A New Family Member, A New Tradition and The Weekly Menu

Those of you who follow my blog, know that my husband and I are in the process of adopting a couple of young ladies.  M, the eldest, moved in permanently this past Wednesday.  Her sister, M, the youngest, will begin the transition from her current residence to ours, this coming week.  We hope to have the transition complete before the coming school year.

We became licensed in foster care so that they can live with us while the adoption process is in the works....

M, the eldest, has been in 8 different placements in the last 4 years.  This does not include the homes she was in and out of while the biological parents were still in the picture.  It is hard for me to fathom what this experience has been for her. It does include another family that was supposed to adopt and then changed their minds after a few months. Needless to say, there are lots of trust issues and she walks around on eggshells with us, waiting for the shoe to fall and for us to send her away.  It is a very sad situation that we hope to remedy as quickly as her heart will allow.

We think it is important to give them a routine so that they start feeling a little stability.  M, the eldest, is coming from a placement center.  We want to transition her from institutional living to family living, kindly and patiently.  Not having walked in her shoes, we are walking blindly.

So, I am starting a new tradition that I hope helps M, the eldest, begin to feel like she is part of the family.  I am assigning her one day a week to be in charge of dinner.  She will decide what we should have.  This will also help us to know what kind of foods she likes.

She will make a list, go to the grocers with me for any needed items and learn where to find any staples that are in the house.  She will prepare the meal and we will set the table and do the cleanup afterwards instead of vice versa.  Of course, if it is a recipe with which she would like help, all the better.  I am looking forward to spending some time with her in the kitchen.  When I asked M, the eldest, if she would like to do this, our great niece, Quinn, wanted to get into the program as well.

My brother left on his Harley to head back to California this past Wednesday.  My sister in law, Mary, and great niece, Quinn, are still visiting until Friday so there is still a lot of entertaining going on around here.

Tomorrow, we will attend 4 pm Mass at our Parish site here in Algonac.  After Mass, we will be heading over to our Parish site in Marine City.  The Maritime Days Festival is in full swing so we will hang out there for the evening eating carnival fare for dinner.  Corndogs anyone??

Sunday, some of Mary's relatives will be joining us for lunch and a visit.  My sister, Dawn and her husband, Tom, plan on taking the girls out on their boat for a couple of hours and then we will meet them at a local waterfront restaurant for dinner.  They will bring the girls by boat and we will take them home by car.

Monday, we have a family team meeting with ourselves, M the eldest, and the caseworkers to whom she has been assigned followed by a sibling therapy session for both girls.

Tuesday, the Angel Face arrives and our great niece, Quinn, is off to spend a couple of days with our great niece, Sterling.  Friday morning, bright and early, we will be taking Mary and Quinn to the train station.

So here is our Weekly Menu.  Please stop by each day this week as we celebrate #FarmersMarketWeek and tons of great recipes with our Festive Foodies Group.

Saturday
Carnival Fare

Sunday
Out for dinner with Dawn and Tom

Monday
Pizza Bites by Quinn
Hershey Kiss Bites by Quinn

Taco Tuesday
Crunch Wrap by M, the Eldest
Brownies by M, the Eldest

Wednesday
Hamburgers
Homemade Potato Chips

Thursday
Grilled Pork Chops
Cabbage Charlotte

Fish Friday
Fish Stew
Artisan Bread