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I am Not Invisible – FASD at School and How to Help
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 perceptions and support in society. But I am also here…
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Back to School Shopping Doesn’t Need to Be Scary
I have partnered with YMC and Staples and have received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own. The closer my kids get to college or university the scarier life gets for me as a parent. My oldest starts Grade 12 this year and my youngest is heading to Grade 9. Both kids are in high school. Which gets me thinking about the costs involved in attending college or university. Lately I lay awake at night or I break out in a cold sweat randomly throughout the day thinking HOW will we ever afford college or university? Have we saved enough? High school, which is basically preparation to get your…
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How To Move Teens on to High School when Change is a Huge Issue
Do you have teens with special needs or simply inflexible teens? Do they have trouble adjusting to change? Me too. This September my youngest starts high school. Why is that a big deal? Well, my younger daughter has a host of diagnoses. She has an IEP (individual education plan), technology for accessing the curriculum, FASD (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder), sensory and learning challenges, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) all related to that. Combine all of that with a difficulty adjusting to change. Ainsley has difficulty adjusting to life changes. That is extremely typical for kids and adults with FASD – a prenatal brain injury sustained prior to her birth…
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What Happened One Crazy Weekend with Robot Baby
On Friday I became a grandma. My oldest daughter became a Mom and Ainsley an aunt. Which by default then made my husband a grandpa. Robot Baby Lucas joined our family this weekend. And it was nostalgic, fun, comical and a little bit crazy bringing a pretend baby home. But it was also a whole lot more than that too. The road to toy robot baby Lucas began last year when Payton, then 15, told me she wanted to take a parenting course at school. She was giddy over the prospect of having Robot Baby for a weekend in grade 11. Initially I balked. How does a parenting course prepare you for a…
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Registered for High School and New Adventures #ad #CatholicTeachers
This post is part of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers #catholicteachers sponsored program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors. It’s high school registration time. That’s right, this month, I registered my youngest daughter for high school. That’s huge. Any parent of a school aged child knows, we agonize over where to send our children and often we also wonder if they are ready. When your child has special needs you worry even more. As hard as these huge decisions are, I feel pretty good about this one because I know what to expect.…
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How Have Catholic Teachers Made an Impact on Our Family?
This post is part of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers #catholicteachers sponsored program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors. A few weeks before my daughter was scheduled to start grade nine I started to worry. It’s pretty common to have concerns about a child’s education. But when your child has anxiety disorder and an IEP (individual education plan) with a learning disability, or any other type of unique needs, you worry even more. My Concerns as a Parent What if they weren’t able to meet her needs? What if she fell through the…
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The Victory Lap in Ontario – Why Take the Extra Year?
The victory lap is what we call an extra year of high school in Ontario. It’s also known as grade 13. Today, high school is only four years long, but when I was a kid, it was a five year process. That means that kids today will be entering university at 18 rather than 19. I know how challenging university was for me as a 19 year old, so I can only imagine how hard it must be for an individual just on the cusp of adulthood. In many cases, it’s better for the child to attend that fifth year of high school, which is allowed in Ontario, as a way…
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WillLand Outdoors Backpacks for Back to School #BackToBackpacks
WillLand Outdoor Backpacks make back to school easier and stylish. My high school student is starting the new school year with the Delisioza. Her last one was just a bit too small for the bigger books that come with going into grade 11. We also can’t wait to use Luminosa Forte Freedom for all the traveling, hiking, and skiing that we do. We love WillLand Outdoors backpacks because they’re high-quality and make it easy to carry everything you need. WillLand Outdoors Backpacks From School to the Outdoors WillLand Outdoors backpacks are designed to work hard, and that’s important to me. Whether you’re headed back to school, off to work, or on…
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Share Photos of Your Daughter’s Old Gear to Win #PlayOnWinGear
I am a spokesperson for Playtex Sport and as such I have been compensated. This is my opinion and my story and it is truthful. Is your daughter’s basketball jersey junk? Is that wrestling singlet sunk? Volleyball uniform vanish? Don’t sweat it. You can still save the day. Right now you could win a new uniform for your daughter, or grand-daughter. You might even win uniforms for the entire team with the Playtex Sport Gear Giveaways. This is one contest you will want to share. The Playtex Sport Gear Giveaways are happening right now on Instagram. It’s easy to enter. All you have to do is upload a photo of your old gear and post to…
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Social Media Issues – How Ontario Teachers Navigate the Waters
Social media issues can be challenging. It’s a field that is in a constant state of flux. Facebook changes its algorithm. Twitter offers a new feed. One network wanes while another jets off into the stratosphere. And just when you think you have it all figured out, suddenly your high schooler comes home talking about some new chat service that nobody over the age of 20 has EVER heard of before. Social media issues can be a real danger to both children and the teachers responsible for their education. Teachers are the people who spend 5 to 6 hours a day with your child. They need to know how to navigate the…
