This past Saturday I spent most of my day in bed just reading. And, oh, let me tell you how relaxing that was! I haven’t been able to do that in months. What’s even better? It was a book based in Hawaii, so while I emerged myself into the plot and characters, I felt a little bit of the easy Hawaiian life join me. My review of Sweet Life is up on the Review Blog, but over here I wanted to introduce you a bit more to the author, Mia King. The more I read about her through her novels and website, the more she’s quickly topping as one of my favorite authors! I had the privilege to ask her a few questions about her life and I hope you find it inspiring as I do.

1) You moved to Hawaii in 2000 leaving the corporate life behind, why did your family make this decision? Has it been everything you thought it would be?

Just wanted to remind you all that the Tiny Prints giveaway (worth $50!) is ending soon!  September 30th is coming up next Tuesday, so enter while you can. The winners will be picked next Wednesday.

Also, there is a new book review up.  Need a good book to curl up with as fall settles in?  I highly recommend this one!

And so, the arrival of these books marks the arrival of the first day of classes tomorrow.

And that’s only half of them.

Do you see that HUGE book? It’s seriously 3 inches thick. I’m praying that my English Teacher will have mercy and not make us carry that for every class. Holy moly. Or, better yet, that all my teachers have mercy. I’m sure all these books (plus the others) combined weigh more than I do, my little back cannot carry it all.

(And don’t even suggest a rolling book bag!)

I’m off to pack my (non-rolling) book bag.

I mentioned earlier that I’ve read 3 books so far and I had to share what I’ve learned. It’s amazes how stories help reveal things in your own life.

The best so far was “A Time to Dance” by Karen Kingsbury (Any book by her you can’t go wrong, she’s amazing). It’s about a married couple on the brink of divorce and how God brought them back together when they thought it was too late. I have to admit, at times it made me angry to read and watch how silly they were being. Not speaking to each other or when they did it was rudely, or didn’t listen to what the other was trying to say, one character was practically cheating on the other, ignoring God, etc. And yet they both obviously still loved one another. It made me realize that often that is me (not cheating or anything serious!). Whether it’s being too busy sitting here blogging or reading other’s blogs to spend time with Mark some nights, or saying something without thinking, it can put a wedge between us that eventually could build up to be worse if not addressed. Thankfully, Mark is pretty good about being honest and up front about issues like that. It made me see how truly painful divorce can be and that I never, ever want to experience that first hand. It’s made me very thankful for the man I married and work harder to be the best wife I can be.

It also reflected my relationship with God at times (more often that I’d like), where clearly He knows the right path for my life and yet I keep ignoring Him and His commands. As I was reading it was like seeing life through God’s eyes almost…knowing what could be if they would just accept it and not letting pride get in the way. I also felt like God does sometimes when looking down at his people making the wrong choices. Angry, sad, and hurt. Thankfully, they did accept God’s truth and ways in the end and things turned out with lessons learned and blessings just as God promises for our lives.

I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, “A Time to Embrace” as soon as it arrives at my library.

Heather over at Production, Not Reproduction kindly suggested the book “The Tummy Mummy” by Michelle Madrid-Branch in a comment recently.  I have heard of this book before but had forgotten about it, and man, I’m so thankful Heather reminded me it was out there (thanks!). Upon reading reviews of the book on Amazon, I stumbled upon an online friend, Fire Mom at Stop, Drop, and Blog (who I very much respect her opinion and look up to as a fellow birth mom and mother) saying it was a good one.  Her adoption situation is similar to my own: open, domestic, close contact with her daughter and adoptive parents, etc. And then? I found a full review that she wrote on Adoption Blogs that totally sold me.

This book seems to have what I am looking for: 1) A message that I will always love her and made my decision out of love. 2) Her parents love her and will always be there for her. And, what I really love about this book?  A wise owl guides the birth mother through her decision.  That to me symbolizes God’s role in our adoption story and I cannot wait to share that with Kaylee.

So, finally, the search is over.  Though, I’ll just have to deal with not being able to read it before buying it. However, I will be buying it off Target so that for some strange reason I don’t think it’s fitting? I’ll return it to Target.  But really, I have this God-guided peace that this is it.

Thanks so much for all your comments and suggestions, you have no idea how helpful you have been and how thankful I am!

I am completely frustrated in my Children’s Adoption Book search.  I did some research online, took advice from all your comments, had a good list going but I’m still left empty handed.  I’d prefer not to buy a book online because I want to be able to read it first to see if it “fits” our story, the message that I’d like to send Kaylee (i.e. I made the decision out of love), if it even talks about birth parents, etc. But? When I go to a book store (or the library)? There is hardly anything. Even at the Christian book store there was one book on adoption for kids. ONE. And it sucked.

Is it just me, or does this seem odd?  Do people think that kids are rarely adopted? Do people think that it’s a hush-hush situation? Don’t kids want to hear about how loved they are through adoption? Don’t they have questions that need answered?

I know there are books out there (maybe even good ones) but they are NOT easy to find, and that’s the issue I have. The one book I really want to read is absolutely no where to be found in stores or online, “Pugnose Has Two Special Families” by Karis Kruzel. Ugh, Ugh, Ugh.

The good news is that I will be getting a copy of “Never, Never, Never, Will She Stop Loving You” by Jolene Durrant thanks to the wonderful Coley at Birth Mom Buds. Thanks, Coley :-) At least I have a back up.

And maybe I should order “Megan’s Birthday Tree” by Laurie Lears, but is it too old for a 4 year old right now?  I could save it for later, I guess? Gah. I just wish I could read things first!

I’m at a loss, this is really frustrating me. Sure, her new PJ’s I got her will be cute and practical, but I wanted something a bit more meaningful than that. This world needs to get with the program.

Kaylee’s birthday is approaching fast, way too fast. My little girl will be 4. FOUR. I simply cannot believe how fast the years have gone. This time of the year is always the hardest for me adoption wise, understandably. Many emotions from my pregnancy, decision, birth and post-placement start washing over me. But, it always helps to have that special birthday visit and spend a little time with her.

I was thinking that this year would be a good birthday to give her an adoption book. She loves books and I feel like it’d be a good way to introduce her adoption on a level she can understand. She’s been picking up little pieces the older she’s gotten and I thought this would be a neat way to continue that. Of course, I will ask her parents about this first so 1) to make sure it’s something they are ok with 2) to see if they have one already.

So here’s where you guys come in: Do you know of any good ones? I’ve heard of JamieLee Curtis’ “Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born” but don’t know much about it.

Edit: I just found this one, “Never Never Never Will She Stop Loving You” by Jolene Durrant. This looks like what I’m looking for, anyone else have it or read it? Opinions?

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P.S. Trip to library with Savannah by myself? Started out great in the kids section with all the toys but had a melt down when I had to change her poopy diapers (the little boy next to her was holding his nose!). Then, more melt downs as I tried to find a book for me in the adult section. We disturbed the whole floor trying to read/study/whatever. Lots of looks came my way, oh well. I need to go alone next time.

I love half.com.  It’s my new best friend, seriously.

Mark and I had 11 text books to sell from last semester and I decided to go with this little brother of ebay to go about business.  I don’t know if you guys have any experience with the original ebay.com, but trying to get something online for people to buy can appear tricky. What shipping to offer customers? How much should I charge? How can I catch the customer’s eye and accurately describe the product?  (okay, that doesn’t sound bad, but trust me, it can be a confusing task with many options to chose from for a newbie). And, they get you with the little fees. And, you can only have an item up for about a week and either it sells in that time, or it doesn’t.

Well, what I like about half.com is that it takes all that guess work out.  It’s made for just media type things (books, CD’s, movies, video games, etc.) to sell/buy at reduced prices.  It’s really great for buying textbooks (that’s all we’ve bought/sold so far, haven’t tried the other categories of products) at lower prices, because university stores are ridiculous. With 11 books, it took me hardly any time to get our items listed. I was able to tell them the exact product (what edition/cover/author/everything!) with just entering the ISBN number (therefore, saving time), entered the quality of the book, described the book (like, if it had markings), and listed the price. Click. Done.

What I really liked?  Instead of the guessing of what I should list it for, it gave me a recommended price based on what other people had/are listing it for so that I could list it competitively, but fairly.  It was usually spot on, too.  And, what I really like? No bidding.  I like that I can buy a book at ebay prices without sitting at the computer for an hour fighting over an item. And what I really, really like? It doesn’t have a time limit.  It stays up until it sells, or until I take it down. And, no listing fees. It just takes a very small percentage out after a sale is made (like, two dollars).

Within just a few hours? I’ve already sold 2 books.  Score.

Of course, the extra cash will go right back into buying new text books. School starts for Mark on Wednesday, and myself on Thursday. Ugh. I’m not ready for vacation to be over.

I got a new Bible today that I’m very, very excited about . I had gotten one as a Christmas present, but I’m the kind of girl that needs/likes extra “stuff” within the pages to help me understand and reflect more about what I’m reading. So, I exchanged it for the TNIV version True Identity: The Bible for Women. It’s focused for woman in their 20’s and 30’s just beginning in the more adult world (instead of teen issues, like the Bibles I have now) and truly finding themselves in Christ and discovering who they are in Christ (and moving out of the bounds of I am so and so’s Mom or the president of x company). It has pages with some myths of the world (like: if I have children I will be happy, if I just loose 10 pounds I’ll be happy, I NEED these pair of shoes! And more spiritual/religious based ones like: it’s not important to go to church if my personal relationship with God is good, God doesn’t want me to have any fun, if I’m a Christian God won’t let anything bad happen to me, etc. ) and God’s view of them. Pages that help you get to know the woman of the Bible more, questions that get you thinking or talking with others, and parts that help summarize who God is. Of course, the most important part is God’s word it’s self, but these added areas just help me understand and connect with it more in a practical daily way.

Plus, it’s just pretty to look at. The cover (shown above) is one of my favorite colors of green with beautiful tulips, and all the text inside is blue and green!

It also has great tips on how to have a closer relationship with Christ, how to write your testimony, and how to be a mentor for others. I was skimming through and came across a tip to keep a journal just between you and God, writing down what you are learning through reading the Bible, your prayers, and how you’ve seen God working in your life. I’m glad I read that! Often it’s not enough for me to just read, it doesn’t sink in and go further reaching to the heart (even with school material, it’s the same way) and how neat it is to look back weeks, months or even years to see the changes.

During my pregnancy with Kaylee (especially after her adoption plan) and up until I went to college, I was the closest I have ever been in my relationship with God. It was a beautiful experience and I really want that back again. That was when journaling and writing began such a huge part of my life and I realized the gift that He’d given me with words. I used to keep a special journal, away from the internet and the eyes of other people just between me and God. I was single for over 2 years during that time, knowing, waiting and trusting that God would bring me my true love next (and He did!). But it was very lonely and I longed for a relationship, so I even have secret letters and written prayers to my future husband with in that journal. I had totally forgotten about all this until I read the tip tonight. If I can find it…that would be a great place to start some couple devotional and prayer time, wouldn’t it?

I’m excited. And that is the first step towards one of my resolutions: Get closer to God again. Excitement is motivation and motivation means I’ll actually DO it and get started. In fact, instead of wasting my night here on the computer like usual, I think I will go read!

Apparently blog stats improve when you are extremely honest. Good thing to know.

That said, date night went well after I got some food and further away from my sleepless child that was driving me insane. Like I said, it was much needed and I came home refreshed (both emotionally and physically, full night’s sleep!) and ready to take on this sleep issue with a fight. A no-cry fight, even.  Not saying tears are bad, because even crying can be refreshing, but crying isn’t so lovely when you hear it all. night. long.   I came home and did some research online trying to find a book focusing on sleep issues. Hopefully, I’ve found the one the will work for us, The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley.  Thank you Amazon.com for the used book section, allowing me to pay $6 total including shipping, half the price of if I had drove to the book store. Granted, I have to wait a few more days to find some answers to our problems (hopefully), but still, can’t pass up a good deal.

In the mean time, we’re back to establishing a bed time routine (bath time, lots of books, snuggles and a feeding–which I want to learn how to cut out of her sleep necessity). Duh, Leah. Why did you get flax about it in the first place?  Remember that back tracking I was talking about? I bet that is why. We’ll see what else Ms. Pantely has to offer soon. I chose this book because it seems to be more than just reading and then trying to apply.  She has ’sleep logs’ and questions to ask yourself and keep record of about daily/nightly routines to help show where the problem is and then gives you a majority of solutions, not just one (so I’ve heard) to apply.  She’s got a chapter for tiny infant sleeping AND older infant sleeping (Hello! That’s us!). She has one for co-sleepers and the one I’m most looking forward to–a chapter about babies who are depending on breast/bottle/pacifier to sleep.

And, quite frankly, I’m a person that some times needs some one to just tell me what to do next. Especially, when I am head deep in frustration, anger and tears.  When a person is at the end of her rope, she needs some one to tell her what to do next to save herself.  I’ve heard this book offers gentle step-by-step solutions. Just what I need.

We’ll see if it lives up to the reviews and to my expectations soon enough.   In the mean time, off to dream land where there are no dreams because I’m always awake.  Meaning, bed time for the O’s.