Hiya. Been a long time!
I have finally regained access to this old blog.
Lots to catch up on!
See ya soon!
Thursday, January 18, 2024
Friday, August 4, 2017
My Top 10 Blessings from raising Special Needs Kids
I originally posted this at Extraordinary Mom's Network 9/8/08
10) They make me laugh. - It’s true, every day. for example. My oldest has a speech delay (among other things). One day out of the blue he started walking around saying “I’m sauced Momma! YEEESS MOMMA!! I’m sauced!!” (we’re teetotalers too!) It took me about 2 weeks to figure out he was repeating me saying “I’m exhausted!” ~~ we still say we’re “sauced” around here!
9) They give me the priviledge to witness miracles. My pregnancies and deliveries were hard and dangerous. I know just how lucky we are to have living, thriving children. Each of these babies is a miracle. How fortunate I am that God has allowed me to watch grow 3 of His Perfect Miracles.
8) I always wanted to be a cheerleader. But never went out for the team. Now I am able to be a cheerleader every day..while wearing the much more comfortable uniform of JAMMIES! The most often repeated phrase in my house is “You can do it! Try again! You can do it!” Maybe I should invest in pompoms!
7) They bring me closer to God, daily. One of the blessings of parenting SNKs (Special Needs Kids) is that you slowly learn that you have no control over their development. You have no control over their potential, we don’t even know what their potential is! I have no plans for my children’s future, as I have no idea what that future may look like. But see, this is how it’s SUPPOSED to be. We’re told NOT to plan for the future, just to trust that God will supply our needs. Learning to let that go is a painful but wonderful blessing.
6) I am never bored! About the time I think “This is alright, I’ve got this down…” something new comes up. A new experience, a new developmental hurdle, a new attitude, a new behavior “issue”, a new topic of conversation to get repeated over and over again….life is an adventure; my adventure is exciting.
5) I’ve learned to rejoice over every little thing. I appreciate each and every milestone that my kids reach, even something as “minor” as saying “ready…set..” and having the kid say “GO!” will bring tears of joy to my eyes. And this carries over into my whole life. The adult surgery patients I take care of think I’m strange when I do a victory dance over their first post-op poop. But to me, now, every triumph deserves a victory dance, take NOTHING for granted!
4) Raising SNKs inspires creativity. I’ve carried weighted backpacks to church because it helped with my middle child’s sensory integration problems, I bought a bounce house to help with my oldest’s low muscle tone, I’ve put tape on the living room floor to make a track for my oldest to work on physical therapy goals while playing “follow the leader” …(Mom was the leader), I created “Mama’s Special Sauce” out of nothing but vegetables, then substituted it for ketchup when the middle kid refused to eat even the most hidden vegetable, (yes, it worked, we used it for almost a year before starting to once again force the veggies). I’ve been told I “think outside of the box”. My response to this is “where’s the box?? Did your kids come in a box??”
3) These kids have given me many opportunities to teach. Because my kids “look normal” most people don’t understand their needs. No, baby girl isn’t saying “mama” at 18 months…nor is she walking. No, middle child can’t tell you his name. No, oldest isn’t going to look you in the eye and answer your question…he’s just gonna repeat your question back to you. But. the boys are both in regular classes in Pre-school. That middle child at 3 1/2 can not only count to 12, and tell you the alphabet, he can identify all the numerals and letters, as well as most shapes. My oldest can remember every word to every video and every song that he’s ever heard. He understands things (like Jesus’ booboos) that have never been told or explained to him. He knows where we’re heading by which streets we take, and if we pass an exit we normally take, he knows where we are and what is down that exit. These are the things I find myself teaching to others. And I teach a lot, so that others will understand and will not jump to conclusions the next time they come across a SNK.
2) My kids have blessed me with muscle tone and endurance. My middle child’s online nickname is Gator-boy, or Alligator. He came by this name when he was about a year old. He didn’t like being held, (sensory integration issues) always wanted to be on the go. When he decided it was time to get down out of Mama’s lap he would squirm until he was laying sideways across my lap….then start rolling around in place to loosen my grip. Have you ever seen the shows about Alligator Wrestlers? or Crocodile Hunters?? That’s exactly what he looks like. Yes, he still tries it…but it doesn’t work– in case you ever need to know, the secret is to pin the shoulders and hips…then they can’t roll over. You do this by putting one arm between their legs and the other across one shoulder, under the head. Then you hold your hands together at their belly and pull the kiddo in to your trunk. one…two…three….YOU WIN!
1) The number 1 reason why I feel blessed to have these children is that they have strengthened my character. Every parent’s worst fear is that “something” will be “wrong” with their child. For most parents this is nothing more than a fear that passes away as the child grows. For those of us with SNKs that fear is a reality. It does something to a person when they face their worst fear, then live through it. Your whole perspective on life changes. I used to be upset by little things, now, it’s much harder to get me discombobulated. I mean. I’m raising (with my wonderful husband) Three Special Needs Kids. All the other upsets in life pale in comparison. I am a better person for knowing these kids, and I am blessed, truly blessed, that God saw fit to name me as their mother. For that blessing, I am eternally grateful.
10) They make me laugh. - It’s true, every day. for example. My oldest has a speech delay (among other things). One day out of the blue he started walking around saying “I’m sauced Momma! YEEESS MOMMA!! I’m sauced!!” (we’re teetotalers too!) It took me about 2 weeks to figure out he was repeating me saying “I’m exhausted!” ~~ we still say we’re “sauced” around here!
9) They give me the priviledge to witness miracles. My pregnancies and deliveries were hard and dangerous. I know just how lucky we are to have living, thriving children. Each of these babies is a miracle. How fortunate I am that God has allowed me to watch grow 3 of His Perfect Miracles.
8) I always wanted to be a cheerleader. But never went out for the team. Now I am able to be a cheerleader every day..while wearing the much more comfortable uniform of JAMMIES! The most often repeated phrase in my house is “You can do it! Try again! You can do it!” Maybe I should invest in pompoms!
7) They bring me closer to God, daily. One of the blessings of parenting SNKs (Special Needs Kids) is that you slowly learn that you have no control over their development. You have no control over their potential, we don’t even know what their potential is! I have no plans for my children’s future, as I have no idea what that future may look like. But see, this is how it’s SUPPOSED to be. We’re told NOT to plan for the future, just to trust that God will supply our needs. Learning to let that go is a painful but wonderful blessing.
6) I am never bored! About the time I think “This is alright, I’ve got this down…” something new comes up. A new experience, a new developmental hurdle, a new attitude, a new behavior “issue”, a new topic of conversation to get repeated over and over again….life is an adventure; my adventure is exciting.
5) I’ve learned to rejoice over every little thing. I appreciate each and every milestone that my kids reach, even something as “minor” as saying “ready…set..” and having the kid say “GO!” will bring tears of joy to my eyes. And this carries over into my whole life. The adult surgery patients I take care of think I’m strange when I do a victory dance over their first post-op poop. But to me, now, every triumph deserves a victory dance, take NOTHING for granted!
4) Raising SNKs inspires creativity. I’ve carried weighted backpacks to church because it helped with my middle child’s sensory integration problems, I bought a bounce house to help with my oldest’s low muscle tone, I’ve put tape on the living room floor to make a track for my oldest to work on physical therapy goals while playing “follow the leader” …(Mom was the leader), I created “Mama’s Special Sauce” out of nothing but vegetables, then substituted it for ketchup when the middle kid refused to eat even the most hidden vegetable, (yes, it worked, we used it for almost a year before starting to once again force the veggies). I’ve been told I “think outside of the box”. My response to this is “where’s the box?? Did your kids come in a box??”
3) These kids have given me many opportunities to teach. Because my kids “look normal” most people don’t understand their needs. No, baby girl isn’t saying “mama” at 18 months…nor is she walking. No, middle child can’t tell you his name. No, oldest isn’t going to look you in the eye and answer your question…he’s just gonna repeat your question back to you. But. the boys are both in regular classes in Pre-school. That middle child at 3 1/2 can not only count to 12, and tell you the alphabet, he can identify all the numerals and letters, as well as most shapes. My oldest can remember every word to every video and every song that he’s ever heard. He understands things (like Jesus’ booboos) that have never been told or explained to him. He knows where we’re heading by which streets we take, and if we pass an exit we normally take, he knows where we are and what is down that exit. These are the things I find myself teaching to others. And I teach a lot, so that others will understand and will not jump to conclusions the next time they come across a SNK.
2) My kids have blessed me with muscle tone and endurance. My middle child’s online nickname is Gator-boy, or Alligator. He came by this name when he was about a year old. He didn’t like being held, (sensory integration issues) always wanted to be on the go. When he decided it was time to get down out of Mama’s lap he would squirm until he was laying sideways across my lap….then start rolling around in place to loosen my grip. Have you ever seen the shows about Alligator Wrestlers? or Crocodile Hunters?? That’s exactly what he looks like. Yes, he still tries it…but it doesn’t work– in case you ever need to know, the secret is to pin the shoulders and hips…then they can’t roll over. You do this by putting one arm between their legs and the other across one shoulder, under the head. Then you hold your hands together at their belly and pull the kiddo in to your trunk. one…two…three….YOU WIN!
1) The number 1 reason why I feel blessed to have these children is that they have strengthened my character. Every parent’s worst fear is that “something” will be “wrong” with their child. For most parents this is nothing more than a fear that passes away as the child grows. For those of us with SNKs that fear is a reality. It does something to a person when they face their worst fear, then live through it. Your whole perspective on life changes. I used to be upset by little things, now, it’s much harder to get me discombobulated. I mean. I’m raising (with my wonderful husband) Three Special Needs Kids. All the other upsets in life pale in comparison. I am a better person for knowing these kids, and I am blessed, truly blessed, that God saw fit to name me as their mother. For that blessing, I am eternally grateful.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Our Advent Calendar's daily verses:
I compiled this Advent Calendar a few years ago and we are still using it every year.
I enjoy reteaching the Christmas story as the month of December and the season of Advent unfold.
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth
Luke 1:26
To a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary
Luke 1:27
And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 1:28
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
Luke 1:30
“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.”
Luke 1: 31
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.
Luke 2:1
And Joseph, too, went to the city of David that is called Bethlehem. To be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
Luke 2:5
While they were there, the time came for her to have her child,
Luke 2:6
And she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7
Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.
Luke 2:8
The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.
Luke 2:9
The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
Luke 2:10
“For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.”
Luke 2:11
“And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:12
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
Luke 2:13
“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:14
When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”
Luke 2:15
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
Luke 2:16
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
Matthew 2:1
Saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”
Matthew 2:2
After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
Matthew 2:9
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, Matthew 2:10
And on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
Matthew 2:12
I hope each of you have a wonderful Christmas!
I enjoy reteaching the Christmas story as the month of December and the season of Advent unfold.
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth
Luke 1:26
To a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary
Luke 1:27
And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 1:28
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
Luke 1:30
“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.”
Luke 1: 31
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.
Luke 2:1
And Joseph, too, went to the city of David that is called Bethlehem. To be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
Luke 2:5
While they were there, the time came for her to have her child,
Luke 2:6
And she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7
Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.
Luke 2:8
The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.
Luke 2:9
The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
Luke 2:10
“For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.”
Luke 2:11
“And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:12
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
Luke 2:13
“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:14
When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”
Luke 2:15
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
Luke 2:16
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
Matthew 2:1
Saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”
Matthew 2:2
After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
Matthew 2:9
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, Matthew 2:10
And on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
Matthew 2:12
I hope each of you have a wonderful Christmas!
Saturday, February 22, 2014
A Different kind of Valentine's Box
So, as we have each year, the kids made Valentine's Boxes for their school parties. In order to do this quickly (because we always excel in procrastination) I empty some Kleenex boxes and cover them in typing paper, then let the kids draw whatever they want on the boxes. This usually produces your typical hearts and flowers type of boxes......
Except that this year my oldest (10 year old) darling was left unsupervised while decorating his box. I walked in to see what he'd decided to put on his box to find this:
I told him, "This is a VALENTINE'S DAY BOX, son. I want to see some HEARTS on it somewhere!" and then I walked out to help someone else get ready for school.....
I come back to him proudly showing me this:
"I put hearts on it Momma! Look! There's (from left to right) A Vampire's Heart, A Zombie's Heart, A Ghost Heart, A Frankenstein's Heart, A Werewolf's Heart, A Mummy's Heart and a Swamp Creature's Heart!"
Well, what could I say?
I freakkkkking LOVE this kid!
Take if from me folks, AUTISM IS FUN!!!!!!!!
Have a great day.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Catching Up
Hi there, boy it's been awhile since I posted anything here.
Last September we adopted a dog.
She's a rescue that had been on Death Row and was saved with literally hours to spare by a friend of mine who fosters dogs. After 4 months with my friend we decided it was time for us to get a dog and "Mak" came to live
with us. She is a Black Mouth Cur (like Old Yeller) about 2-4 years old and a real sweetheart. She's incredibly patient with the kids and friendly to ALL critters (yes, even skunks!)
She very rarely barks and doesn't drool much either! A 78lb love pup!
The only problem is that she's a dog who L.O.V.E.S. to go outside!! Between me and hubby she gets 2-3 walks a day, each 2-3 miles long, plus time running free up at the baseball/soccer fields near our home. Scheduling her walks has become a major factor
in our day! Especially since we're adding her walks into a one car family with 3 increasingly active kids and me now working outside the house....well, you can only imagine!!
My new job is going very well! I was blessed to get a raise to where I'm making about 1 1/2 times what I was and working almost half the number of hours a week (3 12hr shifts a week instead of the 6 10-12 hour shifts I was working)! I still find myself when I have 3 nights off in a row thinking I've forgotten to go to work! Unfortunately, I haven't managed to do much on my nights off so far other than SLEEP!
Because my new job is in Dallas about 35 miles away from home I've started riding the train to
work. This makes it a 25 min drive and 20 min train ride each direction and makes it possible for hubby to take me in to the train and keep the car so the kids don't have to walk to school the next morning in bad weather. And we've had a LOT of bad weather
since I started in December! WOW! This is not a normal Texas winter for sure! I am sooooo ready for summer! Bring on the long hot days! Give this cold mess back to those up north that are used to it!
3 of us will have birthdays in March. I'll be 39 on March 2, and Sugars will be 7. Then on March 18 Gatorboy will turn 9. How did this happen??? I blinked and they grew up around me! Thinking back over some of my more fun posts from them all being babies just makes me see how fast time flies! I will be reposting some of those here over the next month or so and taking a trip down memory blog-lane. I'm still trying to figure out how I got to be 39, when I don't feel a day over 35!! ;-)
Speaking of my birthday......Just for the record, I've decided that the only thing I want for my birthday is crazy colored/designed socks!!! the softer/warmer/bigger the better! Since I wear a 9.5 WIDE women's shoe it's really hard to find fun socks to fit me. I have to go to the "extended sizes" type and they're usually just plain white. So, if you were thinking of sending me a gift....look for big crazy warm socks!! :-)
The kids are doing well in school this year. Swim lessons start back up this weekend for them all. Sonshine will be training to be an Alter Server starting next month. And we're looking into possibly getting Sugars in Ballet and Gator into gymnastics soon. In addition, we've taken up playing recorders. They start learning the recorder in school in the 3rd grade, but when the recorders came home for the year the boys didn't want to quit. So I got with the music teacher at school who happily sent me all the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade music!! Guess I'm going to learn to play (ahem...teach) the recorder too! LOL. Cuz I don't play enough instruments and really DO NEED to learn a new one!.......
Well, this post has gotten way too long, what can I say, it's been a busy couple months! Enjoy your day folks, stay tuned. Meanwhile, I'm going to enjoy my current favorite pastime:
Goodnight everybody!
Hi there, boy it's been awhile since I posted anything here.
Last September we adopted a dog.
My new job is going very well! I was blessed to get a raise to where I'm making about 1 1/2 times what I was and working almost half the number of hours a week (3 12hr shifts a week instead of the 6 10-12 hour shifts I was working)! I still find myself when I have 3 nights off in a row thinking I've forgotten to go to work! Unfortunately, I haven't managed to do much on my nights off so far other than SLEEP!
3 of us will have birthdays in March. I'll be 39 on March 2, and Sugars will be 7. Then on March 18 Gatorboy will turn 9. How did this happen??? I blinked and they grew up around me! Thinking back over some of my more fun posts from them all being babies just makes me see how fast time flies! I will be reposting some of those here over the next month or so and taking a trip down memory blog-lane. I'm still trying to figure out how I got to be 39, when I don't feel a day over 35!! ;-)
Speaking of my birthday......Just for the record, I've decided that the only thing I want for my birthday is crazy colored/designed socks!!! the softer/warmer/bigger the better! Since I wear a 9.5 WIDE women's shoe it's really hard to find fun socks to fit me. I have to go to the "extended sizes" type and they're usually just plain white. So, if you were thinking of sending me a gift....look for big crazy warm socks!! :-)
The kids are doing well in school this year. Swim lessons start back up this weekend for them all. Sonshine will be training to be an Alter Server starting next month. And we're looking into possibly getting Sugars in Ballet and Gator into gymnastics soon. In addition, we've taken up playing recorders. They start learning the recorder in school in the 3rd grade, but when the recorders came home for the year the boys didn't want to quit. So I got with the music teacher at school who happily sent me all the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade music!! Guess I'm going to learn to play (ahem...teach) the recorder too! LOL. Cuz I don't play enough instruments and really DO NEED to learn a new one!.......
Well, this post has gotten way too long, what can I say, it's been a busy couple months! Enjoy your day folks, stay tuned. Meanwhile, I'm going to enjoy my current favorite pastime:
Goodnight everybody!
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