Ok, a few days ago, I posted my opinions regarding the re-naming of adopted children from foreign countries.

Although I still stand by my opinion that a name is a name...celebrate the culture and don't worry about what others say...there are some very passionate people out there in the adoption community that beg to differ, so I want to share their points of view, as well.

The people I have spoken to in regards to re-naming adopted children state that many times all a child has is their name. That is their one and only connection to what they had...their country,... more

I have been hearing lots of discussion in the chat rooms I frequent regarding naming a child who comes home through international adoption. Seems that some people feel that if the child is an infant, then it's okay to rename the child, but if they're old enough to know their name, then it's not okay.

I'm not too sure that I agree with that.

Now, considering that I am adopting from foster care, my views may not be considered popular, but I still do want to share what I feel about this.

I have a friend, S, who is adopting from Ethiopia. She already has a name picked out, but is always queried about WHY she wants to rename the child... you know... why not celebrate the... more

Have you watched the Nanny 911 and Supernanny shows on TV?

That won't happen to you, right? Right?

As hopeful adoptive parents, one of Tony and mine's biggest concerns is our parenting skills.

11 + years of untested skills plus 2 to 4 kids...does that equal disaster?

No way, not in my opinion.

One of the BIGGEST things I learned, as a tutor for my local school system, is that as a parent OR educator, is that you can NOT be the children's "buddy".

A "buddy" is different from their friend. A buddy is the "try to be cool for you" type parent that results in the type of issues that lead to being on Nanny 911 or Supernanny.

Now, if you've... more

Are you currently a childless family, embarking on adoption, and during your dreams, wondering what things you can do to make your kids feel welcomed?

You've GOTTA have a FAMILY NIGHT!!!

A family night, in my opinion, are a must for any family, but it is DEFINITELY something that an adoptive family should do. It allows 100% focus on your new child(ren), and strengthens the whole family unit.

Here are some do's and don'ts of family night:

DON'T: 1. Allow anything to interfere in family night! No cell phones, etc. 2. Get competitive in the activity.... more

I wanted to share a recipe of mine, for when your kiddos (or spouses...well, anyone *smiles*) have a cold.

I call it "Magic Soup". Everyone has a chicken soup recipe, but I like to share mine. It is VERY simple to make (10 minutes of prep, about an hour to cook), and the taste is DELICIOUS.

What makes the soup different, is you stir it based upon your faith. Huh? Yes, based upon your faith.

I adapted my recipe from a friend who is Wiccan. A Wiccan is one who believes in a specific tradition (Wicca) of Witchcraft. When she stirs her... more

Before I broke the "taboo" barriers of adoption in my mind and heart, and looked at adoption as a 2nd best option for having a family, I also had some very biased opinions of the schooling of children "in the system."

I don't know if it's more common in my area, but a LOT of the children that are adopted/fostered in my area seem to be home schooled.

Oh, I remember, I was SO bad...under my breath I'd say "Homeschooled, huh? Trying to save as much money off those kids as you can, huh?"

Yes, I was intolerant. Yes, I was hateful. Never TO anyone, however, I did internalize this opinion.

Adoption, for me at that time, was the ultimate slap in the face, as I... more

If you have older members in your family, you will probably understand what I say when you read through this post. You know ... "baby showers are for INFANT BABIES...you CAN'T have an adoption shower"!

Any hopeful adoptive family dreams about having some celebration to honor their pride in adopting their child, and in my opinion, it's a wonderful thing to do. However, you get many skeptics raising their brows... who, what, when, where, why, and how come at you from all angles.

Who are you adopting? What do they like? When are you adopting? From where? WHY are you adopting? How come you're having a party ... if you can't afford the child, which is obvious if you are throwing... more

I plan on being a stay at home mom, which in internet lingo is known as a SAHM.

When you are adopting, especially an older child, it really is nice to have one parent be able to stay home.

Attachment in adoption is a BIG issue, so many couples are opting for the SAHM or the SAHD (stay at home dad), especially in the first year after adoption.

If you DO choose to be a SAHM, you have a few choices. You can be a homemaker, or work from your home. It depends upon your own financial situation.

I plan on working from my home, and I do want to share a link with you. It is: http://www.workathomeagent.com This... more

My husband and I have already designed one room, thinking of our future children.

We know we are going to have boys...we're too high strung to not have boys. LOL

So, our first bedroom we've redone was done in a VERY cool theme.

The room is a darker royal/sky blue. We got our paint at Ace Hardware, for a SUPER price. Here is our tip. If you don't have your heart set on a certain color, go to the hardware paint departments and ask them if they have any "mis-tints".

A mis-tint is when they make a color for a customer, and either the customer doesn't like the way it looks after mixing, or when they get it home.

Well, I knew I was going to paint clouds... more