Curbing Consumerism

Getting consumerism under control, that is purchasing and spending what is not needed, is the quickest way to save money and affect your budget in the positive. But, what is consumerism? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, consumerism is: 1: the promotion of the consumer’s interests 2: the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable; also : a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods. It is that last bit we are concerned about. Having a preoccupation toward buying a lot is never good, and it can lead to some serious financial repercussions. Our … Continue reading →

We Finally Found an Adoption Agency

So after we came out of the shock of the business aspect of adoption, and it is a huge business, we finally found the type of agency we were looking for. The agency we used was Homes of Saint Mark located in Houston. We live in Dallas and Houston is about 4 hours away but they did not treat it like a way to make money. Homes of Saint Mark placed infants that were given up, they placed children from CPS, they also matched birth moms who want to give their babies up through private adoption. We thought we were … Continue reading →

Yes, they check everything!

I found out today that I forgot to take the pets to the vet and forward their records to the adoption recruiter. She emailed me today asking for it. Oops! I try and stay on top of these things, and when it came to filling out all the paperwork, signing all of the consents, finding friends and family who would fill out references for us, mailing the reference forms out, turning in employment references… Man! I was Johnny on the spot! Then we turned in everything except the animal’s vaccination records, because they were due for shots soon anyway, and … Continue reading →

Match #1: We said “No”

I had no idea this would be so difficult. A month or so ago, we were presented with a possible match. On Monday we officially said “No”. The adoption recruiter and case workers tell us to never feel bad about saying no. The Post-Adoption Services Coordinator tells me that we were absolutely right for saying no if we were so unsure. We said no for all the *right* reasons. There were too many concerns. We were not convinced we were the right family for her, and the overall situation made us uncomfortable. We didn’t want to end up regretting our … Continue reading →

How do you choose a child you’ve never met?

Can I ask you a question? Just one question…? How on earth am I supposed to say yes or no to a child I have never actually met? As I mentioned the other day, we have been presented with a potential match. We had some questions, and we had some concerns. We were initially given what they call a “child study” on this girl. The child study is similar to the home study, but while the home study is the information on an adoptive or foster family, the child study is a document containing information about the child. Based on … Continue reading →

Adoptive Parent Support Groups

I started searching for adoptive/foster parent support groups in my area a while ago, and I have yet to find anything. I’ve found groups in the surrounding counties, and even in some cities in our county, but nothing close enough to really make participating in them feasible for us. Granted, we have a bit of a transportation problem lately, and that does limit my options more than most, but is there really nothing in our general area? Not to mention, if I were to join a group I would prefer the members live close enough to form real friendships with … Continue reading →

When a child doesn’t want to be adopted

In my last post I mentioned that we had started reviewing information online about children who are available for adoption. In the videos I have watched, they ask many of the children if they have thought about adoption and what they think of the possibility of being adopted. We have, of course, come across many different children who have many varied opinions on adoption in general, and on whether they would like to be adopted themselves. There were a few children who were bold enough to say that they have no desire to be adopted. They each have different reasons … Continue reading →

Shopping for a child

Tom and I have been aware for quite some time that there are online listings of children awaiting adoption. There are a number of websites where you can view information about these children, national and international listings, as well as local state and county listings, and they allow you to search by location, gender, age group, disabilities, and whether or not the child is a part of a sibling group. A quick google provided me with the following sites: Heart Gallery of America, AdoptUsKids, The Adoption Photolisting We have, until now, avoided these websites. Our primary reason for avoiding them … Continue reading →

Difficult Questions – Backup Parents?

The adoption coordinator asked me a difficult question today. She sent me some updates on our case, and she mentioned that we had forgotten to fill out one section of the questionnaire. She needs the answer now to complete our home study. I vaguely remember seeing this question and passing over it. I was going to discuss it with Tom and go back to it, but apparently I never did. The question, in itself, is a simple one, and it’s one that all parents should have an answer to, really. What was the question? Who will care for the child … Continue reading →

Every child deserves a family – The right family.

I grew up in a wonderful family, and I had the most normal childhood imaginable. My parents are still married to this day; there was no abuse, alcoholism, drug use, or neglect going on in my home; and we always had everything we needed, and most of what we wanted. I have always believed that family is the most important thing. The members of your family are the only people who will always be there for you. You should always be able to count on them, and you should always be able to go back home if you need to. … Continue reading →