Muffins with Mom

Muffins with Mom

What an honor it was to spend the morning with Skyler. I truly can’t believe that 13 years have past between my first and what was likely my last “muffins with mom.” So many emotions are going through my mind as I look at the photos of then and now… Age 7 – Skyler was…

Just Keep Trying
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Just Keep Trying

Routines are an essential part of life for many on the spectrum and my son Skyler definitely demands consistency. I’ve spent this entire weekend parenting solo and essentially filling as Joshua Hellmann (aka Skyler’s favorite person) doing all the special things they normally do together while Josh is out of town running the Cleveland Marathon….

A Beautiful Mind

A Beautiful Mind

Understanding the inner workings of the body and mind is extremely difficult, but as the parent caregiver of a non-speaking young adult diagnosed with autism and Ulcerative Colitis, I feel like the last 19 years have been an endless game of charades. Although there are plentiful books on the subject, the early phase of motherhood…

I’m Tired

I’m Tired

I’m in a funk – a particularly dark head space that is centered around jealousy. I would normally suffer in silence and be ashamed to openly admit my truth, but I think it’s important to be honest and share because I suspect I’m not alone. We’ve come so far in many ways with Skyler’s communication…

Celebrating Motherhood

Celebrating Motherhood

The Mother’s Day holiday is one of my favorite days of the year.  I genuinely enjoy celebrating being the mother of two incredible kids more than my birthday, Christmas and Valentine’s Day combined. Like many little girls who played house with their dolls as children, I often depicted the ‘perfect’ mother as I imagined her…

Rites of Passage

Rites of Passage

I’m going to be completely honest and vulnerable here. I’ve been struggling with my emotions the last few weeks and haven’t really felt much like writing, talking or doing much of anything. I don’t usually let my feelings thoroughly overtake me, but this is a really momentous year for our family – one that seemed…

The Impact of Childhood Experiences on Parenting

The Impact of Childhood Experiences on Parenting

A person’s upbringing can explain a lot about their views, values and perspectives regarding every situation or difficulty they encounter.  We each gather various life lessons and personality traits along the way which impacts every decision we make and how we choose to parent our children.  When I reflect back on my own childhood experiences,…