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Stupid Tears and Being a Special Needs Parent
I’ve become a spectacle. The crazy Mom sitting in the grocery store parking lot crying stupid tears in a minivan. You don’t want to know her. She’s pathetic and cliche. But too many times lately she’s me crying in the parking lot at Sobey’s, No Frills or Food Basics. Look away. Perhaps you are new here and you don’t know me, but I am not a cryer. In fact crying is something I typically do once or twice a year maybe. Like a thing I allow myself very rarely in controlled situations at home. Nobody needs to see me crying in the parking lot at the grocery store. Or anywhere…
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BEST Fidget Toys for Christmas – ZURU Toys
ZURU Toys makes this Christmas more exciting with three great gifts for kids who need to fidget. And maybe for some Work at Home parents too. Fidget toys can be useful tools for kids with unique needs and challenges. For kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and even ADD, without the hyperactivity, these can help them focus. And these fidget toys from Zuru Toys are actually so fun I can’t put them down. As soon as this shipment of ZURU Toys arrived they caught our attention. Yes, I said “Our” attention, because I also wanted to pull them out and play. ZURU Toys for the Creative Mind ZURU Toys is…
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Getting on Track with Sharpie and Paper Mate #SpreadJoy #Giveaway
I have partnered with YMC and Sharpie/Paper Mate and have received compensation for this post. All opinions in the post are my own. Getting on track for the school year is especially important when the kids hit junior high and high school. Every year is important, but it seems like time is starting to run out when your kids hit high school. Grades, volunteering, extracurriculars – are all incredibly important for college and university admission. This year it’s crucial the kids have everything they need to stay on task. Sharpie and Paper Mate offer tools that make getting on track and staying on track easy. Getting on Track with Team Payton…
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Three Resorts with Adaptive Ski Programs for Special Needs
Children with special needs face challenges that other kids don’t. Whether their disability is physical, mental or neurological, children and adults with special needs require extra support with certain activities. Many ski resorts are getting excellent at meeting this need. I have seen some adaptive ski programs at family friendly resorts like Smugglers’ Notch in action. Some are super impressive so I thought I would share a list for families like ours. Children with Special Needs Can Shine at These Ski Resorts Children and adults with special needs face barriers too many places still. So when I find a resource with adaptive or inclusive programs sometimes I want to celebrate. Resorts with Adaptive Ski…
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What Does FASD Look Like?
What does FASD look like? This is one of the most searched phrases that lands people here on my site. So, I figured it was time to share a few facts. Some of you know that we adopted both of our daughters when they were small. Both of my kids have unique needs. My youngest girl has sensory processing disorder and Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. My oldest has anxiety disorder. I have a lot of experience as a parent of a child on the spectrum. Over the years I have also attended numerous conferences to gather information about how to parent a child with alcohol related neurological damage. Once upon a…
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Report Card for Superheroes #specialneeds
Congratulations. Give yourself a massive high five. A hug, a pat on the back. You made it. You are superheroes. You deserve an A plus on the only report card that matters. You did it. Another school year down. Another grade gone by. You didn’t break. You deserve A pluses in every subject. Superheroes look like this: You are all heroic. Building exceptional kids with extra human strengths. Your kids are Iron Man and Wonder Woman, Spiderman and Black Widow. They are superheroes. I know them well. Two of the biggest superheroes I know are living here in this house. They have extraordinary powers and strength. They are learning to be resilient and…
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Building an Inclusive Classroom With Microsoft
Technology has the power to make lives better. The right technology can help us break down barriers, stay in our homes longer, or tackle health challenges head on. In schools, technology has incredible potential to help build ability, to help every child transcend barriers to education and achieve a bright future. Microsoft Canada is working to help every teacher embrace technology and build an inclusive classroom. My daughters are amazing girls with many strengths and a few challenges. They both fall squarely within the 3.2% of Canadian children aged 5 to 14 affected by a limitation related to learning. That statistic comes from the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey by Statistics Canada. We know kids…
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When Hard Doesn’t Break – Special Needs Parents
Maybe your child has curly hair, or is slightly unique in some other tiny way. Small genetic blessings that somehow will turn to a source of pride. Over time. Maybe you think that parenting is hard, but your hard is a moment. Your hard is a glass of wine, some retail therapy, girl’s night out, and then you move on. Your hard breaks. There’s nothing heartbreakingly extraordinary that impacts the way your child moves throughout their Mondays, or Fridays – the way they approach their school day, year to year. Just a kid, potentially a great kid, maybe even an A student, going about their life sometimes trying new and fun things, succeeding,…
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Tips to Make Special Needs Travel Simpler
Just like life with our unique kids, special needs travel requires extra planning and some extra thought. Every family should have the chance to travel. In fact, parents of kids with special needs should get a regular break to restore. But family travel with neuro-typical kids can be challenging enough, and there’s so much more to plan for and think about when you travel with special needs on deck. So how on earth are you to figure out a way to make special needs travel work? Well, if you do your homework, the experience can be very rewarding. Make Special Needs Travel Manageable Traveling, like life with special needs children, works best when there’s…
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2015 Family Travel Reflections: Or That Time I Found Myself Crying as We Set Sail #travel
I am standing on the deck of a massive cruise ship tearing up when I realize 2015 might have been more challenging than I ever admitted. Sometimes this family has to stop, drop everything and hop on a cruise ship, or visit an island resort. Family travel is as crucial to us as getting the flu shot, or getting vaccinations, or filling the fridge with food. I know every parent has moments and most parents also deserve a big fat vacation occasionally. Parenting is hard work and when you have a job outside of that, it is also exhausting. Now add demands of special needs parenting to that equation. Together that formula is…
