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Love Letters and Children’s Literacy

I love hearing about other women’s passions and interests. There is something motivating and inspiring about another momma, trying to impact the world, doing the best she can to make a difference....

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Why Does Sunday School Have to be School?

It’s Sunday morning. How many families are fighting to get their kids out the door today, and into that Sunday school classroom? When I was a single mom, I used to look at the clock on a Sunday morning...

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When Being Thankful Feels Impossible

It is officially the week we collectively give thanks. It’s good. It’s right. It’s tradition. And sometimes…it feels completely impossible.   (This post originally appeared here on Not The Former...

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Momma, Why Can’t I Read?

This post was originally published on Not The Former Things in 2014. After reading two books last week, my sweet son was thrilled. I was thrilled. We all were thrilled. But this week, basic words are a...

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Just Because It’s Difficult, Doesn’t Mean You are Doing it Wrong

He threw the book and stomped off to his room. “Don’t you understand?” he yelled, clearly frustrated. “I have dys-A-lexia!” As he slammed the door, I tried to sort through all my reactions – smiling...

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The Constant Vigilance Of Parenting A Child With Special Needs

“It feels like our lives are totally out of control. And there is nothing I can do about it,” my husband replied. I looked at my son’s doctor, wondering what she might say. She looked down at her paper...

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When Your Child Has Autism

My oldest son was diagnosed with autism when he was just shy of ten years old. But he has lived with it his entire life. From a few days old until today, at age fourteen, my son has been teaching me...

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Blaming Parents Of Children With Special Needs

Since the day my first baby was born, I have felt responsible for my children’s differences. Not responsible in the “I’m the momma so I need to help my child” kinda way (although I certainly feel that...

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Lies I Believe About Being A “Special Needs Mom”

I leaned over the kitchen counter, my head in my hands, and tried to take a few deep breaths. The house was a disaster, I hadn’t finished reading lessons my youngest in three days, I was still in my...

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Giving Ourselves Grace

You might be the worst mom ever. How could you let him play Minecraft that long? Did you even think about what vegetable to serve for dinner tonight?  He can’t have that much sugar. Why did you say yes...

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What Being A ‘Special Needs’ Mom Has Taught Me About Just Plain Being A Mom

I was chatting with a younger momma recently who asked me to share some tips and tricks for motherhood. She said she thought our life, and all it’s crazy, might have taught me a few things that she...

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Grieving My Child’s Diagnosis

When I was in high school, I learned about Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s Five Stages of Grief (the stages we go through when we are processing a significant loss or change). It was part of an assignment for...

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10 Must-Read Books For Parenting A Child With Special Needs

There are eleven separate chronic diagnoses between my two children. Seven times I have sat in a beige room on a beige couch and heard a doctor say the words I knew were coming, but still didn’t want...

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Why Is My Child So Explosive?

When my son kicked the windshield, I didn’t think it would break. I was wrong. Apparently, the force of losing all rational thought and ability was enough to crack it from end to end. He was crying,...

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Neurological Evaluations and Diagnosis: What I Wish Someone Had Told Me

I hung up the phone and started to cry. I was alone in my room so that I could speak to the doctor’s office privately. I could hear my son starting to meltdown and my husband trying to help him in the...

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To My Son’s Doctor

I hung up the phone with tears in my eyes. The office had not even sent the paperwork yet. Two weeks…wasted. Two weeks of my son being in increasing pain, complete overload, and struggling to...

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When My Expectations Don’t Match My Reality

“I think you might be losing sight of the fact that he has an autism spectrum diagnosis. That’s not going away. We need to talk about adjusting your expectations.” This is what the behavioral...

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Why Are We So Afraid Of Accommodations For Children?

Every week, I receive a report showing the top searches that drive traffic to my blog. Every week, I cringe. At the very top of the list, for the last year or so, the top search is always some...

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Is It OK To Use The Term “Special Needs?”

People can be really mean sometimes. People can be really kind sometimes. This pretty much sums up what I have learned about the internet as a blogger. I delete inappropriate comments without...

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Why Are We So Afraid Of Accommodations For Children?

Every week, I receive a report showing the top searches that drive traffic to my blog. Every week, I cringe. At the very top of the list, for the last year or so, the top search is always some...

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