Random Questions

What is the highest and lowest that you typically will set your heat at in your home?

Summer--Andy turns the air condition to 74 and I'm always turning it down to 70-72 when he's not home.

Winter--Andy turns the heater to 72 and I'm always turning it up to 74 so I'm not cold.

How much do you typically spend on groceries per week?

Well, when it was just Andy, myself, Deidra, and Baby J I spent about $90 a week. However since adding Little J and Baby D to the mix I find that I have to double all the recipes in order for us to have enough food for all of us so now we spend between $170-$200 a week depending on what we need to get that week.

What is your favorite kind of bread? Do you eat the ends/heels of a loaf of bread? Or do you toss them?

We always buy the HEB brand of wheat bread since it's cheap. And no, I don't eat the ends...Andy usually will.

Are you hoping to have any more children? Or for those of you who haven't had a child yet, are you hoping to start a family soon?

Well, I always wanted a big family. Unfortunately we suffer with infertility problems and so I'm unsure if I'll ever experience a full term pregnancy again...however I haven't given up hope yet and we just go without birth control and hope for the best one day. However, we are really enjoying being foster parents even though it does have it's fair share of struggles too at times...but it is a huge blessing to see the children blossom and to be a part of that. We are hoping to be able to adopt during our fostercare journey as well and add to our family that way. I can see us with anywhere from 4-6 kids when our journey is complete.

Have you read anything good lately? I'm always on the hunt for a good book to read.

Currently,I am reading two books. One is by Daniel Hughes and was recommended to us when we were in foster parent training. It is called "Building the Bonds of Attachment Awakening Love in Deeply Troubled Children." The more of it I read the more it really reminds me of Little J and I'm really starting to think that she's got more issues going on than what anyone is aware of. I just wish she'd open up more, although she has started to little by little. I just hope she'll do it in time for us to be able to help her. I'm really starting to think though that she may have RAD (reactive attachment disorder)in some mild form. It's something I guess I can bring up to the psychiatrist next time we're in there. Anyway, the characters in the story are fictional, but it does a good job of portraying what can really happen to these children and I think it's a story for anyone wanting to foster or adopt (domestic or international) to really sit down and read as it does a good job of explaining why we attach and why we learn the behaviors that we do and what can happen to these children when they're babies and they don't get those attachments and interactions from their caregivers and what can happen because of it.

The other book I am reading is "Me & Emma" by Elizabeth Flock. It's very good so far and I highly recommend it...

What is your biggest pet peeve?

A big one for me is people that committ to doing something or saying that they'll do something and then they don't follow through with it. That's something that I was raised with "you say you're going to do something, you do it...no excuses." I've just carried it with me to this day and it makes me angry when I give of myself to make sure that I stick to what I said I'd do and then people can't have the same courtesy back. Drives me crazy....

Have you ever bought something from the Home Shopping Network, or the like?


Yes, I think I have once. It was a scrapbooking kit that I bought a couple years back.

Do you prefer paper or plastic bags at the grocery store? Why?

We use plastic....they serve 2 purposes for us. We carry the bags easier and then we save them to use to collect our cat littler clumpings and they they're thrown out.