Category Archives: Parenting

Safe Travels

After an exhausting month, and following an exhausting day, I dropped the girl off at school and headed to the beach. I had about an hour before I was to teach. I walked for a little bit, then sat in … Continue reading

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Is Your Kid the Welcoming Kind?

One day when Riley was in third grade, I met her on the playground after school and she fell into my arms, sobbing. “Why doesn’t anyone like me?” No one had made fun of her. No one had shoved her … Continue reading

Posted in Asperger's, autism, Parenting, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Forgive us our trespasses

Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. HT works a second job, part-time at a small compounding pharmacy. The owner of the pharmacy is generous enough to treat his employees to a nice dinner … Continue reading

Posted in Forgiveness, marriage, Parenting, special needs parenting, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Swimming at Sunset

Not every night, but often enough, after dinner, we head to the beach. Some days the waves are big, and Seth is happy. He lives for riding the big ones. Some days the waves are gentle and Riley is happy. … Continue reading

Posted in appreciation, Parenting, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

4100 Pages

We just finished the Harry Potter series. We started five years ago and have tackled one every summer, and some during the winters in between. I have read each of those 4100 pages out loud to my kids. The first … Continue reading

Posted in appreciation, Cleveland, Parenting, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

The Business of Baby

The Business of Baby: What Doctors Don’t Tell You, What Corporations Try to Sell You, and How to Put Your Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Before Their Bottom Line, by Jennifer Margulis. I will give this book to every newly pregnant woman … Continue reading

Posted in appreciation, Parenting, Uncategorized, vaccines | 6 Comments

Easter

Yesterday I was so flat out exhausted. Todd knew it and offered to take over morning routine today so I could sleep. We’re good that way. I think it is one of the reasons our marriage is strong. We intuit … Continue reading

Posted in appreciation, Love., Parenting, spirituality, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Before the Healing Service

On Sunday we went to a healing service with Dr. Issam Nemeh. I recently read the book Miracles Every Day and wanted to experience his prayer for our family in person. Earlier that morning, as we were getting ready, Seth … Continue reading

Posted in appreciation, Love., Parenting, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Didees

My mom had twins in 1983 when I was 15. We used cloth diapers for a while. It was disgusting. It was the old rectangle of a diaper, safety pins, with rubber pants on top. They leaked. They stunk. You … Continue reading

Posted in Parenting, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Lego Therapy

Our dining room table is perpetually covered in Lego. There is also a table in Seth’s room, and they often overflow the table and creep across his floor. There are several storage bins but the Lego can’t seem to stay … Continue reading

Posted in PANDAS, PANS, Parenting, Uncategorized | 12 Comments

Safety

Seth could not sleep last night. When he re-entered school this year after being homeschooled for two, the biggest stress for him was not the academic work, not the social aspects of making new friends, but the fire and lock … Continue reading

Posted in appreciation, Parenting, special needs parenting, spirituality, Uncategorized | 15 Comments

Fred Rogers Talks About Tragic Events in the News

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” … Continue reading

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Thank you, that was three.

I love Seth’s teacher. Every morning the kids have a meeting, in which they sit in a circle and are given the opportunity to share. She picks the first kid, and the child shares something and then takes three questions … Continue reading

Posted in appreciation, PANDAS, Parenting, Uncategorized | 11 Comments

Sometimes she just knocks my socks off

The other day, Riley wanted to talk to me about something personal and pressing for her. We had a nice chat, in which I shared some related things I’d experienced when I was her age. When we were done she … Continue reading

Posted in Parenting, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Barbara Azzara,Teaching Excellence Not Perfection

A little background. Probably twenty years ago, my friend Anna mentioned something casually in conversation about Emmanuel’s Book: A Manual for Living Comfortably in the Cosmos. This was when I was living in the DC area. I filed it away in … Continue reading

Posted in appreciation, growth, Love., Parenting, special needs parenting, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Happy Birthday to Seth

He did it. He turned ten. He was the best baby. The most precious toddler. The sweetest preschool guy. He’s a joy. He’s a happy person. He is a light. He has more patience than any adult I know. He … Continue reading

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Happy Anniversary

The first thing Seth said when I came downstairs this morning was, “It’s me and Yippee’s anniversary!” Two years ago today we surprised Seth with his Chihuahua. It was the happiest day of Seth’s life, and will go down in … Continue reading

Posted in chihuahuas, Parenting, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

He’ll Always be my Baby

“Seth!” I yell from the kitchen. “What?” he yells back from the living room. “Is you is, or is you ain’t my baby?” He giggles from the living room. I get up and walk toward where he is. Standing in … Continue reading

Posted in Parenting, Uncategorized | 11 Comments

BPA FREE SEALANTS How one dentist’s arrogance sealed the deal

About a year ago, I had the kids at the dentist and she recommended sealants for Seth’s teeth. I told her I’d look into them. So of course I did my research and learned that some sealants have Bisphenol-A  (BPA) … Continue reading

Posted in Parenting, Uncategorized | 16 Comments

Random Snapshots

Friday, the alarm woke me up and I stumbled into the bathroom. Riley was already in there, brushing her teeth. I grabbed my toothbrush and joined her, me in boxer shorts and a white t-shirt. She in her pj’s. She … Continue reading

Posted in appreciation, kids and dogs, marriage, PANDAS, Parenting | 9 Comments