Monthly Archives: July 2009

How do you teach accountability?

A few weeks ago, we received a phone call from Mal’s teacher. He had been in a fight with another of his classmates and had found himself in deep trouble. Not only that but he had come up worse than the other kid in the fight and had been thumped across the head. By the…

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Do Manners Matter?

My children and I have been in a lot of doctor’s offices recently. I try to schedule as many of our appointments as possible during school breaks, and it seems I am doing a good job this summer. Between all of us, we have visited or will visit the hospital MRI department, the rheumatologist, the…

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Let’s Talk About STRESS, Baybee…

So I was on Twitter the other morning and I came across this in my Twitterstream: Parents of Children With Autism Report High Stress Levels http://bit.ly/7tjBl REALLY? You don’t say! I mean, parents IN GENERAL are stressed. It’s tough these days to raise a child, let alone more than one. (At least to hear my…

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Special Exposure Wednesday.

    When you are the mother of an immune deficient child, you often wonder; Who is the mask protecting? At least her eyes are smiling. Got a photo to share? Why don’t you join in this Special Exposure Wednesday.  Please remember your comment love at each link you visit. Also blogging at Three Ring Circus…

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Try This Tuesday #53: Looking for Your Advice

Today I am really looking to you for your creative solutions. Things have been very up and down with my son this summer, with one day going beautifully and the next a disaster. Although he is not what I would call a “runner”, i.e. a child who escapes at any opportunity without regard to his…

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Helping people see beyond the disability

It’s Sunday evening, we’re at our favorite local diner. They know us here, but tonight there’s a new waitress and Max has a crush on her. All she has to do is smile at him and he giggles. Max finishes eating, jumps up from the table and proceeds to stroll around the restaurant (it’s one…

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Our Step2 Winner!

One of the things I love most about hosting reviews and giveaways here on 5 Minutes For Special Needs is being able to visit so many new blogs! Today’s winner was chosen by Random.org. And the winner is…………. heidimarie! Don’t forget! Take a picture of your child enjoying some ice cream and you could win…

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I Love the Smell of Smackdown in the Morning

Well, no, not really. Little Guy has a few obsessive peeves that just drive him into the stratosphere. One of them is the term “stop”. There is no rhyme or reason to it, it just is—like the fact that he is scared to death of bare feet, even his own. Yeah, I know that’s weird,…

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A Trip to the Harware Store

This is one of the first stories I wrote about Matthew, and is an excerpt from my book. “We need to go to the hardware store,” insisted my eighteen-year-old son, Matthew. I took a deep breath. Another adventure with my autistic son was about to begin. When we got to the store, Matthew rushed in…

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Invisible Wings

The nurses on our ward are angels with invisible wings. They are almost like a second family to Ivy and I. I can even tell some of them how much of a failure I feel. How my mothering takes a severe beating when I have to bring Ivy to the hospital, tail between my legs,…

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