Yesterday I told you about the sermon I heard on the word NOW. And I promised you a list of the things I appreciate in the NOW. So here goes:

1. I appreciate that my dear hubby gets up every day (at the crack of dawn) and trods out the door to work. He travels extensively and while I know it's so hard on him to send night after night on the road, he never complains, unless it's to complain that he's not here for us. Meanwhile, I just keep spending the money on therapies, legal fees and other such things.

2. I appreciate that on Wednesday LuLu played for over... more

I get regular email updates from Jenny Bowen, Executive Director of Half the Sky. They are doing an awesome work in Chinese orphanages, establishing preschools, teaching caretakers about infant development and the importance of bonding, and providing opportunities for older orphans to get a much-needed education.

Since 1998, Half the Sky's programs have expanded to currently serve over 2,500 children.

Yesterday's email from Jenny explained that they have been selected by GlobalGiving.com to compete for funding and a spot on their donation website. Only the top 3 of the 35 finalists will join the projects that donors can fund on the... more

Nancy Thomas, a therapeutic parent of international renown, lectures forcefully on the importance of maintaining your sense of humor while parenting challenging children. She gives the example of knowing she had reached the end of herself when she found herself sitting in a movie theatre, watching a comedy and not being able to figure out why all the others around her were laughing.

I agree -- lose your sense of humor and you lose yourself. The more stress you're under, the more you need to find humor in everyday life. Humor keeps... more

With the ADN conference less than a month away, I'm getting more excited by the day! We get several inquiries a day, and it thrills me when people are so excited about coming.

One of the presentations I'm looking forward to is the Friday afternoon keynote (and Saturday follow up Q&A session) with Adoption Blog's editor, Nancy Ashe. Nancy is an adult adoptee and, as she explains it, "attachment-affected" individual. She has struggled with many of the issues that our special children stuggle with. Hearing it from her perspective will be invaluable.

One... more

Second pitfall to parenting:

Owning too much of your child's problem.

What does that mean? It means caring more than your child does about changing his/her behavior. Truth is, we all care deeply about our children's behavior. We have to...they're our children and have been entrusted to us to raise...to teach...to guide into adulthood. But when our children misbehave, who should own lion's share of the responsibility for changing that behavior? The child should.

Not owning too much of your child's problem is a mindset, an... more

I have a faithful reader! I got an email from her a couple days ago. It's my sister. I was going to post an embarrassing picture of her from our childhood...but my scanner is down (just her luck!) So I thought I'd include a portrait of us. Isn't she cute...I'm the older one!

Along with lots of ego-boosting compliments (thanks Sis!), her email said something that struck a chord with me "I am now referring this blog to my friends who don't have 'special needs' children; because, as you know, all children have special needs."

Wow! What insight -- glad I'm... more

In my last blog I was thinking about Helen Keller AND Annie Sullivan. Annie, who seemingly put in a great deal of effort (Herculean effort) to reach through the ANGER to Helen. Not to discount Annie's efforts, because she was truly a Miracle Worker. And I know tons of miracle working parents and teachers who make Hercules look like a sissy.

BUT, the true hero was Helen. In an article written for Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 1999, Helen was quoted as saying: "Sometimes, I stood between two persons who were conversing and touched their lips. I could not understand, and was vexed. I moved... more

The other day I quoted Helen Keller in a blog on Advocate Moms. I've been thinking about her ever since. Her life, her accomplishments, her disabilities, her teacher have had a profound impact on all special kids and their parents, whether we realize it or not.

I remember as a child being captivated by that scene in The Miracle Worker with Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft at the water pump -- that "Aha" moment for Helen.... more

I don't know what I dread worse -- the beginning or end of the school year? At the beginning you have new teachers, new routines, new situations to work through. At the end you have the "loss" of the relationships, the routine, the fun of being in school.

Special kids are especially adverse to changes and transitions. Transitioning to summer time can be especially rough. Parents and teachers alike report escalating behaviors, sleep issues, eating issue, etc. that can all be attributed the upcoming change from the school year to summer break.

Children with disabilities... more

Dear Readers,

How would you answer this question: "So what do you want for Mother's Day?"

The question caught me off-guard like it always does. It's not that I didn't know Mother's Day was coming as I struggled to find the right packing material to get my own mother's gift sent off to her or as I signed up for our church's Mother-Daughter Brunch. It's just that in all the frenzy of May, I never stop to thing what I want as a gift.

Here were my initial responses, although they were not really what my family had in mind when they asked the question.

"That my... more