I had started off writing this as one long blog post, but have now divided it into two. I'm going to start with a variation of the same intro, though.
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So. It's not a secret that I'm licensed to foster a little one and have been researching and learning so much about how to be the best foster mom I can be. That means I now have friends that are fostering, friends that are adopting domestically, and friends that are adopting internationally. Some of these friends are people I've never met, but we keep up with each other via Facebook and blogs, and I've been blessed to meet several by dropping meals off when needed.
I read this post, by Missy at It's Almost Naptime, a blogger I have been following for years, more years than I've been in the foster care process. We've never met. But y'all. She's real.
I read this post a long time ago and have been mulling it over for awhile, because I resonate with it in a completely different way than the topic she is writing from. I can see where she's coming from. But, I haven't lived it yet. I currently resonate with it in a way I wrote about here.
Since the topic of fostering and adoption is close to my heart, and since so many of you that read this are dear to me, I'm going to pretend that we're each holding a cup of our favorite drink, with our shoes kicked off and our feet tucked up underneath us while chatting in my living room. Because that's exactly how I'm sitting right now...join me!
Missy's main point...that I LOVE....is that before you ask deeply personal questions, ask if now is a good time to ask a question. Everyone may have a different reason for that. I will only speak for me. When you ask me, "Hey, can I ask you a question?" I immediately know the question (which will become more than one real fast!) is personal. I'm cool with this, but it helps my mind prepare, and I can help the conversation to become the serious and in depth one it's about to become. Just ask ahead of time and you won't catch me off guard. :)
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Okay, here we go! :)
Fostering and Adoption are not the same thing. You may read that and smile, but many people think they are the same thing. Or they think people only foster until an adoption can be finalized, and that's not true either.
Foster Care is something adults can do, through the state, so that children being neglected, abused or without care for a time can be taken care of, in a safe home, until either their biological parents can care for them properly or the judge terminates parental rights and the child becomes adoptable. This process may take 6 months to 1 year, typically, though I've heard of it taking up to 2 years.
Adoption is when parent(s) enter into the process intending to bring home a child to their forever home. This means, from the beginning of the child entering the home, the parents intend to go through all the legal needs to make the child a part of their home forever. It ALSO means the child is already adoptable.
It is possible to foster-to-adopt. This means the child(ren) is/are not yet adoptable. They currently need a foster home, but the current legal situation looks like the child(ren) will be adoptable eventually, and the parents enter this relationship with the intention to adopt the child once the child is adoptable.
Many people have asked me if I'm intending to adopt and my answer is a fluid one. I don't know. I didn't think so. But maybe now, yes? You might ask me that question once and get one answer and then hear me answer it completely differently when another person asks me that question a month later. I thought I could compare this to whether you want to buy a house or build a house and how someone's answer might change to that, but I don't want to compare a child to purchasing a building, so I don't have an analogy for this. It's just where I am right now.
I'm not far enough into this process to have heard many questions, yet, so this list will not be lengthy.
Q: When will you get a child? or When will they call you?
A: This question is similar to "When will your water break?" It's a little ridiculous, because there is NO WAY TO KNOW! :) At this point, I am "due." I'm licensed. They can call at ANY TIME. 2am or 2pm...they can call.
That question is usually followed with this one.
Q: Why don't you have a child immediately? I thought there was a huge need for foster parents.
A. There is a huge need for foster parents. However, every foster parent has the right to put parameters on the age, gender, medical-needs of a child they're willing to accept. I have said any ethnicity, girl only, ages 5-10 (elementary school aged), only one child, without a violent history. The major restriction I'm placing is that I'm only willing to take ONE. Many kids in foster care are siblings. Since I am single, I am only willing to have man on man defense.
Q: Once they call, when does the child come to your home?
A: This depends on the placements. From what I understand so far, there are planned placements and emergency placements. Planned placements may take a couple of days. This gives the child (usually a teen) time to say good-bye to others. In an emergency placement, the child may be in my home within 30 minutes, but probably a couple of hours.
Once I explain my parameters for a child I'm willing to foster, there are other questions.
Q: Why only a girl?
A: Since I am single, and many children in foster care have been through things no human being should be able to imagine, I am only willing to work with my same gender. This one can be a little offensive to people sometimes. Usually if they're a parent of boys. I don't mean to offend (though, I admit, I don't think it should offend.) I'm trying to make the best decision for me and a future child.
Q: Why not an infant? They're precious and you could raise him/her from the start.
A: Yes, infants are precious. They also need child care. Most of the foster parents I've met are a couple with a stay at home mom and a working dad. That does not describe me. I can't afford child care and the state of Texas doesn't provide for it for foster kiddos. Not to mention, infants are awake a lot and I have no one to trade off middle of the night wake-up calls with. :)
That's all the questions I'm being asked right now. (See, I told you the list wouldn't be lengthy!) I'm sure the list will grow once a little one joins my home.
A little heads up. In the future, when you see me with my little girl and you do have questions, please do not ask anything in front of her. That's one thing I haven't ever experienced with Angela. No one has asked me a question about Angela or disabilities in general when Angela is around. (See this post for questions about my sister, Angela, who has Down syndrome.) Please show the same respect to my future daughter(s) and do not ask any questions while she is there. Also, please know that it is HER story to share, and I may not be able to answer all of your questions about her background. There may be information I do or do not know that I cannot share with you. I have signed a legal confidentiality agreement to not share this information. Even if I had not signed that, it is not my story to share, but hers, and just like you wouldn't want all your personal business hanging out for all the world to see, neither does she. However, if you have questions about the fostering process in general, I will be more than happy to answer them! These questions are still better asked when a little one is not around.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Another Referral!
Arrow called last Friday. I was still at work, and my cell phone had died because I'd forgotten to plug it in the night before...which NEVER happens (of course!). My classroom phone rings from outside the building. The only other time that happened...well, let's just say it wasn't fun. I admit, I thought about not answering it, but it was still official on the clock time, so I did. SO glad I did! She had tried my cell phone, but when it went straight to voicemail, she called the front office. There was a 6 year old little girl available. Father deceased, mother not making the wisest of decisions. Would I be interested? I asked a couple of questions. One she knew the answer to, one she did not. I said, "Yes!" She asked for a good number to reach me and said she'd call back soon. I went out in the pod and yelled for my team and they celebrated with me. It was surreal. Some other teachers were around. Some knew my story and some did not, but all were excited. It was a great moment!
I admit to being a little flustered on the timing of it all. My bed wasn't made. (It's never made. I'm not sure why that bothered me.) There were clean sheets on the floor in front of the washer that hadn't been folded yet. There were a few dirty dishes in the sink and mail scattered on the counter. Of course, random pairs of shoes were everywhere. Dad was grilling steaks and my plan was to head to their house. She had said she'd call back "soon." What does that mean? Should I race home and clean up? Are they going to call back before I can even get home? The gas light came on while driving to work this morning. Do I have time to go get gas? Should I still go over to my parents' for dinner? I'm in a Meltdown to Memorial Day challenge. The workout times don't work with the child care I have available. Do I back out? Find something else last minute? That doesn't work well when any babysitters have to be CPR certified with a background check. I don't want to let my team down, but the little girl has to become my priority.
I headed towards my parents' house, but stopped at Kroger for gas on the way. Just as I pull up to the pump, Arrow calls back. "CPU chose a family in Denton County. I'll call you if another little girl comes up."
Well, so life doesn't change today. And now I know "soon" means only about an hour.
I've heard from some other foster parents that it takes 6-8 calls before you actually get a little one.
I wasn't emotional at all after this phone call like I was after the last phone call. I think it was partly because the last phone call was the FIRST phone call, but mostly because I had to say no. I was turning down the opportunity to help a little one. That was HARD. This time, I said, "YES!" Whole-heartedly. I was ready. But I wasn't chosen. I have no control over that. I said, "Yes" and the Lord said "Someone else this time."
And, I'm okay with that.
Sunday, April 07, 2013
Do you have a question about my sister with Down syndrome?
Updated to add Questions/Answers #12/#13
I had started off writing this as one long blog post, but have now divided it into two. This one is first. I will publish the second one in the next couple of days. I'm going to start with the same intro, though.
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So. It's not a secret that I'm licensed to foster a little one and have been researching and learning so much about how to be the best foster mom I can be. That means I now have friends that are fostering, friends that are adopting domestically, and friends that are adopting internationally. Some of these friends are people I've never met, but we keep up with each other via Facebook and blogs. and I've been blessed to meet several by dropping meals off when needed.
I read this post, by Missy at It's Almost Naptime, a blogger I have been following for years, more years than I've been in the foster care process. We've never met. But y'all. She's real.
I read this post a long time ago and have been mulling it over for awhile, because I resonate with it in a completely different way than the topic she is writing from. I can see where she's coming from. But, I haven't lived it yet.
So, please forgive me if this post comes about a little jumbled. Because, I'm going to talk about being a sister of a woman with a disability. (I've written a separate blog post about fostering and adoption. I'll post that one in the next couple of days.) Since both of these topics are close to my heart, and since so many of you that read this are dear to me, I'm going to pretend that we're each holding a cup of our favorite drink, with our shoes kicked off and our feet tucked up underneath us while chatting in my living room. Because that's exactly how I'm sitting right now...join me!
Missy's main point...that I LOVE....is that before you ask deeply personal questions, ask if now is a good time to ask a question. Whenever anyone has said, "Hey, can I ask you a question?" I immediately knew it was about Angela. I'm totally cool with this and love talking with others about my experiences, our family and my perspective of having a sister with Down syndrome. I also know, when they start off with that question, that they sincerely want to know. This helps me mentally shift gears in our conversation and help to make it the serious and deep conversation it's about to become. So, just ask ahead of time if you can ask a question. It's cool!
Some Background:
My sister, Angela, is 3 1/2 years older than me. She was born with Down syndrome. This scientifically and medically means she has an extra copy of chromosome 21. Without getting into too many details, I have an XX (because I'm female) on every chromosome of my DNA. Angela has an extra X on every 21st chromosome. What does all this mean or affect? It means everything is a little slower. Her thought process. Her metabolism. Her actions. Her reactions. Her mental capacity. Her fine motor skills. Her gross motor skills. Everything takes a little bit longer to develop than it did for me, a child born without Down syndrome. Once it's developed, everything is slower than it would be for a person not born with Down syndrome.
I have had many friends and acquaintances ask me questions about my sister. I have NEVER been offended by questions. I'm going to amend that statement just slightly. Ever since I have known enough (and been mature enough to understand curiosity), I have NEVER been offended by questions.
As a kid, I did way better with adults than I did with my peers. My friends would ask questions and I didn't know how to answer them, so I might have huffed off and acted offended. (If you're an old-school friend, and I did that, please hear, an oh, so heartfelt, "I'm sorry!")
Friends, I will NEVER BE OFFENDED if you are asking a question about Angela, or Down syndrome in general, from an honest and sincere heart. Questions happen more often when in a new situation. The longer I know people, the less often questions are asked. Sometimes, this is because they already know. They've asked. :) Sometimes, this is because they think we've been friends long enough that they should already know, so they're too embarrassed to ask. Ask! I consider it a blessing to talk about my experiences with Angela and to help you understand.
Wonderful questions I've answered over the years:
1. Q: What is Down syndrome? What does that mean?
A: I think I answered this in the background, but if you're still curious, and want more specifics, this is a good article to read.
2. Q: Are you older?
A: Nope. She's 3 1/2 years older than I am. Because I'm a full foot taller (very typical for people with Down syndrome to be on the shorter side), many people assume I'm older. But I'm the baby. ;)
3. Q: How did your parents find out that Angela had Down syndrome?
A: The doctor told Mom, in the hospital room, after Angela was born. Maybe the next day? Dad wasn't there. (On a personal note, that has always surprised me. The doctor couldn't wait until the first-time parents were together!? to share life changing news?)
4. Q: How old was your mom when she had Angela?
A: Mom was 28 when she had A and 31 when she had me. Yep, our family doesn't abide by the 'norms'. Angela was not a "late in life" pregnancy.
5. The previous question is usually followed with this question.
Q: Is it genetic?
(Some background) This is usually a two-part question. 1. People are unsure and wondering if Down syndrome is genetic at all. 2. They're wondering if because Angela was not a late-in-life pregnancy, if that means Angela's particular birth with Down syndrome is something that runs in our family.
A: Part-one Answer: Down syndrome CAN be genetic, but that is VERY rare. In our community of families with a child with a disability, I know of only ONE that is a genetic disability. In this particular situation, the female is the carrier. This family has two children without disabilities and one child with a disability. One of the children without a disability is female, therefore a carrier. Meaning her children are more likely to have Down syndrome. As I said before, this is VERY rare. (We know A LOT of families with children with a disability. We know of only ONE that has a disability that is genetic. (By genetic here, I mean, runs in the family, like curly hair or blue eyes. Down syndrome is a part of the genes, therefore genetic. I'm sorry if this is confusing. It's the best way I know how to describe it!)
Part-two Answer: Down syndrome does not run in our family. Angela's birth had nothing to do with Mom or Dad being carriers. Actually, it had nothing to do with Mom or Dad at all. They conceived a child, and God knit her together in her mother's womb (Psalm 139: 13) just the way she is.
6. Q: What is the appropriate terminology? I know retard is not correct, but disability, handicapped? What words are offensive/not offensive?
A: I get this one a LOT! You're not alone in wondering! Terminology changes and words seem to be something, across topics, that causes bristling and hurt feelings. Retard or retardation is not appropriate. It is offensive. Please don't call someone with a disability a "retard." Please don't call someone WITHOUT a disability a "retard". The reason for this is that, in that moment, you are using the word "retard" as an insult. And that, in and of itself, is offensive to everyone with a disability and every family member of someone with a disability. The best thing to do is simply remove the word "retard" or "retarded" from our culture's vocabulary. The appropriate terminology is also PEOPLE FIRST language. "My sister has a disability." is much better than "My disabled sister". Blind man, four eyes, metal mouth....all of these are not appropriate. A man that is blind. A person that wears glasses. A child with braces. A person with a mental (or physical) disability. Does that make sense? Mentally handicapped isn't offensive, necessarily, but mental disability is better.
7. Q: Does your sister have Downs?
A: This is a fairly technical one. I'm starting my answer off with that disclaimer. :) The actual terminology is still PEOPLE FIRST. Dr. Langdon Down is the man that first made important observations about Down syndrome. While he did not discover the copy on the 21st chromosome, and it wasn't actually discovered until 1959, almost 100 years later, the syndrome is still named after him. The D in Down should be capitalized. The s in syndrome should be lower cased. We are giving credit to the PERSON, not the syndrome. Oh, and they are two separate words. Downs is not a part of it at all. Down. syndrome.
8. Q: What was it like growing up with a sister with Down syndrome?
A: Sometimes we fought. Sometimes we got along. Sometimes our parents had to draw a line in the backseat so we didn't cross it and each had our "own" space. Sometimes we giggled and played together and took naps with our heads in each other's laps. Does this sound a lot like your childhood? :) We were sisters. We fought. We played. We were just kids. I'm not trying to glamorize it. There were parts of it that were very hard. Angela is stub.born. She gives a new meaning to the word. She pushed every limit my parents ever set...and then some. Strong willed? She defines it. Because of that, I was a people-pleaser to the extreme. Still am. That has worried my parents off and on.
Fun anecdote: We had a wooden spoon with our initials and, as a child, I thought it was for both of us. And it was, technically. But I think it might have been used on me twice. Angela = strong willed. :)
9. Q: Are you worried that you'll have a child with a disability?
A: Well, since I'm not married, I don't dwell on it. Yes, it is a concern. Not because it's genetic (because it isn't, as I said earlier). But because of my awareness. Yes, I would have an amniocentesis when it was safe to do so. No, I would not have an abortion. (I think most of my regular blog readers would know that already. But I want to be very clear here, so I'm stating it anyway.) The reason for an amnio is to know ahead of time. I, and my (currently hypothetical) husband, would be able to mentally and emotionally prepare for what is ahead.
10. Q: If something happens to your parents, what happens to Angela?
A: This answer has also changed with maturity. At one point, in high school, I made it very clear to my parents that I was not willing to take on that responsibility. I didn't mean just right then. I meant in the future, too. We re-visited the conversation when I was in college, and I made it equally clear that she would become no one's responsibility but mine. My words were almost exactly, "She is MY sister and family takes care of family." (If you are a sibling of a person with a disability and have a different answer than I do, I am NOT judging you. This needs to be every person's individual decision, and every family needs to find what works for every person in their family.)
11. Q: What's something you think about now, in regards to Angela and her disability?
A: In all honesty, a lot of what I think about now, has more to do with my parents than with Angela. Angela is my only sibling. My parents are getting older. (They're still 100% independent. They both still work full time. They love working in their yard. I can almost SEE my mother rolling her eyes at my phrase "getting older" ;) "Hi, Mom!") My thought is not for the current, but for the future. I saw my mom and my aunt work together to take care of my grandma until she passed away. I see my dad and my uncle working together now to take care of my grandpa. I feel very alone when I think of taking care of my parents and having to make all the decisions by myself. (I've said that to a cousin or two and they promise to help. And I know they will. But bottom line, the decisions and care will be my responsibility.)
12. Q: Does Angela have a job?
A: Yes, she works at Academy about once every two weeks and Kohl's about one shift every couple of months. She's worked at both for 15-20 years. She also delivers meals with Meals on Wheels three mornings a week.
13. Q: Are there programs to help out with emotional health or continued education/enrichment geared for her?
A: Well, there are state programs that provide job assistance and training. They help connect people with disabilities with companies. Then they help provide the training to learn the position. It can be a roller coaster. A lot of people think of the "F" jobs for people with disabilities. The "F" jobs are: food, folding, flowers, and filth. Food doesn't work well, because many of them struggle with obesity due to low self-control and lack of activity. Folding is monotonous. There are only so many flower shops. Filth, meaning sweeping or emptying or cleaning anything, etc, means an employee has to be detailed. This can be a struggle at times. The hours for these types of jobs are weird, too. Most people with a disability do not drive, so they're dependent on someone else to get them to their place of employment.
This same state program can provide transportation. They can do some food prep training (in this instance, I'm talking about personal food prep). They can do some tutoring. There is some counseling. However, the high turnover are what you would expect in many state agencies, so the consistency isn't great, and the options that "should" be offered, aren't always available.
Okay, that's most of the questions I can think of. If you are a sibling of someone with a disability and think I've forgotten something, please let me know! If you're a friend (or stranger) and have more questions, please let me know! I'm more than willing to edit this post and update!
Pastor Gregg, my pastor in Houston, had a FABULOUS way of explaining something to parents regarding consequences. He said there should NEVER be consequences when a child is curious or ignorant. Consequences should be for disobedience and disrespect. I think that same philosophy carries over to a LOT of life. If you ask me a question in ignorance or curiosity, I will NEVER be offended. If someone asks me a question, intending disrespect toward me, my sister or anyone with a disability, then I will be. (I know that's not anyone reading this blog. I'm just articulating the difference.)
I had started off writing this as one long blog post, but have now divided it into two. This one is first. I will publish the second one in the next couple of days. I'm going to start with the same intro, though.
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So. It's not a secret that I'm licensed to foster a little one and have been researching and learning so much about how to be the best foster mom I can be. That means I now have friends that are fostering, friends that are adopting domestically, and friends that are adopting internationally. Some of these friends are people I've never met, but we keep up with each other via Facebook and blogs. and I've been blessed to meet several by dropping meals off when needed.
I read this post, by Missy at It's Almost Naptime, a blogger I have been following for years, more years than I've been in the foster care process. We've never met. But y'all. She's real.
I read this post a long time ago and have been mulling it over for awhile, because I resonate with it in a completely different way than the topic she is writing from. I can see where she's coming from. But, I haven't lived it yet.
So, please forgive me if this post comes about a little jumbled. Because, I'm going to talk about being a sister of a woman with a disability. (I've written a separate blog post about fostering and adoption. I'll post that one in the next couple of days.) Since both of these topics are close to my heart, and since so many of you that read this are dear to me, I'm going to pretend that we're each holding a cup of our favorite drink, with our shoes kicked off and our feet tucked up underneath us while chatting in my living room. Because that's exactly how I'm sitting right now...join me!
Missy's main point...that I LOVE....is that before you ask deeply personal questions, ask if now is a good time to ask a question. Whenever anyone has said, "Hey, can I ask you a question?" I immediately knew it was about Angela. I'm totally cool with this and love talking with others about my experiences, our family and my perspective of having a sister with Down syndrome. I also know, when they start off with that question, that they sincerely want to know. This helps me mentally shift gears in our conversation and help to make it the serious and deep conversation it's about to become. So, just ask ahead of time if you can ask a question. It's cool!
Some Background:
My sister, Angela, is 3 1/2 years older than me. She was born with Down syndrome. This scientifically and medically means she has an extra copy of chromosome 21. Without getting into too many details, I have an XX (because I'm female) on every chromosome of my DNA. Angela has an extra X on every 21st chromosome. What does all this mean or affect? It means everything is a little slower. Her thought process. Her metabolism. Her actions. Her reactions. Her mental capacity. Her fine motor skills. Her gross motor skills. Everything takes a little bit longer to develop than it did for me, a child born without Down syndrome. Once it's developed, everything is slower than it would be for a person not born with Down syndrome.
I have had many friends and acquaintances ask me questions about my sister. I have NEVER been offended by questions. I'm going to amend that statement just slightly. Ever since I have known enough (and been mature enough to understand curiosity), I have NEVER been offended by questions.
As a kid, I did way better with adults than I did with my peers. My friends would ask questions and I didn't know how to answer them, so I might have huffed off and acted offended. (If you're an old-school friend, and I did that, please hear, an oh, so heartfelt, "I'm sorry!")
Friends, I will NEVER BE OFFENDED if you are asking a question about Angela, or Down syndrome in general, from an honest and sincere heart. Questions happen more often when in a new situation. The longer I know people, the less often questions are asked. Sometimes, this is because they already know. They've asked. :) Sometimes, this is because they think we've been friends long enough that they should already know, so they're too embarrassed to ask. Ask! I consider it a blessing to talk about my experiences with Angela and to help you understand.
Wonderful questions I've answered over the years:
1. Q: What is Down syndrome? What does that mean?
A: I think I answered this in the background, but if you're still curious, and want more specifics, this is a good article to read.
2. Q: Are you older?
A: Nope. She's 3 1/2 years older than I am. Because I'm a full foot taller (very typical for people with Down syndrome to be on the shorter side), many people assume I'm older. But I'm the baby. ;)
3. Q: How did your parents find out that Angela had Down syndrome?
A: The doctor told Mom, in the hospital room, after Angela was born. Maybe the next day? Dad wasn't there. (On a personal note, that has always surprised me. The doctor couldn't wait until the first-time parents were together!? to share life changing news?)
4. Q: How old was your mom when she had Angela?
A: Mom was 28 when she had A and 31 when she had me. Yep, our family doesn't abide by the 'norms'. Angela was not a "late in life" pregnancy.
5. The previous question is usually followed with this question.
Q: Is it genetic?
(Some background) This is usually a two-part question. 1. People are unsure and wondering if Down syndrome is genetic at all. 2. They're wondering if because Angela was not a late-in-life pregnancy, if that means Angela's particular birth with Down syndrome is something that runs in our family.
A: Part-one Answer: Down syndrome CAN be genetic, but that is VERY rare. In our community of families with a child with a disability, I know of only ONE that is a genetic disability. In this particular situation, the female is the carrier. This family has two children without disabilities and one child with a disability. One of the children without a disability is female, therefore a carrier. Meaning her children are more likely to have Down syndrome. As I said before, this is VERY rare. (We know A LOT of families with children with a disability. We know of only ONE that has a disability that is genetic. (By genetic here, I mean, runs in the family, like curly hair or blue eyes. Down syndrome is a part of the genes, therefore genetic. I'm sorry if this is confusing. It's the best way I know how to describe it!)
Part-two Answer: Down syndrome does not run in our family. Angela's birth had nothing to do with Mom or Dad being carriers. Actually, it had nothing to do with Mom or Dad at all. They conceived a child, and God knit her together in her mother's womb (Psalm 139: 13) just the way she is.
6. Q: What is the appropriate terminology? I know retard is not correct, but disability, handicapped? What words are offensive/not offensive?
A: I get this one a LOT! You're not alone in wondering! Terminology changes and words seem to be something, across topics, that causes bristling and hurt feelings. Retard or retardation is not appropriate. It is offensive. Please don't call someone with a disability a "retard." Please don't call someone WITHOUT a disability a "retard". The reason for this is that, in that moment, you are using the word "retard" as an insult. And that, in and of itself, is offensive to everyone with a disability and every family member of someone with a disability. The best thing to do is simply remove the word "retard" or "retarded" from our culture's vocabulary. The appropriate terminology is also PEOPLE FIRST language. "My sister has a disability." is much better than "My disabled sister". Blind man, four eyes, metal mouth....all of these are not appropriate. A man that is blind. A person that wears glasses. A child with braces. A person with a mental (or physical) disability. Does that make sense? Mentally handicapped isn't offensive, necessarily, but mental disability is better.
7. Q: Does your sister have Downs?
A: This is a fairly technical one. I'm starting my answer off with that disclaimer. :) The actual terminology is still PEOPLE FIRST. Dr. Langdon Down is the man that first made important observations about Down syndrome. While he did not discover the copy on the 21st chromosome, and it wasn't actually discovered until 1959, almost 100 years later, the syndrome is still named after him. The D in Down should be capitalized. The s in syndrome should be lower cased. We are giving credit to the PERSON, not the syndrome. Oh, and they are two separate words. Downs is not a part of it at all. Down. syndrome.
8. Q: What was it like growing up with a sister with Down syndrome?
A: Sometimes we fought. Sometimes we got along. Sometimes our parents had to draw a line in the backseat so we didn't cross it and each had our "own" space. Sometimes we giggled and played together and took naps with our heads in each other's laps. Does this sound a lot like your childhood? :) We were sisters. We fought. We played. We were just kids. I'm not trying to glamorize it. There were parts of it that were very hard. Angela is stub.born. She gives a new meaning to the word. She pushed every limit my parents ever set...and then some. Strong willed? She defines it. Because of that, I was a people-pleaser to the extreme. Still am. That has worried my parents off and on.
Fun anecdote: We had a wooden spoon with our initials and, as a child, I thought it was for both of us. And it was, technically. But I think it might have been used on me twice. Angela = strong willed. :)
9. Q: Are you worried that you'll have a child with a disability?
A: Well, since I'm not married, I don't dwell on it. Yes, it is a concern. Not because it's genetic (because it isn't, as I said earlier). But because of my awareness. Yes, I would have an amniocentesis when it was safe to do so. No, I would not have an abortion. (I think most of my regular blog readers would know that already. But I want to be very clear here, so I'm stating it anyway.) The reason for an amnio is to know ahead of time. I, and my (currently hypothetical) husband, would be able to mentally and emotionally prepare for what is ahead.
10. Q: If something happens to your parents, what happens to Angela?
A: This answer has also changed with maturity. At one point, in high school, I made it very clear to my parents that I was not willing to take on that responsibility. I didn't mean just right then. I meant in the future, too. We re-visited the conversation when I was in college, and I made it equally clear that she would become no one's responsibility but mine. My words were almost exactly, "She is MY sister and family takes care of family." (If you are a sibling of a person with a disability and have a different answer than I do, I am NOT judging you. This needs to be every person's individual decision, and every family needs to find what works for every person in their family.)
11. Q: What's something you think about now, in regards to Angela and her disability?
A: In all honesty, a lot of what I think about now, has more to do with my parents than with Angela. Angela is my only sibling. My parents are getting older. (They're still 100% independent. They both still work full time. They love working in their yard. I can almost SEE my mother rolling her eyes at my phrase "getting older" ;) "Hi, Mom!") My thought is not for the current, but for the future. I saw my mom and my aunt work together to take care of my grandma until she passed away. I see my dad and my uncle working together now to take care of my grandpa. I feel very alone when I think of taking care of my parents and having to make all the decisions by myself. (I've said that to a cousin or two and they promise to help. And I know they will. But bottom line, the decisions and care will be my responsibility.)
12. Q: Does Angela have a job?
A: Yes, she works at Academy about once every two weeks and Kohl's about one shift every couple of months. She's worked at both for 15-20 years. She also delivers meals with Meals on Wheels three mornings a week.
13. Q: Are there programs to help out with emotional health or continued education/enrichment geared for her?
A: Well, there are state programs that provide job assistance and training. They help connect people with disabilities with companies. Then they help provide the training to learn the position. It can be a roller coaster. A lot of people think of the "F" jobs for people with disabilities. The "F" jobs are: food, folding, flowers, and filth. Food doesn't work well, because many of them struggle with obesity due to low self-control and lack of activity. Folding is monotonous. There are only so many flower shops. Filth, meaning sweeping or emptying or cleaning anything, etc, means an employee has to be detailed. This can be a struggle at times. The hours for these types of jobs are weird, too. Most people with a disability do not drive, so they're dependent on someone else to get them to their place of employment.
This same state program can provide transportation. They can do some food prep training (in this instance, I'm talking about personal food prep). They can do some tutoring. There is some counseling. However, the high turnover are what you would expect in many state agencies, so the consistency isn't great, and the options that "should" be offered, aren't always available.
Okay, that's most of the questions I can think of. If you are a sibling of someone with a disability and think I've forgotten something, please let me know! If you're a friend (or stranger) and have more questions, please let me know! I'm more than willing to edit this post and update!
Pastor Gregg, my pastor in Houston, had a FABULOUS way of explaining something to parents regarding consequences. He said there should NEVER be consequences when a child is curious or ignorant. Consequences should be for disobedience and disrespect. I think that same philosophy carries over to a LOT of life. If you ask me a question in ignorance or curiosity, I will NEVER be offended. If someone asks me a question, intending disrespect toward me, my sister or anyone with a disability, then I will be. (I know that's not anyone reading this blog. I'm just articulating the difference.)
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Diet Coke
On March 19 I decided that I would begin a "no diet coke" day the next day. I typically stop at McD's, Sonic or Chick-fil-A for breakfast. The primary reason for this stop is to get a diet coke. I didn't stop the next morning, but hadn't planned this in advance (ie or at all), so breakfast was difficult.
The first day was a breeze, which was COMPLETELY unexpected. So, I've continued it. Since March 20, I have had one diet coke. I was a week into this "no diet coke" thing and had a bit of a stressful day and ran to Braum's. It tasted weird, y'all. Like, weird-weird. I haven't had another one since. I'm not going to go all crazy and say I'm never going to drink another soda in my life. But the scales are 7 pounds down. 7 pounds! In 12 days!
Granted, diet coke is the major change, but because I'm not drinking diet coke, I'm not eating fast food. (If I go through the drive-thru, I will not order water with my meal. I know this about myself. So, I just don't go.)
Diet green tea with citrus is yummy!
Friday, March 29, 2013
A REFERRAL!
The moment I (no...we :), definitely WE...y'all have been so awesome and amazingly supportive ) have all been waiting for came yesterday. Arrow emailed me and said they had a referral of a little girl and to call them as quickly as I could. I stepped into another room and called her back, but she wasn't available. (Oh. The. Agony!) I left my phone on, told my kiddos it would ring and not to react (hey, I've taught long enough to know they'll react ;)) and kept on teaching. 10 minutes later, it rings and the comedy of chaos begins.
The room I stepped into the first time, now has kids in it. There is another empty room in our pod, so I head that way. I stop at J's room to tell her to watch my kids, but she doesn't see me and I'm snapping at her to get her attention, because the lady is talking to me on the phone the whole time giving me details of this child! The kids get her attention and she's so excited, because she knows what's happening and we kinda squeal together (except I'm on the phone, so mine is a silent squeal), and then I head into the empty room which is right beside hers, but it's locked and I have a key, but it's not opening, and I'm now calmed down enough to start listening to the lady on the phone and hear some PRECIOUS details and my heart is already racing, but it definitely picks up speed and I look at J and S (who has joined us for the excitement) urgently and mouth "help me!" and they bust me into the room and then J goes to keep an eye on my class.
I'm in the room for 30 seconds before I hear that this little one is 4, but will turn 5 on Saturday. I tell her I'm a teacher and she has to be able to come to school with me, and I don't think that will work, but I will need to hang up and go talk to my principal and call her back. I run down the hall to Beverly's office. I knew. I knew a child's birthday has to be before a certain date, but the hope...
Beverly confirmed that there wasn't anything we could do, and I called the lady back to say, "no." She said she knew my license was for 5-10, but she thought she'd try, and we hung up. I walk down the hall, back towards my classroom and see J and shake my head "no" and the tears come. I think I would have been okay, if I hadn't acknowledged them, but I said, "Ugh, now I'm going to cry." and then the floodgates opened, and I lost it. Thankfully no kids were around! The art teacher walked by and was probably like, "Um, there's a lady crying in the hall....crying makes me nervous!" (Sorry, Cory!!)
J grabbed a tissue, and I pulled it together and went back in to the classroom to teach.
It was HARD.
WAY HARD.
Oh, not teaching. That was actually a blessing, because it got my attention off the pain. Saying "no" was HARD. I knew I would get phone calls and maybe not get chosen (because they call everyone that fits the parameters of a child and CPS chooses a family). I didn't think about the pain of when I would have to be the one to say 'no.'
I know other phone calls will come. I know the Lord has a home for the little girl they called me about yesterday. I know His timing is perfect. I trust Him.
It's still hard.
The room I stepped into the first time, now has kids in it. There is another empty room in our pod, so I head that way. I stop at J's room to tell her to watch my kids, but she doesn't see me and I'm snapping at her to get her attention, because the lady is talking to me on the phone the whole time giving me details of this child! The kids get her attention and she's so excited, because she knows what's happening and we kinda squeal together (except I'm on the phone, so mine is a silent squeal), and then I head into the empty room which is right beside hers, but it's locked and I have a key, but it's not opening, and I'm now calmed down enough to start listening to the lady on the phone and hear some PRECIOUS details and my heart is already racing, but it definitely picks up speed and I look at J and S (who has joined us for the excitement) urgently and mouth "help me!" and they bust me into the room and then J goes to keep an eye on my class.
I'm in the room for 30 seconds before I hear that this little one is 4, but will turn 5 on Saturday. I tell her I'm a teacher and she has to be able to come to school with me, and I don't think that will work, but I will need to hang up and go talk to my principal and call her back. I run down the hall to Beverly's office. I knew. I knew a child's birthday has to be before a certain date, but the hope...
Beverly confirmed that there wasn't anything we could do, and I called the lady back to say, "no." She said she knew my license was for 5-10, but she thought she'd try, and we hung up. I walk down the hall, back towards my classroom and see J and shake my head "no" and the tears come. I think I would have been okay, if I hadn't acknowledged them, but I said, "Ugh, now I'm going to cry." and then the floodgates opened, and I lost it. Thankfully no kids were around! The art teacher walked by and was probably like, "Um, there's a lady crying in the hall....crying makes me nervous!" (Sorry, Cory!!)
J grabbed a tissue, and I pulled it together and went back in to the classroom to teach.
It was HARD.
WAY HARD.
Oh, not teaching. That was actually a blessing, because it got my attention off the pain. Saying "no" was HARD. I knew I would get phone calls and maybe not get chosen (because they call everyone that fits the parameters of a child and CPS chooses a family). I didn't think about the pain of when I would have to be the one to say 'no.'
I know other phone calls will come. I know the Lord has a home for the little girl they called me about yesterday. I know His timing is perfect. I trust Him.
It's still hard.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
A Day in the Life
Another blogger I read regularly did a post like this and I thought it was fun. So, here we go! :)
This is a typical day for me:
Tuesday:
Alarm goes off at 5:45, snooze a couple of times, feel panicked and hop in shower at 6:15
Race to school for 7:15 tutoring, arrive at 7:12, but tutoring kiddos are a couple minutes late so I have time to check and reply to a couple of emails.
Tutor 7:18-7:50
Announcements and then switch homerooms.
Teach kiddos until 8:40: We're reviewing several grammar concepts they've asked for clarification on: specifically commas. Commas are hard!
Take students to computer (This is one of our specials: Students go to music, computers, art, and PE at some point during the week.) before I have a meeting with the 4th grade team and counselor at 8:45, but slip in to see Beverly about a DonorsChoose question and arrive a little late for team meeting.
Official meeting breaks up, and then our team discusses a game plan for several upcoming events (with 3 new team members this year, there is more explaining involved than would typically need to happen.)
Pick up kiddos at 9:30, and they walk in to class asking if we can do Social Studies. They absolutely LOVED acting out a cattle round-up yesterday and watching me demonstrate a buffalo hunt last week, so they ask for Social Studies constantly. I LOVE hearing this, of course!
They eat snack while I review the 8 comma rules. Several kiddos have "ah-ha!" moments in regards to commas with dependent and independent clauses, so this is a MAJOR success moment that I, as a teacher, and they, as students, CELEBRATE! :)
Students are writing to various prompts in the classroom. In the next day or so, they will share their stories and classmates will need to identify if that author's composition is expository or personal narrative. While they write, I answer questions and take posters down off the walls that can't be up for STAAR, which is next week. I also create a DonorsChoose project for some whisperphones for our classroom. I submit it, but have to wait for DonorsChoose to approve it before it goes live.
We go over a comma IP (independent practice) from yesterday. They have a few minutes to read around the room and work on their extra credit projects. Reading around the room is their FAVORITE, so I see lots of smiles and hear several murmurs of "yes!" as they scamper for their favorite spot. Several students chose to re-enact a buffalo hunt as an extra credit project, so they work on writing their script while others are reading. Another little one is researching a person she is enthralled with and writing a speech, so she's on the Mac tucked under a table, busily searching for information.
We switch classes at 11:10.
I am in a slightly different place with commas with this class, just due to length of discussion the day before, so we're still reviewing commas, but they help me remember what we've already done and what we still need to do. (Gotta love 4th graders that can remember and help me out!) They complete an independent practice activity to help me to see which types of commas we need to hit a little more. They learn Washington has to be separated from D.C. with a comma. I know it has to go there, but I'm not sure why, so I google it to learn, too!
At 11:20, I receive an email from our AP asking for a meeting with my teaching partner and me. This week is slammed with meetings and J, my teaching partner, is off-campus for the afternoon, so the three of us go back and forth trying to find a time we can meet. We offer for her to join us for lunch duty on Wednesday (yes, we're THAT busy with meetings and commitments that joining us for duty is what we have available this week), but the meeting has to take place today so she can get back to the parent asking the questions.
This group works on their compositions. They ask some questions that make my heart go pitter-pat since the Writing test is next week, and I feel like they should know the answers to the questions they're asking, but I remind myself this happens every year, and the kids still do fine. They DO know what to do, but sometimes they just need to hear it again. I smile and answer every question they think of. :)
At 12:25, we line up for recess. I'm on recess duty today and our playground and building can be a bit of a wind tunnel, and the current temperature is 49, so I encourage kiddos to take a jacket with them. B, another teacher on our team, takes anyone to the field that wants to go, and I watch children on the playground playing basketball, 4 square and monkey bars, etc. The sun is out and shining warmly, so many jackets get hung on the fence.
12:55, we blow the whistle and line up to go inside for lunch. A couple of helpers hold up any forgotten jackets, and I walk in with one on my arm that wasn't claimed.
We try to walk in quietly, as there are classrooms around us, but 4th graders that just had recess are a little difficult to corral. At some point, someone claims a jacket from my arm while I'm handing off the walkie-talkie to a teacher for lunch duty and passing on a lunchbox to someone else that forgot it, while letting a birthday child know that his special treats are in the office.
1:02: I meet with my AP to catch her up on some background in a certain situation.
1:17 I dash into the bathroom for the first time today.
1:18: I pop popcorn for lunch and drink an iced green tea while chatting with a teacher friend.
1:30 Kids come back from lunch. They finish up the comma independent practice and continue to work on their compositions. We go over the comma IP.
2:00: I know the math STAAR simulation is tomorrow, and the Writing STAAR is next week, so I move desks around to be totally separate from everyone else, while kiddos are reading silently at their desks. This is always fun (No, really! We're all smiling!) , because they giggle while I drag their chairs and desks, but I need them in their desks to know who sits where so I know where I want the desks to go, and they're reading, so fluency and comprehension is being practiced. :)
2:30: We pack up a little early because one of my kiddos has cookie cake to share with our class for his birthday. The parents forgot to send a knife/plates, so he passes out tissues while I pop over to another teacher's room to get a knife. Kids want icing or don't want icing and everyone wants seconds. :) We sing Happy Birthday to the birthday boy.
2:45: Younger siblings arrive and react to the moved desks. I hear lots of calls of "What did you DO, Ms, Ross?!" General hub-bub of kids moving around and seeing friends in the hallway and sharing their day with their younger brothers and sisters that have joined us for dismissal.
2:50: Walkers leave to go with the walker crowd. Car riders come outside with me. The Lone Star Challenge team streams into my room with backpacks and flash cards and binders. I'm calling numbers at car rider today. That's a fairly new thing for me, and I'm still learning cars and parents' faces. I'm not as good at this job as I am at directing traffic, but we get the job done! :)
3:05: Lone Star Challenge meets in my room. We watch some videos on Colonial America and play a board game with questions they have made up to quiz each other.
4:10: LSC kiddos head home. I answer 24 emails and make a seating chart for STAAR. I usually tutor on Tuesdays at a student's house, but cancelled today due to my "to-do" list that I feel very behind on. I've rescheduled his tutoring for Saturday at my house. I've never cancelled on him before, so I don't feel too guilty about it.
6:00 Leave work and text Julie that I'm still coming to Let's Art Party, but won't be able to bring brownies like I'd planned since I left work late.
7:00 Join a couple girl friends I hadn't seen in awhile. Eat pretzels and hummus, drink chardonnay while following the teachers' directions to paint a fun picture.
10:00 Stop by Mom's house to show her my fun picture...I remember I'm taking a meal to a new foster mom tomorrow night, and I haven't made the brownies yet! Bolt for home.
10:15: Brownies go in the oven and I clean the house, wash my face, download a pic of my new painting to Facebook.
10:45: Brownies come out of the oven and I fall into bed, but my mind is running 90 to nothin', so it takes a few minutes to actually fall asleep.
11:15 Receive a text message (I have to keep my phone on, in case Arrow calls. Can someone tell me HOW to not hear text messages at night, but still have the phone ring!? Sheesh!)
This is a typical day for me:
Tuesday:
Alarm goes off at 5:45, snooze a couple of times, feel panicked and hop in shower at 6:15
Race to school for 7:15 tutoring, arrive at 7:12, but tutoring kiddos are a couple minutes late so I have time to check and reply to a couple of emails.
Tutor 7:18-7:50
Announcements and then switch homerooms.
Teach kiddos until 8:40: We're reviewing several grammar concepts they've asked for clarification on: specifically commas. Commas are hard!
Take students to computer (This is one of our specials: Students go to music, computers, art, and PE at some point during the week.) before I have a meeting with the 4th grade team and counselor at 8:45, but slip in to see Beverly about a DonorsChoose question and arrive a little late for team meeting.
Official meeting breaks up, and then our team discusses a game plan for several upcoming events (with 3 new team members this year, there is more explaining involved than would typically need to happen.)
Pick up kiddos at 9:30, and they walk in to class asking if we can do Social Studies. They absolutely LOVED acting out a cattle round-up yesterday and watching me demonstrate a buffalo hunt last week, so they ask for Social Studies constantly. I LOVE hearing this, of course!
They eat snack while I review the 8 comma rules. Several kiddos have "ah-ha!" moments in regards to commas with dependent and independent clauses, so this is a MAJOR success moment that I, as a teacher, and they, as students, CELEBRATE! :)
Students are writing to various prompts in the classroom. In the next day or so, they will share their stories and classmates will need to identify if that author's composition is expository or personal narrative. While they write, I answer questions and take posters down off the walls that can't be up for STAAR, which is next week. I also create a DonorsChoose project for some whisperphones for our classroom. I submit it, but have to wait for DonorsChoose to approve it before it goes live.
We go over a comma IP (independent practice) from yesterday. They have a few minutes to read around the room and work on their extra credit projects. Reading around the room is their FAVORITE, so I see lots of smiles and hear several murmurs of "yes!" as they scamper for their favorite spot. Several students chose to re-enact a buffalo hunt as an extra credit project, so they work on writing their script while others are reading. Another little one is researching a person she is enthralled with and writing a speech, so she's on the Mac tucked under a table, busily searching for information.
We switch classes at 11:10.
I am in a slightly different place with commas with this class, just due to length of discussion the day before, so we're still reviewing commas, but they help me remember what we've already done and what we still need to do. (Gotta love 4th graders that can remember and help me out!) They complete an independent practice activity to help me to see which types of commas we need to hit a little more. They learn Washington has to be separated from D.C. with a comma. I know it has to go there, but I'm not sure why, so I google it to learn, too!
At 11:20, I receive an email from our AP asking for a meeting with my teaching partner and me. This week is slammed with meetings and J, my teaching partner, is off-campus for the afternoon, so the three of us go back and forth trying to find a time we can meet. We offer for her to join us for lunch duty on Wednesday (yes, we're THAT busy with meetings and commitments that joining us for duty is what we have available this week), but the meeting has to take place today so she can get back to the parent asking the questions.
This group works on their compositions. They ask some questions that make my heart go pitter-pat since the Writing test is next week, and I feel like they should know the answers to the questions they're asking, but I remind myself this happens every year, and the kids still do fine. They DO know what to do, but sometimes they just need to hear it again. I smile and answer every question they think of. :)
At 12:25, we line up for recess. I'm on recess duty today and our playground and building can be a bit of a wind tunnel, and the current temperature is 49, so I encourage kiddos to take a jacket with them. B, another teacher on our team, takes anyone to the field that wants to go, and I watch children on the playground playing basketball, 4 square and monkey bars, etc. The sun is out and shining warmly, so many jackets get hung on the fence.
12:55, we blow the whistle and line up to go inside for lunch. A couple of helpers hold up any forgotten jackets, and I walk in with one on my arm that wasn't claimed.
We try to walk in quietly, as there are classrooms around us, but 4th graders that just had recess are a little difficult to corral. At some point, someone claims a jacket from my arm while I'm handing off the walkie-talkie to a teacher for lunch duty and passing on a lunchbox to someone else that forgot it, while letting a birthday child know that his special treats are in the office.
1:02: I meet with my AP to catch her up on some background in a certain situation.
1:17 I dash into the bathroom for the first time today.
1:18: I pop popcorn for lunch and drink an iced green tea while chatting with a teacher friend.
1:30 Kids come back from lunch. They finish up the comma independent practice and continue to work on their compositions. We go over the comma IP.
2:00: I know the math STAAR simulation is tomorrow, and the Writing STAAR is next week, so I move desks around to be totally separate from everyone else, while kiddos are reading silently at their desks. This is always fun (No, really! We're all smiling!) , because they giggle while I drag their chairs and desks, but I need them in their desks to know who sits where so I know where I want the desks to go, and they're reading, so fluency and comprehension is being practiced. :)
2:30: We pack up a little early because one of my kiddos has cookie cake to share with our class for his birthday. The parents forgot to send a knife/plates, so he passes out tissues while I pop over to another teacher's room to get a knife. Kids want icing or don't want icing and everyone wants seconds. :) We sing Happy Birthday to the birthday boy.
2:45: Younger siblings arrive and react to the moved desks. I hear lots of calls of "What did you DO, Ms, Ross?!" General hub-bub of kids moving around and seeing friends in the hallway and sharing their day with their younger brothers and sisters that have joined us for dismissal.
2:50: Walkers leave to go with the walker crowd. Car riders come outside with me. The Lone Star Challenge team streams into my room with backpacks and flash cards and binders. I'm calling numbers at car rider today. That's a fairly new thing for me, and I'm still learning cars and parents' faces. I'm not as good at this job as I am at directing traffic, but we get the job done! :)
3:05: Lone Star Challenge meets in my room. We watch some videos on Colonial America and play a board game with questions they have made up to quiz each other.
4:10: LSC kiddos head home. I answer 24 emails and make a seating chart for STAAR. I usually tutor on Tuesdays at a student's house, but cancelled today due to my "to-do" list that I feel very behind on. I've rescheduled his tutoring for Saturday at my house. I've never cancelled on him before, so I don't feel too guilty about it.
6:00 Leave work and text Julie that I'm still coming to Let's Art Party, but won't be able to bring brownies like I'd planned since I left work late.
7:00 Join a couple girl friends I hadn't seen in awhile. Eat pretzels and hummus, drink chardonnay while following the teachers' directions to paint a fun picture.
10:00 Stop by Mom's house to show her my fun picture...I remember I'm taking a meal to a new foster mom tomorrow night, and I haven't made the brownies yet! Bolt for home.
10:15: Brownies go in the oven and I clean the house, wash my face, download a pic of my new painting to Facebook.
10:45: Brownies come out of the oven and I fall into bed, but my mind is running 90 to nothin', so it takes a few minutes to actually fall asleep.
11:15 Receive a text message (I have to keep my phone on, in case Arrow calls. Can someone tell me HOW to not hear text messages at night, but still have the phone ring!? Sheesh!)
Monday, March 25, 2013
10 Random Things
I thought it would be fun to be random. :) I'm taking a short break from fostering posts to post 10 random things about me!
1. I like using the "little" fork for everything. I know it's supposed to just be for salads, but I eat all my meals at home with the little fork.
2. I have a slightly flat foot. This means "cute" shoes don't work for me. Heels are a no go.
3. I count things. I'm not as bad now as I was at a kid. But I counted doorways by "5s". Yep. I would lay in bed and mentally walk through the house counting doorways. I had to make it a 5. So I went up the doorpost, across the top, down the other side and then crisscrossed it in my mind to get 5. Then I counted all the doorways in our house. I counted ceiling tiles (rows/columns) in school. They didn't have to be 5s. I don't understand my logic either, but it made sense to me at the time!
4. I fell in love with Texas History when Mrs. Tucker, my 7th grade teacher, taught about Native Americans hunting the buffalo and eating the heart right there on the prairie. What 7th grader doesn't like gross? It is still one of my favorite lessons to teach to this day.
5. I leave a trail of shoes behind me. Every few days, I walk through my house and pick up all the shoes (5-7 pair usually) and take them to my closet. I once left a pair of shoes at my parents' house and drove home barefoot without even noticing. (I was really tired!)
6. I eat one food at a time. I can't go back and forth from my entree to the side and back again. I start with a side, then move to the entree, then to the other side. I might not finish the side before I move on to the entree. When I'm finished eating all the things on my plate one at a time, I'm then quite comfortable moving back and forth between whatever's left. :)
7. A beach or cruise vacation is my favorite relaxing vacation.
8. Foods that I swallow without chewing don't feel like eating to me. (Applesauce, yogurt, pudding.)
9. I've never broken a bone.
10. I've been to more countries outside the United States than states within the United States. I'm hoping to change that soon. There is so much in America that I want to see!
1. I like using the "little" fork for everything. I know it's supposed to just be for salads, but I eat all my meals at home with the little fork.
2. I have a slightly flat foot. This means "cute" shoes don't work for me. Heels are a no go.
3. I count things. I'm not as bad now as I was at a kid. But I counted doorways by "5s". Yep. I would lay in bed and mentally walk through the house counting doorways. I had to make it a 5. So I went up the doorpost, across the top, down the other side and then crisscrossed it in my mind to get 5. Then I counted all the doorways in our house. I counted ceiling tiles (rows/columns) in school. They didn't have to be 5s. I don't understand my logic either, but it made sense to me at the time!
4. I fell in love with Texas History when Mrs. Tucker, my 7th grade teacher, taught about Native Americans hunting the buffalo and eating the heart right there on the prairie. What 7th grader doesn't like gross? It is still one of my favorite lessons to teach to this day.
5. I leave a trail of shoes behind me. Every few days, I walk through my house and pick up all the shoes (5-7 pair usually) and take them to my closet. I once left a pair of shoes at my parents' house and drove home barefoot without even noticing. (I was really tired!)
6. I eat one food at a time. I can't go back and forth from my entree to the side and back again. I start with a side, then move to the entree, then to the other side. I might not finish the side before I move on to the entree. When I'm finished eating all the things on my plate one at a time, I'm then quite comfortable moving back and forth between whatever's left. :)
7. A beach or cruise vacation is my favorite relaxing vacation.
8. Foods that I swallow without chewing don't feel like eating to me. (Applesauce, yogurt, pudding.)
9. I've never broken a bone.
10. I've been to more countries outside the United States than states within the United States. I'm hoping to change that soon. There is so much in America that I want to see!
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