Life with Two Special Needs Children

New Post

2014-12-19T18:26:00.001-06:00

I have a new post on the new blog. You can find it here.

Very Long Time, No Blogging!!!!

2014-12-07T21:45:00.001-06:00

As most of you know, 2014 has not been kind to the Sines family. The good news is that we are surviving and starting to heal and come out of the dark fog that has been over our family for quite a long time. Personally, I am doing much better with my depression and am feeling like I can get back to my blogging and functioning like a normal person. There were many days that I wasn't so sure. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband and boys, who God gave me that made me push through the dark times, as well as my wonderful therapist who was a HUGE help in helping me work through my feelings. And most importantly for God for always being there for me and my family and not making us walk through this dark time alone! There's more work to do and will always be an empty place in our hearts, but for now things are moving forward.

I will be starting to blog again, but I will be blogging on a different platform and want you to join me there. I have set up my own domain at www.twospecialneedschildren.com. I will leave this open for now so that I make sure that everyone gets notice that I have moved my blog over to the new website.

There is a lot to update, especially on Caleb's health and I plan to work on that in the next few days. I just ask that you be patient with me as I learn this new blogging platform!

Cassandra

Book Review: "Nowhere to Turn" by Lynette Eason

2014-09-15T21:28:00.001-05:00

It's time for me to post another book review. This time I had the opportunity to read "Nowhere to Turn" by Lynette Eason, one of my newest favorite authors that I discovered after becoming a reviewer for Revell Books. "Nowhere to Turn" did not disappoint.

The main characters are Danielle Harding and her son Simon; Stuart Harding, Danielle's brother-in-law; and Adam Buchanan, hired to help Danielle Harding go into hiding.

The suspense in "Nowhere to Turn" began from the very first chapter and it doesn't stop. The organization used to help Danielle and Simon stay safe takes every precaution before taking them to a safe house, but the bad guys keep finding them and no one can figure it out. And there is the romance element as well between Danielle and Adam, that breaks through both their trust issues.

"Nowhere to Turn" was a gripping page turner because every time Adam and Operation Refuge moved Danielle and Simon they were continually found. It seemed like the bad guys were going to win and that just could not happen!

Adam had to reach out to someone within the FBI and hope he was one of the good guys to get some help. There was definite suspense as to whether the person Adam reached out to was on the right side or wrong side of the law. I have to say, I think "Nowhere to Turn" was the most suspenseful books by Ms. Eason of all of her books that I have read! I highly recommend it.

You can pick up a copy of the book at your local bookstore on your favorite online retailer. I was provided a copy of the book for my honest review.

Hospitalization 2014 - Part 2

2014-07-25T20:41:00.002-05:00

So I am going to continue our saga regarding Caleb's hospitalization. If you didn't see the first part, you can see that here.

So Caleb had three nuprogen shots and his bone marrow responded and actually made too many nutrophils. By Monday, we were now seeing the infectious disease doctor to see if he had any recommendations about Caleb's incision and what to do about the vagal nerve stimulator. Finally, Caleb's neurosurgeon came in that evening while I was home taking a break. He didn't want to take the device out, especially since there wasn't certainty that there was infection on the device. The next plan was for the infectious disease doctor and the neurosurgeon to talk and try to come to a meeting of the minds.

Even after that discussion, the neurosurgeon was not intending on taking the device out because he wanted to talk to Caleb's neurologist who happened to be out of town that week.

The next day I sat down with the neurosurgeon, the hospitalist and our nurse and had a discussion about our options. Tony and I had decided to let the neurosurgeon talk to Caleb's neurologist and see what happens after he finishes all the antibiotics. The infectious disease doctor said he believes that if there is infection on the device he will get another infection in two to three months and then we will have to make the decision about whether or not to take out the device or put him on a low dose antibiotic daily. But all of this is also contingent on what is going on with his neutrophils.

You see, after we left the hospital on the 10th, we had an appointment with Caleb's pediatrician to follow up and recheck his labs. That day his nutrophil numbers looked really good. But Caleb had started having at least one episode of vomiting a day and he had never gotten his appetite back.

By Saturday, Caleb was unable to keep anything down, including his medicines. I ended up taking him to the ER and learned that his nutrophils had dropped 600+ points since Wednesday. The ER doctor called Caleb's pediatrician and she said to have him come in Monday and we would recheck everything again and see how he's doing. Caleb still wasn't eating, but he was at least drinking, even though he was still vomiting.

But by Tuesday, he wasn't even drinking and he was vomiting multiple times. I called the pediatrician and she told us to take him to the ER. We arrived at the ER at 7:00 p.m., was in a room at 2:00 a.m. and they admitted him at 5:00 a.m. What a long night.

So we've been here since Wednesday morning and they really haven't done much. We did try to get an upper GI, but Caleb refused to drink the contrast. Caleb's neurologist came in last night, after they finally added him as a consulting doctor - darn HIPPA laws!!!! And he adjusted Caleb's VNS down as he's thinking that might have been part of the vomiting problem. And today has been a much better day in that regard. He's eaten and drank and taken his medicine and kept it all down! Thank you, Jesus!!!!!!

Caleb's nutrophil numbers have continued to drop. We will need to follow up with the hematologist when we get out of the hospital, since he does not come to this hospital to see patients. Until then we will be sticking close to home with him to hopefully avoid him getting sick since he is immune-compromised. I just hope it doesn't take long to get an appointment. Tony and I have already talked about wanting to have a bone marrow biopsy done to see why his bone marrow keeps losing the nutrophils.

I'm praying hard that we can go home tomorrow. I'm really tired of being contained in this room!

Hospitalization 2014 - Part 1

2014-07-24T10:12:00.001-05:00

So Caleb is on stint number two in the hospital this summer, well, technically I should say since July 2nd.

The first one came because he was running a fever of 102, his doctor ran labs, like we had been advised to do thre years ago (at least - more about that later) and learned that his neutrophils (the bacteria fighting cells that your bone marrow produces) was at ZERO! As soon as his pediatrician called and said she wanted to admit him I started rushing around packing up, getting someone lined up to watch Steven, and getting up to the hospital.

When we arrived at the hospital, Caleb was not happy that we were going to be staying. He hates the hospital! I knew we would have a battle with the ID bracelet, so I had intended to speak with the registrar about just letting me carry it upstairs and then sneaking it on him while he slept. However, God was faithful and merciful in the situation. He provided a HUGE blessing to me by a registrar named Vicki.

They wanted Caleb to wear a mask due to him having no neutrophils. I told them politely that he would not wear it. I was advised that it was for his protection. I told them I understood that, but due to his Autism, there was no way that he was going to wear it and I had bigger battles that needed to be fought rather than trying to fight him over wearing a mask, namely getting upstairs. This is where Vicki comes in.

I think she actualy remembered us from some of the times when we had the major problems with the ID bracelet in the past. (Now, I can add to my "You must be a special needs parent when you are recognized by sight by" list, because it is pretty sad when the registrars at the hospital remember you.) Vicki asked me if Caleb liked basketbll. I told her that he liked bowling. In fact, he was playing bowling on the iPad while all of his was going on. She told me that se would draw some bowling pins and a bowling ball on his ID bracelet and that maybe he would put it on if she did that. When they finally had his room upstairs, Vicki showed Caleb that she had drew two bowling pins and a bowling ball for him and asked if he would wear the bracelet. Much to my surprise he said, "Yeah." Vicki was my angel in disquise! I made sure that her supervisor was notified of her "outside of the box" thinking to help Caleb. She had told me that she had a grandson with Autism, so she completely understood that sometimes you had to think "outside of the box."

Those first few days were very scary. There were a lot of testing going on and they were testing for some very serious things. We had no idea what was going on, but everything came back negative. There had been talk about doing a bone marrow biopsy, but because his bone marrow responded to the neurpogen shots that they gave him to jump start his bone marrow to make the neutrophils, that was put on hold.

It was a very long holiday weekend because not a lot was done and there was still a lot of vomitting and not eating. We even tried bringing in his favorite foods - Chinese food and Chipotlee - and who knew tht Chipotle closed on the 4th of July - not this momma! And he wouldn't eat those. Those are things that he cannot get enough of while we are at home.

Since this has gotten pretty lengthy, I'm going to write more later and get this posted.

Book Review: "The Revealing" by Suzanne Woods Fisher

2014-07-07T20:08:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity to take part in another one of Revell Book's Blog Tours. This one was for Suzanne Woods Fisher's "The Revealing." "The Revealing" is the third book in The Inn at Eagle Hill series. The first book is "The Letters" and the second book is "The Calling." (I reviewed about "The Calling" here.)

Here is the description of the book:

Naomi King, soft spoken, loyal, and easily overlooked, has a gift. She sees what others can’t see. Intuition, she calls it. Others in Stoney Ridge don’t know what to make of it and dismiss her hunches and inklings altogether.

When a young woman arrives at the Inn at Eagle Hill with a shocking secret about Tobe Schrock, Naomi fears the worst. She can’t ignore the feeling that something sinister is at work– something more than a threat to the tenuous love begun between her and Tobe.

As signs mount, they begin to point to Jake Hertzler, the elusive mastermind behind Schrock Investments’ downfall. Soon, events spiral hopelessly out of control and Naomi must decide whether to listen to her head or her heart.

In this riveting conclusion to The Inn at Eagle Hill series, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher pulls out all the stops with a fast-paced tale of deception, revelation, and just the right dose of romance.

I enjoyed reading "The Revealing" and finding out how the story finished up, even though I had
never read the first book in the series. It answered a lot of questions that were left unanswered after the second book.

There are many secrets in the book that are "revealed," including that Tobe Schrock knew more about his father's death. That was one of the many times where it was shown that forgiveness was shown to be a major theme throughout the storyline and was a major part of the faith of the main characters. Even when things are revealed that go against the Amish faith, there is still forgiveness.

At the end of the book Suzanne provides a list of discussion questions that you can review about the book. And Suzanne also provides a recipe for the Blueberry Lemon Squares from the Inn at Eagle Hill.

You can get a copy of "The Revealing" at your local bookstore or online retailer.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book in return for a honest review.

Book Review: "One Perfect Spring" by Irene Hannon

2014-05-10T21:34:00.000-05:00

It's time for me to post another book review for Revell Books. I was so excited when I received the e-mail where I could request Irene Hannon's "One Perfect Spring." I have absolutely loved every single book of Ms. Hannon's that I have read and "One Perfect Spring" certainly did not disappoint.

The story starts with a philanthropic organization receiving a letter from a young girl wanting help finding a child that her next door neighbor had placed for adoption when the child was born. The young girl wanted help so that she could provide the information to her neighbor as a gift for her neighbors birthday.

The storyline is based around the lives of four main characters, all who are single, two because they have never married, one because of a divorce and one because of the death of their spouse. Seeing how all four of these individuals come to rely on each other and on God through this story is just amazing and incredible.

The character, Keith, that was assigned the task of tracking down the neighbor's son, has his reasons for not wanting to follow through, but those reasons are not revealed until later on in the book. Keith's boss cannot understand why he is having such a difficult time wanting to do the task. He just sees so much of himself in Keith and wants Keith to see that there is more to life than being a workaholic.

Claire, the single mom to the young girl who wrote the letter, is very independent due to her divorce and is trying everything she can to keep her heart guarded and be independent.

I read this book in a couple of days because I just could not put it down! It was that good!!!!! You can read an excerpt here. You can also see discussion questions here. (But, beware, there are spoilers if you look at the discussion questions!)

I highly recommend all of Irene Hannon's books and you can see a list of all of her books on her website, which you can find at http://www.irenehannon.com/.

I hope you'll take some time and read this book and that you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

Caleb's Adoption: Meeting His Birthmother and the Match Meeting

2014-04-21T17:54:00.000-05:00

Note: I had written this post back in February around Caleb's birthday, but never published it. I had started looking for pictures that we had taken on our match meeting trip and lo and behold I couldn't find them. And then things got very crazy and out of control in our lives. I talk about that in a different blog that I keep private and only allow individuals to read it with an invitation. If you would like an invitation to read it, please send me an e-mail.

I have written about various parts of Caleb's adoption over the last few years, kind of as the mood hits me and haven't ever really sat down and written the entire story down in full. With everything that we have been through, I have been urged to write a book and one of my goals this year is to start working on it.

If you would like to read Caleb' adoption story in order, you can read it by clicking on the following links:

Caleb's Adoption: The Beginning

Caleb's Adoption: Meeting Caleb's Birthmother and the Match Meeting

So after getting the initial phone call from Caleb's birthmother saying that we were the family she wanted to raise her son, we scurried to arrange a time to go and meet her and have what the agency called a "match meeting." A "match meeting" is basically a meeting to discuss what type of contact the birthparents and family is going to have, who is going to name the child, who is going to be there when the child is born, who the child is going to be discharged to from the hospital, and on and on and on.

With Tony working as a contractor for a government agency, he would have a three day weekend, so President's Day Weekend was the perfect weekend to do it. Our counselor was willing to work the holiday as well to get the match meeting done. We were able to get a flight out on Friday afternoon where we didn't have to change planes, but did have one stop, but we didn't arrive into Sacramento until like 10 p.m. California time.

We were able to get to our hotel and get some sleep. The next morning we got up and headed out to meet Nova, Caleb's birthmother, at the maternity home where she was living at the time. To say that we were nervous, would have been a HUGE understatement. My stomach was in knots!!!!!

Nova had all sorts of things that she wanted us to do. She wanted to take us to the home that she was in when she received our "Dear Birthmother" letter so that the residents there could meet us. So that, I believe, was our first stop. We then drove downtown and she showed us where the hospital was where she would go to when she went into labor.

Nova also wanted to go to the State Capitol building and show that to us. We toured the inside and walked around the grounds.

Nova also wanted to show us Old Sacramento, so we spent some time there. We took her out to lunch, did a lot of driving, a lot of finding her orange juice (she always kept telling us that the "baby is taking all the calcium from my bones!"). By the time it was time to take Nova back to the maternity home Tony and I were exhausted!

Sunday we stayed close to our hotel, since we did so much running around the day before. We also had a very early day the next day for our meeting.

Spending the time with Nova, Tony and I spent the weekend very much out of our comfort zone. We did a lot of driving in areas of downtown Sacramento that we would not normally go to; walking into a maternity home, with the residents knowing that we were adoptive parents, as most of the residents there were planning on keeping their babies; spending a lot of time with someone who we had just met and were hoping that she would allow us to parent raise her unborn child.

On Monday we picked Nova up and drove to our agency's office for the match meeting. The meeting went well, as there really wasn't any surprises. After the end of the meeting, we took Nova shopping and got her some clothes, took her back to the maternity home and went back to our hotel. We had to be at the airport early the next morning, as our flight left at 5:30 in the morning to head back to Raleigh. Fortunately, we were on the opposite route as our flight out, stop in Phoenix but didn't need to change plans and then on to Raleigh.

Caleb's Adoption: The Waiting

{Here's the story from when we received the call!}

On February 28th, I received a call from Caleb's birthmother's friend saying that she was at the hospital in labor. I called our counselor and she told us to start getting ready to travel. I left work and began finishing our packing and changing our plane tickets to fly out the next day. Later that afternoon, about 4:45, we received the phone call that our son was born. We were so excited. I could hardly sleep that night! The next day we began the long flight to California. I called the hospital and talked to our son's birthmom before we got on the plane. She told us that the nurses said it would be okay for us to come to the hospital as soon as we got into town, even though it would not be until about 10 p.m. that we would even land at the airport.

We did go straight to the hospital and this is the first time I was able to see our son, Caleb Alexander:

This is an absolutely horrible picture of me, seeing it was actually 1 a.m. North Carolina time and I'd spent seven hours on an airplane!

Caleb spent five days in the hospital and then was discharged to us. His birthmother was resolved in her decision and signed all the necessary papers when she was asked to. We even had to do it a second time due to the fact that there was some mental health questions and we found out that she needed to have a psychological exam performed before actually signing the papers. So we had to hurry and get all of that accomplished.

We were told that it could take weeks to get the necessary ICPC paperwork approved, which meant we had to stay in California until that happened. It so happened, that because our home study would have expired while we were in California and would need to get it updated as soon as possible, we were actually able to receive a conditional approval and leave California to go home to North Carolina within a week of Caleb being discharged from the hospital.

It was wonderful to be able to go home with our little boy!

So that is some of the major points of Caleb's adoption story!!!! There are other stories that are intertwined with this that I may share at other times of individuals who helped us during this very exciting, but stressful time in our lives. God blessed us with some wonderful friends who blessed us in ways that we could never have imagined.

New Post on Private Blog

2014-04-21T15:42:00.001-05:00

I have posted a long overdue update on my private blog (http://cassandrasprivatethoughts.blogspot.com/) for anyone who wants to read about what's been going on. If you have not already received an invite, please send me and e-mail (cassandra{dot}sines@gmail{dot}com).

Book Review: "You're Going to Be Okay," by Holley Gerth

2014-02-09T22:19:00.001-06:00

Another book that caught my eye when I was looking through the books available in February to review was "You're Going to be Okay," by Holley Gerth. You see, there has been a lot of tough stuff going on in our family which has caused my depression to kick into overdrive. Even though I am currently on two different medications for that, there are still days that I wonder if I will make it through.

Raising multiple special needs children is tough. In fact, today was really emotionally draining for me. While Caleb is almost chronologically 12, cognitively he is only 3. I tell him the same thing every morning about NOT putting his socks and shoes on at the kitchen table and yet he doesn't seem to comprehend. Then after church at a leadership luncheon that Tony and I had he had to go to the bathroom, so I took him. i had to prompt him each step of the way. It's those types things that emotionally drain me.

And then to add in everything that is going on with Cassidy right now, it just really throws me over the edge. So there really are days when I do not know if I am going to be okay! So I jumped at the chance to read this book.

As I was reading the book the other day, Tony asked me, "So, are you going to be okay?" And I was like, "Huh?" I was so engrossed into the book that it took me a minute to realize what he was talking about!!!

Unfortunately, I only made it through half of the book before I had to start to write this review to meet the deadline. But what I have read I have really liked. Ms. Gerth writes in a way that is personable and like you are sitting across the table having a cup of hot chocolate. As you are going through the chapters there are thought provoking questions to work through.

I can't wait to finish working through the book so that I can find the joy, resilience and strength no matter what life brings -- and life surely brings a lot!!!!!

Book Review: "Shadows of the Past" by Patricia Bradley

2014-02-09T21:17:00.000-06:00

As part of of the Revell Blog tour, I love being able to read books by authors that I have never read before. In January I received an e-mail of available books and saw "Shadows of the Past," by Patricia Bradley. After reading the description, I knew that I wanted to read this book.

I received the book right before Tony, Caleb and I came down with the horrible crud. I started reading the book while recovering from that crud and I couldn't put it down! I finished the book in two days!!!

Here's the description of the book:

Psychology professor and criminal profiler Taylor Martin prides herself on being able to solve any crime, except the one she wants most desperately to solve--the disappearance of her father twenty years ago. When she finally has a lead on his whereabouts, Taylor returns home to Logan Point, Mississippi, to investigate. But as she is stalking the truth about the past, someone is stalking her.

Nick Sinclair pens mystery novels for a living, but the biggest mystery to him is how he can ever get over the death of his wife--a tragedy he believes he could have prevented. With his estranged brother the only family he has left, Nick sets out to find him. But when he crosses paths with Taylor, all he seems to find is trouble.

Join the chase as this determined duo search the murky shadows of the past for the keys to unlocking the present and moving into a future filled with new hope and love. Readers will be swept into the sultry South in this debut novel from a promising and already award-winning writer.

I was drawn into the book in the very first chapter. Ms. Bradley did a great job of keeping the story moving in such a way that you were always guessing as to who the actual "bad guys" were until the very end, which I like in a suspense novel.

Ms. Bradley's writing reminded me a lot of Sandra Orchard and Lynette Eason, so if you like their books

Book Review: "The Calling" by Suzanne Woods Fisher

2014-01-23T14:08:00.000-06:00

I had received another book review offer from Revell Books that I accepted because the book sounded interesting. I also enjoy reading new authors. First, I would like to apologize to Ms. Fisher and Revell Books for being late in posting this review. Between my depression and then myself and two other members of my family catching the nasty crud, today is the first day that I have actually felt human enough to sit up and type at the computer.

"The Calling" is the second book in The Inn at Eagle Hill series by Suzanne Woods Fisher. It took me a few chapters to actually figure out who the characters were, but I think that if I had read the first book in the series, I do not think that would have been an issue.

The main setting of the story is an Amish community. It surrounds a family who is running a bread and breakfast, a guest who is staying at the bread and breakfast, the two individuals who live next door to the home next to the bread and breakfast, a group of five older sisters, as well as the "quilting bee," and a group home of troubled girls.

One of the sisters at the bed and breakfast's mom had left when she was younger and she always wondered why. Her brother had left town a couple of years earlier, who happened to return home. He tried to deter his sister from looking into why her mother left, but she couldn't let it go. She pursues it and learns about mental illness.

This was a very good book. It was a very quick read, as well. When I was able to sit down and read it, I read a good chunk of it in a day. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who likes Amish fiction. I will probably even go back and get the first one in the series so that I can understand a little bit more about the story.

On Ms. Fisher's website, I saw that she has a Discussion Guide for the book. You can also find out more about her other books.

I received a copy of "The Calling" to post an honest review. All thoughts are my own and in no way have been influenced.

You can purchase "The Calling" at your local bookstore or at an online retailer.

Book Review: "Everyday Confetti" by Karen Ehman and Glynnis Whitwer

2014-01-11T22:17:00.000-06:00

As I was looking through the e-mails in December for the January blog tours, I saw that the book, "Everyday Confetti," was available for review. It looked very interesting to me and I wanted to look at it closer. So I requested a copy.

I started reading through the book and was very glad that I had received a copy. I think this is going to be something I refer to quite a bit!

This is the description on the back of the book: "Everyday Confettiis your go-to guide to making holidays, birthdays, special events, and even the every day special. Inside you'll find more than two hundred ways to make memories with your family, including easy recipes, fun and activities, and inexpensive decorating ideas -- all simple, doable, and stress free."

And wait -- before you go and say "I'm not a decorator. I'm not crafty." From what I read these are all very simple and even me (who is not very crafty!) can do them!!!

The first part of the book is about everyday celebrations. There are chapters about celebrating every day joys, celebrating birthdays, spiritual milestones, ways to stay connected, and reaching out to others in hard times.

One thing I learned by this book is that there is a Name Day and you can find out when your Name Day is or the Name Day for your family members are and there are suggestions of things to do for your family members on their Name Day. If you are interested in learning when your Name Day is you can look here.

The second section of the book discusses each holiday (and not just the major holidays) throughout the year and provides suggestions of things to do and sometimes recipes to use for those holidays.

One suggestion that I really liked under the springtime celebrations is making pretzels. They mention that pretzels look like praying hands, so while the pretzels are baking, as a family decide on an individual who you would like to pray for. After the pretzels are done, pray for the individual, eat some of the pretzels, wrap up the remaining pretzels and deliver them to the individual and tell them that you are praying for them. And depending on the amount of pretzels that you have, you might be able to share with more than one person.

There are so many out-of-the-box ideas that I just love!

There is a Facebook page for "Everyday Confetti," which can be found here.

Also, there is a website for "Everyday Confetti," which can be found here.

And here is the link for their Pinterest boards.

You can purchase "Everyday Confetti" at your local bookstore or any online retailer.

I received a copy of this book from Revell Books in exchange for my truthful review. All thoughts are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

Book Review: "No One to Trust" by Lynette Eason

2014-01-11T20:26:00.001-06:00

The beginning of December, I received an e-mail from Revell Books about their January Blog Tour and was very happy to see that Lynette Eason's "No One to Trust" was part of this blog tour. I had been anxiously awaiting this book to be released ever since I finished her Deadly Reunion series last year.

When I received my book, I began reading it almost immediately and certainly was not disappointed. From the prologue, I was hooked. As I kept reading through Chapters one and two when I was learning about the two main characters, David Abernathy and Summer Abernathy, my heart went out to Summer Abernathy for what she was going through.

Ms. Eason does a wonderful job describing each scene that makes you feel like you are actually in the situation with the characters. There were many nights where I started reading and would literally be falling asleep and have to force myself to put it down. However, the night I finished it, I was so caught up in what was happening and wanted to see how it ended, that I couldn't sleep and kept reading until I finished!

In the story, Ms. Eason references a song entitled, "Wake," that helps Summer Abernathy, who happens to be a lawyer, and one of her clients. Ms. Eason's husband and his band actually recorded the song and it is on her website for download. You can listen to clip of the song here. If you do purchase the song, all of the funds raised go to http://www.cupsofcoldwater.com/.

I highly recommend you read "No One to Trust." I do not think you will be disappointed! You will be able to pick up a copy at your local bookstore or any online retailer.

I was provided a copy of "No One to Trust" by Revell Books in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are my own and in no way have been influenced by anyone.

New Post on Private Blog

2013-12-02T20:09:00.001-06:00

I have written a new post on my private blog. If you do not have access and would like to read it, please message me on Facebook or send me an e-mail at cassandra{dot}sines{at}gmail{dot}com and I will send you an invite.

Cassandra

National Adoption Month - Open Adoption Blogger Interview Project - Meet Susan

2013-11-26T07:20:00.001-06:00

Every November is considered National Adoption Month. It is a time to bring awareness to the growing number of children that are awaiting adoption as well as to celebrate the families who have been created by the loving act of adoption.

Each of our three adoptions, just like our children, were very, VERY different. The big difference between Caleb's adoption and Cassidy and Steven's adoption is that we actually met and have contact -- albeit very limited contact -- with Caleb's birthmother, which is considered an open adoption. Caleb's birthmother chose Tony and I to be Caleb's parents, unlike the State being involved in Cassidy and Steven's adoptions.

This year as I was looking around the vast Internet I learned about the Open Adoption Blogger Network. I was intrigued and signed up. I then received an e-mail to see if I was interested in participating in an interview project as a part of National Adoption Month, where I would be paired up with another open adoption blogger and we would interview each other and share our interviews on our blogs. I was very interested and signed up. The individuals that were spearheading the project were going to have individuals post on three different dates throughout the month and I knew with the way my life went that the later in the month for me was the best!

So, with that introduction, I am pleased to bring you, what I hope to be, my first of many interviews for years to come as part of the Open Adoption Blogger Network.

So, I would like to introduce you to Susan. Susan and her husband Mitch, are currently in the waiting stage of adoption. Susan did a great job of keeping the dialog going to make sure we met the deadlines to get our interview completed on time.

When I received the first e-mail from Susan, I had an idea, even though that we lived in different areas of the country and had never met before, that she and her husband might be using the same adoption agency that we used when we adopted Caleb. I wrote Susan back, asked her and, sure enough, they were using the same agency. What are the odds?!?!??!

Well, let's get on to learning more about Susan.

I know by reading through your blog that you have chosen the Independent Adoption Center (IAC), which so happens to be the agency that my husband and I used when we adopted our oldest, and they are an open adoption agency. Did you consider any other adoption agencies? Any other type of adoptions, i.e., foster care, international?

We told ourselves we were going to learn everything we could about different types of adoption before we embarked on our journey, but there’s a lot to consider. It was hard for us to take it all in and explore all our options as fully as we would have liked. We relied a lot on the experiences of others when making our decision to move forward with IAC back in the summer of 2010. Before making that decision we did briefly consider both foster care and international adoption, but we were really drawn to the benefits of open adoption, particularly to the child. We looked at a few agencies and ultimately selected IAC because of two very strong recommendations from people we knew who worked with them. In the last few years, we’ve really come to see the limitations of relying on other people’s experiences. After all, everyone is different and you’re never going to have the same experience as someone else. Your experience might be similar, but it’s still going to vary because you’re not the same people with the same circumstances.

What have you done to pass the time while you are waiting for “the call”?

Life goes on while you’re waiting. We’ve been waiting 31+ months and are finding that the longer you wait, the more life goes on, with or without you. You can choose to be part of life or not, but it happens all around you even if you choose not. So we do our best to keep focused ourselves focused on the bigger picture. We’ve heard that adoption will happen for us if we wait long enough, but in the meantime we’ve been pouring ourselves into the lives that we are living now and pursuing our goals. We work hard and find time to play hard too. One of the best ways we find to distract ourselves is with our annual passes to Disneyland which is only 15 minutes away from where we live. We also love day trips out, visits to museums, zoos, and other local attractions, and pursuing interests such as reading and craft projects. I’ve also found it particularly helpful to stay engaged with our local bead store. They offer numerous classes every month and it’s so much fun to try new beading techniques and hang out with people there.

How supportive is your extended family with your adoption decision?

Everyone is on board with the idea of us adopting. We’ve found that many people aren’t aware of the intricacies and complications with adoption, and that includes many family members and friends. So while everyone is generally supportive, it’s hard for some to really understand what we’re going through or why it’s taking so long. That said, we know they’re here for us even if they’re a little fuzzy on the details.

Are there any adoption blogs or websites that you are following?

My husband and I both regularly follow America Adopts, both on their Facebook page and blog. We were drawn to them early in our journey, both because of the great advice they often have for those waiting to adopt and because they write regularly about a variety of perspectives and topics related to adoption. I also follow “He’s Our Heart, She’s Our Hero” which is the blog written by my interview partner from 2012. While her wait to adopt ended almost 2 years ago, her story has some parallels with my own. I find her perspective very inspiring and I find it helpful to hear her stories about life now that the adoption is finalized.

What adoption books have you read that helped you the most?

This year I read "Instant Mom" by Nia Vardalos, who is probably best known for her role in the movie, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Her book is about her long and very rocky journey to become a mother, which finally happened by adopting through the foster care system. She tells her story with wit and candor and it includes stories about her career and her struggles to become a mother. I found it very engaging and easy to read, and also found there was a lot of good information about adoption in the midst of her story. I learned several things I didn’t know about the foster care system and my husband and I have started to reconsider our path as a result. I also liked that Ms. Vardalos is committed to adoption advocacy and donates proceeds from the book to charities.

"Instant Mom" really stands out for us because my husband and I also had the opportunity to hear Ms. Vardalos speak twice about her book and her adoption journey. The first time was in April 2013 at the "Los Angeles Times" Festival Books. It was right after her book came out and I hadn’t read it yet, but I knew I wanted to hear her talk about her book. We bought a copy and she was so sweet to us when we she signed it. We heard her speak again at a local library in October 2013, and this experience was even better because I had just finished reading her book. We stood in the book signing line just to thank her for the book and tell her how much I liked it. We weren’t expecting her to sign our copy since it was already signed. We were very impressed that she was so sweet to us again and happily surprised when she volunteered to sign our book a second time.

I saw from your blog that you were working on a cross stitch project, I’m assuming for your nursery. Have you completed that project?

I have not. This year has been very difficult in many ways, including a death in the family and a failed match. A bit got done in the glow of matching with a pregnant woman in early June. Unfortunately my enthusiasm for the project faltered when the match failed and we went back to continuing our wait. Sometimes I find that I have time to work on the project, but find it very difficult to settle down and actually stitch. I wind up getting involved with other things and the project continues to go unfinished.

I know while we were in our long waiting period for our oldest, we received some insensitive comments from well-meaning individuals. How do you handle those?

We’ve been fortunate in that we received very few insensitive comments. There are a few that have come close, but these are usually in relation to the time it is taking or the method we’ve chosen to adopt. We often hear, “Why aren’t you adopting a particular way, such as internationally? Someone we know did this and they adopted right away.” It’s clear that the people making these comments want us to become parents as soon as possible, but they don’t realize how invested we already are with the path we’re on. Our response varies depending on our connection to the person making the comment. In some cases, we’ll just respond that their idea is something to consider and we’ll leave it at that. In other cases, we’ll take some time to explain why that might an idea for the future, but not possible now.

There is a source of painful comments that I’d like to share. I have a very dear friend who is in her 80s and lives in London. She’s been like a grandmother to me and we talk on the phone every week. She’s a lovely person and has been extremely supportive of our plans to adopt, but she’s never really understood how adoption works in the 21st century. In the last year, things have become more complicated because she has developed dementia. She often asks about our son or daughter, forgetting that we haven’t actually adopted yet. And unfortunately I made this even harder when we matched over the summer and I shared our good news. Almost every week now I find myself explaining once again that our match failed and I don’t have a child, when she asks how my daughter is. I know she loves us very much and she doesn’t mean to hurt me when she asks, but I’ve learned I need to be much more careful when sharing information with her about our adoption plans.

You can read more about Susan and Mitch on her blog here. I would like to ask my friends to please pray for Susan and Mitch and that God would bless this couple with a bundle of joy!!!!

If you would like to read Susan's interview of me, you can go to her blog and read it there.

You can learn more about the Open Adoption Blogger Network and the Interview Project here.

And if you go here you will find third and final installment of interviews in the Open Adoption Blogger Network Interview Project of 2013.

If you want to read more, here is the second installment.

And the first installment is here.

Book Review: "Trapped" by Irene Hannon

2013-09-07T18:44:00.002-05:00

It's time for another Revell Books blog tour. I know I have not posted an update on the boys in a REALLY long time. I plan on doing that this week -- hopefully! The issues with Cassidy have really have taken all of my energy and it has really been all I could do to get through each and every day making sure everyone is fed, medicated, has clean clothes and gets to where they need to be when they need to be there.

The one saving grace for me has been taking time out from the chaos of our daily life and reading various fiction books. Irene Hannon, has very quickly become one of my favorite romantic suspense authors. When I received notice from Revell Books that they had "Trapped" available as a review copy, I didn't hesitate to reply that I wanted to participate in this blog tour.

"Trapped" is the second book in the Private Justice series, where the story lines revolve around three private detectives, with each book placing a strong emphasis on one private detective as the main focus.

Just like in "Vanished," Irene quickly grabs the readers attention in just the first few pages and you do not want to put it down until you get to the end. Just because of everything we had going on, I would fall asleep reading and it took me longer than it normally would have to read, much to my chagrin, because it was so good!!

This story line surrounded a detective being hired by a librarian who wanted to find her half-sister who ran away from home. The private detective firm has a policy of not getting personally involved with clients and Irene describes so well the conflict that the detective go through as he realizes that he is having feelings for the client and how he has to put those feelings aside to complete the job. Ultimately, both detective and client are able to confide in each other and share some painful past hurts that help heal their hearts.

This is another book that did not disappointment me. If you have an interest in romantic suspense novels, I suggest you read "Trapped" and any of Irene Hannon's other books.

I received a copy of "Trapped" in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts have in no way been influenced. You can purchase "Trapped" at your local bookstore or an online retailer!

And I promise to have an update on the boys soon! There's a lot to say!!!!

New Update on Cassidy

2013-09-04T13:50:00.000-05:00

There is a new update on Cassidy at my private blog. If you would like to read it, please send me an e-mail at cassandra.sines@gmail.com and I will send out an invite, as I am not allowing this one to be viewed publicly due to the sensitive nature of what is going on with our daughter.

New Post on Private Blog

2013-08-26T08:41:00.004-05:00

I just posted an update on my private blog about Cassidy. If you would like to read it, please send me an e-mail at cassandra.sines@gmail.com and I will send you an invite with the link.

Cassandra

Video Review: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest for Crystal Mickey

2013-06-16T08:50:00.000-05:00

Synopsis: Join Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and all their pals in the newest Clubhouse crusade. When the legendary Crystal Mickey goes missing, Mickey and friends go on an adventure to save the Clubhouse from losing its magic. Grab your hat, buckle your seatbelt, and get ready to embark on a thrilling adventure in “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest for the Crystal Mickey!”

There’s no time to lose after greedy Plunderin’ Pete snatches the legendary Crystal Mickey statue from the Clubhouse. Without this sparkly statue’s magic, the Clubhouse will disappear forever! Can the world’s most extraordinary hero "Kansas City Mickey," get the magical statue back in time? Only with help from young viewers at home…and the right Mouseketools can Mickey journey across the Sandy Desert, brave the Rushing River and make his way through the Hidden Jungle. But watch out for Pete’s trickiest traps!

Full of magic and mystery, the DVD includes four extra episodes of Disney Junior's Emmy®-nominated series "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" (over 2 hours of content!) and a FREE Adventure Activity Map plus Stickers. Don’t miss this latest Clubhouse adventure as it arrives for the first time on Disney DVD on May 21, 2013.

Talent: Bret Iwan (as Mickey Mouse); Russi Taylor (as Minnie Mouse); Bill Farmer (as Goofy and Pluto); Tony Anselmo (as Donald Duck); and Tress MacNeille (as Daisy Duck).

Executive Producer: Rob LaDuca
Producer/Story Editor: Mark Seidenberg
Director: Donovan Cook

Episodes:
1 – Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Quest for the Crystal Mickey
2 – Donald of the Desert
3 – Donald the Genie
4 – Goofy’s Coconutty Monkey
5 – Goofy’s Giant Adventure

Street Date: May 21, 2013
Director Prebook: March 26, 2013
Distributor Prebook: April 9, 2013
Release Format: DVD

Suggested Retail Price: $19.99 U.S./$24.99 Canada
Run Time: Approx. 120 minutes
Rated: TV-Y
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen (Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions)
Sound: 2.0 Dolby Digital Languages & Subtitles: English, French & Spanish

I received a copy of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: The Quest for Crystal Mickey to review. A friend of mine came to the house with her daughter, Libby, and I thought it would be fun for her to watch and give me her thoughts as to the video. So we sat down and watched it. Libby (age 6) and Steven (age 3) were mesmerized by it. I think partly because neither one of them watch much television!

My friend and I by the end were tired of the high pitched character voices. However, it is manageable in short stints.

Neither child really interacted with the video when questions were asked or calling for "Toodles."

My thought was that this was a kid, cartoon Mickey version of Indian Jones!

When we were done watching the video I asked Libby what she thought. She said, "He's not real." I then asked her if she liked it. And she shook her head yes. Steven's favorite part is the end of each episode when they do the "hot dog dance." There are times when he will just start dancing and we always know it is the "hot dog dance."

I received a copy of this video for an honest review. My opinion is my own and has in no way been influenced.

Book Review: "Deadly Devotion" by Sandra Orchard

2013-06-16T08:05:00.003-05:00

I had the opportunity to review another book as part of Revell Books Blog Tour. One thing I love about reviewing books is I have the opportunity to read new authors' writings.

"Deadly Devotions" is another suspense fiction book. It is set in a town called Port Aster in Canada. The main character is certain that her friend did not commit suicide as the police have determined. Since she cannot seem to get the police to reopen the investigation, she investigates herself.

Ms. Orchard grabs your attention very early on in the book and keeps you wanting to turn the page so you can get to the end to figure out who actually did the crime. I was disappointed that I kept having to put the book down because my schedule has been so crazy the last couple of weeks. I would have much rather been reading!

I'm generally able to figure out a "who dunit" prior to the ending; however, in this book, Ms. Orchard writes in a way that you are kept guessing until the very end and the "big reveal" of the person responsible.

"Deadly Devotion" is the first book in a series and I will definitely be reading more that are to come!

Sandra Orchard is an active member in American Christian Fiction Writers, The Word Guild, Romance Writers of America and a local writing group. She recently participated in the Writers’ Police Academy for hands-on training and simulations at a police training facility. She is the author of Shades of Truth, Critical Condition, which won the 2012 RT Reviewer’s Choice Award for it’s series and Deep Cover, which won the Canadian Christian Writing Award for romance in June 2012 and was recognized as one of the top five novels of the year by Family Fiction magazine. Orchard has also received a Daphne DuMaurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense in both the inspirational category and for best score overall. She lives in Niagara, Ontario, Canada. To find out more, please visit www.sandraorchard.com.

To read an excerpt from the book you can click here. You can also connect with Ms. Orchard on Facebook by clicking here.

"Deadly Devotion" is available June 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revel, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

I was provided a copy of "Deadly Devotion" in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts have no way been influenced by the receipt this book.

Book Review: "That Certain Summer" by Irene Hannon

2013-06-08T21:03:00.001-05:00

As part of Revell Books Blog Tour I was offered to read Irene Hannon's latest book, "That Certain Summer." As I had read a number of Ms. Hannon's books previously, I was interested in reading this one as well, even though I knew it didn't have the suspense attribute to it as the previous books I had read had.

"That Certain Summer" did not disappoint. Ms. Hannon is a wonderful writer and you are drawn to the characters very early on just as in all of the previous books that I have read. This book focused on four main individuals, a physical therapist raising a young daughter by himself, a hurting musician, and two sisters who never had a close relationship, who have to help take care of their mother who has had a stroke.

The ultimate focus is Christ and how Christ uses our experiences to bring healing to relationships as well as how He uses others to help guide people to a relationship with Him!

Irene Hannon is the author of more than 35 novels, including the bestselling Heroes of Quantico and Guardians of Justice series. Her books have been honored with two coveted RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America, a Carol Award, a HOLT Medallion, a Daphne du Maurier Award and two Reviewers' Choice Awards from RT Book Reviews magazine. Booklist also included one of her novels in its "Top 10 Inspirational Fiction" list for 2011. She lives in Saint Louis, Missouri.

For more information about her and her books, Irene invites you to visit her website at www.irenehannon.com.

"That Certain Summer" is available at your local Christian bookstore.

I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for a truthful review of the book. My opinion has not been influenced in anyway by the receipt of this book.

DVD Review and Giveaway: "Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Check-Up"

2013-05-28T18:49:00.002-05:00

I received a copy of "Doc McStuffins: Time for Your Checkup" to review. The boys and I watched the video yesterday. My boys are 11 and 3; however, both are developmentally much younger than their chronological age. My oldest was very engaged in the video. My youngest, not so much; however he is a very active child and does not like to sit still for very long!

Neither of my boys like going to the doctor. They have both been to so many doctor's in their lifetime that once they see where they are going we generally start having issues before we even walk in the door! I am hopeful that by watching this a few times, my kids see how the stuffed animals/toys are treated by Doc, and be a little bit more comfortable at the doctor. With their Autism social stories are good and what better social story than a video?

I enjoyed the video, although the tune that they sang in each episode started to get a little annoying after watching the video straight through.

Here is a little bit of information about the video:

Episodes:

1 - Gulpy, Gulpy Gators!/One Note Wonder
2 - Tea Party Tantrum/Blast Off!
3 - Arcade Escapade/Starry, Starry Night
4 - Bronto Boo-Boos/Brontosaurus Breath
5 - Doctoring The Doc/Hot Pursuit

Street Date: May 7, 2013
Director Prebook: March 12, 2013
Distributor Prebook: March 26, 2013
Release Format: DVD
Suggested Retail Price: $19.99 U.S./$24.99 Canada
Run Time: Approx. 120 minutes
Rated: TV-Y (U.S.)
Aspect ratio: 1.78.1
Sound: 2.0 Dolby Digital
Languages & Subtitles: English, Spanish and French

I am able to offer a copy of this video to one of my readers via a giveaway. So if you would like to enter the giveaway, enter below.

I was provided a this video for an honest review. My opinion has not been influenced in anyway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Post on Private Blog

2013-05-18T21:21:00.003-05:00

I just posted an update on my private blog regarding Cassidy. If you do not have access and would like to read it, please send me an e-mail.

Cassandra

Book Review: "Couponing For the Rest of Us" by Kasey Knight Trenum

2013-05-11T19:00:00.000-05:00

Another recent offer from the Revell Book Blog Tour that I received was from "Couponing for the Rest of Us" by Kasey Knight Trenum. I was interested in reading this book because I have had a hard time finding a "happy-medium" when it came to couponing and was interested in what this author's method was.

I have done everything from buying lots and lots of papers to have multiple coupons to not buying any papers and not couponing hardly at all. I am trying to find ways to save more money on our grocery bill, which just always seems to be rising.

Kasey Knight Trenum is the cofounder of Time 2 $ave (www.time2saveworkshops.com), a frugal and couponing blog and conducts Time 2 $ave workshops frequently. Her weekly column can be read in Scripps newspapers nationwide, her work has been featured in Parade and All You and she has been interviewed on NPR's All Things Considered and HLN’s Making it in America. She has a personal passion for seeing women, men and families find financial freedom, be empowered to improve their lives and become purposeful givers. She and her husband and children live in Tennessee.

Ms. Trenum wrote this book in a way that people who have never used coupons before can understand them. She helps people by showing them the following:

Where to find coupons for what your family eats
How to make the internet do the work for you
How to find sale cycles and store match-ups (and what those terms mean!)
How to reinvent your shopping strategy and toss your lists
How to make grocery shopping less stressful - even fun!
How to turn money saved into money shared
Make couponing fit your life not become your life

One theme that Ms. Trenum continues to express throughout the book is that even if you only have enough time to clip and use enough to save five percent, you have still saved five percent and you should be proud of yourself for that. You do not need to compare yourselves to the "extreme couponers" who are saving a lot if you do not have the time for it.

That is where I fell into the trap and got burned out. I really felt like I needed to be saving 70% or more on our shopping and if I wasn't then what was the point. But, really, every little bit of savings every week will add up if you just do it when you have time. And if I have a busy, crazy week and cannot get through my coupons, then I need to just shake it off and start again the next week.

Ms. Trenum provides action steps at the end of each chapter to help people get started with their couponing journey. At the end of the book there are forms and tips to help your further with getting started.

Here is a transcript of a question and answer session with Ms. Trenum:

Q. I’m already busy, and couponing looks like a part time job. Do I really have time?

A. I hear your pain. If anyone thought she didn’t have time to coupon, it was me. I didn’t even consider it as a remote possibility. Time or no time, I couldn’t afford not to use couponing as an avenue to save. Soon I began to see how the benefits outweighed my investment. It was worth it to have several hundred dollars a month back in our budget, especially when our other household expenses weren’t going down. Will couponing take some of your time? Yes, but not much. I’ll show you the ropes so you can save both time and money.

Q. I have a small family. I don’t see how using coupons could help us much since our grocery bill isn’t that high.

A. The size of your family doesn’t matter. Whatever your grocery bill is, there is usually room to save. Even if you only spend $50 a week, wouldn’t you like to cut that down to $20 or $30? Aside from the numbers, when you shop ahead of time to buy what you use, it takes the stress of having to go to the grocery store out of your life.

Q. This seems like a lot of work, and I’m not an organized person. I don’t think I can keep up with all this!

A. Oh my! If you look up “unorganized” in the dictionary, you’ll find my picture. I really (really!) want to be organized, and I have tried to help myself in this area more ways than I can count. But you know what? I was not created that way. You can imagine my struggle with organizing my coupons. I had to find a way that worked for me (and didn’t consume my life), and that I could stick with for the long haul. Remember, couponing isn’t all-or-nothing. It’s what fits into whatever season of life you are in right now. What works for one person might not work for another; we are all unique. Be patient as you figure out what makes sense and works best for you.

Q. I’ve seen where couponing revolves around stockpiling and having massive amounts of food in your house. I don’t think I can (or want) to go there.

A. Fabulous! That makes two of us. My goal is to teach you how to save your family money and open up doors to give. It’s all about simplicity here; couponing isn’t an all-or-nothing deal. Couponing success isn’t measured by the size of your stockpile. I’d much rather be known for giving.

Q. I’ve always thought people who use coupons end up purchasing things they don’t need just because they have a coupon for it.

A. Guilty! I did it. Most people do, especially in the beginning. However, you’ll soon figure out the items that your family uses and what items make good donations. Beyond that, I’ll save you some time here. If you can’t donate it, even if it’s free or cheap, it’s not worth it. In some states you will still have to pay tax on the full purchase price before coupons. My mission has been to simplify; if my family doesn’t use it and I can’t donate it, then it’s just going to take up space in my home. You can always share your coupons with friends, schools, military programs and so forth.

Q. I’ve never been good at math—Can I do this?

A. Don’t worry, I was never good at math and you don’t have to be either. Besides, who said you can’t use a calculator? Throw one in your purse or use your smartphone

Q. How many grocery stores do you shop each week?

A. Lately I am happy to make it to one. I have been asked this question more times than I can count. It is not necessary to shop more than one store, or even to shop every single week for that matter. Whether you save 5 percent or 70 percent, you are still saving. Couponing has to fit into your life, not become your life.

I really enjoyed reading this book and it gave me a different perspective on couponing and will be implementing some of these ideas into what I have previously done. If you have tried couponing in the past and just felt like it didn't stick, or if you have never couponed before and are wanting to save your family some money, this is a good book to check out.

This book is currently available at your local or online bookstore.

I was provided a copy of this book for an honest review. The opinion expressed is my one and in no way has been influenced by others.