Define Sleep: A natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body, in which the eyes usually close and consciousness is completely or partially lost, so that there is a decrease in bodily movement and responsiveness to external stimuli. During sleep the brain in humans and other mammals undergoes a characteristic cycle of brain-wave…
Category Archives: Family Life
She Is Their Best Friend
She is their best friend. I see it in their faces, hear it in their play, watch it in the way they fight over the smallest piece of junk, determined that their need to treasure this particular item is deeper than the other. Then, just as easily, one gives in. One notices the tears of…
Tick tock
She fell asleep around 11 p.m. curled up with Tim in an armchair. When his foot began to throb and he needed to move, I pulled her onto my lap where she stayed until everyone went to bed. She slept through the end of “Despicable Me,” Dick Clark’s New Years Eve, clinking glasses, and excited cheers….
All you need is love…
There are times when I think am I doing right by my son. Is it right that I kept him home to homeschool versus sending him to our public school system? This one doesn’t take long to remember why I did what I did! Our schools system offered three schools to choose from, it was…
Celebrate One Thing
I guess I struck a nerve last week. I’m not the only “super-mom” out there who is not feeling so super. A week of perspective seeking has helped. Getting a couple of nagging projects off my plate has helped. Remembering to not write at the end of the day will probably help, too. I felt…
Our Night Out
You need a break! Caring for a disabled child is often an intense experience. Day after day, month after month, year after year the battle continues. Respite offers care-givers a much need break in the anxiety and stress of care giving. Make a plan for your getaway today!
13 ways to make marriage fun again
At breakfast, I looked across table at him, giddy and delighted that he’s mine. It’s been 12 years now, and I’m completely head over heels for this 6’7″ guy I met as a college senior. I love that he can relax when I can’t. That he thinks of a hundred ideas for something when I…
Make New Friends
When I was expecting my oldest child, I met a bunch of other mothers through pre-natal fitness classes. After he was born, I met some more at a weekly well-baby clinic where the babies were weighed and the moms chatted while the children hung out on a mat on the floor. All the babies were…
Full Plate
I am tired. There’s no way around it. I’m running on fumes, and staring down another day where I need a full tank. What to do? Short term: suck it up, push on, just do it. Long term: not sure. Seriously. Every week I make a list of what (ideally) needs to happen. I plan…
Careers for Special Adults
If you are a parent of a young child with a cognitive impairment disability, you may not yet have given much thought to their life as an adult. But the time will come when you will be helping them make decisions about their “life plan”. Here is how we handled it.