Search Results for: blog traveling to our daughter part two

Spending Time With My Sister Part VII

That evening family began to arrive for the baby’s baptism which would take place on the following day. My sister’s in-laws were the first to arrive around dinner time. The pizzas we had purchased earlier in the week would be dinner. While my brother-in-law was getting together hors’d oeuvres and my sister was ensuring that the baby was good and nursed (in preparation for the attentions from family), I made red velvet cupcakes. My sister had decided that the celebratory cake in honor of her daughter’s baptism should symbolize the holy spirit and purity, thus red velvet cupcakes with white … Continue reading →

Spending Time With My Sister Part I

I recently spent a week visiting my sister, brother-in-law, and four week old niece. I made the ten hour drive with my two year old son and my unborn daughter. Pregnancy really has an impact on everything I do and being away from home did not change the fact that I still have to take my prenatal vitamins, eat healthy, and exercise regularly. My dear sister made all those things possible during my stay. As soon as my son and I arrived, we were greeted with a warm homemade meal of free range chicken seasoned and tossed with pesto and … Continue reading →

My Last Blog

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This is going to be my last blog as the Adoption Blogger for Families.com. I’m looking forward to spending the summer with my kids, possibly working at their school, and taking on new writing projects. I may well guest blog occasionally for this or other Families blogs. It seems the Adoption Blog will continue, so I hope this blog, along with Families’ forums, can be a source of information and community for adoptive parents, adoptees, and birth parents. Yesterday I could think of a million things to say in my last few blogs and wondered how I would fit it … Continue reading →

Not the Way You Want to Start Your Vacation

“Hope for the Best. Expect the worst.” I think Mel Brooks helped make those words famous. Or maybe it was the person, who typed them up on small pieces of white paper, and stuck them into fortune cookies. Either way the idiom often becomes my mantra when traveling with children. I just survived a 10,000-mile journey to and from Hawaii with my young daughter, and yes, I hoped for the best, but expected the worst. Shockingly, things went fairly smoothly… unlike past trips. Despite two delayed flights and a few shoulder blows courtesy of the guy sitting behind me, who … Continue reading →

Ideas for keeping homeschooling fun: Prioritize your field trips

Homeschoolers know that the word “home” in homeschooling is hardly descriptive. We spend a great deal of time driving around to different activities for sports, enrichment activities, co-ops and more. To our surprise, we sometimes become focussed on creating a wealth of well rounded classes and activities, that we actually forget to schedule field trips. In my case, you would think that seeing my daughters interest in theater that we would have seen several plays. We have not. This past year she has participated in two plays, and that and her academics have taken up so much time that we … Continue reading →

Does Your Boss Have Kids?

If so, do you find that the status of “parent” makes him or her more sympathetic when your daycare calls demanding that you pick up your puking, feverish child NOW… and NOW is 10 a.m.? How does your boss react when you consistently leave the office at 4:30 on the dot to pick up your children from their after school program while the rest of your colleagues remain at the office until 6 or 7 p.m.? Does your boss feel your pain as you struggle to juggle career and family or does he or she resent your late mornings and … Continue reading →

Considerations in Adopting When You Already Have Children: Travel, Part Two

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In deciding whether to take your children with you, consider the safety of the place to which you are traveling and the availability of aid in any emergency that may occur. Friends of mine initially planned to take their daughters on their trip to pick up their son. This was a region that required one parent to make an initial visit several weeks before both parents traveled for the actual adoption. When the father made the initial visit he was startled at the absolute lack of adequate medical facilities in the remote region and decided he was not at all … Continue reading →

Considerations in Adopting When You Already Have Children: Travel, Part One

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One very practical concern when adopting an additional child may seem minor at first, but may become a deciding factor in the major decision of what type of adoption to pursue and from where. I refer to the necessity of, and arrangements for, travel. Even in a domestic adoption, you will travel to the child’s state of birth or residence. If the child is older than a few months, you will likely be urged to stay for a little while, allowing for pre-placement visits in which you gradually spend more time with and assume more care for the child before … Continue reading →

Make Your Summer Travel Plans Now

Now that you know where to go in San Diego if you are working on a limited travel budget let’s move to the other side of the country. I’m shining the summer travel spotlight on Florida today—-specifically Orlando. Personally, I place Florida in the same category as Hawaii. Neither (in my opinion) needs much in the way of an introduction or any quirky tidbits on why you should visit the area at least once in your life. However, I think it is helpful (especially for repeat visitors) to stay on top of any new attractions the area has to offer. … Continue reading →

More Must-Have Items to Pack When Traveling with Children

Yesterday I raved about a cheap toy that is essential to have when visiting the beach with young children. The 99-cent rubber duck was a priceless commodity on our family’s recent trip to Hawaii. So what other basic, but often overlooked items should you also consider packing before you head off on your next family trip? Take a look: INFLATABLE TOYS Not only are they affordable, but they are also a cinch to pack. What’s more, if they get played with a half dozen times you’ve probably got your money’s worth and you won’t feel bad leaving them behind before … Continue reading →