Enhance your skills with our comprehensive TAC training. Specialized case training for adoption competency. Register now!
We are very proud of our Bulgaria International Adoption Program. Already in 2015, our families have brought home five children and received four referrals. Adopting from Bulgaria continues to be a popular option for families wishing to add to their families through adoption. We have written extensively about our Bulgaria program in this blog. In ...
Looking to adopt? Here is our review of Christian Adoption Consultants, plus the pros and cons of using an adoption consultant.
First, a quick note, I wrote this post after reading an essay written by Lea Grover in the Huffiington Post, titled “Dear Less-Than-Perfect Mom.” The post by Lea was wonderful,Continue Reading
According to the Indian government-run CARINGS website (Central Adoption Resource Authority) from April 2017-March 2018, 3,276 in-country adoptions and 651 intercountry adoptions occurred. One of those intercountry adoptions was our daughter, Mira. Having journeyed through the mounds of paperwork to finally welcoming our daughter home, I have a better understanding of how adoption works in […]
Today every business needs an online presence. So, the government in Canada has come up with a new initiative. This is to help small businesses to adopt digital platforms. The complete digital…
Follow along on our adoption story as we pick up our children...
Like all new parents, when we found out we were having a boy, we discussed how we might decorate our son’s room. I spent hours on Pinterest looking at different designs. My husband trolled Etsy looking at various wall decorations. We wanted something he could grow into. Nothing that was “too baby.” After much deliberation, […]
There are many factors of everyday life, work pressure, keeping up with family and friends, constantly being tethered to a screen that can cause us to feel stressed and overwhelmed. Often this leaves our nervous system feeling overworked and out of balance, resulting in burnout and fatigue. A frayed and fatigued nervous system can be calmed and restored through practises of inner work and self care. Here is our guide to calming your nervous system, helping you reconnect to your mind and body. Meditation Adopting a meditation practice in your everyday life can help lower stress, improve focus, and reconnect to you. Start by trying to find 5 to 10 minutes each day to practise meditation. Take a seat, set a timer, notice your body, feel your breath, pay attention to your mind when it begins to wander. Acknowledge your wandering mind, be kind to it. Return your focus to your breath. When you’re ready to complete your meditation, gently ease yourself back into your surroundings, notice your thoughts and emotions, paying attention to how your body feels. Through a small but intentional act of meditation once a day we can begin to practise mindfulness which helps us learn to recognise when our minds begin to run in overdrive, meaning we can take pause and choose what to focus on. Dancing Moving your body in any way is a great way to calm your nervous system, one of our favourite ways to get our bodies moving is through dance. Dancing causes your body to release endorphins (the “feel-good” chemicals) in the brain, these act as natural painkillers and also improve sleep and help reduce stress. Try putting on your favourite playlist at home, maybe get a partner or friend involved, have some fun and feel yourself letting go of any stress or tension while you dance. Shaking Much like dancing, the practice of shaking can also work to relieve stress. This form of meditation originates from the ancient Chinese healing practice of Qigong. It works by warming up the body through movement, loosening up any tension held in your mind and body, allowing you to let go of it. Try this practise after a long day, to help you relax before bed time. Begin by standing with your feet hip-width apart, start shaking your right arm, keeping your elbow and wrist relaxed. Move to your right leg, shaking it while keeping your hips, knee, ankle and toes loose and relaxed. Repeat this on the left side. Keeping your body loose and staying connected to your breath. Then shake your entire body, releasing tension from your jaw and shoulders, ensuring your joints are staying relaxed and your feet stay on the ground throughout. After a few minutes, slow down the shaking until your body has stilled. Do this with intention, to release stagnant energy from the body and awaken your inner Qi. Yin Yoga Yin Yoga is a practice based in ancient Chinese philosophies, it’s slower and more meditative in its form compared to other traditional types of yoga. The slowness of Yin Yoga puts the focus of the practice on deep connective tissue, joints and bones. Poses should be held for an extended length of time (3 to 5 minutes or longer), this helps you to stretch and lengthen rarely-used tissues in your body while also teaching you how to breathe through discomfort and sit with your thoughts. The most common poses in Yin Yoga are seated or reclined positions as your muscles need to be fully relaxed, try pigeon pose or seated forward fold with a booster to support. Essential oils Here at Yougi, we believe that using essential oils can go a long way in helping us feel calm and grounded. There are a few ways essential oils can be used in our day to day lives. Adding an essential oil to a steam diffuser in your home can transform a space into a calm and safe sanctuary, allowing your mind and body to fully relax after a long day. Try adding a few drops to a warm bath to create an intensely relaxing spa-like experience at home. Essential oils can also be added to a base oil, such as sweet almond oil, to create a body oil that can be gently massaged into the skin to further calm and relax the body. Breathwork Essential oils can also aid relaxation in breathwork. Here is how our Yougi founder Emily, uses essential oils with breathwork to help calm frayed nerves, “If I feel my anxiety rising this is a lifesaver. You can do it anywhere at any time. It lowers my blood pressure and brings me back into the moment. I carry some Soothe essential oil and massage in and cup my hands over my nose and mouth and breathe in for 7 seconds and out for 11 seconds.” Sleep Sleep is just as essential to us as our need for water and food. Getting a full, deep, restful night's sleep is needed for our overworked nervous systems to repair and reset. Read our Journal post about what makes a good bedtime routine here. Nature Nature can be healing and soothing, being in and observing nature can reduce anger, fear and increase pleasant feelings. It also contributes to physical wellbeing by reducing blood pressure, heart rate and the production of stress hormones. Try to get outside and be in nature once a day, soak up the sunshine and observe natural wonders of the world.
Every day we go through life following our daily routines, a unique set of habits that each of us has adopted as our own. Settling into these routines makes
Three things you may not have thought to keep after going through the adoption process. I'm so glad I have these adoption keepsakes for our daughter.
Five years as a family has been a dream come true. The airport was my delivery room after two years of labor. It was beautiful. It was glorious. It was a day I will never forget.
Explore our comprehensive guide on Software Development for Startups to learn essential strategies for tech growth, innovation, and success.
I share 10 of the biggest surprises we've had along the way during our adoption journey!
The adoption wait is often one of the hardest parts of the adoption process for many families. This post shares 10 tips to help.
Struggling with ServiceNow Implementation challenges? Here is a quick guide to Maximize ServiceNow adoption and ROI.
Disrupting birth order by adoption requires education and preparation. Rules of thumb for parents who are disrupting birth order by adoption.
Adoption not only changes of the lives of children, but also the lives of the rest of the family. We are delighted to introduce one of our courageous MLJ Adoptions’ Families who adopted from Bulgaria. They continue to be richly blessed by the children who joined their family through adoption! We invite you to meet ...
Learn about the BC SPCA's adoption process in five easy steps. Use our pre-adoption tips to help you find a new pet.
THE ARCHIBALD PROJECT is an orphan care advocacy organization that uses media to tell stories. These stories advocate for orphans, educate on orphan care, build community and inspire people into action.
Our adoption story - the journey to adopting our son. The entire adoption process and all the steps of faith along the way!
When you decide to pursue adoption, one important consideration is how to find the best adoption agency for you. It can be confusing.
Triggers for Grief in Adoption can be lifelong and complicated. Getting to know your child and their pattern of triggers can help you as a parent to be better able to cope and support them through the hard stuff.
Are you looking to create a beautiful adoption profile book to share your story with prospective adoptive families? Our adoption profile book template on Canva makes it easy to design a modern and personalized book that stands out. Whether you're an adoption agency or a family going through the domestic adoption process, this editable template is perfect for creating a custom-made profile that highlights your unique journey. With Canva's user-friendly interface, you can easily customize the template to suit your needs and create a stunning digital book that captures the essence of your family. Start creating your unforgettable adoption profile book today! (Please note this is a digital product - nothing physical will be shipped to you. Once you have placed your order you will receive a link to edit your template online using Canva. Get instant access immediately.) * GUIDELINES WILL BE PROVIDED This download includes: ADOPTION PROFILE TEMPLATE: 8.5 x 11 inches - 15 basic pages + additional pages of layout options + easy guidelines * Should you need a custom size, please let me know and I can help you with that. * See matching styles in shop. Search code TT01. This file is fully editable by you - Change text - Change font style - Change font colour - Change font size - Change background colour Disclaimer: You can print this invite as often as you like as the link does not expire. This is only for your personal use. Please don't share, resell or use commercially. Copyright © TheLoveStoryCo
Creating a Family, the national adoption, kinship and foster care education & support nonprofit, provides information & resources on domestic infant adoption, foster care adoption, international adoption, fostering/foster parent resources, adoptee and former foster youth voices, kinship parenting attachment, prenatal exposure, and parenting children who have experiences trauma.
If you've decided to grow your family through adoption but arent' sure where to start, here's a 10-part guide to help you begin the process to adopt.
Dog and cat adoptions climbed in 2020. Pets have been constant companions — easing our grief and fears. Now it's our turn to ease dogs' separation anxiety, as we head back out into the world.
