Texas Archives - Foster2Forever

How to Have Date Night with Kids

One of the most frustrating parts of being foster parents is that we rarely get to have a date night. With all the stress that comes with parenting traumatized children, we NEED time together. But due to regulations for foster homes and our child’s sometimes behavior issues, we can’t just leave our kids with anyone.

So we have to think outside the box. We can have “date nights” at lunch while the kids are in school.

But now we can bring the kids along on “date night.”

A photo posted by Penelope Webster (@foster2forever) on Jul 18, 2014 at 10:49am PDT

How to have Date Night with Kids

Our kids love going to Austin’s Park & Pizza — they can play video arcade games, laser tag, putt-putt, or ride go-carts and rides. And hubby and I can visit without constantly nagging our rambunctious boys to sit down.

#familyfun @austinsparkandpizza!!! #fun4feedback @ausparknpizza A photo posted by Penelope Webster (@foster2forever) on Jul 18, 2014 at 12:57pm PDT

First #rollercoaster ride!!! @austinsparkandpizza #fun4feedback @ausparknpizza

A video posted by Penelope Webster (@foster2forever) on Jul 19, 2014 at 5:28pm PDT

We like Austin’s Park & Pizza because it’s free for our family to enter! With al a carte pricing, we only have to pay for what we want to do or eat. We usually just purchase full-park passes for the kids and then just the pizza buffet for us.

But now with a new renovation, Austin’s Park & Pizza has opened a full-service bar & grill (called Austin’s Bar & Grill) and new bowling lanes. So now there’s something for everyone – including couples, like us, looking for a unique date night experience, even with the kids. Perfect for a family like ours that struggles to find child care.

My child has the “W-sit”

The boys can play in the arcade while we eat a nice dinner. Win win!

Austin’s Bar & Grill has a new grill menu by including gluten free, organic and fresh local farm-to-market items. Check out this Organic Chicken, Kale & Spinach Salad I ordered.

How’s that for thinking outside the box for date night ideas? What date night ideas work for your family? Let me know on Facebook!

Disclosure: I was provided full-park passes to Austin’s Park & Pizza for me and the kids. (My hubby had to go out of town for a family emergency.) But we love to come here regardless. My son insists on coming here for his birthday each year.

9:32 pm by Penelope

What I Learned When I Rode a Roller Coaster with My Son

Now that my son is getting older (he just turned 8) – he recently re-introduced me to the “joy” of riding roller coasters, and at SeaWorld, no doubt!

Did you know SeaWorld rides include roller coasters?

When was the last time you rode a roller coaster? We are talking decades for me! Last time I rode a roller coaster, I had a “Rachel” haircut and my CD collection was comprised of grunge rock bands. Before I tell you what happened after a two decade absence from thrill rides….

SeaWorld has a variety of rides depending on your bravery level or degree that you wish to get wet.

For toddlers and preschoolers, Sesame Street Bay of Play is the SeaWorld attraction must. Plus the little ones can choose to stay dry or get very wet on the splash pad. Check out all the fun this same son had as a 3-year-old when SeaWorld opened Sesame Street Bay of Play a few years ago.

On this trip, both my boys (ages 5 and 8) loved Shamu Express which was a very short, mild ride for preschoolers at least 38 inches tall. A great ride to introduce young kids to roller coaster rides (and stay dry). My son rode Shamu Express a few times, but as an 8-year-old sensory-seeker, he seemed to desire a ride that could give him more of a “thrill.”

Although Journey to Atlantis is part roller coaster and part water ride for those over 39” tall but we really didn’t want to get wet just yet!

Rio Loco is another SeaWorld ride that gets you wet. It’s like a whitewater rafting trip for those over 39” tall and you will get soaked.

Steel Eel on the other hand is strictly roller coaster. Was my 8-year-old ready for this “big kid” roller coaster? Was I?

Our sensory-seeking son was so excited to finally be just tall enough at 48 inches tall to ride his very first roller coaster!!!

And can you guess which parent had the exquisite pleasure of riding the Steel Eel with him?

During this roller coaster feat, I screamed like a hysterical madwoman giving birth to 20-pound quadruplets – the entire ride – up & down & over again! While I was screaming my lungs out as gravity reeked havoc on my senses, my brave little boy quietly smiled and held my hand. My son amazes me! His body enjoyed the sensory stimulation of the roller coaster.

Honestly, Steel Eel has no flips or sharp turns – just those really tall ups and downs – that made this scaredy-cat scream like a banshee.

There’s also the Great White roller coaster ride at SeaWorld! That roller coaster, for those over 52” tall, places you in the seat with your legs dangling down as you go up and down AND upside down. Oh, hell no! I’ll stick with the Steel Eel.

What I learned by riding a roller coaster with my little boy, is that he is quickly becoming a little man right in front of me, and he showed me that bravery doesn’t have an age!

Disclaimer: I purchased tickets for me and my family to attend SeaWorld’s AdventureCon blogging conference in San Antonio and received no compensation for doing so. All opinions about riding roller coasters at my age are my own.

8:49 am by Penelope

VIDEO: Our Last Minute Vacation & Foster Parenting Update

The majority of this summer, our family was larger by 2 foster children. A little girl that we thought would be a good playmate for our 6-year-old was a parenting challenge. Plus, I had forgotten just how HARD it is to take care of an infant, especially one that is already exhibiting signs of hyperactivity with NO napping. We were ALL stressed out.

When the foster children left at the end of July, we realized that our family had been so busy in this chaos, that we hadn’t planned a summer vacation! After the stress of constant bickering, we ALL needed a nice break!

After discussing our options, we were excited about a getaway to the Dallas Metroplex, and opted to stay in Arlington with all the family activities there.

Check out my video of our day at the Six Flags Hurricane Harbor waterpark! (Listen to the lyrics of the song, Gone, Gone, Gone: “You will never be alone. I’ll love long after you are gone, gone, gone.“

http://youtu.be/2FV-A0zauHk

Thanks for watching!

Did you sneak in a summer vacation with your family? Where did you travel?

6:10 am by Penelope

What Are the Rules for Swimming With Foster Kids?

Swimming (and playing in the water) is the number one recreational activity in the summer! However, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in five people who drown are children age 14 and under! [CDC]

A licensed foster home has rules and regulations to follow in regard to water safety for foster children.

These rules for foster families are actually practical water safety tips that ANY family with children should implement.

Who has to abide by these water safety requirements for swimming pools & water bodies?

These requirements only apply to homes that are providing foster care services. This includes foster homes also approved as adoptive homes, but does not include adoptive homes only approved for adoption.

What are the general requirements for caregivers regarding water safety for foster children?

Caregivers must use prudent judgment and ensure children in your care are protected from unsupervised access to water such as a swimming pool, hot tub, fountain, pond, lake, creek, or other body of water.
If children are allowed to swim in a body of water such as a river, creek, pond, or lake, the supervising adult must clearly designate swimming areas.
Rules governing the activity and the dangers of the body of water must be explained to foster children in a manner that is clearly understood prior to their participation.

What are the child/adult ratios for swimming activities?

The maximum number of children one adult can supervise during swimming activities is based on the age of the youngest child in the group and is specified in the following chart:

If the age of the youngest child is…	Then you must have one adult to supervise every (number) child/ren in the group	Swimming Child/Adult Ratio
0 to 23 months old	1	1:1
2 years old	2	2:1
3 years old	3	3:1
4 years old	4	4:1
5 years old or older	6	6:1

If four or more children are engaged in swimming activities, then there must be at least two adults to supervise the children.
A lifeguard who is supervising the area where the children are swimming may be counted in the child/adult ratio.
Children over the age of 12 years old who are proficient swimmers do not have to be included in the ratio.

Do all supervising adults have to know how to swim?

No. However, at least one adult counted in the swimming child/adult ratio must be able to swim, carry out a water rescue, and be prepared to do so in an emergency.

When must a child wear a life jacket?

A child must wear a life jacket when:

Participating in boating activities;
The child is in more than two feet of water and does not know how to swim; or
Ordered by a physician for a child with a medical problem or disability.

What are the general requirements for a swimming pool at a foster home?

The caregivers must inform children about house rules for use of the swimming pool and appropriate safety precautions. Adult supervision and monitoring of safety features must be adequate to protect children from unsupervised access to the pool.
At least two life-saving devices must be available, such as a reach pole, backboard, buoy, or a safety throw bag with a brightly colored buoyant rope or throw line. One additional life-saving device must be available for each 2,000 square feet of water surface, so a pool of 2,000 square feet would require three life saving devices.
Drain grates must be in place, in good repair, and capable of being removed only with tools.
Caregivers must be able to clearly see all parts of the swimming area when supervising activity.
The bottom of the pool must be visible at all times.
Pool covers must be completely removed prior to pool use.
An adult must be present who is able to immediately turn off the pump and filtering system when any child is in the pool.
Pool chemicals and pumps must be inaccessible to all children.
Machinery rooms must be locked to keep children out.

What are the requirements for accessibility and fences around swimming pools?

A fence or wall that is at least four feet high must enclose the pool area.
Fence gates leading to the outdoor pool area must be self-closing and self-latching.
Gates must be locked when the pool is not in use.
Keys to open the gate must not be accessible to children under the age of 16 years old.
Doors that lead from the home to the pool area must have a lock that only adults or children over 10 years old can reach. The lock must be completely out of the reach of children younger than 10 years old.
Furniture, equipment, or large materials must not be close enough to the pool area for a child to use them to scale the fence or release a lock.

Are the requirements different for aboveground pools?

An aboveground pool must:

Be inaccessible to children under the age of 16 years old when it is not in use.
Meet the same requirements for swimming pools, but is not required to be fenced.

Does a backyard fence meet these requirements for inaccessibility?

A backyard fence may serve as the pool fence/wall if it meets all fence/wall and gate criteria above that requires that children may not have unsupervised access to the pool area. Therefore, if the backyard fence serves as the pool fence/wall, then children may not have unsupervised access to the backyard and doors leading to the back yard must comply with the requirements. However, if the entire backyard is serving as the pool area, children may not be in the backyard without direct caregiver supervision.

What are the safety requirements for a hot tub?

A hot tub must be:

Enclosed per the requirements above; or
Covered with a locking cover when not in use.

What are the safety requirements for wading pools?

Wading/splashing pools (less than two feet of water) must be:

Stored out of children’s reach, when not in use;
Drained at least daily; and
Stored, so it does not hold water.

What if there is a body of water that is on or adjacent and accessible to a foster home?

You must document the following regarding a body of water that is on or adjacent and accessible to the premises of a foster home:

Type, location, and size of the body of water; and
Barriers between the foster home and the body of water.

Note: This list of water safety rules is for foster homes in the State of Texas. You can read more of the Texas regulations for foster homes or check with your state foster home licensing agency.

How do you keep your children safe around water?

12:54 pm by Penelope

Our Disney Cruise Was Magical

After being foster parents for 3 little ones in addition to our 2 preschool boys, we were in desperate need of a vacation! We were elated to learn that Disney Cruise now has family cruises leaving out of Galveston! We wouldn’t have to travel to Florida with our young boys to experience Disney magic! In less than 24 hours, we booked a Disney cruise.

Our Disney Cruise was a magical experience for all of us!

We loved meeting all the Disney characters up close and personal.

One thing we quickly learned was that the cruise ship’s gift shop did not take cash; however, they did accept MasterCard for our on-board purchases.

Our Disney cruise included a port stop in Grand Cayman, which offers a variety of excursions including Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Turtle Farm, snorkeling adventures, etc. We booked our excursions ahead of time to ensure that we would have a reserved spot.

If you visit Grand Cayman — you MUST pet the stingrays at Stingray City! Just sayin’

Since not everyone in my family is as adventurous as me; afterward, I met dad and the kids at Rum Point, a relaxing, quiet beachfront with a variety of eating stands in little huts, and of course, a gift shop!

The currency used in Grand Cayman is the Cayman Islands dollar (CI$) which has a fixed exchange rate of US$1 equal CI$1.20. Souvenirs from Cayman include the famous Tortuga rum cakes, postcards from Hell, and anything turtle. We purchased our souvenirs (including turtle salt and pepper shakers for my in-laws) at the gift shop there at Rum Point using our MasterCard because it is accepted everywhere. Due to some complicated IRS rules, many merchants abroad do not accept all credit cards anymore. But MasterCard is accepted everywhere!

Our Disney cruise included 2 other port stops in Mexico: Costa Maya and Cozumel. Because the Mexican Pecos fluctuates in value between 10-15 Pecos for $1US, it’s easiest to purchase with MasterCard. MasterCard automatically converts Pecos to US dollars with the best currency exchange rate with no additional fees.

We purchased souvenirs and silver jewelry in Cozumel; however, we did NOT purchase any Cuban cigars!

If you’re looking for a credit card that you are sure will be accepted anywhere abroad while traveling, I would recommend MasterCard. For more Disney Cruise pictures, including dolphins, be sure to check out my Google+ Story!

As part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias®, I’m sharing my experience of how MasterCard was accepted everywhere on our recent Disney Cruise vacation to the Caribbean.

7:00 am by Penelope

The Kids that Couldn’t Come, then Could, then Didn’t

If you follow on Facebook and Twitter, you know that we almost had some placements last Thursday.

The situation was that a sibling group of 5 needed short-term emergency placement. Because it is nearly impossible to find foster homes available to take 5 children, the State was having to split the siblings into 2 homes. The call we received was for 3 children.

Since 20-year-old Bubba recently moved back home, we currently only have 2 beds available, and that includes the trundle. So sadly, we couldn’t accept the placements.

Then, a few minutes later, the State called back: “Could you take a sibling group of 2?”

“Yes, we can!”

We were excited that Stinkpot would have some older “siblings” to play with this summer.

However, after that conversation, the State called back a third time.
“We’ve found a foster home for the kids in their home county.”

These children will be able to have visits with their siblings easier.

The question of how many foster children you can have in your home, lead to over 20 comments on Facebook.

Siblings available for adoption. Click photo for more details.

These are the capacity requirements for foster family homes in Texas:

“The State of Texas allows no more than 6 children in the home including your own children or children for whom you provide day care.”

A two-parent foster family home may care for up to six children, including any biological and adopted children of the caregivers who live in the foster home and any children receiving foster or respite child-care, and children for whom the family provides day care.

If a licensed foster home has one foster parent that is absent for extended periods, such as military service or out-of-town job assignments, the home must comply with single-parent foster home requirements when only one foster parent is regularly present in the home.

A single-parent foster family home may care for a maximum of:
(1) Five children if any child in the home is under five years old;
(2) Four children if more than two children in the home receive treatment services; and
(3) Four children if any child in the home receives treatment services for primary medical needs.

How many children does your state allow you to have in your home???

9:00 am by Penelope

Lil Bit’s Baby Brother – Isn’t He More than Just a Check?

If you follow on Facebook and Twitter, you know that we had the incredible blessing of meeting Lil Bit’s precious 4-month-old baby brother this weekend! Remember him? Remember 2 days before Lil Bit’s adoption, we received a placement call to foster this newborn brother being released from the hospital?

A decision that tore me up inside when we declined. Worry consumed me until we discovered that Baby Brother had been placed in a home anxiously awaiting an infant for adoptive placement.

This weekend, we inadvertently enrolled in the same training class with Baby Brother’s foster mom. Baby Brother looks like his older brother – and just as cuddly and sweet. He is blessed to have a family that loves him.

However, our boys have half-siblings that aren’t as lucky. Those other siblings were placed with a “friend” of the birthmother. Remember the Cons, that were determined to take Lil Bit, since all it would cost them was a “shiny, new cell phone.” Still determined to add to their “family”, they have been wining & dining birthmom at the Golden Corral.

All the previous children have been labeled as “disabled” so that the Cons can demand larger subsidy checks. The children are all encouraged to perform poorly in school. It breaks my heart for these children that can only live up to their “disability”.

During our case, CPS adamantly opposed placement with the Cons; however, they flip-flopped their position in Baby Brother’s case.

The CPS policy of “family first” had them attempting multiple times to remove Baby Brother from a loving home to a placement with his half-siblings. Even though his half-siblings are in an uncaring environment, used only for a check.

The good news is that Baby Brother is staying put – TPR is complete – and adoption is the plan.

And the other big news is…

Not me….Birthmother….again!!!

10:00 am by Penelope

When Disaster Strikes – What Can We Do?

As I was traveling home on Labor Day Monday, I inadvertently came across a fire. A wildfire! The grass was burned, yet still smoldering. And then I saw it – a tree actively on fire! And soon afterward, emergency vehicles whizzed by.

I had no idea of the magnitude of the devastation I partially witnessed.

photo courtesy of Carol Miller from texas-fire.com

The Bastrop fire could be seen from Austin.

photo courtesy wildfiretoday.com

The wildfires are all over the state of Texas.

These wildfires are so enormous that they can be seen from space.

At last count, 1,386 homes have been destroyed in Bastrop alone.

People have lost everything. Some were given 15 minutes to grab their belongings and go!

I would grab my kids, photos, computer hard drives, and whatever clothes, diapers and toiletries I could grab.

These disaster victims are currently living in shelters set up at the Bastrop Middle School and Smithville Recreation Center.

Could you donate directly to the American Red Cross of Central Texas?

Will you donate or simply pray for these newly homeless souls?

What possessions would you grab if given only 15 minutes?

10:00 am by Penelope

Enrich Your Marriage – Respite Care is for You!

Marriage is tough! Marriage with kids is tougher! Marriage with foster kids is possibly the toughest all-around!

Having a revolving-door family, as sometimes couples have in foster care, can leave foster parents so busy and exhausted that sometimes respite care can become necessary for foster parents to be their best.

Respite care is a temporary resting period or break for caregivers. In Texas, respite child-care is defined as care lasting longer than 72 hours. (Therefore, shorter periods of care are not regulated as respite child-care.)

Last weekend, FosterDad and I took a long-overdue couples’ getaway! My sister provided the respite care of our 2-year-old foster boy, Lil Bit, and our 4-year-old, Stinkpot for the long weekend.

It was FosterDad’s birthday, so I surprised him with a trip to East Texas where he attended college for 2 years. Online, I found a bed and breakfast in the small town of Jefferson for $150 for 2 nights.

We stayed at the lovely Steamboat Inn.

View of hallway looking out.

We stayed in the masculine Mens Room

When I chose Jefferson, I had no idea the incredible history and all this small Texas town of only 2,000 folks has to offer! Jefferson is in northeast Texas and was the riverport to the Texas frontier in the 1800’s. You wouldn’t think that now; however, a huge log jam on the Red River connected the town to the Mississippi River and the ports of St. Louis and New Orleans, making the town an important Texas port abuzz with steamboats. The log jam was blown up in 1873 and riverboat traffic all but ceased. What is left is a quaint, little small town that is now the Bed & Breakfast Capital of Texas with over 30 active bed & breakfast inns.

We strolled along the brick roads, enjoying all the historic markers and homes, visiting the antique shops and the Jefferson General Store. We had a romantic dinner at the charming Stillwater Inn and even took a romantic moonlight ride in a surrey with fringe on top!!!

Spending the weekend focusing on us as a couple will help us be better parents. Just in time, since school starts Monday!