T has been with us for three nights now, and so far everything is going fairly smoothly. She's a gorgeous kid, and she's fitting into our family nicely. We're in the 'honeymoon stage' at the moment, but it will be interesting to see how she goes when school starts, when she see's her previous carer tomorrow, and when she next speaks to her mother. I'm sure things will beging to get a bit rocky with all these stressors, but we will ride it out.

T's background is pretty heartbreaking. There is drugs and d.v at home, and she gave herself in to police for foster care. She is very literate, and LOVES to read. I think the library will become a regular outing for us :) Today she met my mum, and my sister came over to meet her too, which went well.

I had brunch with Stace today, which was a welcome break from having a needy teenager at my heels lol! We found a little desk for T in Stace's shed, so that T can do her homework in her room without the boys distracting her. I'm doing ok, trying to be ultra organised, knowing that i'm in for a shock when trying to keep house, care for three kids and work on top of that! I got Gez to buy me a new dryer the other day, as the onld one packed it in last week. I wasn't going to replace it so soon, but i decided that I would be crazy to try and dry clothes and towels for five people, on our little clothes airer!

Stace and I did some baking today, so now I have hedgehog slice, lemon tea cake and banana cake all frozen in portions for the kids lunchtime snacks. I organised a lady to come and help me clean my house for a couple of hours a week, but she called this morning to say she's got other work. so i'm back to looking for someone :(

My boys, well they are just amazing! I am soo sooooo sooooooo proud of them. Kids are just so resilient, but mine are just incredible! They have welcomed T like she was meant to be here.
I think they will be exhausted by the end of the week, being a whole new experience, but even so they are just the most amazing little boys ever, for the way they are so sensitive to the situation, welcome T so warmly, and adapt so smoothly. I love them so much!!

Gez has been doing work on our house, re-plastering the walls in the hallway. I was really upset with him today when Stace was here. He just looks at me like I'm an idiot sometimes when my friends are here, and for no reason at all. Grrr!! Men are awful sometimes hey?
Anyhow, I must get to bed, work tomorrow and all :(

Love Charli xox

After much anticipation, nervousness and loads of excitement from the kids, we met our new 'resident' last night. May I just say..she is totally gorgeous!! We're stoked. T is sweet and easygoing, she loves to read and play board games, and she enjoys outdoors activities. I am going to speak with her school today (she's been in care for a couple of months now, and enrolled in the local secondary school) to introduce ourselves, see how she's tracking, and to determine the need for tutoring if she's struggling in any areas.

The boys were soooo excited yesterday. I knew that Jackson would be, but I was really surprised at Riley's reaction. Ry has always just taken it all in his stride, and has often come across fairly nonplussed about kids in our care. His strongest reaction to this point as been some jealousy, which we've dealt with by giving him lots of reassurance and time with us one on one, and he's been fine. This time however, he's really excited, and told his teachers at kinder yesterday that he was getting a 'new sister'. You can imagine the confusion that caused when Gez went in at lunch to pay the fees lol!!
When T arrived with her carer for the past couple of months, the boys each reacted quite differently to how I had expected, with Ry being very outgoing, and wanting to show T aroung the house etc, wheras Jackson was very shy to begin with, and it took a little while for him to get comfortable.

Gerard and I are feeling much more comfortable now, although there is a whole host of new issues and ideas that we are ging to be dealing with in parenting a teenager (pocket money, mobile phones, sleepovers etc), which is a little daunting!

The placement begins on Saturday, as I am going to Melbourne today to see my BF and the boys Godmother Marissa, who's back from WA for a few days. All in all we're feeling a lot more comfortable, and although we know that this is not necessarily going to be a smooth journey, we feel like it's off to a good start, and are truly looking forward to the challenges and journey ahead.

Talk soon,
Charli xox

I'm not talking about the rain though :p

Nope, it's about foster care. Yup, we're back in the game, and to be honest, i'm a little concerned about our mental state with regards to this one.

See, the girl we're fostering, for quite a period of time if all goes smoothly...is 14 years old.

Holy Crap!!!!

See what I mean about our state of mind? We're truly crazy!

Anyhow, despite our lack of rational thought, Gez and I both agreed to give this placement a go, feeling that we may have the opportunity to make a huge difference in this young girl's life.

So, right at this very moment, Gez is painting the spare room purple (told you we're crazy) cos it was an icky pale blue before, so it's looking very cool and bright now.

'T' comes Saturday, but we meet her tomorrow night. The boys are super excited, and Jack can't wait to play Battleships with her lol! I'll be interested to see how she goes with the boys, and of course we'll be keeping a very close eye on how they are coping with the whole situation.

Been flat out, but will try post again ery soon. For now, it's bedtime!!