You know, I’ve read books about the IEP, I’ve watched speakers talk about the IEP, I’ve talked to teachers about the IEP… and I’ve listened to my other special needs friends talk about IEP. And, I think we’re all wrong. ALL OF US. The books- they were written about specific children in specific scenarios. As…
New Feature “Ask the Parents”
I have been pondering this for several months now. This is a way for all of us to help each other out and have the information available for the long term. I call it “Ask the Parents.” It’s like a forum without the scrolling or trolls. The form below is for your questions. You can…
Homework Strategies
Ah…now I remember what takes the shine right off of back to school – back to homework. The child brought home her first ever second grade homework packet yesterday. Yeah, it didn’t go so well. It didn’t help that the homework arrived on a Tuesday. We have gymnastics right after school on Tuesday and don’t…
Special Exposure Wednesday: Cowboy
There’s a new cowboy in town, 🙂 Share what you managed to capture this week. Please spread the comment love around. Don’t forget to grab the Special Exposure Wednesday button for your post!
Surviving “Too Many Balls In The Air”
The holiday has passed, the change of season seems to be upon us – something I am nothing short of thankful for. It’s this time of the year I get energized, my mood is much happier, the bounce is added to my step. If this morning is any indication, it’s a good thing it is….
Helping Siblings Handle Loss
Yesterday was a Labor Day my family won’t soon forget. It was the first weekend (and holiday) since one of our daughters was admitted to a residential treatment facility for mood and developmental issues. Sure, we did the usual Labor Day things: played games, bar-b-qued hot dogs and spent time with extended family. But it…
Ordinary Acts, Extraordinary Love
My girls have been in school a few weeks now, settling in- despite the challenges- two weeks of record Arizona heat, new classrooms, new schedules and the same old pressure to eat snack, eat lunch, drink water and do their best work. Two different schools, two different nurses offices’ stocked with medicine and strategically planned…
School Daze…
It’s that magical time of year…. Or, if you feel like school the way I do, it’s: time to spend a ton of money to buy crap they’re not going to use, fight about clothing each and every morning, and prepare for the onslaught of colds. Hmmmm…. There’s public school, home school, virtual school, private…
Closer to a diagnosis
The past eighteen months have been rough. We knew Fluffy had inattentive issues, we went ahead with ADHD meds. That took us on a wild ride on the emotional roller coaster. Stimulants had the opposite effect on her. Concerta trial turned the month of July gloomy. We were very worried that she was becoming bipolar. We took…
We’re all Different…We’re all the Same
I’m writing a story with the child about the things that make us different from each other. I’m hoping this will be a soft entry to explaining her challenges and her triumphs over them in a way that is positive and yet open and honest. We’ve already talked about how even the people in our…