It's still dark outside, and I've been awake for an hour. I've had my first coffee, checked emails, and now I go to wake my six year-old daughter, my Sleeping Beauty.
I open her door and pause to listen to the peaceful breathing. She's a heavy sleeper, still needing eleven hours a night and slow to wake up. I smile; I was the same until I became a mother.
I'm ashamed to admit I had almost forgotten about her.
Most likely I had merely compartmentalized her face - and how I had become familiar with her - because it was an unpleasant experience and I didn't really want it in my mind.
The face I now recall more clearly was cute. She was small-framed and plainly dressed, without makeup or much fuss given to her hair. She sat stoically at the back of the courtroom for the four days of the trial, except when she was sitting on the witness stand, and of course, when the verdict against the accused was read.
Last year, I wrote about Adoption Awareness month in November and provided informative resources to help increase education and knowledge for anyone interested in adoption.
From the moment I first saw them on my computer screen, I fell in love with my daughter's gorgeous eyes. They still melt my heart when they twinkle with impish mirth to make me giggle or show me with a flat stare that I've made a parenting mistake that needs reparation. After adopting her, those eyes became even more of a focal point for me, because eye contact is a good sign that a child is bonding with her adoptive parents.
Imagine, if you will, coming home and finding the police at your residence. Your heart would start to pound, you'd run inside as fast as you could to ensure your loved ones and home are safe.
Fear. Anxiety. Dread.
Imagine now how you would feel if you entered your home to find medical personnel treating your teenaged son because the police had pepper-sprayed him.
You may have been watching recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, with sadness for the young man who was shot and his family, but also with a sense of detachment, because you may feel these event don't really have much to do with you personally.
You may even feel a bit smug, thinking that this sort of stuff just doesn't happen in your town or your country.
I love books, and I know I'm not alone in that regard. From time to time, I am asked to recommend good adoption books, as they are obviously important educational tools.
So, I've decided to go public with my list!
I've provided a detailed review of our top four picks, and then a brief description of the remaining four below.
Are you worried your kids will lose their natural sense of curiosity once they leave the daily academic environment of school?
You're not alone!
My daughter is curious about everything — her questions never stop! Many parents worry that the summer months will create a lack of interest in learning, but learning doesn't always have to be about sitting in a classroom with textbooks!
Soccer—or football, as we have learned to call it—is HUGE in our home, so you can only imagine the buzz in the air right now with the World Cup happening! Huzbo was born in England and moved to Canada as a teenager, so the passion for the sport was carried across the pond with him.
It was a hot, sunny day. The date was June 10, 1975. The little girl was four years old, and was enjoying swinging alone in her backyard, trying to build up the courage to jump out of the moving swing and land on her feet.
One...Two...Three...JUMP!
She fell, not fully breaking her fall with her hands, and felt her tummy bang against the ground when her knees gave out.
Our daughter's sixth birthday was in April. She began talking about her birthday in January. In fact, she talked about it so much that she had invited her entire class without us knowing and before we had even decided what type of party she would have! With her classmates, friends, neighbours and some family, we had 24 children enjoy the magician party we hosted at a local recreation centre. It was crazy, hectic, fun, chaotic, and amazing.
That rush wore off quickly though when we got home, sat down to recover, and watched my daughter unwrap A LOT of presents.
Have you ever actually tracked your progress with your New Year's resolutions?
While it may sound cliche, it really did only seem like yesterday that I wrote a tongue-in-cheek list of New Year's resolutions for 2014. Here we are, six months later, and as a believer in the mantra, "What gets measured gets done," I thought it might be fun to revisit my resolutions with you to see how I'm doing with them:
