February, 2013
This newsletter is produced for the resource
families in our program
and all those interested
in the welfare of our children. If you have comments or suggestions,
please contact us.
ICW Mission Statement
Remembering our past,
protecting the present and
securing our future for generations to come by providing an array of protective,
supportive and child focused services to families
needing assistance in
maintaining a self sufficient
and healthy environment.
Inside this issue:
Say What?
2
Cherokee clans
3
Prevention for the Strep
Infection
4
Online training
5
Cherokee story
6
Easy, fun recipes
7
Announcements
8
Five tips from the “Depression Era”
That will help you cut costs
During the Great Depression, simple
frugality was the only way to get by.
There was a saying that everyone
lived by: "Use it up, wear it out,
make it do or do without." There's a
lot we can learn about frugality just
by looking at how folks managed
during the Great Depression — Living costs have increased in the past
couple of years and those oldfashioned ways are starting to come
in handy again.
Barter: Just because you don't have
cash for a certain expense doesn't mean
that you can't cover that cost. Instead,
you can barter. Trade your skills for
someone else's — maybe you need a
babysitter and your favorite babysitter
needs a professional haircut (or whatever your specialty happens to be). You
can work out a deal where you both get
what you want without having to bring
cash into the matter.
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Go to the Source: Buying anything
from its source is cheaper — food is especially so. If you can purchase from a
farmer or through a farmer's market, you
often pay less for your food because
there is no middle man getting a cut of
the cost. Prices are even better if you
can become your own source — if you
grow your own garden, the cost of your
food can be minimal.
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Go In Together: If you can pool
your money with someone else, you
have more buying power. In many
cases, that means you can get something cheaper. For instance if you can
buy food in bulk, it's less expensive. If
you need a tool or something else that
you won't need every day, you can often go in together with someone else
that needs the same thing, effectively
halving the cost.

Do It Yourself: Pretty much anything is cheaper if you do it yourself,
from home repair to cooking meals. Of
course, the trade off is time, but if you
have the time, it's worthwhile to learn
to do as much as you can for yourself.
I've been working on this one myself
— I still probably shouldn't be trusted
with any car repairs, but I no longer
have to call someone in to do some of
my minor home repairs.

Reuse: We're used to throwing away
all sorts of things that can be easily reused. From packaging materials to broken items, there's almost always some
way that you can repair, reuse or repurpose anything that you're planning on
sending to the dumpster. Clothing is a
key example — it can often be repaired,
handed down, altered, made into a quilt
or even used as rags. There's rarely
clothing that really ought to be thrown
away.

Page 2
February, 2013
Say what???
By: Stacy Morris
It is hard enough for adults to have positive self-esteem much less a child. I believe with
age and wisdom, we learn that most of the time when someone is judging us harshly or saying nasty things it generally goes back to something they have in their own life they need to
deal with. As adults, we can process that, children have a much harder time. So it’s easy
when our kiddos come home saying so and so didn’t play with them to say “just play with
someone else”. Yes, that is what we would do now but remember how much it hurt when
we were in their shoes, it’s really hurtful. It’s easy as a parent to dismiss our child’s feelings
because we have been there and already experienced that. I’ve learned with my 11 year
old (because her playground issues are enough to make the world stop, wink) that she
doesn’t always want my input but most of all wants a shoulder. Say what? Hey, I can surely
do that right!
Having a healthy relationship with our children is so important. My girls are still little but I
know our toughest times are ahead. With social media playing such a crucial part in raising
children these days, parents have to really stay on top of things. Try to create outlets in
every aspect of your child’s life so they may have someone to turn to if they decide against
turning to their parents. It could be a teacher, a Sunday school teacher, a librarian, just
anyone they trust that also cares for their well-being. Teaching our children to be kind and
Godly children is our job as parents. Continue to pray for our children, it can be such a
cruel world sometimes! Thanks so much for reading!
Stacy Morris
It seems these days, everyone is doing whatever they can to pinch their pennies. As we all know, when the cost of fuel rises, so
does everything else. Below are some tips to help you save money on your own fuel cost
TOP 10 TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR FUEL ECONOMY
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Follow the recommended maintenance in your car’s drivers manual
Keep you tires properly inflated
Take a load off ( Heavier vehicles require more energy and fuel as well as affect your mileage.)
Don’t drive aggressively (stopping abruptly then speeding up uses more fuel)
Use the highest gear possible (Cars are designed to start in the lowest gear possible because that’s where they have the most
power, but that power translates to an increase in fuel consumption.)
Use Cruise Control—selectively (Only use on a flat terrain; driving in a hilly one can cause vehicle to speed up and slow
down rapidly)
Think Clean—Keeping your car washed and waxed improves the aerodynamics and therefore affects the fuel economy.
Avoid excessive idling
Think before you ventilate—Air conditioners do consume fuel while running, but w/ the windows down it can cause a drag
on the vehicle.
Combine your Errands—a little planning can make a big difference in fuel economy without the continual start and stop of
the engine.
Page 3
February, 2013
Cherokee Clans
This is the last article in regards to the seven clans of the Cherokee Nation. If you missed any
of the previous articles and would like more information feel free to contact us using the numbers provided throughout the newsletter. We would be glad to provide you with a copy.
This article will be about the (Ani’-Wah’Ya) Wolf clan. The Wolf clan is the largest clan today
and the most prominent. Throughout time this clan provided the most war chiefs and warriors. Members of this clan are the protectors of the people. The Wolf clan are keepers and
trackers of the wolf and the only clan who could kill a wolf through special ceremonies and
wolf medicines. The clan color is red and their wood is Hickory. The Wolf clan arbor is to the
left of the Blue arbor. The Wolf clan members drink the black drink first during Stomp dances.
Notable surnames: Beaver, Canoe and Waite.
Information provided by the Cherokee nation Cultural Resource Center, AAA Native
Arts.com, Cherokee registry.com.
The above article provided by ICW employee, Bette Nelson
AN OLD INDIAN PARABLE
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson
about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between
two "wolves" inside us all.
One is Evil.
It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed,
arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies,
false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good.
It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,
empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute
and then asked his grandfather:
"Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied,
"The one you feed."
February, 2013
Page 4
With cold and flu season still upon us, another illness we have to think about preventing is Strep throat.
In the article below, you will find ways to spot the strep infection and what you can do to prevent it.
Symptoms of strep throat, which is very common among children and teens, include fever, stomach
pain, and red, swollen tonsils.
Strep throat usually requires treatment with antibiotics. With the proper medical care — along with plenty of rest and fluids — a
child should be back to school and play within a few days.
How Strep Throat Spreads
Anybody can get strep throat, but it's most common in school-age children and teens. These infections occur most often during
the school year when big groups of children and teens are in close quarters.
The bacteria that cause strep throat (group A streptococcus) tend to hang out in the nose and throat, so normal activities like
sneezing, coughing, or shaking hands can easily spread infection from one person to another.
That's why it's so important to teach the importance of hand washing — good hygiene can lessen the chances of getting contagious diseases like strep throat.
Strep Throat vs. Sore Throat
Not all sore throats are strep throats. Most episodes of sore throat — which can be accompanied by a runny nose, cough, hoarseness, and red eyes — are caused by viruses and usually clear up on their own without medical treatment.
A child with strep throat will start to develop other symptoms within about 3 days, such as:
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red and white patches in the throat
difficulty swallowing
tender or swollen glands (lymph nodes) in the neck
red and enlarged tonsils
headache
lower stomach pain fever
general discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling
loss of appetite and nausea
rash
fever
"It could be strep throat."
Have you ever heard a doctor or your mom say that when you're sick and have a sore throat? Strep throat is a disease caused
by tiny ball-shaped bacteria called group A streptococci (strep-toe-kok-sigh). These bacteria cause up to 30% of all sore
throats and are found in your throat and on your skin.
If a child has strep throat, the doctor will give him or her medicine called an antibiotic, which will kill the strep bacteria.
That's good news because sometimes strep throat can get worse and cause problems with other parts of a child’s body. For
example, untreated strep can cause arthritis or heart problems from a disease called rheumatic fever.
Most of the time children get the medicine they need and recover from strep throat very quickly. After taking the medicine
for 24 hours, you will feel a lot better and will no longer be contagious. It is really important to take all 10 days of the medicine to make sure you have treated the infection.
Diagnosis
If your child has a sore throat and other strep throat symptoms, call your doctor. The doctor will likely do a
rapid strep test in the office, using a cotton swab to take a sample of the fluids at the back of the throat. The
test only takes about 5 minutes. If it's positive, your child has strep throat. If it's negative, the doctor will
send a sample to a lab for a throat culture. The results are usually available within a few days.
The above article provided by ICW staff member, Lynn Jackson
February, 2013
Page 5
*** If you have recently attempted to log in to Foster Parent College and were unable to, please note: there have been
technical issues with issuing passwords via the National Resource Center for Youth Services. Please check the email account you registered with to find the information with your password to login to Foster Parent College and start your
training. If you still are having problems with logging in, please call Sally Wilson at: 918-316-4595 or you may e-mail
her at: [email protected]. ***
On-line training is a quick and convenient way for Chero-
kee Nation resource parents to earn some of the 12 credits of in-service training which are required each year.
Continuing education is important to resource parents in
order to learn and grow in their work with the children
and young people in their home.
In order to make it easier for resource parents to complete their annual training requirement, OKDHS and
Cherokee Nation have teamed up to provided 12 prepaid in-service credits at Foster Parent College for each
resource parent. (One Foster Parent College “training
unit” is worth two “in-service training credits”.)
Most Foster Parent College courses are interactive, interesting, and only take about 45 minutes to view. (Courses
that offer more credit will take more time.) Most courses
are worth 2 in-service training credits. Courses that require more “training units” provide more “in-service
training credit”. You may select courses using up to 6
“training units” at no charge. If you choose to order more
courses in a year, you can pay for those additional courses
on your credit card.
After viewing the course, participants can send a certificate documenting their completion directly to their Certification worker via e-mail, and then print a copy of their
certificate for their own records.
Before choosing your first course, you will need to register
for this free training opportunity.
You can register at:
http://www.nrcys.ou.edu/programs/rft/training_reg.php
Once you fill out the registration form and submit it you
will receive an e-mail with your password along with the
information you need to register for your free training.
Please note: each parent will be assigned their own password. Do not try to register yourself at Foster Parent
College or you will be prompted to pay for the classes.
After
receiving
your
password,
go
www.fosterparentcollege.com and start your training.
to
If you have already registered and have taken courses,
contact your certification worker and make sure that they
have copies of your training certificates
Available Courses
Behavior Management
Anger Pie (ABC’s of dealing with child’s behavior issues)
Children with Autism
Childhood Anxiety Disorders
ADHD/ ADD/ ODD
Reactive Attachment Disorder
Self-Harm
Stealing
Running Away
Wetting and Soiling
Sexualized Behavior
Sleep Problems
Lying
Parenting Strategies
Culturally Competent Parent
Grief & Loss in the Care System
Child Abuse Neglect
House Safety
Relationships: Strengthening Communications
Working with Schools
Working with Birth Parents I: Visitation
Kinship Care
Positive Parenting I
Positive Parenting II
Positive Parenting III
Safe Parenting
Advanced Parenting Workshops
Advanced Parenting Workshop on Anger
Advanced Parenting Workshop on Lying
Impact of fostering on your Birth Children
Child Safety & Supervision
Febuary, 2013
Page 6
How Rabbit Stole Otter’s Coat
Long ago the animals had coats of many different colors and textures. Some had long hair and others
had short hair. Some had lovely, decorated tails, but others had no tails at all. One day, a quarrel began
between some of the animals because each thought his or her coat was the best looking. They called
council to determine which had the prettiest coat of all.
Some said that Otter had a very fine coat, indeed, but no one knew for sure because they hardly ever
saw him. They sent for Otter who lived far away up the creek and seldom came to visit, but they were
certain he would come if he was invited.
Rabbit wanted to win the contest. So always being the Trickster, he decided to figure out a way he
could trick Otter out of his coat. He asked around until he learned the trail Otter would take to get to
the council meeting, and secretly he went ahead on the journey which took four days until he met Otter. As soon as Rabbit saw Otter, he saw that Otter’s coat of soft, brown fur was, indeed, the most
beautiful coat to be found among any of the animals, so he resolved to get it.
When Rabbit saw Otter, he said in his most friendly manner, “I am so glad to see you! The council
members sent me to accompany you to the meeting because you live so far away and they were afraid
you would get lost.”
Otter thanked Rabbit, and together they traveled all day toward the council ground. That night, Rabbit
chose a resting place, knowing that Otter was a stranger to the area. In the morning, they continued
their journey. In the afternoon, Rabbit began to pick up wood and bark which he placed on his back.
“Why do you pick up wood and carry it on your back?” Otter asked him.
“I wish for us to be comfortable and warm when we stop tonight,” Rabbit replied, and that evening the
two stopped and made camp for the night.
After supper, Rabbit took a stick and whittled it down to form a paddle. Otter asked him, “What are
you doing that for?”
“I have good dreams when I sleep with a paddle under my head,” Rabbit said.
After whittling the paddle, Rabbit began to cut down the bushes and clear a trail down to the river.
Again, Otter questioned Rabbit about what he was doing.
“Sometimes it rains fire in this place,” Rabbit answered, “and the sky looks as though it might do that
tonight. Go to sleep, and I will stay awake and watch. If the fire comes, I can shout for you to jump up
and run into the river.”
So Otter went to sleep, and Rabbit stayed awake. After awhile, the campfire burned down to embers.
Rabbit called to Otter, but he was sound asleep and did not answer. Agan Rabbit called to Otter, but
Otter did not budge, so Rabbit filled the paddle with red hot embers, threw it into the air, and called
out, “It’s raining fire!” The embers fell all around Otter, and he jumped up and ran to the river, where
he has lived ever since.
Rabbit took Otter’s coat and put it on, leaving his own behind. When Otter appeared at the council, the
animals were so glad to see him, but Otter kept his head down in shame with one paw over his face.
The animals wondered why Otter was so bashful, and when Bear pulled Otter’s paw away from his face,
he saw Rabbit wearing Otter’s coat.
Bear hit at Rabbit and tried to catch him, but he only managed to pull off Rabbit’s tail before Rabbit got
away. That is the reason Rabbit now has only a little short stub of a tail.
The above article provided by ICW staff member, Bette Nelson
February, 2013
Page 7
This is a very versatile dish. Once prepared, it can be served as a soup, or for a change, ladle over rice or
macaroni and top with cheese. It’s quick, easy and only takes about 20 minutes to prepare.
Hearty hamburger soup recipe
Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
3 (15 ounce) cans minestrone soup
1 (15 ounce) can rotel, diced
2 (15 ounce) cans ranch style beans
2– 3 cans of water
Shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Brown hamburger meat, drain and rinse. Combine hamburger meat with minestrone soup, rotel and ranch
style beans. Use empty soup can and fill twice with water and add to soup mixture. Heat on medium until it
comes to a small boil. Once served, top with cheese.
Spring Chick Cupcakes
Cupcakes
1
box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow or devil's
food cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
Frosting and Decorations
2 1/2
cups shredded coconut
Yellow food color
1
container Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
48
brown miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits
24
small orange gumdrops
Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack
Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Place coconut in resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add about 8 drops yellow food color; seal bag and shake to mix.
Frost cupcakes with frosting. Top with yellow coconut. For eyes, add brown baking bits. Cut orange gumdrops to look like
beaks; place on cupcakes. Store loosely covered.
Makes 24 cupcakes
Page 8
February, 2013
Put this on your Calendar!
Need CPR/ First Aid Training?
Below are the scheduled dates you
may attend.
March 7th — Sallisaw ICW — 9 am
to 1 pm
 March 9th — Catoosa ICW — 9 am
to 1 pm
 April 4th — Tahlequah — 9 am to 1
pm
 April 6th — Sallisaw — 9 am to 1
pm
 May 2nd — 9 am to 1 pm
 May 4th — 9 am to 1 pm

Resource Family Day of Training
April 21, 2013
Make sure to pencil this in on your calendar!
Training will be in the Catoosa area.
This will be a great opportunity to receive
up to 6 hours of training
Watch your mail for more details.
Resource Family Support Team Mtg.
When: March 25th
Where: Catoosa ICW Office
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Child care is provided
If you would like to attend any one of these
classes or if you have questions, please contact:
Tonia Stamper at 918-266-5626 ext. 7742
E-mail & On-line services
Indian Child Welfare
Offices
Catoosa: 918-266-5626
1-800-256-0671 or
918-453-5000
Sallisaw: 918-774-0800
Stillwell: 918-696-7603
Tahlequah: 918-458-6900
1-866-376-9319
Newsletter Inquiries call
Sallisaw Office or mail to:
P.O. Box 488
Sallisaw, Ok 74955
Family 411 at Your
Service
Do you have a quick
question and can’t get in
touch with
your certification worker
or your child’s caseworker?
Well, don’t wait.
You can send an e-mail
to
[email protected]
Do you have a quick question and can’t get in touch
with your certification worker or your child’s caseworker?
No need to wait. You can send an e-mail to
[email protected]
Need information about Indian Child Welfare or did
you lose your copy of the newsletter? Go to
www.cherokeekids.org and we will keep you up to
date.
Come visit us on our Facebook page, “Homes
for Cherokee Kids”. We invite you to stop by
and click like. Share with your friends by helping
us get the word out about becoming a Resource Home.