Leading the Blind

First day of Homeschool Co-op Look how much they've both grown! We wrapped up our last day of our home school co-op for the semester this week, and so I wanted to write an update on how our homeschooling was going. I get asked often about it, so I wanted to take the time to write out a little more detailed update everyone! First and foremost, I am extremely pleased with how our first semester of homeschool has gone. It all started out a little rough, and has ended up looking nothing like what I expected, but I think the beauty of homeschool is that it has ended up looking like exactly what my kids have needed.  I started the year with a plan in mind, (I would hope any teacher would lol) and that plan included lots of working through a reading curriculum with Christian. I have a great reading curriculum for braille, and I just knew that if we could get through that, Christian would be set.  Well, that didn't work out, exactly. Christian was inattentive and not...

Yep! You read that title correctly. We have surgery number eight scheduled. I wanted to go ahead and let everyone know what is going on and ask y'all to begin praying for my C. We are having a minor procedure, thankfully, on January 4th to place Christian's fourth set of ear tubes. This time, we will also be having Christian's adenoids removed. This all sort of started when he fell and broke his nose. A blessing in disguise maybe? Christian was obviously concussed from his injury, along with the broken nose, as evidenced by the fact that he began vomiting once we reached the emergency room that evening. That warranted a CAT Scan to make sure there was no bleeding on his brain or anything else of concern. Thankfully, the scan showed no signs of serious injury except for the fractures on his nose. However, the fluid build up in his sinus cavity was so notable that the radiologist who read his scans made note of it. I wasn't aware that there was so  much build up. Al...

Spend about three seconds on the internet and you will find someone who is offended about the way you raise your kids. They will probably be strangers who don't know you, your situation, or your kids, but they will surprisingly have all the answers to your life. 😒 I've read a few articles about helicopter moms and how this is such a terrible thing. It creates fragile kids who are dependent on others, etc. etc. I've pretty much heard it all in that respect, and while I don't take it personally because hey, I realize these folks don't know me or my situation so they really can't say what is the best way to raise my kids, I will be the first one to admit that I am a helicopter mom. I'm not ashamed of that fact, nor do I think it's making my kids into terrible people. I don't think that parents who are the opposite are doing anything wrong either, by not raising their kids how I raise mine. I think they are probably just doing what they think is b...

I posted this week on Facebook about how I have seen soooooo many pregnancy announcements recently. I joked that my uterus was crying, but that I knew it wasn't happening for me, at least not any time soon. That post got lots of comments. For some reason, you guys get all excited at the thought of my having more kids. lol! I guess it's because you love the ones I already have so much! 😍 I had a few people ask why I said it was not in the cards for me to have more kids and it really got me thinking. I know in my heart of hearts that another child is just not a good fit for our family right now, and I also know in my heart of hearts that I long for more children. It's a weird feeling. Having a child with special needs complicates a lot of things. I wouldn't trade all the uncomplicated-ness in the world for my C, and y'all know that, but the fact is, disabilities can and most often do throw a wrench in our best laid plans. We have adapted and made new paths and k...

Photo Credit: Sarah Feinstien Photography I can see the changes happening! I've been a part of the special needs community via Christian for about six and a half years, and the shift is noticeable from the time Christian was born until now. We, as a society, have come a long way. We still have a ways to go, don't get me wrong, but I am proud of the strides we are making in accepting people with differences and disabilities into our society as a normal and integral part of it! Last night while I was getting the boys to sleep, I had the TV on but muted. It was on America's Got Talent (I think. The one with Simon Cowel, whichever show that is) and there was a person on stage who looked like she was singing. Since the TV was muted I couldn't hear her, but I grabbed the remote to turn the volume up because I knew I had to hear her voice! This person is the beautiful and wildly talented Kechi Okwuchi , who actually survived a plane crash that caused burns on her ent...

If you have made it this far and followed my blog series on teaching your kids about people with differences, THANK YOU! I am honored that you have trusted me to walk you along this journey in helping your kids learn about differences! This is a topic that's near and dear to my heart because I believe raising caring and compassionate kids means a more caring and compassionate future, a future that children and their children will have to live in! So, thank you! If you have missed any of my posts in this series, you can start with part one here!  Part Two is here! Part Three is here! Part Four is here! Now, on to the final post of this series, Part 5! Make a Connection When children ask questions about differences, it's because they don't know or understand. They ask to get an answer, not to be cruel. I always assume kids are curious, not mean. That being said, sometimes, when you take the time to explain about a difference and give them a chance to as...

Part Four - Five Ways To Teach Your Child About People With Differences - Differently Abled Etiquette Thanks for joining me again for part four of my five part series! I can't believe we've almost made it through already! If you are new to this series, you might want to go back and start with PART ONE . <---click here to read it. If you have been following along, THANK YOU! I hope you are enjoying it! People first Language is important. I cringe whenever I hear someone say "I know a Downs kid." I don't know why that one gets to me so much, but it does. "A person with Down's Syndrome" would be much more appropriate. In general, let's all teach our kids to just see the person before the disability. That's really the whole premise of People First Language. Put the person first. Not autistic child, rather, child with autism. If they get wrong, it's not the end of the world,  but like reminded them to say please and thank you, l...

3. Speak Matter-of-Factly and Honestly About Differences Thanks for joining me once again for my five part series on teaching your kids about people with differences! I am so enjoying sharing my heart with you all!! If you have missed any parts of the series, you can start with part two here:  Creating A Safe Space to Get It Wrong. Part two includes a link to Part 1, so it should be easy to navigate to where you want to go. So, Part 3 of my series is Called "Be Honest." I think it's so important to be open and candid with kids about differences, without, of course, divulging so much information that the child gets scared or put off. Sometimes disabilities can result from traumatic accidents, and while it's the truth, some kids might be too young to understand and process the fact that it could happen to any of us. So, I will preface this post with a disclaimer. Please use discretion when being open honest with children about disabilities. Age, development leve...