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My Lovely Crazy Life

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

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Dear Friends & Family: What I Want You to Know about Adoption and Foster Care

November 4, 2019 by Amanda Preston 6 Comments

Dear Friends & Family, It's true. I chose this life and everything that has accompanied it since. I chose to parents kids who require extra time to celebrate their culture. Attend cultural events. Cook new foods, and continually educate myself on a culture not my own.   I chose to have children who come with another extended family of their own. I chose to ... Read More

The #1 Thing You’re Messing Up During Your Child’s Meltdown

March 7, 2019 by Amanda Preston 1 Comment

  We've all been there. Playing with our kids at home, our child gets triggered and ALL chaos ensues. Navigating a meltdown can be hard. This can be a common occurrence for many parents, but when you're parenting a child with special needs, it can reach a whole new level. I think it is safe to say many of us avoid triggers like the plague. Recently I attended an ... Read More

I’m Dying: Now What? The Importance of Self-Care in Adoption and Foster Care

February 6, 2019 by Amanda Preston 1 Comment

Hi! My name is Amanda and I am dying. Anyone else? I think it is safe to say, that many of us on the adoption or foster care journey are living a life of chaos and are pretty worn out, hanging on by a mere thread. We may have begun the downward spiral of talking to garbage cans, eating fish crackers off the floor for dinner, resorting to basic tomfoolery in our spare ... Read More

Understanding our Children with Siblings with Special Needs

January 31, 2019 by Amanda Preston Leave a Comment

Raising a child with special needs can be arduous and unyielding. It can somehow muster the most introverted of parents to take arms for advocacy, change, support, and acceptance while simultaneously throwing the most extroverted on their knees in humility. It is riddled with highs and lows, laughter and tears, and though it can take everything out of you, it somehow finds the ... Read More

The Importance of Support in Adoption and Foster Care

January 22, 2019 by Amanda Preston 1 Comment

  As many of us travel along this journey of adoption and foster care, few of us will make it without finding ourselves knee deep in the trenches. It is while in those trenches that we truly realize the importance of support in adoption and foster care. Rose Colored Glasses   Daniel and I first started the adoption process quite young. He was only 19 and I ... Read More

An Open Letter from the Mother of a Bully

June 7, 2018 by Amanda Preston 4 Comments

We all know one. That child at school who calls other kids names. The one that says rude comments. The one that doesn't play fair during games, or tries to control who gets to play with the group. As a parent seeing your child's feelings get hurt, this can be heartbreaking, challenging, and down right infuriating. Hi! I'm the parent of that bully. But instead of saying ... Read More

Why You Should Reward Your Child for Bad Behavior

March 8, 2018 by Amanda Preston 8 Comments

You're standing in your kitchen washing dishes when suddenly your 10 year old child comes walking in. He asks if he can have an ice cream sandwich. Dinner is in 5 minutes so you calmly let him know not right now, but after dinner. Unfortunately, this tried and true method of delaying the "yes" doesn't work and your child begins to meltdown. I'm not talking your average ... Read More

Top 10 Sensory Toys You Need for ADHD and FASD!

August 23, 2017 by Amanda Preston 4 Comments

Having children with ADHD, FASD, or multiple other frontal lobe disorders often requires a bit of extra assistance. Over the years I have discovered several items that have helped calm my children, get out extra energy, help them focus and ease their anxiety. These are my top sensory and calming picks to help you with your child! This page contains affiliate links meaning I ... Read More

How Cats Help with ADHD and FASD

August 15, 2017 by Amanda Preston 7 Comments

I want to start out this post by saying it is from a completely unbiased viewpoint. That I am in no way trying to promote the love of cats over dogs. I do not love cats more than dogs...I do not secretly watch cat videos in my spare time, and I have no sentimental feelings towards cats. Ok....well...maybe I love cats. So I guess it is only fair to say I have heard of similar ... Read More

Why I Gave ADHD Medication a Chance

August 15, 2017 by Amanda Preston 5 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

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

A Day In the Life of FASD

August 8, 2017 by Amanda Preston 11 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

Post-Adoption Depression: You Are Not Alone

August 3, 2017 by Amanda Preston 3 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

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

Disability Resources

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Top Posts

  • How Cats Help with ADHD and FASD
  • Local Adoption or International Adoption: Which One is Right?
  • Top 10 Sensory Toys You Need for ADHD and FASD!
  • The #1 Thing You're Messing Up During Your Child's Meltdown
  • Why You Should Reward Your Child for Bad Behavior
  • 9 Must Read Books for the Adoption Process

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