I’ve had the same caseworker for nearly 20 years, although in the last few adoptions she assigned our family to a different caseworker, she owns the adoption agency, and has kept tabs on us for a very long time. She’s become a friend, someone whose opinion I trust more than just about anyone else’s on earth, and now that she is an adoptive mother of challenging children, she really understands.

I was telling her today about how we have four soccer teams and two different church league softball teams underway, I am spending all my time bopping between... more

Let's get creative and make our own scrapbook.

Materials Needed:

1 binder (2 or 3 inch basic notebook binder) 2 yards of your choice of theme material 3 yards of lace or edged trimming. 1 hot glue gun 10 hot glue sticks Some notebook size page protector sleeves. Some Pictures and decorations for the front of your book. 2 yards of ribbon. 1 yard of batting.

................................... Heat the glue gun Cut the batting to the exact size of the note book as it is laid flat on the table.

Hot... more

.Once again this is another fantastic place for any kid to play and learn. The little person in this picture belongs to me.... she is my baby girl Angela.

We spent several hours exploring each and every exhibit at the Children's Museum. When we talk about vacation the first thing that comes out of Angela's mouth is: "Lets go back to the kids' museum."

After all, with an outside display like this who could resist.......

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One of the coolest new ways to create art for your scrapbook pages can be found with a little bit of paint and a sponge.

The craft store has sponges in all shapes and sizes that can be used to create just the right look you may want on any art page for a scrap book or poster and can be even used to decorate children's walls.

It just takes a little time and it is a lot less expensive than those custom wall papers that people are buying all the time. You do not need to spend a lot of cash on scrap booking materials either. When you can make wonderful... more

It is time to make sure all the bases are covered. All the presents are wrapped. All the cookies are baked. All the scrap books pages are ready.....so don't forget to buy film.

One Christmas we decked all the halls, Placed all the presents. Set up the camera. Took a bite of Santa's cookies and drank all his milk. Scurried off to bed just in time to wake up and find out with sleepy eyes....WE HAD FORGOTTEN TO BUY FILM.

So all of those memories of our hard Christmas work was left to our own little reflective hearts. No pictures.... more

Some of the greatest conversations with children can happen over a good clean coloring book of fun. It is something that the whole family can get into and it can last as short or as long as you wish the time to last.

Watching the colors the children pick to color their pictures gives you a little insight to their world. Some will chose dark colors that reflect fear or sadness. While others are out there making people of the rainbow with big happy smiles. The pictures can reflect moods or simply just their most favorite color for that day.

Finding... more

Fall is a wonderful time of year to get out side and play with your children. Some of the best times I can remember are being out side raking leaves and doing yard work with the kids.

It seemed before anyone realized it we were off chasing each other and playing tag or tossing around a football. We of course had one rule around here. It was: NO Tackling MOM. More than a few times mom found herself running for the house with 4 adopted kids chasing behind her.

We have so many photos of all of us out climbing trees, playing in the big... more

It seems to be the year of babies all around us here in our little Mid Michigan town.

I myself have two new grandsons and one more on the way. Plus a new great niece on the way too. So I have been busy as can be making baby scrapbooks and filling them with dozens of fun pages.

I love the pumpkins, witches and ghosts I got off of the web site in the free clip art category of: kids Domain. They have a lot of fun clip art.

I found it fun and easy to find holiday clip art to take me through Thanksgiving and Christmas also. It is... more

The first few years after you adopt an older child. They may not be so used to the fun that is out there around holidays such as Halloween.

So sometimes having a Halloween get together at your place is a great idea to teach them how to have good, clean, safe fun.

What To Do:

1.) Have the kids make some colorful Halloween decorations in all the fall harvest colors.

2.) Rake the leaves up all around the party area if you are having it out in your back yard.

3.) Think of some good games. Like an apple toss, diving for apples, hidden... more

One of the Joys of my life is found in making personalized scrap book pages for my grandchildren and my daughters scrap book.

While searching the web I came across this very cool Web Site to find clip art for the pages. Everything from Halloween pumpkins to Thanksgiving turkeys can be found.

I always think of what event I want to capture in memory first.

Then I look for the perfect clip art to accent the page.

I make sure to leave enough room for pictures.

I add the date and any caption of words that will help us remember how much fun we had.

I print... more