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By: Camie Schuiteman
When my family started our adoption journey over seven years ago, the looming weight of raising money seemed overwhelming. However, the burden of orphans in need of forever, loving families was even more overwhelming. That burden fueled our energy to begin sacrificial saving and fund raising. Two years and $50,000 later, we brought home two precious children from Vietnam. No one told us about grants, matching grants, and no-interest loans. Through much searching and sleuthing efforts, we would discover the hard way how to raise each needed amount of money.
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By: Pamela Reilly
Every mom knows that certain foods affect their child’s behavior more than others. Moms with multiple children may find themselves struggling to pinpoint exactly which foods negatively affect each child’s focus and behavior. Most of us recognize that food affects our moods and our ability to focus, but few people understand how food plays such a major role in emotional and cognitive health. The bottom line is that the foods we eat – and the chemicals they contain – directly affect:
· Digestion
· Hormonal balance
· Brain chemistry
· Immunity
· The body’s ability to eliminate toxins
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By: Candice Thompson, MOTR
Grass: Oh, I love grass, it’s green, it’s lush, it feels nice under my bare feet. I enjoy the smell of fresh cut grass, it brings me back to playing in the sprinkler as a child!
OK, that’s MY interpretation of “grass”. Someone else might say… “Grass… ewe… it’s rough, and spiky, and I REALLY don’t like walking on it, oh, AND it’s messy… don’t even think about asking me to play in the yard with a sprinkler, grass will be sticking to my hands, my legs, between my toes… yuck.”
Touch. Smell. Sight. Sound. Those four “things” if you will, happen all around us, all the time, at varying degrees, ALL – THE – TIME. Each individual has a different acceptance of these sensations. ALL of us avoid, seek, or don’t even notice. That’s the basics of the neurologically complex reality of SENSORY PROCESSING.
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By: Christina Romo
Christina Romo was born in Korea, and later adopted by her new family at age 2. She recently found her voice as an adoptee and shares her thoughts through a blog page titled “Diary of a Not-So-Angry Asian Adoptee” where the following blog was orginally posted. Christina will be presenting the “Transracial Adoption from an Adult Adoptee’s Perspective” session at the conference.
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By: Aaron Eske
Growing up in Nebraska, Aaron watched Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego 
Monday-through-Friday on the carpet while eating a bag of Ruffles potato chips. As a result, to this day he has high cholesterol and can recite nearly every word to the theme song.
After he moved away from Nebraska, Aaron had the opportunity to put on his global gumshoe shoes in earnest as he journeyed in search of his adopted siblings’ orphanages and origins.
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By: Robyn Gobbel
Attunement (noun): being or bringing into harmony; a feeling of being “at one” with another being. 
Think about the strongest relationships in your life. The person you call when you really need someone who gets it. How do you know they “get it?” What is special about those relationships? How does that relationship make you feel? Chances are, that person doesn’t spend a lot of time trying to fix anything. Or arguing. Or convincing you that it “really isn’t that big of a deal.” That person just listens. Says “Oh, you must be really hurting.” Provides a safe space for you to fully experience your feelings, and allows for those feelings to just be experienced and held. Attunement validates our inner world, providing a solid foundation for the development of a positive identity and sense of self.
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By: Julie Gumm
When potential adoptive parents hear the cost for private or international adoption they generally do one of two things: decide they could never afford it and give up entirely, or take out a sizeable loan.
To the first group I say “WAIT! There is a way.”
To the second group I say “Wait! There is a BETTER way.”
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By: Jordan Tarr
Heidi Weimer is one of the Keynote Speakers and Breakout Session Leaders at this year’s Crossroads Of America Adoption Conference. Heidi leads a very busy life being a wife, a
mother, a children’s book author, an adoption advocate, a blogger and believe it or not, a song writer. It’s an honor to have her, and we are so grateful she has made time in her schedule to speak.
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By: Aaron Eske
While digging through old family records in search of details to help me write my book on international adoption, I found a letter my parents wrote to my brother and sister in 1991. This was before my siblings moved from their orphanage in India to our home in Nebraska.
“Dear Ganga and Bhola,” it started. “We bought new beds for you to sleep in when you come home. Your bedrooms are almost ready. We just have to hang a big picture over Bhola’s bed and clean his closet out and straighten out a closet for Ganga’s toys and clothes. But really our rooms are ready for you to move in to now.”
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By: Sheri Molnar
The 2012 Crossroads of America Adoption Conference will be held at the newly renovated home of sponsor, MLJ Adoptions, in downtown Indianapolis. The building, referred to as the Arch at Chatham, is located at 617 E. North Street. It is an exciting new venue located just one block from the thriving Mass Ave district.
The building was originally built as a Catholic Boys’ School in the late 1800’s and has had many owners and uses through the years. The building had been abandoned for the past seven years. Weeds were stretching to the second floor cracked windows. Paint was peeling off the rotted wood of the small cottage.
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