Night at the Races!!!

Hi All,

Just wanted to let you all know that the night at the races was a GREAT night! We had a great turnout.... We used all 40 tickets and that didn't even include all of the little ones that got in free!!!!! There was some pretty wild racing for sure but I think the highlight of the evening was when the kids got to go down onto the track and ride along in a race car with the drivers. They all got 2 laps on the track and the checkered flags flew at the end of their ride!!!!! After racing a few families even went to the pits to meet the drivers...... It was great to have so much participation!!! Thanks to all of you who helped to make the night a success!

A Night at the Races!!!!!

Night at the Races!!!
Come join us for a night at the races!!!
The Region 1 Fiesta Project is inviting adoptive families to a Night at the Races!!!
Come join us for the final night of racing at Aztec Speedway!!!!!
I just found out that they will be doing a Kids In Cars night!!!!!
Kids aged 6 to 12 get to ride along in a real race car with the drivers!!!!!

Saturday, September 26th, 20096:00pm

R.S.V.P with Wendy 1-888-299-3014 or 505-803-3160

Attachment Training, this Saturday, Sept. 26th

"Intentional Re-Parenting"

this Saturday, Sept. 26th, from 9 to 2 pm

RSVP needed. Pls call Monica @ 505-235-7261

@ La Familia, 707 Broadway Blvd (corner of Lomas and Broadway)

TEEN NIGHT (12-19) - This Friday (9/25)

Fall is Here In the East Mtns

Camp Fire - Hotdogs - Smores - Hot Cocoa!

THIS Saturday, September 25th

5:30-8:00 @ Glotzner Homestead

RSVP to Gayle or Sue @ 877-380-3597 or Monica @ 235-7261

Call Carol for directions, 270-6219

On line book club

Don't tell Sheila, but I'm copying her great idea to start a book club by reading, Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wished their Adoptive Parents Knew, by Sherrie Eldridge. (Pretend that the title is underlined in honor of my sixth grade teacher, but I can't figure out how to do it on this blog program.) I think it would be good if we follow Sheila's group in reading two chapters at a time. (Surprise! There are twenty chapters!) I know it's short notice to keep up with them, but let's try. I'll post something about the book over the weekend of the 26th of September and y'all HAVE to comment. I might have to resort to posting some outrageously crazy opinions to make you mad enough to argue with me. Remember that every comment on the blog will enter you to win the ipod in November...and... count them, you still have a pretty good chance to win. I'm looking forward to reading the book...in fact I checked out a copy from the Fiesta library just before Sheila posted that her group is reading it together. I've seen it around here and there and to be honest the title didn't yell out, "READ ME!" in my little brain. But, I've heard from other parents that it's great, so I'm looking forward to settling down in my secret hiding spot to enjoy it. Between you and me, I've had a crazy couple of weeks and as I write this, I have one kid in the hospital and two others slated for surgery soon.....this is not a normal or welcome family custom to commemorate the beginning of the flu season. Anyway, let's read the book together and compare notes.
Carol

Medication?

I recently heard from a friend who has struggled with a certain son's behavior for several years. She's upset because her husband and mother insist that she look into putting him on ritalin. She has studied attachment issues, reading every book on the subject since she and her husband adopted this son and his brother. The two boys had a background involving early abuse, abandonment and several placements. She has held off having him tested for ADHD because she has read that many children with trauma related issues present as having ADHD, when in fact, they need to work through the trauma and the attention symptoms will resolve themselves. She has observed that when she is unencumbered by other stresses in life, and free to give him extra support and attention, he is able to function normally. But since life doesn't always allow her to always concentrate only on him, his behavior digresses. She prefers not to use medication. What would you tell her?

The Little Girl Who Got it Right

Having a severely disabled son in a wheelchair, who doesn’t look a thing like me, I get used to the stares. I’ll admit that sometimes I’m just not in the mood and have been known to whisper to a child who is old enough to know better, “It’s not nice to stare.” Hopefully the kid’s dad heard it too, because he has been craning his neck to get a better look for the last six minutes. I could not believe the audacity when on one such occasion a mom said to me, “Well, I’m trying to show my daughter that people in wheelchairs want you to understand what happened to them.” Once a twelve-year-old girl rode past our campsite on a bike, then doubled back to take a second look and yelled, “What’s wrong with him?” Okay, I guess I need to work on my attitude.
It’s interesting to see how kids respond to someone in a wheelchair, depending on their age. Tiny ones waddle up to check out all the cool levers and gears and see how much they can touch before someone stops them. Four and five year olds rarely take notice. Early elementary aged kids are openly curious and sometimes stare. My own little ones, who have always had at least two family members who use wheelchairs, have sometimes stared at people in wheelchairs in public. Who can figure? I usually bend down and whisper, “It’s not nice to stare,” to my own kids.
So I’m on an outing with my son and we go into a small, mostly empty bookstore. Once in awhile I catch a glimpse of a four-year-old girl sneaking glances at us. You can just about read her mind, “Why isn’t that boy walking? Why do his eyes look so blank? Why is he all curled up? Why isn’t he talking?” She seems to be alone, so I assume she belongs to the lady at the cash register. At one point, I catch her eye and smile at her and turn a corner only to see her again. It’s like we’re being stalked by an adorable, miniature security guard. I’m not really bugged- she’s little and curious. Eventually, she approaches us shyly and asks, “What’s his name?”

Carol Gloetzner

Night at the Races!!!

Come join us for a night at the races!!!

The Region 1 Fiesta Project is inviting adoptive families to a Night at the Races!!!

Come join us for the final night of racing at Aztec Speedway

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

6:00pm

R.S.V.P with Wendy 1-888-299-3014 or 505-803-3160

Do 21 months old get alzeimers?

Our 21 month old absolutely LOVES throwng things in the trash for us, so tonight, while I was changing the 5 month old, I rolled up the dirty diaper and asked her to throw it in the trash for me. Later in the evening, as I was closing down the house for the night, I went to the kitchen windows to close the blinds. There on the window sill was the dirty diaper. She's soooo dependable on throwing things away for us, it didn't even occur to me to make sure the diaper actually went in the trash.

Sue

mean kid

I always figured that my granddaughter, Somi, would be teased at school. After all, we had dealt with the stares, questions and ugly comments since she came into our family from India. Somi’s arms end just above the elbows and although she has her own scripted answers for the curious, I couldn’t be at school to overhear. So when she came to me one day off the bus in tears, there was no surprise when she told me that a boy called her mean names. In the microsecond after her comment, my mind went several different ways, coming up with the scripts I had rehearsed to discuss racism and disabilities, starting with the question I finally asked. (I tried to hide my grandma-tiger adrenaline rush.) “What did he say?”
She answered with righteous indignation, “He called me a little kid!”

Carol Gloetzner

Fiesta Project Family Contact Northwest NM

Hello, my name is Wendy Mangum and I am the Family Contact for the NM Fiesta Project in Region 1 (Northwest NM).
My husband and I have been married for 13 years. We have 3 children, my stepson Kally (19) (who we met 3 years ago), my stepdaughter Lesslie (18) (who has been mine since she was 3), and our 10 year old son who we adopted in November 2008.
We started this journey into Relative Adoption in 2006. There have been many challenges, frustrations and days of “what were we thinking?” but those are always outweighed by the rewards.
I am excited about sharing all of the benefits that the Fiesta Project can bring to the many adoptive families in New Mexico and overjoyed to have the opportunity to bring those benefits to this area.
I love the idea of a support Group where we can share our experiences, concerns and expertise. I am excited about providing an avenue to helpful and informative Trainings and especially excited about the Family Activities where we can just get together and HAVE SOME FUN!
Please feel free to contact me by phone (1-888-299-3014 or 505-803-3160), email - wendy.mangum@la-familia-inc.org, or on this blog page and I know that together we can make this journey as fulfilling and rewarding as it should be.
:o) Wendy M.