Olivia‘s birth mom changed her mind and decided to parent. Hear about how we are handling that and how we’re helping to support the new family through our grief. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Instant Mom

The Story of Olivia: Part 2

Surprise! We adopted again! Learn more about how 3 month old Olivia came into our lives as perhaps our biggest surprise yet. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

The Story of Olivia

Instant Mom will be expanding to offer online learning units for prospective and new foster parents! Hear a sneak preview of that latest venture, as well as some teasers about a slightly new format for the Instant Mom podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Big Announcements for 2021!

It’s been a tough week, and now we’re facing a heartbreaking setback. Parenting a child with behavioral and emotional special needs is brutal — and also the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Let’s all have a cry, shall we? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

A heartbreaking setback

You asked, I answered. Behavioral challenges, finances, dating, future plans, how to prepare for a placement, and more! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

It’s Q&A Time!

It’s a grab bag today! An update on the health scare of our teen, why we won’t use an adoption agency to grow our family, and for the love of God, kids in foster care don’t need your donated socks. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Kids in Foster Care Don’t Need Socks

So many people are afraid to foster teenagers — and until roughly 30 days ago, I was one of them. Listen to an update on what I’ve done right and wrong (so far) and how life as a mom of a 3 year old and 17 year old is going. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

It’s a (Teen) Girl: One Month In

Remember a few weeks ago when I said we were taking a break from fostering? Well, here we are, one week away from an amazing 17 year old girl joining our family. Listen to find out how in the heck that happened. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

It’s a (teenage) girl!

Here’s a little mixed bag of life updates: Maggie’s status, visits with Jack’s birth parents, keep Jack’s little brother for a weekend, becoming a host family with Safe Families and... my love life. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Life Updates: Maggie, Our Open Adoption, Safe Families, and Dating

The most gorgeous two day old baby girl joined our family over Memorial Day weekend. This multi-part episode navigates what it’s like to say yes to a placement, — from that first phone call from the caseworker to picking her up at the hospital to settling into a new routine together at home. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Welcome, Baby Maggie!

Today I’m talking about my very first placement, a gorgeous three month old baby girl. Hear what I did right, what I did wrong, and how being a mom for the first time changed me --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

My First Placement

Well here’s a situation we never thought we’d be in — solo parenting during a lockdown in a pandemic. Tune in for an update on our situation and some Q&A. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Fostering During the Pandemic

Find out what happened with the teenage girl we were getting to know, and what’s next for us along our foster care and adoption journey. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

New year, new updates

I’ve learned a lot in the past four years of fostering, and I cringe when I think of some of the mistakes I made earlier on in my journey. Let’s talk about what I’ve done wrong — and how you can avoid making the same mistakes. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

11 Things I’ve Done Wrong as a Foster Parent

From a listener submitted question: How do you balance a demanding career with being a solo mom? My answer: Carefully, and sometimes at the cost of my mental, physical, and financial health. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elizabeth-friedland/message

Balancing Career and Solo Motherhood

Navigating solo adoptive and foster motherhood while attempting a go at sanity.

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Instant Mom

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