Other than having four biological children, we currently have five young foster children as well. I am also a homeschooling mom, I do a little writing, and I also work part-time in the evening. Most recently, I decided to write a book for young foster children. (It was recently published and you can find it online here.)

I have been married to a very patient man for more than 15 years. He puts up with all of my crazy ideas, my hyperactivity, and he patiently listens to me rant on and on about whatever happens to be bothering me at 2:00 a.m. (OK, I like to believe he is listening, but I think he is actually sleeping). Patrick is not only my best friend, but a great father, too.

I'd like to introduce our four children
(who each chose their own names for my diary entries):

* Michael, our 13-year-old son, challenges me daily with his new creations, ideas, his surplus of energy, and his vast knowledge of animals. His goal is to become the next Jack Hannah. He also is into BMX racing and skateboarding. After being homeschooled for 5 years because of his asthma, he was well enough to go back to school last year and he loves it. He is on the basketball team and he is in track. Judging from the amount of phone calls he gets now from the opposite sex, and from the way he keeps his room, I guess it's safe to say that Mike made the transition into the life of a teenager fairly smoothly, despite my efforts to keep him from growing up too fast.

* Melissa, our 11-year-old daughter, is sensitive and caring. She loves art and spends her free time either drawing, playing with her little dog, or researching the Backstreet Boys on the computer. The girls tend to follow her around a lot because she has "neat stuff". She loves to give the girls manicures and they actually all sit still while she does their fingernails! She is also more than willing to point out whenever I happen to make a mistake, so she definitely keeps me on my toes. Melissa has been homeschooled now since first grade because of a medical condition that causes her bones to break very easily. We tried school last year, but on the second day, she broke her back picking up a heavy backpack. Her doctors agreed that her body is just not ready to go to school yet.

* Scott is our 5 year-old, and a little ball of fire! He can name each tool in his dad's toolbox and describe its use. He can also name each piece of heavy construction equipment and tell you what it does. We probably should have named him Tonka. I often wonder how he can have so much energy -- and never need a nap! He also loves art and saves every roll of tape, rubber band, paper clip and staple for his projects. He started kindergarten this year and his teacher says that he has an "aura" that draws other children to him. He is a little eccentric (he keeps a stash of toys hidden in the van, just in case), but the kids love to follow him around to see what he will come up with next

* Lastly, our youngest daughter, Michelle is now three. Why do those first few years go so quickly? Being the baby in our family, Michelle gets more than her share of attention and she is never short on playmates. She can talk up a storm and I often wonder how someone so small can have such a strong will. I think my next book will be "How to potty train a child that doesn't want to be potty trained". My pediatrician assures me that she will be potty trained by kindergarten. I hope so!

We have also been foster parents for the last nine years. We have had over a dozen different foster children, a few of them have been placed here more than once. Right now we have Susie, age 7; Brianna, age 5; Kelly, age 6; Ashley, age 5; and Josh, age 4.

Writing an online diary has been a great way to meet other parents and it has been somewhat therapeutic for me as well. While I am definitely no expert on parenthood or motherhood, I have a strong desire to do what I can for our kids and our foster kids while we still have them in our care. Time seems to go so quickly, and I don't ever want to look back and wish I had done something differently.

I am always open to ideas, comments, or much needed advice on all of the day-to-day parenting issues/problems that seem to crop up. I am looking forward to meeting fellow parents, foster parents, and homeschooling families. Please stop in the Parenting Forum and introduce yourself.