I get so tired of being the heavy…

I have had a busy and exciting weekend. My mom, husband, Beth and I left Kansas Friday morning and headed to Illinois for my soon-to-be daughter-in-law’s wedding shower. Amy is a bridesmaid in this wedding… and was, of course, invited to the shower.

Beth missed nearly two days of school, and Amy would miss an equal amount. Trouble is, whenever we have pulled Amy out of school in the past, she never makes up the missed work. Kyle and Stephanie would work like beavers in the car…... more

These little things are a blast. You simply plop one into the bathwater, and it fizzes in the water as it dissolves, much the same way as an Alka-Seltzer tablet does. As the small tablet dissolves, it slowly begins to tint the bathwater to whatever colors you, or your child has chosen for the tub! The set comes with 50 tablets of each color, blue, yellow, and red. The colors can be mixed to make an entire rainbow of different colors for your child to enjoy and let his or her imagination run wild.

Many children who have emotional problems tend... more

I found the story below on the Yahoo news page. I decided to share it, because I thought that it was an interesting, as well as thought provoking article. We all support, and think about our troups, but many do not stop to think about how badly their lives, as well as the lives of their families, are completely turned around while they are away serving for our great nation.

If parents can lose custody of their children due to being away for long periods while in the service, does this mean that courts will eventually have the power to start taking... more

How we know our son (son!) is Chinese:

He eats anything. Four legs and not a table, he eats it. Well, as long as it doesn't take too much chewing. He loves things colored red. Red pages in the baby book, the red wipes package, a red and green rattle, red shirts -- all get grabbed in a tiny hand and thrust immediately into a waiting mouth. He was born in China. This is the real giveaway. People on the street are always pointing this out, too. Ta shi zhongguoren ma? He's Chinese, huh?

I was wondering, as we were... more

With all my writing about attachment and attachment parenting, I thought it might be nice to share with you what a typical day looks like in terms of attachment parenting at our house. Of course each family has to decide what works for them. But here‘s how it usually goes for us.

I wake up in the morning with my 1 year old sleeping in the crook of my arm, and my 3 year old, who has crawled in with me around 6 or so, snugged against my other side. Some people might find it impossible to sleep under these circumstances, but I somehow do just fine at it. Years of experience sleeping with little ones, I suspect.

I extricate myself from between them to head for the bathroom.... more

One week in foster adopt time is endless in earth time. We wondered, second-guessed everything, doubted that the universe would come through, you name it. When the call finally came, we were overjoyed to learn that we were the family selected. There were three others, all in Colorado, but the caseworker thought we would be the best match. Little did she know how well a match we would end up being for this kid, and she for us.

Now, we had to make plans to meet her. Okay, here’s your daughter, would you like to see her? We were in Arizona, and she was near Denver, Colorado. I had spent some time in the Golden, Colorado area when I was in college. I went to visit a friend and ski for... more

Four California siblings, ages 4, 12, 15 and 16, are participating in what may be the first international adoption of foster children from San Bernardino County.

The children were removed from their mother’s care in October 2003 and have been awaiting an adoptive family since December 2004. The children are visiting their prospective family (who have other children) two siblings at a time.

After the children settle into their new home, a social worker will continue to make monthly visits until the adoptions are finalized. Once the adoption is finalized, the children will have the option of choosing dual citizenship.

This case is somewhat unusual and intriguing... more

When seeking professional support from a counselor or therapist there are a few things that you can do to help yourself find the right person for you. You are looking for someone who doesn’t over emphasize the effects of adoption nor ignores its influence and effects on the lives of triad members. The ideal therapist or counselor should have knowledge of and experience with adoption.

So, you may be wondering where to start looking? You can use local adoption search and support resources. You can start with referrals from the agency that handled your adoption, a... more

This week is National TV Turnoff week, and if you have never participated in TV turnoff week, I thought I would give you some ideas on how to do it, and some of the benefits of doing it.

Now let me say that I am not one of those moms that doesn’t let my kids watch TV. My kids do watch TV, and truth be told, some days they probably watch more than they should. But, all of my kids also do a good amount of reading each day, are extremely physically active and involved in sports and activities. So I feel like my family has a healthy balance when it comes to TV watching.

But... more

Warning. Today's post is unabashedly biased. There will be absolutely no objectivity and no effort will be made to present a balanced picture of adoption. The only qualifier I am willing to concede to is that I am talking about loving adoptions, not the ones that go horribly awry resulting in children being subjected to abuse, neglect, and all other like manner of child abuse. Loving adoptions, are a good thing.

When a child is rescued from a family of abuse and neglect and given a second shot at a life filled with love and hope; that, is a good thing.

When... more