Search Results for: blog transitioning your child to their new home

Homework Station

Even if I’m not ready for summer to end, there’s something about shopping for back to school supplies that is fun. At least until I hand over the credit card, that part isn’t fun. Still, it’s fun to see bright shining backpacks, newly sharpened pencils, and lunch boxes that aren’t stained by juice boxes. None of that will last, but it’s still a neat time of year. Part of our back to school routine is setting up a homework station. We pull together all the things that the kids think they will need in the coming months. Our supplies include … Continue reading →

What About P.E. Requirements?

Heather asked me a very good question today. She asked, “What are the P.E requirements for a homeschoolers and how do you meet them? “P.E. requirements?” I thought. “What P.E. requirements?” You see while I do take steps to be sure my children are physically fit, and well rounded I have never seen any P.E. requirements on my homeschooler must-do list. If you look at Valorie Delp’s post on Georgia Homeschool Requirements, you will find that the only thing homeschoolers are required to teach their children in my state are reading, language arts, math, social studies, and science. While I … Continue reading →

How to Keep Your Kids Quiet in Church

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When our oldest child was just over two years old, we decided to try to keep him in the church service, rather than sending him to the nursery. At first, two seems like a pretty young age to get a child to sit still for forty-five minutes at a time, but we had seen other children who were younger than him do it, so we decided, “Why not give it a try?” To some, it may sound cruel that we would make our budding toddler sit through a service, but we felt that it was an excellent time to teach … Continue reading →

Fast Transitions

Length of transitioning varies from child to child. With older children, longer transitions are typically much more beneficial. Transitioning can be very critical to your child’s future and their sense of security. Our second son was only five and a half months old when he was placed with us. His transition happened in one week’s time. My husband and I spent all but one day with him; we brought him home to play, try out his crib, then brought him back to his foster mother. Though there appeared to be some grief the first few nights he was with us, … Continue reading →

Ten Ways to Help Your Child with Aspergers Syndrome Succeed in School

Children with high-functioning autism or Aspergers Syndrome have many similarities to their peers. They want to be liked, accepted, and fit in with their classmates. It was once assumed that these children preferred isolation, but this is not usually the case. Instead, many have described that it is their difficulty with social skills and pragmatic language, sensory differences, and restricted interests that make relating to others a challenge. Whenever possible, children with high-functioning autism or Aspergers Syndrome should be mainstreamed into a regular classroom with age-level peers. This is important for their social growth, intellectual stimulation, and the ability to … Continue reading →

Marriage in the News: Romance in France

So with all the concern about marriage in the United States, the interesting thing to me is a recent article I read about France. The city of Paris is considered one of the most romantic in the world and when you think about romance, you think of French wine, the French countryside and in some cases – French cuisine. In the past generation, marriage within the population has fallen more than 30 percent and in large part because more and more couples have chosen to live together, build families and homes without civil or religious approval. According to France’s National … Continue reading →

Biblical Encouragement for Those in Waiting

The holiday times were by far the most difficult for me to bear while waiting for our boys. I know there are others that can relate to the longing feeling around this time as well. To be honest, I’m not sure how I would have sustained sanity without my faith in Christ and His ability during the dark period in my life of waiting to be a mother. Perhaps the most inspirational book of the Bible for me during this time was the Book of Psalms. David committed sins beyond what most of us have, was loved by God and … Continue reading →

Attitudes Regarding State Adoptions: Part 2

In part one I shared some misconceptions and attitudes in regard to children adopted through the state. Here I’ll continue: Our child won’t have that ~ If you’re one of the few parents that gets your dream child that is beautiful, smart, fully compliant, then you best hit the slot machines as you are one lucky person! Parents who adopt older children especially are adopting not just the child, but the needs of the child that have to be addressed. Unfortunately, the state agency is not always aware of these needs prior to placement, either because they never got the … Continue reading →

Celebrating an Adoptive Placement

What a joyful time it is in a family’s life when the child they’ve waited for is finally placed. Like most families, we were eager to show our child off and celebrate their entry into our lives. Here are some ideas I’ve come up to make this time more comfortable for the child: After Placement As much as you want to show your new blessing off, getting them acquainted with their new family, resist the temptation to do so right away. If your child is older, they are going to need some settling time in their new home first. It … Continue reading →

Not the Acceptance that Was Expected

After the welcoming reception of Lisa and Ryan’s first daughter Cassie, these again proud parents expected the arrival of their new daughter Maxine to be met with the same excitement and welcome as their first. Many years prior to Cassie’s arrival Ryan’s father and step-mother (who herself was adopted), lost closeness with him due to circumstances around his parent’s divorce. There had been hard feelings as a result since. But their acceptance of Ryan and Lisa’s one year old daughter gave new hope for the uniting of the extended family. A couple years passed and things seemed to go well. … Continue reading →