I love the concept of mentoring.

As we’ve embarked on our homeschool journey this school year and our educational horizons have expanded to include things the kids want to learn, I’ve begun to consider the many things that other people can teach us. We’ve found people to teach us art and Chinese, and have discussed a trade with another homeschooling family that would include my music skills for their chemistry ones. We’ve found a man from Wildlife, Fish and Game department who will do a tour and workshop for our children, and have even pre-arranged a visit to see the inner workings of the local McDonalds. While not all of these experiences will necessarily factor into the... more

While you're waiting for your new child to come home, there are times when your mind just can't shut down – at least mine doesn't. I check email 50 times a day to see if anyone is sending me new information and just generally drive myself crazy. I spend time mulling over things I can't change (like getting a government to hurry up for ME!) and since I can't change them, it becomes time to change my “stinking thinking”.

Maybe you all are familiar with ... more

This is a photo of Nicole and Caleb, taken on the day of Ben's birthday last month. She is my oldest, and although he isn't the youngest, he has been in our family for the least amount of time, having arrived home with us from China mid-January.

Although her siblings can make her crazy at times, I think her love for him is evident in her face. When we announced that we would be adopting Micheline back in 1998, she had a look of concern and asked if we would be raising young children... more

During Natasha's (adopted from Ukraine in December 2000 at 3.5 years of age) first year home I kept a journal. I started this writing because it felt like my days were filled with constant power struggles. The journal focused me on Natasha's positive developmental growth rather then negative behavior.

Last week I was re-reading the journal. I found a jewel of a story. So for Love Thursday here is my journal entry.

November 2001

Natasha and I played... more

Quick note to prospective parents (and some folks "enjoying" the long wait times): the fees for filling out I600 & I600A forms are going up. You can read the new fee schedule on this pdf from our beloved Homeland Security office.

I read about this in a ... more

For all the talk we do about how there is no information on birth fathers or their plight, perhaps we aren't looking in the right places. Gary Clapton has released five studies in the past ten years on the birth father experience. The most recent of which just hit the wires today. I downloaded it with interest and I can't keep my eyes off of it.

This study, entitled The... more

I found a good article at the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism site that I want to share with you. Some of you may be aware of the issues facing converts to Judaism from denominations other than Orthodoxy (for more information on the details of that please see my earlier posts "Sticky conversion issues parts I and II). This article from USCJ touches on those issues without making it the focus of the article. It's a nice overview of the idea of adopting as a Jewish family, looks at different angles of the subject,... more

Today is my 27th wedding anniversary, and I can't help but compare it to when my parents celebrated their 25th. (Only because they didn't have a big celebration for their 27th.) I was their youngest child and I was already an adult - 20 years old. They didn't have anyone living at home with them anymore. I remember going out with extended family to a restaurant as they opened up gifts that were made of silver.

I, on the other hand, have two who are grown and gone, but still have an 18 year old, 14 year old, two 11 year... more

When you’re reading a child’s profile, their case history or a discussion on a forum, it can seem like Greek, or alphabet soup. Some of the acronyms are very easy and don’t require much explanation. Others you will want to thoroughly research.

Here’s an example:

My FD was just diagnosed with RAD and PTSD. We want to take her to an AT, but can’t find one near us. The TPR has not been done yet, so we’re not sure if we can do it.

AA... more

I walked our dog late last night, leaving LuLu in the backyard to chase fireflies and hunt for bugs. When I returned a few minutes later, I could hear LuLu’s voice coming from the neighbor’s back porch.

“What are you doing over there?” I yelled. “I’m talking to Ms. Peggy, Mom.” “Is it ok with Ms. Peggy?” I asked. Peggy responded to the affirmative. Then LuLu responded, “I’m telling Ms. Peggy about Jesus.”

I stood in the driveway and listened as LuLu’s voice grew louder and more determined. ... more