My 21 year old son is a nut. We have a semi-independent living facility here, a doublewide trailer on our property; I bought it very used and very cheap. We’ve worked on it a lot, it has caved in at times sort of, but we’ve fixed it up. It’s where half-grown kids over 18 can go to live rent free if they so desire. My family rules still apply, but the 50 yard distance really helps our relationship when they’re in the ‘too big for their britches’ phase.

Two of my daughters lived there through college with a brother who didn’t last too long in college. Just staying... more

Stress of Foster Care on a Marriage

Stress of Foster Care on a Marriage - Reality

I have talked about the amount of stress that foster parents deal with on a daily basis, now I want to talk about how not to let the stress take over marriage. It is so easy to get caught up in all the stress and slowly it starts to affect your life, especially your marriage. I have also talked... more

You have to care for yourself so you are able to continue caring for everyone else. For us moms, placing ourselves before others can be a difficult thing for us to do. You do not have to do major things. You can start as simple as you feel comfortable with, just as long as you are doing something for yourself.

Deciding you will not take phone calls concerning foster care one day of the week. This includes doctors, caseworkers, CASA workers, therapists, etc. I have occasionally even sent phone calls from school to my voicemail. If there is an emergency they will leave... more

I have been writing about fingerprints and adoption. Adoptive parents are fingerprinted during the adoption process to do a background check and ensure that the parents are "suitable" to adopt. Most domestic adoptions now require that parents are fingerprinted, and all international adoptions require that parents are fingerprinted.

Some good news regarding the I600A and fingerprints is that things have... more

In my last post I wrote about fingerprinting as a part of the homestudy process, which is required for some adoptive families, but not for all.

Today I am going to write about fingerprinting as a part of the immigration process, which is required for all families adopting internationally (from the United States).

Most families adopting internationally will be fingerprinted as a part of the I600A... more

One ingredient you will find mentioned in many recipes for authentic Ethiopian food is niter kibbeh, or clarified spiced butter. In general, niter kibbeh as part of the fat in meat dishes, and oil is used in vegetarian dishes. (Yes, Ethiopian dishes all seem to require a lot of fat!)

Since I have not gotten into the habit of keeping niter kibbeh on hand, I usually use oil along with a tablespoon or two of butter in most of my meat dishes. But here is a recipe that I used last time I got inspired to make actual niter kibbeh. This recipe will keep for months in the refrigerator, covered.

INGREDIENTS - 1 lb. butter, cut into pieces - 2 cloves... more

I had another blog planned for today, but after reading Nancy’s blog about anger I had to address this issue.

I have been told on more than one occasion that I appear angry. Well DUH! I have lived in a war zone for the past eight and a half years. I have had very few sane days since then. I have had to fight tooth and nail for every service for my son. I have had workers question my “credentials”... more

I have way too many heroes, folks whose books I devour over and over again, it’s a tough job to keep my spirits up at times when I seem to be faced with so many obstacles and challenges each day.

A favorite author of mine, Og Mandino who I have to read slowly so as to better comprehend his thoughts tells us all,

“Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. This applies to play as well as work. A day merely survived... more

I was out of town so I was unable to do my Love Thursday. I still wanted to share it, so it is a couple of days late.

I have been blessed with having an angel looking out for me in my life. My Aunt (adoptive) O was watching out of me long before I knew. She is the reason I ended up with my parents. She was aware of the situation that my birth mother was in, and that CPS was about to get involved. She knew my parents had been hoping and looking to adopt for some time.

On my wedding day, my Aunt O asked, “If she could tell me something about my adoption.” I responded,... more

I happened to be channel surfing tonight, and not one, but three different shows had adoption as the theme. One in particular caught my eye:

Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC fame, just received an Emmy last week for his VH1 “Rock Doc” Documentary, “My Adoption Journey.” If you do plan to watch the show, please be aware this post contains “spoilers” (plot information).

At the age of 35, Mr. McDaniels discovered he was adopted. The documentary shows the various stages he went through in... more