(Part One here)

I called my husband again right after the dentist appointment. He suggested that since the two year old's foot seems to be improving, maybe we could try some Advil. He also suggested that if she'd sprained it, maybe a pair of high top tennis shoes would help support it. Off to Walmart we headed.

I came out with 3 pair of shoes, sweatshirts for both little girls ($2 on clearance!) summer shirts for both little girls ($5), a t-shirt for myself($6), more notebooks and pencils for the school kids, plus odds and ends of groceries that we needed. Also I grabbed grapes,... more

(Reminder: Don't forget the Rosetta Stone petition, if you haven't weighed in already. Thanks!!)

Erin over at the Transracial Blog sometimes does Day in the Life posts, and I thought I'd do one from earlier this week. This week was an extra-busy week for us, as we are getting ready to go on a trip AND the teenagers spent the week rehearsing and then performing in a Missoula Children's Theater production in our town.

On this particular day I woke just before 8. My hubby was already off at work and my 2 year old was just waking up next to me. She started fussing right... more

Adoptive parents tend to request girls. That's a simple fact. So much so that recently when I got an email from a future adoptive mom saying she and her husband would prefer a boy, I tried to remember when I'd last heard that. Sure, there are plenty of families open to children of either sex, but the majority of people who state a preference prefer a girl. This is both according to my informal experience and according to statistics.

My husband and I did it ourselves with both our Ethiopia adoptions so far. We'd had four boys in a row at that point and were eager to have little girls again. And frankly, one of the nice things about adoption is that you CAN choose.

But lately... more

Around this time of year many new adoptive families are working on gathering documents for taxes and wondering just how last year's adoption will affect their taxes. If you have questions you would be wise to speak with a tax advisor. However, there are some general rules that might help you know at least a little more what to expect.

In general you can file taxes with your children as dependents if they arrived on or before December 31 of the tax year. This works just as it does with birth children. You don't have to figure what percent of the year they were home-- it is enough that they arrived sometime during the tax year in question. This means you can take the Dependent... more

This evening I got two emails within one hour from people telling me I'd gotten my wish -- Disney is making a movie with a Black Princess.

MSNBC News Services -- Updated: 8:02 a.m. MT March 9, 2007

NEW ORLEANS - The Walt Disney Co. has started production on an animated musical fairy tale called “The Frog Princess,” which will be set in New Orleans and feature the Walt Disney Studio’s first black princess.

The film, set for release in 2009, also is the first hand-drawn film Disney has committed to since pledging last month to return to the traditional animation that... more

Although our area of the country is a nice place to live, one of the things I like least is the lack of racial diversity. We do have a fair number of Hispanic people, but last I checked, the population of Blacks in our area was less than 5%. Every year, however, there is an African night at our local university. This year was the first year we actually went. I went with my husband and all my daughters; the boys opted to stay at home and watch Star Wars.

Outside the main gathering room, there were displays and things to purchase. Animal skins from a safari/hunting expedition guide... more

On March 1st, the Washington Post reported some good news on the malaria-fighting front.

Malaria Drugs Could Cut Deaths in Africa

By MARIA CHENG, The Associated Press

LONDON -- The first affordable combination anti-malarial drug tailored for children will soon be available across Africa, potentially saving millions of lives, the nonprofit organization and the pharmaceuticals giant who worked to develop it said Thursday.

The new medication, known as ASAQ, combines two of the most effective drugs known to treat malaria, artesunate and... more

One of our sons was born missing his right foot. When we were considering his adoption, one of the biggest issues in our minds was the cost of providing him with prosthetic legs. He needs on average one new prosthetic per year at a cost of around $10,000 per leg. That's no small chunk of change.

We were familiar with the work that Shriner's does for children with orthopedic needs, burns, and spinal cord injury. We investigated and were pleased to learn that we would be eligible for help from them, and that all costs would be covered.

As it turned out, our own health insurance was quite good - good enough... more

In January a newspaper in Clarksville, TN told of an activity an elementary school teacher did with her class to help them to understand the horror of slavery.

Fifth-grade teacher Rhonda Sorensen put together an activity in November that randomly paired her students as slaves and masters to illustrate pre-Civil War America. Students were randomly divided into slaves and masters on one day, then reversed the roles on the following day, said Elise Shelton, school system communication director.

The students were not divided by race, she said. Afterward,... more

I found an interesting idea over at KuddleKids.com. (The formatting of the site is wonky in my browser, making it difficult to read, but there are some good ideas there.) The idea that caught my attention most was the "I Owe You...".

Every parent has times when kids seem to deliberately ignore your requests. They'll 'forget' to take out the trash, even though they've been reminded three times that hour, or they'll once again interrupt in the middle of a conversation- for the fourth time in five minutes.

KuddleKids suggests when you're dealing with that repetitive deliberate misbehavior that... more