Interview by HER. (A Featured Blogger Series) Foster Forever.

Happy Monday to everyone. I am very happy to introduce you all to Penny and her beautiful family. I first met Penny when she came by my blog via SITS and I couldn't wait to interview her, as foster care has been very close to my heart. I believe foster care parents are unsung heroes in this world, saving children's lives one child at a time. Penny is definitely one of those heroes...visit her here sometime soon.

When did you start blogging and why?
I began blogging in 2009 from peer pressure. I was digital scrapbooking for a designer and I was the only one that didn't have a blog! Tsk! Tsk! So if all my friends jumped off a cliff... I began a blog, mainly about my hobby, but as I began to share our crazy journey through foster care, more friends began asking questions about foster care. At the time, I struggled to find other blogs about foster care. By seeing that gap, I began to focus my blog on foster care. {I've since found several other blogs on foster care.}


What inspires you to blog???
The absolute craziness of foster care! Just last week, I attended a court hearing where my little foster baby's case was to be officially transferred to adoption staff. Lo & behold, they had another kid's name on the second page of the document!  So the hearing was postponed until August! All sorts of crazy events have occurred that I have not even written about yet.




Tell us a little about your passions as a Foster care parent?
As a foster parent, I desire for these little ones to have a chance to break free from the cycle of abuse, neglect and poverty.  And sadly, sometimes, that means reunification with their family may not always truly in the best interest of the child.

How did your passion start?
As a teacher, my husband has taught several kids that have been tossed around family and used basically for "the check".  Wanting the best for children, we wish we would have been licensed years before so that we might have been able to save one of these children from their path of self-destruction. After becoming licensed, we heard even more horror stories of children needing stable homes. The sad thing is that summer is the busiest time for abuse and neglect due to schools being closed to care for children.


The thing I love most about what I do is…
making a difference in a child's life, if just for a short time. We had a foster girl that lived with us for 6 months, that due to her bullying and manipulative behaviors, was eventually moved to a group home. I hope that by experiencing the normalcy of our family life, she might one day appreciate that and desire it for her own home.

Who inspires you to be the person you are today?
My wonderfully, supportive husband and my kids. I want to be a role model for my children so that they will be proud I'm their mom, even though I'm the oldest mom around. (I'm currently 46 years young & will be 65 years old when my oldest graduates high school)


Who are some of your favorite blogs? Give Links.
I currently have 65 foster care blogs that I follow. It's so hard to narrow down to just a few...


Upbeats and Downbeats - Gail's website gives so many great parenting tips that are applicable whether you foster or not.

Learning to Abandon - This teenager is such an inspiration. Her incredible faith and passion for orphans & foster care shows so much maturity for someone so young.

Rage Against the Minivan - My blog hero, Kristen, has adopted through foster care and became quite famous when she was featured on "The View" for adopting from Haiti during the earthquake. You must read her "Orphan Care Isn't Sexy" where she describes herself as an orphan-care stealth agent.

I’m currently obsessed with…
getting healthy again! I have been fighting asthma and allergies, and recently threw out my back (so badly that Stinkpot had to dress me). I really want to begin running again for exercise, but my 46-year-old body is refusing to cooperate.

What has been two of your favorite post to date. Give Links.
SNOW - An Act of God: Last year, it snowed 3 inches here in Texas, and a vital court case for our foster baby was postponed proving that God is in complete control!

No Time-Out???: Frustrated with the constant disciplining of our strong-willed Stinkpot, I tried a new approach of "time-in" discipline. Have you heard of this?


Where do you see yourself in 5 years as a Foster parent?
We hope to have our forever family complete! We still would like to continue either fostering children or providing respite care for foster parents as our family situation allows. We will always be proponents for foster children, if not as a licensed home, then being involved in CASA as a court representative for foster kids. I would love to eventually begin a transition home, like Casa Valentina, for foster girls in our area that have aged out of foster care.


Favorite Quote…
“And we know that all things God work together for good to those who love God” – Romans 8:28


Thank you so much Penny for this interview, you are beautiful both inside and out. God Bless and much love.


xxx




Comments

  1. Lots of hugs for the fabulous work you and your husband do. Your dedication is admirable - keep up the great work!

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  2. Penny, you and your husband are both inspirations!

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  3. Woaw, this was a great interview,and I really admire the work fosterfamily does, all the love to you / Marie

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  4. great interview! Penny, you and your husband are truly inspirational!

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  5. Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!

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  6. Wow! Thanks so much for all the sweet comments! And thank you, Lisa, for featuring me! Big {{hugs}}!!!

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