So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him. (1 Samuel 16:23)

By titling this post, Music as Therapy, I don’t mean to suggest a replacement for traditional therapy if it is warranted. Rather, it is my aim to address the therapeutic role music can play in mental wellness.

I’ve shared often how I grew up with undiagnosed ADD and depression. I was often teased, beaten up, and... more

Many of my articles are borne out of whatever is going on in my life, and generally, because of my research, I have tips for you. In this post I am going to turn the tables on you, and give you a dilemma and ask for your creative tips!

My six-year-old daughter suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). One of the hallmarks of this disorder is insomnia, often due to hyper-vigilance. It often takes my daughter two to three hours, on average, to fall asleep.

We’ve... more

Generally within a congregation you will find many families that teach Bible class, hold meetings in your home or have people over frequently, participate in “work days” at the church building, help with the weekly church bulletin, etc …

With the arrival of new children, it’s been a little hard to get back into the rhythm we had pre-adoption. My husband serves as one of the deacons for the local congregation we attend, so we participate in home Bible studies, in addition to any number of things our family might be called upon to do. Today, I explained to our newest arrivals that by being a deacon, Daddy is a helper, and by extension, we’re helpers, too. The children were really... more

Fall is here, and thus begins the time many families begin preparations for the many holidays peppered throughout the next several months.

If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m a bit of a non-conformist, and I don’t celebrate many of the conventional holidays. However, our family has crafted many of its own traditions and rituals, all rife with meaning for us.

With new children in our family, I look forward to sharing these new traditions and rituals. It is a great way to build memories with them that are unique to our family. Additionally, because they will offer their input, we gain new perspectives and see things in new ways.

Because we have children in our family... more

I designed our adoption announcements somewhere around the beginning of the year – long before the children arrived. Of course, they weren’t truly finished because I needed the finalization date to plug into the cards! So, here it is, two months post-adoption and I’m just getting around to it – and not in the way I had planned.

Yes, life with three has derailed me a bit, and I’m still slightly off balance keeping up with homeschooling, outside classes and medical appointments. It hasn’t left me with a lot of time to be as creative as I would like!

That said,... more

I happened to be channel surfing tonight, and not one, but three different shows had adoption as the theme. One in particular caught my eye:

Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC fame, just received an Emmy last week for his VH1 “Rock Doc” Documentary, “My Adoption Journey.” If you do plan to watch the show, please be aware this post contains “spoilers” (plot information).

At the age of 35, Mr. McDaniels discovered he was adopted. The documentary shows the various stages he went through in... more

Consider this a corollary to my last post on appropriate consequences, as I often use Scripture memorization to help reinforce what the Bible says about specific actions.

For example, a major issue we’ve had with my daughter has to do with the way she speaks to people. Sometimes she is intentionally rude, other times she speaks impulsively, and her hurtful remarks appear to be unintentional.... more

From the time my biological son was old enough to talk, he’s known about the word “consequences.” When we make good choices, there are often positive consequences; and when we make poor choices, there will be negative consequences.

Lately, I’ve been struggling to find the balance for appropriate negative consequences. Rewards are fairly easy to hand out. But meaningful negative consequences, particularly for children who have suffered trauma, take some thought.

My daughter is six, and as I have mentioned, has control issues that manifest themselves in the area... more

Several years ago, we crafted a family mission statement. Generally, when you hear the term “mission statement” you think of large, impersonal corporations or small, struggling non-profits. Wikipedia defines it thusly, “the intention of a genuine mission statement is to keep members and users aware of the organization's purpose.”

How can you translate this to the family?

Families are comprised of individual members, not unlike a company or an organization. As each member is unique, there will be diversity... more

Today was our children’s birth brother’s birthday. We mailed off a big package on Monday that included handmade cards from all three of my children. Yesterday, I sent an e-mail to the kids’ birth grandmother (who has custody of this birth sibling), to ask if it would be alright to have the kids call him today to sing “Happy Birthday” and if so, arrange a time (given the time difference). So, today we called.

The kids got to talk to their birth grandmother, birth aunt, birth sibling... more