Faith. Family. Career. Those were the priorities, in order, the Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin so clearly articulated during a fast meeting this week in Madison. She excused herself to take a quick phone call to help her daughter, which opened the door to chatting about a few personal details of her life when she came […]
Read MoreTalking to kids about cancer isn’t easy, but if a close friend or relative has been diagnosed, it’s a critical conversation. Kids are observant and if cancer has entered your inner circle, I guarantee it’s on their minds in one way or another, especially if they’re preschool age and up. I learned this when my […]
Read MoreLosing Grandma I gently patted around the blankets looking for her frail hand to hold, but it was too buried. So, I settled for combing my fingers through her thinning gray hair. Under normal circumstances, she’d hate it that so many saw her without freshly styled curls. But this week, there was no beauty shop […]
Read MoreTen years ago as a starry-eyed first-time home buyer, I walked into each room of our farmhouse and dreamed of its remodeling possibilities. New paint, updated curtains, furniture and furnishings. While the 1920’s-era house had so much character already, I wanted to add our special touch. The kitchen provided a great opportunity and we decided […]
Read MoreIt’s not very often that an adoptive mom posts a birth mother’s story. But, our open adoption is something special, and it’s an honor to share this piece of our story with you. From the night we first met our birth mom to today, a peace has followed us. Her strength is what helped our […]
Read MoreNever did I dream I’d be writing a post about Disney princesses, adopted Disney characters, and blended family movies, but kids change everything, right? At age two, my daughter loved Dora. Soon after that, the Disney princess obsession hit. While Barbies and other “big kid” toys now fill the Christmas list, she still stops to […]
Read MoreWe couldn’t afford it. His middle school math teacher salary and the income I brought in from my small freelance communications business paid our bills, but it didn’t leave us much wiggle room for much of anything else – especially an adoption. “When you accept the call to adopt, God will provide… trust us.” Our […]
Read MoreAs a family impacted by adoption, we wanted to share our open adoption story for National Adoption Month. We thought it would be fun to capture our 6-year-old daughter’s thoughts this year, and to interview our birth mother as well. Who better to tell you about adoption than the adoptee and birth mother? Open Adoption […]
Read MoreI had a dream… it was that one day my beautiful Fiestaware dishes wouldn’t be hidden by a drab oak cabinet door. A day where my old house’s kitchen would reflect its true charm and character. A day where I put everything I need to cook right in front of my face, letting the creative […]
Read MoreChimes from my smart phone’s alarm broke the silence at 6:30 a.m. The long-awaited morning arrived: the first day of school. Five years prior time felt like a marathon. A judge made a nine-month-old baby girl “officially” ours after six long months of post-placement adoption visits. But on this day, time felt like a sprint. That […]
Read More