Search Results for: blog which agency do we choose

Insurance Podcast Roundup – Week of July 2, 2012

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Every week the Insurance Podcast Roundup brings you brand new episodes of podcasts that discuss topics related to insurance. This is a good way to keep up to date with the changes to insurance that could affect the policies that protect your family. NPR has an episode of “Morning Edition” that was released on June 29, 2012. This episode is called “Business Owners Mixed On Health Care Ruling”. The episode features a few small business owners, each of whom had a somewhat different reaction to the Supreme Court’s ruling about the Affordable Care Act. NPR released another episode of “Morning … Continue reading →

We Finally Found an Adoption Agency

So after we came out of the shock of the business aspect of adoption, and it is a huge business, we finally found the type of agency we were looking for. The agency we used was Homes of Saint Mark located in Houston. We live in Dallas and Houston is about 4 hours away but they did not treat it like a way to make money. Homes of Saint Mark placed infants that were given up, they placed children from CPS, they also matched birth moms who want to give their babies up through private adoption. We thought we were … Continue reading →

Win 30 Signed Books From Powells Sweepstakes!

Do you love to read? I am an avid reader, and I can’t seem to get enough of books. I have piles of books that I’ve read several times, (and wouldn’t dream of giving up). I’ve got a few piles of books that I’ve been meaning to find time to read. I’ve even got books that I started to read, and intend to finish “someday”. If you are like me, then you will be very excited to hear about Powells sweepstakes! Winners will get 30 signed editions. Reading is very important! It’s a great way to relax. It’s a quick … Continue reading →

For the Strength of Youth Series: Agency and Accountability

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Understanding agency and accountability are fundamental in the LDS faith. Without agency, the whole Plan of Salvation doesn’t make much sense. If we didn’t come to Earth to make choices and choose through our actions to go back to our Heavenly Father, then why are we here? The For the Strength of Youth pamphlet does a great job of addressing this topic. It explains that “you are being proven to see if you will use your agency to show your love for God by keeping His commandments.” I recently taught a lesson on this topic, and after reading 2 Nephi: … Continue reading →

Adoption Programs You’ve Never Heard Of

In fiscal year 2008, Guatemala, China and Russia were countries with the first, second, and third most adoptions to the United States, according to U.S. State Department figures. In fourth place was Ethiopia, in fifth South Korea, in sixth Vietnam, in seventh Ukraine, in eighth Kazakhstan, in ninth India, in tenth Columbia. The 2007 rankings were much the same: China and Guatemala switched first and second place, the countries in third through ninth place were the same, and in FY 2007 Liberia was in tenth place instead of Columbia. The Country Guidelines tab on the Rainbow Kids website lists some … Continue reading →

Will Your Child Be Adopting this Month?

Maybe I’m just a Scrooge about Black Friday. Usually I don’t even read the ads because I know I don’t want to deal with crowds. I’m firmly sold on online shopping. Last night I saw some ads, though, and was tempted—I didn’t know some things would be over sixty percent off! Maybe this gripe comes from my general dislike for shopping, but I’m a bit skeptical of dolls that come with adoption certificates. The idea of taking yhour child to a toy store, wandering the aisles, specifying the exact eye color you want and handing over your money in exchange … Continue reading →

Avoiding an Adoption Nightmare

My last blog talked about the nightmare scenario of the Baby Jessica case in the early 1990s in which courts ruled that a 2 ½ year old child would leave the parents who had raised her for 2 ½ years and go to her biological father. This case had many unusual aspects, but the media did not always make clear that the adoption was never completed—the birth father asked for custody as soon as the mother told him about the child, when the baby was under a month old. Steps to take to avoid an adoption nightmare include: • Choose … Continue reading →

Book Review: Katie-Bo–an Adoption Story

Iris Fisher’s Katie-Bo: an Adoption Story tells the adoption process from the point of view of an older sibling. The book describes the entire adoption process, with only a sentence or two for each step. It would be excellent for helping older siblings understand the process of adoption. I would say it is aimed at kids about kindergarten age. The narrator shares how his parents explain adoption to him and his brother. They make clear that the birthmother loves the baby, but because they can’t take good care of a baby right now she goes to an adoption agency, “a … Continue reading →

LDS Week in Review – March 24th – 29th

Life never seems to get less busy! If you were too swamped to join us here in LDS, here’s your chance to get caught up. We began with an article from Miriam entitled, “Food Storage Items Available Online.” She tells us about the things she found at the Church’s website, including a pamphlet that tells us how to cook the foods we’ve purchased. It’s important that we remember to include foods to flavor our grains and that we not purchase items that family members may be allergic to. At the same time, we can prepare for our spiritual droughts by … Continue reading →

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” is one of the best romantic comedies to come out of the last decade. Written by Nia Vardalos as a commentary on what’s good and not so good about being Greek, she also stars as the main character, Toula Portokalos. Toula’s family owns and operates a Greek restaurant called “Dancing Zorba’s.” Their lives revolve around food, dancing, eating, running the restaurant, eating, huge family gatherings, and eating. They’re a very tight and interconnected family, but there are times when Toula feels they’re a little too tight. Everyone knows everyone else’s business, and it’s just assumed … Continue reading →