Don't forget...Daylight Savings starts this weekend, so if you haven't moved your clocks ahead one hour yet, it's time to SPRING FORWARD!!! :)

(I hate daylight savings...what is the point??)

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Another good idea for celebrating Black History Month with your kids is to look into events in your area. Many universities, museums, churches, adoption groups, clubs, etc. have special events to celebrate Black History month, some of which are even tailored for children. You can check with the Student Union or websites of local universities or even go to good old Yahoo or Google and search for “Black History Month” and your state or city.

If you are lucky enough to live near a big city that has an area like “Little Ethiopia” (or other ethnic area), going for a visit and some shopping and eating is a fun way to celebrate for a day. Ethnic restaurants... more

It is February, which means it is Black History Month. Up until a few years ago, much like Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it Black History Month wasn’t something that I used to pay much attention to. But now, as the mom of five black kids, it is a significant “holiday” for our family.

For our family nights this month I have lessons prepared about Black History Month…people and events worth learning about. This weekend provides a good opportunity for learning and conversation as well, with the first-ever African-American coaches taking their teams to the Super Bowl (especially if you have kids that are into sports).

I have found that the key for getting kids interested in learning... more

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. -- Martin Luther King Jr.-"Letter from Birmingham Jail," 16 April 1963

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I admit that when I was younger, “Martin Luther King Jr. Day” didn’t mean much to me. We would learn about him and what he stood for, the wonderful things that he did and the terrible way that he died, but for the most part it was just another history lesson and a day off from school.

Once we added to our family by transracial adoption and issues of race... more

Happy New Year everybody! My wild and crazy celebration last night included a bunch of my favorite small people, my best friend, oodles of food and way too much Chex mix! Both of our husbands were in Denver for the football game (my Christmas present to Josh), so it was a wives and kids only party.

Truth be told, we cheated…we put the New York news channel on and had the kids watch the ball fall at 10 p.m. our time…they blew some horns, wore silly hats, cheered and kissed their moms, and then all were in bed by 10:30 p.m.

Anyway,... more

(Continued...Part one here, Part two here)

In 2006, if possible, I have become even more in love with my husband, as he has chosen to soften his heart and expand his world along with me. Together we tested our faith, and came out stronger on the other side.

And I have become even more grateful for my children and to be a mom. My kids are my greatest joy and my greatest challenge…my biggest blessings and my biggest responsibilities. I am so grateful to have each and every one of them here with me and Josh.

I... more

(Continued... Part one here)

In 2006, the love for one little girl taught me much and gave me the strength to choose love over fear.

I learned A LOT about HIV. What I thought was a death sentence and a sad and terrible thing for “other people”, became a chronic but manageable disease that is now part of my daily life. What I thought was a scary and highly contagious disease turned out to be something fairly easy to deal with that poses no threat to family and friends. What I thought was “a problem” for people far away, became my problem.

I became painfully aware of how unfair the social... more

What a year 2006 was! Just about every year in the decade that Josh and I have been married has been a “big year” in one way or another… In 1996 we were married and our first son was born. In 1997 we bought and moved into our first home. In 1998 our second son was born. In 1999 our third son was born. In 2000 we moved cross country and into a new home. In 2001 we started our first adoption. In 2002 our Maggie came home from Vietnam. In 2003 Amanda came home from S. Korea. In 2004 we got to be in the room when our sweet Marcus was born, and then just a few months later we had a “surprise” adoption, when our Mercy and Des joined our... more

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that all of you had a wonderful day with people you love.

We had a great Christmas Eve and Christmas Day...tiring, but great!

We have had countless people say over the past few weeks that they would love to be a “fly on the wall” during Christmas at our house, so here is the Reader’s Digest version of things. :)

We started with church on Sunday morning, where all of my kids except for Marcus and Belane sang in the Christmas program. We came home and had lunch, and then the kids watched some... more

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Buffet lunch- We have always been home on Christmas, which means Josh is always preparing a big meal on Christmas. To keep breakfast and lunch easy, we do cinnamon and orange rolls for breakfast (and the only other time we do that is on Thanksgiving) and we do a “buffet” lunch, where we put out crackers, cheeses, meats, chips, dip, veggies, fruit, etc. We let the kids make their own plates and eat what they want, and they LOVE this. (And we love the little to no prep and the easy clean up).

Christmas Eve games- This is an awesome... more