My blog has been a little quiet this week – not because I have nothing to say, but because I’ve been busy watching Charlie Sheen interviews working on articles for a few other sites.  It’s been quite a week over at ShePosts.  I usually don’t do as much writing there, because as editor if I’m doing too much writing, I get distracted from the big-picture stuff.  But this week was just so jam-packed full of blogging news:  Bloggers at the Independent Spirit Awards!  Covert . . .

Hi, my name is Kristen, and I’m an email hoarder. This past year, my email issue has gone from a minor nuisance to a DEFCON 5 situation.  I have been trying to play catch-up for the better part of a year, and I can literally feel my blood pressure go up every time I open my inbox.  It has become a major source of stress and I think it’s time to take some drastic action. When I came home from Haiti after the earthquake, I had hundreds of new emails to sift through.  I never . . .

I flew home from Arkansas last night – I had an incredible time at the Idea Camp.  It was an amazing and comprehensive look at orphan care, and there were so many inspiring speakers, most of whom are running NGO’s that are doing amazing things to keep children from becoming orphaned in the first place, and then to serve the children who have been abandoned or who have lost their families.  A sobering statistics: less than 2% of orphaned children will be adopted. I am still unpacking . . .

What I Want You to Know is a series of reader submissions.  It is an attempt to allow people to tell their personal stories, in the hopes of bringing greater compassion to the unique issues each of us face. If you would like to submit a story to this series, click here. Today’s post is from my friend Bonnie Lewis, who blogs at Bonnie the Baker. What I want you to know is that I like my new curves. I used to like being stick thin. I liked being muscular and working out as much as I could. . . .

This video is a great example of how someone can play a part in helping children find families – without adopting.  International adoption is expensive.  Stupid expensive. Not everyone is in the position to do it, and not everyone should do it.  But a couple from my church decided that they would play a role in another couple’s adoption.  They are getting married, and instead of registering, they are asking for donations for my friends Steve and Sarah Carters’ adoption.  . . .

Last night I had a phone conference with several other bloggers (Kristen, Amber, Elora, Dan, and Lindsey) for a panel I will be a part of at the Idea Camp.  We are talking about how to use social media for orphan advocacy.  I am going to give up some of my secrets right now.  But this is the honest truth: in any given week, I wonder how many funny stories I need to tell before I can talk about orphans again.  A huge part of my vision for having a blog – beyond a space where . . .

I am working at home today – trying to catch up on assignments before I leave for Idea Camp, and trying to suppress my inner whining as I sit inside on a holiday with gorgeous weather.  Mark took the kids down to grandma and grandpa’s.  Meanwhile, I keep getting mysterious emails from the online geocache forum with random clues.  DId you look under the rock?  Did you turn at the welcome plaque? It’s there, keep looking. And I’m wondering – are these people reading my . . .

When I was writing out the story of my relationship with Mark last week, I had a wave of nostalgia for the couple we once were.  It was weird looking through old photos and remembering our life before kids. So much of our relationship, and even our initial attraction to one another, was based on a sense of adventure.  We loved to travel, to get out in the world, and to experience different things.  We were active and spontaneous.  If I’m honest, I would even say that the . . .

All my men are sleeping in the garage tonight.  In a tent.  A few weeks ago, Jafta got really excited about the idea of camping.  And when he gets excited about something . . . well he just does not stop talking about it.  So we finally agreed that the boys could spend a night in the tent in the backyard.  Except that, it’s been pretty cold.  And tonight – the night that was promised – it is raining and blustery.  So the tent is in the garage. The boys were . . .