Fostering

I have a friend and school mum, who I will call Angel (cause she is) who along with the rest of her family (husband and kids) foster children.
All I can say is that I am in total awe of Angel and am immensely proud to know her and her family.

This past weekend was however very hard for them.

Let's take a few steps back.....
Last year they started fostering, they had an older girl for a few weeks and then they looked after a 6 month old baby whilst the adoption papers were going through. Angel worked with the new parents to ensure they understood the baby's routine for at least 2-3 weeks prior to the baby leaving them and she was also available to them for a few weeks after to ensure they had a smooth transition.

At the beginning of this year they got a call and were asked to take a 3yr old for a couple of weeks, short version of the story is that it turned out there was a 1yr old sibling as well and the services were going to separate them. Angel said NO, she declared that it was in their best interest to keep the siblings together as long as possible especially as the services were already considering inter family adoption of the siblings separately.
So Angel started appearing at school with 2 extra people in tow.
It shocked our whole world, well the small community of mum's who are all friends because we all have kids the same age. We were shocked because the children were adorable, friendly and full of life. It surprised us that ones so young could have so much spirit after the neglect they had suffered.
However, 6 months later and these 2 little darlings were still in Angel's care! Yep the system was not working really really hard to place them, they seemed happy with the care they were receiving. Which on the one hand is a lovely compliment of Angel and her family but on the other hand not good for the little ones as they really needed to start having a settled permanent life. Now although Angel was working hard to get these children settled she was never happy for them to be taken from their family and placed into another family whilst waiting for adoption, she was determined that they would not be moved around the system too much if she could help it.

So after a lot of communication from Angel to the services they have finally managed to place the older child with extended family. An aunt who lives a long way away from here and has family herself but has the heart to take on 1 more.

This is where the sad part comes in folks......

The 3yr old, who we have all grown to love, who runs up to us and gives us all hugs every time we meet at school, who has had a birthday whilst with us all and is now 4yrs old and has even started to make friends because Angel pushed for the child to attend Kindergarten whilst in her care.
The same little person who when asked how are you? Would answer with either of the following answers "I'm naughty or I'm good"! Has left us all this past weekend. The process finally worked and the child has moved with their aunt.

It was sad. I have never known a community so hit be sadness over the loss of a gorgeous little 4yr old.
They will be sadly missed, we wish them all the best in life, we wish them nothing but happiness and the ability to be a 4yr old from now on, not someone who had to fend for themselves and siblings! We hope all their dreams come closer and they have a happy life.

However, the 18 months old sibling is still with us and I can see further sadness and loss when their finally get placed.
It has definitely been a village effect with these children and we have all been involved and until this past weekend I don't think any of us realised just how much we were involved.

Shoes

I do not have a fetish with these, never have and never will.
I am not a girl who has oodles of them in her wardrobe waiting for that special moment when 1 pair will have its moment in the spot light and proudly get worn with that one all time special outfit.

I have shoes, don't get me wrong and usually I live in the same few pairs. So I am usually gutted when that pair dies and I have to scour the town to find another that suit my need.

But, I do have shoes and so do my children.
Unfortunately what gets me is the amount of children I see wandering along the street on their way to school in the morning....without shoes on!
We are in winter folks, it is cold outside, yet I can honestly believe these kids probably do not have a single pair they can wear.

It annoys me even more when you see these young mums in the supermarket, walking along in the latest designer outfit, complaining they have no money for food and their kids are wearing next to nothing with the blackest feet where they have not been wearing shoes ever!
Why do people seem to think that shoes are optional? To me they are as inportant as clothes are, yet I see so many people wandering around the hospital with no shoes on and their kids are following suit.
People seem to think shoes are not needed for children, they seem to think they are a waste of money as you have to buy new ones every 6-12 month. I am lucky in that my boys manage to make a pair of shoes last for a whole year. We usually buy new sandles at the beginning of each summer and new trainers at the beginning of each winter, these then last them until the next season they are needed.
Even if we could only afford one pair of shoes, then they would still have 1 pair and they would sure be wearing them in the wintertime.

My moan and groan is over now!

Wishing

The other morning there was a lovely huge rainbow in the sky.
I called Ben out to look at it.

He asked me if he could make a wish on it?
Didn't see why not, so said yes.
Here is his wish (he said it out loud)

I wish
I wish
I wish we had a rocket booster on our car

Nothing like plain thinking from a 6 yr old.

My wish would be.......

That I manage to get another 100 posts done so I reach my 1000th, as this post is my 900th.
Yea for me on reaching a milestone and I look forward to reaching the next one soon, maybe in about 3 months time if I write 1 post a day.

Remembering

For the last week, all of New Zealand has been holding its breath whilst the Police in Auckland try to find a missing 2 yr old.
Aisling Symes wandered from her house whilst her mother had her back turned for 2 seconds.

For the last week everyone has been debating over where she is and what could have happened to an innocent 2yr old?
Was she abducted, fallen in the waterway at the end of the property, even hiden somewhere?

Sadly on Monday evening everyone's worst fears were confirmed when the body of a very young child was found in a storm water drain on the property next door!

Mother's all over New Zealand are today keeper closer eyes on their kids and I know my kids are getting extra hugs and kisses along with being watched that little bit extra.

Our heart felt prayers go out to the family in this very hard time for them.

Manners

Where have all the manners gone in the world?
Are parents just giving up on teaching their kids about a simple little thing like 'please and thank you?'

Is it pc to not use manners now?

At the weekend I was in Rotorua for my mum's birthday party and I nipped out to the local store for some supplies and whilst I was there I witnessed 3 counts of parents demanding from their kids rather than asking nicely!

1 person I followed out of the store (she was leaving at the same time as me, I wasn't actually following her!) and watched her as she put her bag in the car. She then turned to the 2 yr old with her and said "get in the car" no please with it at all.
The child sort of ignored her and then she tried again, same result. Then in a fierce voice she more or less demanded.
Now I am not saying that the child would have jumped to it if she had said please, but what happened to trying?
What happened to keeping this parenting lark stress free and friendly? After all, yes we are the parents but we are not the dictators, the children are people in their own right and deserve some respect otherwise they will grow up with none!

Some come on guys, lets remember to say please and thank you to our kids, it may for a while feel like you are constantly saying it, but they do get it eventually at some stage.
I am beginning to feel like all the manners and values my parents instilled in me are now lost and I don't like it. Maybe I am old fashion in my outlook on life but manners is such a simple little thing that people like, so let's look at keeping them around.

Kids

We all love them and at times we all hate them. But what ever it is they can always make us smile.

Kids Are Quick

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America.
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?
CLASS: Maria...

TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.

TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
(I Love this kid)

TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.

TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.

TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I.'
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'

TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.

TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.

TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher

At 1pm today I heard on the news that a small child, about 2yrs in age, had been found in Auckland wandering the street.
Luckily for her it is summer, so the vest and pyjama trousers she is wearing is warm enough for this weather.
Anyway, she had been picked up by the local police and was being held until someone came forward to claim her.
That was at 8am today that she was found, as I write this at 3pm, 7 hours later, still no one has come forward with a missing child claim.

She is approximately 2 yrs old, wearing not much clothing, no shoes, has long brown hair and sounds very cute.
The police are hoping for a happy family reunion, but my concern is that if 7 hours later no one has even come forward, then when does Child Youth & Families get involved?
To me, if a child has not been claimed for over 7 hours I would not be letting her be reunited with family until an investigation has been put into place as to why no one noticed her missing for a whole day?

I remember loosing Alex in the shopping mall for 5 minutes and I was beside myself! Everyone in the shop knew he was missing, I made enough noise about it.

I will let you know when she has been reunited or what the outcome happens to be....

Persil's Fun List

Persil in New Zealand has put together a Top Ten list of things every kid should try before they are 10.

Persil's motto is "every child has the right to be a child" and "dirt is good"

So here is the list they suggest for all children to be children and enjoy........

1) Lie on your back and look for shapes in the clouds.

Clouds come in many different shapes and sizes. The cool thing is that sometimes clouds can make shapes that look like animals or other things. So go outside, lay on the grass and check out what shapes you can see.

2) Camp out in the back yard

Whether you have your own tent or you construct something suitable, this activity will create a sense of adventure for the kids as they sleep out under the stars. If they do need adult supervision, then maybe consider putting up a second tent nearby, so they are on their own but with you close by.

3) Build a secret hut

Your kids will love having a secret hut all of their own, a special place they can meet their friends and have fun.

If your garden has lots of hidden areas, then consider helping them make something permanent with wood, maybe under or in a tree, even behind a bush.

4) Catch a fish

All kids love the excitment of actually catching a fish all by themselves, whether it be in the river, sea or off the end of the wharf.

5) Play in the rain

Simply put on you boots and coats and go jump in the puddles.

6) Build sandcastles at the beach

Who hasn't spent many a wonderful sunny day playing at the beach whilst on holiday building the fort or castle of your dreams. All you need is a bucket and spade and lots of imagination.

7) Learn to swim

Swimming is fun and every kid should learn to swim

8) Whoose down a mud slide

Have fun as a family by making your own in the back garden or visit one that is already made

9) Grow your own garden

Children love something that is all their own. You can give them a patch in the garden and let them decide what they would like to grow. Flowers, vegetables. Preferrably something that doesn't take too long to grow to begin with.

10) Make mud pies

Mud, water, plates, spoons and a wild imagination and you have the perfect setting for serving the family any creation made.

Isn't it amazing how the simple things are making a come back in what we should be doing and encouraging our children with. The world is their oyster, let them roam and imagine.

Why Parents Drink

The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees had not phoned in sick one day. Having an urgent problem with one of the main computers, he dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper.

" Hello " "Is your daddy home?" he asked.
" Yes ," whispered the small voice.

May I talk with him?"
The child whispered, " No ."

Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked,
"Is your Mommy there?"
" Yes ."

"May I talk with her?"
Again the small voice whispered, " No"

“Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked,
"Is anybody else there?"
" Yes ," whispered the child, "a policeman ".

Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked,
"May I speak with the policeman?"
" No, he's busy ", whispered the child.

"Busy doing what?"
" Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman ," came the whispered answer.

Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked,
"What is that noise?"
" A helicopter " answered the whispering voice.

"What ! is going on there?" demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive.
Again, whispering, the child answered, " The search team just landed a helicopter ."

Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked,
"What are they searching for?"

Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle...

"ME ."