My birthday falls right at the beginning of December when everyone is still recovering from Thanksgiving and scrambling to check off the Christmas list. No one wants to toss a birthday present in there. June birthdays are the best in my opinion. School’s out, the pool has just opened, and your party can be at the park, pool, zoo…you name it. You’re a hero in June and a villain in December for making mothers drag …

LEGO EXPO. Such promise in that phrase. The parallel syllables. The rhyme. The punch at the end of each word. You can almost see it as a graphic on the big screen before a Vegas Prime Time match. “Lego” slams into “Expo” with an explosion of fists and fireworks. Ladies and gentlemen are you ready! I talked it up big time Saturday morning as we sat on the floor of the living room eating cinnamon …

There are plenty of resources out there for special needs families if you look, but Special Needs Parenting Magazine has always been my favorite because it is both inspirational and practical and not filled with unnecessary medical jargon. I am honored that they have included my article, “7 Speech Activities for Valentine’s Day Using Conversation Hearts”  in this month’s edition. If you are a special needs parent or simply a mom in need of a …

Fun fact: December and January are the highest conception months of the year. Not surprising really. Consider the conditions. It’s cold out. There are a lot of parties (planned date nights) that usher you in to all the celebratory moods. And if you’re practical, that equals an August birthday, great for general birthing and recuperating conditions and prime age-placing for school attendance. Of course, this statistic does not really apply to people on my side …

25 Mood Boosting Songs For when life feels too big, the weather stinks, your kid/spouse/friend is driving you crazy. Brought to you in no particular order: “On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons. “Walken” by Wilco. “Going in the Right Direction” by Robert Randolph and the Family Band. “Girl from Tennessee” by NEEDTOBREATHE. “Float On” by Modest Mouse. “Blue Skies” by Ella Fitzgerald. “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. “Wona” by Mumford and Sons and Baaba …

It all started with a teddy bear. Actually, it started with watching the morning news. I should have known better. I am not the sort that can handle reality before the sun. But for some reason, fate or whimsy, I tuned into the local station. Along with Obamacare panic, inauguration woes, and local robberies (one at a hotel disconcertingly close to our house…I know because I Google mapped it), they aired a piece from Florida …

As I mentioned last week, we went to the zoo which led to the mall. Not exactly linearly, but when your children climb in exhibits, choose rock gullies over your warm embrace, and flee from you in the parking lot, something needs to change. Our collective family unit was sending out a cry for help. So I took Cora to the mall, by herself, on a date.                 …

It snowed this weekend. On the Friday that would have put Charlie back to school for a total of three days. It wasn’t supposed to be a big one. In fact, at 5 a.m. when I was clocking in to the morning shift of making breakfast and packing school lunch, there was nary a flake. By six it was coming down steadily. I smiled at it over my breakfast like “aren’t you cute” and “look …

Jonas climbed into an exhibit at the zoo last week. No kidding. I was giving Cora grapes and Jody was re-positioning Charlie’s wheelchair so that he would be out of the sun and could see the giraffes better. Here’s the best part. We did not even notice. I look up from the yellow plastic bowl I was handing Cora when a woman approaches me saying, “Excuse me, ma’am, is that your son?” The worst words …

We took the kids to the park last week because A) it was fifty degrees and they needed airing out, B) they were out of school and crazy, and C) you can only go to Costco and the mall so much. The actual park experience had been great. I walked Charlie around the perimeter in his wheelchair where he waved hello to every person, bench, and squirrel. The twins ran rampant under wooden tunnels, through …