2 weeks ago, my husband was out of town on business. It happened to be his birthday coming up, so I took my kids to the local mall for some Papa Birthday Buying. We stepped in to the Wonderful World of Bass Pro Shops and were met with Santa’s Wonderland of Stuffed Animals (and I’m…
Category Archives: Day In And Day Out
Home for the Holidays
Every year, my larger-than-life family gets together for holidays, just like the rest of the world. I have three brothers and three sisters and their spouses, plus multiple nieces and nephews, which means a gathering with “just us” and it’s thirty to forty people. We used to take turns hosting the gatherings. Used to. As…
Engaging through music
I am a musician. I am a woman, a mom, a therapist, an advocate. a nurse, a chauffer, a maid and much more. But I am also a musician. I take any words and make them into a song. Whether the words are actually from a song or not, I can sing it. One song I think…
Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving. Giving thanks. Being thankful. Every year, despite the constant hum of chaos in my house, I am reminded to stop and give thanks. This year in particular, I am thankful for my four wonderfully unique children. My oldest, who turns 8 in less than two weeks, is an easy child to parent. She brought…
Hold My Hand
I’m sure I’m not the only one who takes Thanksgiving week as a chance to reflect on all the things I’m grateful for in my life. This year, the first year since my son’s official autism spectrum diagnosis, has not been an easy one. There have been more lows than highs. I’m well versed in…
Special Exposure Wednesday.
Ivy and Noah overcame prematurity – born at 30 weeks. They overcame hypertonia (Noah) hypotonia (Ivy), feeding issues, allergies, issues with their lungs and developmental delays. In a week they will be 5 (and we’ve started celebrating already) It has been an amazing journey of the heart and the spirit. Got something to share? Why…
Tube Wars
For the past 20 years my daughter Melissa has used a NG tube as her primary method of feeding. There has always been much controversy about the use of NG vs. G-Tubes. My story offers our experiences.
It’s Harder For Him
After the house quiets, order is restored and slumbers begin, reflection occurs. As the day replays, I think of what I could do differently, what meltdown triggers I missed, how I can be a better mom. Many times I find myself hitting full on the frustration of our life. The constraints placed upon us…how “we”…
Ways to Help Special Needs Siblings Thrive – Part 1
As some of you know, I love of Grey’s Anatomy. What draws me to the show is the genuine, honest, flawed, and intense characters. One, in particular, has captured my empathy: Alex Karev. He’s a bully. And he’s a great doctor who loves kids (but, of course, in secret). He’s a damaged soul from a…
Words
Words were in stories; words were to be learned and spelled and memorized. Words were in books, descriptive and wonderful and took me to another place in my imagination. I’ve always admired and appreciated words. But not like I do now. I waited almost 6 years to hear words. Beautiful, glorious, magical words. Every Christmas,…