A new year stands before all of us, and I don't know about the rest of you, but the idea of an entire year just waiting to be mapped out, a fresh slate waiting to be filled up with actions and choices, just makes me all a flutter! I love New Year's Eve, the excitement, the small sense of naughtiness that the children feel when they get to stay up late, and the togetherness of friends and family ringing in the New Year with one another.

So what will 2008 bring for you? For some this may be the year that you finally stop talking about pursuing a stepparent adoption, and start doing... more

Christmas was wonderful this year! While it looked for a time, as though my adopted stepson's adoption issues were going to come out and take a stab at sabotaging Christmas just before the holiday came, as quickly as the behaviors and attitude appeared, they were gone again, and Christmas was uneventful. We had a lovely morning, it took the kids hours to open up all of the gifts that they had waiting for them underneath the tree, and everyone had a glorious day together as a family.

My parents came, bright and early and helped us enjoy our morning as a family, and my adopted stepson was quite happy to have his grandparents there to share his day with. There were no tears, there... more

While my adopted stepson's attitude towards the end of the year holiday season has finally changed and he is now able to enjoy this time of the year, for many years we had to steer clear of many of the typical holiday activities that we had at one point enjoyed together as a family. The celebrations, the emphasis on family togetherness, they were all too much for him to handle and like many older adopted children he would act out negatively just prior to the holiday season, and it wouldn't really stop until after all of the festivities were done and over with.

There are several things that we have done in the past to help my adopted stepson with the Christmas season so that it was... more

After our first two attempts were thwarted by rain, we finally got the opportunity to go out to the pumpkin patch this weekend and spend some time together as a family picking out the pumpkins that we are going to carve up for Halloween. Halloween is the kick off to the holiday season for our family, so going out and getting our pumpkins is always quite exciting for the entire family.

My husband and I began planning our visit to the pumpkin patch early in the weekend. We had decided to go to the mall on Saturday, to get some clothes for our family cruise, and get our pumpkins the following day. Living where we do, there are a ton of farms in the area, most of which not only... more

Holidays seem to always be a rough time for adopted children. With the sense of family and togetherness in the air, it can often leave them with strong thoughts and feelings about the people who are no longer involved in their lives. My adopted stepson has always had a hard time with holidays, this past year or so being the exception. He has finally begun to be able to move forward and enjoy the present, instead of dwelling on the... more

Ah Mother’s Day, one of the absolutely most dreaded days of the year in the world of older child adoption. A day that signifies the importance of having a mother in our lives, and to honor her for all that she lovingly does for her family, as well as a day for children who were adopted at an older age to look back into the past, and to feel that deep pain and loss of a mother who is no longer in their lives.

Many adopted children dread... more

So far, the week leading up to Mother’s Day, has been extremely uneventful. Usually by now we would have received calls home from the school, either unhappy with his performance, or behavior, as well as being frustrated by inappropriate behaviors at home. Yet this year, after the first experience of wonderful fall and winter holidays, again... more

Ah yes, the very looked forward to, as well as the very dreaded holiday for many adoptive parents and families. Before we have our children, we look forward to the day when we can celebrate with our kids, to the one-day a year that they will step back and appreciate what it is that we do for them on a daily basis. And then we have kids, and realize that all that dreaming was just... more

This is something that I stress over every holiday season since my little one has been born. Before he was in the picture, it was just my stepson, who then became my adopted stepson, and it was easier to spoil just one little boy during the holidays. But since my little one has been born, I find myself stressing over if the kids have an equal amount of gifts both in number of presents to open, as well as in dollar amount spent on each.

The little one, being only four, is still easily amused by the cheapest thrills. Dollar Store toys still... more

The holidays are always the most expensive time of the year. With gifts to give, decorations to buy, and holiday lights sucking up the electric bill, it seems as though we always end up spending more than we thought we would, as well as more than we really should have. Add on the expenses of lawyer fees, public notice ads, private investigators, and all of the other hidden costs of stepparent adoptions, and you may find your budget getting not only stretched, but squeezed to the absolute limits. Below are some tips for saving money for the holiday season,... more