I’m off later this week to Vail Colorado.

NO, I’m not skiing yet. It is a bit too early, although there is snow in the mountains already… I’m hdeaded off to the Colorado State Foster Parent Association conference.

They don’t offer child care at the conference, so I’m only able to attend one day –Friday - the day Hubby will take off work and drive up to the mountains with me.

I’m also a speaker, and I’m working on my presentation now.

It’s called, The Zen of Fostering, and basically I’ll... more

Continued from previous......

If you are in your forties, fifties or beyond, you may wish to adopt an older child. Perhaps you aren’t up to the midnight feedings. Maybe poopy diapers during your board meeting isn't your idea of fun.

Or, Maybe you are single and want a child who is in school while you work.

Whatever your motivation, it is easy to find waiting older... more

As if the good foster and adoptive parents on the planet don’t have enough to deal with in terms of parenting traumatized children, and as a foster parent, doing it handcuffed… articles like this one really help our cause. It is the story of a foster parent accused of attempting to smother her 6-week-old foster child while he was hospitalized. This article is doubly interesting because this gal was not only a foster parent, but a social worker.

Now, if all... more

Scammers. We heard all about the problem thanks to Dateline this past summer. (Update with more victims here.)Even though I normally dislike the negative coverage the media usually gives adoption, even I saw the value in letting folks know that adoption scammers do exist. (Though really: can we get a good, positive story about adoption on the air! Goodness!) People need to know that women (and men) like... more

As older adoptive parents, we are often thinking about adopting older children. As a rule of thumb, some agencies prefer the age spread of the children and the youngest adoptive parents be no more than forty years. - Mom is forty eight, she could adopt an eight year old.

Although we are seeing this rule broken more and more as parents in their fifties adopt newborns, there are certainly parents who do not want to care for young children needing 24/7 supervision.

As a foster mom... more

Today is my Maggie’s fifth birthday. Josh often refers to Maggie as “the one that started it all” because she was our very first adoption.

In 2001, Josh and I had three biological sons, who were five, three and two years old. We had taken permanent measures to ensure that we would not be having any more children the “old-fashioned way”, as pregnancy was dangerous to me because of injuries I sustained in a riding accident.

And yet I knew we had more children out there (it’s probably a good thing at that point that I didn’t know how... more

Would you like to know how to straighten your daughter's hair with a blow-dryer every now and then? Braid with fewer fly-aways? Keep your daughter's hair in tip top condition?

So did I. That's why I went to a hair care class last week. It was taught by a 40-something Black woman with a ton of experience who actually specializes in helping adoptive moms work with their Black daughters' hair.

I showed up with my daughters in tow. We'd been told this expert would look at our girls' hair and give us care recommendations. There were probably a dozen adoptive parents there, with 15 or so little girls.

The teacher was lively and humorous and really knew her stuff.... more

Finally!! My favorite season is here. Autumn is in the air! Can you feel it in your neck of the woods yet? It’s just beginning to feel like autumn here in the south, where I live.

I just love this time of year – it’s full of change. Life changes from the lazy days of summer to the hustle and bustle of back to school. The air changes and has a crispness and cleanliness that it didn’t have before. The days and time change from daylight savings time to standard time and the days seem shorter. We change wardrobes from t-shirts, capris, and flip flops... more

With the need for good Foster Homes so prominent in our State. I thought it maybe nice to go over some of the basics on how one can become a foster and or an adoptive parent through their State Social Services Department.

So here we go....Some simple guidelines:

1.) Call your local DHS and ask for information on Foster Care and Becoming a Foster Parent.

2.) Read over the information they send you. It will give basic rules and regulations.

3.) If you are still interested after reading the materials. Call and set up an orientation date.

4.) Depending on how many workers they have handling foster care licensing. You may be asked to attend a meeting.... more

Although open adoption is supported by many there this is an understandably emotional issue. First off, when writing this I think in life in general for everyone whether adoption effects their lives or not there are a couple of things that we all need to keep in mind. The first is that the human spirit is incredibly resilient and the second is that every human being experiences some significant pain and/or dysfunction in his or her lifetime. As an example, life provides each of us some disappointment, not matter who we are.

I know... more