Did I Like....Have a Day Off?

Or something?

I think it must have been "or something!" LOL. I'm tired. I'm really glad my friend went with me today. Court was definitely interesting.

I won't say much but I will say this. It's very disturbing how parents can allow things to happen to their kids with their knowledge and even by their hand, and it happen over and over, and then they go back to court and try to get custody again when none of them are mentally or financially capable of supporting themselves much less take care of the children and keep them safe, and yet the court is still not making a decision about it. One case had more than 15 charges of different types of abuse in the last seven years in the home either by the parents or as a result of the parents actions and with the parents knowledge of the incidents and yet these kids are still not permanently removed. HELLO? Dear God in heaven, how can that happen?

What is worse is that the judge dude actually read all the reports that had been substantiated (or verified to be true and charges filed) and the reports were VERY detailed. Mentioning precise body parts, etc and there were various other foster children IN the courtroom hearing that!!! That CAN'T be good! It was enough to make me feel like I'd been punched in the gut. Jesus, why? And the parents sit right there listening as everything they've committed is read in front of the entire room and it doesn't bother them? Why is custody or visitation even a question? I just don't understand.

Today was the first time I've ever been in civil court. I was just really glad we didn't have to stay all day. Munchkin's case was heard just before lunch. She's still with us. At least for three more months. (and that is going to kill us if both of "our kids" end up leaving us all at the same time....we're too young to have the empty nest.....although.......LOL) We left after that case was heard but I got an email from our SW and apparently the bouncer's case was heard right after Munchkin's. I didn't know his was up for court today. Anyways, his case moved to adoption today.

Well. I tell ya, after sitting through that......I don't have any problems. Not really.

The rest of the afternoon I spent doing laundry and cleaning out my scrapbook desk. I'm purging my supplies and cleaning out big-time! The Bouncer and Munchkin will need separate rooms since he's coming for more than just a weekend. So the office is going bye-bye. It's okay. Someday I'll have a scrapbook place again. For now though, it's being packed up and moved to a shelf in the top of the Munchkin's closet where I can still get to it and use the kitchen table when I get the urge.

The house is undergoing major changes though in order to get this to work. My desk is going to stay in the bouncer's room, but you are not allowed to have multi-use rooms/bedrooms for foster children, so I'm just going to empty the stuff I use out of it. I will keep one drawer for storage of my files cuz I don't have anywhere else for it to go, but it will just be storage, so it's okay. Bedrooms for foster children around here have to be used for the kids only. In other words, you can't have them sleeping in your sewing room or in the family room or whatever. So my desk will be a desk for the Bouncer or whoever the next foster child might be, we'll move the bunkbed out of the Munchkin's room into there, and the dresser up from the crawlspace. Casey's desk is going into the dining room since we still need all that stuff accessible (our files, his computer equipment, etc) and then the bookshelves will go wherever we can fit them. The stereo table had to go away and the cabinet that was in the dining room where the desk will go had to be moved into the stereo table's spot. The house is looking a bit small. But it's for the kids.

Speaking of kids. Munchkin. MAN. She's gotten in bed a little late the last couple nights b/c we've had stuff going on and I think it's catching up b/c she has been GRUM-PY the last couple of nights. Tonight she sat in her room and screamed/squalled/stomped/cried/you name it for at least half an hour and I'd venture to say it was more like forty five minutes. UGH! She finally quit and was peacable the rest of the evening but I put her to bed an hour early anyways. I do not like this whiny little thing. The scary thing is that watching the BM in court today and then coming home and seeing the Munchkin being (dare I say it....) a teeny bit of a brat.....kinda felt like deja'vu!!!! YIKES. I do not like that at ALL!

Anywho. I guess I'm going to get off here for now. I need to catch up on my blog readin. =)

Later!