Author * Speaker
In an attempt to avoid the parts of life that aren’t going as planned, we’re redoing our bedroom. (See, You’ll Need To Escape, circa just last week). This is less the product of a grand design and more because #2 Cherub fell down the stairs last week. The stairs are covered in a gross, slippery […]
Read MoreRough week here in Ryanville. One of our Cherubs truly believes she is maturing at a tremendous rate, such that she’s becoming more our peer than our child. In her mind, she, Steve & I form a triune leadership counsel, through which we lord power over her brother and the dog. She tolerates my place on […]
Read MoreA couple of months ago, I went to Steve’s company holiday party dressed like an Amish nun. I didn’t mean to. The dress code was “classy cocktail,” which I interpreted to mean, Like you’re coming from work, only a step up. I found a cute preppy dress from Tommy Hilfiger. It was a little big, […]
Read MoreWe’ve been pretty serious here on the blog this week, talking money, money, money. I thought we’d lighten it up as we head into the weekend. So I give you THIS… Remember the other day when I shared about my long history of embarrassing hobbies? And I admitted that I’ve been trying to make my […]
Read MoreThe real stuff about our money conversation since we adopted The Cherubs has nothing to do with budgets. It has to do with the long process of realizing what makes the kids feel safe, and me figuring out how to be the kind of Mom they trust to take care of them. I realized how […]
Read MoreBy the time we started the process that led to adopting the Cherubs, we were in a better financial position than when we had Princess Peach. Steve had recovered the lost ground on his career trajectory. We’d bought a two family house in the suburbs with Steve’s parents. And I took a part-time job in […]
Read MoreI smiled when I saw this question from Liz. It reminded me of our Home Study application, which asked, “How do you think adopting will effect how much money you have?” To which I snarkily replied, “We’ll have the same amount of money. We’ll just spend it differently.” That’s both the whole answer and entirely […]
Read MoreThis will seem like a lighthearted post about hobbies, but it’s actually about survival. It’s only in hindsight that I recognize the unexpected things that kept me sane during the tough parts of our foster care/adoption process, and what I see now is that when things get tough, I pick up a random hobby. It’s […]
Read MoreToday’s question is from Tsedal: How did adoption impact your marriage? Like a cyclone followed by a tidal wave. Steve & I have been through some tough things in the 12 years we’ve been married, but nothing has come close to the challenge of adopting from foster care. Nothing. There was one night, back when we […]
Read MoreI hadn’t planned to blog again today. Then this big chicken story broke. Behold, Big Boss: https://youtu.be/gMzVZkMWons As a writer for CNN observed, “It’s like the prologue to a poultry-themed apocalypse novel.” It demands a response. First, let me establish my chicken credentials, so Big Boss knows who he is dealing with. I have a rooster-themed […]
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Trish Ryan 