The day finally arrived for Ali, our last foster daughter, to say goodbye to our family and return home. She has been part of our family for 16 months, this time. She arrived a month before her fourth birthday, and now she is five. She also lived with us for nine months when she was one year old, which is why we took her back. (We were not going to foster any more children.) It was a busy day today; Ali had a vision appointment at 1:00 PM. We picked her mother up on the way to the vision appointment so she could be part of it. I had my two granddaughters with me who... more

I love happy reunion stories. I really do! We hear, so frequently, the stories that go wrong. This is partly due to the fact that when people have a good experience, they'll likely tell one or two people but when people have a bad experience, that number jumps to the double digits. We're more likely to rant and rave than we are to applaud. Human nature. This is only further compounded by the fact that the mainstream media isn't all that quick to report the good news. Stories of happy reunion don't fall under the "if it bleeds, it leads" motto of newsrooms everywhere.

And... more

My youngest son has been sick and throwing up. In deconstructing our day, my husband asked me if I found a difference between cleaning up after our adopted siblings than I did our biological son. My answer was that I don’t like cleaning up after any of them!

But, the point I think he was trying to raise had to do with bonding with your adopted children. When we first went back to visit the kids, my youngest was having sinus issues that caused mucous to build up, thus he threw up then, too (he’s not a prolific barfer, it just so happens that this is what... more

My youngest son is under the weather with a cough that has side-lined him for a couple of days. Though the boys love their “Sissy” to death, they tend to play with each other for most of the day. Sissy will join in for periods of time, then drift off to play with her dolls. You might see the boys ask to come into her room later on in the day to play with her, but for the most part, the boys have found their soulmates, sibling-wise, in each other.

With their younger “Bubbie” quarantined to his room with ample videos and CDs to keep him occupied, my oldest son and... more

There is a news story that left me with my jaw on the floor this morning. This story out of Florida offends me on so many different levels.

A five year old boy was “voted” out of his classroom by his classmates in the style of Survivor members voting each other off the island. This was the teacher’s idea. She said it was her way of correcting the child.

This young boy had to listen to each of his classmates say what they did not like about him, and a 14 – 2 “vote” ejected him from the classroom.

In... more

Adoption in the United States, A Reference for Families, Professionals, and Students is a new book just released in May by Lyceum Books Incorporated. If you are new to the world of adoption, reading this book could save you hundreds of research hours. It could also save you from making embarrassing blunders when dealing with birth families, adoptive families, or adoption professionals. Those of us who have been part of the adoption world for over a decade have had to learn the ropes by asking many questions and making mistakes. If you are thinking about adopting,... more

Is this exciting news for children and adults suffering from type 2 diabetes? A new hot cocoa contains special flavanols that actually improve blood flow in type 2 diabetics. Hey mom, chocolate really is good for you. It seems that Mars Incorporated is doing more than making chocolate bars lately. They have created their own scientific division called Symbioscience. Symbioscience joined forces with some researchers in Germany to study the effects of flavanols on vascular function.

This... more

Two of my children have special medical needs, and one has grappled in recent past with mental health issues. Whenever possible, I try to involve my children in the process of caring for their conditions, knowing that at some point, the majority of care regarding it will be transferred to them.

My oldest was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes shortly before his third birthday. About a week after his fourth birthday, he began checking his own blood sugar – yes, with a lancet – under our close supervision. Now, at almost 10 years of age, he does entire infusion... more

While listening to the radio this morning, I heard a sad story that brought tears to my eyes. A little girl was surprisingly celebrating her third birthday. Specialists had told her parents that she wouldn’t live to see her first birthday. Her father went on to explain that she had severe brain degeneration caused by mitochondrial disease. He did not know how much longer she would be with their family. She had not achieved any of the familiar childhood milestones. Her family had been providing for her complete and total care for all of her three years.

He... more

A fantastic report by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute is bringing awareness to some of the issues involved in transracial adoption and the need for parent education.

My friend, Elaine, has a very multi-cultural family and I love how this family works together and does not see the “differences” in each other. They are simply family.

I’m all for transracial adoption, don’t get me wrong. ... more