Fostering Voices Podcast

Whether you are planning on traveling with your foster child, or without, this week's episode talks about our personal story of going to Mexico without our baby. And he was sick. But it all worked out!Listen to find out more about what to expect when traveling as foster parents.

This week's episode is not for little kids' ears! But it is one for husbands, wives, moms, dads, and teenagers. And is definitely a discussion topic for you and your pre-teens. We are talking about the effects of pornography and addiction and sexual purity. It affects everyone, more than you may realize.

So the heart of this episode is to have a focus on how you want your kids to turn out. We have a motto for our Small Group, which is "Raising kids who aren't A-holes". But after talking with our wise friends, the Worcesters, they told us we need to focus on what we DO want our kids to be, not on what we DON'T want our kids to be.  Some of the most successful people in the world are Kind, Compassionate, and Forgiving. So that's what we are trying to instill in our kids, and ourselves.

This week we have an amazing interview with Tia Thompson, an incredible woman, who has an incredible story. Or stories. There are so very many stories. But this week we are just focusing on a few of hers. Part of her story is that her husband has advanced ALS, and together they have adopted her three girls via kinship placement, as she is technically their aunt, but fully and completely their mom. 

This week's episode deals with Life Hacks for your home, so that every person in your home can experience just a little more peace. Cause we all need more peace, right? Especially when you have 7 people living in that house. 

Donise is a 62 year old foster and adoptive mom who has cared for over 100 children in the last 12 years! If this doesn't qualify her for sainthood, I don't know what could! Donise shares her joy and love for these Native American children with us, but she also shares some major hardships that she has had to overcome.

Going through the different Love Style Categories: Pleaser, Avoider, Controller, Vacillator, and Victim, from the book 'How We Love', we talk about why it's important to know your Love Style, and how knowledge is power!

Interview with Rilie Norton, one of the sweetest and kindest and most gentle humans alive. Also, foster mom to two, and bio mom to two. She was born to foster.

We have had the pleasure of 'raising' 7 kids, in the 0-4 range, for at least 3 months or more. So we have some stories to tell, and battle wounds to share, about our times as parents of young kids. So tune in and see how we survived, and a little bit thrived, in those hard, and long, yet glorious years!

Her journey started when her mom dropped her off as a 2 year old, with her 3 siblings, to be babysat by her aunt and uncle. And her mom never came back. But all of this happened while Catelin maintained a great attitude, and strong desire to never go back to where she had come from. She is a successful, well-adjusted, and delightful adult, and she is a great example of what happens when people support and encourage kids who are not their own.

Today we interview Parker, a coworker of mine, who was adopted from South Korea and raised in a Caucasian American family, along with his adopted brother and sister.

Season 2 of the Fostering Voices Podcast is here! Back after a 5 week hiatus, we are pumped for a brand new season! In this episode we talk about our summer, and the movie Lion, and the book Essentialism. Tune in for our thoughts on issues surrounding adoption, as well as trying to live with less.

This episode is for all the awesome dads out there. It isn't easy to work hard, play hard, and love well, and have a spirit of humility, but so many of you dads out there do that every day! So Happy Father's Day to all you rad dads out there.

Kim Vehon is on the podcast today, talking about her personal experiences in foster care and adoption. She has seven kids in a 6 year range. It's straight up crazy. Or 'eccentric' as she likes to say. Kim is also the CEO of Foster Arizona, and they are doing incredible things to empower and educate others to get involved in foster care. In fact, her first two videos were part of our journey into foster care. Thanks a lot Kim. (Dripping sarcasm... JK...)

We've been married for 12.5 years and we share 5 simple tips that keep us connected, communicating, and content (that's an understatement - but it started with a 'C').