What kind of adult beverage goes with MacNCheese and Hot Dogs?

I posted this on my facebook this week and got all kinds of fun answers. Ultimately, this tired, edgy Momma decided on a glass of Reisling to wine down.

Work has been really hectic lately and I was just drained on the way to get the kids. Because its spring break they were especially whiney/out of control/in trouble. Jelly Bean got a written report that she accidentally kicked someone and then told me she had no idea she got in trouble. Which led to me telling her she was lying and her screeching in the car. Words kid. Use your words. And until you can - off to your room. If you are going to act 3 instead of 7 thats what happens.

And if I wasn't worn out enough at the beginning of the week I came down with the stomach flu on Wednesday. I actually threw up at work then came home met with the kids case worker and then proceeded to puke my guts out for the next 6 hours. Even though today is Saturday I'm still experiencing symptoms of my stomach not being right. I can only pray the kids don't get this.

And on to the wonderful joys of foster parenting. The caseworker told us Mom has a new apartment thats been approved and that the kids will resume visits there. She told us she thinks they will be starting therapy as a family soon and that she would guess they will return home in December. In the same conversation she asked us to be involved in the transition and starting it early so it goes as smoothly as possible.

I had all kinds of reactions to this. Of course we love these kids we'll be happy to help them. Then the hope that I am to be a Mom forever flew out of me and I just got really sad. I know that these are not "my" kids. But when you are the one in the middle of the night waking up with them, refereeing their fights, soothing them because no one has kept them safe its a little hard not to feel like they are my kids. Then the thought was another lousy Christmas. Full of loss. And then I cycled through and put back my "one day at a time" cape.

So maybe I was just overly hopeful that at their visit this week things would go great and all my concerns would be calmed. Until it was 45 minutes past the time they should have been home and I called their driver's service. No one told me that they were going to be there an extra hour to make up from the February blizzard - which I thought they had already finished making up. We've had some alleged issues with the service and drivers and car seats and kids not being in seat belts and kids not feeling safe and drivers getting lost. And I know the guy doesn't speak English and I know that my Jelly Bean is loosing speaking her Spanish I have a real concern that she won't be able to communicate with him. Mr. Mohawk may understand it but he does not speak any words in Spanish. So I was rather miffed when she informed me that their mother only speaks Spanish. And they they have to understand the language they grew up hearing their whole life.

Excuse me? Umm she beat the hell out of them and so they have been living with other people for the last 9 months. Has she met these kids? Does she take them to school? Does she handle their bed wetting? So how is it she thinks she knows them better than me? And she kept saying "well if this is really how you feel and a concern why are you on;y now addressing it?"

Deep breath. I thought I had addressed it with the case worker. Until they went missing for 45 minutes and I had to call you. And fine defend your employee I get that but your customer service skills are lacking some if all you can focus on is defending a guy that scares the crap out of little kids, has gotten lost using a GPS, and rear ended another car while at a stop light becuase he was yelling at the kids.

So when the kids actually arrived home they of course were covered in candy. And Mr. Mohawk was wearing completely different clothes - shirt, pants, underwear, socks - than when he left for school. And of course no one would tell us what happened. And his clothes he had been wearing (his favorite underwear and brand new shirt and jeans) were not in his backpack. Grrrr. Upon further discussion we found out he got put in time out and somewhere he wet his pants (So why the need for new shirt and socks I'm not sure). And were they wound up.It was very hard to keep calm with the behavior. So I am supe glad their therapist is on her way this AM.