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

My youngest child (adopted) is three years old. He is youngest of a sibling group of five, came to us through the foster care system. He is youngest of 26 children and in our “boy minority” – boys 6, girls 20. He also has ADHD big time. We think he’s a riot, absolutely hysterical. However, we may be biased as he has also been expelled from three daycares (yes, they used the word ‘expelled’). But, every day he does things that make us laugh.

From a few minutes this afternoon:

Oprah is showing on a television. Joey (son)... more

Ever since winter has forced us indoors I have been looking for a program to get Livi involved with as a way to allow her to socialize and burn off her copious amounts of energy. The later being the most important for me. We have three popular programs close to us. I will attempt to review each of these. This review is for Kindermusic and is only my opinion from one class.I’m looking for something to meet my busy toddlers needs. I emailed the local director and arranged a free... more

Last week I took Livi for her preview class at Gymboree. I have been looking for something to keep her busy during the winter months, and I wanted to check the place out as well as other similar programs. This review is my opinion only and just from one visit. My girl is very active and busy so what I’m looking for in a program is something that will really help to dispense her extra energy. I arrived a few minutes before class to look at the schedule and discuss... more

When I was a pap- preadoptive parent, my favorite thing to do in my spare time was to search the message boards for pictures & stories of adopted children. I especially loved the before & after pictures. I loved seeing the children thrive and grow. When I met Livi I was in love. She had some odd bruises & scratches on her face and she had bright violet medicine covering them, they shaved off a big section of her... more

Summer is long gone, its snowy here and we are now stuck inside most days. I put together a list of cabin fever activities to share.

Rotate your child’s toys & books- bring out new stuff every month ( Especially great for books & puzzles)

Finger Paint with Pudding

Make a Cheerio necklace- with yarn or a new shoelace, allow your toddler to thread the cheerios on the yarn and nibble them off. Any cereal with a hole works

Set up a tent indoors…camp out & read stories in the tent

Fill a low... more