We've all been there. Playing with our kids at home, our child gets triggered and ALL chaos ensues. Navigating a meltdown can be hard. This can be a common occurrence for many parents, but when you're parenting a child with special needs, it can reach a whole new level. I think it is safe to say many of us avoid triggers like the plague. Recently I attended an ... Read More
An Open Letter from the Mother of a Bully
We all know one. That child at school who calls other kids names. The one that says rude comments. The one that doesn't play fair during games, or tries to control who gets to play with the group. As a parent seeing your child's feelings get hurt, this can be heartbreaking, challenging, and down right infuriating. Hi! I'm the parent of that bully. But instead of saying ... Read More
Why You Should Reward Your Child for Bad Behavior
You're standing in your kitchen washing dishes when suddenly your 10 year old child comes walking in. He asks if he can have an ice cream sandwich. Dinner is in 5 minutes so you calmly let him know not right now, but after dinner. Unfortunately, this tried and true method of delaying the "yes" doesn't work and your child begins to meltdown. I'm not talking your average ... Read More
Top 10 Sensory Toys You Need for ADHD and FASD!
Having children with ADHD, FASD, or multiple other frontal lobe disorders often requires a bit of extra assistance. Over the years I have discovered several items that have helped calm my children, get out extra energy, help them focus and ease their anxiety. These are my top sensory and calming picks to help you with your child! This page contains affiliate links meaning I ... Read More
How Cats Help with ADHD and FASD
I want to start out this post by saying it is from a completely unbiased viewpoint. That I am in no way trying to promote the love of cats over dogs. I do not love cats more than dogs...I do not secretly watch cat videos in my spare time, and I have no sentimental feelings towards cats. Ok....well...maybe I love cats. So I guess it is only fair to say I have heard of similar ... Read More
Why I Gave ADHD Medication a Chance
Daniel and I began our adoption journey early with our hearts open to a child with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). Our first child through adoption didn't get a diagnosis, but by the time our second and third sibling set were toddlers, it was very evident we were dealing with FASD. Being new to the parenting world of FASD, it took us a while to realize what was ... Read More
Concurrent Adoption
Daniel and I had been adoptive and foster parents for roughly 3 years before we decided to expand our family once again. Mathieu was 3, Robby was 2 and Alaina had just turned 1 years old. We didn't have any other foster placements at the time so we figured it was a good time to begin. We pondered between a regular Ministry adoption, like the one we did with Mathieu, or a ... Read More
A Day In the Life of FASD
One of the top questions I get from people considering adoption or foster care, is whether or not they think they can manage a child with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). ... Read More
Foster-to-Adopt – Part 1
Enter Robby. We had been fostering for a little over 3 months when we got the call for our very first newborn. We had never parented a newborn before, and despite already parenting Mathieu and a few other children through fostering, I was nervous! ... Read More