Since Tet Trung Thu (the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival) is a celebration that honors children, I thought it would be a good idea to share some traditional folktales about the holiday. To celebrate this Tuesday, break out some mooncakes, spend time together as a family and share some of these stories with your children.

Cá hóa Rông – the story of a carp who worked hard to reach his goal of becoming a dragon. After much hard work, he was successful. The moral of the story is that with hard work, one can become anything they wish. This can be easily applied to working hard in school.

The Lady in the... more

My Love Thursday post from last week Was titled “Love Across Generations” and was about Ella’s relationship with my grandmother, her Great Grandma. It was suggested that I get a picture of myself, my mother, my grandmother and Ella…four generations of women in my family. I quickly remembered that we had taken this exact picture at Ella’s welcome home party last fall, a few weeks after we came home from Viet Nam.

As many of you know, my husband, Ella... more

Has your house never before been graced by the wandering hands of a curious toddler? Will this be your first experience having a child in your family or has it been some time since you’ve had a baby in the house? Regardless of your situation, the adoption process provides you with the opportunity to spend some time readying your house and learning about appropriate baby proofing techniques.

Part of preparing your home, to me, includes preparing the animals that share your home. I wrote a post... more

It’s virtually impossible to learn too much. When embarking into the world of adoption; especially for the first time, education is vital. To be the best parent you can be and help your child succeed, it is important to learn all you can about the adoption process and parenting your child. It is also a great idea to educate yourself about your child’s birth country, so you can share the information with them when they are old enough to understand.

While you are waiting for that joyful day that you board the plane that will take you to your child, take some time to read,... more

There are many festivals planned across the country to celebrate Tet Trung Thu (Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.) Below you will find a sampling of events, but if you are unable to find one near you, why not throw your own celebration? If you belong to your local Families With Children From Viet Nam group, I'll bet there are other families who would be interested in starting an annual tradition to celebrate and honor the moon and our children.

The Westminster Rose Center in Westminster, California will be hosting a 2007 Orange Moon Festival for Tet Trung Thu. It will be held this Saturday September 22 at noon. There will be activities for... more

After you receive your referral and send in your acceptance paperwork, everything in your world will change. You are no longer “adopting a child.” You are now adopting a specific child who has a name and a story and an adorable face and you can’t get to them for months. I remember that wait and it was not easy, but as you continue to wait for what seems like an endless period of time, try and focus on using your time constructively. I know, I know – easier said than done, but having something else to focus on really can help.

Based on the feedback of transracial adoptees living in the US, it is extremely important to provide your child with opportunities to interact with members of... more

Mooncakes first came to be as a celebration food when the Han Chinese defeated the Mongols. They are now a traditional treat during the Mid Autumn Moon Festival (tet trung thu,) and come in many different varieties. Making traditional Vietnamese mooncakes (banh tet trung thu) is a labor intensive process and many Vietnamese families choose to order theirs from local shops instead of making them themselves. They can be found at any Asian supermarket in the United States, and there are several recipes out there online if you’re feeling ambitious.

Mooncakes traditionally... more

This week I’ve decided to write a few posts about how to make it through the wait between accepting your referral and traveling to adopt your child. When I realized that this time last year I was deep in the midst of that waiting cycle, it brought back so many memories. My memories are a little blurred due to all the new memories that I’ve been given since we met Ella, but I completely remember the emotions behind waiting. There were times I was calm and times I was a raving lunatic who was going to start walking (and swimming) to Viet Nam. I completely understand the stresses and... more

Tet Trung Thu, or the Mid Autumn Moon Festival falls on September 25th this year. Every year it is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. As the festival’s intent is to honor the moon, it occurs during the part of the year that the moon is at its brightest.

There is a great deal of attention bestowed on children during the Mid Autum Moon Festival; it’s sometimes even called the Childrens’ Festival. It is a time to spend quality time together as a family and encourage and embrace creativity with your children. I thought it would be fun to share some ideas about... more

I absolutely love the idea of creating a separate little scrapbook just for your child. Intended for little hands, it would tell your child’s adoption story in language and photos that are appropriate for their age level. I know many adoptive parents who have created books for little hands and they came to be prized possessions of their children and really helped them to understand their adoption stories.

For a child feeling unsure and confused, and unable to communicate their emotions, they can take comfort in knowing that they can go back to their book and their story at... more