Debunking

If you aren't partnered with an adoption agency how will you ever adopt a baby??

It occurred to me that with all this adoption agency break up and tax credit change talk I forgot to mention what that the really means and how you can help!  All is not lost my friends.

You do not need an adoption agency to adopt a baby.  In fact the only real purpose of using an agency is to help find/partner you with a birth mother and they charge you a pretty penny to do so.  Private adoptions without the use of an agency happen every day.  In a private adoption the birth mother and adoptive parents meet through word of mouth, coincidence, fate, destiny, but without agency intervention. 

Now where do you come in?  Spread the word!  Tell your friends, share our story, like our Facebook page, follow our blog and encourage others to do the same.  I have loads of cards like the one pictured above and would be happy to send them to anyone willing to carry one in their purse/wallet for just that occasion where God uses you as a messenger in our adoption journey.  Need I remind you of my Wal-Mart bathroom story where I was that crazy lady?  Would you be willing to be crazy on our behalf?  Think of it less like being crazy and more like helping to make our dream of parenthood become a reality.  We cannot thank all of you enough for continuously keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.  You guys are the best!

So who wants a one of a kind Don and Amanda Adopt info card??  

Rumbly in my Tumbly

Who said making lifestyle changes and eating healthy can't be fun?
Tonight with the help of my sister we made all kinds of healthy snacks and had a blast while doing it.

This Paleo granola is to die for!  Really you have got to try it.  The way it made the house smell while in the oven alone was worth giving it a shot.  If you haven't visited The Whole Family Strong for some great Paleo and Whole30 recipes make sure to check it out.

Of course we needed to make my favorite comfort food.  Banana Nut Muffins!!  I used a mini muffin tin to make them a simple on the go snack. 

The last experiment of the evening was kale chips.  I was really leery on this one as I had only ever used kale in my smoothies before this.  They look a little scary straight out of the oven but I give them 2 thumbs up!  Warning, once you start snacking the batch might not even make it into a bag.   

And to think we still had to make dinner :)

I don't have a picture of our end result since they are only prepped and not cooked yet but dinner this evening are Whole30 approved Buffalo Chicken Meatballs (scroll to bottom of page for recipe).  These are also supper yummy.





I hope you decide to give some of these a try.  What you put into your body is really important and a healthier you begins by making better choices.  Why not begin with snacks and work your way up.
Happy Snacking!!

Highs and Lows

2013 has been a roller coaster so far and it's about time I share our ups and downs.
New Years Eve into New Years Day found us at a low.  For those of you following our blog you probably already know the Adoption Tax Credit was due to expire on December 31st 2012 and expire it did. 

 We found ourselves wondering what the future held for our little family.  Being able to afford adoption was dependent on the credit.  The tax credit would refund us around $12,000 give or take and if you can believe this ... that still doesn't come close to covering the cost of a domestic infant adoption.  Adopting was on hold :(

 Then about two weeks later we were back riding the high :)  The Adoption Tax Credit had been extended indefinitely.  What amazing news!  This meant it was time to kick it in gear and find ourselves another agency.  But before we could attend a single informational meeting the harsh details of the renewal were like having the rug pulled out from under us and we were back in a low.

 The Adoption Tax Credit went from being refundable to a credit.  What does this mean exactly?  It means that if I paid say $3,500 in Federal Taxes last year, the most I can get back toward the adoption expenses is $3,500.

I know this seems fair when you ask why should the government help pay for my adoption right?  By not helping to offset the outrageous costs associated with adoption they are forcing more families into fostering to adopt.

What does this mean?  It means the state pays for us to care for a foster child, the legal fees to adopt them and then a monthly stipend until the day they turn 18.

I can promise you this will total more than the adoption refund amount.  And for us this means our original adoption plan is again tabled and we have some serious soul searching to do.

 We made only one resolution this year and that is to expand our family by whatever means the good Lord allows and that is what we plan to do.  Will we adopt a domestic infant, or foster to adopt, or revisit our medical options ... we have no idea. 

But God has every idea and we hope that maybe he will give us glimpse into this grand plan of his.  If I can tell you one thing it's that we are ready to be more than Auntie Amanda and Uncle Don ... we are ready to be Mom and Dad. 

How much cute can one blog handle?

It might take a moment to load but it's worth the wait :)

Poor Packer Nation

Well it wasn't the exact season us Cheeseheads were hoping for but I can tell you one thing.  My niece and I sure did have fun  "watching" the game!

A Whole change

I'm pretty ashamed of this next post.  As you can imagine sticking to a diet as strict as the Whole30 is quite a challenge during the holidays.  Not because I lack self control but because so much of our holiday is spent traveling between relatives and it's impossible to expect that they would serve foods to compliment your insane diet.  So I ate what I wanted, when I wanted and in whatever quantity I wanted.  Turns out I lost 4 pounds and look like this ...

(No judging my messy mirror)

Confused?  You're telling me.  This looks like it should be a pregnancy announcement and I can assure you that it is not.  That is my swollen belly wanting to know what I could possibly have been thinking.  I owe it a serious apology.  The good news?

My Whole30 lifestyle is back on.  In just two days my energy has returned and my stomach is slowly but surely shrinking back down to size.  I will try to be better about sharing recipes this time.  If you are looking for inspiration you can always visit my favorite recipe blog Whole Family Strong.  Click on recipes for great Whole30 and Paleo approved meals.  Stay tuned for my progress.

Baby Gift on a Budget

So it's true what they say about never knowing where you might meet your birth mother.  My family is a prime example of this.  Nobody blink because I'm about to lose you in this relation train.  My aunts adopted my brother's wife's sister's baby.  Get the connection??  The G man turned one this past week and I wanted to make him something special.  I asked my aunt what he needs (knowing there is nothing this blessed baby doesn't already have) and she suggested beginner flashcards.  Now I know these aren't expensive but I instantly saw a way to make them special while saving money.

 

I started with poster board in primary colors.  Rotary blade is not ideal but I was under a time crunch and didn't think far enough ahead to use the paper cutter at work. 

 

I took pictures of objects around the house and had them printed in the true digital size prints. 

 

I used return address labels to print the name of each object in a reader friendly font.

 

I picked up these thermal laminating pouches at Wal-Mart for around $2.50 per pouch.  Each pouch will make 20 cards.  If you are thinking who has a thermal laminator at home no worries there either.  You can pick up this exact model for around $20-$25 and it is useful in so many ways.  It paid for itself with my first project!

 

I used double sided tape to secure the picture to the poster board and added the label just below.  I placed it into the pouch and ran through the laminator. 

Here is a small sampling of the final result!  I love how they turned out and I know G man will love them as well! 

Celebrating 2012

I know this post is weeks late as I have been bad at blogging.  In my defense I was blessed with some unexpected quality time with hubby and just couldn't pass it up :)
So friends, how did you celebrate the end of 2012?
We thought long and hard about how we would like to spend our last New Year's Eve as empty nesters and we came up with the following:

We are REALLY going to have to tone things down with baby C around next year ... :)