• special needs

    #LinkedMoms Learning Toys Canada Twitter Party

    February 26, 2013 - By 

    I am absolutely thrilled to be able to bring my Canadian readers this great opportunity. LinkedMOMs, aka myself @inkscrblr and @downshiftingPRO are celebrating my new client Learning Toys with a Twitter Party. That’s right, we know how you all love a great twitter party. This one is Wednesday, March 6th, 2013 at 8 p.m. EST on twitter. (That’s the regular Linked Moms chat time and we are the happy hosts.) There will be four great prizes given away during the one hour chat. All toys your children will love. Now let, me tell you a bit about this Canadian company…

  • Parenting - parenting - special needs

    Hats Off to Good Samaritans at Covent Garden Market

    January 12, 2013 - By 

    This is my daughter Ainsley. No great coincidence that she is always in this hat. She loves this hat and would sleep with it on if she could.  This past week she went back to school with her hat firmly in place on her head. It’s warm, and for Ainsley, with sensory processing disorder, it helps cut out noise and even filter out some peripheral vision. She loves her hat. This hat has been a fixture on her head since I bought it in Toronto approximately 2 years ago when on business there. So this week when we went skating…

  • parenting - special needs

    Caring Bridge: Free Website Resource for Caregivers and Families

    November 13, 2012 - By 

    In time for National Family Caregiver’s Month I am honoured to share Caring Bridge, a free website and caregiver resource. One of the hardest things about caring for my mother and my daughters, is that feeling of isolation and exhaustion. Reaching out to others is difficult when you have no more energy to spare after a day spent trying to juggle work, children, regular daily commitments and care-giving. In between all of that you can add to the mix, a daily need to research and educate others – otherwise known as advocacy. Resources can be hard to find, so this…

  • Back To School - special needs

    The Next Big Buzzworthy Kid’s Accessory: Gutzy Gear Review

    September 4, 2012 - By 

    I am crazy for these little collector items called Gutzy Gear and I will tell you why. Gutzy Gear is a collector system that appeals to kids and tweens, maybe even teenagers. You start with a hat or backpack straps (as seen here) and then you build and collect these velcro patches and customize each strap. There are also collector books and visors you can buy to dress up. My girls received some of the backpack straps from my time at Blogher New York this summer and so I let them dress their backpacks up for the first day of…

  • Back To School - FASD - homes - special needs

    Linked Moms Chat is back – Home Schooling Tips

    August 22, 2012 - By 

      We’re Baaa-a-ack! Hey all you savvy moms and dads, we are back to our regular chats on the #linkedmoms channel. So, join us please at 8 pm EST tonight. (Wednesday) This week’s topic is in honor of Back to School. Yes, I said it. Back to School. Grr… not long enough for my summer, but hey I am not pouting. Never. Here at Linked Moms chat we like to bring i8n a guest every so often to take the mystery out of a topic. So, this week I am so thrilled to be chatting with Ann Marie Brown, my…

  • FASD - parenting - Parenting - special needs

    Walmart Canada and Mother of the Year Contest #MOTY

    June 21, 2012 - By 

      This is a photo taken at our Easter egg hunt this April. These are a few members of our adoptive parent’s support group. All of these wonderful ladies (LeeAnn, Annie and Dana) could be my Mom of the Year candidates, but I want to send a really special shout out to the one in the middle. My girl Annie. @anniecannie of http://www.itsjustmylife.ca/ You know that kind of kindred spirit thing that happens when you meet someone living a life that has so many parallels to yours? Well that’s me and Annie. My honorary sister. How do you choose just…

  • Health - special needs

    Teethease Necklaces and Teething Jewelry – Interview with the Inventor

    March 9, 2012 - By 

    My daughter Ainsley chewing on her newest tool for Sensory Processing Disorder, the Teethease Necklaces. Sensory Processing and Special Needs We are way too old for teethers in our house. Our youngest child is seven, but when the option to review this fabulous product line called Teethease Necklaces came to my attention, I was thrilled, because I like having options and I adore having BPA and lead-free items. For people who don’t understand, a lot of children with sensory processing disorder, or autism, need oral input. They chew a lot on sleeves, fingers, jewelry, even toys. It is an organizing…

  • Health - special needs

    Jury Duty, the Tori Stafford murder and Trials

    March 6, 2012 - By 

    The last time I set foot in a courthouse it was for Happy Court. The term we use to describe the day when you finalize your child’s adoption. Yesterday, inside the same London courthouse the mood was as far removed as possible as the murder trial of Michael Rafferty began. Today I am just happy to be here, working at home. Yesterday my number was up. Well, almost. On the first day of the Rafferty murder trial in London, when our local courthouse turned into a very busy hub of activity and media from all over Ontario descended into the centre…