While this doesn’t happen nearly as often as it used to, when I spent the first 2+ years of LuLu’s life with us sleep deprived, LuLu is back to not sleeping through the night. And I’m back to looking for culprits.

Last night, instead of just waking up and then settling back in, she woke up at 2 am and wasn’t able to go back to sleep at all. LuLu is not an easy child to ignore, or to settle in to a self-directed activity at 2 am when her stomach is upset and all is not right in her world. So I doctored her as best I could, but she was still wide awake. And... more

Is it the weather, the alignment of the planets or what? There seems to be a recurrent theme here on adoptionBLOGS.com lately. We parents seem to be worn down or worn out and apparently, our children are just getting wound up to go another round. Perhaps it was the irregular schedule of summer giving way to the regiment of the school year that was the catalyst for our children and the “butt kicker” for us parents.

Because we have made a permanent commitment to our troubled children, there is no way out. Therefore, we trudge forward. Were it not for our daily planners, I... more

I’ve got to admit that around here we feel a bit like Madeline Kahn in Blazing Saddles. Check out the YouTube video for her wonderfully hilarious song, “I’m Tired”.

Admittedly, I did not spend my weekend as a dance hall girl, so my tired is not from the same activities as ol’ Madeline’s were. But “I’m tired…tired of playing the game…ain’t it a crying shame? I’m so tired!” On Saturday our plans for the churchwide outreach event were in major motion, starting at 7 am, when we tanked up on coffee and started... more

My teenage daughter’s new favorite response to my “Why didn’t you?” questions is, “I guess I didn’t want to do it.” One of her age-old favorites to these types of questions was, “I don’t know.” I realize that seems to be the universal response to parents asking questions. If you happen, to be asking a “who did it” type question then I am sure that you have heard, “Not me!”

That rotten little “Not Me” seems to live in just about every home in the world. That child is responsible for more damage and missing items, including cookies, than anyone else in the world.... more

And sometimes it’s just me that stinks. I didn’t get to shower today. I can’t remember the last time (except for camping) when I didn’t shower. It was an odd, quirky day from the start. My normal routine is to awake and pump some caffeine into my veins and then start the blogging process. Kay arises and heads out the door to school. I shower, come back and finish the blogs if I’m not done, answer a few emails, make my “to do” list for the day and wake LuLu. Then we get started on school.

Today was nothing like that. Kay has a sinus infection. She woke early to ask if... more

I’ve mentioned before that we have been having difficulties with our daughter, who just turned 10 this month, for about a year now. The problems really seemed to begin when her adoption kept being postponed, by the stage agency, not by us. Last night, Super Dad and I had an interesting conversation with our daughter and I would appreciate it if you would offer your opinions or suggestions. It went like this…

“Dani, what were you doing in the bathroom?” I asked, as she resumed eating her treat.

Scene:... more

Julia’s blog about her daughter’s clothing choices reminded me of how far I’ve really come. You see, I was raised by a mother who was very concerned about my appearance. As the oldest of three girls, I was the beginning of my mother’s quest for the perfect outfits for each of us to be worn at the perfect time. (And once all three of us were born…we were often matching. I’m still suffering the psychological effect of wearing matching bathing suits to the swimming... more

I’m just finding time to catch up on the firestorm of responses that Nancy has garnered over on the Reactive Attachment Disorder blog about her daughter Amy. Having known Nancy and Amy and the whole family for several years now (and provided respite for them a few years back), I know that Nancy has both intense love and a realistic view of Amy.

I also know Nancy has an uncanny knack for saying out loud those thoughts that the rest of us try to push back into the dark recesses... more

Do you know a learning disabled person who is always thinking outside the box? Sometimes a person with a learning disability can come up with unusual problem solving ideas. Apparently, they’ve gotten used to tackling problems in unusual ways. It can be difficult for the learning disabled to accomplish task in the standard ways normally taught in school or at work.

Because of their learning disabilities, ADHD, or dyslexia they have had to work harder than their non-disabled peers. They have had to create alternate ways of solving... more

For the second Monday in a row (what is it about Mondays!), LuLu has decided to consume large quantities of cheese, greatly affecting her behavior (she’s been on an casein-free diet for more than 18 months now, with occasional minor infractions). Last week, while Super Dad and I were at a meeting at church, she downed a whole package of cheese, some cheez-its, and, after attacking her sister who gave up and let her eat what she wanted…some macaroni and cheese.

The results (besides a very ticked-off big sister) were two days of very upset stomach,... more