The LifeBook Program

  One of A Family For Every Child’s many programs is the Lifebook Program, which provides special photo album scrapbooks that are put together for foster children. Life Books and Welcome Books A LifeBook is a meaningful collection of pictures and memorabilia designed for foster children. These scrapbooks are typically made of 8.5 x 11 pages that are compiled in an album or binder after being decorated with pictures and mementos from the child’s life. These scrapbooks are able to explain the story of the child’s birth, information about their birth parents, and the reason for their separation. The pages also include important moments of their life and adoption. A Welcome Book is a wonderful resource that helps introduce an adopted child to their new family. These scrapbooks, which are usually made of 8 x 8 pages, help the newly adopted child become familiar with the things they will encounter

Mother’s Day is coming up fast, are you ready? Here are some great last minute gift ideas that the ladies in your life will cherish forever.Decorated Candy StashYou can never go wrong with candy as a gift, especially when it’s in an adorable hand crafted box. All you need is a tackle box organizer and feel free to decorate it however you want!Herbal Floral PerfumeAll you need is water, assorted flowers and herbs, essential oils, and a spray bottle! Not only does it look beautiful inside the bottle, it also smells great.Book About MomThis is a wonderful gift that mom will cherish for life. You can ever put a twist on it by adding your own prompts and drawings!Framed FlowersGive the gift of beautiful flowers that will last forever without the hassle of having to water them.Sand CandlesThese beautiful candles can be made in just 10 minutes! All you need

Easter is a fun way to bond and let creativity shine. Step it up even more this year with these crazy egg decorating techniques that will make this the most memorable holiday yet!Shaving CreamGet an effect that is similar to tie-dye, but even easier to create. Roll your egg around the shaving cream and dye mix and get a beautiful surprise.Supplies:Hard-boiled eggsShaving creamFood dyeGlass dishNail PolishGather your old nail polish that’s sitting around to create this totally unique look. Roll your egg on the surface of the water (where the nail polish is floating) and voilá!Supplies:Nail PolishRoom temperature waterBowlTooth pickPlastic gloveEggs (hard boiled or plastic)Melted CrayonsThis isn’t technically dying your eggs, but it’s still a great way to decorate them. Melting the crayons will make the colors more vibrant and your drawings will pop like never before.Supplies:Eggs (hard boiled, still hot)CrayonsDinosaur EggsWho says Easter has to be all about bunnies

Not all young kids understand the meaning of Valentine’s Day yet, but one of the best ways to learn is through art. These crafts are great for all ages and don’t call for many supplies. Have fun!Yarn HeartThese hearts make the cutest gift and can be used as decorations around the house or at work.Supplies:Cardboard, scissors, yarn, hot glue gunValentine RocksThis is a great way to get outside and be creative. The kids will love getting to hunt for rocks, paint with their hands, and share with friends and family.Supplies:Rock, paint, markersCandy DogThis is one is trickier, but better than taking care of the real dog your kids have been wanting.Supplies:1 Smarties candy, 5 Hershey’s Kisses, pipe cleaner, google eyes, foam paper, small pom-pom, glueLove BugInstead of throwing away all those toilet paper/paper towel rolls, turn them into art! There are so many ways to make these bugs and your

“Every child deserves to know where s/he came from” – Beth O’Malley *    *    * Beth O’Malley’s life books were and are inspired to act as a “childhood memory,” or perhaps a baby book, for young adoptees. At five months, O’Malley was adopted, but not after living in two foster homes. She grew up in western Massachusetts, Berkshire to be exact. As a child, O’Malley describes herself to be, “a happy little girl. But as I entered my teen years the questions started. I felt different. Soon many of my major life events would be related to [my] adoption issues.” She stresses, “I believe that my life would have been very different if I had my own adoption life book.” When it comes to her professional career, she states: “In 1981, I received my Masters in Counseling from American University in Washington D.C. Soon after, I began working as

Dad deserves a special Father’s Day celebration! Spoil him this year with these gift and recipe ideas   1.) Hash Brown Egg Nests Surprise Dad with a delicious breakfast in bed!  What You Will Need: *Frozen hash browns (or grated russet potatoes) *Shredded cheddar cheese *Eggs *Breakfast meat (bacon, sausage, or ham) *Avocados *Optional: Chopped parsley For the full recipe visit Hash Brown Egg Nests   2.) DIY Light-Up Card Fashion a card with a DIY light saber for the Star Wars fanatic Dad! What You Will Need: *White card stock or scrapbook paper *Colored LED light *Colored straw *Transparent tape            *Light-Up Card Printable For full instructions and card printables visit Light-Up Cards   3.) French Toast Kebabs Serve Dad up a fun twist on a classic breakfast! What You Will Need: *White bread * Vanilla extract * Eggs *Fresh blueberries *Fresh raspberries *Sliced bananas *Unsalted butter *Optional: Maple Syrup

  Treat your grad like royalty with these graduation party must-haves! 1.) Graduation Photo Banner  Relive your graduate’s school years with a fun photo banner starting from kindergarten to present day! What You Will Need: *Photo prints *String *Glue stick *Construction paper/Card stock For design inspiration visit Graduation Photo Banner. 2.) Bite-Sized Mortarboards Kick the graduation party treats up a notch with these festive candies! What You Will Need: *Mini reeses’s cups  *Chocolate squares (for the mortarboard base)  *Sour belts (for the tassel) *Cake pop stick (to hold up the candies)  For step-by-step instructions visit Bite-Sized Mortarboards  3.) New Job Jar  Make your grad is prepared to enter to job market with a jar full of supplies! What You Will Need: *Glass jar *Chalkboard paint *Pens/Pencils *Thumbtacks/Paper clips *Post-it notes *Stapler *Sharpies *Hand sanitizer  For complete instructions and more jar ideas visit New Job Jar. 4.)  Smarties Diplomas  Use Smarties candies

The day to recognize mom (other than every day of course) is almost here. Treat mom to a special day with these homemade gift ideas!     1.) Thumbprint Art This is a simple and fun gift for kids to make! Use paints to create various designs on flower pots. What you will need:  *terra cotta pots * acrylic paints * black paint marker  Get creative with thumbprint bees, butterflies, and more! For more inspiration visit Spring Crafts  2.) Pineapple Coconut Sugar Scrub  Take mom to paradise with this rejuvenating homemade body scrub! What you will need: * 8 oz mason jar * coconut oil * sugar * pineapple fragrance oil * 1 lemon zested  For the full recipe visit DIY sugar scrub  3.) DIY Flower Bouquet  Pick out mom’s favorite flower, a simple vase (or repurposed drink bottle) and dress it up with scrapbook paper! You don’t need to

This Easter you can learn all the tricks to designing the finest Easter eggs, discover recipes beyond the Easter ham, and plan activities to partake in after the glorious Easter egg hunt: 1.) Easter Egg Dye Guides  Half the fun of dying Easter Eggs is picking and choosing colors to see what you end up with. Mix it up this year with natural dye recipes, tie dye, and melted crayon easter eggs! Natural Dye: Use ingredients like beets, turmeric, black coffee, and cabbage to create beautiful, natural Easter egg colors!  For more full recipes visit: http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/simple-step-by-step-guide-to-naturally-dyed-easter-eggs/ Tie Dye: Just choose a variety of colors and supplies like wet paper towels, rubber bands, and spray bottles handy. This take on Easter egg decor is fun and an easy step-by-step process! For further instructions visit:  http://www.ehow.com/how_2163883_tie-dye-easter-eggs.htmlutm_source=pinterest.com&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=inline&utm_campaign=easter&crlt.pid=camp.FaR4LKj575RF&pp=0 Melted Crayons: Take hot hard boiled eggs, grab the crayons, and start drawing! This process allows the crayons to melt,

Kick off Valentine’s Day weekend with sweets and memories that can’t be beat. The entire family will love this Valentine’s Day extravaganza! 1.) Valentine’s Day Marshmallow Pops  Festive treats can be made with ingredients that are already in the pantry! Here’s What You Will Need: *Traditional or strawberry flavored marshmallows(regular sized) *Melted chocolate (milk, dark, or both) *Red, pink, and white sprinkles  * Lollipop or cake pop sticks  For the full recipe visit: http://www.glorioustreats.com/2011/02/valentines-marshmallow-pops.html 2.) Conversation Heart Jenga Put those conversation hearts to the minute to win it challenge. Split up in teams or play individually. Stack as many hearts as possible without letting the tower fall! What You Will Need: *One bag of conversation hearts * A timer *Still fingers For more games visit: http://www.brit.co/valentines-day-games-for-kids/ 3.) Valentine’s Day Puppy Chow All you need are these sweet ingredients and big bowl to mix them together! Here’s What You Will Need: *One box