I found a cool thing while cruising the Internet this morning. It was on an adoptive mom's blog, and I found it so cool and innovative that I thought I'd share.

Here's how she explains:

On my minivan, I have an autism awareness car magnet. When we started the process to adopt from Guatemala, I went looking for one for adoption, specifically international adoption, but I couldn't find one that fit the bill.... more

For anyone following the sad saga of Joyceline, the wayward, SMS-resigning assistant and the search to replace said disappointment, the position has been filled.

Catherina (pronounced Katrina, so fitting in well with Cyclone Sam and Tsunami Cj) started working for me a couple of weeks ago and seems to be working out.

Like Joyceline, she's eighteen, but appears to be more keen on the concept of work than her predecessor.

It's not easy here for those just out of school to get jobs, as many... more

It was a rough weekend.

Although I did manage to fit a couple of hours of beach time in, most of both Saturday and Sunday were taken up with work, work, work. Now it's Monday, and I'm a dry well. Because I haven't the capacity to form more than a couple of sentences, and no creative juice at all, today's post is going to be a list of links I use a lot. Some are fun, some are for work, some are like Mt. Everest (there).

This one is... more

Who says that you have to be pregnant to create a body-image piece of art? Not the people at soul food cafe, that's for sure. In this exercise, they are encouraging students to think about armor. I can't think of one time in my life when I needed some heavy duty armor than during my infertile times. One of my good friends and artistic creativity coach sent me this page, because she knew that I would "get it". And I do. I have a belly cast from Ivy hanging on our bedroom wall. I love this idea with the mannequin, but I think that it would freak me out having it in my... more

I know how difficult it can be keeping your marriage sane during the trials of infertility. I remember our communication hitting a stand still while I was only crying to convey my emotions, with Chris just being silent in disbelief, I'm sure, wondering if I would ever get better. There are a lot of memories that I don't recall from that time, but one thing that I do remember is that towards the end of my intensive mourning, I was thinking that in reaching out and grasping for a child, I was letting go of my marriage.

Thankfully, it never came down to a choice between the two. And, as you know, we are still together. But times were rocky here and there. It is really scary to think... more

Brian found the best price for Ethiopian Berbere -$7.99/lb on Amazon, of all places. That's an excellent price, even with shipping. Brian, you're the winner of my contest. Email me your address and let me know if you'd rather have the DVD or the hair snaps. I'll be sponsoring another contest in the next week or two, so stay tuned. And if y'all end up buying this potent Ethiopian spice, believe me, a pound will last you a good long time!

Not too long ago, I wrote about my personal experience on the first visit in our open adoption after giving birth and relinquishing Charlie. In a second post about first visits I shared tips for birthmoms from a birthmom’s point of view on how to handle your first visit.

Recently, A (Charlie’s adoptive mom) left a comment on her advice for adoptive mom’s from her point of view and I thought I would share that with you…

“As... more

On my other blog, I was wondering about how things could have been . Alternative realities can often be a lot more fun than the current one. In an alternative reality, you can work everything out so that it’s perfect.

I was at my cousin’s wedding this week-end and it was beautiful. What started out as a miserable day (cold and wet) turned into a clear blue sky as the church doors opened to introduce a new couple to the world. Wasn’t that nice of Mother Nature to... more

I was reflecting on my life last night on a long quiet drive home. I was thinking about the changes in my life since becoming a birthmom. Some of the changes have been good and some of course have been sad.

I think I have become a better Mother to the son I am parenting. I treasure the moments that we have a lot more. I mean, I always treasured them before, but now I know what it truly is like to miss moments and so the moments mean more.

I have learned not to take things for granted. Parenting a child with special needs, I had learned before not to take little things a child does for... more

We frequently blame the media for portraying adoption in a poor light. Sometimes, however, it's not their sole fault. Occasionally, we are lucky enough to have an adoption professional spout off at from the mouth without thinking how words can affect others.

In this article, which discusses the current state of a county's (Florida) foster care situations, an adoption attorney who didn't want to be named brought us this beautiful gem which was only coupled... more