With February drawing to an end, it's time to cruise around my desk for all those bits and pieces of information I've been collecting for you and do some sharing. Starting off with some news that will make a lot of people happy, yet another study is showing that chocolate is good for you, and gets even better for you as you age.

A nice cup of the right kind of cocoa could hold the promise of promoting brain function as people age.

In... more

"Moonbeam thinks it through" is the title of a recent post by the talented writer who calls her blog Paragraphein. I love her writing and have mentioned her blog several times. This post discusses how her daughter processed the addition of a new brother into her adoptive family. The post is short and sweet, but full of meaning.

Critics of open adoption often talk about how confusing they are for children. However, many children of divorce have shared custody arrangements... more

I really, really, REALLY meant to be done with the UN slamming for the month, but today's news from the International Court ... their verdict on the Srebrenica Massacre ... will not let me rest until I've done one more round of trashing. If you don't think this has anything to do with international adoptions, you'll be wrong. The ripples run deep and wide when it comes to war and genocide, and children, always with their fates wrapped around their ankles to weigh them... more

Continued.......

The parents were business people with a few connections from the community. The good thing about being placed into a long term treatment facility she was placed far away from home, so she did not have to endure the pain of the visits seeing her brother living where she so desperately wanted to be.

I had two young toddlers that had been removed because of sexual abuse (to all three girls and one of them was two years old) from mother’s live in boyfriend (maybe the father to the two year old, he had repeatedly molested). The really bad part was that there had... more

Continued.........

The older sister was not interested in seeking help for her younger sister were trying to find a way to work things out. So this young girl was removed once again from a place she called home and this time without her younger brother. At this point she is placed back into foster care and was placed in my home. My foster daughter was pulled out of school every Friday in the middle of the day to spend two hours getting to and from a two hour visit (yes that is a total of four hours). I have never seen a child tormented more by a visit to this child was. She spent two... more

1. Allow them to cry and grieve for the loss of their bio families, the connection to their past, and everything that has been familiar to them.

2. Allow them a place in their room to have a family photo or other things that are important to them. Even give them a little box or have them make a box (decorating a shoe box works well) to keep all their little treasures from the past and the future.

3. Finding a good therapist or play therapist can really help some children process their feelings and get beyond the pain of their life.

4. Do not judge what a child may feel, may not feel or how they deal with their feelings and things that has happened to them.

5. Should... more

That night I proceed to get drunk so I could just not worry about the situation, because I remember that when my mom and dad left the party my dad said we would be talking about it tomorrow. The next day while I was home my heart started pounding extremely fast and hard. I told Tina to call an ambulance because I thought I was having a heart attack. I ended up in the ICU for three days but the doctor’s said it wasn’t a heart attack but actually an anxiety attack. I spoke to a therapist a week later and he started giving me Paxil for depression, I was... more

Ok, I am being a little goofy, but my daughter (who loves Deal Or No Deal) suggested this and I thought, hummmm it makes a bit of sense.

The lights come up and 26 lovely ladies waltz down a flight of stairs each with a separate reason for you to consider inside their little silver case (can we skip the bald guy, because frankly he just bothers me). You chose your case and begin to narrow down your options. So... do you Adopt or No Adopt?

This does sound like a silly scenario at first until you consider what those beginning the process... more

As I alluded to previously, I cut my vacation a little bit short. I will return home late tonight. Beth can hardly contain herself. In my husband’s words, she will be “ecstatic!” After a week of being ill and running a fever, she finally returned to school today. Last week we learned that half her class was absent one day! Yikes!

Beth was happy to tell me on the phone last night that Amy had a “surprise” for me. Beth was more than happy to blow the surprise. Apparently I have some Valentine’s presents awaiting... more

Potty Training is never a fun event. It takes time and consistency. Both parents have to help. The child must be willing. Due to this friendly fact it must be made fun and exciting to learn.

Here are my top 10 tips:

1.) Make your bathroom a child friendly place. Make it safe and decorate it with rugs and shower curtains themes that your child is fond of.

2.) Play the swishing game where flushing the toilet is fun. There are books to start you off on at your local book store that have a flush button.

3.) First... more