Sunday, January 2, 2011… My beloved grandmother (everyone in my whole world knew her as “Non”) unexpectedly, tragically, died. She was my biggest supporter and truly one of my best friends. So many thoughts ran through my head…. Was my family going to be upset because we couldn’t travel? Was my mom going to be…
Why I Love it When My Kids Are Sick
Mommies always feel badly when their little ones are sick. Even when they aren’t so little anymore, it’s natural to feel badly when you have a child who’s under the weather. And while I feel helpless and sad that my boys don’t feel well, I have a little confession to make: I secretly enjoy it…
Bragging Rights
This year my oldest daughter entered high school. The school had several orientation meetings for parents and students about what they could expect in the upcoming years. At the beginning of these meetings the principal would get up and say a few words about the school’s academic record and how well the students have done…
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…
Prepping for a Trip Away
Oy. My husband and I leave in about a month to travel to China so that we can complete our adoption. While the kids are in good hands with grandparents, I still worry and feel guilty about this. When we adopted my youngest from Vietnam, the trip took about 2 weeks. This trip will be similar….
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.
How Do You Discover What Ails?
At the very moment I write this, I have a headache. I’m not sure I ever really felt it coming, so much as finally acknowledged that it’s here. I recognized it. Acknowledged it. I blurted out to C, “I have a headache”. I just took some Tylenol. Then it occurred to me just how easy…
If You Say So!
Have you ever noticed how the way you talk about yourself and others in a situation determines how it turns out? Like if you’re at a supermarket and the checkout guy is obviously having a bad day, you walk up and say hello, and he brushes you off. If you mutter, “Jerk!” under your breath…
It’s My Year
On New Year’s Eve I was out shopping with my mom, something I seldom get to do not only because I have two kids, but also because my mother lives out of state. We set out on our ritual, a pedicure and some wandering around the local mall. Ironically no matter how many times people…
What a difference…
…A good health care provider can be! As with most special needs parents, I have dealt with a lot of care providers. Some of them will leave an imprint in your mind forever. Sometimes it’s the terrible experiences you’ve had and also the complete opposite. It’s almost like customer service. If you have a bad…