My first child, who is developmentally typical, slept eight hours at a stretch by the time she was a month old. Having achieved sleep guru status, I declared myself “Supermom,” and assumed that I could solve the problems of every parent and every child for whom sleep didn’t occur so readily. Fast-forward twenty years and… Continue reading When Sleep Is Elusive

Annual review season is here, and your child’s meeting is probably already on your schedule. As a former School Psychologist on the Child Study Team (CST), I know that annual review meetings are coming, which means you need to get ready to make the most of this important Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting. For some, this… Continue reading 4 Questions to Ask Before Your Child’s IEP Annual Review Meeting

Now matter where you live, it is always important to prepare for a natural disaster. Learn how to maintain an emergency kit for survival and tube feeding.

I own approximately two and a half things from Lululemon. The half is a scarf/wrap/shawl that I never know how to wear, but bought because it was seventy percent off and how could I not? The rest of the time I am a card-carrying member of Target, because you should always have the option of… Continue reading The Best Freebie I Ever Received – An Accessory for My Son’s Communication Device

I’m a crunchy mama. I make almost all of our meals from scratch, as much as possible from out own chemical-free garden, and I have lavender essential oil on hand at any given moment. I am a smoothie connoisseur, flax seed makes me happy, I take supplements, and prescriptions, side by side. I’m an experienced… Continue reading Research, Experts and Essential Oils

Change, change, it’s the season for change! Well, change is inevitable at any time of the year and in any phase of our life. If you have children, double the amount of change! Our year is filled with them – September, the holidays, winter break, the return to school in January, spring break, returning after… Continue reading 4 Ways to Help Kids with Special Needs Adjust to Change

Before I had kids, I loved going to the grocery store. I would get a frothy drink at the Starbuck’s and roll down the aisles at my leisure. I never carried a grocery list. I’d throw in some goat cheese, a baguette, hummus, peanut butter, bananas…maybe a pint of ice cream or two. None of… Continue reading The Grocery Store Tradition I Am Sad to Lose

Our son Ben was diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism at his one-year-old checkup, and from that day forward, he has taken a thyroid supplement every single day. In addition, he has numerous other health complications as well as an Intellectual Disability (Down syndrome) and ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). This combination of medical and developmental diagnoses makes… Continue reading Tips and Tricks for Giving Medicine to Kids

The answer is a resounding “Yes.” You, as a parent, are entering into the parenting scene with your own areas of strength and weakness, and sometimes they match up with your child, but sadly, sometimes they don’t. This can lead to feelings of helplessness and lack of control, which can be traumatizing and distressing at… Continue reading Can the Stress of Raising a Child with PTSD Result in a Parent with PTSD?

The first topic in dinner party conversation is the weather. It’s easy and safe and vague and everybody has an opinion. Except, I don’t attend dinner parties so very much, so let’s shift that to the exchanges over the cash register with the check-out lady at Target. It usually goes something like this: “How about… Continue reading Let’s Talk About the Weather