In my last couple of posts, Why Adoptive Parents Need to Slow Down and Why Adoptive Parents Need to Connect with Others, I have been talking about how important it is to let go of the busy-ness of life and make time to connect with other people.

One big issue I see in many people around me is the failure to nurture themselves. While this is not... more

I wrote last week in my running on empty post about how exhausting this attachment parenting work is and how sometimes I feel like I just don’t have anymore to give. My daughter & I have been hunkered down in our home due to extremely cold weather and we have been getting on each others nerves. It’s really hard to find time to take for myself… when I do have a moment- such as naptime I’m usually getting caught up on laundry, housework and before I know it my girl is up rearing... more

I made a big change over the weekend; I went back to my natural hair color… but someone forgot to tell me that my natural color is so dark. For the past decade I have been a slave to the salon getting expensive highlights every 6-8 weeks to maintain a blonde shade. I was sick of it so I did something drastic. I went in, paid too much money and said take me back to natural. While you’re... more

Happy New Year. It’s a whole New Year, a fresh& clean slate. Here are a few of my parenting goals, goals not resolutions. I like to set goals for myself… both short term and long term. These goals in particular are mighty important to me and I look forward to sharing my success and slip-ups along the way. Here is to a Happy & Healthy 2007 for all.

Have Livi evaluated for her sensory issues… buck up and join the IEP/IFSP world and begin the process of advocating and getting the help we need. (Remember Im privy to the inner... more

Okay, I am announcing before the millions of readers who flock to this blog every month that I am leaving my husband and children, moving to New York City, and proposing marriage to Mufasa.

Notice, I didn't say that I was going to propose to the actor who portrays Mufasa. I said I was going to propose to Mufasa. You see Nathaniel Stampley was so successful in having me suspend disbelief for the duration of his presence on the stage that I completely forgot that (helloooo?) Mufasa is the personification of an animal... more

continued from previous post

As I was saying. What does going to New York City have to do with adoption? Well, everything I tell you, everything! It's called the "Halo Effect." Doing what I do for a living I walk around with all of this so-called knowledge clogging up my brain, but it helps me make sense of this convoluted world, albeit in convoluted ways, much of the time. Here's a quck and dirty definition of the Halo Effect from that font of internet knowledge Wikepedia:

Halo effect refers to the cognitive bias which... more

Hey everybody, guess what? I am going back to New York City tomorrow morning. Yay! Two of my best friends and I are headed out at the crack of dawn to go catch The Lion King on Broaaaaadwayyyyy (that's my visual depiction of me doing a way off-key impersonation of Ethel Merman). Of course we will also shop, and eat, and take in the holiday sights. But the big deal is seeing The Lion King on Broaaaadwayyyy.

This is a big deal because I have been in a snit (my new favorite word to describe myself and others) about seeing The... more

It funny the certain spiritual roads that I have traveled over the years.How they have shaped and formed the person I have become. Spirituality is a touchy subject and I certainly hope nothing I write in this post offends anyone. I was baptized catholic, raised protestant but never felt firmly rooted to any affiliation. In my 20’s after it was clear I was in a crummy marriage I turned to a Buddhist pen pal. I found in the back section of the vegetarian times. It was shining like a beacon and I naively wrote to her. Ma V a 70-year-old... more

Notes to Self:

Remember never to wear zip hoodie sweatshirt with nothing underneath .The McDonalds staff got a free show when Livi unzipped me as I was paying for her happy meal with one hand and holding her on my hip with the other. I was not wearing a pretty bra either… it was one of those flesh colored numbers that should have been thrown out ages ago.

Buy a new bra or two why don’t you to avoid future bad bra embarrassment.

Be grateful you wearing a Bra in the first place or I would never be able to set foot in Mcdonalds again.

Eat... more

Just a heads up to our readers. I will be away from the blog here for a few days because I will be out of town. But I will be checking in to follow Lauri's posts because like the rest of you I am a loyal reader of hers. She is terrific and her thoughtful and consistent posts have boosted our pageview numbers considerably. Thanks Lauri! And congrats! I'll put my nose back to the grindstone when I return next week.