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“It Still Hurts” – Foster Care and Adoption Triggers – Teens
A smart person once told me at an adoption conference that adoption is not an event. Adoption is for life. So what does that mean exactly? In fact, adoption continues to be a piece of who you are as a family, as a person, long after happy court is done. Through elementary school and high school, children and teenagers also have adoption triggers. It is extremely easy to forget that adoption is not an event. From September to June the days mostly fall into a predictable rhythm. Wake up, get ready for school, leave for school. Hang out with friends and learn and have fun and then come back home to family and…
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On The Road to Planning A Family #ChurchandDwight
You have reached that point where you are ready to start Planning A Family. You feel ready to start a new life together as a family and you are hoping to conceive quickly. OR you are hoping to adopt quickly. But there are a million questions still, and pregnancy isn’t always as easy as it seems on TV. So what do you need to know? My readers here know that I am an adoptive parent, blogger and social media consultant. I community manage a few infertility patient groups. I know more about fertility, infertility and adoption than I do about pregnancy, but I have partnered with Church and Dwight this year,…
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Three Resorts with Adaptive Ski Programs for Special Needs
Children with special needs face challenges that other kids don’t. Whether their disability is physical, mental or neurological, children and adults with special needs require extra support with certain activities. Many ski resorts are getting excellent at meeting this need. I have seen some adaptive ski programs at family friendly resorts like Smugglers’ Notch in action. Some are super impressive so I thought I would share a list for families like ours. Children with Special Needs Can Shine at These Ski Resorts Children and adults with special needs face barriers too many places still. So when I find a resource with adaptive or inclusive programs sometimes I want to celebrate. Resorts with Adaptive Ski…
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Conversations With My Canadian Kids About The US Election Outcome
It started this morning when my youngest got a text from a friend that stated: “The World is Ending.” “Mom, what does this mean?” “Well,” I said, “I believe she’s referring to the US election outcome.” Picture a giant question mark hanging between us. “Donald Trump won last night. It was close.” I think she said “No Way” or something to that effect and we ate breakfast in our home, in a suburb in Ontario, Canada. I told the news to my eldest daughter before she left for high school. Because I wanted her to hear it from me first. Throughout the campaign there were a lot of strange rumours that germinated…
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Ten Facts About World Polio Day #WorldPolioDay
This week as we mark World Polio Day I wanted to share a few facts about polio and the vaccine that saves lives. Just one week ago I was in Zambia doing a fellowship with the UN Foundation’s global vaccine program called Shot @ Life. On our last day in Livingstone, we visited the Mahatma Gandhi clinic where moms and dads brought their babies to receive the appropriate vaccines needed for their age group. Many babies were receiving the oral polio vaccine, as shown below. It’s the type of global vaccination initiative that Shot@Life supports in many countries around the world. The time we spent in Zambia was remarkable and educational.…
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Eight Most Useful Gifts for New Parents
Useful gifts for new parents can be invaluable. It’s not always the thought that counts alone. Gift giving for new parents needs to be a combination of heartfelt and useful. Brand new Moms and Dads are about to be their busiest ever. BUT, do we give them things that make their lives easier during the transition or do we spring for something whimsical and cute? Useful Gifts for New Parents Make Life Easier I loved my baby shower and it was magical from start to finish. The gifts that arrived were also treasured. At the end of the day though, I had about a billion onesies, dresses and blankets, but I…
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Halloween Safety for Kids and Adults
Halloween safety is one of those topics that makes kids and parents, alike cringe. Kids don’t want to think about it, and parents can’t stop thinking about it. What is meant to be a wholesome night of zombies, ghosts, superheroes, and candy can be a source of danger. Between predators and strangers who put nasty stuff in candy, Halloween safety is something that cannot be over promoted. Halloween safety is an important topic for both kids and adults, because in this day and age every member of the family needs to be careful! In fact I hear so many Moms and Dads saying we won’t even take our kids out any more that…
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This Reality Show Called Adoption Life
“I’m thinking about adopting.” At least once a week I read a message like this from someone wanting information about adoption. I am open. I talk and write about adoption here often. Friends know I will always answer. And I do. I find them resources, or answer their questions about why, or how long, or where do I go? Sometimes I simply let them know that the wait is worth it. I answer the questions one by one and hope others will follow through and discover all that I love about adoption. There are many roads to parenthood. BOTTOM LINE. There will always be children in need of stable and loving…
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What Next? My New Travel Goals #travel
It hit me on the flight back from Martin County, Florida this summer. As accomplished as I feel when I travel, and meet a new challenge and tick something off my list, I sometimes feel a bit directionless afterwards. Do you know the feeling I mean? Kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing, turtle nesting tours…On this one particular trip I did so many awesome activities that I had to stop and ask myself what next? What haven’t I done on a trip? Where haven’t I been? What are my new travel goals? Sitting there on the plane, exhausted from surfing lessons earlier that day, I quickly thought of zip lining. That’s the next thing,…
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10 Back to School Crafts
Are your kids excited about going back to school? Are you hopping around the house not too subtly singing: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year? Whether they are thrilled or not, here are some great back to school crafts to get them in the mood for back to school! Get Them Geared Up Back to school can be a happy time for many people. Some kids miss school the moment they are out of that routine. Frankly, I look forward to the break. When my one daughter was younger she would play school all year round, which kind of cracked me up. She’d teach all the young kids…