This is Roman and his friend Anastasia.  They have a few things in common other then extreme cuteness.They were both born in Russia and called an orphanage home until this past September.  We now live three blocks away from each other.  Her Mom and I did not know about each other until after the adoptions when we bumped into each other at our neighbourhood Early Years Centre.  It turns out we left for Russia days apart, our court dates were the same week.  We both adopted as single women, had the same adoption practitioner for the adoption course and... More »

Our love story has all the elements of all the great one's.  We've traveled across the world to find each other, we took leaps of faith and beat the odds.  Your smile melts the hearts of the jaded and your eyes make believers out of cynics.  You are the greatest gift there is to be had and trumps all the roses and candy any girl can hope to receive.Happy Valentine's Day to the little love of my life,Love,Mama... More »

We could be beach bound in a week.Here's the offer.My generous, lovely fellow Russian adoptive mom friend has invited Roman and I to tag along on her business trip to Barbados.  Her and I adopted our kids at the same time and we live blocks apart from each other in the city.  I would come along in a "nanny" capacity and take care of our kiddies (my 18 month old Roman and her 2 year old Daughter Nastia) while she is attending meetings and such for part of the day.  Accommodations are covered by her company and I have enough travel... More »

Roman turned eighteen months old today.  According to the experts, it is the official end of babyhood and start of todderhood.  I never quite understood why people would talk about their children's age in terms of months once they passed their first birthday but now I do.  The massive amount of change that can happen in weeks, let alone months at this stage of life justifies the need to measure in smaller increments.I am already having those moments when I glance over at him and I can see glimpses of a teenager and some days a very old man.  Roman... More »

    My parents live in the suburbs of Toronto, the same City where I was born and raised.  As a teenager, I endlessly whined and complained about the blandness and sameness of our little sheltered neighbourhood.  Now that I am in the position of doing the raising, I find myself being lured back to the burbs. The community centres are like Disney world compared the concrete jungle of the plain jane centres in my hood.  For example, let's compare pools.  When Roman first got home I signed us up for a mommy and me swim class at the local City pool.  There was very... More »

I've been asked a few times about how long it takes to complete an International Adoption.  The answer varies drastically depending on what Country and what Agency you choose as well as the parameters you have set for the *proposal.  China for example is around three years while Russia can be completed in around a year and a half.Here is a summary of my adoption time line.*Proposal or Referral is the document that contains the photo(s) and medical information on a child that is available for adoption January 2010- Home study started and PRIDE course taken. Agency and Country chosen... More »

Dear Auntie Cat,I am too little to type or speak in sentences so I asked Mama to type this for me.  I can't quite say your name yet but don't feel too bad because I also rarely say my Mama's name either.  If you look at my face light up when I hear your voice or see you then you will know how much I love you with my whole little self.  You taught me how to hurl my body with abandon into your arms and I know that you are always there to catch me.  I know you are my... More »

I am on a quest to find cookies without added crap in them and so I have been spending way too much time in the cookie aisle reading labels.  By crap I mean fillers, preservatives, coloring and other unpronounceable additions.  I know if it's not made in your kitchen there are going to be some compromises but somehow I was lured by the happy dancing animals that grace so many of the packages and thought how bad could it be?  It's bad, many of the labels have over twenty ingredients in them which seems excessive considering cookie recipes have just... More »

It's cold & flu season and my house is not "immune". That's why I made a batch of this immune-boosting soup for my sad sounding sickie souls and I am pretty sure it'll have them leaping off tall buildings in no time.Did you know, my friends, that a homemade soup jam-packed with green leafy stuff will detox, immune boost and make your belly happy?In fact...ahem... prepare to be impressed.   The cruciferous vegetables of the genes Brassica, which include cabbage broccoli, cauliflower, kale and swiss chard contain more then 80 micronutrients.  They also enhance antioxidant and detoxification effects in the body.  If that... More »

Today was cold and rainy and we were all in need of an outing.  We decided to try out IKEA for an evening's entertainment.  Well, well why hadn't we tried this sooner?Priority parking for people with kids underground and in close proximity to the front door. Dinner $1.99 for kiddie fish and fries and for another buck a jar of organic veggie baby food.  Highchair, bib and clean up crew courtesy of the Swedish retailer.Entertainment- FREEWe romped around the kids section... bounced on the beds, crawled through tunnels, had a puppet show, played endlessly with the cupboards on the mini kitchen and hugged the... More »