Fostering Voices Podcast

Sometimes you and your spouse are in total agreement, and sometimes you are on polar opposite sides fo a matter. This recently happened to us as we were faced with a life altering opportunity. Tune in to see how we survived months of disagreement.

This week's episode is full of goodness! We are so thankful to have our sweet friend, Grace Sharp, on the podcast with us.

She is a new foster mom (3 months in!) but previously worked as a Group Home Manager.

For those who don't know what a Group Home is, it is a house (in a regular old neighborhood like yours and ours), where they usually have about 10 foster kids living in this home. Some people also call this Congregate Care.

We agree with Grace that Group Homes are better than nothing, but foster parents would be a far superior alternative. In a foster home (even one that has 10 kids in it) - the main difference is the stability and the consistency of 1 or 2 primary caregivers. As opposed to hired hands, who often quit because the toll this job can take on a person.

In this episode, we learned that:

PSMAPP classes, which are now 6 weeks long, instead of 11. This involves a 3 hours class once a week, with 4 hours of online classes through the week. This sounds so good!

There is a great book called: 'The F-Word (Finance!)' , and this is where Grace got the idea of 'the cost of happy'. ie. finding a way to pay for Starbucks, or AirPods, if it makes you happy!

We do not need to be afraid of the unknown! Especially teenagers! They need love, and support, and a text every now and again to check in on them! Whether you can foster one or many, or even volunteer as a mentor - this is life-altering stuff!

The (Good) Word of the Day:

"that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need."

Acts 4:34-35

Anyone who had need was taken care of in Biblical times. Can we return to that time? Can we recreate it? Can we care for those who need to be taken care of?

Grace Sharp is on the podcast this week. She is a new foster mom (3 months in!) but previously worked as a Group Home Manager.  This week she shares her journey on becoming a foster parent, and then to fostering a teenager.

This is the 'Thirst Buster' episode (44oz of sugary carbonated goodness!)

Something that is as good as a thirst buster in our home is Cate! She has been living with us for 4 months, and things are just getting better and better. This is because we all have an attitude of trying to out-serve one another. I feed Cate, and she cleans and helps with the kids. It's a perfect symbiotic relationship!

The best symbiotic relationships are like this this, and they require people to be vulnerable, humble, and not self-centered. We have admittedly struggled with this in the past (especially as brand new foster parents). But we are pleased to admit that we are growing and acting like buttholes less and less! Progress!

So, are you a part of great relationships? Or do you often feel like you are waiting for people who 'owe you' something? Whether it's lunch, watching your kids, or telling you how amazing you are? (Seriously. Check your heart!)

The (Good) Word of the Day:

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

-Philippians 2:3-4

The best symbiotic relationships are full of humility and service, and they require people to be vulnerable, communicative, and not self-centered. We have admittedly struggled with this in the past (especially as brand new foster parents). But we are pleased to admit that we are growing and acting like buttholes less and less! Progress!

Tax season is officially upon us, and so we decided to have the best tax preparer in all the land join us for an interview.

We are thankful that Wes Watson (who happens to be Chris' dad) was able to make time for us, so he could share everything related to taxes for foster and adoptive families.

In this episode we talked about:

The Keymaster from Ghost Busters. This is what happens when Chris has someone else to talk about obscure movies with.

We also talked about how if you have had a child in your care for more than 6 months, you are able to claim them as a dependent on your tax return.

It can be VERY annoying trying to get your foster child's Social Security Number, so start asking your case worker NOW so that you have it before April 15th!

If a child was born after June, and wasn't officially in your home for more than 6 months, BUT was in your care for most of their life, you still get to claim that infant.

There are changes to many tax laws. The new federal standard deduction for a couple is $24k. HOWEVER, in Arizona, the standard deduction is $10k per couple, so you are still going to want to itemize your taxes for your State return.

Did you know that there is a $13k credit if you adopted a child? You can read more here.

Charitable giving is a great way to dictate how your want your tax dollars to be used. For a list of qualifying organizations, you can check out Az Tax Credit.

A few of our favorite organizations are: Christian Family Care, Advocacy 31 nine, and Foster Arizona.

The Good Word of the Day:

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it."

-Prov. 3:27

So, whether it's your time, or money, or other resources, if you see someone in need - help them! But especially with our finances, there is so much good that we can do when we allocate our money properly.

We hope you enjoyed this week's podcast!

Thank you so much Wes, for your time and expertise. To connect with Wes, you can find him here.

And to find out more about Watson CPA, you can find them on Facebook.

You do not need to use a tax preparer for your taxes. You do need to know what you are doing so you can maximize your return! So be educated, and take care of your finances throughout the year!

If you Want to Connect on Social Media:

You can find us at:

Jihae Watson on Facebook

Fostering Voices on Instagram

Jihae Watson on Instagram

AND we would LOVE it if you would leave us a review on iTunes! This helps others to find our podcast so we can share these voices from the foster care and adoption community with more people!

Tax season is officially upon us, and so we decided to have the best tax preparer in all the land join us for an interview.

We are thankful that Wes Watson (who happens to be Chris' dad) was able to make time for us, so he could share everything related to taxes for foster and adoptive families.

This episode is all about heart change and the times we have seen God move and change hearts.

We've experienced lots of examples of God changing hearts in Jihae's parents. Starting with being ok with Jihae and Chris getting married, to being excited to have adopted and foster grandchildren. This is not always something that is easy for everyone, but lots of prayer and patience helps!

Often times we tell ourselves that we cannot do something - from being able to birth a baby without an epidural, to not being able to love a kid who isn't biologically our kid. But when we say we can't do something - then we are right. We can't. But the opposite is true too - when we say we can - then we can!

The Good Word of the Day:

"Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life."

Proverbs 4:23

Other versions say to "Guard your heart", and too many times we guard our hearts too defensively. Sure we don't want to let bad things into our hearts, but we also don't let good things into our hearts - usually because we are afraid. Let's stop being so defensive, and instead let's diligently watch over our hearts - allowing ourselves to experience new things, new people, new ideas, and to grow and flourish.

If you Want to Connect on Social Media:

You can find us at:

Jihae Watson on Facebook

Fostering Voices on Instagram

Jihae Watson on Instagram

AND we would LOVE it if you would leave us a review on iTunes! This helps others to find our podcast so we can share these voices from the foster care and adoption community with more people!

This episode is all about heart change and the times we have seen God move and change hearts.

We've experienced lots of examples of God changing hearts in Jihae's parents. Starting with being ok with Jihae and Chris getting married, to being excited to have adopted and foster grandchildren. This is not always something that is easy for everyone, but lots of prayer and patience helps!

We are back from a 6 week break, and ready to dive into Season 3!

We hope that everyone had a delightful Christmas break, and start to 2019. We ended off the year with 2 kids in diapers, and we are starting off the year with 1 kid in diapers, and 1 kid who pees and poos in his undies on occassion... small victories/failures.

This episode starts off with us talking about how our 2018 goals went. Then we break into some goals we have for this coming year.

If you have a goal to be healthier this year, and need a coach, we know some REALLY great ones! Kevin and Bekah Tinter are some of our dearest friends, and they happen to be amazing health coaches. You can connect with Bekah on Facebook, or Kevin, or email them ([email protected], [email protected] ) to get more information. We support the work that they do, and they support the work that we do, which is why they are hosting a GIVEAWAY!!! Check out our social media for more details!

A new thing you will hear on the podcast this year is our

'Time of Enlightenment',

where we will be sharing something new we just learned.

This week, Chris and I both share a bit about the way people talk to each other, in ways that are not intentionally rude, but can be harmful and/or disrespectful. Whether it's to a military veteran, or foster parents, or foster and adoptive children, and to married couples who are childless, sometimes people ask questions without thinking about what they are asking.

Which is why this episode is called 'Goals to be Mindful and Cognizant', which is is something that we all (us included) should aim to be.

To be mindful: conscious and aware

To be cognizant: having knowledge, being aware, sensitive to

Good Word of the Day:

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

-Isaiah 43:18-19

Whether you had a terrible 2018, or a wonderful one - it's a new year, a new day, a new opportunity for God to do amazing and new things in all of our lives.

We are excited for this new season, and we hope you are too!

If you Want to Connect on Social Media:

You can find us at:

Jihae Watson on Facebook

Fostering Voices on Instagram

Jihae Watson on Instagram

AND we would LOVE it if you would leave us a review on iTunes! This helps others to find our podcast so we can share these voices from the foster care and adoption community with more people!