Unless you’ve been living on another planet during the past few years, you’ve probably heard of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series. Here’s good news for everyone in adoption land: A new “Chicken Soup” is coming – Chicken Soup for the Adopted Soul.

This fall, I had a lengthy face-to-face chat with LeAnn Thieman, a delightful woman (and adoptive mom) who is editing “Adopted Soul.” LeAnn, who lives in Colorado, shared the process she goes through to write and edit the Chicken Soup books (she’s edited eight of them):

On March 24, 2001, American writer Kari Grady Grossman walked into a crowded orphanage outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and met her eight-month-old son. One of the first questions Kari asked was, “How did he get here?” The complex and, at times, heartwrenching answer is told in her new book, Bones That Float: A Story of Adopting Cambodia. Kari’s book is selling for a pre-publication price of $20 through February 20.

Four years in the making, the book encompasses Kari’s personal... more

Barbara Curtis, a former "acid-dropping hippie chick," now urges Christians to find common ground with people from "the other side."

I had the privilege of profiling Barbara for Today's Christian magazine, in an article titled, "Credible Christianity" (Jan/Feb. 2007).

While the article doesn't mention it, Barbara is the mother of 12 children, four of whom have Down syndrome (three of her children with Down syndrome were adopted).

... more

Kathryn Porter is a recovering clutter-holic. Or, as she calls herself, a reformed clutterbug. In her book, Too Much Stuff: De-Cluttering Your Heart and Home, she candidly reveals the ultimate cost of clutter in her own life—her mother died a tragic, untimely death, partly because there was so much stuff in her house that the paramedics couldn’t get to her in time.

“In the end her... more

Are you involved in leadership in your church? If so, check out the brand new blog Christianity Today just launched. It's called "Gifted for Leadership" and it's designed specifically for Christian women who are "capable, called, and gifted leaders."

Amy Simpson, Executive Editor of Resources at Christianity Today International, writes:

Unfortunately, many Christian women in leadership feel alone in their calling. They need a place where they can converse about the issues they face, encourage one another, and challenge each other. They want something different from the women’s... more

Enroll in baby-care and child-care classes.

Adoptive parents get so wrapped up in all the nitpicky details of the home study process that they may neglect to prepare for parenting their child once he or she arrives home.

Laura's Tip: Do you know how to change a diaper? Take a rectal temp (eeew)? Know what to do when your infant spikes a fever? Are you prepared to deal with a toddler temper tantrum? Most hospitals and some adoption agencies offer great parenting classes that will help you feel more confident... more

Here's a cool idea for adoption fundraising from adoptive mom, Beth Kanter: A Widget Campaign. A widget is simply a graphical gadget (in this case, a fundraising progress meter) that even non-techies can easily embed on a blog or Web site.

Beth Kanter, the mother of two children adopted from Cambodia, writes on her blog:

When we adopted our beautiful children, we also adopted their birth country. We have embraced Khmer culture and we also feel a responsibility to give something back to the... more

“The 8th Annual A Home for the Holidays with Rod Stewart” will be broadcast tonight at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on CBS.

This year's special continues to tell pre-taped stories about adoption to raise awareness of the more than 119,000 children in the United States foster care system who are waiting for adoptive families.

Their stories are framed by musical performances from Rod Stewart, Five for Fighting, John Legend, Katharine McPhee and Mary Mary.

Comedian Cedric the Entertainer ("Charlotte's Web"), Miley Cyrus ("Hannah... more

Adoptive parents: If you had it to do over again, what would you do differently during the time you're waiting to adopt your child?

An article in Adoptive Families online featured responses from several parents. Here's what veteran parents would have done differently:

Set ground rules for extended family.

The last thing you need when you're waiting is daily calls from Grandma and Grandpa, wondering whether anything has happened.

Laura's Tip: Establish regular dates... more

Tip #3: Sleep on it.

John Medina, Director of the Seattle Pacific University Brain Center for Applied Learning Research, suggests that short bursts of sleep (napping) and overnight sleep allow our brains the freedom to process ideas that all the exterior diversions of daily life push to the background. “We may need to sleep so that we can learn,” he states.

He cites Mark Rosekind, a NASA scientist who conducted research that showed a 26-minute nap improves people’s performance 34 percent.

If you’ve got a problem... more