How To Take A Mini Family Vacation On A Budget

March 12, 2009 by brwilson · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Economy, family

Let’s face it. With the economy in the tank and many people facing financial hardships, a family vacation is just not very high on the list of priorities. It is important however to have the special bonding times away from your normal everyday. So how do you get out of the house and away from the stress and not cash in the inheritance?

If you think about it, many of us live close to very interesting places, museums, or sites that we typically ignore. I know that there are places that have been on my list that we just haven’t visited because we can do that anytime. Well, maybe the time is now.

We recently made a trip to Tombstone Arizona which was only about 90 miles from where we live. Tombstone is one of those places that have been on our list since we moved to Arizona 5 years ago. We decided to make it a weekend trip. We also decided that we would stay at a KOA which was more reasonable than a motel for 2 nights. Don’t have a motor home or 5^th wheel? Neither did we until very recently. The KOA offers these one and two room camping cabins that have worked just perfectly for us.

For this trip we stayed at the KOA in Benson AZ which is about 20 minutes from Tombstone. I give this place 2 thumbs up. It was very clean, very comfortable and very quite.

While Tombstone turned out to be more of a tourist trap (in my opinion), it was a good outing with the family. The total trip including the KOA, meals, gas and a little spending in Tombstone was under $200 for the weekend.

The point to all this is get out! See what’s in your neighborhood. Spend quality time with your family. The reward will be well worth it.

Tags: Economy, family

What Is Open Adoption?

February 24, 2009 by brwilson · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Adoption

A term you may have heard if you have been researching adoption is open adoption Basically, and open adoption means that the parent who is giving a child up for adoption will have some part in the child’s life, even if they are not caring for the child on a full-time basis.

Open adoption is an issue that can provoke strong feelings among prospective adoptive parents. Many adoptive parents would prefer that the child that they adopt has little or no contact with their birth parents. Feelings like this often stem from insecurity, but also are out of genuine love and concern for the child and their well-being. Some adoptive parents feel that allowing the birth parents to have a role in the raising of the child may cause some confusion for the child. In some cases it may be dangerous for the child to have contact with their birth parents.

While there are many differing opinions on this subject, some families have managed to successfully manage and open adoption. Of course in cases of extreme abuse, where the parents were found to be unfit or dangerous to the child, and open adoption situation is not likely possible. Often the most common scenario where open adoption works well is when the birth mother is a young teenager and simply cannot look after a child. It’s not that she is an unfit mother, but simply is not prepared for such a responsibility. In cases like this, the adoptive parents may choose to allow the birth mother to see the child from time to time and take part in special occasions like birthdays and other special events.

No matter you opinion on the subject, if you are seeking an adoption and want more information about open adoptions, it’s important to seek counsel from a professional familiar with these specific situations.

Please check out the section of our website providing adoption resources. Most of these resources are free.