Fostering Voices Podcast

Today's episode features the voice of Donise, a 62 year old foster and adoptive mom. Her tale is a very unique, and absolutely amazing, with major hardships and tragedy mixed in for good measure. Donise has 5 grown daughters, and adopted 12 and 11 year olds, and 3 littles ages 2 and under. And they also happen to be medically fragile. This is why this episode is called 'Interview with Saint Donise' . I hope you will enjoy this episode. And I ask for some grace as there are 2 babies present during the recording. Real life people! I am interviewing real foster parents, and they really have real foster kids living and growing and thriving in their homes! In This Episode We Talk About: - A short life is not an incomplete life!  - That as foster parents, we don't always know where a child should go, and more often than not, we shouldn't interfere with that process. There are natural connections that happen, to be sure! But all in all, we can have peace with placements when we just leave it all in the Lord's hands.

In this week's episode, we talk about how the imprints of love that our parents and family that we grew up with, affect us in our adulthood. We talk about all of this through the lens of the book "How We Love" by Milan and Kay Yerkovich, which is EXCELLENT and we Highly recommend it. You can find it here. But if you aren't much of a book reader (and of course they have it on Audible.com, which is great since that's how we read it) you should at the very least go to their website. You can find their quiz HERE, and see what your love style is. The five categories are: Pleaser, Controller, Avoider, Vacillator, and Victim. Chris and I are both in the PLEASER love style, which you would think is amazing. But it has it's downfalls for sure. Like, some Pleasers do things for others - to make themselves feel better, not to make the person that they are serving feel better.  Soul Words are words that seem so obvious to some, and impossible to articulate for others. You can find a list here. Maybe it will help to have

Episode 25 features an interview with Rilie Norton who is truly one of the sweetest and most gentle humans I have ever met! She is a bio mom to Ivy (9) and McCoy (3) and foster mom to two sweet kiddos (5 and 1). Rilie brings new elements to the podcast as she talks about her experience with ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act) kids, which is a first for us! Rilie shares that something she wishes she was prepared for was the massive schedule adjustment, especially in the first few weeks. Doctor appointments, case worker visits, and so much more!  Enjoy this episode! In this episode, we mention: -Stewardship  where Rilie's husband works, and where we do all of our mortgage, insurance, and financial stuff. They are a company that truly loves the people that they serve, and are interested in saving You money! -Child Crisis Arizona where Rilie is licensed as a Foster Parent. Click here to find out more! -Ivy's Bookmarks! You can find her Instagram here. Or you can order one or some at ivysdreambookmarks@gmail.com! -Ril

In our time as parents, we have 'raised' 0-4 year olds for the last 11 years. The full count would be 7 kids for 3 months or more. We've done the newborn thing six times, we've done the toddler thing five times, and we've also done the two toddlers who were 14 months apart or less - twice. Neither of those times were particularly pretty. But when we say we have some advice to give on surviving, And Thriving, in those early years, we mean it! Tip #1: Don't be a reactive parent- as in, don't start teaching/forcing your kid a new skill just cause some other kid is doing it. Getting into pissing contests with other parents just make you feel bad, and they make your kids feel bad too.  This pertains especially in the realm of potty training. Which we talk about the potty, and poops A LOT in this episode. Sorry in advance for that... Tip #2: Don't try to do it all. As a mom, I felt like I needed to be a part of every bath time, every bed time routine, every single moment of my baby's life. This is more plausible wh

Catelin Dreibelbis is one of our favorite people. She is a determined, self-controlled, humble, and all around incredible human being. Her journey started when her mom dropped her off as a 2 year old, with her 3 siblings, to be babysat by her aunt and uncle. And her mom never came back. After that, it was a string of hardship, poverty, and moving around. But all of this happened while Catelin maintained a great attitude, and strong desire to never go back to where she had come from. This is a killer story that you do not want to miss! This week we also discussed: - The Chive. A very random tv network? Show? Channel? That Chris happened upon. So random. But we talked about, so it's making it's way into the show notes. - This episode of Carlos Whitaker's podcast that reminded me that I could pray specifically and God would answer my prayer in His very own special way. - American Citizenship Resources! I kind of became and American Citizen this week! I studied for the civics test using this amazing app! It's ca

Welcome to episode 22 which features an interview with 22 year old Parker Pearson. I couldn't have planned that out better if I had tried!!! Parker was born in South Korea, and has been with his adoptive family for 21.5 years. Check out this interview to see how Parker has managed to keep a positive outlook on life. In this episode, we discussed: Daycare costs. DCS does cover a lot of your daycare costs for your foster kids, unless you live in Chandler, or go to a private daycare, or both. We talked about how we used to go to Childtime in Mesa, and they charged us a $5/week co-pay for our 2 year old to go to daycare full time. Only $5! We used to pay $40-$80 (either 5 x $8= $40, up to 5 x $18= $80. I can't do math on the spot! I need more time, or a calculator...) a week for Wesley when he was still covered under DCS. I called Childtime to see how much they charge for a full-time infant - and it's $25! We were paying $116 a week for our Winston Churchill. That's quite the swing! Dillon is the adoption agency

Welcome to Season 2 of the Fostering Voices Podcast! We had an amazing 5 weeks off (even though I foolishly thought we only needed 2 weeks off). We are back, totally refreshed and ready for a new season, new guests, new listeners, and new foster adoption topics! We are actually recording this episode in our car as we drive from California to Arizona. We went on a cruise with my work - Showit.co. It's the best company in the world to work for, and they provide the best websites for Photographers and Creatives. Check it out if you are in need of a website! On the cruise we met Don and Renee Worcester. They are marriage/life coaches and we were so blessed to meet them! And one day you guys will too, cause we are definitely going to have them on the podcast. They have so much great advice to give, and they also happen to be adoptive parents and have a crazy story to tell! If you want to find out more about them, you can check them out here. This week's episode discusses: The movie Lion (on Netflix!). This movie

Happy Father's Day weekend! And happy Episode 20! This episode is dedicated to Chris, the father of my children and the man of my dreams. You are such a great father, husband, and human, and I am very thankful for you! And to all the dads out there listening - thanks for all that you do, to raise this next generation to be full of awesome little humans. I believe the thing that sets great dads apart from bad ones is a spirit of humility, and not of pride. The best dads are the ones who meet their kids where they are, and try to get on the same level as them. They are also fun dad, who have great friends, and relationships with those around them. Show Notes This is a short episode, so the only foster related note I have is about AASK, a great agency that allows you a little more flexibility if you are interested in becoming a respite provider. You can learn more here. Let's also be mindful of the battles that out foster and adoptive kids may be going through during this celebration weekend. They may be feeling

Today's episode is a special treat my friends! I am joined by Kim Vehon, a former foster mom, and current adoptive mom and bio mom to 7 kids. This woman is a serious piece of work who dreams big, but also is able to make those dreams into reality as well. She also happens to be the founder and CEO of Foster Arizona. Their mission statement is educating, encouraging, and empowering Arizonans to get involved in Arizona’s foster care crisis, and they do this in so many amazing ways. I have been fortunate enough to be able to volunteer at one of their events this year, where we went to the Science Center with hundreds of kids from group homes, and just spent a few hours with them, letting them remember what it's like to be a kid. They are always looking for more volunteers! The event I went to was a Kid Connection events. With school coming up, Foster Arizona is teaming up with Cornerstone Church, and it's their huge Kid Ready Event, and they are in need of hair stylists, and families to come and serve and join t

Today's Show Notes are going to be very simple and straight forward. We answered the random question: "What was your favorite Saturday Morning Cartoon?" Jihae said "Bo Knows", which apparently was just a commercial. What she meant was "ProStars" with Bo Jackson, Wayne Gretzky, and Michael Jordan. Chris said Bugs Bunny, and Fraggle Rock, but his all time favorite show was "Saved By The Bell". And his new current obsession is Zach Morris is Trash.  So, our FIVE TIPS: - HEDGES. We read this book and it was fantastic. You should read it too. Some examples in the book may seem extreme, but we think marriage is worth taking the extra steps to protect it and make it the best and strongest that it can be. - Pray together. Every night. - Invest in your marriage - with time and money. This is a daily task, which will make the date nights, and vacations that much more exciting and wonderful. We shell out a good amount of $ for date nights. So don't think that just because you don't have free babysitters around, you ca

This episode is choc full of talking. And laughing. And thinking. And movie talking. And being 48 minutes long, this is our longest episode to date, I believe. So today I will be with you as you finish any and every chore you possibly have to do! Our guest this week is Eric Epperson, who is a good friend and co-worker of our friends of our hearts - Mike and Cindy Branton. Eric is in the movie making business, or in the social justice documentaries making business. His role at CIY has allowed him to make several incredible films that revolve around serious world wide issues, in glorious fashion. His films have taken him to Iraq, Ireland, India, and now - Arizona. In hopes to immerse himself in foster care life, he stayed at our crazy house for 2 days, and met with different people for his project. And so we asked him to join us on the podcast to share about his upcoming film that should be out next year. Eric brought up a great point that we started fostering, in response to several videos that were shown at o

Today's episode is a different, and special one. You listeners are in for a treat - it's one where there is no Jihae. So that means no hyena, high pitched laughs. Life got in the way of the podcast, but fortunately, Chris is always up for a new challenge, so he took the reins as the host of this episode, and interviewed our good friend Marc Gagnon. Marc is a great friend of ours, and he is an awesome husband, and awesome dad to two incredible girls. His youngest daughter was adopted out of foster care when she was 2 years old. This interview is insightful, and honest, and we hope you learn a lot from this episode. Things to note: Marc mentioned that they adopted through RISE. This is a fantastic agency to consider whether you are going to foster or adopt. Marc is also a soccer coach, and you can find him at East Valley Soccer Academy, on Instagram. He does private lessons, as well as coaching whatever teams his girls are on. Marc and his wife, Karah, are both successful bankers. I love all the different varie

It's Mother's Day weekend, so today's episode is devoted to our moms - Barb Osborne and Sylvia Ham! You can learn basic facts about them, as well as intricate details about their character, and how they have reacted to our being foster and adoptive parents. We are so very thankful for the incredible example that both of these women have set for us, as their kids; But also for their grandkids, and for all the many people that they come in contact with. There aren't any real show notes for today. I did say I was going to Google when my mom's birthday was on the Gregorian calendar, as opposed to the Lunar calendar (March 14). But it says it was April 29th, which means I missed my mom's birthday... The (Good) Word of the Day: "Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck." Proverbs 1:8-9 Our mothers have taught us so much, and the way that they love and serve others is something that we are trying to we

Episode 14 features Chris and our brand new foster babe! We became a family of 7 again this week, and on the episode we talk about what week 1 looks like if you are interested in fostering babies. Basically, you need to go to the doctor for a check up, get a newborn screen done during days 5-10, and hopefully head to your nearest WIC office so you can go get some formula. I was SO prepared for this placement - I had a can of unopened formula, bottles, clothes (from Wesley!), and leftover diapers from my previous placement. This was the most ready we have ever been. Apparently 5th time's a charm... In this episode, we also discuss: our automatic vacuum cleaner: the Deebot. His name is also Dusty Bottoms, which we talk about at length. Sorry about that. But not sorry that I barely have to sweep anymore! WIC - Find the office nearest you. If you are in the East Valley, I LOVE the Chandler Care Center. Don't forget to bring your Notice to Provider, and your baby/foster babe, and they will issue you a debit card

The foster adopt community is better because Nicole Marshall is in it. Today's episode features the magical Nicole, and her son Micah (for a total of about 2 seconds). Tune in to hear about Nicole's life as a wife, mom of 7 - 3 bio and 4 adopted, and founder of Advocacy 31nine. Some links for you: Connect with Nicole on Social Media! Facebook. Instagram. Find out more about Advocacy 31nine on their website and follow them on Instagram. We talked about the School to Prison Pipeline and you can read about that here. And here. And here. What is an IEP? Here's an article for you. (Good) Word of The Day: "Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:9 Nicole has this verse tattooed in her brain and on her heart. I don't even have "Jesus Wept" tattooed in my brain, even though it is the shortest verse in the Bible! (It's in John 11:35. I had to google that.) But I'm so thankful that this is the verse she chose, because she truly lives it out! Thank you for using your circumstan

Some questions: I put out a question on my Instagram Stories asking what questions people had about foster care, or adoption, or about us, or our family. Here are the questions that I got: -"I have a question... how do you have such a big brain and such a hot bod at the same time? I always heard God blesses people with one or the other to keep the world balanced.. but dang girl, you smart AND fly." - Chris Watson -"How many miles are in 10 cups?" -Drew Lott Chris is on this episode with me, and we answered the more serious of those two questions on the podcast. And the answer is 5.676 x 10 to the negative 13th power. We did admittedly get a few more questions after we recorded, and so we will get to those on another episode. No wait, two of the three were about dinner plans, and one was a question we will get to on another episode! So then we answered some questions from a random question generator, which officially makes this episode full of the Most Infrequently Asked Questions. Some random things we talk a

Have we got an international adoption story for you my friend. Today we have Jen Walsh on the podcast, and she is a treat! I found her on Instagram, and you must follow her as well. Her handle is em_erge, which I completely forgot to ask her what the meaning behind the name is. Next time! But Jen makes the absolute most INCREDIBLE skirts, and they are made all the more fabulous because they have pockets. But not just plain old pockets. No, these are pockets that are made from a material that she specifically picks out for her customer, something that will empower them, remind them of who they are, where they've come from. And she prays for these women while she makes these skirts and these powerful, personal pockets. Seriously. Check her out. But don't fall too deeply in love with her talent, because I believe there is a pretty serious wait for a skirt! We also discuss: America World - which is the organization she went with to go through her adoption Cocooning - the process in which you basically create a c

I am thrilled to have my licensing worker - Kelly Lewis, on the podcast with me today! A licensing worker is someone who helps you get your fostering license. Kelly has been with us for almost 4 years, and she has turned into a sweet friend who I truly cannot live without. Kelly has been working at Christian Family Care Agency for 21 years! So she has a lot of wisdom and knowledge to share about her job and agency. Check them out if you are at all interested in becoming a foster parent, their special youth placement program, being a mentor to a foster child, infant adoption, their safe families program, and many other volunteer opportunities!  Other Great Links: We mention DCS a lot, and that stands for Department of Child Safety. You can also find out more about being involved in the Foster Care and Adoption crisis in Arizona. We talked about one of my instructors from my PSMApp classes, Roderick Logan, and how he is a part of this amazing institute that helps children with trauma: Trauma Informed Parent. (G

Welcome back my friends! Today's episode is a fun, and not-fun one, as we dive into the good and bad, the hard and the happy, basically all the dichotomies involving foster care and adoption. Stay tuned til the end for a very brief interview with 3/4 of my kids! Wesley is not in it, because 1. He was asleep 2. It's hard to understand what he is saying cause he is two. 3. The world is not ready for his brand of cuteness just yet. In this episode: I talk about how it is important to remember that sometimes the thing that we as foster parents are the most excited for, comes at the cost of one of the worst, or hardest days for our foster babes. This is true for the story of adoption as well. Though kids may be happy to have a new family, and new opportunities, this comes at the cost of being separated from their bio families. I lose my mind and can't remember the difference between fiction and non-fiction because it was almost midnight and I am no longer sharp past 9pm... I meant to say that the story of Christ i

Welcome to Episode 8! Chris is back in the Guest/Co-hosting Chair, and we talk about a great book called The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. We dive into how Positive Psychology has gotten us to where we are, and how a little positivity, as well as negativity, can spread like wildfire. So, what will you choose to spread today? Will you be like Branch, or Princess Poppy from Trolls? Chris is definitely Princess Poppy. Chris' favorite takeaway from this book, that he found here, is "not the belief that we don’t need to change; it is the realization that we can." In this episode, we mention: The Corner Bakery. Home of the BBLT: Bacon Bacon Lettuce Tomato sandwich. Chris's favorite. New location can be found at the Arizona Center. But click the link to find a Corner Bakery near you. Maybe you will run into Chris and I there on a hot date. Shawn Achor's TedTalk, where he basically tells you all about this book in 12 minutes. Still worth the read though. EMMA STONE from The Help. Ugh. Drew a complete blank o