5 Rules For Your First Boot Camp Class
I recently tried my first boot camp group exercise class on the advice of a friend. This friend (insert air quotes) told me where the class was and when to show up, but neglected to provide me with any truly useful information. I won't let you make the same mistakes I...
Dear eHarmony, Should I Talk About Back Fat in My Profile?
Dear eHarmony, Well, hello! It’s nice to meet you. I thought I’d reach out because it’s rare for someone to go to such great lengths to meet me. Since my divorce, some are having a hard time knowing what to say, but not you, eHarmony. You’re in my newsfeed, Gmail...
“Mom, Will You Always Love Me?”
I was driving out of the parking lot of a thai restaurant in a sketchy part of town when my son asked from the backseat, "Mom, will you always love me?" This is not the first time he has asked this, and it won't be the last, but it's a tweak to the heart all the same....
I’ll Trade You Some Spark for a Zoloft. Whaddya Say?
“How is Jax’s anxiety medicine working?” I nodded over to my son. See for yourself. The prior sessions with Jax’s trauma counselor involved a lot of attempts to manage my son as he darted, verbally and physically, from topic to topic, corner to corner. He tried...
What’s up, Time. Wanna Race?
Like I do every morning, I dropped off Jax at school today. They have it down. You enter from the north, pull around to the back doors, school staff meet you at your car, "Bye, Have a Rockstar Day, Love you," and off you drive out the west entrance. The whole thing...
To my Son’s Autism Therapists.
Hi Therapists, I feel like I know you all pretty well now. You’ve been in my home with my son for almost a year. Four, five, six days a week, you’re here. You’ve seen me in my pajamas, watched me do laundry and cook dinner. I spend more time with you than I do with my...
Merry Christmas, Mom.
I heard Jax wake up this morning and run right into the kitchen. He wants to be a "big kid" so I crept out of my bed, and very quietly hovered in the hallway so he didn't know I was watching. I thought he might try to spray paint my cabinets or take apart my toaster....
I Would Have Made an Awesome Soccer Mom.
What I have here is a box full of plans for a kid that I don’t have. Some days, like today, it makes me sad.
And While I’m At It, Who Even Uses the Word “Tatas??”
I'm going to ask you all to do something for me right now. I want you to pretend you were diagnosed with breast cancer. Chew on that for a bit. Think about it. Maybe you looked at your doctor and cried. Maybe you said What?? Because clearly you heard...
The Best Part of Special Needs Parenting. No, Really.
A few months back, I got an email asking a few of us special needs moms to share the "gifts" of special needs parenting. The responses would be published and the world would probably be a better place. I like to see my name in lights as much as anybody else, but I...
Dear Mom in the Waiting Room.
Dear Mom in the Waiting Room, I didn't see you at first. What I noticed as we walked in was a young, laughing girl spinning around with a stuffed animal at the end of her outstretched arms. She had that kind of pure laugh that made me smile just hearing it. We...
I am a little white liar.
We spend a lot of time accolading the importance of telling the truth over here. "Jax, did you paint semi-trucks on my iPhone?" "Huh? What? I love you." "Put your honesty cap on, buddy." We talk about telling the truth, we champion honesty, hoorah for us and our noble...
Always Put the Good Stuff First.
New school year, new teacher, new parents meeting. "Tell me what I should know about your son," asked his new teacher. I started in. Crazy energy, impulsive behavior, he can talk for 12 hours straight without taking a breath, has a tough time sitting still... Ay. You...
My Slightly Cracked Game Face
Happy 4th, my lovely readers. Happy 4th. We are braving the great big typical world this weekend with a staycation at a local resort. There will be swim-up movies, a water balloon toss, t-shirt decorating, hoola hoop contests - this sounds like kid heaven. My son...
My “What Not to Say” list is really, really short.
I see these lists all the time. WHAT NOT TO SAY...to an Adoptive Parent, to an Autism Mom, to Kids with Scars, to People Wearing Blue Shirts. (Are you a smurf? I kid, I kid, but I kinda sorta feel we're one HuffPost piece away from this.) I have a Chinese adopted...
I Just Kicked 4am to the Curb.
The other night before bed, Jax said, "I'm going to make a logging truck tomorrow." To the untrained ear, this sounds perfectly lovely. For those of you who know that my son speaks exclusively in questions, you might even say, "Great statement, Jax!" No. Stop...
Phoenix Summer – 5 Silver Linings
Summer. The time of year with Facebook feeds full of grinning children basking in the sunshine holding oversized watermelon wedges. Step away from the video games and get your butts outside summer. Bikes and forts and lawn sprinklers summer. Tag and street...
A Different Page.
When did you realize your kid was defined by his disability? For some of you, maybe it has always been that way. Maybe a wheelchair or an inability to speak has always put what your child can't do before what he can do. Maybe it was the IEP at school or the...
A Fitting Room Revolution.
My Fellow Women, It is time to band together, arm in arm, and demand change. An issue that has plagued us for decades is ripe for a revolution, and I ask you, my sisters, to join me in this uprising. Let's unite to create a better world for ourselves and for...
Autism Scares Me and I Figured Out Why.
I spent a lot of time thinking about my son's future over the past few days. My son's future kept me up to 3am on Wednesday, ran me up and down a mountain at high noon yesterday, and thankfully, led me to dear friends who let me anxiety-vomit all over them. What...
My Autism Top 10 List!
I met a woman the other day who asked me for some advice. "I want my son to be autistic." She said it like I might say, "I want my son to stop peeing on the floor." Quite sure I misunderstood her, I did the furrowed brow + polite smile, and eloquently said, "HUH?"...
April 4th Photo. #JaxIsAutistic
(Over on my Facebook page, I am posting a photo every day in April, which is Autism Awareness Month. Nothing fancy, just a day in the life. A day in my son's life, I should say. Follow along. I'd love it. I'd appreciate it. No preaching, no...
Autism Speaks #SpeaksForMe
April is Autism Awareness Month. Because of this here little blog, I have become more aware of the online autism community. I have found that there are pages, forums, websites, chatrooms, and lots and lots of opinions. And to my surprise, lots and lots of...
Available for Pre-Order: Soothing Blood Clot Bottles.
Time Out Bottles. Pretty, glittery flowy gunk housed in a repurposed water bottle. This is sooooo Pinterest. In theory, a stressed-out kid grabs this bottle, flips it upside down, and like the magic of Calgon from days of yore, the gentle swirling of the glitter from...
Prozac On My Mind.
My son has anxiety. I feel like I should emphasize that a bit more. My son has ANXIETY. Bold, capitalized anxiety. Like the proverbial monkey on his back, it's always there. Sometimes it hovers at the edges, just barely noticeable through my son's laughter. But...