Advantages of Reunion with Birth Family for Child and Teen Adoptees

Many adoptive parents tell their children that they will help them search for their birthparents when they turn eighteen. However, more and more adoptive parents are reaching out to their children’s birth families earlier. Sometimes it is the adoptive parent who desires medical history, information their children may want in the future, or simply a chance to thank the birthmother and reassure her that her child is well and happy. Sometimes a birth parent makes the first contact. In other cases, it is the child or teen adoptee who indicates a strongly felt need or desire for information. Some children … Continue reading

My Day on the World Stage

In 1993 the opportunity arrived for me to shut up or put up. There was a woman by the name, or rather using the name, of Deborah Laake. She’d written a book called “Secret Ceremonies: Diary of a Mormon Wife” – a work of pure and sad delusion. This poor woman, if she told the complete truth, was at the mercy of a father who took unrighteous dominion to new levels. Whatever the perceived truth, she became extremely disenchanted with the church and proceeded to betray every covenant she’d half-heartedly made with the Lord. Where do I come in? Well, … Continue reading

Downtown Disney to Expand into Disney Springs

A few years after it announced and then scrapped plans to reformat Pleasure Island, the official Disney Parks blog has revealed that Downtown Disney is getting an upgrade.  A years-long project will transform Downtown Disney into Disney Springs, an even larger shopping and entertainment district. Downtown Disney is so popular with Florida residents and Disney World guests alike that it was time to expand.  Don’t worry about suddenly needing a ticket to get into the area: just like before, Disney Springs will be open to the public (though individual entertainment venues still might require tickets for entrance). Tom Staggs, the … Continue reading

Insurance Podcast Roundup – Week of May 7, 2012

Once a week, the Insurance Podcast Roundup brings you brand new episodes of podcasts that talk about topics that are related to insurance. Listening to these episodes is a good way to stay on top of the news that could affect the insurance policies that protect your family. NPR has an episode of “Weekend Edition Saturday” that was released on May 5, 2012. This episode is called “In New Orleans, A Health Clinic for Working Musicians”. Many of the musicians who are preforming at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival do not have health insurance. The New Orleans Musicians’ … Continue reading

Special Needs Podcast Roundup – Week of January 2, 2011

This is the very first Special Needs Podcast Roundup for 2012! Every week, parents of children who have special needs can check out the Roundup to find new episodes of podcasts that discuss topics on autism, medication issues, learning disabilities, allergies, mental disorders, physical disabilities, and more. Family Health has an episode that was released on December of 2011. This episode is called “Drug Shortages”. This episode gives information about the current prescription drug shortages in the United States, and a brief history of drug shortages. It talks about why they happen, and what can be done about it. Raising … Continue reading

Genealogy Podcast Roundup – Week of September 13, 2011

The weekly Genealogy Podcast Roundup brings you new and interesting episodes of podcasts that focus on different aspects of genealogy. This quick list allows you to easily find the episodes that you are interested in listening to, and to find out when your favorite podcasts have updated. Genealogy Gems released episode number 117 on September 6, 2011. This episode is called “Should Your Genealogy Research Flourish?” They discuss a “picnic”, and some news about Archives.com. Some listener email is answered, and Dear MYRTLE makes a guest appearance to talk about the “fl” abbreviation, and the Pensions Quilt. African Roots Podcast … Continue reading

GOP Debate Reveals Disturbing Views of Health Insurance

On Monday, September 12, 2011, CNN hosted what is being called a “Tea Party debate”. A specific question that was asked regarding health insurance unexpectedly revealed a truly disturbing viewpoint from the crowd, as well as the politicians. It seems they prefer to let the uninsured die, rather than to have society pay for the health care needs of the sick and uninsured. Wolf Blitzer was the host of this debate between GOP politicians who are contending for the nomination that would allow them to compete against President Obama in the 2012 election. One of the most important topics that … Continue reading

Special Needs Podcast Roundup – Week of July 12, 2011

There are so many resources out there for parents who have children with special needs. Podcasts are an often overlooked source of information. This week’s Special Needs Podcast Roundup includes: author interviews, a glimpse into the life of a family with nine adopted special needs children, a conversation about stem cells, a parenting course, a lunch chat about a resource center, and more. The Parenting Plate Podcast released an episode on June 7, 2011. This episode has an interview with Jolene Philo, author of the book “Different Dream Parenting: A Practical Guild to Raising a Child with Special Needs”. The … Continue reading

Tips for Starting Conversations

The two situations I wrote about yesterday started me thinking and I suspect I’ve also been guilty in the past of shutting people down with my answers. So, here are a couple of guidelines for initiating conversations 1. Don’t ask people – ‘What do you do?’ Even though experts say this is a good question, I disagree. It sounds to me too much like pigeonholing and tacking a label on. This question was one that used to make me run for cover when I was a stay-at-home Mom. It made me feel in the eyes of professional men and women … Continue reading

Choosing My Standard

This is the first part of a small group series I’ve been working in called, “Values that Last“. Though I could probably write several blogs on this session alone, I am just going to focus on the specific areas that really hit home for me. There seems to be a decay of truth in today’s society. This is likely a result of three philosophies (among others) that have taken root in our society: Individualism: Personal independence, relying on yourself, the standard of your own life and what seems right to you. “In those days there was no king in Israel; … Continue reading