Home Study Part 1

Holy cow!  That was the most intense 6 hours of my life. I am physically and emotionally exhausted.


Yesterday was our first visit for our adoption home study.  The social worker came to our house and stayed from, no joke, 1 o’clock to 6 o’clock.  And we still have 4 hours left to complete next week.


She was very friendly and professional.  She’s 72, been in the same line of work for 50 years, and said she’s seen “everything!”  More than once she also said, “I’m as liberal as they come!” by which I think she meant both liberal politically (there were a few Bush jabs) and extremely tolerant of different lifestyles.  She also mentioned that the process for adopting out of foster care is much more rigorous than international or kinship adoption.  All the children coming out of foster care are “at-risk” and the case workers want to make sure the family can handle the coming stress. 


She asked a million questions.  5 straight hours worth, actually.  Some obvious, others obscure.


Why do you want to adopt? What’s your neighborhood like? Why do you home school? What’s your typical day?  What are your specific goals for your life?  What are your specific aspirations for your life?  What is your religion?  Would you be willing to drop a Muslim child off at a  Mosque on the weekend?  What are your hobbies?  What kind of support system do you have?  How do you celebrate holidays?  Who in your family has had issues with alcohol? Drugs? The law?  Why do you have a “failure to stop at a stop sign” on your FBI report? (Oops!)  How well and where do your children sleep at night?  Do you like your job? Do you raise your voice when disciplining your children?  Do you ever spank? Etc…..etc…..etc……


To the kids: Do you know your mom and dad are thinking about adopting a brother?  Will you share your toys?  Will you share your time with mom and dad?  What happens if your new brother breaks your favorite toy?  Do you know any kids who don’t look like you do?  What will you think if your new brother looks different than you?   


To the last question Buddy smiled, and said: “That’d be really good if he looked different than me, otherwise Dad and Mom couldn’t tell us apart!”  


We filled out a questionaire on our childhood, family history of drug and alcohol abuse, and our marriage relationship.  Then she did a quick inspection of the home.  We were a little nervous since our house was built in the 50’s and we thought we’d need to update the windows or maybe put a door on the unfinished laundry room.  But the only things we need to do before next time is put a lock on the storage room door, buy some more outlet covers, and write out an emergency evacuation plan.


Our next visit is Tuesday.  We will talk about our parenting philosophy, discipline methods, our marriage relationship, support system,  and about each child, including their health history, personality, likes/dislikes, and any behavioral or learning problems.  Oh, and she’ll inspect our vehicles.  


Exhausting and exciting.  But we are almost done………

We rang in the new year last night with a house full of hyper kiddos (5 total), some party poppers, sparkling watermelon flavored juice, some PS3 action, and a movie about an orphaned Polar Bear.  


I was watching my friend's two kids for her since she had to ring in the new year at work.  I know I got the better end of that deal.


Pumpkin passed out first at around 10pm (WAY past her usual bedtime) and we lost the boys to slumber at 10:30. But the girls were obviously new year's enthusiasts because they actually made it until 12:15am.  


And I'm sure, like most parents across the world this morning, I had hopes of children who would sleep in. But instead I was awakened by Peanut poking me at 6:15am and asking for a movie.  


"Are you kidding me?!?!" I asked.  I went downstairs and found all the kids sitting on the couch, wide awake.  The boys had woke up at 6am and decided to sneak downstairs to wake up the girls.  Happy New Year to me. 


Two cups of coffee and "Despicable Me" later, I'm in a much better mood.  And hoping that today's start of 2012 is not indicative of what the rest of the year holds.  


In the midst of my frustrations with my children this morning, I remembered a poem I read on the side of a tea box once.  Today I will be printing this poem out and posting it in my kitchen.  I think this will be one of my resolutions for 2012.




If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again 
by Diane Loomans


If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd finger-paint more, and point the fingers less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites. 
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.


I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I'd teach less about the love of power, 
And more about the power of love.


Happy New Years!

Christmas Traditions: Watson Style!

I know I missed this post in time for Christmas 2011 (oops!) but I thought I'd publish it anyway. And who knows, maybe someone out there in the blog-o-sphere will be inspired for next year:)

  Top 10 Watson Family Christmas Traditions: 

1)Pick out a REAL Christmas tree. No budging on this one. 

2) Pick out an ornament- something that represents them- to put on our tree. So far we have lots of doggies and ballerina's, an angel and a robot, Yoda, a train, a beach ball, a butterfly and a Pumpkin, to name a few. When they're grown and leave us to start their own families, we will send them off with a box of ornaments from their childhood.

3) Christmas Cookies. Of course.


4) Make Jesus a Birthday cake and sing "Happy Birthday to Jesus". Sometimes I think kids need a literal reminder of the real reason we celebrate.


5) See Santa turn on the lights in Downtown Littleton. It's usually cold and crowded, but quite amazing. A fun small-town-nestled-in-the-big-city tradition.

6) Look at lights. In our jammies. With hot chocolate. And Starbucks coffee:)

7)Advent Book. This was a new tradition we started this year. We read a chapter in "Jotham's Journey", a descriptive and inspiring story about a boy who lived during the time Jesus was born, every night before bed. GREAT way to focus on Jesus for the weeks leading up to His Birthday.


8) Unwrap and read a Christmas book every day of Advent. This idea was inspired by my friend Dana. You wrap up all your Christmas books and let the kids pick one each night to unwrap and read as a family. We did this at the same time we read "Jotham"- right before bed each night with the candles lit and snuggled on the sofa. Awesome Memory.


9) Jesse Tree. This was another new tradition this year, but one we will absolutely continue. Every day of Advent, we read a verse and placed an ornament on our tree (which I clearly made myself). The ornaments start with Creation and trace the lineage of Jesus- from Adam, to Noah, to Isaiah's prophecy, to Joseph's family line- all the way to Jesus' birth. Very meaningful.

10)Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. Sure it's crowded, and usually hard to squeeze into the busy holiday schedule, but once we get there it is always worth the trouble. There is something very reverent and inspiring about worshiping Jesus (with Christmas lights twinkling and candles glowing)the night before He came to earth...as a little baby.... and changed the world forever.

Merry Christmas!