I remember the last truly excellent sermon I heard. It was October of last year and it was on worship music. I talked a little about it at the time. In fact, I did a series of Sunday Thoughts on the different ways we speak to God (and God speaks to us) through music. It was our worship leader who gave the sermon. I let myself be taken up in the nuances of what music …

We are lucky to live in a city with an excellent children’s hospital. Though we did not know it when I went into labor at thirty weeks, it would become our home away from home where my son, Charlie, would live for the first three months of his life. The call with the results from the amniocentesis had come from the Mayo Clinic just hours before I went into labor. Our son had a rare …

I know that being unable to speak is not the same as being unable to understand. I know that expression comes in many forms including sign language, speaking devices, facial expressions and his particular favorite, vigorous gesturing. And I know the joy of watching my son learn to read.   This is the story on Scary Mommy of how I came to know that Charlie can read. Is there a better discovery you can have …

Hi Sunday Thoughts folks! I’m taking a break this weekend to celebrate two VERY special four-year-olds. Cora and Jonas would like me to tell you all hi. They have already been to the trampoline park and we are currently eating gummy bears and gummy worms and watching Beauty and the Beast in our pajamas. Life is good. Happy linking!   Sunday Thoughts Link Up It’s time for another Sunday Thoughts Link-Up! I know there are many …

My son, Charlie, is turning six soon and we can’t put it off any longer. Kindergarten is coming. Sometimes it feels like a thing looming, and others like the first page to a book that you know will be a favorite. Still…I hear the Jaws theme music.   We have a park near our house that has become a favorite for its handicap swing and smooth path that isn’t too jarring to his wheelchair. A …

I have a brand new author website! This has been in the works for a while and I am just so very excited to announce that www.jamie-sumner.com is live and kicking! Things you need to know… Mom-gene.com isn’t going anywhere. It will simply be the “blog” portion of www.jamie-sumner.com The new site will have author events, book information and… A brand new newsletter! #readlaughlisten is pure fun. It’s a weekly letter filled with news, favorite …

Mother’s Day is almost upon us. The flower shops and the “forever jewelry” ads are out. The brunch reservations are filling up and all around the world, schools are turning your children’s handprints into caterpillars and flowers and birds. It’s an occasion for hoopla. And we moms have earned it. We have birthed and raised tiny people that are slowly, but surely, turning into bigger people. We feed and clothe and love and discipline in …

So this story is nuts. I took Charlie to Target the other night and it changed our lives and not just a little. I posted it on Instagram and then wrote a piece for Her View From Home and then Inspire More picked it up and then Scary Mommy and then Pop Sugar and all I can say is that I hope Target knows how much this has meant to our whole family and all …

Imagine your least favorite teacher, the English teacher who thought everything you wrote was lame, the foreign language teacher who never let you say one word in English during class, or the chemistry teacher who wished the students weren’t there to get in the way of the science. Chances are, they ruled their classroom like a ship at sea. They were the captains and, if you wanted to get home alive, you did as they …

Nails on a chalkboard is a cliché for a reason. Everyone can imagine the drawn out screeeeeeeek that triggers the involuntary shiver. Here’s another: close your eyes and imagine a knife scraping across a dinner plate. Think of that mind-crunching sound. For my son, the world is his dinner plate. We spend most of our time dodging noise. But noise isn’t the only sensitivity for kids with sensory processing disorders. For some, it’s the feel …