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One Thankful Mom - Lisa Qualls

Honest reflections on family, adoption, foster care, and faith.

How Do You Organize Legos?

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I need Lego advice. Do I organize and separate? Or dump them all together and hope creativity flows? How do you manage Legos in your home? My older kids played with Legos, but we didn’t own tons, and I don’t remember buying special themed sets. I recall they loved large base plates to build on and […]

Need a Fun Father’s Day Gift? Custom Keychain Giveaway!

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It’s almost Father’s Day! Cate and I had a lot of fun designing these Father’s Day keychains. Each keychain is customized with the special name you use for your dad, grandfather, or somebody special in your life. You can even add the number of children and make it a “dad to the power of” keychain. […]

For the Love of a First Mom [Birth Mom]

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Last Friday my son arrived home from school with a friend. He opened the front door, calling out, “Hi, Mom!” Turning to his friend, he added, “Dude, I have two moms. That means I have eight grandparents.” His friend casually replied, “Yeah, I know,” as they dropped their backpacks in the middle of the entryway […]

A New Job in a Full Life

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I may need to take up a new style of blogging  – bullet points. *For two days I’m driving back and forth to Spokane for a Fostering Idaho/Fostering WA conference. I’m a wee bit envious of the people spending the night, sleeping in comfy hotel beds and having dinner with adults, but that doesn’t work […]

Not Because I Was Perfect

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Any perfect parents out there? I’m definitely not, and frankly, as amazing and wonderful as my friends are, none of them are either. We try so hard, don’t we? Or at least we try hard for a long time, then we get tired or discouraged and our effort dwindles down to about a C+. It’s […]

Kissing You on the Cheek

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Just a quick post today to say New York was amazing. Beza and I spoke at the Rollstone Foundation gala on Long Island. Rollstone provides adoption grants to families adopting children with special needs (families must be matched with a child prior to applying). Beza was truly incredible. She gave an inspiring and beautiful speech, touching […]

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  • It's essential to view each member of the adoption triad: adoptee, first/birth parent, adoptive parent (and affected siblings) with compassion. We must listen to each other with open hearts and minds. A reader paid me the highest compliment when she said this post "invites everyone to the table." [link to post in profile] #adoption #adopted #birthmom #adoptee #fostercare #onethankfulmom #couragedearheart
  • This is my favorite view - powerful, dramatic, constant. Looking out over Puget Sound at the Olympic Mountains never grows old. My old iPhone doesn't do it justice and one of my loves broke my Nikon DSLR, so this will have to do. But if you were sitting here with me this morning, wrapped in a blanket, fingers curled around a mug of strong coffee, and all of our kids were still sleeping - the beauty just might make you cry. #mythankfullife #onethankfulmom #couragedearheart #quallsfam
  • This is what my first morning on the island looks like: coffee, my Bible and journals, books, yellow pads and a good pencil. I'm making grocery lists, lists of forgotten items for Russ to bring next week, a calendar showing when big kids and other family arrive and depart, and a list of all the tasks I hope to accomplish while I'm here. Some are not so fun - foster care relicensing paperwork, others more satisfying - preparing my talk for the Mosaic Retreat. The view is beautiful, the door wide open (even if the air is cool), and the boys are playing on the beach. I am so thankful to be here and truly blessed beyond measure. #onethankfulmom #mythankfullife #fostercare
  • The kids and I left for Whidbey Island this morning. We're on the ferry - almost there. #mythankfullife #whidbeyisland #onethankfulmom
  • Thank you for praying for my dad as he ever so slowly recovers from heart surgery. For unknown reasons, he did not wake up normally after surgery last Tuesday. He is finally speaking in simple sentences and is aware that time has passed since his surgery. He sat in a chair today. We are encouraged and hopeful. I'm thankful my sisters spend hours at the hospital with my parents each day and update me. Call your parents and grandparents. Love your people well. #couragedearheart #onethankfulmom #itiswell
  • I love starting my mornings here in my thrift store chair with coffee and a stack of books. My routine is simple and life giving: Bible (She Reads Truth app is fantastic for reading plans), a few sentences in my One-Line a Day Journal (the only journal I've ever managed to keep), one line in my gratitude journal, prayer, a chapter (or less) in a book for my personal/spiritual growth. Then I organize my day in my planner, all before I turn on my computer. I try not to even look at my phone, other than my Bible app and texts (checking for texts from kids and family), before this is done, otherwise I'm quickly sucked into the vortex of social media, although it happens more often than I care to admit. Our world is so noisy, this little piece of my life is quiet. I'm reminded of who I am and whose I am; my priorities come more clearly into view - love God, love Russ, love my children, my family and friends, love the world. Do what God calls me to do with the gifts and resources he's given me. Live an open-hearted life. This all seems clearer when I start my mornings here. [I share this not because it's the right way to do it, but because there might be something here that speaks to you and is helpful. If so, take it. If not, that's fine. We learn so much from one another when we share our lives.] #openhearted #onethankfulmom #couragedearheart #shereadstruth