Continued from previous post on rule #3 and race……

So, after I zip coded myself, and discovered that 75.3% of us in this town are white, it began to make more sense that the children coming into foster care were also primarily white.

I talked about it recently with my agency.

“The first choice when making a placement is to try to put children within their own race when possible.... more

Ok, here is another adoption-related article from yesterday’s news.

I have to admit that the title of this one made me cringe. “Foreign Adoption Often Means Unhealthy Children”.

The article is better than the title, but it is a bit scattered. I think that the term “unhealthy” is not necessarily an accurate one either. They quote that...

“Some 60 percent of the children adopted abroad have health problems, says Dr. Nancy Curtis, who heads Children's Hospital of Oakland's International Adoption Clinic. And 80 percent of their parents had no idea those problems existed... more

There is an old adage in the real estate business. The three most critical factors in selling a house are: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. If you are trying to sell the Taj Mahal but it is located in the middle of nowhere, that’s a problem. Alternatively, if you are trying to sell what is euphemistically termed “a project”, but it is situated in a desirable location, it is a project someone will want. If it has six bedrooms and folks only want three, but it is located in a great school district and convenient to shopping and other... more

Here's my list of things I'm doing today....

- Looking at garden catalogs online - Deciding on how many varieties of garlic I really need to be growing this year - Deciding on how much to spend on bulbs for the garden this year - and how to rationalize spending said amount - Letting my kid watch too much television - Considering how much time I should devote to folding the massive tower of clean laundry occupying the only couch in the living room - Looking at Ikea furniture online and trying to decide realistically when construction on the attic will be finished - Catching up on emails - Playing outside with Anna on a tricycle... more

We're flying home today, so I'll be back at you soon.

Since I've been in the land of a hundred channels, today's rerun is about our one little TV station in Seychelles:

Bratz? What the heck are Bratz? Bratz buzz is happening all over parenting sites and once again I'm out of the loop, in the cold, behind the curve, insert the new cool way to say old and uncool > here. What I'm picking up third, fourth and eleventh... more

Yesterday a Seattle newspaper had an interesting “quiz” about international adoption. It was written by columnist Joyce Brothers. If you’re not familiar with her, Dr. Joyce Brothers is a family psychologist and advice columnist (who is now a spry 78 years old).

Yesterdays’ article is titled “International Adoption is not for Everyone” and in it, Dr. Joyce Brothers gives some basic information on the possible psychological aspects of international adoption. The information is given in a “quiz” format, where she makes a statement and you guess true or false, and then the answers and additional information is given... more

To build a reunion relationship, you need to proceed slowly. When I spoke to my son on the phone that first time, we had a warm and congenial conversation. The words came easily for us. I think that he would agree.

Because our first contact was so positive, I was very enthusiastic and ready to shift into high gear with our relationship. I wanted closeness and a connection right away. Although I felt a connection immediately, it takes time to build a relationship, even when the two people are related. Those years apart is a barrier of sorts.

When... more

Just got an email from Amazon.com that made me laugh.

This is, according to their magical book-recommending algorithms, who I am:

(click to enlarge)

.

That's a book on psychedelic predictions of the world-changing event in 2012 as foretold in the Mayan Calendar, an album by former Gainesville wunderkind & indie rock super-producer... more

I found two recent news bits on International adoption, both of which are (seemingly) depressing, but reflect reality.

The first is this quiz by Dr. Joyce Brothers: "International Adoption is Not For Everyone" from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Not sure why she put it in a quiz format, but there you are. Here are the questions (the answers are true/false):

1. It is a myth that orphanages in other parts of the world are cold, sterile places where children receive... more

An HIV test shows if someone is infected with HIV, the virus that attacks the body's immune system and causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or what is more commonly known as AIDS. There are several different tests that can be used to determine if you are carrying the HIV virus.

The first test developed is still the most frequently used for the initial detection of HIV infection: the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or as it's more commonly known, the ELISA.

The ELISA is usually done by drawing blood, usually from a vein in the arm. If the ELISA test is negative – meaning that antibodies are not found – the testing is complete.

If the ELISA... more