: About Me

I am many things. I am a wife, a mother, a pet owner, a gardener, a swimmer, a thinker and a reader. I am also a writer.

I began publishing my writing in high school when I began writing greeting cards for Blue Mountain Arts and DaySpring. Since then I have published articles and stories in more than 100 small magazines for children, teens and adults. I have also published on a variety of websites.

I have a degree in Child Development and Family Relationships. I worked as full-time caregiver for many years, earning a spot as a finalist for International Nanny Association's Nanny of the Year in 1998. I have worked with many kinds of families and have helped many parents better understand their roles in their childrens' lives. I consider myself an expert in child development, parenting and family dynamics and relationships.

I enjoy researching and writing on a variety of topics, but my favorite it children.

I am now working from home as a full-time writer and raising my daughter.

My passion is ...

my beautiful daughter. I am passionate about her development, her happiness and her self-confidence.

I know too much about ...

adoption, the pitfals and the highlights.

My parents always told me ...

you can't make any money as a writer.

My childhood ambition ...

was always to write.

My favorite memory ...

is seeing my daughter for the first time when she looked up at me with huge eyes as if to tell me that she and I belonged together.

Why I write ...

because it's part of who I am.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

I am trying to block out Dora the Explorer at the moment. I am reading an Anita Shreve notel called Body Surfing.

My first job ...

was as a waitress at Pizza Hut. I made good tips because I was a cute blonde who knew how to read people.

My best moment ...

was the day my daughter's adoption became final.

My inspiration ...

is, again, my daughter. She is my light.

Parenting & Pregnancy > Adoption Tips for adopting a baby from China

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You probably know someone who adopted a little girl from China. For years, China was the most popular place to adopt a child internationally. China is still a popular country to adopt a child, but the process has gotten significantly more complicated the past few years.  The first thing to know when adopting from China is that the experience of people you know who have adopted is not the same as the experience people are currently having or that you can expect to have. Do not expect your experience to be the same as other people you know. China adoption has changed.  The good new...

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