o canada friday links

what a week! we had a massive rain storm on monday that knocked out several power lines plus created a landslide that actually killed some people here in uganda.
we said good bye to nick and trevor {on tuesday morning}and said hello to my sweet friend beth {on wednesday night}.
beth brought some lovely goodies from friends and family back home and i feel very blessed. blessed for this life i have here in uganda. blessed for the friends and family back in canada that love and think and pray for me and my family. blessed.

today we took beth to the friday market and i picked up a few things. here's a sneak peek at some accessories i'll be using to help with organizing our room when baby B comes:

i'll also be needing some help from you lovely readers on what i should do with a piece of furniture that we'll be using in our room for the baby so stay tuned for that post!

here are your friday links!

so it's canada day on sunday. my home and native land! i've not yet decided what we'll do, but i have decided that cupcakes are a prerequisite for any sort of celebration. {using the festive canadian cupcake liners my mom sent me, of course.} i'll probably use this recipe for strawberry cake as it's the same one i used for jamie's birthday cake back in november and it was delicious then. so...can't go wrong with a good recipe, non?

i came across this article on taking care of introverted toddlers and i loved it. noah is an introvert to be sure and i strongly identified these things are being extremely helpful in relating to him and other children who are introverted. some great suggestions for friends and family in how to relate as well.

this past week {or was it last? i can't remember now.} i came across a website specifically for moms of boys. what a treasure! there are so many things out there for moms of girls be it crafts or conferences or books or whatever. but for boys? i've struggled to find solid and creative websites and blogs. anyway, it's a fantastic blog. every month they put out a prayer calendar with something to pray for your boys every day. click on the link for the calendar for july and join me in praying for our boys!

maybe you don't have boys. or maybe you're not a pray-er. or maybe you have a desk that needs a cute little 3D calendar? oh you do! well, here's a really cute template for the month of july at Go Scout Creative.

okay so ask me how much i love this little DIY project. ask me. c'mon.
how much do i love this little DIY project you ask?
SO FREAKIN MUCH! okay. it's adorbs. it's vintage. it's journal-y. it involves post cards. this is me swooning.

with all the pretty blogs and their fabulous DIYs and pinterest and facebook it's super easy to compare houses. at least, i find it easy.
anyway, i've been learning lots about contentment and finding joy in what God has blessed me with but i still want and need to keep Christ first. above what my house looks like. or where it's situated. i don't want to become prideful about how talented i am at DIYs {i am not. sadly.} or how trendy my house is. {it is not. at the moment. but one day back in canada i will be re-reading this post. it will be a good reminder.} or how amazing i am to be raising a family in a small-er house in the heart of a busy city {one of the dreams in my heart}. because that's not what being a keeper of the home is all about. my house and home should always be pointing people to Jesus. not to how amazing and fantastic i am. so. after that rant, here's a fantastic article on keeping Christ our treasure. not our homes. no matter where we live.

and lastly? um, so beth brought me both reece's peanut butter cups {my absolute weakness. seriously. i can hear them calling me from my pantry. but i.will.resist. for now.} and fluff {you know, the marshmallow spread stuff?}! i am so making these. you should too!

and with that...happy canada day long weekend to all my canadian friends and family!

paper roads

we have a lot of scrap paper lying around. 

schedules, outlines for seminars, failed print jobs, etc. 

and just like that, this extremely easy idea popped into my head.

i grabbed a marker and got started drawing road "pieces" on the blank side of our scrap paper. 

the boys were intrigued and instantly wanted to know what i was doing. when i told them, they were all excited. jude ran to get a car and noah ran to get some tape to help me tape the papers together.

i told noah he could arrange the pieces however he wanted and then we could tape them together. he was a great helper.

they both loved the parking lot i drew at first so i drew another. and a gas station. then i started decorating the sides although they could have cared less about the trees and parks and swimming pools. but if you have kids who are really into drawing, this could give you even more time!

both boys played for at least an hour. happily. jude sometimes walked on the paper and scrunched it slightly, but no harm was done. 

and it didn't have to be perfect. some of the roads didn't line up, but the boys were so thrilled for this "make your own town" that they weren't giving out marks for perfection. 

it's a fantastic activity requiring very little materials and a great diversion for kids who like watching tv just a little too much. sure you can buy those cool rolls of tape that are already marked like a road, but that's a lot more money for the same thing that will likely be enjoyed equally. if not less? 

8

it's apparently the time of year where lots of people get married.
my facebook newsfeed has had at least one person per day for the last week wish their spouse a happy anniversary.
today is ours.
we both forgot this morning. we groggily rolled out of bed {him because he stayed up late last night to watch the england game; me because i had a pepsi too late at night i think, and couldn't fall asleep until well after he came to bed} and went to the dining room to make some breakfast.
trevor wished us a happy annivesary. jamie said, "whoops." i said, "oh yeah." trevor and nick laughed at us.

this is us. we aren't big on making a huge to-do about dates or birthdays or anniversaries {except this year on mother's day when my pregnancy hormones kicked in and i got all sulky.}. sometimes we celebrate by going out for dinner. sometimes we have a whole day planned. sometimes we do nothing to celebrate at all. i'm not sure what this says about us but i do know that both of us are on the same page and we're okay with it. i love this handsome blue-eyed man more today than i thought was possible 8 years ago.

today is nick and trevor's last day in uganda before they fly back to canada tomorrow morning. so we're celebrating and spending the day with them. we've got the rest of the summer to spend together.

and our lives.

{also we've been watching finding nemo lately with the boys and you know that line when dorrie says to marlin, "I look at you, and I'm home."? it always makes me a bit teary. and it's how i feel about jamie. so i'm making this song our 8 year song.}




*linking up with Elaine for Miss Elaine-ous Mondays.

on what i've learned...

as this STINT year is coming to a close {the short-term project has come and gone and our fellow teammates, nick and trevor, are heading back to canada on tuesday} i've been pondering and mulling over the things i've learned over this past year.
one thing in particular is actually all-encompassing and i've described in so many different ways.

giving thanks.
finding joy.
seeking beauty in the every day. in the mundane. 
splashes of glory.


i took a facebook hiatus from about october to sometime in february. it was so good for me and my soul and it really helped me become more confident in who i am apart from the praise of man, which is so easily found on facebook. or the interwebs in general.

how many likes did that status get?
look at all those comments on that cute picture of my boys!
that blog entry got so many page views!
what a great tweet by me. so many people retweeted it!


i took a step back and am learning to embrace who i am apart from everyone else. who God has fearfully and wonderfully made me to be. and to STOP comparing myself to everyone else.
and even though i'm back on facebook, i'm feel so much more aware of what i post. the words i choose. am i being salt and light? am i encouraging those who happen to see my statuses or am i merely looking for an outlet to boast or complain or seek justification? i'm definitely not seeking to present a false image of who i am. i am not happy all the time. i don't gush with love and patience and joy in every moment. i am not perfect. but i am aware of the fact that social media can be used for good and not just fill a void. or become an obsession.

and so these things that i've been learning over this past year. i want to share. to show that life is not easy. it is hard. and filled with challenges. but we have a choice. to choose joy. to choose our words so that they drip with life-giving encouragement instead of bitterness, grumbling and complaint.

the other day i was reading Abide in Christ by andrew murray and he spoke about how we are the branches and Christ is the vine. how all we need to do to abide in Christ is come to Him as we first came. in faith. trusting in the strength and life and love of the Saviour {our true vine} to do everything that he has promised He will do {help us to love, trust, abide, find joy and love others}. and that includes helping us to see the beauty in the mundane when everything around us is begging for negativity.

these days i've been struggling to love someone. i think we all have a person we struggle to love, at least at some point in our lives. part of me feels justified in this difficulty but i am praying for love because i know it's not going to come from anything within me. it's just not. so i'm praying and i'm trusting in my True Vine to come through and provide.

so i'm still learning. and growing. and it's good. HE is very, very good.

friday links with jude

this morning jude said he had "a word" for the baby so i lifted up my shirt so he could talk to the belly. but then he changed his mind and said he had a secret for me first and that i should "put my belly down". so i covered up my belly and this is the story he told me: "one day, once upon a time, there was a little jude named 'me' and he climbed up a tree. the end."
the kid's got a future in storytelling methinks.

jude & noah are punching {or swiping} each other and aiming for the other's head. jamie sees and says, "hey, boys! no punching in the head." jude quickly asks, "what about the tummy?"
jamie says, "no." jude says, "what about your tummy?"

often he'll say with a furrowed brow and arms crossed over his chest, "i'm not saying a WORD."

right now i'm sitting on a single seater with two other little boys. upon climbing up to join me, jude says, "scooch over, mom!" i say, "sure. because I have such a little bum." jude: "no you don't. you have a big one." i totally set myself up for that one.

weekend links!

bad hair day or just not enough time to shower in the morning? i am totally trying out every single hairstyle in this blog post. try it with me and let me know which one you like the best. won't ya?

okay so i'm so not a lipstick person. but do you buy this? really? can everyone wear red lipstick? i'm intrigued.

it's wedding season! ever wander up the card aisles and are bored with every wedding card you see? jamie and i have a tradition of buying the most non-traditional wedding card we can find - usually a funny card. once we gave a friend a jewish sympathy card as a wedding card. that's just us, though. here's a great article on making your wedding gift mean something. 

i'm in love with this shop and specifically all the plates and cups. so cute!

and how freakin' adorable is this little guy? want. {for me!} actually, i had trouble choosing between all of them. they're so hilarious and adorable.

and i did promise pictures of the donuts, but i made them last night and yeah. i just don't take pictures at night. and i'm feeling quite sick now from all the sugar. i recommend pacing yourself. but you should make them. so. stinkin. good.

10 months in motion

we've been here for 10 months. amazing. some days it feels like we've been here for much, much longer. some days i can't believe how fast time has flown by.

last night as i lay cursing in my head at our stupid inverter, i thought to myself that i still find things to get angry about. to complain about. have i even changed at all?

i killed a cockroach last night with a kleenex box.

i say "keep your body to yourself" about ninety seven thousand times every day.

there's a bajillion pieces of lego on the ground.

oh hey there big belleh.

i made these delectable donuts a couple weeks ago and devoured about 6 in the span of 5 minutes. i'm going to make them again. {and i'll share the recipe when i do. and take better pictures.}

today or tomorrow. i should make them today because unlike my hometown of toronto, we're not experiencing high temperatures combined with humidity. i keep saying it, folks. perfect weather here in kampala. perfect weather.

i'm sitting on one of three couches in our living room. it's a one-seater. there are two little boys crouched behind me. fighting-playing. this always happens.

i want to set up our room for the baby. but jamie wants to wait until the guys move out of their house and we clean it so we can move our desk {which is in our room} to a clean "party house".

i may or may not have browsed mls.ca a couple days ago in two specific cities in ontario. and then i stopped. i need to live in the now. there will be time to figure out where we'll be living. but now isn't that time. and i also need to pray hard. i have loved living with less {although our house here is likely larger than any house we could afford in canada} and i don't want to get caught up in wanting, wanting, wanting. i want to live in a place that suits our needs and a place that allows us to freely give of our finances without having to pour them all into a temporary building that doesn't last for eternity.

i just said "keep your body to yourself". again.

jude thinks the living room carpet is a perfectly acceptable place to leave his finished apple core.

i have changed. but it's more of a changing. something that's continually happening. sometimes it's one step back and two steps forward. but always changing. moving. in motion.

i need to make some sandwiches for lunch. and maybe today i'll get around to exercising.

the breastfeeding in public non-issue

so breastfeeding in public.
goodness gracious what a stir it's causing over the pond there in the US and Canada.
i mean, how long has this been going on for? every couple years something comes up and everyone is all up in arms about it. those on the "pro" side are venting and defending and those on the "con" side are bashing it and whatnot.
and then it dies down.
and then something else happens and woopdeedoo we're all crazy again!

anyway.
so i'm somewhat removed from it all. somewhat because geographically i'm removed. but i have internet. so ... ya know. i read stuff.
but i just want to say that i love how much of a non-issue it is here. culturally it's not unusual to see a woman breastfeeding her child. fully exposed. one day i saw a woman at a little pedicure shack/store getting her toes done and breastfeeding her baby. love.
then another day i was at the craft market and saw a vendor breastfeeding her baby while sitting outside her shop. no "udder cover". no shawl. no receiving blanket. just a baby receiving his nourishment from a boob. that's right. a boob. {look at me being all controversial.}

and a part of me instinctively wanted to walk up to her and say, "good for you, mama!". but then my brain kicked in and i realized where i was and almost laughed at myself. if i did that, this mother would have zero clue what i was referring to. zero. because breastfeeding in public and showing your breast {gasp! no modesty!} is completely fine in most african cultures. so of course she'd feed her child where she was. she has a store to run to make money so she can put a roof over her child's head. closing up shop for 10-40 minutes so she could feed her child somewhere privately could mean the loss of several customers.

it's been interesting here knowing a few missionary mamas who are breastfeeding their kids and with both of them, they've checked with me to make sure i was okay with them nursing their babies around me and my boys. i've never asked them, but i'm almost 100% sure that they don't ask the ugandan's they are around if they are okay with them nursing. it's just so interesting. {oh and of course i said i was okay as long as they were fine with jude being a bit more curious about it all. and i got to see twins tandem nursing. ah.maze.ing. mamas of twins who breastfed them...you are absolute super stars!}

i personally don't feel the need to cover up when i breastfeed {although this was a long road for me, personally to become comfortable with it and eventually did it successfully with jude in public places and never had a single person stare at me or give me negative feedback. in fact, more people noticed when i breastfed with a cover as it drew more attention to the fact that i was breastfeeding.} and we'll see how it goes here. does it matter that i am white {and therefore so are my breasts} and breastfeeding? will that be an issue? i have no idea. but i'm guessing less of an issue here than in Canada or the US.

it will also be different as we will be sharing our living space with the other Canadian guy on our STINT team here and so that will bring another dynamic into the mix as well.

and so like most things, i am weighing in after all the hype has died down.

breasts are for feeding babies. but they are not just for feeding babies. which makes this {non}issue just a bit more complicated.
i want to be sensitive {and will strive to be when this baby is born}, but i also completely and fully endorse a woman's right to feed her child using her breasts wherever and whenever she deems necessary.

so that's where this Canadian-born, Ugandan-living mama stands on the whole breastfeeding in public non-issue.

thoughts? agree? disagree? does it make you uncomfortable to see a woman breastfeeding in public? why or why not? do you think it's okay as long as a woman "covers up"? what does that mean? is it okay if part of her back/stomach is showing as long as her breasts aren't? give it to me straight.


**edited to add** while i fully believe that as a woman and one who will be {hopefully} nursing a third baby soon it's within my rights to feed my baby wherever and whenever i deem necessary, if i'm around a man who feels uncomfortable or that it's something that could cause them to stumble, i would gladly forfeit this right and cover up {not that i would ever intentionally whip out my breast and fully expose myself}. my intention is not to purposely expose myself or cause someone to stumble, but to feed my baby and my intention in writing this is perhaps to cause people to re-think what they've been conditioned to think about breasts. 

father's day friday links

how is it friday already? i asked at least 3 times yesterday if it was really thursday. it's crazy.
our staff and students have all gone back to canada and it's quiet. i definitely miss them, but we needed some space and "normal" back in our lives again. i can see it in my kids' behaviour. more tantrums. more disobedience and "angry hearts". we need to come back together and focus on us. we'll have a few weeks to do that before jamie takes off for the philippines at the beginning of july {eek!}.
anyway, i've got heaps of links for you. so many, in fact, that i save a bunch and i'll post them next week. because they're all so good i don't want you to be overwhelmed!

so here are your father's day friday links!

i don't even know how i found this website {pinterest maybe?} but i love it. i love colours {i was just discussing how i love the names of colours of crayons and paint and nail polish the other day while getting a mani/pedi with the staff women.} and this is a fantastic site to give you some colour inspiration for the mommy-to-be. although you could hypothetically answer the questions and get some ideas as well.

and i'm adding this to my list of things i should be able to sew by now. it's DIY blackout curtains. seriously. i should be able to make these. right?

i'm not sure if you know this, but i kinda like to research things. not everything. just things i'm interested in. it's called being a "knowledge specialist". and so i've been researching things like giving birth in a hospital and what to bring as i've never had to deal with this before! anyway, with father's day being on sunday and all, i thought this was an appropriate list for what dad's should bring to the hospital.

and i just generally love all things pregnancy and baby and that includes fantastic birth stories like this one. i've got to admit that before, the thought of having an unassisted home birth freaked me right out. now? not as much. doesn't mean i'm planning one, but if it just so happens to come upon us too quickly i would rather stay home and get comfortable {as much as possible} than have this baby in the car. thank you very much!

um. i love these. i think they're on my list of things to make when we get back to canada. so hipster!

and oh yes! here's your friendly reminder. it's father's day on sunday! we're not so big on the grandiose celebrations around here, but i love these two ideas that you can do with your {slightly older} kids who can at least answer questions. i'm going to attempt at least one of them with the boys for jamie.

and there you have it! happy weekend!

kids are people too

so this has been on my mind and heart for the past month or more. so much so that i have a sticky note on my desk top {a virtual one} with some thoughts i've had on this subject.
then today a friend on facebook linked to this article which relates to how i've been feeling and what i've been thinking. {and also brings this whole issue back to my heart and it was a good read. go read it for yourself.}

basically, kids are people too. we need to treat them as such.
yes they are cute. and little. and squishable. but they have feelings. and opinions. and preferences.
now i'm definitely not saying that when a kid prefers to eat candy over vegetables that you should make sure you do a switcheroo and put a plate full of candy in front of them. no sir. but i think the way we speak to our kids {and the way you speak to other people's children - whether you have your own or not} should be respectful and understanding.

i've seen my kids poked, prodded, and picked up against their will while here in uganda. i've seen people get right up in their face and speak loudly and give no time for an answer before asking them another question. loudly. and in their face.

part of this is cultural, but i've also had things happen in canada where my kids are saying "no" and that they are done and the person playing with them thinks it's funny or cute and is not respecting my child's boundaries or request for said activity to finish.
you wouldn't walk up to an adult and pinch their cheeks or twirl them around or tickle them mercilessly and disregard any request for those activities to stop, so how come this is acceptable with our children?
how will they learn that when they say "no", people should listen and respect that if the adults around them don't seem to? or that they should speak up about things that make them feel uncomfortable and take a stand?

one of the realities of living here is being treated like a celebrity.
while we were up north on safari, it seemed like every single staff person at the hotel knew my kids by name and would say hi to them. which was fine. but it was the staff coming up to us during our mealtimes and demanding conversations with my kids and one staff even demanding jude to share his food with him and when jude {understandably} refused, he picked up jude's fork, put it in a potato on my plate and then put it in his mouth. um? no.
it's no wonder that my older son, noah, does not take well to this. he dislikes a lot of attention to begin with {even from people he knows}, and so this has been extremely stretching for him. we've worked hard and role played with him to help him learn that even if he doesn't feel like being someone's best friend, it's still polite to say hello and shake someone's hand. {the shaking hands thing is not even close to happening, but we're still working on it.} we talk through situations, but i completely understand how hard it must be for him.
after our experience at the hotel, it's no wonder he hides his face or gives an angry look at strangers to ward off unwanted attention.

anyway, all i'm saying is, let's treat these little people with respect. just because they're little does not make them less of a person.

agree? disagree? thoughts or advice? i'm all ears!

seek

we went on safari. it was lovely. but exhausting.

sometimes i feel like i'm in this stage with my two little fellas that is priceless. they play well together. they play well unsupervised. they are creative and funny and cute and absolutely lovable.

and then i feel the complete opposite of that. they fight nonstop. they sass back. they don't obey and they feed off of each other's bad behaviour. they are all the time physically fighting, fighting, fighting. 

how can two boys be so sweet and so devilish all at the same time?

my advice to those with young children (especially boys): take them to the zoo. not on safari. my kids were just there for the snacks. (seriously though, there were some fun moments on safari, but i stand by my advice. the zoo is better for little kids.)

it's a hard stage. but a good one. and i have to remind myself that this too shall pass. the adorable moments of this youth and the hard, difficult moments of training and correcting. 

being pregnant with two very stubborn and very lively little boys is tiring. but i'm seeking two things;

1. that i would abide in Christ. fully. and nonstop. i fail. but it is something i am striving for.

2. that i would be joy-filled. in the hard. and the ugly. in the laughter-filled. and in the quiet moments of contemplation. that i would find joy. 

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

John 15:9-11

marriage

we had a date night last night, jamie and i. {courtesy of one spectacular kelley myles who is a genius at getting children to stop freaking out and go to sleep!}
we went to my favouritest place, mishmash. it was jazz, blues and rock night. just a chill evening where they play everything from BB King to The Stones to Dizzy Gilespie and Pearl Jam. they played black magic woman which i totally grooved to thanks to guitar hero enlightening my sometimes limited music awareness.
it was a nice, quiet night out.
{also i really like that at night, people smoke shisha and it smells absolutely delicious. the grape flavour always smells the best.}
on the drive home we talked about each other and other people and both agreed that while we could have married other people, no one would really even compare to each other. maybe that's arrogant, but i think it's probably an arrogance that more marriages could stand to have.
and it makes me happy that we're both happiest with each other.
almost 8 years of marriage {and almost 13 years together!} and we still think we picked the best.
i'm thankful to God for bringing us and keeping us together. {and for the so many people that i know still pray for us and have since our wedding day.}

*in hindsight and after someone's comment, arrogance isn't probably the best choice of words. but somehow it communicates a certain...vibe for how we feel about each other. like "we got the best out there when we married each other. sorry world, but you lost out."

june TWO

i woke up before the boys did this morning. darn pregnancy bladder.
we relaxed. ate muffins and yogurt. i had a tea.
then at around 10am i decided to get dressed. {it's a luxury to walk around in pj's when i usually have other boys in my house. so, ya know...i can't walk around indecent or anything.}
wrangled the boys into the car.
just as i had managed to open the gate, drive the car out, close the gate, get back into the car and start driving, jude poked noah in the eyeball.
sigh.
i almost turned around and went back home.
but i persevered.
and we were off to mishmash.
the boys played in the playground while i perused the farmer's market. i bought cinnamon raisin bagels, 2 zucchinis and some broccoli {my first since being in uganda!}. the latter two will be in my chicken stir fry tonight. yum.
then we all enjoyed some delicious drinks. 2 mango smoothies and my favourite, an iced lemon tea.

i love mishmash. they've got new artwork up. noah loves to go and wander through the place and check out the latest installment. i love that my boys are being exposed to art. and that mishmash supports local artists.

also? i can't believe it's june. wha? where did may go?

i sat from my spot at the table and watched the boys play in the playground. why is it that pretty much every child i know loves to go UP the slide? so interesting.

now we're back home. noah's having a quiet play time in my room and jude is sleeping. and me? i might just sit here and eat chocolate and watch an episode of private practice or something.
happy weekend!

linking up to steph who takes pictures of her 4 kids on the fourth of each month

first friday in june links

i'm on day 2 of solo parenting with jamie in mbale until monday. it's going pretty well so far.
i think it helps that the boys {and i!} have been sleeping well. thank you, Jesus!
this morning noah was up early and shortly thereafter jude was, too. they played for a bit and then we all got dressed and i made those banana muffins i've been craving while the boys watched noah's birthday videos {i asked friends and family to send videos to noah wishing him a happy birthday last october and he still loves watching them. so thank you to those who sent them!} and ate yogurt while they waited for the muffins to finish baking.
then noah proceeded to eat three muffins.
seriously. he's already eating me out of house and home. it's a good thing i doubled the batch.

potty training with jude is going so well! we go on outings with him in underpants and he lets me know when he needs to go. if we're at home, he'll run to the bathroom and go on his own. yesterday he peed standing up. i'm one proud mama. thankful this has been a low-stress undertaking.

jude had a blast wearing water wings while we were in jinja. my little water babies.

here are your weekend links!

recently i have a love-hate relationship with LEGO. noah loves to dump it out, but getting him to clean it up is sometimes like torture. this morning it wasn't so bad, but last night? brutal. and the teensy, tiny, itty bitty pieces? that's going to be trouble when baby b is born and crawling around. anyway, i have a feeling it's just going to be part of our lives for the next oh, 10 years or so. more? yikes. anyway, i love this LEGO birthday party for a 6 year old. 

and i am so making this popcorn. sweet and salty? you had me at hello.

and it's june 1st! crazy how fast time is just flying by. i love this website. there are "ways to play" for each month of the year. this is from last june, but it's a great list and you can download the list from each month.

i'm totally crushing on chevrons. and picnics? who doesn't love a picnic? combine the two and it's a beautiful thing.

101 spring freezer meals. 'nuff said. {this list is AWESOME.}

this blog post. it's so tragic that things like this happen all the time here in uganda and in other countries in africa. i am facebook friends with keren and she is fighting for justice for women and families here in uganda and for cihldren to stop being taken from families and placed up for adoption or other heart-breaking situations. please check it out. let's all get educated about what's really happening behind the scenes of adoption.