Requirements to Become a Foster Parent

Some of the Requirements for Foster Parent / Adoptive Parent Approval*:

• Application to foster/adopt
• Financial Report for fostering/adopting
• Copy of last years tax paperwork
• State Central Registry Clearance form
• CPS Record Clearance
• Fingerprints, both FBI and State Bureau of Investigations
• Medical Report for all adults and children residing in home
• TB test
• Children’s Certification for being free of infectious diseases
• Copy of children’s shot record
• Copy of Drivers License, Social Security Card, Vehicle Insurance, Home Owners Insurance, Health Insurance, Dental & Vision Insurance, and Life Insurance
• Marriage Certificate and/or Divorce Decrees, if applicable
• Reference Contact Information
• Reference forms filled out and returned for family, friends, and employers
• Home Evaluation, to ensure that home meets the Minimum Standards
• House floor plan sketch
• Fire Escape Plan
• Firearm Safety form
• CPR & Basic First Aid certification
• Water Safety course, if applicable
• Completion of Family Profile
• Desired Child form
• Knowing Myself form
• Starting to Look at My Values form
• Infertility Worksheet
• Written Life Story for each adult residing in household
• Completed EcoMap
• Discipline Policy (no corporal punishment, visits cannot be withheld, etc)
• Confidentiality Policy
• Copy of Rabies Vaccination for pets, if applicable
• Letter to Child & Letter to BirthParent
• Pictures of self, family, house, and pets
• Home Visits also called Family Consultations (at least two visits not including the one for the Home Evaluation which is sometimes done by another worker)
• Individual meeting with a worker called “Narrative Recording” (you will be asked extremely personal questions about things such as your sex life both past and present, your upbringing, your parent’s upbringing, your detailed medical history, your family’s detailed medical history, your education, your complete employment history, your relationship history, etc.)
• Successful completion of 30 hours GPS training
• Completion of a Professional Development Plan (15 hours of training per year, semi annual reviews, redoing all paperwork each year, etc)

*requirements will vary from state to state, county to county, agency to agency, etc

Termination of Parental Rights

The petition for TPR of BabyBoy has been filed with the court. We now await a court date.

The worker also said the birth parents residence burned, not sure how severely. I know that I shouldn't, but I feel bad for them. Not long ago the birth dad's mom (BabyBoy's paternal grandmother) was diagnosed with cancer and moved into a nursing home even though she isn't that old. Of course part of the reason she was moved was because birth dad was taking her medication (both her crazy pills and her medicinal marijuana pills). And who knows, the place could have burned because of a meth making accident. I'm positive that the birth parents will use these setbacks as excuses in court to get the TPR delayed.

And so we wait.

Wordless Wednesday

Museum Day

Go here to print a coupon for free admission to Smithsonian affiliated museums on Saturday September 27th, 2008.

Is "date night" still called that if you're alone?

Friday night used to be our Date Night. After the kids went to sleep, we would watch a movie and be together. Darwin would go by the library and pick up three movies: one kid's movie for The Daughter, one "chic flick", and one action/adventure or slapstick movie. We tried to alternate between watching a movie of his choosing and one of my choosing. So now I put the kids to bed and I watch movies of my choosing. And then I go to bed without him. And I miss him (This is not something that is easy for me to say. I'm one of those strong independent types that would prefer not to admit to weakness.).

So far I’ve watched Cake, Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber, Norbit (Full Screen), and The Perfect Man. This weekend I have Saving Sarah Cain, I Heart Huckabees,andA Mighty Heart.

Apparently I have all the time in the world to watch movies of my choosing. Or at least all the way to St Patrick's Day. He's extended again. Seven months away from home with no extra pay.

So, I hear the new Meg Ryan flick is good. Anyone watched it yet?

Dog is Good, Dog is Great and other redundant sheep shit

WARNING: If you don't like cursing and/or are easily offended, skip this post. KThx


Apparently separation of church and state doesn't exist in the south. I volunteered from 8:50am to 2:30pm at my daughter's school on Wednesday. Specifically, in her kindergarten class doing die cuts, making copies, grading state mandated standardized tests, and making tons of rectangles of varying sizes and colors to later be assembled into various animals. And then it was lunch time. Lunch! Yummy! We lined up and put our fingers on our lips and our hands on our hips ... and then prayed. I was shocked into silence. My daughter turned to me and said "I hate having to say this every day." So I told her she didn't have to say it. She could stand there and be politely quite. This is a fucking PUBLIC SCHOOL. It's bad enough that we get church flyers in with the weekly school newsletter. It's bad enough that the kids are forced to recite the pledge of allegiance every day with the "under god" part included. I will NOT tolerate my daughter being forced to believe a specific religion in a goddamned public school. Shit.

Couldn't they just say "Let's give thanks for our food." Or observe a moment of silence. Or just, you know, eat.

Wordless Wednesday

The Story of My Life

I'm ovulating. Without medication. My ovaries decided to work this month! I just know the internets wanted to know that. Problem? Darwin is like a gazillion miles away. Okay, just 900 but too far to impregnate me without a telaporting machine.

Wordless Wednesday

Kindergarten Mom Maturity

Friday I had a few errands to run before I picked TheDaughter up from school. I was done before I had expected to be, so I went ahead and drove over to the kindergarten. The pick up line is horribly long, even more so on Fridays. It was 1:30 when I arrived and there were already 9 vehicles in line. School lets out at 2:30. I was the first one to have to wait in the turn lane on the road. The other vehicles were in the parking lot lined up at the sidewalk and snaking around through the yield lane where I was waiting to turn in. At about 2:00 this silver minivan came driving up the wrong way (the opposite direction from which parents are supposed to travel when entering the pick up lane in front of the kindergarten) and pulled in front of me. She was blocking traffic since most of her vehicle was still in the road and she was right up against the bumper of the SUV in the yield lane. I was reading a magazine but looked up to acknowledge her stupidity and rudeness and she STUCK HER TONGUE OUT AT ME. Way to go. First be rude, illegally block traffic, and then act more immature than your kid whom you are there to pick up. Great way to model appropriate behavior for your kindergartner.

Wordless Wednesday