Christmas Party for Gallup

The last event of 2009 for the Gallup area will be held on Sat. Dec. 12 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at Indian Hills Elementary. The adults will first discuss ch. 7 from "20 Things..." book and then have a White Elephant Gift Exchange. The kids will be making Gingerbread houses with the babysitters. Please RSVP by Monday, Dec. 7 if you will be coming to this last FIESTA event of the year in Gallup. Call Sheila at 888-298-6681 or email me at skruis@swcp.com.

Mark Your 2010 Calendars!

FIESTA events for the New Year in Gallup, NM.

Training

Sat. Jan. 9, 2010 - Traci Tippett will lead a training for us on "Issues of Attachment" from 1-4 p.m. at Indian Hills Elementary. Please RSVP no later than Mon. Jan. 4 to hold your spot for you and your child(ren). Child care is free, but we need to know who is coming!

Support Group/Book Study

The book we have been reading & discussing is called, "Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew" by Sherrie Eldridge. You can come to any of the following events even if you don't have the book or haven't read the book. Each event below will be held at Indian Hills Elementary from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. From time to time we will also have an adult adoptee from our community attend to give us their perspective on adoption.

* Sat. Jan. 30 - ch. 8, 9 & 10

* Sat. Feb. 27 - ch. 11, 12 & 13

* Friday, March 26 - ch. 14, 15 & 16

Teen Event

Saturday, Feb. 20, Teenagers ages 13-19 will meet and eat at Big Cheese Pizza on Rt. 66. If you are an adopted teen or a teen living in an adoptive family, you are welcome to come. Fiesta will pay for the pizza and drinks and if you want to play any games, please bring your own money. 6:00-7:30 p.m. Please RSVP by or before Tuesday, Feb. 16.

RSVP to Sheila Kruis at 888-298-6681 or skruis@swcp.com

Please RSVP for all events so that I can plan accordingly. Thanks!

I look forward to a great year with the FIESTA Project in 2010 working with you and for you on behalf of our wonderful children!

Have a Happy New Year!

The Blind Side - Movie Review

The Blind Side (new movie in theaters now) was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. It was very well done, a moving story and a clean movie as far as language, sex and violence. If you haven't heard of the movie, it is based on a true story about a black teen, Big Mike, who is taken in by a white southern lady and her family. I would recommend this movie to all adoptive parents! Some day we would like our adopted kids to watch it, but we want to make sure that they will be ready to process the issues that the movie brings out about adoption - rejection, abandonment, abuse, etc... Because all children are not ready to process things at the same age, I highly recommend that parents watch it first and then when you think your child(ren) are ready, watch it with them and be ready to process with them. This will definitely be a movie that I will want to buy and own once it comes out on DVD.

MOVIE REVIEW - "Where the Wild Things Are"

After my 11-year old and I went to see this, I felt compelled to share about this movie.

"Where the Wild Things Are" is brilliantly done. This is a wonderful movie for a psy student, or an adult. Unfortunately, this is NOT a movie for a child to see - IN MY OPINION, especially for those of us whose children have been through trauma.

The movie opens w/ 'Max' running through the house chasing the family dog w/ a fork. It was not an endearing run either, but a Rageful intent to harm the creature, which he does catch the dog (nothing is shown).

The movie is amazingly creative how they brake down each character on the island to describe the family dynamics of being broken and wounded. The creatures on the island are the 'Scape Goat', 'The Black Sheep', 'The Hero Child', etc...

You feel Max's loneliness and desperation; along with his mother. It is very intense. Towards the end, one of the creatures takes on a very dark and dangerous feel. To me, I could see and feel the dark and twisted pathology of this creature.

I would HIGHLY recommend adults see this movie, or young adults. It really brings you into an understanding of the destruction and hopelessness of a wounded home (and individuals).

I would be interested in others who have seen it.

Monica

IPOD WINNER!!!

Congratulations to CHERAY MILLIGAN! She has won the drawing for the ipod! Thanks to all of you who left comments on the blog. Email me if you have any suggestions for making this blog a help in your adoption adventure.
carol.gloetzner@la-familia-inc.org.

"Twenty Things,,,," Book Club

Please join us to continue the discussion on Face Book. Group name: NM Fiesta Book Club

African Adventure

If you check this blog on occasion and read any of my posts, you may have wondered why I committed to doing a couple of things this month and then seemed to disappear. Maybe you thought I was struck by lightening or fired from my job in a dramatic screaming match with my co-workers. Nope. My husband and I have been in the process of adopting a little girl from Uganda, and the planets seemed to align three weeks ago, causing us to make quick plans for a two-week trip out of the country. Our brave (and/or crazy) friend and OT, Lee Anne, had offered some time ago to watch our flock of kids while we were gone. She added her toddler and preschooler to the mix and managed to make every single appointment and swimming lesson and we are grateful and amazed. (As soon as I got back, she made plans for a rehab trip to Hawaii.)
We had heard the stories about Ugandan adoptions and the long hours waiting. We hoped to avoid at least a little of that by getting everything in order before we left. We have a remarkable Ugandan friend who offered to do much of the legwork for us and we had an attorney lined up who had a court date set for the day after we arrived. It didn’t go smoothly. It took ten days to get the ruling. Thankfully, the judge decided to approve the adoption. (Many people choose to get guardianship instead, which is easier, but requires an extra step at home.) We were thrilled and relieved, but that only left us two days to get a passport (one of her caregivers had lost the one we so efficiently did ahead), have her heath checked, gather more paperwork, and meet with someone at the American embassy. By Friday we knew we were in trouble and headed to the embassy with what we had. We made it through the gate and stepped up to reception just as they were locking the doors. We had no idea they closed early on Fridays. Disappointed, we had no choice but for me to leave for home, while Ron stayed behind with our daughter to make the bureaucrats happy. He is hoping to bring her home next week.
I got home on Sunday night and have spent the week putting my kids back together (they had fallen apart), making phone calls and trying to sleep at normal times. I feel like I’ve come through the fog and I’m ready to take care of my responsibilities including updating the book club and gathering advise for tantrum-throwers (a task that seems particularly timely).
Carol

INTENTIONAL RE-PARENTING training

In Farmington

this Saturday, November 7th

11 to 4:30 @ The Sycamore Community Center

Topics Include:

Discipline vs Punishment

Neurobiology of Trauma

Coming Alongside Anger

Avoiding Power Struggles

Creating an Emotional Vocabulary

& More!

Call Wendy Mangum @ 505-803-3160 to reserve your seat.

child care & lunch provided