We awoke today with a nice surprise–snow! Even though it’s only an inch, it’s pretty much a blizzard for us down here in the south. Everything is closed and it’s a bona fide snow day! We’re going to play outside a bit then snuggle up on the couch for a family movie.  Happy Saturday, and keep those love shots coming!

In honor of February, the month of love, I thought I’d have a little photo fun. Each day this month, I’m going to post a picture that incorporates the theme of love.  I’m also going to try to make most of mine nature-themed if I can. I’ve been a really bad blogger lately and I need some motivation to get back in the swing of things, so I hope you will join me!

If you’d like to play along, leave a link to your own image in the comment section each day! I’ll make sure to share your links as well.

I suspect that most adoptive parents, like myself, spent countless hours pouring over every adoption-themed book they could get their hands on while waiting to meet their children.  Most adoption books are filled with what to expect as a new parent, helpful advice for the adjustment period, the do’s and don’ts, attachment info and even scary worst case scenarios.  As helpful and necessary as these books are, I find only one truth really holds in parenting children through adoption–

Expect the unexpected.

Always.

We all expect it to be hard.  Throw in issues like post-institutional trauma, histories of neglect and abuse, older age, special needs, medical needs  and all the things that will forever remain unknown in your child’s past, and you have a recipe for something that seems mind-boggling in terms of difficulty.  And it is.

Now as I am embarking on an entirely different path to parenthood (you know, the “old fashioned” way) I find the wait to be just as scary as before.  There are all kinds of books that tell you what to expect for each stage of parenthood from prenatal to the teenage years. But this time around, instead of dealing with broken spirits, broken bodies and wounded hearts, I’m preparing to birth and care for a tiny, helpless infant….and it seems a little scary!  And I’m sure that just as before, the expect the unexpected motto will still hold true.

So here I am, reminiscing on all the things I didn’t expect as a parent…

1. Difficult doesn’t even begin to explain how hard parenting a child will be. Throw in special needs, wounded hearts and attachment issues and it’s just plain tough.

2. You will, at some point, feel like a failure.  It happens to us all. But you’re not–you’re just human.

3. You will mess up.  Just own it and move on.

4. You will feel so much love and pride for your children–even the one who doesn’t yet know how to love you back–that you will often feel like your heart will burst.

5.  You will always worry about your children and their safety.  No matter how big they get, you will always have that mother’s worrying heart.

6.  Watching your children experience pain will be the most painful experience of your own life.

7. What you thought would be important before your children arrived (rules, discipline, etc.) will most likely change after they arrive.

8. You will want to curl up in the fetal position and cry some days.  It’s OK.  We will all feel like that sometimes.

9. On some days, you will feel like the most accomplished human being on the planet even if your only achievements were keeping the kids fed, bathed and alive.

10.  You really can’t do it alone.  No matter how brave, smart, talented or great you are, it really does take a village.  And you’ll need a village for yourself, too–a group of moms who understand and support you, even on those days when you feel like curling into the fetal position.

So what’s on your list?

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My kitchen sink. The shower. The flushing of my toilet.

All of these places have one thing in common-the extraordinary ability to  easily provide safe water for drinking, cooking, cleansing my hands, bathing and  sanitation.  All of these things I use on a regular basis without a single thought as to how much we take clean water for granted.

But the sad reality is that so much of our world does not have easy access to clean water.

• worldwide 800 million people do not have access to clean water and 2.5 billion have nowhere safe and clean to go to the toilet.
• As a result, 2,000 children die every day from easily prevented diarrheal diseases with countless more unable to attend school.
• Millions of women are unable to work because they spend so much time collecting water and caring for sick children.

That’s why I’m so happy to blog about WaterAid.

“Founded in 1981, this charity transforms lives by helping the world’s poorest people gain access to safe water and sanitation. Together with local organizations, communities and individuals, WaterAid uses affordable and locally appropriate solutions to provide safe water, effective sanitation and hygiene education to people in developing countries.

WaterAid has programs in 27 countries in Africa, Asia, the Pacific region and Central America, and offices in the US, the UK, Australia and Sweden.”

And just in time for Valentine’s Day, you can spread some love by donating the gift of clean, life-saving water in honor of your Valentine. Go here to learn more!

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I wrote this post as part of The Global Team of 200, a highly specialized group of members of Mom Bloggers for Social Good that concentrates on issues involving women and girls, children, world hunger and maternal health.

Our Motto: Individually we are all powerful. Together we can change the world. We believe in the power of collective action to help others and believe in ourselves to make this world a better place for our children and the world’s children.

So what if I told you that the U.S. is a major player in the human trafficking crisis? 

There have been reports of human trafficking in all 50 U.S. states. In fact, The U.S. is considered one of the major destinations for trafficking victims.

Hits close to home, doesn’t it?

What’s even more disturbing are the statistics:

• Around the world today, the estimated number of trafficking victims ranges from 20-30 million
• roughly 26% of all trafficking victims are children

So how can we ignore nearly 5.5 million children, especially when some of them are here in the U.S.?  It seems like such a staggering statistic, but there are ways you can help.

UNICEF works to protect all children from violence, exploitation, and abuse—aiming to reduce factors that make children vulnerable to trafficking and creating protective environments that guard children against exploitation in the same way that good health and nutrition fortify them against disease.

The End Trafficking project is the U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s initiative to raise awareness about child trafficking and mobilize communities to take meaningful action to help protect children. In partnership with concerned individuals and groups, the End Trafficking project aims to bring us all closer to a day when there are ZERO exploited children.

To learn more, please visit UNICEF’S End Trafficking website.  Ready to do more? Click here to view UNICEF’s ‘End Trafficking Toolkit‘ for real ways you can make a difference. The first step is educating yourself and then raising your voice.

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I wrote this post as part of The Global Team of 200, a highly specialized group of members of Mom Bloggers for Social Good that concentrates on issues involving women and girls, children, world hunger and maternal health.

Our Motto: Individually we are all powerful. Together we can change the world. We believe in the power of collective action to help others and believe in ourselves to make this world a better place for our children and the world’s children.

Yep, that’s the extent of it! We had 70 degree weather and tornadoes this past weekend, and now icy conditions through the week. At least it’s beginning to feel like winter, right?!

I’m not a cold weather gal, so I really can’t complain.  Hope you all are staying warm today!

That means Big Brother has been home for two entire years!  What a wild, crazy adventure it’s been.  Although Big Brother has come so far, he still has so much to overcome.  But we’ll get there.  We couldn’t be more proud of you, Big Brother!

Mommy and Big Brother, the first day we met (January 10, 2011)

Big Brother and Little Man checking each other out at the orphanage in Hong Kong

 Beautiful Hong Kong

When I look back over the past 31 years of my life, the moments that stand out most sharply in my mind all tend to all have one thing in common-they all have that rare ability to make my stomach tumble and steal my very breath.

There are many moments I recall….like jumping into the ocean for my first dive at 12 years old or walking down the aisle to the handsome guy that would soon become my husband.  Spectacular sunsets, walks on the beach and misty, muddy hikes through the woods.  Also those moments when the early morning sun filters through the trees in such a majestic way that it nearly brings tears to your eyes.

Then there are those moments that not only take your breath away but usher in a new chapter of your life–like becoming a mom for the first time as I stood and held Little Man in an orphanage in Vietnam….

And that moment in Hong Kong when Big Brother first looked at me–I mean really looked at me–and smiled….

And then the surreal moment when I saw a little, tiny heartbeat appear on a monitor as I laid in the doctor’s office, wondering what I did to deserve so many blessings….

These fleeting moments that are forever engraved in my mind seem so simple but yet so profound. I love awaking each day with anticipation that I’ll have a chance for just one more…

]]> http://hikebloglove.com/2013/01/06/the-moments-that-take-your-breath-away/feed/ 5 http://hikebloglove.com/2012/12/31/our-top-12-outdoor-moments-of-2012/ http://hikebloglove.com/2012/12/31/our-top-12-outdoor-moments-of-2012/#comments Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:48:07 +0000 Hiking Mama http://hikebloglove.com/?p=8957 As 2012 is winding down, I feel a little sad that my family and I have not been able to spend as much time outdoors as we normally do.  With three rounds of family strep (yes, 3!!) and other medical issues, getting outdoors has been hard for us over the last couple of months.  So I’m really looking forward to getting back in the groove of outdoor livin’ in 2013.  To cheer myself up a bit, I decided to take a look back and reminisce on our favorite outdoor moments of 2012.

12. New Year tree huggin’ on Fiery Gizzard Trail (our fave trail), January 2012

11. Autism and the healing power of nature, February 2012

10. Nature day with mama, March 2012

9. First canoe trip of 2012, April 2012

8. Nature for all, May 2012

7. Mother’s Day Caving, May 2012

6. The Great Sand Dunes, June 2012

5. Mini Muddy Buddy Run, July 2012

4. Alone in the wilderness, August 2012

3. Adventure and the special needs child, June 2012

2. Alpine Views in Colorado, June 2012

1. Water fun and Little Man’s 1st Kayak, July 2012

So what was your favorite moment of 2012? Any adventures you want to share before the new year falls upon us?!