I recently returned to work outside of the home. (Going Back to Work After Adoption)

I worked outside the home when I had birth kids. What is different, then, about working outside the home now that I have adopted children?

What can I do to make this a successful experience for all of us?

1) Adjust age level expectations for your child. Your child might be chronologically ten, but emotionally 3. Remember to respond to... more

Today, I went back to work. Things are wild on the home front tonight! I honestly had not realized aspects of the impact it would have on some of my kids.

Were they not ready for mom to go out to work? Will they ever be ready? How can an adoptive mom know?

I’ve worked before, but it has been a couple of years. (Even then, my part-time schedule was so varied and odd that I think some kids weren’t even aware that I had an outside job!)

Two years ago, we moved to a new city. My husband returned to school... more

I love this book cover. I assume it was meant as a "teenage girl get boyfriend" instruction. I rather prefer it as the title for an adoption book! Here is our story of how we got a teen-age son.

Vito is my son. He was placed with us for foster care, but only stayed for 6months or so. He is not adopted. This is a story of how we acquired a son anyway.

Vito came to be part of our family weeks before his 12th birthday. Vito is not his given name. Rather, he has the same first AND middle names of another son. We have... more

Most blogs seem to be targeted toward women. It seems that women are the most likely to read blogs and to seek out information and support on adoptive parenting. What about information for the dads??

I recently discovered a new (to me) website just for dads. An internet article shares “GreatDad.com enables all dads - working, stay-at-home, single, adoptive, …- to find ways to be involved and understand... more

I recently had an interesting discussion with a fellow Mommy about our roles as Mothers. I mentioned that I struggle between being a strict authority figure or a warm fuzzy “you can come to me for anything” type Mama. I don’t want to be a “do as I say not as I do” type Mom but then again I’m seeing so much wrong with kids these days compared to the ideals and values that I grew up with.

My friend felt that you can have it both ways… be best friends and be firm. She feels that she has found a happy medium. I feel that I get walked... more

Have you all seen this article? The report by Salary.com basically adds up the hours and various duties of your average stay- at- home mom and tries to match those duties with an average salary. I imagine it was not an easy task coming up with that ball park figure.

The job descriptions that Salary.com used to determine a moms salary includes 10 jobs that moms do on an average day: housekeeper, day care center teacher, cook,... more

Today brought a birthday celebration at our house. Dad is now 40. He’s “officially old”, according to the kids. Normally, we have low-key celebrations for birthdays. I love to celebrate a day as important as a person’s birth. However, as with most other holidays, my kids don’t handle big celebrations. For a birthday as momentous as “the big 4-0” AND since it was for dad, not a child, I broke our unwritten rule and went for a slightly bigger celebration. I worked hard to think of something noteworthy for a fortieth birthday celebration, but still... more

The truth is I feel like a single parent most of the time...I just do.

My husband works six days a week 6.30 am-5pm, then he goes bowling on the seventh day for four hours. His time with us as a family is limited. He is working hard provide for our family. When he is plugged in he does a great job. When he is around he is a hands on Dad and tries his very best. He steps in and gives me a break whenever he possibly can.

I'm the one who takes Livi to therapy, to medical appointments,and to school. I’m the one to make sure she gets... more

We are planning a small local getaway vacation this summer. We look forward to taking a big vacation in a few years. To visit the famous mouse perhaps. I have had my eye on taking a family cruise for a while now and we are hoping that once Livi is a little older that this may become a reality. Livi is at the age that we are just not sure of what to do or where to go. At this point we are thinking of staying within a few hours drive from home and hitting... more

The title isn't so startling, is it? Children grow up. That’s what they do. This inclusive statement extends to adoptee children as well. They grow up. So why is it worth talking about?

My adopted children have arrived to me between 17mos and 17yrs old. From the first time I hear that the child will be arriving, I work and plan for this child to have a successful life. By nature of the adoptions I’ve pursued, my kids have come from really, really awful backgrounds. Because of that, my focus starts from day one – and the focus usually remains... more