Fostermoms.com

This was adorable & it lasted. A work in progress for moments when they need something to focus on. We used to put up murals to color & mix media up when they were younger & still in care. Therapist Mom would do the talking, I would do the art. The murals offered a positive distraction while some stranger sat in our living room to interview us, interview them, do home studies, talk early intervention, talk legal, observe monthly. I don’t miss any of that & I deeply love them. #wevecomealongway #christmasmagicfmstyle #familieslikemine

The gang was all together yesterday. Sure do miss having this guy around but boy are we grateful for his dad. We all get to make it official in less than 3 weeks. Same courthouse. One big family. #familieslikemine #blackgirlmagic #blackboyjoy #ltom_costumes

#Fridayintroductions. Adoptive moms to Tiny (2.5) & Sweet (4.5). Foster parents to the boys' older sister, currently transitioning to her preadoptive home. Previous foster parent to the boys' older brother, also in his preadoptive home. Therapist mom is complex trauma expert, clinician & professor. Artist mom is former social worker turned web designer. We blog about the intersections of #transracialadoption #fostercare #LGBTparenting. We microblog our day-to-day here (IG) & aim to let our anonymous photos do the bulk of our storytelling. We are advocates for reunification, attachment-focused parenting & social justice. We keep doing what we're doing because we think it's important & that sentiment keeps getting reinforced by you all. We are so grateful for the positive exposure during #fostercareawarenessmonth. The heavy. In our home we are straddling two worlds. On the one hand we are a family of four who have not yet fully lived as a family of four since finalizing adoption last year. We are turning the corner toward that life & feel the seismic shift daily. We are worn. On the other hand we are transitioning our biggest kiddo into her preadoptive family & moving through our collective big feelings that come along with such a thing. We are knowingly separating siblings just as we knew at the onset this would be the outcome. But we remained steadfast & hopeful that the best possible outcomes would arrive for all 4 kiddos we have grown to love fiercely over the last several years. In the absence of their birth family and families of origin, whom we hope will show up if appropriate, we have stepped in to fill a lifelong gap through adopting from foster care. We say that not to toot our horns or raise our great white hope flags, but to state that we are here doin the work. Learning. Loving. Expanding. Through all that feels wholly unfair or otherwise, we stand here in the gap, holding our own individual & collective hopes for a future & a life worth celebrating in its many complexities & shades of beauty. Standing in awe of what people carry vs. in judgment of how they carry it. #twomoms #familieslikemine #motherhooduprising #joyfulmamas #adoption

*SNEAK PEAK VIDEO* A behind-the-scenes snapshot into my 1 hour photo workshop - loaded with tips, tricks & protips designed to unleash your inner photog beast. Swipe for details + before/after examples. Link in profile for demo! #fostermomsblog #motherhoodthroughinstagram #twomoms #clickinmoms

Mom: 1 Laundry: 0 #fmvids #motherhoodthroughinstagram #documentyourdays

As we close this day out, we wanted to share this remarkable sentiment, written by our pal, @kristenhowerton. :: Happy Mother's Day to those of you navigating relationships with toxic mothers. To those who have had to erect boundaries that leave you ambivalent or alone today. To those who walk down the card aisle for this day and look for something humorous because the emotional cards feel phony and sad given the reality you lived with. :: Happy Mother's Day to the foster mamas in the sticky, tricky place of not knowing if the child you are mothering today will be the child you are mothering this time next year. :: Happy Mother's Day to the hopeful mamas who dread this day almost as much as each monthly confirmation that pregnancy eluded them once again. To those who skipped church this morning because the public recognition of that which you are longing for is too painful to bear. To the women who feel confusion, anger, pain, and fear about why motherhood comes so easily to some . . . even to those who don't want it, when it has been your life dream. :: Happy Mother's Day to the mama's whose children are being raised by others, who feel the ache of that decision (or those circumstances) more keenly on this day. :: Happy Mother's Day to the moms whose children are fighting battles with addiction or mental illness. Who say prayers for protection and safety each night for the sweet children whose adulthood looks nothing like what they would have planned. :: Happy Mother's Day to the women who have lost mothers, and would give anything for one more day. :: Happy Mother's Day to the mamas who have lost babies, who never got to see the dreams they had for their children fulfilled. Whose empty arms ache every day, but especially today. :: Happy Mother's Day to the aunts, friends, grandmas, teachers, and caregivers who mother the children in their own family and community each and every day.

That moment when @instagram features your bold, beautiful and non-traditional family for Mother's Day. Thanks for the love. All of us coming together loving and respecting all kinds of families makes this world pretty rad. ❤️🌈

Our last Mothers' Day as a family of 5 and moms with 3 kids. We've covered the house with flowers. Put up a new gallery wall with photos of us all from the past year. Walked our hallways not sure what to do with all the feelings. To anyone who ever said they couldn't love in times of uncertainty, or who said they would be too afraid to love in this Foster Care life as they would have to some day say goodbye: I'm standing here, today, on Mothers' Day telling you it's all worth it. Loving and living and even working towards goodbye, it's worth it. Love is always worth it. #twomoms #team2moms #fostercare

Thanks to the seasoned foster parents who contributed to our #SundaySeries_fm. SO INSIGHTFUL. And thank you @biokleeninc for supporting us al doing this very important work. The contest is closed AND WE HAVE A WINNER! Congratulations @moonshell361! A little background on why we feel a kinship with the folks at @biokleeninc. They came through strong for us as foster parents last year with a surprise delivery after seeing a photo of a very happy covered-in-hot-chocolate Tiny. We'd already been using GALLONS of their bac-out for ALL THE STAINS. 🙈Which is why we asked them to team with us for #fostercareawarenessmonth. They happily agreed to support our effort in raising the voices of folks involved with #fostercare. We'll be back next Sunday with another conversation. 🙌🏼 #SundaySeries_fm #familieslikemine

I've watched this a thousand times. The way he's says "I am beautiful" in the end is everything. #fmvids

It's been a busy few weeks for us with lots of finishing up work projects, spring cleaning and welcoming warmer weather. It's easy to forget slower days are coming once summer starts. In that time, a handful of incredible things have come our way which we are quietly celebrating & so very grateful for. We think you'll like #5 best... ** 1. Nominated for Mom Blog of the Year by our blogging peers at @mom2summit's Iris Awards 🙌🏼 2. Partnering with @biokleeninc all of May to raise awareness during National Foster Care Awareness Month 👊🏼 3. Contributing to the wonderful @hellolunchlady's next magazine🙏🏼 4. @instagram themselves asked to feature us for Mothers' day 😱 5. Our most important news by far: Our biggest kiddo got matched with an outstanding adoptive family. ❤️ #fostercareawarenessmonth #candidchildhood #mom2summit #transracial #transracialadoption

#fostercareawarenessmonth #fostercare #thisisfostercare

May is #fostercareawarenessmonth & we couldn't be more pleased to team up with @biokleeninc for 3 sponsored contests throughout the month. To be entered for a chance to win 3 of our favorite products all you need to do is contribute to the question (below) & tag 3 folks to invite them into the conversation. That's it! Scroll for details & to see the goods! Here's the question: if you could make 1 improvement (can be ANYTHING) to the foster care system, what would it be? All constructive convo welcome here! #fostercare #fostercareis #fostertoadopt

The topic of photos on the web is a hot one. But for all the strong feelings many of us have about anonymity, privacy & respect, there's a chunk of conversation left out altogether. It's the digital stuff. To kick off #fostercareawarenessmonth we attack 5 things all parents need to know about photos on the web. #fostermomsblog #fostercare #internetsafety