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My Lovely Crazy Life

A glimpse inside the world of adoption, foster care, social work and parenting!

  • Our Story
  • Adoption
  • Foster Care
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    • Attachment
    • FASD
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Why I Gave ADHD Medication a Chance

August 15, 2017 by Amanda Preston 4 Comments

Daniel and I began our adoption journey early with our hearts open to a child with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). Our first child through adoption didn't get a diagnosis, but by the time our second and third sibling set were toddlers, it was very evident we were dealing with FASD. Being new to the parenting world of FASD, it took us a while to realize what was ... Read More

The Blogger Recognition Award

August 13, 2017 by Amanda Preston 4 Comments

I would like to thank Jaclyn from Mama Thrift for nominating me for the Blogger Recognition award. It is so exciting to be nominated after being in the blogging world for such a short time! A Brief Story on How My Lovely Crazy Life Started Blogging I originally began blogging years ago through good old blogger.com. It was mostly just tales of my life and my personal thoughts, ... Read More

Concurrent Adoption

August 12, 2017 by Amanda Preston 1 Comment

Daniel and I had been adoptive and foster parents for roughly 3 years before we decided to expand our family once again. Mathieu was 3, Robby was 2 and Alaina had just turned 1 years old. We didn't have any other foster placements at the time so we figured it was a good time to begin. We pondered between a regular Ministry adoption, like the one we did with Mathieu, or a ... Read More

Achieving Your Dreams As a Mom

August 12, 2017 by Amanda Preston 1 Comment

Several years ago I wrote the following except in an old blog: Recently I was watching the movie Conviction, detailing the real life story of Betty Anne Waters. Waters, who had a brother wrongfully convicted of murder, spent 18 years putting herself through law school in order to prove her brother’s innocence. She was a waitress, had 2 children, and had limited time and ... Read More

Step-by-Step Guide to Starting Your Own Money Making Blog

August 11, 2017 by Amanda Preston Leave a Comment

  You've finally done it. You've decided to start a blog. Congratulations! It's a huge decision to decide to start blogging, and if you're like me, you soon discovered just how much it takes to start a blog. There are countless blogs out there all explaining different steps to having a blog, but this post will give a detailed step-by-step guide on what to do so you ... Read More

Foster-to-Adopt – Part 2

August 11, 2017 by Amanda Preston 10 Comments

A few days after our son Robby turned CCO in June, we got a phone call that his birth mother was pregnant again and due in January. Due to her unique circumstances the baby would be apprehended at birth and we were asked if we wanted to take the new baby. We of course said yes and went on with our lives while we waited. (I later discovered I had a fluky blue camera...hence the ... Read More

9 Must Read Books for the Adoption Process

August 9, 2017 by Amanda Preston Leave a Comment

If you have begun your adoption journey already, then I am sure you have come to realize what a daunting and overwhelming experience it truly is. I am a firm believer in doing your research and reading up on various topics as you enter new phases of life. These books are some of my personal favorites which I truly believe will be a great resource for you in your adoption ... Read More

A Day In the Life of FASD

August 8, 2017 by Amanda Preston 7 Comments

One of the top questions I get from people considering adoption or foster care, is whether or not they think they can manage a child with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). ... Read More

Foster-to-Adopt – Part 1

August 8, 2017 by Amanda Preston 3 Comments

Enter Robby. We had been fostering for a little over 3 months when we got the call for our very first newborn. We had never parented a newborn before, and despite already parenting Mathieu and a few other children through fostering, I was nervous! ... Read More

Big Family Renovations – Part 3

August 7, 2017 by Amanda Preston 1 Comment

Last post I was sharing the similarities between our renovation and what happened in The Money Pit. We had finally come to the end of the boring (when I say boring I really mean traumatic, expensive, horrible, yet not decorative) stage. ... Read More

Becoming a Foster Parent

August 6, 2017 by Amanda Preston 4 Comments

Daniel and I had just adopted our first son, Mathieu, in June of 2005. We were loving being parents and were soaking up every moment with our precious new blessing. During that process, however, we had met a wonderful foster parent who had been caring for Mathieu. Listening to her journey and finding out about fostering, Daniel and I immediately knew we wanted to become ... Read More

When Teenager’s Adopt – Part 2

August 6, 2017 by Amanda Preston 5 Comments

In my previous post, When Teenager's Adopt - Part 1, we had just walked into our last home study visit. Our social worker had on a very concerned look and I was worried we had done something wrong. Instead she proceed to tell us she had a proposal for us. Jaw drop. For those of you who don't know much about the adoption process, a proposal is when social workers propose a ... Read More

When Teenager’s Adopt – Part 1

August 6, 2017 by Amanda Preston 4 Comments

Last post I introduced you to A Teenager's Wedding; a look at our wedding day at the ripe age of 18 and 19 years old. For this post, I actually squeezed myself out of the teenager category (fewf), but my husband sure didn't (I still had my strange collection of stuffed pigs on top of my kitchen cabinets, so I suppose my exit from childhood isn't 100% conclusive)! Our first ... Read More

A Teenager’s Wedding

August 5, 2017 by Amanda Preston 4 Comments

If you read my very first entry, How It All Began, you likely know the crazy start Daniel and I had to our relationship. It is no surprise then, to find out that our wedding day followed suit perfectly. Our wedding day, as mentioned in my previous post, was January 2nd. Daniel was 18 years old and I was 19 years old. It was a cold snowy Thursday, yet we were both so excited! ... Read More

Big Family Renovations! – Part 2

August 3, 2017 by Amanda Preston 8 Comments

So there we were. A week away from our rental ending and no where else to go. Our reno, which was supposed to have taken only 6-8 weeks (that was my schedule...to be fair Daniel DID say Christmas and I kept saying never), was no where near where it should be. ... Read More

Big Family Renovations! – Part 1

August 3, 2017 by Amanda Preston 7 Comments

My husband and I have been married for 14 years. We have owned many homes, and done a few renovations here and there. Mostly small scale, and with my husband being a carpenter, it was all manageable (That is what I am saying...if you asked my husband he might interpret it all very differently haha). ... Read More

The Starfish Story

August 3, 2017 by Amanda Preston Leave a Comment

The Starfish Story Original Story by: Loren Eisley One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?" The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back, ... Read More

Post-Adoption Depression: You Are Not Alone

August 3, 2017 by Amanda Preston 2 Comments

Recently I was speaking with another adoptive mom who was asking questions about adoption post-partum depression. It’s a taboo topic that is not often discussed in or outside adoption circles. Why, you may ask? Well because adoption is all unicorns and rainbows of course, where adoptive parents should be thankful to have been blessed with a child and be feeling nothing but ... Read More

Good Bye My Daughter

August 3, 2017 by Amanda Preston Leave a Comment

This is an excerpt from an article I wrote the day before my foster daughter left to return home. The emotions were raw and I still miss her to this day, but not much has changed in how I feel when a child leaves my home. ... Read More

The Forgotten Group: Teen Adoption

August 2, 2017 by Amanda Preston Leave a Comment

When you think of adoption, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Many people think immediately of infants straight from the hospital, others think of children living in orphanages overseas. One of the last things people think of however, is teenagers right here in our own backyard. ... Read More

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Author: Amanda Preston

Author: Amanda Preston

I'm Amanda! Mom of 8, adoptive parent, foster parent, social worker, and leader of the nut house. I hope you find some valuable resources here and enjoy my ramblings!

Also find me over at Scary Mommy!

Scary Mommy

Top Posts

  • 12 Things You Shouldn't Say to Adoptive or Foster Parents
  • Foster Parent's Take Strike! 7 Facts We Want You To Know! (Part 1)
  • Why You Should Reward Your Child for Bad Behavior
  • How to Design a Modern Farmhouse Kitchen
  • I'm Dying: Now What? The Importance of Self-Care in Adoption and Foster Care
  • The Importance of Support in Adoption and Foster Care

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