For fun, I thought I’d share my top 12 favorite quotes on adoption. Some are not specifically about adoption, but certainly can be thought of in that context. I’ll start with my most favorite:

By choice, we have become a family, first in our hearts, and finally in breath and being. Great expectations are good; great experiences are better. Richard Fischer Adoptive parent Do you want to do something beautiful for God? There is a person who needs you. This is... more

You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. - John Wooden

With two blogs about rude comments we've received written and posted yesterday, I think some recognition of the NICE comments people make would be a pleasant change.

I’ve certainly received fewer nice comments than rude ones, but there definitely have been a few and we surely have appreciated them! Here are a couple:

We walked out of an adoption finalization hearing,... more

What is it about Pigtails that I just adore? Who does not love pigtails on little girls? I remember as soon as we received our surprise girl referral I started stocking up on hair pretties. Soon every type of pony holder, barrette, headband, teeny tiny rubber bands and hair scarves filled a basket in our hall closet. Visions of pigtails danced in my head. In Russia Livi only had enough hair for a whale tail pony on the top of her head. They shaved off a big patch of hair on the top of her head and we are still growing out that... more

The Greatest of These is Love

Every day, I'm faced with about a zillion options of how to spend my time. Every day, I'm faced with half a zillion really strong pulls on how to spend my time. Every day, I'm faced with a whole boatload of super great, really compelling reasons to spend my time on one thing or another. And, every day, the same 24 hours.

I'm certain it's the same for all of you. I'm certain that it's not only because I have so many children - it surely seemed the same when I... more

So how do you keep your toddler busy during the winter months? Somedays we go stir crazy when the weather is so bad and its so cold outside. Here are a few activities that we enjoy in our home. Please share any fun ideas that you have.

1.Dramatic play boxes for dress up Play- fill a box with old hats, clothes, shoes, necklaces, gloves and have some fun pretend play. You can even make themed dress up boxes- a doctor box filled with a doctor kit & a white shirt, a restuarant themed box filled with play food food, table cloth,... more

Top 10 favorite board games – by poll of my older adopted kids

Life (ugh…not also mom’s favorite, but the kids like it!) Any Cranium games Othello Mastermind Battleship Mancala Blokus Rummikub Uno Sequence Racko... more

10 Reasons why board games can be a great bonding tool with older kids:

Fun is the goal! There are times in our attachment attempts with older kids that we might get stuck in a rut of negativity. At these times, a “fun boost” is necessary to spark continued bonding. Again, the goal is to have fun. The goal is not to “complete a task”, show obedience or compliance, learn a skill that the child knows he is deficient in, etc. Without feeling these pressures, the child can adult can... more

I recently learned from the Occupational therapist that "W" sitting should be discouraged in most children. Our OT referred to it as “ M” sitting and it’s technically known as reverse tailor sitting. It’s the opposite of sitting Indian style. Many children prefer to sit this way and per our Occupational Therapist it can cause in toeing, hip problems and a lack of trunk rotation can cause no hand preference and other developmental problems. I had no idea that sitting this way was an issue and Livi prefers to sit like this. Now we say,... more

So your home with your new child... now what? Besides creating a loving routine and being consistent what can you do to start the attachment process? Play is the work of children and there is no better way to encourage attachment than through games and play. Repetition is key and soon you will discover your child’s favorite games and building those bonds together. I try with all games to have Livi on my lap facing me and making eye contact. This takes time and your child may push you away or avoid it at times.

1. Here are Grandma's Glasses- this... more

Tonight, I took two teen daughters shopping for clothes. Abby held my cell phone (as usual). Mary found pants; Abby found shoes. Mission accomplished. Then, Abby realized that she’d lost the phone. We searched everywhere we could think that the phone might be. We went out and searched the car – and then back in to search some more. Finally, we left contact information with store clerks and gave up our search.

When Abby first realized that the phone was lost, she came to tell me. The look in her eyes melted my mother soul. She was... more