special needs

Lino Living Magazine Feature Family

Gritty & Grateful Our family was recently featured in the Lino Living Magazine, the locally published magazine focusing on living in our small town. Unfortunately, they do not have a digital presence (and in this day and age when everything is digital, I can’t believe they don’t have a website OR social media presence) so…

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Empty Nest Be Damned.

We’ve had a couple of rough weeks around my house with some health issues popping up for our adult son who is disabled. He has autism and cerebral palsy, is nonverbal, and now is blind in one eye. Retinal detachment, they think. We’re awaiting appointments to verify this diagnosis. He’s going to be 20 in…

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Special Needs Future Planning

What Worries Me Most About the Future: Jamie functions at 18 – 24 months level. This is a huge topic for me because I am, by nature, a worrier. So there are plenty of things I can find to worry about, to obsess over. From the tiniest thing to the monstrous, I can obsess about…

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On The Road Again

As we are wont to do, we are moving again. Our family is moving back to the Sunshine State this summer! We are super excited to be back in the land of beaches, Mickey & Minnie, swamps, gators, Spanish moss, creepy crawly bugs, and lots of family. It’s been 11 long years since we’ve lived…

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Autism in My Home

Autism Awareness Month is every day for me April is National Autism Awareness month and while I celebrate Autism Awareness every day, I thought it would be nice to share with all of you what Autism means to my family. My son, Jamie, is almost 16 years old. He was born 5.5 weeks early and…

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The Mama Meltdown

I recently had a Mama Meltdown. You know the kind. You’re stressed. You’re under pressure from the day and one tiny little thing just sets you off. For me, it was my adult-sized son pooping in his pants. He didn’t make a huge mess. It certainly could’ve been worse but the code brown, while I…

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Mommin’ Ain’t Easy

The Overwhelming Moments of Motherhood Most days I feel like I have it together…pretty much. I get up, get my kids ready for school with the help of my awesome husband, get breakfast ready, make the coffee, get myself ready for work, and send everyone off for their busy days. I’m no different than millions…

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Jamie and Laurie – BFFs!

Last summer I was scrolling through Facebook while Jamie and Ri watched a show. I came across a post by the Laurie Berkner Band. If you haven’t heard of them, you’re probably living under a rock and probably not reading this right now because you don’t have wifi under said rock. The Kids’ First Concert!…

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13 Signs You’re a Mom of a KWSN

There are many things that let us know we have special kids who happen to have special needs. Since some of our friends and loved ones don’t know a lot of them, I thought I’d give them a little Cliff’s Note into what identifies us.  If you agree with any of these or would like…

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