Adoptive Mom Life | Open Adoption, Adoptive Parenting, Birth Family, Christian Community, Biblical Encouragement

What if you stopped trying to do motherhood “right”… and just let it be easy?   In this episode, I’m sharing what it’s looked like to recalibrate our week as my husband has been working longer hours and I'm solo parenting a few nights per week.    Letting things be easy doesn’t mean lowering your standards. It doesn’t mean giving up. It doesn’t mean you’re ruining your kids.   Sometimes it just me...

Adoptive mama, bio mama, foster mama? This is for all mamas and wives! We're talking about L-O-V-E, how we show it and how we receive it.    We all love our kids — but are we loving them in a way they actually understand?   In this Valentine’s-season episode, we talk about the 5 Love Languages and how they show up in real family life with your kids and your spouse.   From quality time and words of...

Adoption can feel lonely in ways no one prepares you for. Even when you’re surrounded by people, playdates, church, and activities, there’s often a quiet ache of feeling unseen, misunderstood, or like you don’t quite belong.   In this episode, we explore loneliness as an epidemic among ALL mothers — and then we look at what makes loneliness even more complex for adoptive moms.   We talk about iden...

Preparing to bring home a new puppy surprised me in ways I didn’t expect. As we count down to welcoming “Mr. Green,” I noticed familiar emotions rising in my heart — the excitement, the nerves, the planning, the what-ifs, and the deep need to trust God before something precious comes home.   While adopting a puppy is not the same as adopting a child at all, the emotional posture of waiting for any...

As a new year begins, goal setting can feel both exciting and overwhelming—especially for Christian moms.  Do we need a word for the year? Do we seek to become a completely new person on January 1st? Do we need to work out 5 days a week to move the needle? Is any of this striving even Godly or wise?   Friends, there is a better way.   You’ll be encouraged to shift the question from “What do I want...

Welcome to week 4, our final week, of our Advent for Adoptive Moms series — a four-week journey through Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love designed to help your heart slow down and meet God in the middle of your unique motherhood story (even among the holiday chaos).   In this week’s (Christmas Eve!) episode, we’re talking about loving our kids in the same way God pours His love out on us. You’ll hear enc...

Welcome to week three of our Advent for Adoptive Moms series — a four-week journey through Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love designed to help your heart slow down and meet God in the middle of your unique motherhood story (even among the holiday chaos).   In this week’s episode, we’re talking about joy as we hold space for grief. You’ll hear biblical encouragement, personal stories, scripture reflections...

Welcome to week two of our Advent for Adoptive Moms series — a four-week journey through Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love designed to help your heart slow down and meet God in the middle of your unique motherhood story (even among the holiday chaos).   In this week’s episode, we’re talking about finding peace when everything feels messy. You’ll hear gentle truth, personal stories, biblical encouragement...

Welcome to week one of our Advent for Adoptive Moms series — a four-week journey through Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love designed to help your heart slow down and meet God in the middle of your unique motherhood story (even among the holiday chaos).   In this week’s episode, we’re talking about HOPE and ways to find hope in a waiting season.   You’ll hear gentle truth, personal stories, scripture refle...

As we head into Thanksgiving, today’s episode is all about preparing our heart posture for gratitude. Whether you’re excited to gather with family, feeling conflicted about plans, or navigating the unique layers of adoptive motherhood during the holidays — this conversation is for you. In today’s episode, we discuss: Why gratitude rewires your brain and reduces stress The spiritual side of thankfu...

Holiday traditions — what memories do they spark for you? Was it your grandmother’s famous pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, Christmas caroling with your family, matching jammies on Christmas Eve, driving around to see lights, or the candlelight service at church?   Traditions and rituals are an important part of every family’s unique bond. As adoptive families, they are equally — if not even more — im...

Ready or not, it’s that time of year again — time for holiday shopping!   Do you send Christmas gifts to your child’s birth mom or birth family? In today’s episode, we’re talking about heartfelt, personal gift ideas for your child’s biological family — from simple, thoughtful gestures to more meaningful presents they’re sure to enjoy.   Whether you have an open adoption with ongoing contact or ver...

November is National Adoption Month, a time to raise awareness for children still waiting for families and to honor the stories of those already formed through adoption. But as adoptive moms, this month can stir up a lot of mixed emotions — gratitude, grief, and everything in between.   In this episode, I’m sharing how I’m holding space for both the beautiful and the broken parts of my kids’ stori...

Every adoptive parent wrestles with the same questions...   How do I share my child’s adoption story without saying too much or too little? How do I even approach such a thing? How do I know if they’re old enough to handle it?   In this episode, I walk you through what it looks like to share your child’s adoption story with honesty, discernment, and most importantly, God’s leading.   If you’ve eve...

How do you know if your adopted child’s behavior is normal… or rooted in trauma? This is a question I hear from adoptive moms all the time!   In this episode, I chat with Jeanette Yoffe — adoptee, therapist, author, speaker, and founder of Celia Center and Yoffe Therapy — about how to parent with connection and compassion.   Here's what we talk about:  How to spot when behaviors are trauma-related...

How do you know if your adopted child’s behavior is normal… or rooted in trauma? This is a question I hear from adoptive moms all the time!   In this episode, I chat with Jeanette Yoffe — adoptee, therapist, author, speaker, and founder of Celia Center and Yoffe Therapy — about how to parent with connection and compassion.   We cover: How to spot when behaviors are trauma-related Simple tools and...

Have you ever caught yourself running on autopilot—snapping at your family, juggling endless tasks, and realizing you’re stuck in survival mode? As moms of adopted children, those heavy, chaotic weeks can leave us feeling drained and defeated.   In this episode, I share a simple reset you can use anytime, anywhere, to calm your mind, steady your heart, and step back into presence with your kids. I...

Are you drowning in screen time struggles with your kids?   After a long, hot summer where screens slowly shifted from an ‘extra’ to the default, I knew it was time to try something different. I came across a simple reward system from a first grade teacher, and it’s been a game-changer for our family.   As moms, we know too much screen time can impact our children’s brains, development, and attent...

Ever feel like you’re stuck in survival mode as an adoptive mom? In the second half of this two-part episode, I’m joined by Keli Tondre, adoptive mom, trauma therapist, and founder of Tondre Therapeutics.     Keli shares both her personal adoption journey and her professional expertise to help us understand trauma, regulate our nervous systems, and find hope in the hard places.     We talk about:...

Ever feel like you’re stuck in survival mode as an adoptive mom? In this episode, I’m joined by Keli Tondre, adoptive mom, trauma therapist, and founder of Tondre Therapeutics.     Keli shares both her personal adoption journey and her professional expertise to help us understand trauma, regulate our nervous systems, and find hope in the hard places.       We talk about: Why adoption always carrie...

“I just want to know that my child is going to be okay.”   If you’ve ever whispered those words, you’re not alone. As adoptive moms, our deepest desire is for our children to feel fully known, fully loved, secure in their identity, and at peace with their story. But sometimes, fear of the future sneaks in and quietly begins shaping the way we parent.   In this episode, we’re unpacking: Why fear-ba...

It’s that time of year again….back to school!   Back-to-school season can feel like a whirlwind — new routines, new teachers, new anxieties… and that’s just for us moms! ;) For our adopted kids, this time of year can bring extra layers of worry, big feelings, and tricky transitions that other families might not experience.   But here’s the good news — we don’t have to just survive this season, we...

On today's episode, we're reflecting back on summertime with our adopted kids. How did it feel? Was it relaxing, jam-packed, or slow and steady? Did you intentionally spend time connecting as a family?    If you're wrapping up summer and have just a week or two left, how can you spend it best? What kind of lasting memories do you want to leave your kids with? Let's brainstorm together in this epis...

Summer is a great time for snuggling up and watching family movies together. There are SO many family-friendly movies that have subtle adoption and foster themes, while others are clearly adoption-centered.   Some are heartwarming and contain deep and valuable insight about love, belonging and overcoming hardships, while others miss the mark or cause more confusion than clarity.   On today’s episo...

Being in community with one another is ALL over the bible. Friends, I don’t think living alongside other believers is a bonus, I think it’s part of God’s bigger picture for our lives -- for being the moms He has called us to be when He assigned us these beautiful humans to care for, shepherd and love.   If fear of all the unknowns of parenting adopted kids has held you back for too long, let me co...