Make Room for Yes

08/28/2026

Quick peek behind the scenes at MRFY this summer. 👀

We've restocked convertible car seats TWICE in the past couple months. Twice.

Cozy Cases have been moving just as fast. We've had to restock several summer sizes already.

A grandma recently took in her twin grandsons and came to us for car seats and Cozy Cases. That's kinship care in action.

We also partnered with a Four Oaks caseworker to help a newly licensed family get set up for a sibling set placement, queen comforter and all.

Receipts don't lie. 🧾 This is the scrappy, real, in-between-errands version of what we do. Showing up when the need comes in. 👍

If you've ever wondered what your donations actually turn into, here it is.

08/26/2026

Two weeks until Moms & Sons Glow Crazy Night! ⏳🎉

Saturday, September 12, 6-8pm at The Hub. If you've been meaning to grab tickets, this is your sign! 🌟

$10 per mom, $5 per son, and every ticket helps foster and kinship families in our community keep saying yes.

Grab yours at the link in the comments. 🔗 Can't wait to see you there! ✨

08/20/2026

Big news for anyone who's ever thought about fostering but got stuck on the paperwork mountain. 📋

Governor Reynolds signed a new law this spring that changes how Iowa trains foster parents, and it just went into effect July 1. 🎉

The old rule: a flat 30 hours of training, no matter who you were or what you already knew.

The new rule: HHS builds your training around what you already bring, your job, your life experience, your background. A nurse doesn't retake CPR. A teacher's classroom experience counts for something. The core stuff stays required either way: trauma, attachment, behavior management, biological family connection.

Four Oaks and Iowa HHS officials have said this could cut licensing time from 6-9 months down to 3-4. 🙌

The goal is simple: fewer roadblocks between "I've been thinking about it" and "yes."

If that's you, we're cheering you on. And if you're already fostering or kinship caring, this is one less thing standing between the next family and their yes.

Links to the governor's announcement and the bill itself are in the comments if you want the details. 🔗👍

08/20/2026

So excited to start planning for Operation Santa with Foster SQUAD and Four Oaks Foster Care, Adoption, and Kinship AGAIN! Get ready - we'll be announcing wishlist sponsorships soon!

It's August, so naturally, we're already decking the halls at Foster SQUAD. We've been talking about Operation Santa since… well, the last Operation Santa!

If you know us, you know how things go around here: How can we make it even better this year?!

This year, we have a BIG answer: Include ALL kids placed out of home in Iowa — not just children living in foster and kinship homes. That means expanding Operation Santa Iowa to children placed in shelters and other residential facilities.

What does that mean? About 600 MORE kids getting to participate in Operation Santa this year. ❤️💚 We can figure out the logistics. (That's what we do.) But we need help with the funding.

So this year, we're offering a special Founding Sponsorship opportunity. If three companies or foundations would each partner with us at $10,000, we can make this expansion happen and provide gifts for these additional kids.

Do you know a company or foundation that would want to help us launch this next phase of Operation Santa? DM us. Or, better yet, tag them in the comments! 👇

Help us get the word out. We're expecting to bring a little Christmas magic to more than 4,000 Iowa kids this year — and we truly can't do it without our community. Let's make room for 600 more kids.

Thank you!! 💙Traci

08/20/2026

Real talk: our freezer is almost empty. 🥶

We’re down to 2️⃣ freezer meals, y’all. TWO.

Here’s the thing: these meals exist for the exact moment when you’re three days into a new placement, running on no sleep and dinner is the last thing you have energy for. 🍲 That’s what they’re for. So if that’s you right now, come grab one (or both!) before they’re gone. 🏃‍♀️💨

We’re already working on restocking. 🙌✨ But for now, first come, first served.

Need a meal? Come see us. We’ve got you. 👍

08/18/2026

Have you spotted one yet? 👀

Our Moms & Sons Glow Crazy Night posters are popping up all over Clear Lake this week. If you see one out and about, snap a photo and tag us, we love seeing where they land.

Know a business that would let us hang one up? We’ll drop it off ourselves, just send us a message or comment below and we’ll get you set up.

Moms & Sons Glow Crazy Night is Saturday, September 12, 6-8pm at The Hub. Tickets are $10 per mom and $5 per son, and every ticket helps foster, kinship and adoptive families keep saying yes to children in our community. Grab yours at the link in the comments. 👇

08/11/2026

When it’s 82 outside and your lunch break is spent helping install a car seat for a new foster family with their first foster placement. NO PLACE ID RATHER BE!!! And this empty box is evidence of that. 📦✅ I may have been out of the install game for a while, but it all comes back. And I knew I had to do it right because this child of God is blessed by these foster parents who are going to love her with all their heart for as long as she is with them and beyond.