing at some of our local resale shops that are brand new and name brand. We have been amazed at some of the finds, it like a treasure hunt too. We love it! 😁
Hi Im Ashley and a new subscriber. Im truly enjoying watching your videos. You and your husband are inspirational and have a beautiful family. Im 36 years old and Ive lived in Alabama all my life. My husband and I have been married for 17 years. Together for 19. For many reasons we didnt seek other methods that i want bother getting into. I was also very devastated when I lost my mother, grandmother and the rest of my relatives that I was closest to since birth. If I was not married, I would be without any family. And it took me a long time to get past my flgrief and lost bwcausenai felt so alone like an orphan. I had an extremely close bond with my late mother. She was my best friend. And I felt so lost withoit her. So I waisted alot of years just working and not really appreciating life as ai should have without her. Cause shebwas the greatest love of my life. But now Im in a better place and state of mind to be a mother. Im stronger and have accepted my lot in life and having lost my family. But Im trying to find joy and be happy and thankful for the peoppe I do have in my life. And my husband does have a big family and we have nephwes and a niece and my husband has alot of 1st cousins around my age and 2nd cousins who are kids. And we all live close to each other and are neighbors because my husbands Grandfather owns alot of land he has given to kods or grandkids to live on. So we have alot of family to turn to and be there for one another. Now, I want to get checked out and have my husband checked out who is in his early 40s, and see whats going on that could be hindering me from getting pregnant. I have a regular monthly cycle. But I have not been to a gynecologist in years bit last I heard, I had a healthy uterus but I did have some Fibroids on my uterus. And I womder if that is the cause that is hindering me. I was to see about fertility options. Ive heard of IUI which is more affprdable if just the one methods of medicatioms doesn't work. But Ive heard about IVF and embryo adoption. But IVF has been oitlawed I think in my state of Alabama which is so sad for parents who wanted to grow their family in their own right of choosing and invested alot of money to have it done as well so they were truly serious about this. I suppose some families might have to travel out of state to have to procedure done. I hope that I dont have to have it done. But I wonder of I should have some eggs frozen and have my hubbys swimmers frozen too for safe keeping. And try to get pregnant naturally if at all possible with Doctors help. That being said, I am interested in learning more aboit being a foster parent. Im not sure if mybhusband and I would decide together to foster to adopt. And Ive heard of possibly having a chance of fostering a child in waiting who is as young as under 2 years old and foster them for 6 motnhs to see if you and the child are a good fit who bond well together and then decide whether or not to adopt. But that being said, I still want to have children of my own. But I do like the thought of helping children who need a nice loving safe home to stay in and get the medical help they need from Doctor, Dentist, Eye Doctor, and maybe do some homeschooling or enroll in school, whatever is best, and make sure they have everything they need for school, clothes, shoes, food etc. I would like to know how to best prepare right now for the later future on how to be a foster mother for children as young as babys to maybe 10 years old. Im not sure how strict the rules are for Home Study in my state of Alabama. But right now, my husband and I are planning to remodel a 60 year old house and a large chunk of land his Grandfather is giving to us and putting it in his Will. Its a cute 1 story white house that is for a small family. My husbands cousin use to live in 10 years ago and she was married with 2 boys. She later moved into a larger house and had a 3rd child. But this house has sentimental clvalue to the family. For one, this house was my husbands parents first house they lived in when they wete married before they made their fortune. And they could never part with it. Over the years after they built their large house not too far away from this house. Just down the road, theor grownup faughter lived in it with her famiky until she moved out and got a bigger house. And my husband and his father and mother and brother also loved in this house back in the early 1980s. So this house has been a home to many generations in the family and has been added onto over the years and maintained. But it has been just sitting theor for 10 years now, and not lived in cause it needs work. Thr electricity is on though. But it needs new flooring, walls and insulation. Plus I want to remove the entire kitchen cabinets and put in new kitchen cabinets and add a bar to cook or set out food when I cook and have peoppe over or a place ro eat and cabinets in the bar to put up and store more pots and pans. There is no pantry in the house. But I have a place picked out that I wish to build a decent size pantry to store food and other kitchen appliances I domt want set out on the kitchen counter top. Now this house only has a living room, dining room, kitchen a large space area that if I wanted, it could be possibly turned into a 3rd bedroom. But really there is only a master bedroom with a closet and a 2nd bedroom exactly next foor to it that is quite large. I could easily fit 2 sets of bunkbeds in that bedroom cause its so large. Plus room to spare for a 2 dressers inclideing the closet. Now the bathroom is pretty large but its also a washer dryer combo bathroom. And as far as out goes, we will have alot of land to work with. And next door off a good ways is the family cabin that was build maybe 13 years ago. Its guge and where we have weddings and birthday partieies and famiky get togethers and BBQs etc. And its for the entire family to use whenever we want too. And beglhind the cabin is a pond and across the street from the cabin is another pond that some kids like to fish in. Now this small white house we are going to remodel needs alot done and Im open to hearing ideas on how to make it safe for any children Im blessed with naturally or even in foster care. There is only 2 exit doors in the house right now. One in the front that you walk into the living room and if you turn right and conrinue there is another door on the right side of the house that is also on the other side of the living room. Its kind of weird too me that there is 2 doors leading the the living room. But there is a 2nd porch you walk out on the side of the house. And Ive been thinking about either building a new porch and seeing about turning it into a sunroom. Im just not sure. Id have to talk to a professional. And although I woupd like to add on to the house another bathroom and another bedroom, Im not sure how much that will cost, but I can afford if it is possible, but I worry because it might offset the house and make the roof look uneven if the back of the house it longer. I mean this house had a brand new tin roof put on it like 4 years ago that should last for 50 years they say. So Im not sure how odd the hoise will be and look if I do add another bathroom and another bedroom. And speaking of bedrooms, what are the requirments for safety reasons for kids when concerning bedrooms that may not have a window? If in the remodeling I need to make bigger windows or something, can you tell me what i should ask for? And should I consider talking to the construction worker about adding a door in the back of the house and from there buid a large porch with a roof? The main reason Im thanking that is having another escape place from the house incase there is a fire. Cause the only 2 exits ate in the living room. And that doesnt sit well with me. I evwn thought about taking video of inside and outisde the house talking to the fire dept and showing them the video and gwt theor opinion on what i should dom Or perhaps they might even be willing to come out and look at the home. But since Im going to have to put up new insulation and new walls which will be wood, and have the foundation and flooring fixed and completely makeover this house and save it for future generations, I want to make sure its a safe hoke for kids. So any advice you have, Id greatly appreciate. So while Im doing all of this remodeling, can you tell me also about the safety precautions I need to do outside for kids? For one, although the house is no close to the road, its close enough that a small kid roaming and getting out in the street could be harmed if they dont stay away from it. I noticed your fencing around your home. And since i will have a large chucnk of land all around the house that will be ours, should we build a fence all the way around it or just certain parts? But then, we would need a drive way. And I plan to build a 2 car garage. So Im not exactly sure how to make that work. Because if I build a fence, I cant block us off from the road and will need a gate. And so what do you suggest? I also wish to have a veggie garden and a chicken coop and raise chickens and grow veggies etc. But there is plenty of land to do that as well as have an area for kids to play on a trampoline and play house etc. We do not have a pool. But if we so, Id have to make sure it had a fence all the way around it and locked to keep children away. But its not like I want one right away or anything. Im just trying to do everything else that needs to be done. And worry about the rest later on. But as far as a fence goes around both the property and a pool. How tall should it be to be approved by foster care and adoption agencies?
You guys are great! Honestly you would brighten any kids lives! I had no idea they paid for daycare! that’s a huge deal btw..why don’t they provide that for single mothers that are struggling? That makes no sense.
Any tips for the upper levels of math lessons for a living education?! We are using it for all of our kids, too! Specifically, did you find that level 6 prepared them for everything in POM1?
Congratulations 🎉. This brings tears to my eyes. I'm so grateful people have option to try other things to be able to give life a chance. Thank you God for everything you do for us. I pray for those who are still not able to conceive. And I definitely can't believe with what people have to go through for a child yet people are actually still roaring for thee Pro-choice movement. May God we serve intervene and HELP in Jesus name Amen 🙏.!
they dont always pay for daycare i remember be the village talking about requesting only schoolage children because in her state they dont pay for daycare unless i think the foster parent is a single parent
To be honest when the kid said it’s a house, I want to live in it and stay there forever but also Big Brutus was not just the largest mining shovel, it was a sign of love and joy to the community of Bucyrus Erie, this was saved from a museum, but along with its family Big Muskie, The captain, and the silver spade, these mining shovels will never be forgotten to the whole world, and everyone must know the story behind Brutus 2024 kids will never know this is the best monster ever existed rest in peace to the legendary earth movers, they maybe gone but never forgotten.
Peter and I hiked this trail in 2016 when we did our last 2 of the lower 48 states ( Oklahoma and Arkansas). At the end of the trail, we met someone from Poland :)
That’s so awesome! Did you all make a video of it? It’s crazy to think how many people do that trail and the road to get to the trail head is just a long steep gravel road.
Here in texas, things like medications or alcohol have to be behind TWO sets of locks, such as a locked cabinet or closet within a locked room. Medications includes things as simple as aspirin, and you can't have them in your purse, for example, I was told in a fostering orientation.
Woah, they are much stricter in Texas. We just had to have them locked up but not twice locked. And I could keep medicines in my purse or they just never mentioned it to us. Thanks for sharing!❤️
Would we still need to have the door safety knobs, lock up knives, and cleaning supplies (I understand meds and guns) if we only wanted to foster older kids, like teens?
That’s a great question, don’t believe you would have to have door safety knob, locked knives or cleaning supplies locked up with older children unless there is a know issue. When you start the homestudy they do several walkthroughs just to see your house and make suggestions or tell you what would need to change. It seems very intimidating but we actually did so many we kind of enjoyed it. It gave us another opportunity to ask question and make our home safe for those kiddos we fostered. 😁
