Gosh darn it, mamas, something’s gotta give around here! I’ve dipped into some sort of funk. I’m pretty sure my yoga pants rolled their eyes at me when I put them on (yet again) and didn’t do any yoga (yet again) last week. I’m not doing a very good job of taking care of myself right now. We’re eating out too much. I’m not exercising nearly enough and, frankly, I’ve let myself go. Continue reading
The Real Skinny on a Service Dog
Me, the minions, and Fantasy Rose!!!
Okay, mamas! As promised, here is a post about the good, the challenging and the surprising about our experience with a service dog. I apologize that it has taken me this long to do it but my oldest son has had a hard transition back to school and it has literally taken all of my everything to try to build us a new routine and get our lives back together. I promise to try to answer all of the questions that I’ve gotten along the way but, if you have more, please let me know and I’ll do my best to answer those as well. Continue reading
Family Vacations: Illness, Injuries, and Dings
Silly me. I was thinking a vacation sounded lovely. Sure, it was to be spent with my in-laws, but I’m lucky. My in-laws are awesome. I love them all. Honest! What I wasn’t bargaining for were all of the, let’s call them “inconveniences”, along the way. Continue reading
Head Over Heels for a Blond
Well, it’s true. I’m completely head over heels in love with a gorgeous blond-a girl, no less. That girl is a one year old golden retriever and she is absolutely the most amazing thing I have ever seen. We are a full 6 days into training now. Fantasy, our new service dog, knows all of the stuff. She’s just learning to do it for us now. Continue reading
From One Child to Another
I’ve heard my friends talk a lot about how different it is to go from having only one child to having two or more. While that’s very true, it’s even more true when your first child has special needs. To add another child into the mix can be terrifying, exhilarating, and overwhelming. It also adds more love, laughter, and tears. You’ve probably heard me say that it took a lot of soul searching, prayers, and conversations to decide to have our daughter. Our son was born with cerebral palsy, and while he is able to sit on his own, crawl, and now walk, he was not able to for a long time. He was not walking at 5 years old when we had our daughter. That’s right; I had a five-year-old son who weighed 45 pounds and I was pregnant and then had a baby in a carrier for a year. It was hard work to help him so much, when my own body was changing so drastically, and then to have a baby in a carrier on one arm and my big boy on the other should’ve helped Mama to lose the pregnancy weight–but it didn’t. I digress. Continue reading
Head Over Heels for Our Fantasy Girl!
Our gorgeous service dog
See this gorgeous girl? She’s our new service dog, Fantasy. Let me just say, she is all that AND a big ole’ bag of chips. Not some cheap gas station chips either; I’m talking a mylar bag, not plastic, maybe a bag of those super yummy ones from Schlotsky’s or a whole can of Charles Chips (remember those?) but I digress. Continue reading
When The Tigers Come At Night
Okay, true confession time. I’m struggling. I’m an avid blog reader and, in case you haven’t seen them, one of the things so many moms are writing right now are these lovely pieces about a particular age in childhood. What does two or four or seven, etc. mean to them and to their child. The pieces are beautiful; they’re gorgeous. I read them and I’m captivated and mesmerized by the moments that these friends of mine are sharing. I read more by mom’s I don’t know. They are just lovely and I would never take anything away from that. However, there’s a piece of me that aches as I read them. Continue reading
Early Morning Prayer and Worship Time/DeZarn Family Comedy Hour
Prayer time with my minions is a little less this…
Of course we pray before meals, always have. However, a long time ago, I decided to carve out a time to pray and spend time with God and my kids. I thought it was important but I also didn’t want it to feel like punishment or something boring to get through to get to something else. So, I picked a time that was regular and where they really didn’t have anything else to do. We pray, recite Bible memory verses, and sing simple worship songs every morning on the way to school (and sometimes they initiate it on other car rides too; which is just fine with me.) It’s only about 10 minutes but it is regular and genuine and you’d be amazed at how much they have learned in that time over the course of several years. Plus, they frequently dive into their children’s Bibles to pick the next verse or ask questions later in the day about what they learn in that time. It’s great! Continue reading
Hold On, Pain Ends
Today is Wishful Wednesday and that means that I’ve been sitting here thinking of wishes, listening to my heart. What’s on my heart today is the struggle we all face as Modified Mamas. The struggle to be the same people we were before our kids were diagnosed. That struggle, that pulling at your very being, is so damaging to our psyches. Most people don’t get it, they don’t understand what it’s like to be us. But I do. I know what you’re going through. I’m there with you. Continue reading
Enough is Enough for Me
Thankfulness. It’s something we should all strive for. If we think we have nothing for which to be thankful, we have a sad life, indeed. Whenever I start to feel down about something, I try to remind myself of the things I have that are amazing. For instance, when I feel down about my weight, I think to myself, “Well, I’ve got a nice rack.” Continue reading