I’ve just about decided I don’t like the word mild – except as it relates to cheddar cheese and salsa. Mild should come with a warning label… I believe I recognized the signs of “mild” cognitive decline due to dementia in my mother-in-law a couple of years ago. Although I did what I could to…
Tag Archive: family
Just Venting…
For the first time since writing for 5 Minutes for Special Needs I am at a bit of a loss of what to write. Often I know days in advance what I will write, and it becomes a finely crafted piece before I hit publish. Usually at some point on Tuesday inspiration will strike and…
When she won’t hug Grandma
We flew 8 hours with 4 kids and umpteen bags across the country to visit Grandma. Within 2 minutes they’d already hurt her feelings. It’s always been stressful to balance the expectations of extended family and the needs of my two older girls, adopted as toddlers from foster care. Both their difficult history and their…
Adults with Special Needs
We went to the maple sugar bush this week as it was March Break for the kids. Part of the attraction of this particular sugar bush is the all-you-can-eat breakfast and the small farm they have with a pig, some sheep, a goat, a cow and some chickens. We headed out early on Thursday morning…
Sleep Perchance to Dream
Last night was one of those nights. Daddy had a meeting so I put all the kids to bed, then laid on the floor doing Facebook until the twins dropped off to sleep, except I dropped off to sleep, too. I know I’m really wiped out when I wake up on the cold floor at…
Just Managing
Precious got the flu last week. She started getting sick on Sunday night and missed the whole week of school. I work for a wonderful employer and get 5 days of family-related leave a year. Only problem is, that it goes pretty fast between the number of appointments Precious has, along with the fact that…
Family Matters
The way our families accept our children with special needs can make or break our relationship with them. When we had some family in town this weekend, we saw the way we would love our whole family to treat Precious. I hadn’t seen my husband’s cousin Tamara since my wedding almost 11 years ago. DH…
Staring
I try to teach my kids to be curious, but not to stare. To be kind, but not condescending. To be honest, but reserved. Last weekend, we made a trip to the outlet malls about an hour away from our home. The boys were both in desperate need of soccer shoes. Isaiah was in even…