I thought some people might like to try the cabbage recipe that was the very first thing our 11 year old cooked for us just a couple days after she got home from Ethiopia.

GOMEN

Ingredients 1 onion 1-2 tomatoes 1 cabbage 2 cloves garlic, 1 hot red pepper (optional) Oil, at least ½ cup Salt to taste

Preparation -Mince the onion very fine. -Chop tomato very fine or puree in food processer. -Chop cabbage into smallish bite-sized pieces, no bigger than an inch or so across. - Cut hot pepper into very narrow threads. Discard seeds.

Cooking Put... more

Do you have a ‘powerful’ kid? One who will argue you under the table rather than follow your instructions or admit he was wrong? I have a few kids like that myself.

These kids tend to be highly intelligent. They can very easily become entirely devoted to and obsessed with getting their own way, and won‘t hesitate to wage emotional war on mom in the heat of trying to avoid consequences.

I have at times succumbed to the power of 'you don't love me!', especially in the case of my adopted ones, fearing adoption/attachment issues. When I hear that, I do address that and try to make sure that is not truly a fear.

However on mulling it all over in regards to my kids,... more

As we waited for our newest daughters to come home, we did a lot of thinking about their names. Since they are older girls, we decided we'd really like to keep their Ethiopian names as their first names. After all, they've had the names for a decade each, more or less. It seemed rather presumptuous to bring them home and start immediately calling them something else.

However, we did think we might like to choose them each a middle name that is more Americanized, so that they might have another legal name to use at some point if they chose to. We tossed around lots of ideas. But again, since the girls are older, it really seemed like they should have input regarding even the... more

Things are going pretty decently here, all things considered. The kids are fed and clothed and regularly hugged and we're taking walks and playing Dutch Blitz (was there ever a better game for the impatient sort like me??) and eating chocolate. And on a daily basis we're getting smiles and hugs and chatter (increasingly in English) from our new girls.

I keep hoping they are feeling like Peter at the beginning of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe where after surveying the Professor's house, he told his siblings, "We've fallen on our feet and no mistake...."

Of course I am sure there must be moments (hours?) when the non-stop English and the cheesy casseroles... more

(Book giveaway at bottom of post)

Currently I am planning our homeschooling school year to incorporate our two newest daughters from Ethiopia. This is the first time we've adopted older kids, so it is also the first time I've homeschooled with a language barrier. My initial plan includes simple math, handwriting, and lots and lots of reading to gradually boost the girls' vocabulary.

I will begin by reading simple children's books to the girls, ones where pictures help provide a clue as to the context of the book. This week I plan to scour our bookshelves for books that feature kids of many colors, as well as stories that will be interesting to older elementary kids and... more

One memorable feature about both of my previous flights to Ethiopia was a ridiculously long layover in an unfamiliar airport. My worst experience so far has been a seven-hour layover in the pit of Terminal 4 at London-Heathrow.

Cigarette smoke wafted everywhere out ridiculous open-topped smoking rooms. You had to pay a king's ransom for a pack of gum. And it took us hours of wandering around the place to find a decent set of benches that were in a quiet enough area and arm-rest-free so that we could actually lie down and rest... more

Several readers have written asking me how it worked to bring our 2 and 5 year old along on our most recent adoption trip, and so I thought I'd share some of the highs and lows to possibly help other puzzle out their own travel decisions.

Probably the most difficult thing, and one I did not really think much about beforehand, was the jetlag that both of my little girls experienced. Yes, they napped in Ethiopia, and went to bed early every night. But still there were times when the jetlag made them overly tearful and/or cranky.

About the time... more

When parents think of adopting older kids, they often feel sad at the realization that they will miss so much of the child's life. They won't get to see their first steps or hear their first words. However, I've discovered that 'firsts' are actually some of the neatest things about adopting older kids.

Yesterday we went to the fair with our whole crew, and our new girls had a day full of firsts. Of course there was the food. Blooming onions were a hit with the younger girl, but not the older. Both girls loved the snow cones. And once they got over the initial strangeness of cotton candy, they both loved that too.

We spent quite awhile in the small animal display,... more

Weddings are a highly celebrated element of Ethiopian life. Christian marriages are often arranged by the parents of the bride and groom with a great deal of negotiation.

Rural women especially tend to marry at a very young age. In the past it was the custom for the bridegroom to be 30 years of age when getting married following the biblical example of Christ who waited until he was 30 years of age before beginning his public ministry.

Traditionally the groom's parents search for a bride for their son. First they investigate... more

That first morning with our new girls in Ethiopia I made instant oatmeal for breakfast. The nine year old came to the breakfast table, raised her eyebrows, then said “I no eat”. I couldn't help but wonder if this was only the beginning of months of picky eating.

Since that unfortunate beginning, I have learned that my girls are actually good eaters. They almost always will take at least a small taste of unfamiliar foods. (In my opinion that is half the battle.) And usually when they taste things, they discover they like them just fine. However, I have deliberately done several things... more