sickies

you may have noticed that i have changed my blogging name. my northern irish friends used to call me maggie may (one also called me ducky, but that's not quite the image i'm going for). i told my friend leanna i couldn't just change my blogging name after 2 years of blogging and she said, "sure you can!" -so here's to being a rebel. i always wanted to be irish. truth be told, i go by margaret...and i've NEVER ever had a nickname. i always wanted one. but none ever stuck. my dad was a firm believer in calling a kid what their name was, and i wasn't one to argue. i started blogging under the name marge as a joke. i always hated that nickname and thought it'd be amusing. but it's time for a change. so here we go. the rantings and ravings of maggie may. bring it.

we are sick again. i'm doing ok. but 3 of the 4 kids have ear infections. antibiotics all around, people.

we have planned our summer...that is, if we stay healthy. and i'm not gonna lie, i'm pretty excited about it. a family trip, a day out with extended family, a girl's weekend, and a trip with my kids, sis, and mom to visit my brother's family in kentucky. you might say to yourself, "who plans their summer in january?" --a mom who's stuck in a house full of sick kids for months at a time, that's who.

take your echinacea, your vitamin c, and wash your hands, people. it's a war zone out there.

enjoy your sunny side

this might come as a surprise to you, but marge ain't so good with the talkin'. we could make a whole segment out of horribly hilarious or terrifying experiences with my inability to express myself. it could be called marge's mangled mutterings. i'm all into this whole name-your-entries-and-make-them-segments thing. although sharing with all of you my most embarrassing stories WOULD be a hoot and a holler, i'll just share this one and then never ever do it again.

so here goes:

i was sitting next to a lovely older woman in a pedicure place while we waited for our nails to dry.
we started chatting (this is where i tend to fail epicly) and she was pretty excited that her life seemed to be coming together quite nicely with a new relationship and the like. and then it was time to go.

what i WANTED to say was something like "enjoy this beautiful day" and some combination of other words. but what came out was "enjoy your sunny side."

there you go, ladies and gentlemen. i am ridiculous and i get tongue tied. in truth, though, there ARE worse things i could have said. --so i'm ok with looking like a fool.
enjoy your sunny side, friends.

marge in charge: older kids

i'm calling this segment 'marge in charge' because you always get my opinion, but now you've actually ASKED for it. what were you thinking? this is a big deal. here's the topic for today (thanks alena): what i think of fostering older kiddos.

gird your loins, people.

i can only talk about my own experience. sure, everybody knows somebody whose cousin's sister's neighbor fostered or adopted a child who was older who tried to kill them with a knife or run away or talked to themselves in third person. (i jest...sarcastic tone is rarely evident in blogging. sad day.)
as a case manager i dealt with older foster kids all the time. i've seen ones who dealt with it all pretty well and others who seemed truly incapable of healthy relationships and coping strategies.

z-diddy is the oldest kiddo to come to us straight from chaos. he spent 18 months in his bio home and 4 in a shelter. so at 22 months we received a child who was totally overwhelmed (so was i so we helped each other out with that one), unable to self-soothe, had difficulty learning cause and effect in any form, and attached to anyone including strangers like the orkin man who came to our house to spray for bugs. imagine if he had stayed in his previous situation longer.

he is the most difficult child i've ever parented and was definitely one of the most difficult kids i've ever worked with...and i've worked with A LOT of difficult kids. but he is pretty darn cute. i love him so much. and i wouldn't trade a hard day with him for anything. he and i are both right where we are supposed to be.



the truth of the matter is: whether you have a biological child or adopt or foster a child, you never know what you're getting. your parents didn't. --so don't take any flack from them. ;) anything could happen. there are no "sure things." each and every child deserves a family. we shouldn't exempt older kids from that right because they have more behavior issues or aren't as cuddly. i get that people want a little person who they can hold and snuggle with and love. but there are kids out there who have no chance unless someone comes along and guides them. you might be their only chance. you might be the only person who believes in them. you might be exactly God's plan for their lives. what an opportunity. what a ministry.

from my experience, people believe a lot of crazy stuff. and what's even crazier, they say it out loud for others to hear. i know that my husband and i speaking up for our kids and others like them has definitely raised awareness in our family and friends. so if you're called to adopt or foster an older kid, go for it and know you have my support...whatever that's worth. i make up great jingles and can probably put together some sort of cheer for you when needed. i give you mad props. you're going to have challenges like any other parent. and with God, you can absolutely do this.

so fostering and adopting older children definitely has risks like any other major decision in your life but i'm pretty sure these children are worth it. family might be against it, professionals might caution you, ignorant neighbors and coworkers might 'tsk tsk' and say you don't know what you're getting yourself into but God rescued us from much worse.


"open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate. open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy." prov 31:8-9

let's be counter-cultural, shall we?

25 things

a blog i follow did this and i enjoyed it. here are 25 things you don't know about me:

1. when i was little, my brother would hang me from the clothesline and tickle me, and because i was so scared to fall, i just hung on to the pole, terrified and tortured
2. i always wear flip flops. i don't like shoes, they make my feet hot
3. i think chapstick and lotion fix a lot of problems
4. i hate it when people ask "when are you going to have your own kids?"
5. i am a procrastinator of the worst kind
6. my husband collects stuff like paperclips and rubberbands and it drives me crazy. i try to throw them away any chance i get
7. i love scented candles, especially during the fall. i burn them all the time
8. my least favorite chore in the WORLD is yardwork
9. i am a little obsessed with bravo's reality tv and watch it all the time
10. my favorite movies are under the tuscan sun, you've got mail, and 13 going on 30. i like action movies too.
11. i hit the snooze button several times each morning
12. i am grumpy when my kids wake me up
13. i think televised evangelists are corny and fake
14. i love laughing with friends over coffee. if you can make me laugh, you're here to stay
15. if i watch a scary movie, i think about it for weeks and still get scared, even if it's lame
16. i am thinking about writing a book
17. i like the words "moist," "jonah," and "dubious"--they sound good in your mouth
18. i am always afraid i will undercook chicken, and therefore i overcook it. sad day
19. i sleep with a bat by my bed in case a burglar comes
20. i love to sing harmony, not the melody
21. after i watch a movie about people growing or changing, i always want to get a haircut or start listening to new music or buy new clothes
22. my personality is punk/hippie but i always dress in clothes from old navy. what a disappointment
23. i have a small obsession with journals and purses. if i see one, i want to buy it
24. my husband and i write love letters to each other. aaah, sweet, huh?
25. some of my favorite lyrics are "you may be right, i may be crazy, but it just might be a lunatic you're looking for."

mommy metal

i didn't mean to look seductive in this pose. "hey there fella." :) this is just to prove i have a nose piercing. --for those who were in doubt. a friend told me i was very trendy for getting a nose piercing. i corrected him. if i were under 21, this would be trendy. because i'm 26, it's just lame and uncool. --and that's what i'm all about. hehe. i had always wanted more fun piercings. and for the first time in my life, i'm not working outside of the home...which means...i don't have to follow a dress code. woohoo piercing freedom!