Now I just know that every mom and dad out there have either birthed one, adopted one, been one or met one of these "Hard Headed Kids" I'm going to being talking about.

Almost every family has one of them hiding in the closet of lineage or history some where. You know the one that you hope does not show up for the parties or holidays. But they always seem to make it even at the last minute.

After a few minutes of them telling you their view points on life you know it is better to walk away than to debate them. Because they know everything there... more

The past few days have really been hard for me. My oldest daughter came to me and told me something that my middle daughter had seen happen.

She had been over spending a few days with my son and his family. My son and his live in girlfriend have three children. one that is 4 months old and then his girl friend has two other children she had prior to meeting my son.

While my middle daughter was over spending time with them she observed my son grabbing the middle child who is three and tossing him into bed. I guess the little... more

Several days ago I was asked about my other children, what were they doing while one child violently raged. How did they handle it emotionally? How to I protect the good kids?

My oldest daughter, my only birth child Sarah, pictured her with her son, started to respond in the comment section, but held back, feeling she might be perceived as flippant or insensitive, so she’d called me up with her opinion.

Basically she had wanted to respond simply, “we deal with it. It’s part of the adoption of older children, but it doesn’t mean we have... more

Once again with the national abduction of the two Missouri boys and the perfect information that led police to find both boys given to them by a local school master and a friend, we might want to update our family safety rules again.

Safety rules are for any place and every place our children go. As parents we might take it for granted that they must know this. But in reality we need to tell them and then tell them again and again until they understand us.

Who would think a 41 year old Pizzaria Manager would be the type of person who would abduct teenage... more

Here we sit in our nice quiet home. Our youngest daughter occupy herself so much so that we hardly know she is here. That is unless she gets bored and wants mommy and daddy time.

I had been thinking about fostering children again but had not really discussed it with my husband. Today as we were driving over to my daughters house he said "Honey we just might want to put a new coat of paint on the up stairs bedrooms and fix them up again and maybe foster care." I just about lost a heart beat. He and I have always had this connection.

It is like he... more

One of the most wonderful things that I enjoy doing is "people watching." Sometimes it can really make my day. I love to watch how people interact with each other.

In many ways it gives you a window to the inside of their life. Watching how the children act towards their parents and watching how the parents act or react to them or their behaviors.

Today we got our second dusting of snow this year. All the children were excited and I had a blast watching them try to make a snowman with this little bit of snow.

Of course they didn't get... more

Let's get this new year started off on the right track. One of the most neglected areas of life in a family is mommy and daddy free time.

There are so many excuses why you can't afford a date night. From cash flow to a good baby sitter. So it is time to find reliable people who can watch the kids. It is nice to have a few of these people on stand by for date nights. So if one is busy. Another will be able to step in and fill the gap.

For larger adoptive families this is a must. Mom and Dad need personal time to keep the close... more

Some mamas are clearly afraid of their children; they simply do not know how to stand up for what is right.

I am not my children’s friend, I’m their mama. I will not back down from issues and they will not cow me by their negative responses. My teenagers did not grow up under my guidance. They grew up, needs unmet by adults, either in foster care or still in their birth families with an obvious lack of supervision.

They watched horrendously violent slasher movies. I will not allow that in my house, there’ll be no R rated movies... more

The snow if falling all over the place and our kids are ready to head out into that gorgeous white stuff to make their first snowman.

So it is now time to think about family safety during winter sporting and activities.

Here are a few good and helpful hints:

1.) Dress for the degree of and weather outside. 2.) Take a back pack with extra dry socks and gloves. 3.) Make sure skates fit appropriately. Make sure the laces are tight and secure the ankle. 4.) Check out the blades on the... more

In this cold winter weather. Our bodies need a little more nutrition and calories to keep us warm.

Especially busy children who are out to play in the snow and are burning up calories right and left. It is best to make sure they stop long enough to have a good breakfast to start the day.

Warm oatmeal or some bacon and eggs may be just right for the menu. Orange juice and milk are better choices for a good morning drink. But a nice warm cup of hot chocolate laced with milk instead of water will work too.

Angela's blood sugar levels can fall... more