Not Me Monday

i DID NOT say to hubs, "i am not beautiful. i'm fat. i look terrible. u only like me because u have  no other choice.  u r stuck with me."

i DID NOT eat pizza 3 days this week.  nope.

i DID NOT spend my entire girls clothing budget on one fab piece a girl at the Matilda Jane trunk show.  {so much funnn}

i DID NOT get p's report card showing all A's this week.  what a girl!!!

i DID NOT break away from the house by myself on saturday...and really miss my girls and hubs while i was gone.  sad.

i DID NOT make 7 operation christmas child boxes with my HS small group girls, who are the most flipping amazing girls in the world!  {woo hoo samaritan's purse}

i DID NOT try to talk on the phone 5 times with my friend, karen, since wednesday...and fail to have one single conversation.

i DID NOT get a big bottle of burberry brit from hubs as a little 'you mean the world to me and i think ur wonderful' gift.  {he's soooo good...and a gift like that is soooo not normal}

i DID NOT die laughing when brooke said on the way to church, "this is going to be the most amazing day in my life."

i DID NOT kiss jk at church and get more snot than kiss.   {hello winter. eeewwwww.}

i DID NOT thank God over and over for all my blessings...my fam and friends and church and home and food and well, everything.  on and on.  i so don't deserve any of it...

i DID NOT get a fresh bouquet of gerber daisy's from hubby on his lunch hour on friday. {i'm telling you...be jealous.  really...you should be jealous}

finally...i DID NOT take part in Not Me Monday with McK Momma...with all the cool kids!

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national adoption awareness month

myths and realities about adoption...one of my fav topics and most often asked questions as an adoptive momma.  

myth: birthmothers (or birthparents) can change their minds after the adoption and come and get the child.

reality: once an adoption is finalized (likely 90 days after placement for private) the adoption is irrevokable and permanent.  the adoptive parents are forever the formal parents of the child...the child's name is changed, records are sealed.  even social security numbers are changed at this time.

myth: birthparents are irresponsible, on drugs or just don't care about their kids.  i get the "why would anyone give up such a cute kid" thing all the time {please don't eve say that to anyone, btw}

reality: birthparents make the best decisions for their children based on their life situation when the child is born.  placing a child for adoption is one of the most selfless things a person can ever do for their child, knowing the child's best interest is in mind.

myth: adoption is for rich people.

reality: private (thru an attorney) domestic adoption costs between $10k and $25k.  the us govt provides a $10k of a tax credit to all qualifying fams (the not rich ones) and many employers have adoption assistance programs that pay an additional $5k.

myth: parents don't love their adopted kids the same as their bio kids.

reality: i don't love any of my kids the same way, because they are all different kids. i love certain things about p that b doesn't have, but i love things about b that p doesn't have.  get it?  love is not a blood thing.  you are not related to your husband by blood (or i seriously hope not) so using that stupid logic would mean that you could only love a hubby who is blood related....and will not go there.  reality is that love is love and you love what you fight for...and you love the kids god blesses you with, no matter how they came to you.

myth: adoption is second best.

reality: adoption may be a second choice for some (for many, like us, it's a first choice)...but it is never second best.

we're all adopted as children of god...

"How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son." Ephesians 1:3-6