Superstar Whitney Houston is in the news yet again. This time she isn't going to rehab, bailing her, now, ex-husband Bobby Brown out of jail, defending him in court, or any of the other usual antics that have occurred during their fourteen year marriage, that left most of America screaming at their TV screens for Whitney to get rid of the man who has been dragging her down for so long.

Houston was awarded sole custody of the couple's young teenage daughter, Bobbi Kristina, and has told the... more

My grandmother was a teacher. In the 1920s that meant that she was one of the few college-educated women around, especially in rural Missouri. She taught in a one-room school house where all grades (1st through 12th) were in the same classroom (kindergarten wasn’t even imagined yet). I’ve seen pictures of her in front of the school, with her students (some taller than she). It has always fascinated me that my grandmother went to college (the same college I graduated almost 60 years later) and taught school, even after she was married (a taboo in those days), stopping only... more

Continuing from my last post in sharing the story of Patty, an adoptee and an adoptive mother

After Patty married her husband, they began trying to conceive but were unsuccessful trying to conceive naturally so they turned to in vitro fertilization. When their IVF attempts failed, Patty became very depressed.

“Because I was adopted, I felt an even stronger desire to want a biological child, to have someone look like me, and to be connected to someone biologically.... more

An astute reader of my recent blog commented that:

“…some things appear so broken that . . . where does the fixing start?”

It’s a valid question, and one that seems overwhelming to the typical parent, let alone a parent whose child has special needs. Where does the fixing start…and how do I help?

One thing is for certain in our struggles with the public school, the only person who was as unsupported and victimized by the whole ordeal... more

Adoption is something that my family has always had an interest in. Before my husband and I got married, we discussed adoption and it was a great relief to discover that both of us were interested in adding children to our family through adoption. We both had an interest in adopting through the foster care system, and have taken our time researching both adoption and the foster care system throughout the years in order to be as prepared as possible for such a large life change. Anyone who knows me will let you know, very quickly I would imagine, that I am not one to jump into anything and probably... more

Today’s Love Thursday post is all about family support and how much I appreciate it. As a ridiculously sensitive person I am acutely aware of the people who choose not to be very active in my family’s life, but I am also guilty of taking for granted those who are active and supportive and loving to my husband, Ella and I.

Since living with my parents and my grandmother, our lives (when it comes to Ella responsibilities) have been made markedly easier. There are now three other adults who are clamoring at us for time with Ella. They want to take her walks, push her on the swing, read books with her and just get all the Ella time that they can handle. It is absolutely endearing. And... more

During my phone call with Sammy we talked about an ugly topic he didn’t really want to discuss, but it needed to be addressed.

Earlier in the day I had been on the phone with social services to try to find out what is going to happen with the theft charges Sammy now has pending against him. We will be back in court, and Sammy will probably be back in jail. If in fact he goes, this will be his fourth stay in secure detention, and he is only 14... more

I so totally loved this article that I had to pass it along.

Written in reaction to the recent recall of toys ... a very serious issue ... it puts a twist into the topic that cracked me up. The title, "Can't they recall a toy because parents hate it?" should give a clue as to why.

I'll admit that many of the toys she talks about might as well be from Marsmart for all I'd know of them ... Polly Pocket Pollywood Limo-Scene, for example, I have no clue about, although I will admit to a slightly queasy feeling over the name... more

As if a person who has become intimately involved with China (as adoptive parents and parents-to-be do), the drums are continuing to rise in volume somewhere in the background. "Is China preparing for war with the U.S.?" the articles ask (and more often than not, the answer is yes - and, in fact, in the case of the one behind that link, the war has already started, just not with guns).

This,... more

Paperwork all done? Twiddling your thumbs? Wondering what on earth you will do while you wait for your referral or for your child to come home? Why not plan an orphanage shower?

We had one before our first Ethiopian daughter came home, and it was a great success. People donated dozens of diapers, underwear, and socks, plus plastic diaper covers, vitamins, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other useful items. I went to Ethiopia loaded down with great stuff to bring to my daughter's orphanage.

Planning Your Own

Start by asking your agency what your child's orphanage most needs. Ethiopian orphanages routinely use cloth diapers for the babies, and plastic... more