Finding A Balance
December 6, 2016
A woman I consider my mentor once told me that her biggest regret was not spending more time with her other kids as she was always busy with her daughter with complex medical needs. Later that same week my 5 year old son sat in the back of my van and piped in “Mom, let’s have a meeting”. I asked him why he wanted to have a meeting and he said “So me and you and Dad can be together. I know, I will bring paper and pens and you bring snacks”. I wept silently the rest of the way to our destination. My 5 year old had figured out one of the only ways to get his parents attention […]
December 14, 2016
There are times where, as the parent of a child with a disability, you will be told to fight for what your child needs. Us “special needs moms” – we tell each other “fight for him, you know him best” and “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”. People get worked up hearing other parent’s stories. At times I too have believed this way of thinking and engaged in my fair share of fights. Last week I read a piece that spoke of being a Mama Warrior for your child with special needs and it just seared my heart. I genuinely felt very saddened by the notion that as a whole, it is thought that parents of kids with a disability […]
January 31, 2017
There are 3 things that I feel helped Corbin and our family the most when he was in early years of elementary school. One was Camp Winston ; then there was Occupational Therapy and then respite. According to the Family Respite Services website We are a Windsor-Essex community organization that works with families caring for children under the age of eighteen who have intellectual, physical and mental health disabilities. We facilitate the provision of respite services that contribute to: The sustaining and enriching of a family’s quality of life. Seek the fullest participation of the child in the community. We have always felt it important that respite be viewed more as a way of connecting Corbin to his community than a break for […]
April 4, 2017
So things have been quiet around here lately but it’s not what you probably think. I have been doing great – I am feeling much better. I think being on insulin has helped immensely. I am not feeling so tired and foggy all the time. I am actually getting some housework done and making meals at night doesn’t feel like I am barely able to make my way around the kitchen. I’m still working on eating better and getting more exercise. I went and got my hair done and I love the style. I bought contacts and new makeup. Today I got my eyebrows waxed for the first time since my wedding 22 years ago. lol. In a few weeks we are […]
March 16, 2018
So where have I been the last 6 months? Good question . . . mostly at home, lol. In September I took an online course in an attempt to gain entrance to the Master’s of Social Work program at Waterloo. The class was the last of 2 classes I needed before applying. Of course I left the two classes I didn’t want to take until the end. It was about Social Research and I just sucked at it. It was a lot of statistical information (which I have never done well with) and concepts that I just could not get to stick in my head. Aside from Anthropology in first semester of my first year as an undergraduate – this […]