Photographing Cognitively Challenged Teens
Tips,Tricks and Strategies, Uncategorized

Senior Portraits High school graduation was approaching. Our first attempt at senior photos with the high school’s local photographer was unsuccessful. Photographing cognitively challenged teens requires patience and knowledge of their neurodiversity. I was fortunate that the ideal photographer was working with Miss Bee at school all year. Obligatory Photography Studio Last summer Miss Bee’s high school sent us to a locally contracted photographer for senior portraits. Due to the...

An Easy Garden Art Project
Parenting Self-Care, Tips,Tricks and Strategies

Finding a Project Pinterest has countless ideas for easy art projects that are workable for my daughter Miss Bee. Over the summer, I found several Pinterest pins for creating flowers out of painted river rocks. We had an empty flower bed at our front entrance. An easy garden art project to fill this space was an ideal project for us to tackle. Locating the Supplies The first step was to...

Easter Past and Present
Personal Reflection
Childhood Easter Basket

A Virus Stopped The World Holidays have been a challenge since my children were about four and seven. They can’t help it due to their disabilities. There have been years when we skipped celebrating several holidays.  Easter has been the hardest. None of our difficult Easters will ever come close to the what world as a whole has become in 2020. Looking through our photos of our past attempts at...

Baking is Our School Closure Math
Special Education, Tips,Tricks and Strategies

Fetal Alcohol vs. Snickerdoodles Spring break is over. It was time to tackle the activities in my previous post Coping with Unplanned School Closings. Miss Bee chose to bake. Piece of cake, I love baking. Baking is our school closure math. Our math infused baking activity became a three-day challenge. It was frustrating to be defeated by an elegant little cookie. After a week of idleness cooped up in the...

Restraints and Seclusion Hurt My Child
Special Education

  Just Like the Families in the News This was a hard post to write.  It is hard to read.  Every word is the truth. I researched the laws for the time period that restraints and seclusion were inflicted on my child. The evidence was withheld until Mac left his Non-Public School (NPS). He was severely injured twice in less than a month. This is how restraints and seclusion hurt...

It Takes a Village to Raise Children with FASD
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Parenting, Tips,Tricks and Strategies

FASD Families Need Support Every time I speak about FASD, I discuss the village that supports my family. This is my most important and desperately needed treasured group of friends and family. It takes a village to raise children with FASD.  I am a single mom of two adopted children. My son was diagnosed with FASD at the age of fifteen and my daughter was diagnosed with FAS (Fetal Alcohol...