This morning I drove to church – alone, feeling guilty. Between working all week on moving things over to our new house and my having to play the piano for both Easter services at our church this morning, “Easter” activities for the kids got the short end of the stick… By short end, I mean … [Read more…]
Last summer, he buried his compass at the park. I’m not really sure why. He just wanted to. He begged us to go back to find it. Every time we go back, he looks. We bought him a replacement compass. Today he broke down crying in the back seat of the van because he wants … [Read more…]
As part of our Special Needs Survival series, I am going to be honing in on one of my son’s diagnoses: ADHD. Ezra was diagnosed almost 2 1/2 years ago now. We have undergone hours upon hours of behavioral therapy, and I want to share THE BEST tips we have learned along the way. Today, I’m … [Read more…]
I’m so glad that January is almost over, aren’t you? Honestly, though, it’s been a good month for our family, considering it was January. We started off the year with a beautiful 8-or-so inches of snow. A real treat for North Carolina. If you like snow. This means that what was supposed to be our … [Read more…]
When Ezra was in day treatment (behavioral therapy), we were taught that there are four main reasons that children misbehave: 1) they are seeking attention 2) they are seeking power or control 3) they are seeking revenge or 4) they are feeling inadequate. Once we were able to categorize Ezra’s deeds by their why, it … [Read more…]
I sat down to work on our yearly Christmas e-mail this past Wednesday. Three hours later I was still typing and formatting. I got done and was completely overwhelmed and undone. December has already been so full. Just. So. Full. Of. Goodness. Sunday two weeks ago, we joined a Sunday School class that is discussing … [Read more…]
We took family pictures last weekend. I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to a photo session quite so much. We got to dress the boys in matching clothes: an 18 months shirt that Ezra wore for our 2011 Fall photos and the matching shirt in 5T that he wore for our 2014 photos. I … [Read more…]
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… our family had three male birthdays in the course of sixteen days and we decided to celebrate the occasions with a big FAMILY-SIZED Star Wars Party! We kept the party family-only because of the special needs we have in our family. We didn’t want either … [Read more…]
We officially have a toddler in our house – again. Little Brother turned 13 months old a few days ago. His baby year went by so quickly, I’m scrambling to catch up! Having a toddler again is a really joyous experience. I think the age of 12-18 months was one of my sweetest times with … [Read more…]
Hi Baby. You don’t really understand, but today is your FIRST BIRTHDAY. We made it! And of course, we are celebrating in style by waking up at 5 AM! Little Brother, you have taught me so much this year. This past year has radically transformed the way I view the world, and I owe that … [Read more…]
As I write this, I am in the backseat of our minivan on the way home from our family’s 4th of July Summer vacation. For now, everyone is behaving. My heart is full, but I am unsure quite where to begin. Every patriotic holiday evokes emotion for us, but Independence Day is the happiest. It is … [Read more…]
My house is quiet. My mother-in-law has taken Ezra away to get a 3-day head start on our family vacation and Little Brother is sleeping. The only sound is the air conditioning, the quiet whrrrr of my computer, and my husband in the next room talking with gaming buddies. Ah, this is the life… Scratch … [Read more…]
Yesterday was Ezra’s preschool graduation. Tomorrow is his very last day of preschool, and falls exactly two years and four months from the day I first sent him off to preschool. I felt so many things that day: Relief – that I was no longer going to be his everything, that he could look to … [Read more…]
I’ll get to formula and FODMAPS in a second, but before y’all go up in arms at my use of foul language on my faith-based blog, I have to explain: We play this game in the car sometimes. It’s a game I learned from my mother. It’s played like this: One person thinks of an item and … [Read more…]
I will view self care as a priority rather than an indulgence. I will get better at asking for help. With these resolutions, I entered the New Year. I was tired but happy, and felt like our family was going in a good direction. But then it happened: the same thing that happens every January. … [Read more…]
