• Fasd-awareness-two-boys-hugging
    Health

    I am Not Invisible – FASD at School and How to Help

    September 3, 2020 - By 

    This FASD at School post is by my daughter, Ainsley Schuck. September 9th is FASD (International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) Day, so we thought we’d share it now as school resumes. I have an invisible disability, but I am not invisible. I kind of want my IEP (individual education plan) to say that. I’m not invisible and I am trying, but I need help. It’s a double standard in the schools and in life that some with visible disabilities are treated differently than others whose disabilities are not so easy to see. Clearly, most people with any disability struggle with…

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    Health

    Brain Exercises to Keep Your Cognitive Abilities In Shape

    August 12, 2020 - By 

    Post may contain affiliate links as a service to readers. I make a small commission via qualifying links. Your brain is a muscle and like any muscle, using it keeps it in shape. When muscles aren’t used, they atrophy and lose muscle tone. The same is true for your brain. It’s important to retain your cognitive nimbleness and keep your mind alert so that you can continue to perform mental tasks with ease. Here are some strength training exercises designed to keep your brain active and in shape as you age. Brain Exercises Learn new things. Experts believe that when…

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    103 Plus Books to Increase Brain Power Now!

    August 5, 2020 - By 

    These days, it’s hard to keep our brains active, much less increase brain power. I mean I feel like I am constantly stressed out here while parenting and working through the pandemic and cannot focus long enough on any one task to make it through without stumbling. This Increase Your Brain Power Post contains affiliate links as a service to readers. I make a small commission via qualifying links. Recently, I started using an app to focus hard in the mornings on exercise and learning. I need to keep my brain active and stimulated to be healthy and well. So,…

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    Health

    Online Prescription Refill Makes Managing Family Health Easier

    July 30, 2020 - By 

    This online prescription refill post has been sponsored by The Health Depot. I received compensation and my opinion is truthful. Prescriptions are the bane of my existence. Let me explain. Everyone here is on at least one prescription. My kids have anxiety disorder and FASD and ADHD and I have Crohn’s disease. I make no effort to hide our health care struggles and challenges. In fact, I talk about them often, because I know we are not alone and other parents need to know they are also not alone. Recently, I found a solution to a BIG health care pain…

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    Six of the Best ADHD Books for Parents

    June 10, 2020 - By 

    ADHD books for Parents can come in handy, especially at the start of your journey when trying to gather resources and facts. Parenting a child with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) can be extremely challenging. Impulsivity, distractibility, attention, focus and even explosivity are all symptoms that can be genuinely hard to manage and live with on a daily basis. As a parent of two girls who are opposites with these symptoms – one hyperactive and one inattentive, I often need to remind myself to find my calm side and approach parenting from that starting point. This ADHD Books for Parents…

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    Health

    Free Online Fitness Classes To Try While Stuck at Home

    May 25, 2020 - By 

    My friends and family members know I am all about the fitness classes. I structure every work day around the gym. Before the Pandemic, I worked out a minimum of five days a week at the YMCA. Suddenly, I was hunting for online fitness classes to fill the gap. My morning and lunchtime workouts at the YMCA are necessary for me to maintain flexibility, strength, energy and balance. I have Crohn’s Disease and my joints tend to get very sore and stiff unless I move frequently. So, for me movement isn’t optional. When the Coronavirus started was distant news seemingly…

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    Health - Parenting

    Inspirational TED Talks for Teens

    April 20, 2020 - By 

    Inspirational TED Talks can be great for anyone, but teenagers, in particular can really benefit from these 18-minute or less talks that can cover almost any topic. Teen years are hard slogging and watching them struggle sometimes as parents is so challenging. If you can remember your teen years, you’ll probably easily recall the angst and fear and general uncertainty. Right now, that angst and anxiety is running even higher for most because of the pandemic. That’s where inspirational TED Talks come in. Inspirational TED Talks to Ease the Teen Years From zits and breakups to proms and makeups, the…

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    Mental Health Resources To Access Right Now

    March 31, 2020 - By 

    It’s no secret here to most of you that I have children with mental health diagnoses. One of my biggest concerns at the start of this pandemic was my older girl’s anxiety disorder and my younger girl’s aggression, which is a result of her FASD (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.) Both teens do therapy on a regular basis and the youngest was in crisis for most of 2019. She might have turned a corner on that just recently due to therapy she’s finally been able to access. But jeopardizing any progress also was a concern for me. Keep These Mental Health…

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    Best Inspirational Mental Health Quotes

    January 20, 2020 - By 

    I read a story this morning about a skier’s wife who committed suicide in 2016. That story reminded me again how fragile mental health is. I know too well how hard it is to secure mental health supports and help for young people who need treatment. In fact, I just wrote a CBC Parents piece about that precise issue and the unbearable weight of being waitlisted. But there has to be something that sometimes gives us the strength and the ability to get through the wait. Right? It’s completely undoable otherwise. What Can You Do to Get Through the Hard…

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    Health

    Top 13 Sensory Toys for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder

    January 14, 2020 - By 

    This sensory toys post contains affiliate links as a service to readers. Purchases made via qualifying links mean a small commission for me. What do you give to kids who are anxious about a lot of things, whose brains seem to amplify sensations and noises? Good sensory toys can help them function and manage sensory input. My daughter has sensory processing disorder. I have written about that here a few times. Years ago I wrote about our journey to get a sensory processing disorder diagnosis for Today’s Parent magazine. These recommendations are based on what we have found that works.…