Chrismukkah, UNICEF, and Museum Fun!

Chrismukkah is a pop-culture neologism referring to the merging of the holidays of Christianity's Christmas and Judaism's Hanukkah as celebrated in interfaith households where one parent may be of Christian heritage and another parent of Jewish heritage.  ~Wikipedia

My mom is Jewish and my dad, Hannie, and I are all Catholic so in our family we celebrate any and all  holidays.  Hannie so far this month has enjoyed blowing out the candles on the menorah (not exactly what is supposed to happen, but that is neither here nor there), watching National Lampoon's Xmas Vacation, reading My Jewish Book of Colors, attending a Santa lunch/sleigh ride, etc.  It's is a mishmash of traditions but it works just fine for us.    

We spent a wonderful day with some Kaz families at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis this month, and WOW that place is unreal!!  We spent all day there and probably didn't see half of it!  Hannie loved the Yule Slide and the Carousel of Dreams, and Mama loved getting to hang with her awesome Kaz friends Muriel, Alaina, Karen and Shauna and all their kids.  Here are some pics from the day...

Because this is first and foremost an adoption blog, I want to share a particularly well-written piece from the Washington Times on UNICEF's effective attack on inter-country adoption.  If you scroll down to the bottom of the article, there is a great debate amongst readers on the accountability of UNICEF.   A representative from UNICEF issues a statement clarifying their position on the adoption process as well.  While I think we are all in agreement that  adoption processes should be carried out in an ethical, transparent and legal manner that is in the best interest of the children and also of adopting families; I cannot support an organization that favors leaving children to languish in orphanages rather than loving homes. This holiday season, if you are considering supporting an organization, I would like to recommend some that hold special meaning to me.

 Two Hearts for Hope  An organization dedicated to helping the orphans in Kazakhstan.
Antares Foundation Another organization dedicated to improving the lives of orphans in Kazakhstan.
Dream of A Child  A non profit run by the founder of my adoption agency (Little Miracles, Intl). I like this organization because it works in a variety of countries and provides a number of very worthwhile sponsorship projects. 100% of the donations go toward  assisting in medical, physical, nutritional and emotional development for children in need.
Interlink A non profit aid organization with a branch in Shymkent (Hannie's birth city).  This organization does a wide variety of aid projects, my favorite of which is a medical clinic that offers a range of special services for children with cerebral palsy, including physical therapy, massage, therapeutic horseback riding and support services for parents.


May your days be Merry and Bright!   ~Erin