Day two of my Guardian Ad Litem training covered cultural competency. It was very well put together and I walked away with a better attitude, and more awareness, knowledge and skills than before. The class was such a personal success, that I think Developing Cultural Competency classes should be required as part of a continuing education program to retain citizenship in the United States.

I knew that it was not legal for lesbian or gay adoption or marriage in Florida, but I did not realize that it was legal for them foster children.  I think this is a very interesting double standard.  Whatever rationale brought the State to the conclusion that it was safe and acceptable for Gay or Lesbian families to foster children, should be the same rational that allows them to adopt, and quite frankly I cant think of any rational reason to prevent two people from getting married.  I’m not sure that we should be taking any rights away from groups of people as a whole. While were at it, maybe we can make them take custody of all the Pitt Bulls as well.

The Florida law banning lesbians and gay men from adopting stifles efforts to find families for the approximately 3,500 foster children the State in need of homes…leaving some children without the option of having a “forever family”.

In a landmark ruling in 2008, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman ruled the state’s 1977 ban on gay adoption was unconstitutional. The decision allowed Miami resident Martin Gill and his partner to adopt two foster brothers whom he has raised since 2004. But the state’s appeal threatens the long-awaited adoption. Legal documents the American Civil Liberties Union challenge to the Gay Adoption ban were made public earlier this year.  Some of the documents including the State’s Appeal Brief can be found here. You can meet Frank Gill and his boys here: Fighting Florida’s Gay Adoption Ban

The most respected Florida and national children’s health, welfare and legal advocacy groups filed seven “friend-of-the-court” briefs before a Florida appeals court urging the court to strike down the Florida law barring lesbians and gay men from adopting. Here are the participating groups.

Children’s Health and Welfare Groups

• The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA)
• American Psychological Association
• North American Council on Adoptable Children
• Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute
• Center for Adoption Policy
• Foster Care Alumni of America
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
• Florida Chapter of the NASW
• Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

Legal Advocates for Children

• National Center for Adoption Law and Policy
• Juvenile Law Center
• Lawyers for Children America
• National Center for Youth Law
• Southern Poverty Law Center
• Family Law Section of the Florida Bar
• Foster Children’s Project of the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County
• University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law Center on Children and  Families Children & Youth Law Clinic of the University of Miami School of Law
• Florida State University College of Law Public Interest Law Center
• Florida International University Juvenile Justice Clinic
• The Barry University School of Law Children and Families Clinic
• The Nova Southeastern University Law Center Children and Families Clinic
• Child Advocacy Clinic at Hofstra School of Law
• Ohio State University School of Law
• Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center
• Loyola Chicago School of Law
• Children’s Law Center of Minnesota
• Justice for Children Project
• Support Center for Child Advocates
• Civitas Child Law Clinic

Our Dog Leah is our beloved pet, friend and family member.  I have two “problems” with Leah.  One is that when she gets excited her tail wags so fast and vigorously that it hurts when she whacks you with it. We decided not to clip her tail or ears; because I thought that it was purely cosmetic…I wish I had clipped her tail.  My second “complaint” is that when we have company, she believes she is a small lap dog, and wants to curl up in a ball on top of them….the dog needs to be hugged.  For the record, I believe that attachment parenting works on animals too.

We moved to Land O’ Lakes this past May, and had a very hard time finding a place to rent that would allow Leah’s Breed. Pitt Bulls face some difficult issues as a very misunderstood breed. I understand that a few careless people have given these dogs a bad name, but I think that Pitt Bulls deserve a home too. Having grown up in Miami, I know that it is illegal in Miami-Dade County to own or keep Pit Bull Dogs or “any other dog that substantially conforms to any of these breeds’ characteristics.” If the dog is labeled a pit bull, the owner is cited with a $500 fine and given 48 hours to take the dog out of the county. Where are the Pitt Bulls supposed to go?

Dogs are a product of their owners. If you’re a good owner, you’re going to make sure your dog is cared for, it’s always under your control and it’s always in your yard. You can’t predict what a dog is going to be like just simply based on its breed. Making people give up their pets, resulting in possibly being euthanized is wrong.

Above is one of my favorite images from an amazing artist that I found online. He has a huge collection of artwork featuring tons of different breeds of dogs. Obeythepurebreed.com has a really neat concept and hilarious blog.

I am giving away the above floral and orange trim apron that I made.  I love having something feminine to wear at the end of the day, being that I rarely wear feminine things. It would also be a great christmas gift for anyone who enjoys cooking. Its 100% cotton and machine washable…so break out the pasta sauce!

To enter, just leave me a comment and tell me if you like something like the above more vintage type pattern or if you would rather have an apron with you favorite team colors….and who that team is.  Here is an example of a University of Florida “Gator” Apron I made for my niece’s graduation.

The drawing will come to an end on Monday, November 2nd @ 2pm. Thanks and Good Luck!

According to a Tampa Bay Online blog post, the organization FairDistricts.org has 98 percent of the signed petitions needed to put two constitutional amendments (one for state legislative districts and one for Florida congressional districts) on the Florida 2010 ballot aimed at preventing political gerrymandering of districts. Although this may sound like a very dry subject, if passed it would reshape politics in Florida.

Every ten years, after the census, the boundaries of our congressional, state house and state senate districts are redrawn. Redistricting was originally intended to ensure that districts are roughly equal in population, making each vote count.

In the past, under both parties, district lines have been drawn to strengthen whichever party held the majority in the Legislature. Starting with the last redistricting in 2002, computerized mapping and voting data analysis made districting a far more powerful political tool than before. As a result, our representatives are choosing their voters.

Although this would probably help the Democrats and hurt the Republicans (who control the legislature and altered the redistricting in 2002 to benefit them greatly) at least initially, this is a non-partisan effort that goes far beyond changing the current political effort. Although there is no organized opposition at this point in the game, some can be expected some from the Republican legislature. The next step is to start running a political campaign. Although they have not started this phase, I am eager to get involved once they do and will be sure to update you with ways you can get involved. Until then, here is a link where you can find out more, download and sign the petition and find ways to get involved now.

Today was my first day of training in becoming a Hillsborough County Guardian Ad Litem Volunteer. The program is based on a belief that every child has a right to a safe, permanent, loving home. Volunteers advocate for children who have been removed from their home as a result of neglect, abandonment or abuse. A voice is given to a child who would otherwise not have one. Together, with a program supervisor and program attorney, I will become familiar with the assigned child(ren’s) case and make recommendations to the court to help ensure a safe, stable and permanent home for the child.

Tonight we got a thorough crash course into Florida’s child welfare process and dependency court. Along with a TON of reading about the program and its standards of operation. We are going to embark into cultural diversity and understanding families next session. I learned quite a bit about Florida’s Foster Care Program and was introduced to the Heart Gallery of America. The Heart Gallery is a traveling photographic and audio exhibit created to find permanent homes for children in foster care.It has over 120 Heart Galleries across the United States designed to increase the number of adoptive families for children needing homes. You can find the local galleries in your state here.

The Florida Guardian Ad Litem Program is an extension of the national CASA Program. Both websites can help you learn more about how you can change the life of an abused or neglected child by becoming involved in your local program. Hillsborough County currently has 2700 children currently misplaced in the child welfare system and 1900 Guardian Ad Litem Volunteers. The volunteers are given a great opportunity to make a significant impact in the life of a child and it means so much to me to be a part of it. I’m hoping that this post will encourage at least one reader to check out the program and possibly volunteer.

I discovered Freakonomics, a few years ago and thought it was a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening read. It is written by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner. The book covers a diverse range of topics that are anything but traditional and quite a bit controversial.  It does a great job of revealing the warped sense of reality that we have all come to know.  Freakonomics compares Teachers to Sumo Wrestlers, the Klu Klux Klan to Real Estate Agents and explains how legalized abortion has reduced crime rates. My two favorite chapters explore the negligible effects of good parenting on education and the socioeconomic patterns of the names we choose for our children.

In the epilogue, the lives of two Harvard graduates is followed. Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, came from a privileged background and had the resources that are quite often correlated with success.  The second graduate, Roland G. Fryer, an African American, was raised in an impoverished, unstable family environment and is asucessful Harvard economist. The economic theory used to answer his interesting questions turns conventional wisdom upside down. The book is a quick and easy read, and is full of conversation starters.

The two authors have their own popular Freakonomics blog. Todays post on iphone alturism was an interesting read. I also found a post that puts a neat twist on the socioeconomic impact of the names chosen for babies. I was surfing around and found lots of interesting articles, and plan on going back to search for more.

My shot out to Freakonomics is because the sequel Superfreakonomics was released this month. I went online and placed a hold on it at our local library.  It looks like it has been ordered and hasn’t arrived just yet…and that I’m first in line for it! Here is a link to the cheapest prices on the internet. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the new book and seeing what comparisons, connections and discoveries are made. If you haven’t read the first one, I highly recommend it.  I’ll be updating you with a Superfreakonomics review just as soon as I can get my hands on it…although I’m fairly certain I will giving it a rave review as well.

Thursday after dinner, Brian Jason and I drove down to Miami for my Dad’s birthday. We arrived just minutes after midnight and Jason didn’t settle back to sleep until 2am.  It was totally worth it to have all day on Friday to be able to play.  We carved a pumpkin and made pumpkin puree and soup, while Jason slept Brian and I took Dad to the Palmetto Golf Course and hit a couple buckets of balls at the driving range, then in the evening we had some friends over for some good food and more beer than we could possibly drink.

I had decided that I wanted to do a pumpkin dish over the weekend and was going to make a pumpkin puree instead of buying a can of pumpkin.  I had my Mom pick up two pumpkins, one for Jason and one to roast.  Jason was frustrated not being able to do the actual carving (although he tried) and decided that my halved pumpkins would store his popcorn better than the dish we had picked out for him. He was amazed though, once Dad gave the pumpkin a face.

I removed the stem and the seeds from a pumpkin, and sliced it in half, then quarters and eventually eighths so that it would fit under the rest of the food that was cooking. They baked at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes before they became tender.

After I removed the pumpkin from the skin, I smoothed it out with a blender.  It was actually so tasty that I sprinkled some nutmeg and cinnamon on some of the puree and ate it with a spoon! It would be perfect as baby food.

I found this recipe from Martha Stewart’s website, after I decided I wanted to make a soup with my puree. My Dad and Brian were going to get some ice for beer at the publix up the street, so I asked for some shitake mushrooms.  My husband, like many guys I’m sure, doesn’t like to ask for help when he cant find something from the store. This often leads to him coming home and telling me that the store doesn’t carry something I frequently buy…like sloppy joe sauce. So when he called to tell me that Publix didnt have shitake or gourmet blend mushrooms, I asked him to ask for help.  The produce man sent him to the Asia market…he’s a good man going to Asia to get his wife’s mushrooms.

So instead of roasting all of the vegetables together like Martha suggests,  I sauteed the mushrooms( I tripled the amount of mushrooms), onion and garlic and blended it with a cup of the vegetable broth in the blender, then added the puree and seasoned it with salt to taste. I found online that a pound of pumpkin equaled about a cup of puree. So Martha’s recipe calls for 2 3/4 cups of puree. the soup was delicious and I will definitely be roasting another pumpkin when I get home and will store some in the freezer, it was a very filling tasty treat.

The family made a trip down to Miami to visit my Dad on his birthday.  The pictures above are of Jason and I exploring his Harley.  He brought the pieces of the Harley home in seven boxes of parts.  For any other Dad, this may have been a project that took years to complete, if ever at all. Not my Dad, he started on Labor Day and was riding it on Christmas.

My Dad instilled some pretty awesome beliefs in me from a very young age.  I remember being a little girl and someone asking for a kiss goodbye and I didn’t want to, he told me I didn’t have to and at the age of ten I had a sense of control over the decisions I made. When I would dream up ideas, or wish things up…like filling up my room with lightening bugs like my brothers were doing, he was right there beside me making it happen…and when I got scared of a room full of bugs, he didn’t mutter I told you so or what were you thinking.  I think because he knew very well what I was thinking and thought we should give it a try….how else will you ever know if you dont try? My Dad would make things happen that you wouldn’t think could. I’d say things like “it would be so neat if there was one big shelf around the perimeter of my room near the ceiling, and I could fill it with Disney stuff.  Soon enough the shelf was there, and one by one birthday after Christmas…we filled it with snow globes and disney frames.

I was seven years old when I got my first ATC, which was preceded by a moped and a go-cart. Shortly after the ATC, came a dirt bike (a pink and purple dirt bike) a scooter (which we painted purple and I drove all around town) and finally the 1964 1/2 Red Mustang convertible.  I know it wont be long before we have Jason on motorized vehicles, and I’m honestly looking forward to it.

I clearly remember transitioning from middle school to high school and thinking that everyone else was rich.  They had huge homes, some on the water, and “nicer” cars.  It only took a little getting to know everyone to realize how rich our home was.  There are so many warm memories and fun times, paired with a family that loved each other and communicated often, every night around the dinner table at 6pm. Thanks Mom and Dad. Happy Birthday Dad!

I’ve been eying this Crayola easel for some time.  Often, Toys R Us will have pretty awesome Crayola sales, including lots of buy one get one free items… but I just never wanted to spend $50 on an easel. A friend of mine recently took me on my first trip to IKEA, where I found this awesome double sided easel for $14.99!

I also found this darling tent there for $9.99:I have also been looking at Step 2’s Real Project Workshop, but haven’t been able to dish out $70 for it.  I had been checking daily for almost a month before I found it on Craigslist with ALL the pieces for $20! I was so excited to go pick it up and be so close to finished on Jason’s Christmas shopping. I plan on picking up one or two small items and being done. Now is the perfect time to start looking for deals on Craigslist. As it gets closer to the holidays, things are going to go even quicker than they already do.

Because money is so tight, we’ve decided to only buy for the children in our family, which there is no real shortage of.  If there is a shortage of kids in your family and your looking for a way to save money, consider a White Elephant Gift Exchange.  We have played this game at my old office and it was a blast! By making the limit high, like $50 or $100, you can still come out ahead on the budget and get great gifts.

Fall is here! I thought I would miss Tallahassee’s colors of fall, but was able to find just a few turning leaves right here in our swamp… I mean conservation. The cool weather makes me feel like the holidays are already here, and with the fall weather comes daylight savings time.

I used to love Fall Back, until I had a newborn’s sleep pattern to alter. All of the sudden, my meticulously crafted bedtime routine (which included “induced” naps, i.e. a walk in the stroller, to ensure an acceptable bed time) goes up in smoke and my little man’s internal clock is stuck an hour ahead.  Most parents of little ones in the U.S. feel my pain as they set their clocks one hour forward in spring and one hour back in fall. However, residents of Arizona and Hawaii, along with the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, will do nothing. Those locales never deviated from standard time within their particular time zones and I think they are on to something.

The drive behind the time switch is to adjust daylight hours to when most people are awake and about. Daylight saving time decreases the amount of daylight in the morning hours so that more daylight is available during the evening. Which I actually like….but Jason associates daylight with playtime…and bedtime is 8pm.

Gradually Change Bed Time. A week before the switch before daylight saving starts, get your child into bed a little earlier each night. Keep your same bed time routine, but implement it 15 min early and inch it up closer to the new bed time as the switch approaches.

Create Night Time. If your child relates bedtime to dark night skies, slowly turn your home into night by cshutting down one room at a time and using usual evening lighting.

Adjust Nap and Wake Up Times Too. I know its unheard of to wake a sleeping baby… but if the day doesn’t get started in time, Jason could take his afternoon nap too late and then push bedtime back. I am putting positive thoughts into the universe that Jason will believe me when I come into his room @ 5:30 or 6 and tell him the day isn’t going to start just yet.