A few weeks ago, the tween came to me and asked if she could join the wrestling team. They were having callouts with preseason conditioning, and she happens to be between sports. While my gut instinct was “Wrestling? No,” I couldn’t really think of a compelling reason why not.

Volleyball …read more    

Last night, the teen brought to my attention a horrible social media account designed for bullying. It was an Instagram page titled [School Name] Sluts which featured edited pics of students with rude messages, rumors, and a price tag. It was just awful. So I did what I do.

I …read more    

Each year, at least one of our kids has a #2 jersey. By request. Because shouting “Go number 2!” when your kid gets up to bat? It’s just never not funny.

It’s also a surefire way to get them to smile and relax before stepping up to the plate, taking a …read more    

There’s something in adoption referred to as artificial twinning, when you adopt a child who falls within a 1-year age range from a child already in the home. It has both positives and negatives, and I researched it all. In the end, we decided not to do it because we …read more    

When I watched the first Let’s Talk Bums video, something Cherry Healey said really struck me. We use delicate, carefully selected wipes on our baby’s bottom but only harsh, dry toilet paper on our own.

And it isn’t just our behinds — somewhere along the way, we take a backseat …read more    

Once upon a time, we had only one child. When she was about 4, she began to take an interest in sports and activities. She tried kickboxing, baseball, soccer, and ballet — but only one at a time.

We were careful to limit her activities so the family did not …read more    

There’s a lot I don’t talk about online. Because I don’t want to feed the trolls. Because it’s not my story to tell. Or because foster care rules keep me quiet. Then there are the things we just don’t say in polite company.

If you know me in real life, …read more    

I’ve been trying all week to come up with the words to start blogging about last week’s vacation. We were invited back to Cape Ann — this time to stay in the incredibly lovely and photogenic Rockport, Massachusetts. It was in the same area, but a different vacation, and I …read more

You guys, I have a son. Almost.
He’s 11 years old, totally adorable, and has completely captured our hearts with his freckles, infectious giggle, and love of all things boy.
Legos? Check. Comic books? Check. Pokemon? I don’t even know what that is.
But, I’m about to.
We have had weekend visits …read more

Now that the kids are out of school, any semblance of order and cleanliness is completely gone. I’m excited to have them home for family fun, bonding with our upcoming adoption placement, and months of carpool and lunch-packing avoidance.
The completely out-of-control house and sheer volume of messes they make? …read more