Many of my articles are borne out of whatever is going on in my life, and generally, because of my research, I have tips for you. In this post I am going to turn the tables on you, and give you a dilemma and ask for your creative tips!

My six-year-old daughter suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). One of the hallmarks of this disorder is insomnia, often due to hyper-vigilance. It often takes my daughter two to three hours, on average, to fall asleep.

We’ve... more

Generally within a congregation you will find many families that teach Bible class, hold meetings in your home or have people over frequently, participate in “work days” at the church building, help with the weekly church bulletin, etc …

With the arrival of new children, it’s been a little hard to get back into the rhythm we had pre-adoption. My husband serves as one of the deacons for the local congregation we attend, so we participate in home Bible studies, in addition to any number of things our family might be called upon to do. Today, I explained to our newest arrivals that by being a deacon, Daddy is a helper, and by extension, we’re helpers, too. The children were really... more

Fall is here, and thus begins the time many families begin preparations for the many holidays peppered throughout the next several months.

If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m a bit of a non-conformist, and I don’t celebrate many of the conventional holidays. However, our family has crafted many of its own traditions and rituals, all rife with meaning for us.

With new children in our family, I look forward to sharing these new traditions and rituals. It is a great way to build memories with them that are unique to our family. Additionally, because they will offer their input, we gain new perspectives and see things in new ways.

Because we have children in our family... more

I have been telling you about some of the noteworthy Ethiopians who are doing interesting things with their lives. In the news today there was a story about Ethiopian distance runner Haile Gebrselassie. Today he ran in the Berlin Marathon. Not only did he win, he shattered the world marathon record by running the race in two hours four minutes 26 seconds. This was 29 seconds faster than a record set by Paul Tergat from Kenya on the same course in 2003.

Tergat and Gebrselassie are long-time... more

I designed our adoption announcements somewhere around the beginning of the year – long before the children arrived. Of course, they weren’t truly finished because I needed the finalization date to plug into the cards! So, here it is, two months post-adoption and I’m just getting around to it – and not in the way I had planned.

Yes, life with three has derailed me a bit, and I’m still slightly off balance keeping up with homeschooling, outside classes and medical appointments. It hasn’t left me with a lot of time to be as creative as I would like!

That said,... more

Tomorrow starts Dora’s second week of school, still half days. Both girls missed a couple of days of school on our weekend junket, but it is their responsibility to make sure their work is completed. They most certainly had plenty of time in the car to make it happen. I informed Dora tonight that Amy lost the option of missing school when we traveled because she never, ever made up her work. Kyle and Stephanie were always very conscientious about their academic responsibilities.

Speaking of Amy, tomorrow is D-day for her. I have no idea if she made something happen... more

Another month bites the dust! It’s hard to believe that the months are ticking by so quickly!

The month passed quickly in the blogs as well as I did a series of birthday posts since Charlie’s birthday is in September. I kicked off the birthday bonanza with a trip down memory lane looking back at each of Charlie’s birthdays up until this point. For those birthmoms who are able to attend their child’s birthday party, I shared some tips... more

The researchers at the University of Western Ontario released a report last week on studies done of rats who were injected with propionic acid, a short chain fatty acid, which in addition to existing in the gut, is commonly found in bread and dairy products.

The scientists observed repetitive behaviors, hyperactivity and impaired social behaviors in these rats. When the rats’ brains were examined, they showed signs of inflammation similar to those of autistic children.

This study, if it can lead... more

“Why DO People distroy Animal Habitat?”

That’s what it says on the top of a picture LuLu drew today. She presented it to me with lots of pent up fervor about how animal habitats were being destroyed at an alarming rate and that as industries polluted waters and fish died, it also made the birds sick.

She went on to tell me all about the plastic rings of the six-pack containers choking birds and how people knock down all the trees. When I asked her what show she had been watching, she replied that she was reading about the birds and the water pollution in a book. SHE WAS... more

With things being so crazy around here, and dealing with trouble sleeping, I read a book which I do not get the opportunity to do often. What was truly great was that it was a book on adoption and it is in my opinion, a true insight of a life of an adoptee. It is a very well written book with the amazing actual view of most adoptions from the view of the adoptee and the adoptive family. This book is about an adoptee that is content with being adopted and the relationships built through adoption.

The book covered the perspective of the adoptees, adoptive parents and other adoptive family... more