A few good reads from this week.  As always, I don’t necessarily agree with all the opinions expressed but do appreciate that they were expressed and provided perspectives worth considering.

“Was it Destiny that Matched Me with My Child?” by Bonnie at Adoptive Families – pondering a common sentiment among adoptive parents that they and their children seem unexpectely well-suited to one another.

“Queing for Starfish“ at My Fascinating Life – addressing a popular metaphor used by agencies and adoptive parents… and the fact that the children most often adopted are the ones in high-demand, ones who if not adopted by one couple would be quickly adopted by another.  And using the narratives of “family building” versus “giving an orphan a much-needed home.”

“Totally Worth It“ at Rage Against the Minivan – on adopting from the Foster Care System. Read the rest of this entry

A month ago, I received a copy of Jessica O’Dwyer’s newly-released book Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir, and based on the other reviews I’d already read, I was ready to read it myself.

Like Fred and me, Jessica and her husband are adoptive parents of two children from Guatemala.  Mamalita recounts the story of their first adoption.  And yes, their first adoption was fully capable of filling a book.  Once I started reading, I had trouble putting it down.

The story follows Jessica’s and Tim’s experiences with a do-nothing agency that took their money and then failed to process their case while at the same time “setting aside” their daughter so she was unavailable to be adopted by anyone else, a corrupt attorney at the other end, the bribe-to-succeed state of the Guatemalan governmental adoption office at the time, and many of the ethical and moral dilemas adoptive parents face in-process and afterwards. Read the rest of this entry

Just some of the chatter ’round our house this week:

No Supervision Necessary:

José (to my sister): Tía Amy, when was your car made?

A: It’s a 2003.

J: So how old does that make your car?

A: I guess that makes it 8.

J: Your car is old enough to stay home by itself!  [In our state, that's the magic age for kids not to need a sitter.]

A: Ha! Yeah, your right!  I’ve left it home alone anyway though.

J: Yeah, ‘cause it’s a car, and it can’t go anywhere by itself.

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Like Father, Like … umm… Savanna Wildlife?

Heriberto:  Mama, why is it that Daddy Lions make the Mommy Lions go out and do all the work? Read the rest of this entry

Our family is really fortunate to live right up against a state park.  Tons of benefits: really quiet neighborhood, lots of opportunities to observe wildlife, go for hikes, teach the kids about nature…  Can’t say enough good things about living here.

Usually.

Then there’s the one day of the year during which we shake angry fists at the local flora.

Leaf Raking Day.

It’s become a tradition in our house to put in one huge leaf-raking effort on Black Friday.  Mainly because a) both Fred and I hate shopping Read the rest of this entry

A few good reads from this week.  As always, I don’t necessarily agree with all the opinions expressed but do appreciate that they were expressed and provided perspectives worth considering.

“Other Mothers” from Our Little Tongginator – adoptive mom on being the 3rd mom (chronologically) in her daughter’s life.

“Adoption: When Your Kids Grow” from Welcome to my Brain – what adoption means to kids as they pass through different developmental stages and into adulthood.

“Your Child May Grow Up to be a Lot Like Me (and that’s not such an awful thing)” over at Grown in my Heart – adult adoptee Melissa on what adoptive parents need to keep in mind as their kids grow into adulthood.

“‘My Grandmother’ by Jackie Kay” – Lisa at A Birth Project reflects on growing up “other” in a white family, especially when the oldest generation still holds racist views (while not realizing that they do).

“Young Moms and Coercion in Adoption” at From the Past into the Future – hard to read, but important to be aware of, how agencies sometimes strong-arm first moms into signing away their rights (in the name of avoiding “a failed adoption”).

And because one cannot read solely about adoption all the time: Read the rest of this entry

Our two blogs rarely intersect – Home Improvement with Adoption and Family.  But in case any of you readers are likely to be out shopping this weekend and could benefit from them, we’ve accumulated lists of some of the best deals from some of the more common retailers over at One Project Closer, and I thought I’d share them with you all, too: Read the rest of this entry

There was a pleasant surprise for OUR family in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade lineup this year: the parade’s first-ever Latin American band to participate.  And Guatemalan at that!

The band, “Pedro Molina,” hails from the town of Coatepeque in the department of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.  The 270 members – musicians and dancers – range from 12 to 25 years of age and are either current students or graduates of the school for which the band is named.  They’ve won four Central American championships since their founding in 1982, and this is their second appearance here in the U.S.  They performed in the Rose Bowl parade back in January.

In February, following their Rose Bowl appearance, the band applied to be in the 2011 Macy’s parade, since Macy’s requires application submission one year in advance. Read the rest of this entry

Just a few of the quoteables heard ’round our house this week:

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Signs That We Need to Add “Learning Basic Measurements” to our Curriculum: 

J [to H]:  We’re six and a half.

H:  Mama, is that right?  Are we six and a half?

Me:  Well, not yet.  You’ll be six and a half in February.  You’re a little less than that right now.

H:  Like six and three inches?

[Uhhh...]

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Science Lessons in the Van:

H:  Mama, how come when we stick both our fingers in our nose holes and try to breathe out, our heads get all cloggy? Read the rest of this entry

Reason # 4,357,921,934 I home school:  we’re DONE for the semester!  Our co-op wrapped up our Fall with a Medieval feast this afternoon, and while I will of course do some reviewing over the break to make sure the boys don’t lose their new knowledge, we’re OFF for the holidays!  Looking forward to field tripping, celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas, spending time with family and friends, and just enjoying one another’s company without having lessons to accomplish or Mama “being picky about handwriting.”

Ahhhh….

Right.  BACK to the feast.  The kids (and some of the adults) came dressed for the event, and our class (I sit in class every week with all the other moms, so yes it is “our” class) presented what they’re thankful for.  Each kid had a letter. 

And here they are.

What’s that you say?  The “T” and “F” are missing?  What IS those knights’ deal?! Read the rest of this entry

A few good reads from this week.  As always, I don’t necessarily agree with all the opinions expressed but do appreciate that they were expressed and provided perspectives worth considering.

“The Critical Difference Between Foster and Infant Adoption” by 73Adoptee.  Self-explanatory by the title, and definitely worth the time to read.

“It’s Been a Year” over at My Fascinating Life – on the one-year anniversary of adopting their twins… and how different the experience was the children, versus the new parents.  (I always appreciate reading parents who are able to step back and examine themselves as they may be coming across to their kids, so they get a big thumbs up from me for that!)

“Adolescents Need Families, Too…” at Perspectives on Challenged Family Building, one of their National Adoption month posts, reminding readers that there are older children and teens who desire a family (the original purpose of National Adoption Month).

“Facebook Status Updates and Infertility” by Lollipopgoldstein over at Stirrup Queens – witty, yet poignant look at how those struggling with infertility experience all the happy chatter of parents all around them.  Read the rest of this entry