Monday Blog Tour

Martina at my mid-century modern life welcomed a blogger to join in this Monday Blog Tour, so I jumped at the chance.  I read her foster care story on the blog start to finish a few months ago (I love finding good fostering blogs and reading them like a book), and couldn't stop reading their story.  Plus, there are lovely design and home decor posts interspersed, and while I have no ability to decorate my home, I enjoy looking at others'.

What am I working on? 
I'm helping my 1st grader log his minutes for the library's summer reading program.  I don't really have any long-term projects right now, just juggling the day-to-day life of foster parenting and being at home with kids.  We chose an agency that doesn't provide transportation (or typically doesn't), so I spend a lot of my time on family visits three times per week.  I work outside the home 10 hours per week most of the year, mostly in the evenings.  There are plenty of things I should work on soon, one being to put more thought into the blog design, but I'm trying to take the advice "stop shoulding all over yourself."

How does my work differ from others in its genre?
When we were getting licensed as foster parents, when I searched for foster parenting blogs I found few that resembled what our family would look like: young biological kids and even younger foster kids.  The few I did find tended to be blogs they shared with family and friends, so the fostering details were very limited due to confidentiality.  Mine is as anonymous as I can make it.  My blog focuses on fostering and how it affects our family because that's the story I want to tell and share.

Why do I write what I do?
I find foster care blogs invaluable to get an idea of the range of experiences within the foster care system.  It helped adjust my expectations so that I truly know in my heart that I could say goodbye with one hour's notice or after two years of drawn out legal proceedings.  I hope sharing our experiences will make something less of a shock for other foster parents, or that they will feel less alone in what they do.  Also, I've always enjoyed writing for its creative and therapeutic value.  It does help.

How does my writing process work? 
Sometimes I'm writing blog posts in my mind as things come up and try to find the soonest moment, usually Rhinoceros's nap time or late in the evening, to type it all out.  But occasionally I sit down with the laptop and think, "I've got time to write.  Do I have anything on my mind?"

Who’s next?
I'll pick Karen from Borrowing Babies, as she's my most loyal commenter and I think her perspective as an adult sibling to foster kids is a voice that's not often heard.